Chapter 27 – The Mana Appraisal

Dinner was a drab, uneventful affair.

All the core members of the family were present. Despite being a pariah, I was still a direct bloodline descendant of the Griffin house, which granted me a seat at the table during these “family banquets.”

Granted, that seat was at the very far end, rendering me practically invisible to everyone else.

The head of the table, of course, belonged to the current family head – Marius Griffin. He made a slow, deliberate entrance only after everyone else had been seated, signaling the official start of the feast. His gaze seemed to linger on me more than usual, but I didn’t let it bother me.

The food was served course by course, with individual portions for each guest. There was an abundance of dishes, but every single one of them tasted equally abysmal.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned this yet, have I? The food in Averula is terrible.

They oversalt everything—Averula has no shortage of salt, given that two-thirds of the national border is surrounded by the sea.

While seafood is plentiful in the coastal regions, transporting it to central hubs like the capital, Varham, takes far too long. As a result, most of it arrives salted and dried.

Vegetables aren’t a priority here either; they primarily subside on tubers and fruits. For someone like me, born in a country where every meal requires green vegetables, this is a form of torture.

Only the bread and freshly grilled meats are remotely edible. During my first isekai life, I practically lived on bread alone just to survive. But that leads to a protein deficiency, so this time, I’ve forced myself to eat more meat and fruit.

Tonight was no different; I choked down a portion of dry and salty grilled chicken to fuel up. What comes next is going to require a lot of energy.

Marius and Jullius were the first to depart, a signal that the banquet could end at any moment.

I took the chance to finish my dessert apple before following. Apples are a luxury in Averula, typically reserved for the nobility. The butler was already waiting for me at the door to escort me to the Marquis’s study.

“Sir, Asher has arrived.”

The Marquis was seated at his desk, with Jullius standing stiffly beside him.

Jullius inherited nearly eighty percent of his father’s features, with the exception of their eyes. Jullius possessed a gaze that felt direct and upright, a trait that had done wonders for building his image as a hero. In contrast, Marius had narrow, elongated eyes that always seemed to be calculating something.

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I bowed deeply to the Marquis, making sure to project an air of nervous apprehension.

Marius stared down at the crown of my head with cold, piercing eyes. “You claim you can manipulate mana?”

“I believe so, My Lord…”

The towering man stood up, his silhouette casting a long shadow that swallowed the light from the two lamps by the window.

“For your sake, I hope you aren’t lying. I do not take kindly to having my time wasted. Follow me.”

I acted out my confusion. “My Lord…?”

“Anyone bearing Griffin blood who can mobilize mana must undergo this test.”

With that, he stepped toward a nearby bookshelf and firmly pulled a metallic ornament. The shelf gave a slight shudder before sliding aside, revealing a hidden passage.