Chapter 7 – Alice’s Warning

Both the medic and Alice looked utterly stunned.

Historically, those capable of harnessing mana were strictly limited to mages or individuals with exceptional talent. The only person in Class F who could actually use mana was Iris Malisa.

My gut instinct was to deny.

The mana exhaustion was likely a side effect of using Halunar’s eye. I had zero intention of letting a god-given power leak out. But then again, if I admitted to having mana, I’d have to fabricate some other ability to explain it, which sounded like a giant pain.

So, I went with a non-committal, vague approach:

“I’m not really sure. It’s not like I was trying to use mana or anything. Could it just be a mistake?”

The medic looked thoughtful. “It could just be extreme physical weakness; you do look pretty haggard… Anyway, just lie down and get some rest for now.”

Alice helped me over to an empty bed; I was currently the only patient in the entire infirmary. She didn’t leave, though. Instead, she sat by my side, looking even more troubled than I – the actual patient – did.

Watching her steal glances at me, clearly wanting to say something but biting her tongue, I just stayed quiet and waited. After a long silence, Alice finally bowed her head, her hair obscuring most of her face, and whispered:

“Asher… can you… can you really use mana?”

I shook my head.

“I honestly don’t know.”

Alice twiddled her thumbs, looking visibly anxious.

“If… and this is just a ‘what if’… if you really can use mana, please keep it a secret.”

“Why? Being able to use mana is a good thing, isn’t it?”

“Your master… I mean, your cousin… he might not exactly be thrilled about that.”

Ah. I see where she’s going with this.

In Averula, mana is still regarded as a divine blessing. Consequently, the nobility tend to believe that only those of high standing, like themselves, are worthy of receiving such a gift. The fact that the rate of mana users is indeed higher among nobles only reinforces this conviction.

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As a result, the idea that someone with commoner blood could also wield mana threatens to diminish the “exclusivity” of the aristocracy, something they aren’t particularly fond of.

“I… I’ve heard rumors… that some nobles will sell off their servants to the Church if they discover they can use mana. Those servants… they likely end up as test subjects for the Church’s experiments…”