In the first-floor dining room of Fragrant Manor, servants set platters of grilled fish on the table. A rich aroma reached Gwen and her companions, making their mouths water.
A manor named "Fragrant" naturally had no shortage of spices. Paired with Garrol Fish from the freshwater lakes near Bayam, a fish especially suited to grilling, they made for a tempting meal.
But while Tran deftly picked up the "chopsticks" beside his plate, Lydia and Miss Gwen were at a loss.
Where were the knives and forks? What were these two twig-like things?
As they puzzled over them, Abner picked up his chopsticks with practiced ease and explained with a smile:
"When eating grilled fish, you're supposed to use these utensils called 'chopsticks.' They say Emperor Roselle got the idea from an Elf custom."
He neatly picked up a piece of fish to demonstrate.
"An Elf custom?" Gwen, who had Giant ancestry, and Lydia, who was Sanguine, felt no particular affinity for Elves. That did not stop them from eagerly learning to use the unusual utensils.
Miss Gwen tried to pick up a piece of fish, but she used too much force and broke it apart. She frowned, glanced at Mr. Brain's deft movements at the head of the table, and grew serious without even realizing it. Applying her Weapon Master Beyonder Ability, she treated the chopsticks as weapons and soon wielded them with ease.
Across the table, Lydia struggled for quite a while without success. Growing discouraged, she wanted to eat the fragrant fish whole. A few bones were no problem for a Sanguine.
The chef had even stuffed spices through the empty spaces where the Garrol Fish's eyes would have been, ensuring flavor inside and out. If the bones did not get stuck in one's throat, the fish would