Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 138: The City Awaits

While Damien had been lost in thought, the conversation had moved forward without him.

"Oh, uh, right. Shopping for ingredients," Damien said, catching up.

"The story is that we’re short on some supplies and needed the two of you to make an urgent purchase," Theo explained.

It felt like an unnecessary level of detail, but Damien realized having a plausible cover story was probably wise. He nodded his head in agreement.

"Both of you, do everything in your power to avoid drawing attention to yourselves," Theo added, his gaze sharp. "Especially you, Teacher. If anyone recognizes you, it could cause big trouble."

"I understand," Elyon replied, though his confidence seemed to waver.

Elyon, looking unusually pale, gave a stiff nod. Damien couldn’t help but wonder if his reluctance stemmed from some bad experience in the past.

"The payment will be handled with vouchers," Theo continued. "You’ll present them, along with Sebas’s memo, to the Steinholt Trading Company."

Steinholt? Damien paused, the name sounding familiar. Wasn’t that Lorenzo’s family’s business? Likely relatives, or maybe even his parents.

"And," Theo added with a small smile, "here’s a little spending money. Feel free to buy something for yourselves."

He handed over a leather pouch. It looked worn and unimpressive—probably meant to give the impression that it held only a modest sum.

Curious, Damien opened it—and froze.

The pouch was stuffed with gold coins.

"T-Theo! This is—!" Damien stammered, clutching it as if it might explode.

"Not enough?" Theo asked, completely unbothered. "I can add more if needed."

Sebas who is standing nearby, stepped over and peered into the pouch with a glance.

"...Young Master," he said evenly, "this is far too much for a casual trip to the city."

Exactly! Damien thought. Elyon had nearly passed out the other day over tea that cost ten gold coins, and this pouch had at least twenty or thirty!

"Sir Damien," Sebas continued, "I’ll set aside a more appropriate amount before your departure. This should be secured in your room for now."

"Yes, please do!" Damien said quickly. "Wait—no! Don’t tell me to keep it—take it back!"

But by the time Damien turned around to hand it over, Sebas had already disappeared, leaving Damien holding the pouch, exasperated and flustered.

It seemed like no matter how many times Damien tried to return the money, Theo and Sebas were set on not taking it back.

"He’ll handle it, Damien," Theo said smoothly while exchanging a brief, understanding look with Sebas.

Realizing his protests were futile, Damien decided to stash the pouch carefully without spending a single coin. Perhaps he could hand it off to Leonide later. Better yet, maybe Leonide could come up with a clever way to return it to Sebas. He made a mental note to ask him about it.

"Now then, let’s go over today’s schedule," Theo said, steering the conversation back to the matter at hand. "You’ll take a carriage from the estate to the merchant district, where the Steinholt Trading Company and the rest of the shops are located."

"A carriage? Wouldn’t walking be less conspicuous?" Damien asked, furrowing his brow.

While a carriage seemed practical, it also felt like it might draw too much attention.

"That’s a fair concern," Theo acknowledged. "However, walking through the noble district on foot tends to attract more notice. A carriage as part of a household errand is surprisingly inconspicuous in this area."

That made sense. Damien realized he’d rarely seen anyone walking around outside. With no visiting staff at the estate and limited foot traffic in the neighborhood, walking might indeed stand out more.

"The carriage will take you to the bridge that separates the noble district from the merchant district. There, you’ll meet the guide I’ve arranged for today," Theo continued.

"Understood," Damien nodded.

"I’ve told you already—I don’t need a guide," Elyon grumbled, clearly displeased.

Damien couldn’t blame him. He had been half-treating this outing as a casual date, and a guide did complicate things.

"You may not like it, Teacher," Theo said firmly, "but you don’t know this city well enough to manage without help."

"Gah... I suppose you’re right," Elyon admitted grudgingly, his tone irritable.

Damien tilted his head. Elyon was famously averse to mingling with people, so it wasn’t surprising that he didn’t know much about the city. Still, Damien couldn’t help but feel relieved. A guide might actually make things easier.

"Who’s the guide, anyway?" Damien asked, curious.

Given his situation, it was unlikely to be someone he didn’t know. Most of the estate staff were tied up with the ongoing paperwork, and there didn’t seem to be any spare personnel. Damien hesitated, wondering if they were inconveniencing someone unnecessarily. If so, perhaps it was better to postpone the outing altogether.

Just as he was considering this, Theo spoke a name Damien hadn’t expected.

"Cedran. The knight who introduced you to me at the garrison. He’ll be your guide."

"Cedran!?" Damien’s eyes widened in surprise and excitement.

The thought of seeing Cedran lifted his spirits. Theo had mentioned previously that Cedran had been the one to find Damien unconscious near the city walls. If Cedran hadn’t taken a detour on his way back from a mission, Damien would almost certainly have died there.

Meeting the man who had saved his life was something Damien hadn’t thought would ever happen. He had always worried he’d never get the chance to thank him properly.

But now, here he was—on the schedule for today.

"...Tch. The seventh one," Elyon muttered sourly.

Damien blinked, caught off guard by Elyon’s sudden grumble.

"Wait, no, it’s not like that!" Damien protested, flustered.

Still, Damien couldn’t deny that Cedran was indeed incredibly handsome. Not that it mattered, but it didn’t hurt either. Meeting Cedran again was definitely something to look forward to.

...

After breakfast, it was time for Damien’s "disguise." Leonide helped him prepare, though the changes weren’t too dramatic.

Essentially, Damien swapped his usual casual wear for a modified version. His short-sleeved shirt was lengthened to fall just past his hips, and his knee-length shorts were replaced by full-length trousers. It felt more like wearing comfortable loungewear than an actual costume.