Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 147: Favoritism and Responsibility (Part 2)

"Of course," Damien replied with a faint smile. "It’s just like we talked about earlier. The idea is to take responsibility all the way through and ensure things end on a good note, right?"

"Precisely," Sebas affirmed.

But Damien still felt uneasy. Was it really that simple? Hadn’t the topic shifted somewhere along the way?

"Um, wasn’t the original question about whether nobles should show favoritism at all?" Damien asked.

"No matter what a noble does, those who disapprove will call it favoritism," Sebas said dismissively. "Worrying about that is futile."

That’s true, Damien thought. Sebas had said something similar earlier.

"Then, should you avoid favoritism by refusing to help anyone at all?" Sebas pressed.

"Wait, no," Damien stammered, thrown by the extreme suggestion.

"Or perhaps, to avoid favoritism, you should stop extending a hand to the lizardman slaves?"

"Wh-what?" Damien froze. How did Sebas know about that?

Damien hadn’t mentioned it to anyone. He turned his head to Elyon suspiciously, but Elyon shook his head, smirking.

"It wasn’t me," Elyon said, pointing at Sebas.

"Simple deduction," Sebas explained calmly. "I heard that slaves from the western frontline arrived today. Based on Sir Damien’s return time, I concluded it was highly likely you encountered the parade."

So it was just logic. Damien sighed, offering a sheepish glance at Elyon.

"Sorry, Ely," Damien muttered. Then, eyeing Sebas nervously, he thought, This man is terrifying.

"Oh, so that’s why Damien was so fixated on the idea of favoritism," Theo chimed in. "I was wondering about that. It seemed like he already had a conclusion about the thief’s case."

"If it’s Sir Damien, that child will just end up being spoiled," Leonide said casually.

"Well... maybe," Damien admitted, scratching his head. But somehow, the phrasing stung.

"And that is perfectly fine," Sebas said firmly.

"Is it, though...?" Damien muttered, unconvinced.

"Those who are noble bear a duty to extend their hands to those in need. Even if they are criticized for favoritism, this responsibility cannot be shirked."

Theo, Leonide, and even Elyon nodded in agreement.

"And once you’ve extended your hand, you must take responsibility until the very end," Sebasadded.

"I want to," Damien said with a sigh. "But I don’t have the means to take responsibility..."

What he meant, of course, was money. Damien, as usual, was practically penniless.

"Oh, don’t worry about that," Theo said, smiling mischievously. "There are things we’ll need to discuss later, but for now, it’s not a concern."

"That... sounds terrifying," Damien said.

His unease must have shown, as Theo chuckled lightly.

"Damien," Theo said, "you saved the life of the Marquis’ heir. Surely, you didn’t think you’d walk away without some kind of compensation? If it’s about money, don’t stress too much."

"That’s even scarier," Damien muttered under his breath.

"Damien, if you have the means to take responsibility, will you abandon someone you could save, just to avoid favoritism? Would you turn your back on someone simply because others might think it unfair?" Sebas’s tone was steady, but his words pierced deep.

Damien lowered his gaze.

"You’re right, I’m too soft," he admitted at last.

"And that, Sir Damien, is the pride of the noble-hearted," Sebas declared while nodding his head grandly as if this was the perfect conclusion.

After dinner, it was time for tea.

The evening’s treat was sugar confections received from Lorenzo’s family. They had a hint of fruit juice, giving them a pleasant tartness that made them delicious.

"These are quite good," Theo commented, picking one up. "They’re easy to carry and seem perfect for a quick energy boost when you’re tired. Sebas, make sure to stock up on these."

"Understood," Sebas replied.

It seemed even Theo was a fan of the confections.

"Now then," Theo said, setting his teacup down, "shall we discuss what to do next? Let’s start with the matter of the pickpocket boy."

"He mentioned working as a porter for someone named Master Buryats," Damien said. "I’m planning to start there, check out the situation, and go from there."

The first step was to find the boy.

There was at least some information to work with, so Damien was confident it could be done, even if it might take some time.

"I’ll find him," Damien said to himself, determination flickering in his eyes.

"Sebas?" Theo prompted.

"Yes, young master," Sebas replied calmly. "I’ve already located Miroslava Buryats. If you allow me until tomorrow, I should also be able to determine the boy’s whereabouts."

Sebas delivered the report as if it were the simplest thing in the world, and Theo nodded his head in satisfaction.

...Sebas was really terrifying.

They had only talked about this during dinner. How had he investigated so quickly? When? How?

Thinking about it too much gave Damien chills, so he decided not to dwell on it. Sebas would handle finding the boy. That was all that mattered.

"Alright," Theo concluded, "we’ll wait for Sebas’s report on that. Now, the bigger issue is the lizardmen."

"Um... about the lizardmen," Damien ventured hesitantly, "isn’t there any chance they could stay as they are? They’re famous as excellent warriors. Maybe they could find someone decent to hire them..."

"That’s impossible," Theo cut him off sharply, leaving no room for argument.

Damien had hoped, even if just a little, but Theo immediately crushed that hope.

"No matter how skilled they are as warriors, it’s meaningless if they can’t communicate. Without the ability to speak, they can’t even function as proper slaves. At best, they would be sold to the arena and treated as beasts," Theo explained, his tone cold but factual.

Damien sighed. Of course, it wasn’t that simple.

The struggle of dealing with a language barrier was something Damien deeply understood.

"Um, is there anything else like my translation tool?" he asked, hoping against hope.

"It might exist somewhere in the world, but in this country, there’s only the one you have," Theo replied.

So, it was an incredibly rare item.

"Are you sure it’s okay for me to keep this?" Damien asked again.