Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 148: Unexpected Nobility

"I absolutely won’t take it back," Theo replied with a cheerful smile.

"What about keeping them at the royal castle? You nobles love indulging in these kinds of eccentricities, don’t you?" Elyon interjected bluntly.

As harsh as it sounded, Damien agreed. Couldn’t the king or some noble take the lizardmen in?

"There are nobles and royalty with such tastes," Theo acknowledged. "But in this case, it’s not possible. Since they ended up in the parade, it means no one wanted them despite being notified beforehand."

Theo explained further that the language barrier was likely a major factor.

In that case, the only options were to hope they were bought by someone kind—or for Damien to purchase them himself.

He took a deep breath to clear his mind, replenished his sugar levels with the confections, and moistened his throat with tea.

In full readiness, he spoke. "About that detached house that’s supposed to be built as my reward... could we cancel that and use the funds to buy the five lizardmen instead?"

Theo looked genuinely surprised at Damien’s suggestion.

"Ah, that’s... not possible," Theo said, shaking his head. "The barony’s appearance and reputation need to be maintained, so building the detached house is already a decided matter."

Damien’s plan hit a wall at step one.

Seriously? That meant there’d be no funds for buying the lizardmen.

Wait... hadn’t Theo just mentioned earlier that money could be handled?

"Then, earlier, when you said money wouldn’t be an issue—was that true?" Damien asked.

"It’s true," Theo replied. "I was honestly surprised you seemed to forget."

So that was why Theo had looked so startled earlier.

Damien still didn’t fully grasp the idea that he was wealthy now. He still felt like he had nothing.

Actually, wasn’t all that money technically Theo’s? Could he really use it for his personal whims?

"Um, where exactly does that money come from?" Damien asked hesitantly. "If it’s your money, Theo, I don’t feel right using it for something selfish."

"Well," Theo replied with a warm smile, "I’d be delighted if you used as much of my money as you wanted for your whims. It would make me happy."

Theo was clearly trying to spoil him.

If Damien followed Theo’s approach, he feared he’d end up a total slacker.

"Anyway, setting that aside for now," Theo continued, "what I was referring to earlier was proper remuneration and rewards."

As a reward for sharing knowledge from another world and cooperating in experiments, Damien was promised 500 gold coins.

"Wait, what?! 500 gold coins?!" Damien exclaimed.

The amount sounded absurd. He didn’t fully grasp the value of 500 gold coins, but if five slaves cost that much, it must equate to five annual salaries—easily a fortune.

"It’s a fair reward," Theo explained. "This house gains exclusive access to entirely unheard-of knowledge and techniques. Furthermore, this is just the initial, minimum compensation. As we analyze your materials and uncover more uses, your rewards will increase accordingly."

Damien admitted it made sense. Tales of using modern knowledge to dominate fantasy worlds were common, so perhaps it really was that valuable. Especially since he’d brought textbooks and a smartphone, which might revolutionize things here.

Wait—was he doing something reckless?

"Don’t worry," Theo said gently, seemingly reading Damien’s expression. "I promise we won’t use any of it in ways you’d object to."

Theo’s reassurances calmed Damien, though he worried about how much he trusted Theo already.

"And there’s also the reward for helping me the other day," Theo continued.

"Wait, but that was mostly Leonide’s doing—"

"Of course, Leonide’s contribution was substantial," Theo acknowledged, "but you were the one who directly saved me. Naturally, you’re the most deserving of recognition."

Even Leonide nodded in agreement.

Damien still felt undeserving—he’d simply been there by chance.

"Sir Damien," Sebas chimed in, "consider what might have happened had you not been present that day."

If Damien hadn’t been there... Theo likely wouldn’t have awakened so soon. Worse, as Sebas had said back then, Theo might not have woken until dying of old age.

"It’s true that Theo recognizing your abilities was remarkable," Sebas continued, "but that could have eventually happened. However, your presence was indispensable."

With Sebas’s explanation, Damien finally accepted it—though he still felt guilty.

"Since Damien seems convinced now," Theo said, "your reward is this: I’ve granted you direct control of a territory and made you a baron."

"What?!" Damien blurted.

That explained the "baron" references earlier. Without realizing it, he had become a noble in this world.

He didn’t like it. It was terrifying.

"I understand your confusion, Damien," Theo said with a smile. "But this was the easiest way to formally establish you as my lover. What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is yours. Isn’t that fair?"

Damien hesitated. He couldn’t argue against that logic.

Being with Theo openly sounded far better than staying in the shadows. If everything was shared, maybe it was fine.

Wait... by Theo’s logic, didn’t that mean Theo’s vast wealth was now his too?

"I’ve already discussed this with my father, so there’s no going back," Theo added, preempting Damien’s objections.

Damien groaned. He’d have to introduce himself to Theo’s father. His stomach churned at the thought.

Meanwhile, Elyon pointed and laughed. Damien decided Elyon would pay for it later.

"So, the barony’s revenue is about 4,000 gold coins annually," Theo explained. "Of course, that also covers investments in the territory and payments to retainers, so it’s not all for you."

"I don’t really understand... how much is that worth exactly?" Damien asked, puzzled.

He knew it was an enormous sum, but couldn’t imagine the specifics. Then again, maybe he shouldn’t try.

"Hm, ’how much,’ you say..." Theo mused, before Sebas stepped in to help.

"The annual income of a second-class citizen, or an average commoner, is around 30 gold coins."

If Damien assumed one gold coin equaled about 600 dollars, that made 4,000 coins... 24 million dollars.

The number made his head spin. He decided to leave all financial matters to Theo.