Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 149: Damien’s First Purchase

"By the way, how much does it cost to buy a lizardman?" he asked.

"For a standard slave, it’s about 50 gold coins per person. However, in this case, since the lizardmen are in poor condition, the price should be significantly lower," Sebas explained.

Either way, it was affordable.

"So, there’s no problem buying them, right?" Damien asked.

"There’s no issue buying them."

Great! Wait... "No issue buying them? What’s the catch?"

"Well, purchasing them is fine, but what do you plan to do with them afterward?"

"Uh... set them free?"

Everyone but Sebas gave him a wry smile.

"You would just release creatures who don’t understand the language into the wild? That’s quite a cruel hobby," Sebas remarked dryly.

"N-No, I was thinking of escorting them back to wherever they were captured!"

Damien figured he had enough money to manage that much.

"I’m afraid that may not be possible," Sebas said. "Preliminary investigations suggest the lizardmen were captured due to extraordinary circumstances. It’s likely their tribe was destroyed, or for some reason, they can no longer return home."

So simply sending them back wasn’t an option.

Now what? Finding them jobs was tricky since they didn’t speak the language.

Should he hire them as companions? No, that was ridiculous.

Damien finally suggested, "What if they became servants?"

He looked around smugly, expecting praise.

But everyone just nodded as if they’d already considered it.

"Would it work to employ them as servants for your household, Theo?" Damien asked hesitantly.

"Huh?" Theo, Sebas, and the others looked at him like he was crazy.

"Well, it’s not like Theo’s house would want unknown lizardmen as servants..."

"Ah, you considered that far," Theo acknowledged, chuckling. "In truth, our family cannot employ slaves as servants, but they could be assigned menial tasks."

As Damien suspected. Most of Theo’s servants were nobles or from prestigious families—there was no way they’d hire ex-slave lizardmen.

Fortunately, there was a newly established barony with just four staff members: his.

"Then, maybe I can hire them as servants for my barony?" Damien suggested.

"But how will you train them?" Theo asked.

"Uh, I’ll teach them myself, with help from Leonide and the others," Damien replied confidently.

Though he had no experience, Leonide and his team had been trained by Sebas, so they could handle it.

Theo smiled gently, seeming amused.

"You can leave their training to Sebas," Theo assured.

"But... the language barrier..." Damien hesitated.

Theo grinned smugly. "Sebas, you’re knowledgeable in the lizardmen language, correct?"

"Yes, I have some proficiency. Training them won’t be an issue," Sebas confirmed.

"And turning untrained individuals into respectable servants?" Theo pressed.

"I’m quite experienced in that area," Sebas said with a bow.

Theo shot Damien a triumphant look. "So, Sebas will make sure they become excellent servants for your household."

"Alright," Damien replied, clapping for both Theo and Sebas.

"Then tomorrow, we’ll buy them," Theo concluded.

Damien nodded eagerly, though he silently worried, What if they’re sold out?

...

The group of three—Damien, Elyon, and Cedran—arrived at the front of the slave trader’s shop, just as they had the day before.

"Damien, you haven’t forgotten Lord Dalehaven’s warnings, have you?" Cedran asked, confirming.

"You’re in charge of negotiations. Elyon and I will stay as quiet as possible," Damien replied. That was the gist of it, though there were a few other details.

He wondered if their presence was truly necessary, but apparently, it was crucial for the prospective master to be present when purchasing slaves. Officially, Damien had the final say on whether they would proceed with a purchase.

As before, Elyon served as both a bodyguard and advisor. Damien silently thanked him, vowing to properly show his gratitude later.

"Alright, let’s go," Cedran declared, taking the lead. Damien and Elyon followed closely behind.

This marked Damien’s first task as a baron—securing staff.

...

The shop’s reception area was unexpectedly bright and welcoming, contrary to what one might expect of a slave trader. They announced that they were there on behalf of Viscount under the Dalehaven family.

Strangely, not a single slave was visible in the front area. Was this truly a slave trader’s shop?

They were escorted deeper into the store by a cheerful receptionist. At the end of the hallway stood a rather elaborately dressed frog—or rather, a frog-like person.

"Oh, my! You’ve come on behalf of Viscount under the Dalehaven family. How delightful! I am the president of this establishment, Gribbitz Threx Croak’Volmar," the frog-like man introduced himself.

"Gribbitz...?" Damien stammered, glancing at Cedran for help, but even Cedran seemed unsure of what he’d just heard.

This "Gribbitz..." was quite a surprise. His name alone was astounding, but apparently, he was an ordinary human. Despite his frog-like appearance, criticizing someone’s looks felt inappropriate. Still, his unusual features made it impossible to guess his age. While his bald head and voice suggested he was elderly, his smooth skin hinted at youth.

"A difficult name to remember, isn’t it? I can’t blame you. I, too, hold a grudge against my parents for it. Please, feel free to simply call me ’the slave trader,’" he said, bowing gracefully. His refined mannerisms surpassed anyone Damien had encountered before.

"Now, now, we can’t have our esteemed guests standing around like this. Please, step into this room and make yourselves comfortable while you wait," the slave trader said, opening a nearby door and inviting them inside.

The room was an enigma—lavish yet tasteful, exuding a refined elegance despite its obvious expense. The furnishings appeared even more valuable than those in Theo’s estate, yet the atmosphere remained pristine and serene.

"Please, take your time and relax in this room," the slave trader said before closing the door without entering.

Damien glanced at Cedran. "Wait... did we even state our purpose yet?"

"Ah, now that you mention it... no, we didn’t," Cedran admitted, rubbing his temples. "I got caught up in the atmosphere too."

Cedran looked as though he had been bewitched, and Damien suspected his own expression was no different.