Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 153: Marks of Ownership

"Hmm... Ah, please don’t look so threatening. The moment I leave this room, my memory of its contents will be erased," the trader said calmly.

Damien hoped the trader wouldn’t forget that he’d purchased these people.

He picked up the tray and approached the younger brothers who are lying motionless on the floor.

...This didn’t look good.

All four were breathing faintly but still alive, barely.

"Ely! Do you know any recovery magic?" Damien called out desperately.

"Unfortunately, while there’s magic to heal injuries or illness, there’s none to cure exhaustion," Elyon replied.

That sounded familiar—he remembered hearing the same when dealing with Theo.

There was no other choice. Water would have to do for now. Damien gently lifted the smallest brother’s upper body and brought the cup to his lips.

"Can you drink? Hey, it’s water. Water," Damien said softly.

The boy didn’t respond, not even when Damien lightly patted his cheeks.

"Aaaah..." Scale let out a sound of despair.

Damien knew he had to at least get some water into him.

Looking closely at the boy’s face, Damien hesitated briefly. His appearance was humanoid but with a hard, greenish complexion, slit irises, and slightly ajar vacant eyes.

Not human, but not entirely inhuman either.

Well, to Damien, a former earth citizen, neither this boy nor Theo was fundamentally different. Both of them were just residents of this other world.

Damien took a sip of water from the cup, pressed his lips against the boy’s slightly open mouth, and gently let the water flow in.

To his surprise, the water tasted faintly like a sports drink—clearly prepared with care. The slave trader must have considered such details.

Though the boy’s lips were cold, they were softer than Damien expected, and he felt no discomfort.

After confirming the boy swallowed, Damien repeated the process, sip by sip, until the cup was empty.

It wasn’t nearly enough, but for now, he moved on to the next sibling.

One by one, he gave water to all four, emptying the pitcher entirely.

"Excuse me, miss, could we get another pitcher of water, please?" Damien asked the attendant.

"Y-Yes, I’ll bring it immediately," she replied, hurrying off.

While waiting for more water, Damien noticed everyone staring at him with shocked expressions. Even the ordinary boy he had purchased earlier was now standing among them, looking similarly stunned.

What? What’s with those looks? Damien thought.

It’s an emergency, he reasoned. What else could he have done? Scale was over there sobbing uncontrollably, worried about his brothers.

"Um, I’d like to take everyone back to the estate as soon as possible. Will the branding process take long?" Damien asked.

They’d also need a carriage to transport everyone, and time was running short. He wondered if the carriage that brought him here was still available.

"The branding process for six people will take less than an hour," the trader explained. "As for transportation, if I send for a carriage now, it will arrive in about two hours. If you’re in a hurry, you’re welcome to use one of our carriages instead."

Two hours was a long wait, but if the original carriage was still nearby, Damien preferred to use it.

"Then we’ll use one of your carriages. You have one that can accommodate seven people, right?" Elyon interjected, taking the lead.

Clearly, Elyon had a plan—or perhaps he also thought time was critical.

"Of course," the trader replied. "We also have a larger carriage that can carry nine at once. However, it is a carriage for transporting goods."

"Very well. Quickly prepare the carriage and proceed with the branding process," Damien instructed firmly.

"As you wish," the slave trader replied, clapping his hands twice as usual to set things in motion.

Damien left the rest to Elyon, trusting him to handle the arrangements, and resumed the second round of giving water to the weakened lizardman.

...

A robed figure, dressed in what could only be described as a quintessential wizard’s outfit, carefully drew red lines on the right ankle of each of Damien’s newly acquired slaves using a brush.

"These lines indicate the type of slave," the trader explained directly to Damien.

The ordinary boy’s ankle was marked with a single red line.

"A single line signifies a first-class slave, meaning a general-purpose one," the trader continued.

Next, two red lines were drawn on the ankles of the lizardman siblings. Interestingly, though there were two lines, each was thinner, keeping the overall width consistent with the single-line marking.

"Two lines signify a second-class slave, used for tasks that involve life-threatening danger," the trader explained further.

Wait, Damien thought. They’re not general-purpose slaves? Do they know this themselves?

With Scale unconscious and unable to clarify, Damien decided he would confirm this with them later.

"For reference, three lines signify a third-class slave, one subjected to both sexual and life-threatening tasks," the trader added casually.

"Sexual tasks, I understand... but what kind of life-threatening tasks?" Damien asked, puzzled.

"Pregnancy, of course, carries inherent risks to life," the trader said with a knowing nod.

"Oh, I see," Damien replied, feeling slightly awkward.

"Incidentally, the three people I showed you earlier are all classified as third-class slaves. I could offer them to you at half price. Would you like to purchase them as well?"

Half price? Damien thought, stunned. That’s too cheap—it’s unsettling. He quickly shook his head in refusal.

"What a pity. If we receive any new, highly recommended goods, we will notify you. Please continue to favor our establishment," the trader said smoothly.

"Ah, thank you..." Damien replied, feeling uneasy as if he’d just been marked as an easy target.

"Next, we’ll mark the crest of the Crowell family on them, as part of the ownership branding process. However, we’re unfamiliar with your family crest. Could you provide a reference for us?"

Family crest? Damien thought, panicking. What was my family crest again?

He vaguely remembered seeing it on a gravestone but had no idea what it looked like. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Does it have to be decided right now?" he asked hesitantly.