Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 154: New Acquisitions

"Unfortunately, yes. Scale slave’s branding must clearly indicate the identity of their owner," the trader replied apologetically.

That made sense. With no time to think it over, Damien decided to improvise.

As he considered drawing a simple circle, he remembered something he always carried in his pocket.

"This—this is my family crest," he declared, pulling out his student ID and pointing to the school emblem.

The emblem, shaped like a crow, wasn’t a bad stand-in for the crest of the Crowell family.

"A crow motif, I see. Very well, we’ll inscribe this," the trader said approvingly.

Taking the brush from the wizard, the trader deftly began drawing the crowell emblem over the red lines.

Damien watched in amazement as the slave trader perfectly replicated the design with a single glance.

"Now, we just need to apply the magic to finalize the mark," the trader said.

The wizard muttered an incantation, and the markings briefly glowed before turning black.

"With this, the slave brand is complete. We will submit the necessary paperwork to the authorities by the end of the day. Here is your copy of the documents," the trader said. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

At a clap of the trader’s hands, a scantily clad assistant appeared, carrying six rolled-up papers on a tray.

"Let me verify them," Elyon said, taking the papers and carefully inspecting each one.

As always, Damien felt grateful for Elyon’s reliability.

"They are in order. The transaction is complete," Elyon declared.

"Indeed, a fine transaction," the slave trader replied with a graceful bow.

"May we borrow the carriage now?" Damien asked.

"Of course. This way," the trader replied, clapping his hands again.

This time, burly men entered the room while carrying stretchers for the unconscious lizardmen siblings. Following the trader to the back of the store, Damien saw a large, plain but spotless carriage waiting.

"I apologize for the lack of luxury—it is a cargo carriage, but it will accommodate everyone," the trader explained.

Despite its simplicity, both the exterior and interior were impeccably clean, as if brand new.

"Good. We don’t need a driver; this man will handle it," Elyon said, pointing at Cedran.

Cedran looked startled. "Me?" his expression seemed to say.

Will this be okay? Damien wondered nervously.

"As you wish. If needed, you may leave the carriage at a station, and we’ll retrieve it later," the trader offered.

"No, this man will return it personally," Elyon insisted.

At Elyon’s firm declaration, the trader simply bowed silently.

"Let us return to the mansion," Elyon commanded, climbing into the carriage after ensuring the lizardmen siblings were loaded inside.

Cedran sighed and turned his head to Damien. "Keeping up with that young master isn’t easy, is it?"

Damien laughed awkwardly, unable to explain the situation in detail.

"Well, it’s just driving a carriage. Nothing too difficult. Get in, Damien," Cedran said with a shrug.

"Understood. Cedran, thank you for your help. And thank you as well, sir," Damien said, bowing politely to Cedran and the trader before climbing into the carriage.

Inside, benches lined the walls, and the lizardmen siblings lay on the floor. Elyon sat arrogantly near the door, legs crossed.

Across from Elyon sat the ordinary boy, leaving a space beside him. As Damien entered, the ordinary boy dusted off the spot and gestured for him to sit there with a smile.

Damien took the seat, returning the smile. The lizardmen siblings appeared unconscious or asleep. Their expressions seemed peaceful, and Damien hoped they were merely resting—not worse.

After confirming their chests were rising and falling, Damien let out a sigh of relief.

These were his first slaves.

All things considered, he decided it had been a good purchase.

...

The carriage rattled as it moved.

The speed wasn’t particularly fast, but the jolts were worse than expected. When Damien had ridden in Theo’s carriage earlier, the bumps hadn’t bothered him much, but now he seemed especially aware of them. Perhaps this carriage was just different.

The lizardmen, sleeping peacefully, didn’t stir, but every large jolt made him worry.

"There’s no need to fret so much," Elyon, who had been silent until now, said in a hushed tone, ensuring Cedran couldn’t overhear.

"It’s the same as with that boy Theo. Lizardmen, though not as attuned to magic as we elves, still possess high magical affinity. While it’s not magic depletion, the more surplus mana they have, the faster their vitality recovers."

Ah, so they were absorbing Damien’s mana too. That explained Elyon’s insistence on using a single carriage for everyone. It also clarified why Cedran had been roped into driving—it wasn’t something they could openly discuss.

But was it really fine for the curious-looking "illegitimate son" beside them to know? Well, since the "illegitimate son" was technically Damien’s slave, it probably didn’t matter. After all, they’d been helping with his care, so keeping it a secret was unlikely. If Elyon judged it to be fine, then it must be.

With that reassurance, Damien felt a bit more at ease about the lizardmen’s condition. Relaxing made him drowsy. A yawn escaped as the tension in his body ebbed.

"You’ve had a tiring day. You should sleep," Elyon said gently.

"Thanks... I’ll do that..." Damien murmured, closing his heavy eyelids without resistance.

...

In the end, Damien slept soundly until Elyon woke him upon their arrival at the mansion. When he opened his eyes, he found himself resting on the "heir’s" lap, their hand gently stroking his head. He was mortified.

Once at the mansion, the lizardmen were settled in Damien’s bed. Though the medical room had been suggested, his bed—proven spacious enough for five—was deemed better due to the high mana concentration in his room from his frequent presence.

According to the doctor, the lizardmen were dehydrated but no longer in critical condition. They would likely wake up by tomorrow if they rested.

The "illegitimate son," visibly drained as well, was sent to a bed in the servants’ quarters connected to the lounge. There were two temporary beds there—one for the "illegitimate son" and the other for Damien.