Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 158: New Bonds

"Thank you, my lord!" they all said in unison.

Phew... It’s simple, but at least they have names for now, Damien thought. Why did he know Arabic numbers? Well, because every middle schooler need to learn it in his previous life.

"Now then, Ithnan, please tell me what happened to all of you," Damien prompted.

"Understood. We, the Yashcherolyud tribe, were a people who lived deep in the Chyornyy les Forest. The forest had long shielded us from the ravages of war, but..."

Ithnan explained that the Yashcherolyud tribe had lived peacefully in the depths of the Chyornyy les Forest, isolated from other species. Though wars raged between this country and its neighboring nation, the forest had always kept such conflicts at bay.

However, this time was different. A human faction—whether from this country or the neighboring one, they weren’t sure—made contact with a smaller tribe that was allied with the Yashcherolyud tribe. The humans formed an alliance with that tribe, offering military support to overthrow the Yashcherolyud tribe in exchange for being guided through the forest.

"We, the Yashcherolyud, fought valiantly as a united tribe, but against a force a hundred times our size, we were powerless. They killed our father—the lord of our people—and scattered the tribe. We are all that remain," Ithnan explained, his voice steady but his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

The younger ones—like Arba’a—were openly sobbing, while Thalatha, the oldest of them, silently let tears fall.

As Damien translated for Leonide and the others, even they were sniffling at the story. Damien himself felt tears welling up.

"And then, while fleeing after being driven from the forest, we were deceived by humans from this country, captured under the guise of offering protection," Ithnan concluded.

"Uh... I’m part of this country too, so... is that going to be a problem?" Damien asked cautiously. If it made things uncomfortable for them, he’d need to address it.

"Of course, we harbor feelings about this country," Ithnan admitted.

Well, that’s understandable, Damien thought.

"However, you, my lord, are unquestionably the savior of our lives. We have no hesitation in dedicating ourselves entirely to your service," Ithnan said resolutely, and the others nodded in agreement.

They looked determined—reliable, but... their intensity felt a bit different from Damien’s pace.

"Um, we’re far from any battlefields here, so you can take it easy. Really, it’s okay," Damien said gently.

"We understand," Ithnan replied, though their firm nods suggested otherwise.

We’ll take it slow, Damien decided. ...Unless they want revenge? I’ll have to ask carefully, step by step.

After asking what they could do, Damien learned the truth.

"Other than handling weapons, we don’t really know how to do anything," Ithnan admitted.

"Don’t worry about it," Damien replied quickly, noticing how dejected they looked. "There are guard jobs and plenty of manual labor tasks. Plus, Sebas can teach you anything else you need to know."

He made a mental note to tell Sebas to go easy on them. We’ll focus on what they’re good at for now.

"Oh, by the way, you were listed as second-class slaves. Did you know about that?"

"What is ’second-class slaves’?" Ithnan asked, tilting his head.

The group looked confused. Of course, they wouldn’t know, since they didn’t understand the language.

Damien explained the slave system as it had been described to him.

"I see. We were unaware of this concept of second-class slaves. Regardless, our lives belong to you, my lord. We have no objections," Ithnan said confidently.

The others nodded in agreement without hesitation.

I figured as much... Damien thought. At least this region is peaceful. They won’t need to risk their lives too often.

"Alright, Sebas is busy, so you’ll have some free time. What did you usually do when you had downtime?"

"Hmm... likely training," Ithnan said after some thought.

"Training, huh? Well, I’ll ask Theo—the owner of this manor—to prepare some weapons. Let me know what kind you’d prefer. But for now, the doctor said you need to rest for two or three more days, so take it easy, okay?"

"Understood," they all replied, nodding firmly.

Good, let’s focus on getting them healthy first, Damien thought.

With that, the conversation with the Dragonnewts—he’d need to ask Sebas more about the term later—wrapped up. Now, Damien planned to see how far their obedience went.

"Alright, let’s end things here for now. Lysander, Lucian, and Lorenzo, please return to your duties. Leonide, continue assisting Zima," Damien instructed.

The group bowed and left the room.

"Now then," Damien said with a mischievous glint in his eye, "Tis’a, come over here."

The youngest of the group, Tis’a, looked puzzled but obediently approached. Standing before Damien, he glanced up curiously, his small stature making him a head or two shorter than Damien.

"Alright, here’s your first order: hug me," Damien said with a smile.

"W-what?" Tis’a stammered, flustered.

He looked back and forth between Damien and Ithnan, unsure what to do, until Ithnan gave a reassuring nod. Hesitantly, Tis’a approached, but Damien reached out, gently pulling him into a hug.

"Ah—!" Tis’a yelped, startled.

"There, there. You’ve done well. You’re safe now. Everything’s okay. No one will hurt you here," Damien murmured softly, patting Tis’a’s head.

At first, Tis’a’s body was stiff, but slowly, the tension melted away. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"...Ugh... sniff... ugh..." Tis’a started to cry, releasing the emotions he’d been holding back.

Finally, the tears came.

Damien continued to gently pat Tis’a’s head, letting him cry as much as he needed. Once the tears stopped, Damien gave him a firm, reassuring hug before pulling away.

"There, all done. Now, head to the next room and rest, okay? If you ever feel sad again, just come find me," Damien said with a warm smile.

Tis’a nodded shyly, his face flushed with embarrassment, before retreating to the sleeping quarters.

"Alright, next up is Sitta. Come on over!"

The older ones looked visibly tense, while the younger ones blushed deeply. Damien didn’t care. Everyone’s going to cry today, he vowed, embracing Sitta, who approached hesitantly.

By the end, only Ithnan remained.