Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 185: Bonding Through Battle

"This is it," Theo’s younger brother said, placing his hands on the wall and starting to push the wall. Damien also joined in to help.

Together, they managed to open the wall, revealing the base of a statue in a gazebo deep within the forest behind the estate.

"Whoa."

It was the perfect escape route, straight out of an adventure story. Damien couldn’t help but feel a little thrill.

"This is a secret path I discovered while exploring the woods years ago," the boy explained, looking pleased with himself. "Not even my Mother knows about it, so we’ll be safe here for a while."

Damien couldn’t hear a single voice around them. It seemed like they really wouldn’t be found for a while.

Still, now that they’d escaped all the way here, what was Theo’s younger brother planning to do?

"Well then," the boy said and turning to Damien. "Call out those lizards somehow."

"Huh?" Damien blinked his eyes, caught completely off guard.

"What’s with that dumb look? It’s not fair that you get to practice swordsmanship, and I don’t. Let me try too."

Damien burst out laughing. "So, we ran all the way here...just for that?"

The boy crossed his arms, pouting. "What’s so funny? Unlike you, I rarely even get to touch a sword!"

Damien could understand his frustration. Ithnan and the others had looked so cool during their training. Of course, Theo’s younger brother would want a turn.

"Well, okay. If you want me to call them, do you have a way to summon them?"

"They’ve already been called and will arrive shortly," Arba’a said, appearing out of seemingly nowhere.

"Huh? How’d you manage that?" Damien asked, surprised.

"That’s not important," Arba’a replied calmly.

"Well, they’re already on their way," Damien informed Theo’s younger brother. "...Why are you staring like that?"

The boy looked utterly stunned as he pointed at Arba’a. "W-where did that guy come from?"

"What? He’s been with me this whole time," Damien said, confused.

Arba’a had indeed been silently following Damien. His presence was so faint that it was easy to forget he was there, but occasionally, he’d even helped Damien navigate. Ithnanand the others had clearly noticed him too, offering knowing smiles as they let them pass. Without Arba’a’s support, Damien doubted they would have made it this far.

"Your... your lizard is amazing," Theo’s younger brother finally said.

"Dragonewts," Arba’a corrected smoothly.

"What?"

"They’re Dragonewts," Damien explained with a smile.

The boy’s stunned expression didn’t last long. He burst into laughter. "Hah! Dragonewts, huh? That’s awesome! Dragonewts sounds way cooler!"

He really was an honest kid, Damien thought, grinning. When Damien told Arba’a, "He says it’s cool," the Dragonewts guard’s lips curled into a faint smile of pride.

...

Not long after, both Damien and Theo’s younger brother were sprawled out on the ground, drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted.

Theo’s younger brother lay flat on his back, arms and legs outstretched. Damien wasn’t faring much better, he lying beside him in a similar position.

Just moments ago, they’d been sparring with Ithnan in a two-versus-one match. Even with Ithnan wielding just one sword against their combined effort, he had effortlessly deflected every attack.

"What is with that... that Dragonewts?" Theo’s younger brother panted, his words echoing Damien’s thoughts exactly.

"They’re incredible, aren’t they?" Damien said, pride swelling in his voice. "My personal guards, the best of the best."

And Damien wasn’t exaggerating. Svetozar had stayed behind with Thalatha, but the rest of the Dragonewts had taken turns sparring with the two of them. Each one was far beyond anything Damien or Theo’s younger brother could hope to match, but they made the sparring feel exhilarating instead of frustrating.

Every clash of blades had made Damien feel like a master swordsman, even if it was just an illusion. It had been so much fun, he couldn’t stop grinning even now, lying flat on the ground.

Thanks to their sparring, Damien was completely exhausted, and his once-neat outfit was now a sweaty, disheveled mess.

Theo’s younger brother, too, was covered in dirt from head to toe.

Yeah, they were both in for a major scolding later.

"Hey, you," Theo’s younger brother said, still lying on his back and staring up at the sky. "What’s your name?"

Damien hesitated for a moment. Then, deciding it didn’t really matter, he replied, "Damien Crowell."

He gazed at the drifting clouds as he answered, feeling oddly relaxed.

After playing so hard together, sweating and exhausting themselves, Damien thought, Well, guess that makes us friends now.

He wasn’t exactly hard to win over.

"I see," Theo’s younger brother replied, showing no reaction with the fact that he used a fake name before.

"My name’s Caius Vale Rhys Dalehaven. But you can call me Caius—special permission."

"Then call me Damien," Damien said with a grin.

For some reason, exchanging names like that felt funny to both of them, and they burst into laughter, their voices echoing through the forest.

Once they’d had their fill of laughing, Caius sat up with a burst of energy and turned his face to face Damien seriously.

"Hey, give me one of those Dragonewts."

Damien chuckled and shook his head. "No way. They’re my bodyguards, and more precious to me than my own life."

He sat up as well, meeting Caius’s intense gaze. He’d anticipated such a request, so the answer came easily.

Damien thought for a moment. There’s a lot in my life I value more than my own safety. It’s both overwhelming and wonderful.

"Hmph. Figured as much," Caius muttered.

Damien was surprised. He’d expected Caius to persist, maybe throw a tantrum, but the boy gave up surprisingly easily.

As Damien wondered why, Caius fixed him with a penetrating stare, his expression suddenly intense.

"Then become my vassal," Caius declared firmly.

"What!?" Damien blurted, stunned.

Caius’s eyes held an almost desperate seriousness, so sincere that it made Damien hesitate. He wanted to respond to that sincerity, but...

"I’m sorry," Damien said after a long pause. "I’m already sworn to Lord Theo."