Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 218: A World Without Damien

The roasted chicken, fresh leafy vegetables, and Zima’s signature sauce combined to create a truly delightful flavor. He devoured the first sandwich almost in one go, unable to resist its taste.

Next, he sipped on the tea.

The crisp aroma of the tea perfectly cleansed the rich aftertaste of the sandwich, leaving a refreshing finish. It made him eager to dive into the next sandwich.

But... his mood refused to lift.

"Hahaha... ha..." Damien forced a laugh, but the enthusiasm wasn’t there.

"Are you all right, Damien?" Theo asked, his concern evident. "Don’t push yourself too hard."

Damien had hoped the delicious food might improve his mood, but it was a failed attempt. Even Theo had noticed his spirits were low.

"Sorry, Theo," Damien said with a wry smile. "It’s just... some parts of the diary hit a little too close to home."

In the end, Damien and Theo hadn’t been able to decipher much of Yegor Tretyakov’s diary. They would now have to piece together the meaning of the text based on the scattered characters they’d managed to recognize.

Even with only fragments, Damien felt as though he could glimpse the thoughts and wishes of the people from Earth who had been transported to this world 800 years ago.

"Hey, Theo," Damien said softly, unable to shake the heavy thoughts weighing on him.

"Yes?" Theo replied gently, clearly sensing Damien’s somber mood.

Damien hesitated. Thinking about Yegor Tretyakov left him feeling melancholy, and sometimes the only way to deal with it was to let himself sink fully into those feelings.

But even then, saying it out loud required courage.

But Damien also saw this as an opportunity to confront the truth.

"Hey... do you think Yegor Tretyakov ever made it back to Earth?" he asked suddenly.

Theo froze at the question, unable to respond right away. That hesitation alone seemed like an answer, but Damien needed to hear it explicitly. He felt it was time to face the truth.

"It’s fine... or maybe it’s not fine, but I want to know. No, I need to know," Damien said, steeling himself. "If I don’t ask now, I don’t know when I’ll ever have the courage to bring it up again..."

He had been avoiding this question ever since the beginning, despite knowing it was the first thing he should have asked. If he didn’t ask now, he might never get the answer.

"There are no precise records," Theo replied after a long pause. "However, in the region where Yegor Tretyakov is said to have lived, there are legends that he spent the rest of his life in this world."

"...What about legends or clues about how to return to Earth?" Damien pressed.

He knew there was no going back after asking this.

"...There aren’t any," Theo admitted quietly. "There are stories of other foreigners like Yegor Tretyakov, but while they arrived in this country, there isn’t a single tale of anyone ever returning to their homeland."

Damien sighed heavily. He had expected this, but it didn’t make it any easier to hear.

"I suspected that the writings attributed to Yegor Tretyakov in his later years might hold some clue about returning," Theo continued, "but from the fragments you’ve deciphered, it seems there’s no such mention. And that’s a relief."

Damien blinked, confused. "A relief? Wait, are you saying you’re glad there’s no way to return home?"

He couldn’t comprehend what Theo was saying.

"...Yes," Theo admitted softly, not meeting Damien’s gaze.

"Why? Why would you say something so cruel?!" Damien’s voice rose sharply. "Do you even understand how I feel?!"

His emotions boiled over, and he couldn’t hold back. Theo, who had always been his ally, now felt like a stranger.

"Because!" Theo suddenly shouted, tears streaming down his face. "Because if you found a way back... you’d leave me, Damien!"

Theo’s voice broke, and Damien stared in shock.

Theo was crying—a raw, messy, childlike cry, complete with tears and a runny nose. It was the first time Damien had seen Theo like this in a long time.

Of course.

If a way to return home was discovered, Damien would go back.

He wanted to see his parents again.

He longed to dote on Riley, his younger brother.

He worried about Pumpkin, the family cat, who was getting quite old.

He missed the face of his first love, his childhood friend, and he wanted to hang out with his old friends again.

If he could go back, he would.

...But now, he didn’t want to leave Theo behind.

He wanted to stay with Leonide, Lysander, Lucian, and Lorenzo.

He thought Elyon and Elyric were great to talk to. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Zima was undeniably alluring.

He wanted to spoil Ithnan more and spend more time with Thalatha, Arba’a, Sitta, and Tis’a.

And Caius? Damien had just met him and definitely hadn’t had enough time to enjoy his company.

As Theo cried while glaring at him, Damien pulled him close and hugged him.

"You know, it’d be nice if I could just go back and forth easily," Damien said softly.

Then, he could visit his family when he missed them, and when he felt satisfied, he could return to this world. What a luxury that would be.

"No," Theo replied firmly.

"Oh... oh wow, really? ’No?’ I thought that was a pretty dreamy compromise," Damien said, startled by Theo’s abrupt rejection.

Theo clung to him desperately, as if refusing to let go.

"A world without Damien? I don’t want to live in it for even a second."

Theo’s words hit heavy, though he said them in his usual calm tone.

"Well... yeah. Now that you mention it, I wouldn’t want to be without you either, Theo. If only we could travel together," Damien replied.

"If that’s the case, then I’ll allow it," Theo said, finally relenting.

It seemed Damien’s ability to return to his world was now under Theo’s jurisdiction.

Resigned to this reality, Damien thought it might be time to fully commit to living in this world.