Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 227: Damien’s Future in Question

The expressions of his lovers, which had been warm and lighthearted earlier, were now serious, even intense. It was starting to scare him a little.

"With that," Theo said, looking around at everyone present, "I’d like to formally begin this meeting to discuss Damien’s future."

After those heavy words, the atmosphere in the room grew deathly silent.

In that moment, the air in the lounge felt so cold and tense it seemed to hum with energy.

Damien had never experienced anything like it before, but if someone told him this was what bloodlust felt like, he would have believed them.

What on earth was going on?

The lounge was heavy with silence.

No, now it was more like a conference room for "discussing Damien’s future."

Just moments ago, Damien’s lovers had been enjoying tea after their meal in a warm and lighthearted atmosphere. But now the room was filled with an almost tangible tension, as if charged with murderous intent.

Was this what people meant by a "showdown"?

As someone with multiple lovers, Damien had always known this kind of situation might happen eventually.

But honestly, he’d been naïve. His lovers always seemed to get along so well that he hadn’t thought it would come to this.

Still, Damien thought, I have to do something about this.

The problem was, he had no idea what to do. He didn’t even fully understand the cause of the sudden shift in atmosphere.

He suspected it had to do with when he’d asked Theo for advice about work. Maybe the issue was that he had only consulted Theo?

But all Damien had wanted to do was ask about his duties as a baron, nothing more.

And yet, he couldn’t quite grasp the current situation.

The tension in the room wasn’t from anyone arguing or glaring at each other, but the atmosphere was undeniably sharp, almost dangerous.

At the very least, Damien felt it was important to clear up any misunderstandings. He needed to explain that he just wanted advice about his duties as a baron.

"First of all—"

As Damien opened his mouth to speak, Theo stood up and began to address the room.

All eyes shifted to him.

"Let me begin by making an official statement," Theo said, his voice calm but commanding. "As you all know, Damien has been granted the title of baron and a territory under the direct governance of the Dalehaven family."

Yes, technically speaking, Damien was a baron now.

Apparently, he even had a territory to oversee.

That was why Damien had thought the first step should be learning how to fulfill his responsibilities as a baron.

He felt guilty for having been handed the title by Theo, but he had resolved to become a respectable baron nonetheless.

"However," Theo continued, "it’s entirely acceptable to consider nullifying that arrangement."

Wait, what?

Theo’s words left Damien stunned.

"You’re saying it’s possible to proceed as though the Dalehaven family’s involvement doesn’t exist at all?" asked Leonide, his tone measured but probing.

"Yes, that’s correct," Theo replied. "Of course, if Damien wishes to keep the barony as it stands, that’s also perfectly fine."

Theo’s response was calm, but it felt like the floor had been pulled out from under Damien.

He had just made up his mind to take his duties seriously as a baron, and now Theo was suggesting they might discard the title altogether.

What was going on?

In response, Damien’s four retainers, led by Leonide, began huddling together to discuss the matter further.

"Um, hey, honestly, being a noble feels like such a burden, so if we can just nullify it, I wouldn’t mind. But... is that really okay?" Leonide asked hesitantly, clearly concerned.

After all, Theo had mentioned that this had already been discussed with his father, so wasn’t this potentially a big problem?

"That depends on whether a suitable alternative plan can be presented," Theo replied casually, as if the matter didn’t weigh on him at all.

At that moment, Damien finally began to understand the situation.

This wasn’t just a discussion—it was effectively a presentation of ideas for his future work.

The goal seemed to be to hear everyone’s hopes and ideas for Damien’s role, whether they were feasible or not.

If that was the case, Damien realized he had some thoughts of his own.

He hadn’t been living his life idly, after all.

...Well, not entirely idly.

Still, since his ideas would probably be heavily scrutinized, he figured he should organize his thoughts a bit more before sharing them.

"Young Master, if I may, I’d like to say something," Sebas, who had been standing quietly behind Theo, said as he raised his hand slightly.

No one expected Sebas to volunteer as the first speaker.

"Sebas?" Theo said, his tone reflecting mild surprise. "That’s unusual. But by all means, go ahead."

Damien was equally taken aback. He hadn’t anticipated Sebas’s participation, but if Sebas was stepping forward, it was likely his proposal would be solid.

After all, Sebas wasn’t the kind of person to suggest anything outlandish.

"Then, if I may be so bold..." Sebas began with a polite bow. "I propose that we utilize Master Damien’s unique traits—specifically, his knowledge of another world and his distinct magical abilities."

Ah, there it was. Sebas had voiced an idea Damien himself had been considering.

"Both are traits that no one else can replicate, and both have substantial potential demand," Sebas continued. "Regarding otherworldly knowledge, it could be monetized directly or utilized personally. Either way, this alone would provide more than enough to sustain a comfortable life."

Damien nodded his head along as Sebas spoke. He had thought the same—his knowledge from Earth could surely be applied to benefit this world. With time, as he learned more about how things worked here, he could identify ways that Earth’s knowledge might fill gaps or solve problems.

It was a common trope in novel about people transmigrated to other worlds: using their knowledge from Earth to make a living. While he had some reservations about selling knowledge—like concerns over how it might be used—writing stories or introducing recipes seemed relatively harmless.