Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 228: Plans for Damien’s Future

"Additionally," Sebas continued, "Master Damien’s unique magical trait—his ability to release mana—could be of great use in medical fields. Specifically, it could serve as an emergency treatment for mana depletion."

Damien nodded his head again, his interest piqued. He’d considered this possibility too. If his mana could help people in need, particularly in life-threatening situations, it could be an incredibly meaningful way to contribute.

Sebas’s proposal had hit on all the key points Damien had been mulling over.

Although Damien had never needed to rely on it personally, it was clear that healing magic existed in this world for injuries and illnesses. Those capable of wielding such magic were undoubtedly in high demand in medical fields.

If Damien could support such professionals by alleviating their concerns about mana depletion, it would be an incredibly meaningful way to contribute.

"And," Sebas continued, "the potential to copy magic opens up significant opportunities in military applications. For instance, by infiltrating another country and replicating something akin to the recent pseudo-flood incident, it would be possible to cause large-scale chaos in entire cities with only a handful of operatives."

...Yes, Damien had thought about that too.

Even though Damien couldn’t use magic directly, his ability allowed him to amplify and enhance magic to an extraordinary scale.

While he had never tested such capabilities—and had no intention of doing so—he suspected that, with the right spell, he could create something as devastating as a massive fire.

Since his magic didn’t seem to have a hard limit on its output, it could be used repeatedly, as long as the caster’s mana reserves remained sufficient.

In truth, Damien believed there were plenty of ways to make use of his abilities. Surely, if he marketed these ideas cleverly, he could achieve financial independence.

"All of that is rejected," Theo said decisively.

"What? Why?" Damien protested, his voice laced with disappointment. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

To his surprise, Theo had rejected every suggestion outright. Damien thought they were solid ideas—after all, they would allow him to stand on his own two feet using his unique strengths.

While Damien sat there sulking, Theo turned to Sebas with an unusually stern expression, her piercing gaze fixed on him.

"All of these ideas are far too dangerous," Theo stated firmly. "If word spreads that Damien possesses such unique and valuable traits, every faction in the world will target him. That includes this very kingdom. As Sebas himself mentioned, his abilities have military applications. If others see such potential, they won’t hesitate to use any means necessary to claim him for themselves."

...Ah.

Damien realized the gravity of the situation.

He had been living peacefully under Theo’s protection, but he was utterly defenseless when it came to physical conflicts. The thought of potentially endangering his lovers made him rethink the feasibility of his own ideas.

"Let me make this clear," Theo continued, her tone resolute. "While we will explore ways to utilize Damien’s unique abilities in the future, putting him in the spotlight is strictly prohibited. Sebas, everyone—do you understand?"

"Yes, understood," Sebas and the others replied immediately, nodding in unison.

Despite being the subject of this conversation, Damien felt his options firmly shut down.

Not that he had any intention of deliberately walking into danger, but to have it outright prohibited so emphatically was unexpected.

Caught up in his thoughts, Damien felt a twinge of frustration.

As he reflected further, he finally realized Sebas’s true intentions.

The ideas Sebas had presented were ones Damien himself might have eventually compiled and proposed. If Damien had been the one to voice them, Theo—who tended to be lenient with him—might have reluctantly considered them. At the very least, the conversation would have shifted toward implementing the ideas in the safest way possible.

After all, Damien believed the best path forward was finding a way to support himself independently. He likely would have pushed hard for that outcome.

But because it was Sebas who had proposed the ideas, they had been summarily dismissed as reckless and unfeasible. With the discussion shut down so decisively, Damien knew he couldn’t bring the topic back up.

Well played, Sebas.

Whether Theo had been in on the plan or not, Sebas had effectively outmaneuvered Damien. Glancing at him with a faintly accusing look, Damien saw that Sebas remained unperturbed, as if nothing had happened.

Still, Damien had to admit that if Sebas had gone to such lengths, it was probably for the best not to pursue those ideas.

Now, however, he was down to his last proposal.

Might as well give it a shot.

"Alright!" Damien raised his hand with newfound determination.

"Yes, Damien?" Theo asked, acknowledging him with her usual calm demeanor.

"I’ll find a job and live on my own!"

"Understood," Theo replied, her smile soft and gentle.

Oh! This might actually work, Damien thought.

"If there are no better options, we’ll consider that," Theo added with a warm but distinctly noncommittal smile.

Ah, so that’s what people mean by a lukewarm smile, Damien thought, his spirits sinking.

His suggestion, after all, was too vague and unformed to be taken seriously.

Without being able to leverage his identity as someone from another world, this was about the best he could come up with.

Damien sighed, feeling a little bit defeated.

Damien felt a little down, his spirits deflated as everyone looked at him with kind, pitying eyes.

He had become nothing more than a naive child in their eyes.

Well, that was true, but still...

After him, it was Elyon who raised his hand.

"Then, let me present my idea."

Elyon stood up from his chair and glanced around at everyone before speaking.

"How about we all go on an adventure in this world together?"

An adventure, huh?

The idea sparked something inside Damien, who had been feeling low.

"We can travel around this world together. We’ll manage to live off hunting and gathering, and if we go into the villages and solve some problems, we can make money. As for that, I’m used to it and can teach you all."