Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 249: The Countess’s Wrath

"The official charge is assaulting a nobleman," the merchant clarified. "Just so you are aware, if a commoner causes harm to a noble, it is an automatic death sentence."

"Are you serious..." Damien muttered, taken aback.

The boy didn’t look capable of such a thing.

Then again, appearances can be deceiving, as the saying goes.

"The charge and sentence are indeed serious," the merchant affirmed. "However, whether the assault was truly initiated by this product or by the nobleman remains unknown."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Damien asked, confused.

"To be specific," the merchant began, "the charge is that this product sexually assaulted the young heir of an earl’s household.

The boy denied the accusation, but several factors worked against him.

First, the Rabbit Men is known for their high libido, which often leads to such incidents.

Second, the alleged position of the people at the time of discovery suggested this product as the aggressor.

And lastly, the Earl’s wife—who brought forth the accusation—was particularly adamant in her testimony. All these factors sealed the judgment."

Damien could only grimace at the explanation.

So, this was that kind of criminal...

"That explains why he’s considered a ’problematic product,’ then," Damien said, trying to process the situation.

If the boy had been wrongfully accused or the circumstances exaggerated, it was a tragedy.

"Oh no, that isn’t the issue," the merchant corrected.

Damien blinked his eyes in surprised.

His sympathy felt misplaced.

"In this line of business," the merchant continued, "it’s not uncommon to handle countless ’pitiful’ products in similar circumstances.

Whether this product was truly at fault or not is irrelevant. Normally, we would simply factor in the situation and aim to match the product with a suitable owner."

Damien sighed.

The merchant’s perspective was cold and pragmatic, a reminder of the harsh reality they operated within.

"Then what is the issue with this boy?" Damien asked, now thoroughly puzzled.

"The problem," the merchant said, lowering his voice for effect, "is actually the boy’s age..."

The merchant leaned in close, whispering to Damien conspiratorially.

"What? Is that even allowed?" Damien asked, momentarily losing his usual politeness in shock.

"It is not permitted," the merchant admitted bluntly.

Of course, it wasn’t.

That made sense.

"Normally, given the people’s age, their sentence would either be reduced, or, if the crime were that severe, they would simply receive a death sentence," the merchant explained. "However, in this particular case, the product is listed as an adult on official records."

"How could that happen? Didn’t the boy say anything?" Damien asked, incredulous.

"When this matter came to light, I procured the trial records. The boy had indeed reported his true age during the proceedings," the merchant explained. "However, when it was suggested that his age might mitigate his sentence, the countess in question insisted he was an adult."

"Wow..." Damien muttered, taken aback.

To have incurred such wrath from the countess—just how deep did her resentment run?

"Is there any chance he was lying about his age?" Damien asked cautiously.

"There is no possibility," the merchant replied firmly. "I recently received confirmation from an expert. The boy’s stated age is consistent and without contradiction."

Damien sighed.

The merchant was thorough in his dealings—there wasn’t a single loose end.

"And so, up until recently, this product was being marketed based on ’those’ features," the merchant said, motioning to the boy’s revealing attire.

That explained the shamelessly provocative outfit...

"You could have changed his clothes once you discovered the truth, couldn’t you?" Damien pointed out.

"Ha! You’re quite sharp," the merchant said, feigning defeat with a wry smile.

Despite his expression, Damien was certain the merchant had planned this all along.

First, his revealing outfit would grab attention.

Then, once the story was revealed, it would evoke sympathy for the boy.

"So... the fact that you’re telling me all of this," Damien began hesitantly, "means you’re hoping I’ll..."

"Precisely. I was hoping that you, Mr. Crowell, might consider purchasing him," the merchant said, standing from his seat and bowing his head so deeply it looked as though he might fold himself in half.

Of course, Damien thought, sighing inwardly.

He had seen this coming.

Damien had come to buy a servant, but somehow, he found himself on the verge of purchasing a small child instead.

How had it come to this?

Well, it wasn’t entirely unprovoked—he had been the one to listen to the slave merchant’s story.

But then again, had he not listened, there was a chance he wouldn’t have been introduced to the servants he originally intended to purchase.

It seemed like everything had gone exactly as the slave merchant had planned from the start.

No—Damien decided to change his perspective.

"Um, can this child actually do servant work?"

Yes, if the child could become a servant, then there wouldn’t be a problem with him purchasing him.

"Hmm, how about we find out? Why don’t you ask the product directly while also confirming his condition?"

The merchant’s suggestion made sense.

The boy was standing right there, so Damien could speak to him directly. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

He recalled the situation with Zima—how he hadn’t asked enough questions at the time and thus hadn’t realized that Zima was unable to speak.

It wasn’t until later that Zima had explained his fear of being rejected and thrown out if the truth was discovered.

Damien resolved to be more observant and proactive this time.

"Is it okay if I approach him?"

"Of course," the merchant replied smoothly. "However, if you’d prefer, I can have him come to you."

"Oh, no, that’s fine. I’ll go to him myself," Damien said quickly.

Damien hastily stopped the slave merchant, who was about to clap his hands to summon the child.

The boy’s small frame was shackled with restraints clearly meant for adult slaves.

They appeared far too heavy for him.

Damien had noticed earlier that the boy had been dragging his feet heavily as he entered.

When Damien stood up from the sofa, Ithnan also rose, ready to accompany him as a guard.