Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 253: Meeting the Household Pair

Yor, however, remained clinging to him like a koala.

At the very least, Damien managed to convince him to wear some basic clothing—an oversized, shapeless tunic similar to the ones worn by other general slaves.

Damien had to insist a little, but he managed to convince Yor to wear the tunic.

Although Yor looked pouty and dissatisfied at first, his mood improved once Damien patted his head.

The scene reminded Damien of his younger brother from when they were kids.

It was endearing.

Still, he reminded himself to focus on the task at hand—meeting the new slaves who were about to be introduced.

With that, he shifted his thoughts and waited for them to enter.

"Big brooo~,"

Yor who is apparently bored, began nibbling affectionately on Damien’s neck.

...This was going to be a challenge.

As they played around, the door to the stage-like area opened, and two slaves were brought in by a group of sturdy employees.

Perhaps unable to resist any longer after seeing Yor, Lysander and Ithnan—who had been clinging to Damien’s arms on either side—finally let go and sat properly.

Yor, however, continued nibbling, and Damien decided to just let it go.

At the very least, he resolved to appear serious and professional.

He straightened his expression, attempting to adopt a stern "master" demeanor.

However, judging by the amused smile on the slave merchant sitting across from him, he had apparently failed.

Fine.

If that didn’t work, he’d just stick with his usual relaxed expression.

Damien gave up on trying to project authority and turned his attention to the stage.

There stood two people—a man and a woman—wearing the same type of long, simple tunics commonly worn by slaves.

Both of them looked to be around the same age, although it was hard to guess exactly how old they were.

For people of this age group, determining their years was tricky—older than his father, but not as elderly as his grandfather.

Maybe in their fifties or sixties?

Both were humans.

The man was a lean, upright figure with a composed demeanor, while the woman had a slightly fuller build and stood just as straight.

Despite their plain attire and unkempt appearance—their hair still unwashed and left as it was—there was an undeniable dignity in their bearing.

Their posture exuded a sharpness and poise that immediately stood out.

Although their appearances and ages were entirely different, Damien couldn’t help but be reminded of Sebas.

"These two were recently serving under a certain noble family," the slave merchant explained.

Ah, that would explain their dignified stance and demeanor.

"They were long-time servants of a viscount’s household. The man served as the steward, while the woman, his wife, held the position of head housekeeper."

So, they were a married couple.

But that raised a question: why would people who had held such esteemed positions—equivalent to Sebas’s and Natasha’s roles in Theo’s household—end up as slaves?

"What happened to them?" Damien asked.

It would take a significant incident to reduce people of their status to slavery.

"Quite recently, the viscount’s household they served was dissolved due to a scandal."

Ah, so there was a significant incident.

"But even so," Damien continued, "would the servants automatically become slaves just because their household was disbanded?"

As far as Damien understood, these two were classified as economic slaves, meaning their situation likely involved debts.

Still, his understanding of how this world—or rather, its noble system—worked was limited.

To Damien, a noble household seemed akin to a company.

And in his experience, when a company went bankrupt, the employees didn’t automatically inherit the company’s debts.

Could it be they had personal debts unrelated to the viscount’s scandal?

If so, the nature of that debt would need to be considered before moving forward.

"That is an excellent question," the slave merchant replied. "Under normal circumstances, the dissolution of a noble household would remain the concern of the household itself. While it might leave servants suddenly unemployed, it does not automatically render them slaves. Of course, exceptions exist—for instance, if they had personal debts."

So Damien’s assumption had been correct.

The downfall of a noble family didn’t inherently mean their servants would be saddled with debt.

"So, does that mean these two have personal debts?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Indeed," the slave merchant confirmed, "but the circumstances for a steward or a head housekeeper are somewhat different. Despite being servants, people of their standing often find themselves managing not just the household staff but also matters related to the estate, and at times even the domain. Consequently, there are instances where they must sign agreements or contracts in their own name, rather than under the name of their lord."

"Is that really common?" Damien asked.

"Yes. Typically, such arrangements would follow approval from their master. However, in urgent cases where obtaining approval is impractical or unnecessary for minor sums, such situations are not unusual."

Damien nodded his head thoughtfully.

It made sense—there would be times when consulting their master for every little thing wasn’t feasible.

Sebas, for instance, seemed to handle a wide array of responsibilities.

"Normally, of course, such debts would later be settled by the noble household. But in cases like this, where the household is abruptly dissolved, the debts remain with the people themselves," the merchant explained.

"That’s... unfortunate, to say the least," Damien murmured.

It was sobering to think about the repercussions of a noble house’s downfall.

As a baron, however reluctantly, Damien couldn’t help but feel a personal weight in this revelation.

It reinforced his insecurities about whether he was truly suited for the role of nobility.

But that was a matter for another time.

Right now, the priority was securing staff for his dormitory.

"So, how much are they?" Damien asked.

Given their experience and standing, he expected them to be quite expensive.

"For the pair, the price is fifty gold coins," the merchant replied.

"So cheap!" Damien exclaimed, unable to hold back.

Fifty gold coins?

That was the average price for a typical first-class slave, and here it covered both of them?