Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 296: Sudden Mansion Completion

Lorenzo stood and began his report. "Regarding the dormitory operations, I’m currently finalizing the budget. I plan to complete this within a few days and submit it to you for approval."

Lorenzo was responsible for preparing dormitory essentials, including furniture, supplies, food, and daily necessities.

At first, Damien had planned to fund these from his personal savings, but since this was officially a project of the Crowell estate, they decided to use income from the territory instead.

Once that was decided, they couldn’t treat it casually. A proper budget was necessary to manage operations efficiently.

Apparently, Damien had been the only one naive enough to think, "It’s fine to wing it."

When he initially suggested funding the dormitory from his personal savings, the four retainers had given him a stern lecture.

Damien sat in the center of the room, surrounded on all sides by his retainers, being thoroughly scolded.

He would never forget the moment Theo, who happened to drop by his room, took one look at the scene, decided it was better to abandon him, and fled without a word.

"Understood. So for now, we’re just waiting on Lorenzo’ budget?"

"That’s correct, at least for the dormitory."

The way Lorenzo specifically mentioned "the dormitory" made Damien think there might be an issue with the other project he had assigned—arranging for the new mansion.

Lorenzo was also responsible for overseeing the furniture and other needs for Damien’s mansion.

"Is there a problem with the mansion?" Damien asked.

"Regarding that, I’ll explain," Theo interjected.

Damien noticed Lorenzo and Theo exchanging a glance, as if silently confirming something. It seemed Theo had something urgent to share.

"Well, this came up suddenly, and I’ve only had the chance to inform Lorenzo," Theo began, his expression showing mild confusion.

Judging from his face, it was indeed something unexpected. There hadn’t been any hint of this during their earlier discussions or when Damien was assisting her with experiments. Whatever this was, it must have come up afterward.

Since the matter hadn’t been mentioned to him, even though they were in the same residence, Damien doubted it was anything bad. Or at least, he hoped so.

But as he watched Theo hesitate to speak, his own unease started to grow.

"Um... so... Damien’s mansion... it’s going to be completed tomorrow," he finally said.

What?

The room fell completely silent.

Damien’s brain struggled to process Theo’s words. Tomorrow? Completed? What’s being completed?

The mansion? Surely, he meant the mansion, right? But wasn’t the construction site still just a plot of land covered in wild grass? How could it possibly be built in a single day?

The others, aside from Theo, Sebas, and Lorenzo—who already seemed to know—looked equally baffled.

"Even I was caught off guard," Theo continued. "My Teacher suddenly said to me today, ’We’ll build it tomorrow.’"

"Ah, so it’s an Elyon thing," Damien muttered, understanding dawning on him.

That explanation seemed to put the rest of the room at ease, except for Isaac, the only one unfamiliar with Elyon. He looked puzzled by everyone’s sudden acceptance.

"Come to think of it," Damien recalled aloud, "didn’t Elyon mention before that he could help us build the mansion in about a week?"

"After that, I thought the talk of the dormitory was dropped... or rather, postponed?" Damien said, slightly puzzled.

He had assumed that the construction had stalled and that things would be put off until after they settled into the academy.

"I haven’t heard anything from my Teacher since then either," Theo explained. "I figured he had just gotten bored, as usual, and I started planning to move forward without his help. But... it seems he was still planning to build it."

"So, he was actually planning to build it?" Damien asked, half in disbelief.

"Yes," Theo nodded. "There was also the aspect of providing a space for communication with Caius, so it was always part of the plan."

"Then why the sudden change?"

"Hmm, with my Teacher, it’s hard to say for sure. But during our conversation, he mentioned that it would be better to build a place away from prying eyes sooner rather than later. Perhaps he’s been thinking about Augusto’s situation, since my Teacher is sensitive to public attention."

Damien thought for a moment. "Ah, Augusto has been concerned about the attention from the servants, right?"

Theo nodded. "That’s right. And my Teacher tends to avoid being seen in public too, so he probably understands how Augusto feels."

"Well, if that’s the case, I’m actually thankful for it. But are you sure it’s okay?"

Theo and Lorenzo both gave him a wry smile.

"To be honest, it’s not ideal, Damien."

"Yeah, I figured."

"We’ve already discussed it, and no matter what, the interior work won’t be finished in time," Lorenzo explained. "My Teacher said we could handle the building itself along with the basic furnishings, like bedding and tables, but everything else—more furniture, decorations, and daily necessities—is simply impossible."

"I’m sorry for not being able to help more," Lorenzo said with a deep bow.

Damien shook his head. "Don’t worry about it, Lorenzo. This isn’t your fault."

Even so, he couldn’t help but feel like the blame lay with Elyon.

"It’s just that... I can’t exactly tell Elyon to stop, can I?"

Theo paused before answering. "Yes... That’s something I’d like to leave up to you, Damien. You’ll need to decide."

Damien felt conflicted. It was true that he could smooth things over with Elyon, but there was also the fact that this could benefit Augusto.

"So, Elyon will provide the basic furniture, but do you think living there will be possible?"

"Maintaining the ’dignity’ of the baron’s house would be difficult, so we can’t invite guests yet. However, I believe living there is still feasible," Theo replied.

"And as for daily necessities, we could move some from our own estate," Lorenzo added.

So living there wouldn’t be an issue.

"What about the housewarming or unveiling ceremony?" Damien asked.

He had an image that grand buildings constructed by important figures often had some kind of unveiling event.