Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 305: Gnome Encounters

Even so, one of the little figures was now sneaking closer and climbing up Damien’s leg.

Uh... Elyon? Is this okay?

Elyon? Please notice what’s happening.

Damien’s silent pleas went unheard as Elyon continued to glance toward the other small figures hiding behind the pillar.

"They’re earth spirits called gnomes," Elyon explained. "Spirits are said to be formed when mana of one of the four elemental attributes gathers and takes shape. They’re made almost entirely of magic and are fundamentally different beings from humans."

Huh.

That explained why Damien couldn’t feel any weight even though one of the gnomes had climbed onto his shoulder.

It seemed perfectly at ease there, settling into place as if it was its new favorite spot.

It looked like a tiny doll of a young boy—so cute—but... surely it wouldn’t bite, right?

Damien wanted to ask Elyon, but he couldn’t predict what might startle the little creature and cause something unexpected, so he kept his mouth shut.

For his part, Elyon seemed fixated on the gnomes near the pillar and hadn’t noticed what was happening on Damien’s end at all.

"Spirits, including gnomes, exist everywhere in the world. However, they’re usually dissolved into the mana around them and don’t take physical form. In places with particularly dense mana, like the Elven Forest, they sometimes manifest and can be seen. That said, only certain spirits, like gnomes for earth mana, show up depending on the dominant mana type in the area," Elyon explained.

Huh.

That made sense, Damien thought.

Meanwhile, the gnome sitting on his shoulder had started to repeatedly press its tiny mouth against his cheek.

Was... was this a kiss?

It wasn’t tasting him, right?

"They may be shy, but they’re also curious. It’s likely that they found this mansion interesting, wandered inside, and ended up getting teleported along with it."

"Eventually, they’ll dissolve back into the mana and disappear, so there’s no need to worry. As long as you don’t scare them, they’re harmless. In fact, they’re said to bring good luck to those who see them. There are even some practical benefits to having them around," Elyon continued.

Oh, really?

So they weren’t dangerous?

In that case... would it be fine to kiss this gnome back?

It was practically shoving its tiny face forward, clearly waiting for a kiss.

The gnome was surprisingly strong for its size, pressing against Damien’s face as if it wouldn’t budge until it got what it wanted.

Resigned, Damien decided to go along with it.

He leaned in and gave the gnome a light kiss on the cheek.

The tiny creature beamed with joy before vanishing in a soft, silent puff.

Wait... did it just... pass on!?

Was that some kind of spirit-crossing ritual!?

W-Was that what Elyon meant by "dissolve into the mana" just now!?

"Uh, Elyon, what happens to gnomes when they dissolve into mana? Does that... kill them?" Damien asked nervously.

"No, it’s more like hiding themselves away.

They don’t have a concept of death. If the mana becomes dense enough again, or they feel like it, they’ll reappear," Elyon replied.

Oh, thank goodness...

If his kiss had somehow killed the gnome, Damien would’ve been traumatized for life.

"Come to think of it," Elyon added, "you’re a Spirit Medium, aren’t you? You’re constantly radiating mana, so they might be drawn to you. The elders with the same kind of mana constitution as you always complain about being pestered by these little troublemakers."

Elyon looked at Damien with a mischievous grin.

Sure enough, one of the gnomes was already clinging to the back of Damien’s head, trying to hide from Elyon, and it was starting to hurt a little.

Come to think of it, Elyon had once mentioned that a few hundred years ago, there were people like Damien who radiated mana and ended up being adored by spirits.

Now another gnome was climbing up his leg.

Was this what being "liked" by spirits looked like?

The gnomes kept darting into the shadows of Damien’s body or vanishing entirely whenever someone’s gaze came near them.

As a result, no one seemed to notice that Damien was practically covered in gnomes at this point.

"Uh... are you sure the gnomes aren’t harmful? They won’t, like, drain me dry or anything, right?" Damien asked nervously.

Quite a few of the gnomes clinging to his body were sucking on his skin with little chuu-chuu sounds, and it was starting to freak him out.

"We don’t fully understand their biology," Elyon admitted, "but outside of their mischief, there haven’t been reports of real harm."

"The elders often complain about their belongings being hidden, but they say that when they finally find the items, there’s usually a gemstone left alongside them.

The spirits probably see it as a thank-you for playing along with their treasure hunt."

"There’s also an old folktale about gnomes being drawn to hard workers and bringing them small blessings," Sebas chimed in.

"They’re said to visit the homes of virtuous craftsmen at night and create exquisite pieces of jewelry for them. Stories generally describe them as benevolent creatures, and I’ve never heard of them causing harm."

"Is that so?"

Damien felt a little bit more at ease as the gnomes clinging to his body all seemed to puff up proudly in unison.

They didn’t give off a bad vibe at all.

Still, everyone else was so focused on the gnomes peeking from behind distant pillars that they hadn’t noticed the swarm of them crowding around Damien.

Could this be some kind of team strategy?

Well, considering Damien had been dutifully kissing the cheeks of every gnome that asked, he was glad no one had noticed.

The gnomes clung to his cheeks and neck, sucking gently for a while before, seemingly satisfied, they would request a kiss on the cheek.

After receiving it, they would disappear with a happy sparkle.

They seemed delighted, their skin glowing and radiant as they vanished.

Are they recharging?

Maybe they’re absorbing mana from me like a kind of nourishment, Damien mused.