Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 306: Gnome Mischief and Mansion Tour

Still, it didn’t hurt or feel unpleasant, so he decided not to worry about it.

Elyon continued explaining, "Aside from folklore and fairy tales, there are practical benefits to having gnomes around. The houses they inhabit tend to last longer, and gardens flourish."

"We can’t claim to understand their feelings, so there’s no need to go out of your way to appease them. But scaring them off or chasing them away would be a loss."

"Really?!" Damien’s voice rose in surprise.

He had already scared off quite a few.

Elyon nodded. "As I said, we can’t claim to know what spirits think. But it’s true that these dexterous little beings sometimes repair houses or tend gardens on their own initiative."

"Then... I should try to avoid making them vanish if I can?" Damien wondered aloud, thinking of the kisses that seemed to make them disappear.

At this, the gnomes clinging to his body began shaking their heads rapidly, as if saying No, no!

Elyon shrugged. "It’s best to try, but I’ve told you—we don’t understand how they think.

All you can do is avoid startling them and let things happen as they will."

"I see... I’ll miss them if they don’t come back, but I guess there’s nothing I can do about it."

As Damien considered whether he would see the vanished gnomes again, one familiar figure appeared at his feet.

It looked like the first gnome that had disappeared, waving as if to say, I’m still here!

Even earlier, when they had shaken their heads at his thoughts, Damien realized: Wait, are they communicating with me? And reading my thoughts?!

The gnomes surrounding him nodded in unison, confirming his suspicion.

Elyon clapped his hands, pulling everyone’s attention. "Enough about the gnomes. Let’s continue the tour of the mansion."

At Elyon’s call, everyone turned away from the gnomes peeking behind the pillars—likely acting as decoys, Damien realized.

The moment they did, the gnomes clinging to Damien’s body vanished as if they’d never been there.

They were so cute, Damien thought wistfully. Oh well, I’ll just have to wait for them to come back someday.

Just as he resigned himself, he felt a movement in his jacket pocket.

One of the gnomes had stayed behind!

Only Bana noticed, his eyes widening in shock.

Damien grinned and pressed a finger to his lips, whispering, "Shh."

The first floor also featured formal rooms, such as a dance hall and guest quarters.

While these rooms were smaller or fewer in number compared to Theo’s mansion, Damien found them more than sufficient for his needs.

The workspaces like the kitchen were still empty, but the servants’ quarters and dining room had been equipped with basic furnishings.

That said, "basic" meant that, for instance, the servants’ rooms only had bed frames.

It didn’t imply that the furniture was poor quality—far from it.

"Teacher, just to confirm, are these beds also...?"

"Of course, they’re made from the Sky Tree. There’s no other wood in the Elven Forest," Elyon replied.

"Looks like the Elder got carried away with the carvings again," someone remarked.

The bed frames for the servants, crafted from the Sky Tree, were adorned with intricate geometric patterns.

"Oh, this is the work of a different Elder than the one who did the entrance," Elyon pointed out. "You can tell by the style, can’t you?"

Damien compared the styles.

The entrance carvings featured plants and animals, while the bed frames were purely geometric, lacking any such motifs.

"Wait, are there multiple Elders who are into carving as a hobby?"

"There’s no shortage of wood in the village," Elyon explained. "And it’s not just the Elders—carving seems to be a popular pastime for most elves."

Now that he thought about it, Damien remembered that Elyric had gifted him a wooden accessory before.

It seemed carving was something of a trend in the Elven village.

Still, the craftsmanship of these Elders was astounding.

How long have they been doing this?

Years?

No, probably centuries, Damien mused.

"...Honestly, you could probably build an entire house for the cost of just one of these beds," Theo muttered, sounding overwhelmed.

Damien sympathized but thought it best not to dwell on such things.

In the dining hall, Damien found a massive table set, large enough to seat twenty people with ease.

It was made from a single slab of the Sky Tree.

This time, the Elder responsible seemed to favor carving landscapes.

The chairs’ backrests had large openings in them, a thoughtful accommodation for the Dragonewt.

The gesture was appreciated, though Damien wondered aloud, "Is the strength of the chairs okay?"

"What? The Sky Tree is famous for being unbreakable?"

Ah, of course.

Damien decided against asking how such hard wood was carved in the first place.

"Oh, it’s done with magic? That explains the cost," he said, nodding in understanding.

The dance hall had no furniture, but there was an enormous chandelier, even larger than the one in the entrance hall.

Naturally, it was made entirely of magic crystals.

Damien stared at it for a long moment, feeling a chill. ...I’m scared to see the second floor.

...

The first floor also featured formal rooms, such as a dance hall and guest quarters.

While these rooms were smaller or fewer in number compared to Theo’s mansion, Damien found them more than sufficient for his needs.

Even scaled down, the mansion had more than enough rooms to accommodate Damien’s retainers and servants.

Depending on how the rooms were allocated, there would still be plenty of space left.

Unlike Theo, who belonged to a higher-ranking noble family, Damien’s lower-ranked Crowell family wouldn’t need to hire as much staff just for appearances’ sake.

The first floor was fine.

In fact, it had been thoughtfully designed.

The real issue would be the second floor.

Damien ran his hand along the finely carved banisters of the grand staircase as he ascended.

The craftsmanship, featuring flowing and curvilinear designs, appeared to be the work of yet another artisan.

"The second floor is apparently the private area," Elyon commented.