Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 69: A Day of Tests and Tender Care

The backyard—a large grassy field with a small forest—was where Damien began warming up. Earlier, he and Theo had been alone in an upstairs room for a physical exam. It had been exhausting, with Theo playfully teasing him the whole time. By the end, it had turned into an exam for both of them, and it was honestly a bit much. Damien hoped for a break from that sort of thing for a while.

"Let’s start with some general physical ability measurements," Theo said, sounding a bit too enthusiastic, his expression glowing with excitement.

Under Theo’s direction, Damien ran, jumped, lifted, and threw things. He even held a sword for the first time—a blunt one, apparently—but it was much heavier than the bamboo sword he had briefly handled during a high school kendo class. When Theo asked him to do 100 practice swings, Damien could barely manage half. He felt embarrassed, especially since the servants were watching, but Theo didn’t comment on his performance.

"Thank you, Damien. That’s it for the general physical ability tests," Theo said.

"It’s... over?" Damien collapsed on the spot. He had been made to run around a field larger than a schoolyard ten times, and it was far worse than any endurance run he’d ever done.

"Sir Damien, we’ve prepared a chair and some refreshments for you. Please, take a break here," Sebas suggested.

With great effort, Damien heaved himself up and slumped into the long chair beside Theo, grabbing the cold tea on the table and downing it in one gulp. He knew it wasn’t the most polite thing to do, but at that moment, he didn’t care.

"Thank you, Sebas. And thank you, everyone. I feel like I’ve been brought back to life again," Damien muttered, bowing his head to Sebas and the staff, though he barely had the energy to sit up properly.

"We’ll begin the next round of tests once the records are compiled, so please rest until then," Sebas said.

Damien sighed. "Oh boy..."

...

Finally, the day’s measurements were over, and Damien was sprawled out on the chair that Sebas had prepared, basking in the setting sun. Theo, sitting beside him, was scribbling something serious onto a piece of paper.

The first half of the tests had been similar to the physical exams from back home on Earth, but the second half had been... extreme. He had been made to run and jump with weights strapped to him, draw a bow larger than Theo himself (though he couldn’t pull it at all), swing swords with both hands, and even heft a massive iron club that looked straight out of some ancient tale.

It felt like a reenactment of some legendary warrior’s training.

Damien couldn’t even lift a finger after all that. Every part of his body—especially his arms—felt utterly useless.

"Thank you..." Damien muttered weakly.

A young girl with horse-like ears—Lupusregina, if he remembered correctly—helped him sip some chilled tea, gently raising the cup to his lips. Damien managed to raise his hand in a weak gesture of thanks, but he was too exhausted to do much more. He felt guilty, lying there with his limbs sprawled out like some kind of royalty.

Lupusregina blushed and gave a polite bow before stepping back. Then, four boys with similar horse-like ears appeared, each about Damien’s height, and began massaging his arms and legs.

The massage felt great on his aching limbs, but the whole situation made him feel even more guilty.

"S-Sebas, really, this isn’t necessary!" Damien protested, alarmed.

Hearing his words, the boys paused and looked to Sebas for guidance. But Sebas simply shook his head, and they resumed the massage.

"Sebas!" Damien cried again.

"You mustn’t carry the fatigue into tomorrow, Sir Damien. Please, just relax for now," Sebas responded, his usual impassive expression unchanged.

Just as Damien was beginning to protest again, Theo, having finished his paperwork, began enthusiastically massaging Damien’s shoulders with a big grin.

At that point, Damien gave up.

"Fine... do whatever you want..." he muttered.

...

By the time the sun had set, Damien, who had been immobilized from Theo’s excessive experiments, finally managed to stand again.

Although, to be honest, he hadn’t been able to move at all until that point.

"Never again..." he thought, groaning.

Even though he was technically able to stand up, his legs were still too weak to support him properly, so he found himself wobbling and unsteady. As a result, Theo ended up carrying him in a princess carry again.

Behind them, Sebas and the servants who had assisted with the tests followed, forming a small procession. At the front of the line was Damien, who are held like some sort of prized trophy by Theo. Behind him, the solemn-faced attendants trailed along, five in total.

As they passed, people bowed their heads deeply, almost as if they were afraid to look up.

"What kind of bizarre scene is this?" Damien thought, struggling to suppress a laugh. Theo looked at him curiously, not understanding what was so funny.

...

"Wait, you want me to use your bath?" Damien asked, surprised.

It was after dinner, in the parlor, where Damien had been chatting with Theo for a while. He had started thinking about taking a bath when Theo suggested he use his personal bath tonight.

"Yes, that’s right," Theo confirmed. "It’s much bigger than the one in this room. You’ll be able to stretch out your arms and legs fully. You must be tired today, so I thought it would be more comfortable for you."

It was true that while Damien was mostly recovered, his limbs still felt sore. The bath in his room wasn’t small, but it wasn’t big enough to stretch out completely. The idea of a larger bath was incredibly tempting.

"I’d love to, but... are you sure that’s okay?" Damien asked cautiously. He was still trying to keep a low profile, and drawing attention wasn’t ideal.

"I think it should be fine, but if you want, I can ask Sebas to confirm."