Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 146: Favoritism and Responsibility (Part 1)

"But let me ask you this. If something similar were to happen again—another pickpocket caught in front of you—what would you do?" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"You mean the same exact situation?" Damien asked, trying to picture it.

"Exactly," Theo said. "Would you offer them help again?"

"Uh... I’d probably think about it more carefully this time," Damien admitted hesitantly.

"And after thinking it over?" Theo pressed, waiting for Damien to answer.

Damien thought it over.

Cedran was probably right in principle.

But Damien couldn’t help hoping there was a way to save the pickpocketing child. Wasn’t there some punishment other than cutting off their hand?

He didn’t feel he had the right to criticize the laws of this world, especially since he’d only been here a short time. But he understood one thing clearly: just giving the child charity wouldn’t solve anything.

Then what could he do?

"Time’s up! Your answer, please," Theo prompted with a playful smile.

"Wait, what?" Damien stammered. "I haven’t come to any clear conclusion yet..."

"That’s fine," Theo said in a gentle voice. "Just share what you’re thinking right now."

"Well... I still don’t have a full answer," Damien admitted. "But I do know that just giving handouts isn’t enough. At the same time, I really want to avoid a situation where the child loses their hand. They’re so young, and from what I heard, they’ve been working to support their family. If they lose their hand, they won’t be able to keep working, and their whole family could end up on the streets. I’d want to try to persuade them to stop stealing instead..."

"And if they refuse to listen?" Theo asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Uh... in that case..." Damien hesitated. "I’d try to come up with another solution. I don’t know what yet, but I’d figure something out."

"That’s a good answer," Theo said, nodding approvingly.

Even though Damien felt his explanation had been a jumbled mess, Theo and Leonide both seemed satisfied. Elyon, however, looked bored.

Just wait, Damien thought while suppressing a grin. I’ll make sure Ely pays for that with a kiss-related punishment.

"As long as there are people like you who care enough to think about what’s best for someone else," Theo said, "they’ll be fine. If someone has people looking out for them and still goes down the wrong path, then... unfortunately, that’s likely due to their own nature."

"Theo..." Damien murmured, touched.

"Oh, come on," Elyon interjected. "This guy has been brooding over this all day. There’s no need to state the obvious."

"Ely..." Damien sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Just be careful not to get stuck in your own head," Elyon added. "You’ve got plenty of people to talk to. Use them."

"I got it," Damien replied with a grin. "I’ll make full use of you, Ely!"

"You’re not strict with anyone, Master," Leonide chimed in with a smirk. "You might as well go all-in on being lenient."

Damien chuckled. Leonide wasn’t wrong—if there was one thing Damien was good at, it was being indulgent.

Still...

"But... is it okay to be soft on just him?" Damien asked hesitantly. "Wouldn’t that be unfair?"

"Everyone plays favorites," came a calm voice.

"Sebas?" Damien turned in surprise.

"No matter how noble or impartial someone seems, they always favor someone," Sebas said evenly. "It might be family, friends, acquaintances, or even a beloved pet. And there’s rarely only one person or thing they care for more than others."

"But those who cannot favor anyone at all—those are not noble souls. They are simply heartless."

Damien found himself uncertain about such an extreme assertion. Still, he admitted that someone without even a hint of favoritism might seem unsettling.

"But isn’t it bad for nobles to show favoritism?" Damien asked. "I mean, I’m not a noble and don’t plan to become one, but..."

Wasn’t it problematic if people with wealth or power acted on bias?

"Quite the opposite," Sebas replied. "It is nobles who must show favoritism."

Damien blinked in disbelief. "Wait, what? That doesn’t sound right."

"Allow me to provide some examples," Sebas began, his tone measured. "Imagine a starving commoner stands before you. The noble overseeing them offers food. Would that be considered favoritism?"

"Of course not," Damien said. "That’s just their responsibility."

"I agree," Sebas nodded. "Now, suppose there is a farmer who works twice as hard as others. The noble rewards them for their diligence. Would that be favoritism?"

Damien frowned. "I don’t think so. That’s fair, isn’t it?"

"Indeed," Sebas continued. "Now, consider this: a thief pleads for mercy, claiming they stole to feed their starving family. The noble not only spares them punishment but also provides aid. Would this be favoritism?"

Damien froze. That example hit too close to home.

"Yes," he admitted quietly. "That would be favoritism."

Sebas nodded solemnly.

"Then I should reflect on that..." Damien muttered, feeling the weight of his actions.

"And yet," Sebas continued, "all these cases stem from an actual noble’s actions and were later criticized as favoritism by other nobles."

"What?" Damien exclaimed.

"There will always be those who look for fault," Sebas explained. "However, a noble is judged by results, not actions. In the first case, the noble was later praised for ensuring that not a single person in their land suffered during a famine. In the second, the reward inspired others, increasing the region’s productivity and generating wealth far exceeding the rewards given. As for the thief? They now serve a household faithfully as a servant."

Theo chuckled. "Sebas often tells us: ’Nobles are judged by results alone. If the outcome is good, anything they do is justified.’"

"That’s... reckless," Damien said, shaking his head.

"To be honest, I thought Sebas had finally lost it when I first heard him say that," Theo teased.

Damien raised an eyebrow, realizing Theo had caught on to his thoughts.

"Don’t look so surprised," Theo added with a grin. "I know what you’re thinking."

"I wonder if you’ve grasped the true meaning of this old man’s ramblings, Sir Damien?" Sebas asked.