He is broken!

"Hey!"

The man poking my side said with a more irritated tone.

"Don't just stand there! Can't you hear me? Have you gone deaf?"

I once again looked at his face.

"I wish I'd really gone deaf!"

I moved my face closer to the man.

"Then, I wouldn't have to hear your pesky babblings anymore. Tsk!"

"...Huh?"

I moved away from him and took one step forward. The servant made a stupid face at my answer. I had just insulted him, something I had never done in my life before up until this point. He seemed to be processing the thing that just happened in that little, empty head of his.

That was a natural reaction though. Me, answering back to someone mocking or making fun of me? I bet that thing had never happened until now in this life. I had always let them do and say whatever shit they wanted while I lowered my head and accepted their insults.

Why?

Because I needed a job! A fucking job! I needed a place to stay and money to live! I couldn't offend others due to the fear of getting expelled, punished, or a reduced salary.

But I don't care now! I will say whatever I want! I've experienced this day, this time, and this situation so many times that I already know what will happen after I talk back to that man.

Tap

I took another step forward, walking towards the bed. Gah! Bed! I don't want to go near any beds but seems like there is no other choice.

After the thing I said, the man, who was actually my superior, would of course be enraged. But he wouldn't be able to do shit right now.

Why?

Tap

I was in front of the bed. I made sure that I wasn't stepping on the ink-soaked paper on the ground that has fallen to the floor at some point at night, and stood still beside the bed.

It was because of this dude sleeping here that my dear superior was not able to utter even a single word and show his frustration. Our young master, who I had to wake up from sleep every morning.

Yes. I had to wake this man up from sleep every morning. This was my, and only my job.

The reason?

Because when our dear young master woke up from his sleep, he would be a... total demon. No, I'm insulting demons by saying that. He would be more than that. He would be BEYOND words.

This man, when woken up, had the potential to murder you in an instant on the spot. He could just jump on you, pull out his sword, and stab you for the sin of waking him up. He would normally curse me, throw pillows at my face, threaten me about cutting my salary or expelling me, or sometimes even try to kick me, which I had learned how to dodge like a master over time, or even order the others to capture me and throw me into a cell in the underground prison.

Our young master had quite a temper!

And that was why I was in charge of waking him up. I was a victim, a human shield, someone offered as a sacrifice! I was being used by my fellow servants! This was not fair! No matter how much I thought, these people were too cruel! They saw how persistent I was and how desperately I needed my job. Knowing that I wouldn't quit my job, they assigned me this task so that no one would get beaten up except for me!

It was a nightmare every morning, trying to wake this man up in the softest and most gentle way possible. Sometimes, I even had to spend half an hour waking him up in a way that he wouldn't be distressed too much, only to end up spending the rest of my day in the prison cell.

This is also why my superior can't do anything right now. Because they were scared that they would become the target of the young master's wrath if they did anything stupid. All of the servants were hiding behind the door at the moment to avoid the storm that would happen once the young master was up.

Seeing them, it feels like I am a war general, fighting on the front lines to protect the weak soldiers. Haha! Such bullshit.

'Hah!'

I raised both of my hands to the air, took a deep breath, and opened my mouth wide.

"WAKE UP YOUNG MASTERRRRR."

As I yelled, I moved my hands down as fast as I could.

BAAAMMM

And punched the young master in the stomach with both hands, using all of my might.

"GASP!"

A pained gasp left the man's mouth and his eyes snapped open. His face was frozen and his mouth was slightly open. I gave you a fright, right? Haha! Deserves you!

"Gasp!"

"Eeek!"

"What did he just do?"

"He is dead! He is dead!"

I could hear the servants' scared, trembling voices behind my back.

Who in their right minds would wake such a young master with a loud yell and a beating? Yes. Me. I would do such a thing.

'Haha, yeah! I'm dead!'

Or maybe not?

I won't get killed, I will just get expelled. I know it for sure as I've done this thing before a few times in my past lives and I just ended up getting expelled.

'Um...'

Now that I remembered it, there was once when things went completely wrong in one of my previous lives...

Back then, I stepped on that ink-soaked paper on the ground. When I raised my hands to do the same thing I just did, suddenly my feet slipped on the paper. My aim went wrong, and I ended up hitting somewhere else instead of the young master's stomach...

A spot a little bit lower from the stomach... A crucial location... Uh, and the young master ended up... I mean... I ended up doing some permanent damage to the young master, the future hair of the count's family... the family that wouldn't have any future anymore, I mean.

Our young master went through so much pain that day... I really felt sorry for him as a fellow man...

Ahem. And so I ended up getting executed for the sin of doing permanent damage to the young master and killing the future generations of the count's family...

Anyway! That didn't happen today, and I will only get expelled.

'And that's exactly what I want.'

I will get expelled, run away from this city, go to that village in the south, work, buy a small house, and finally cook that food and eat it this time! Happy ending~

There are other ways to live besides bowing my head to these noblemen. I've long found that out. It might be a little bit difficult at first, finding a job and living on the streets, but it will eventually be fine after I earn a few coins for myself.

And I hope I won't regress again without a proper reason this time.

I could just run away, but that's not the ideal way. Living as a runaway slave while carrying that nickname on you everywhere you go is not easy. It's better to be an expelled servant than a runaway slave.

"Uh!"

I gasped, raised my head, bit my lips, clenched my fists, and looked at the young master with trembling eyes, who was slowly raising his body with a dumbfounded, pale, and pained face.

"I'm sorry young master!"

I threw myself to the ground as I yelled.

"I-I didn't mean to... I slipped my feet and a-and... I've committed such a grave sin! Young master, I deserve to be punished! Uh- P-please don't kill me!"

I looked up at the young master, who was staring at me with a blank expression and pleaded loud enough for everyone to hear. I stared into the man's eyes with teary eyes as I trembled.

"I... I slipped when I wanted to wake you up, young master! I-it wasn't intended! Please forgive my sin! I didn't mean it, young master! I accept any punishment... No... I-I even accept death!"

I did my best to look as pitiful as I could while I said those words with a shaking voice.

"Oh my god."

"Look how the young master is looking at him."

"He is dead. He is dead."

"He is too young to die... Poor thing."

I could hear the other servants' whispers. Yeah. I assume if someone looked at me right now, I would look like a scared poor thing that was desperately begging to get forgiven. I was literally doing that so they were not wrong.

"Huh?"

The young master's response to my pleading and begging was only a confused gasp.

"Huh? Ah? Huh?"

The young master then started to look around with a blank face, while gasping each time he saw something or someone. He blinked his eyes several times, opened and closed his mouth like a fish, and pinched his cheek.

'What's with this reaction?'

Man, you should get up, grab my collar, and beat the shit out of me! What are you doing? Hurry up! I want to get out of this place as soon as possible!

"Huh? Where?"

The young master mumbled. He scanned the whole place before turning to look at me, who was still staring at him with teary eyes.

"Who?"

"Pardon?"

That question left my lips before I knew it.

"Um..."

The young master opened and closed his mouth several times, tilted his head, scratched his chin, and then suddenly smiled awkwardly while still looking at me.

'Wait... Smiled?'

I couldn't believe my eyes. Did I see it wrong? Did this man just smile? What the hell! What are you doing, man? Stand up and beat the shit out of me already! What's with these strange actions? Was the shock of being beaten by a servant too great for him to handle?

"Um... Sorry but... Where is this place?"

"...."

I froze in my spot.

'Yeah?'

The room also went deadly silent.

The young master's usually cold and stoic voice, which made chills run down the hearer's spine, was now soft and kinda confused. His face also looked like a lost man who didn't understand what was going on.

"And... Who are you all?"

The young master asked again, seemingly unphased by the cold and deadly silence of the room.

"...."

"...."

"...."

No one said anything.

'Shit!'

I screamed inwardly.

'Did I hit him too hard? Did I break my young master?'