The three scrawny boys held the bastard down, following my order without hesitation.
Their eyes were wide with shock, staring at me like I had just done the impossible.
They clearly hadn't expected me to take the bastard down.
After all—
I was almost the same size as them.
'If I were really just a kid, I'd shut the fuck up too and avoid picking a fight with someone older and obviously stronger.'
But I wasn't.
Mentally, I was 23 years old.
Getting into a fight with some trash bastard who's slightly bigger than me doesn't really scare me.
'Especially if they're younger than me.'
I declared in my head.
Moving on—
"..."
I looked down at the unconscious bastard.
I was standing over him.
His body was slumped against the wooden floor, his head limp forward.
Then without a second thought—
RIPP— RIPP—!
FWISH—
I ripped a piece of his already ragged clothing and used it to bind his hands and legs.
The three kids assisted without question.
Two of them pinned his arms, while the last one used his body weight to keep his legs down.
And looking at their work—
"Hmm... I think this should be enough to restrain him."
I muttered that to myself.
And now that I had nothing else to worry about—
WHAP!
I slapped him across the face!
"...!"
"..!!"
The kids flinched, their eyes widening in shock.
But ignoring them—
SMACK!
I slapped the bastard again.
SLAP!
And again.
WHACK!
And again.
Until—
SLAP!
"UGRH...?!! GAHH!!?"
The bastard suddenly jolted awake, gasping in pain.
"Oh no...!"
"He's awake..."
"What's going to happen to us now...?"
The three boys exchanged worried glances, realizing that they were trapped between two crazy individuals—
Me and this bastard.
Anyway—
"Oh, finally awake."
I mumbled that as I saw the bastard open his eyes with a confused and pained expression on his face.
And the moment he heard my voice—
"...!"
His gaze snapped to me, and—
"YOU...!!"
His face twisted in rage.
"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!!!"
He roared, trying to lunge at me.
"AHHHH!"
"Ugh... He's too strong!"
"Hold on, guys...!"
Fortunately, the three kids and the makeshift cloth ropes were doing a decent job of holding him down.
The bastard's face was turning red because of anger... Or maybe because I slapped him way too much.
'Well... whatever.'
I thought while shrugging my shoulders.
Then, without hesitation—
BAM!
I drove my right fist straight into his nose!
Blood spurted from his nostrils again.
"GAH?!"
The bastard let out a pained grunt.
And immediately—
FWIP—
I grabbed him by the hair, yanking his head up so he had no choice but to look me in the eyes!
And looking at him with an unamused look in my face—
"I have some questions to ask… Could you be civil enough to answer them?"
I asked him that, my voice calm.
But with bloodshot eyes—
"Fuck you!"
He just cursed at me.
"Fair enough..."
I muttered.
I knew why he was pissed.
His head had just been cracked open by me, after all.
I had already expected this kind of reaction.
So what did I do?
BAM!
I punched him in the face again, obviously.
'I just hope he starts talking soon.'
I thought to myself.
BAM!
And then I punched him again in the same place.
...
...
*****
After just a few more punches, the bastard finally started talking.
Though…
It was hard to understand him.
His lips were busted, swollen beyond recognition, and now he talked with a weird, slurred lisp.
But whatever—
'I got the answers I needed.'
So that's cool.
And from the information I gathered, I was able to confirm a lot of my suspicions.
Especially—
'I confirmed that I'm actually in a different body.'
I had him describe my appearance, and according to him—
I had black hair and black eyes, and based on my body type, I was probably around 15 years old.
I still had no idea what my face actually looked like, but that was enough for now.
I hadn't been expecting a detailed answer anyway.
Moving on—
'I also confirmed that I'm not on Earth anymore.'
I had asked him outright if we were on Earth.
And in response, he just gave me a confused look, as if I had just spoken gibberish.
"We're in the Vallund Kingdom, on the continent of Velmoria... Not sure which city though."
That was what he had said to me.
I had no clue where the hell that was—
'But that sure as hell isn't Earth.'
After that, I asked him what year it was.
"It's the Year 1123, The Age of Crowns."
He answered.
I had no idea what that meant, but just from the name alone, I could tell I had ended up in some kind of medieval setting world.
And that theory was completely confirmed by my next question—
"What's our situation right now?"
Hearing that, the bastard shot me a look like I was some kind of moron.
"We're being transported by a carriage to another city, probably the capital. The guy who bought us will either make us work there or sell us off again."
He explained.
'So I've really become a slave.'
The thought settled in my mind, leaving a slight frown on my face.
Not exactly the best scenario to wake up to, huh?
But before I could dwell on it further—
"C-Can you free me now...?"
The bastard suddenly spoke up, his voice shaky.
"Hmm?"
I shifted my gaze toward him.
His eyes, once filled with nothing but arrogance and hostility, were now pleading.
It was... disgusting.
"No."
I shut him down without hesitation.
I wasn't stupid—
The moment I untied him, he'd lunge at me like a wild dog.
I could see it in his eyes.
"W-Wait! I promise I'll be good!"
He followed up desperately, voice trembling, face twisted in panic.
"Hah!"
I scoffed, shaking my head at his pathetic attempt.
"Do I look like an idiot to you?"
My voice was dry, unimpressed.
"...!"
The bastard flinched.
I leaned in slightly, lowering my voice just enough to make it sink in—
"Stay put and keep your mouth shut... unless you want me to punch you again."
I whispered to him.
"..."
The bastard gulped, eyes darting to the side as if searching for an escape.
There was none.
Satisfied, I turned my gaze to the other three kids.
"...!"
They flinched the moment our eyes met, their tiny frames stiffening like rabbits.
"Same goes for you three. If any of you help him or try to set him free..."
Crack—
I cracked my knuckles, making sure they heard it loud and clear.
"I'll punch you too."
"..."
"..."
"..."
A heavy silence fell inside the wooden cell.
The three boys exchanged glances, their expressions tense...
But then—
"...Actually, we're fine with this."
One of them muttered that.
"Y-Yeah... This is better..."
Another one whispered, eyes flicking nervously to the bastard still restrained on the floor.
"Yeh..."
The last kid just nodded quickly, avoiding eye contact.
I raised a brow.
"Huh? So you guys don't like him either?"
I asked.
The first kid hesitated, then spoke up—
"He always picks on us when he's bored..."
The second one followed—
"It's better this way. At least you don't hurt us for no reason."
The third just gave another silent nod.
"That's right."
...I see.
So this bastard wasn't just some random asshole—he was a bully.
A smirk tugged at my lips.
"Good. Then let's keep it this way."
I said as I leaned back against the wooden wall of the cell, arms crossed.
Finally, some peace and quiet after waking up.
And for now...
I decided to wait what will happen.