Peak Between Two: Mushoku Tensei

- Luciel Greyrat -

I was an idiot for trusting him.

What kind of stupid plan was this?!

Even without analyzing it too deeply, it was obvious this would only cause more problems!

Good grief… this was getting annoying.

I let out a long sigh, massaging my temples as I stared at Geese, who was grinning from ear to ear with pure satisfaction.

"So… you really think this is going to work?" I asked flatly.

Geese grinned with absolute confidence. "Of course! I've escaped from plenty of places before—this is nothing!"

I glanced at the so-called "plan" he had come up with.

Scraps of wood, whittled down with his fingernails.

A loosely braided rope made of straw.

And… a fish bone?

I stared at him.

Then at the weapon he had prepared.

Then back at him.

"You're joking, right?"

"No! This is brilliant!" he declared enthusiastically.

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

One thing was certain—my brain was about to explode from sheer stupidity.

Geese was exactly the type of guy who survived purely on luck and nonsense.

"Alright," I shut my eyes briefly, trying to summon what little patience I had left. "Explain to me… how exactly is this supposed to work?"

Geese smirked slyly and started explaining.

"Simple! I'll scrape this fish bone against the bars, creating an annoying sound to lure the guards. Once they come to check, I'll pretend to be seriously ill! The moment they open the cage, I'll strike with this sharpened stick!"

I stared at him even longer.

I resisted the overwhelming urge to smack him on the spot.

"You actually think that'll work?" I asked, my voice dripping with skepticism.

Geese chuckled. "Trust me! I'm an expert at this kind of thing!"

Before I could curse myself further for letting this idiot speak for so long, a loud shout echoed from a distance.

"FIRE!!"

I frowned.

"Huh?"

Geese also looked confused. "Wait, that's not part of my plan."

"Obviously not." I narrowed my eyes, trying to listen more closely.

The sound of roaring flames and frantic shouting filled the air.

I stepped closer to the cage bars, trying to get a better look outside.

In the distance, flames had begun consuming part of the village.

A massive fire had broken out.

I immediately realized this was not something I could ignore.

If the fire spread, it wouldn't just endanger the beastmen—it would also threaten the prisoners here.

Including me.

I exhaled sharply, then turned to Geese.

"I'm getting out."

Geese raised an eyebrow. "Hah? Seriously? With my plan?"

I stared at him for a moment, then raised my hand.

Magic gathered in my palm, forming a swirling mass of frost.

I didn't need his ridiculous plan.

I just needed to do this.

With a single motion, I thrust my hand forward.

"Frost Break."

Instantly, a thick layer of ice coated the wooden bars.

Then, with one solid punch, the frozen wood shattered into pieces.

Geese's eyes widened.

"Oh. That's way more efficient."

I didn't respond.

I simply stepped out of the cage, my gaze locking onto the growing inferno.

I didn't care about the politics or rules of this village.

But if this continued unchecked…

I wasn't about to stand by and do nothing.

Time to move.

I stared at Geese.

Geese stared at me.

A long, awkward silence stretched between us.

A gentle breeze passed by, brushing against my skin.

My… bare skin.

"..."

Geese squinted at me, looking mildly confused.

"Uh… senior? What's wrong?"

Oh. He was calling me "senior" now.

Alright.

As a wise and respectable senior, I decided to make a reasonable request.

I held out my hand.

"Geese."

"Yeah?"

Without hesitation, I grabbed his shirt.

"Eh?"

His face froze as the fabric slipped from his body, leaving his upper half completely exposed.

I remained silent, casually using his shirt to cover my, uh, delicate area.

"..."

"..."

Silence.

Geese looked down, seeing his own clothes now in my possession.

Then, with almost mechanical movement, he lifted his head to look at me.

"Senior… you do realize that I also need clothes, right?"

I stared at him blankly.

Then, in the calmest voice possible, I replied:

"Priorities."

"PRIORITIES MY A—!!"

Geese clutched his head in frustration.

"Why?! I'm a victim too, you know?! You saved me, but now you're stripping me?! If I get caught like this, I'll be arrested again for indecent exposure!!"

"Hmm…"

I thought for a moment, then generously returned half of the fabric to him.

Geese looked at his portion.

Then at me.

Then back at the tiny piece of cloth now in his hands.

Then back at me.

"Seriously? We're sharing a shirt now?"

"Problem?"

"OF COURSE IT'S A PROBLEM!!"

I ignored him, simply securing my minimal clothing to ensure that essential parts remained covered.

Meanwhile, Geese sat in the corner, quietly mourning his dignity—which, much like his shirt, had now been reduced to half.

Shouts echoed from the distance.

I sharpened my hearing.

The crackling flames…

Beastmen running in panic…

From here, I could hear the sound of burning wood and desperate voices struggling to put out the fire.

I turned to Geese.

"We need to move."

"Hah… finally acting serious, huh?"

Without waiting, I stepped forward.

I didn't care about the politics of this village.

But one thing was certain—

I wasn't going to let this place burn to the ground.

Putting Out the Fire? Easy.

All I needed to do was control the temperature and remove the oxygen around the flames.

Within seconds, the raging inferno began to subside.

The beastmen ran frantically, unaware of who was helping them.

Not that I cared if they knew or not.

I wasn't doing this for recognition.

Just as I was about to move to the next fire zone, I realized something.

The fire wasn't the only problem.

Down below… something far more disgusting was happening.

I looked down, observing the area beneath the beastmen's towering tree homes.

Amidst the smoke and shadows, I saw a group of humans—merciless and cold.

They were dragging beastman children, forcing them onto an open wooden wagon with brutal force.

Small cries echoed faintly.

The children struggled, but their bodies were too small, too weak to resist the grown men armed with weapons.

My eyes narrowed.

Slave traders.

I clenched my jaw.

So this was the real reason behind all this chaos?

"Senior?"

Geese's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I turned slightly, seeing him following my gaze.

His expression tightened, his jaw clenching.

"Senior, we should—"

Before he could finish his sentence—

I had already moved.

I leaped down.

My body soared through the air, landing silently on a lower tree branch.

Below, the slavers were still focused on their task, oblivious to my presence.

Kill them or not?

In my past life, I wasn't a fighter.

I was a scientist.

But this world was different.

This world was cruel.

And me?

I had killed before.

There was no hesitation in my hands.

They deserved to die.

I raised one hand.

Magic gathered, a cold blue light flickering at my fingertips.

"Cryo Lance."

Without a sound, a sharp spear of ice shot from my palm.

In an instant, one of the slavers collapsed—his chest pierced clean through.

Blood froze before it could even spill.

The others jerked in shock, frantically looking around.

I stepped out of the shadows, my gaze icy.

"Good evening, you bastards."