Peak Between Two: Mushoku Tensei

Several months had passed since Paul made the decision to send Rudeus to Roa, where he would serve as a tutor for a young lady of the Boreas Greyrat family.

With his older brother gone, the Greyrat household underwent small yet significant changes—especially for Luciel.

And that change came in the form of Paul's merciless training.

Luciel had now become his father's primary focus in swordsmanship. No excuses, no escape—just him, his father, and a wooden sword that relentlessly came swinging down upon him.

And this morning, like every morning before it, Luciel found himself trapped in the never-ending hell known as Greyrat sword training.

Father vs. Son

Clang!

The sharp sound of wood clashing echoed through the Greyrat family yard. Luciel leaped backward, narrowly dodging Paul's swift strike. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, his breathing slightly heavier.

Meanwhile, Paul remained firm, standing with his usual relaxed grin.

"Come on, Luci! Don't just dodge!" Paul called out, gripping his wooden sword with one hand.

Luciel huffed. "I dodge because I don't want to get hit, Father!"

Before he could catch his breath, Paul lunged again. A diagonal slash—fast and powerful. Luciel ducked just in time, the wooden blade passing inches above his head.

Paul didn't stop. A horizontal swing from the side.

Luciel jumped back, nearly losing his balance.

'Damn, Father's speed is insane as always.'

Paul smirked.

"You're getting faster at dodging," he remarked, resting his sword on his shoulder. "But you won't be able to dodge forever, Luci."

Luciel stayed silent, his mind racing.

He didn't argue—because Paul was right.

But he couldn't rely on reflexes alone. He had to find an opening.

Then, Paul shifted his stance, lowering his center of gravity.

Luciel recognized that posture.

"Close-range attack."

Just as Paul charged forward, Luciel moved.

Instead of dodging as usual, he stepped in, lowering his body, pressing one palm against the ground to stabilize himself.

Paul, caught off guard, nearly lost his balance.

Luciel smirked. This was his chance.

With all his strength, he launched a kick toward Paul's stomach—

However, before his foot could land, Paul twisted his body and effortlessly caught the kick with his left hand.

Luciel's eyes widened.

'Seriously?! His reflexes are ridiculous!'

In an instant, Paul used the momentum to pull Luciel's leg, throwing him off balance—

Thud!

Luciel hit the ground, his back slamming against the dirt.

Paul stood over him, grinning in satisfaction.

"Good," he said, finally letting go of Luciel's leg. "You're starting to fight back."

Luciel winced, sitting up and rubbing his sore waist.

"You're too ruthless," he muttered. "I'm five years old, you know?"

Paul merely chuckled.

"And I need to make you strong before you turn six," he replied with confidence.

Luciel scoffed but said nothing.

At that moment, he wanted to argue that there were plenty of other techniques he could use.

Techniques he had learned from somewhere… from someone…

But he held himself back.

That memory… was not something he could share.

A Sudden Interruption

Just as Luciel was about to get up, a loud voice echoed from the distance.

"RUDIIIIIII!!!"

Paul and Luciel turned toward the source of the voice.

From the top of a small hill, a young girl with silver-green hair came running at full speed, tears welling in her eyes, panic written all over her face.

Paul immediately recognized her.

"Sylphiette?"

Luciel raised an eyebrow. "Oh, this should be interesting."

Without paying attention to the damp ground still covered in morning dew, Sylphiette sprinted downhill—

And as expected—

Thud!

She tripped and crashed straight into Luciel, who had yet to fully stand up.

Luciel, caught in an awkward sitting position, let out a long sigh as the small girl collapsed onto him.

"Yep… today's not going to be peaceful, is it?"

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Luciel rubbed his forehead, which had lightly bumped against hers. Meanwhile, nestled in his lap, a silver-green-haired girl blinked in confusion, her teary eyes still shimmering.

"Uh…" Sylphiette slowly lifted her face, staring at Luciel from an uncomfortably close distance.

Luciel resisted the urge to push her away.

"Sylphiette, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not Rudeus. I'm Luciel."

Sylphiette's emerald eyes widened before her cheeks flushed red in embarrassment.

"A-Ah… sorry!"

She quickly scrambled to her feet, but her legs wobbled from running too fast earlier. Just as she was about to fall again, Luciel instinctively caught her hand.

Luciel sighed again. Seriously… this girl was so clumsy.

Paul, who had been watching the whole scene, laughed. "Luciel, you don't have to act like a knight saving a princess."

Luciel shot his father a glare. "I wasn't saving her. I was preventing her from falling twice in the same spot."

Sylphiette's blush deepened as she hid behind her long hair.

Paul laughed even harder.

"Haha! Look at that, Luci! I think you've already won a girl's heart at a young age! The competition is getting fierce, huh?"

Luciel felt something churn in his stomach.

"Competition?"

Paul smirked, folding his arms. "Well, Rudeus is close with Sylphiette, right? And now, you're getting closer to her, too. That means… sibling rivalry in love!"

Luciel blinked.

Had he just heard the most ridiculous thing come out of his father's mouth?

Meanwhile, Sylphiette, who had just calmed down, turned bright red again, frantically waving her hands.

"N-N-No, it's not like that! Rudeus is my friend! And Luciel is also—"

"You don't have to explain, Sylphiette," Luciel cut in flatly. "Father likes to say whatever comes to his mind."

Paul just chuckled. "Luciel, Luciel, you're too serious! As a man, you need to learn how to flirt with girls. Look at me! I'm a master at it!"

Luciel rolled his eyes. "And look where that got you, Father."

Paul blinked, processing the comment, before awkwardly scratching his cheek.

"Uh… yeah, I did get into trouble recently…"

Luciel snorted.

Sylphiette lowered her head, unsure of what to say.

But before the conversation could go any further, a chilling voice rang from behind them.

"Paul."

The air around them instantly turned colder.

Paul froze, his back stiffening immediately. Slowly, he turned around—

Standing at the doorway of their home, arms crossed and eyes narrowed dangerously, was Zenith.

"A-Ah… Zenith, dear… how long have you been standing there?"

Zenith smiled.

But it wasn't a comforting smile—it was the kind of smile an executioner wore upon finding the perfect excuse to deliver punishment.

"I've been standing here since you started teaching our children useless things like 'rivalry in love' and 'flirting with women.'"

A cold sweat formed on Paul's forehead. "U-Uh, it was just a joke, dear…"

Zenith took a step forward, each footfall carrying the weight of impending doom.

"Oh? So you want to flirt with women?" Her voice was dangerously sweet. "Alright… then you can sleep on the sofa for a week."

Paul staggered back as if he had just taken a critical hit. "N-No, Zenith! You can't do this! Our bed is too comfortable to leave behind!"

Zenith simply smiled in satisfaction.

Luciel watched the scene unfold with a blank expression.

Father really never learns, huh?

Meanwhile, Sylphiette looked back and forth between Paul and Zenith, utterly confused.

"Um… is Paul-san going to be okay?" she asked hesitantly.

Luciel glanced at his father, who was now kneeling on the ground like a knight mourning the loss of his king.

Luciel sighed. "Don't worry, Sylphiette. This isn't the first time."

Sylphiette still looked unsure.

Zenith let out a long sigh before turning to the children.

"Luciel, Sylphiette, that's enough playing. Come inside, it's almost lunchtime."

Luciel nodded and headed toward the house.

Sylphiette followed, though she kept glancing back at Paul, who remained slumped on the ground in despair.

Today, Luciel felt a little more at ease.

For now, at least, his life was still peaceful.