Peak Between Two: Mushoku Tensei

-Ryu Dedoldia-

After handling the food supplies for dinner, I decided to take a short walk.

As I reached the street corner near the bridge, I ran into two troublesome girls.

Linia Dedoldia and Pursena Adoldia.

The cat and the dog…

The two biggest troublemakers who constantly made my life more complicated than it needed to be.

By the way, I'm a wolf, not a tiger.

My last name is Dedoldia because my mother was Gustav's youngest daughter, but my father was a wolf beastman, so I followed his lineage.

I was an orphan from birth.

My mother died shortly after giving birth to me due to her weak body.

My father? He died as a mercenary.

I never thought too much about it.

Life had always been like this from the start.

Anyway, back to the present.

I had no intention of dealing with these two girls.

So, I decided to ignore them as I walked past.

However…

Linia noticed me, and her face immediately twisted into an annoyed scowl.

Then, in a loud voice, she yelled, "HEY!"

I took a deep breath.

"Haaah… Damn. She caught me."

I stopped walking and turned to face them with a blank expression.

Linia stepped forward, her long tail standing upright—a clear sign of irritation.

Pursena, on the other hand, looked more relaxed, but her eyes still observed the situation closely.

"Why are you ignoring us?" Linia asked sharply.

I stared at her for a moment, then casually shrugged.

"Because you're annoying."

Linia growled, her ears twitching sharply in displeasure.

Her eyes narrowed in anger, and her tail flicked impatiently.

"Can't you be a little friendlier to us?!" she snapped.

I let out a long sigh.

"Seriously? Just because I ignored them for a bit, this is a problem now?"

Pursena, who had been quiet the whole time, finally spoke in a lazy tone.

"Linia, why bother? He's always like this."

Linia shot a glare at Pursena.

"But still! He's disrespecting us!"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Disrespect?"

Linia growled again.

"Yes! We are the direct heirs of the Dedoldia and Adoldia tribes! We are above you in hierarchy!"

I remained silent, staring at her blankly.

Pursena rolled her eyes, clearly bored. "Linia, it's not that serious."

"But people are starting to see him as above us!" Linia pointed at me accusingly.

I narrowed my eyes.

Oh… So that's the issue.

It wasn't just that I ignored them—it was that my status in the village had started to rise.

People no longer saw me as just an orphan.

They saw me as someone stronger than the official heirs of the two most powerful tribes here.

And to Linia, that was a big problem.

I took a slow breath and stared at her sharply.

"Linia."

She tensed slightly, maybe not used to my serious tone.

I crossed my arms. "If you want respect, prove that you deserve it. Don't just demand it."

Linia fell silent, her expression shifting instantly.

Pursena chuckled behind her.

"He's got a point, Linia. You're making a big deal out of nothing."

Linia gritted her teeth and glared at me.

I could see the emotions stirring inside her.

I knew… this wasn't over yet.

But I didn't care.

I turned around and walked away.

"AH! JUST YOU WAIT!!" she shouted like a child—though, to be fair, we were all still kids.

###

After brushing off the troublesome duo, I returned home. But as I opened the door, I found Gustav—village elder and my grandfather—already waiting for me inside.

He wasn't alone. Two human children stood beside him.

"Old man…?" I muttered, slightly surprised. My gaze shifted to the unfamiliar figures—a brown-haired boy and a red-haired girl who looked restless.

Gustav gave a slow nod. "Ah, you're finally here."

Leaning against the doorframe, I crossed my arms. "Yeah, what's up?"

Gustav let out a sigh before speaking, his tone firm yet carrying a hint of exhaustion. "I've decided to let them stay in the village for the time being. Because of that, I want you to keep an eye on them. You know how the villagers feel about outsiders—especially humans."

I frowned. Of course, I knew.

Not long ago, humans had resumed their slave-hunting raids in our territory. And with the rainy season approaching, the danger was increasing. After a long drought, the forest had become dry and highly flammable, making our village even more vulnerable to attacks.

I had already lived through two such incidents.

We had always managed to fight them off, but the scars left by humanity's actions were not so easily forgotten.

Hatred toward them had taken root deep within my people's hearts.

And yet, here I was, faced with two human children who seemed lost and far from home.

I studied them carefully.

Though my instincts warned me to stay cautious, I knew I couldn't just leave them out in the cold.

As a former elite warrior, I wouldn't let children die meaninglessly.

"Fine," I finally said, keeping my voice calm.

Gustav gave a faint smile. "Good."

I glanced at the two kids again. Rudeus looked composed and alert, as if assessing the situation. Eris, on the other hand, appeared impatient, arms crossed with a dissatisfied expression.

I let out a sigh. "Listen carefully. I don't want any trouble. If you do anything that threatens the village, I won't hesitate to kick you out."

Rudeus quickly nodded. "Thank you for your generosity. We won't cause any problems."

Eris, however, merely scoffed. She said nothing, but it was clear she wasn't the type to submit easily.

Gustav seemed satisfied with the arrangement. "Then, I leave them in your hands. I have other matters to attend to in the village. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

I just nodded before turning to Rudeus and Eris. "Come on. I'll show you where you'll be staying."

Without further words, they followed me to my house.

It wasn't big, but it was sturdy and comfortable. The thick wooden walls provided shelter from the cold winds and upcoming rain. As I opened the door, the scent of damp wood and faint smoke from the fireplace greeted us.

"You can stay in this room," I said, pointing to a small space in the corner of the house. "It's simple, but it'll keep you warm and dry."

Rudeus nodded politely. "Thank you."

Eris clicked her tongue in annoyance, tossing her bag into the corner before sitting down with a sulky expression.

I observed them for a moment.

Rudeus seemed calculating. Eris looked stubborn.

I just hoped they wouldn't cause trouble.

Night fell.

I sat near the fireplace, sharpening my knife with practiced movements. The fire cast flickering shadows across the room, making the space feel even quieter.

Footsteps approached.

I glanced up to see Rudeus standing nearby.

"Thank you…" he said—in the Beastman language.

I blinked in surprise.

"Oh? You can speak Beastman language? Why didn't you say so earlier?! You realize how awkward our first meeting was, right?" I grumbled, mildly annoyed.

Rudeus chuckled awkwardly, scratching his head. "Ahahaha… I can, but only a little."

I let out a sigh, leaning back in my chair. "Hmph… well, at least that's better than nothing."

For a moment, silence filled the room.

The fire crackled softly, filling the space between us.

I resumed sharpening my blade, but Rudeus seemed like he still had something to say.

"By the way," he finally spoke, curiosity in his voice, "we've met another Beastman before."

I turned slightly, waiting for him to continue. "Yeah?"

"Do you know someone named Ghislaine?"

My hand froze mid-motion.

I nearly dropped my knife as I snapped my head toward him.

"What!?"

Rudeus nodded, as if expecting my reaction. "So, you know her?"

I set my knife down with a clunk and stared at him intensely.

"Not just know her—she's my aunt!"

"Ooh, I figured!" Rudeus looked pleased with my answer, while I was still trying to process the shock.

So… these people knew Ghislaine?

The aunt I had only heard about from Gustav.

She was the only member of my family who had never returned after leaving with an adventurer.

Her name carried a stigma in this village.

I narrowed my eyes at Rudeus.

"How do you know her?" I asked, my tone more serious now.

I could feel my heartbeat quicken.

If they knew Ghislaine…

Then they knew something about her life beyond this village—

A life that had always been a mystery to me.

And I wanted to know more.