Mushoku Tensei: Life and Strife.

It was a large building, right in between the slums and the nobles' district, hidden away from the prying eyes of the knights. Of course, it went without saying that many of those same knights were part of this whole thing.

The man named Laurel closed his eyes, then opened them again.

“Looks like this location is a trap.”

“A trap?”

The woman in bikini armor asked back in confusion. That was my sister, Vierra. Seeing her confusion, Laurel then pointed to the building and somewhere at the distance, respectively.

“A bait location with about thirty captured victims, and on that side are dozens of well-armed guards.”

And then he smiled and added.

“Not that it’ll matter.”

That’s when it happened. Laurel casually waved his left hand, and the whole gate was smashed in along with its two guards. With an explosive entrance, the young man arrogantly walked through the front gate—or at least where the gate had been.

Countless mercenaries, soldiers, and guards ran towards the location.

“Paul Greyrat!”

An obnoxiously loud voice resounded throughout the area as a fat man entered the scene.

“You damn scoundrel! Today will be your grave!”

Laurel signaled with his hand, stopping all of our members from attacking as he silently stared at all his enemies. I stared anxiously in front. Vierra next to him was doing the same, but he held her back.

“Hey, shouldn’t we fight while—"

“No need.”

“What?”

The noble, on the other hand, said he was definitely one unaccustomed to combat, seeing as his fat chin wobbled with every step, but whether it was his arrogance or blind trust in his allies, he still stepped forth regardless with a confident smirk.

“What’s the matter? Scared already?”

Laurel stared silently and expressionlessly at the fat noble and his guards, which amounted to more than forty people. Then, his calm voice echoed throughout the area. It wasn’t loud, but it was clear for all to hear.

“Vierra.”

“Yes?”

“You once asked me how strong I am. Well, this is my answer.”

Laurel flicked his left wrist. And everyone who had followed him saw that answer with their own two eyes. Under the moonlit night, I could see the glint of something the shape of a string waving out, slashing all of those guards along with the noble in half.

Then we heard his voice as the man held his cane and trudged forward.

“Begin the rescue mission.”

That was it. There wasn’t a bloody fight. There wasn’t even a fight to begin with. It was a massacre.

We were quickly met with the sight of many of the Fittoan victims. Some were in cages, some in chains, their ages ranging from the young to the elderly. We moved forward as we entered the halls and broke the chains, rescuing our fellow countrymen.

We moved from location to location in the dead of the night, rescuing more and more. The same scene repeated over and over again. And more and more of our people were rescued.

Our numbers dwindled as many of our members left to escort the victims back to base. But that hadn’t stopped the young man in front of me, because there wasn’t much loss in combat power.

The man at the front alone was enough.

… Laurel Greyrat. A young man who was said to be Paul’s second son. I had long heard of Paul’s constant drunken praises for his children. Honestly, if it weren’t for Vierra gathering everyone, I doubt anyone would join this operation without the boss.

But seeing the young man in front of me was an entirely different matter. Someone so young yet exuded so much aura. Calm, composed, and strong. The moment I met him, I already had a sneaking suspicion that he was a tyrant.

But I was wrong. This person, he isn’t even human.

I was among the few left behind to continue our operation. From my position, I could see the expression of the man who had casually slaughtered all the enemies within the vicinity. And it was exactly the same.

The man was neither proud nor gloating about his victories. He wasn’t concerned about their deaths, nor did he even flinch at the amount of blood and flesh spilling about. Instead, the man was yawning. He was bored.

Laurel had killed so many people without batting an eye, as if what he had done was nothing more than cleaning trash—well, technically those scum are trash, but still. It was as if the man didn’t even see those people as fellow humans.

… Under the darkness, slightly lit by the torches, I could sense something wiggling on top of the corpses. It wasn’t obvious since it was too dark, but I couldn’t pretend it was simply my own hallucinations. Not with the crunching sounds of bones and torn flesh being played in the background.

It wouldn’t be hard to find out what’s happening, but I don't think I want to know. Honestly, I’m not sure if I’ll live to see daybreak if I do. So all I did was pay attention to the only sound I could, the sound of a cane striking the ground.

It was my sole solace in this terrifying atmosphere. Suddenly, the sound of the cane stopped, and the man in front halted. Because I was too focused on the sound of the cane, I didn’t notice and ended up bumping him.

“Ah, sir—"

“Next.”

Laurel said, demanding the rescue operation’s next location. The way he was staring was so intense that I stuttered.

“Ah, yes, sir, ah, um.”

Where was the next location? I stared down at the list. Ah.

“It’s over.”

“It’s over?”

No, why is he staring at me? Don’t tell me he hadn’t killed his fill?

“Ah, um, yes, uh, this-this is the last location.”

I stuttered once more. No, why is he starring at me? Don’t tell me he plans to kill me while he’s at it?

"Shierra, was it?”

How does he know my name? How does he know my name? How does he know my—

“Was it not?”

Laurel tilted his head, his face slightly leaning in. The sudden movement made him closer than before, and it startled me. I jolted backward, falling. But I didn’t fall; he caught me.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah, yes! I’M FINE.”

I pretty much shouted in shock. OMG, OMG, his hand’s on my waist, his hand’s on my waist, his hand’s on my—

“I see.”

Laurel said with a soft smile as he stared at me, and for a moment, I lost my breath from his smile.

Before I knew it, I was already left standing on my own two feet. All I did was blankly stare at his retreating figure as his voice echoed in my mind.

“With this, tonight’s rescue operation is over. Good work, everyone.”

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