Raised in Dungeon



The tilling of the soil was finally completed the next afternoon. As he surveyed his finished soil with a sense of satisfaction, Rodion told him that his hard work was far from over.

"Preparing the soil is only the first step of gardening. There is still so much to do, like planting, watering, fertilizing, and many other long tasks involved in cultivating and maintaining the garden. You need to brace yourself for more laborious days ahead if we intend to reap great results from your toil," Rodion said.

"After this, we will use the tilled soil to plant the seeds," Peter explains.

"So, the plants don't just grow; someone planted them?"

"Some plants grow on their own; maybe it has something to do with their environment. I don't know, either. All I know is how to plant them."

"So, what are you going to plant?"

"In this soil month, we will grow potato seedlings. Potatoes will grow quite well on cold days. Since there are only 88 days left in this month, we need to get it done before the water season starts."

"Can't we plant anything in the water season?"

"Of course, everything will be covered with snow in the water season."

"Snow?"

"You're asking that? You really are a grown-up baby. Just wait; you'll understand once you see it."

"I understand."

Pascoe came over them from behind. His arrival was heralded by the sound of shuffling. As he made his way towards them, Allen could see that he was dragging a large sack behind him. There was wood underneath the sack that scraped against the soil to reduce friction.

As Pascoe drew closer, it became clear that the sack was filled with seeds.

"Dad, here are the seeds," Pascoe said as he walked towards them. His voice was breathless, and his arms were trembling a little from the effort of lugging the sack all the way from the barn.

Allen rushed over to him, eager to take the burden off from Pascoe's shoulders.

"Let me bring it for you," he said.

As he picked up the sack, Pascoe and Peter suddenly looked surprised.

"Oh you're really strong as Rodion said," Peter said, admiring how Allen can lift that pile of seedlings with just one hand.

"I can't believe you are around 12 years old."

With excitement, Pascoe yelled, "I knew it! You're actually a hero Alle-"

"Pascoe, that's enough. Stop that," Peter said with an angry face.

"Okay..."

Allen opened his sack; inside was a bunch of potatoes smaller than an eyeball.

"These are... small potatoes?"

"No, it's a potato seedling. Haven't you seen that yet?"

"Never…"

"Now we just need to put these seedlings onto the loosened soil. Remember, you have to lay them parallel."

"I understand."

"Pascoe, teach Allen how to do it. Remember, don't make Allen uncomfortable with your mouth!"

"OK!"

They split up in each corner.

"You just need to put it like this?"

"Plant the seeds a little deeper."

The four of them began to place the potato seeds on the loosened soil.

During this time, Pascoe asked Allen a question,

"So Allen, are you really not the hero of 1000 years ago? You forgot your memory, right? You could be his reincarnation or something."

'He talked about it again. I can't say that I don't actually have memory loss, and I'm not an other-worlder though,' Allen thought.

"No, I'm sure that I'm not that hero," Allen replied.

"But there's still a possibility that you're his descendant!" said Pascoe.

"If you say so, it could be true."

'Besides, I don't know anything about my real parents.'

Feeling more interested, Pascoe continued to ask

"Can you use a sword?!"

"Yes, a little."

"Really?! Then why are you cooking?! Cooking is women's work!"

'This kid asks too many questions.'

"Because I like doing it," Allen replied.

"You must be lying," Pascoe said.

"Why would you say that?"

"If you can wield a sword, how could you possibly want to cook! Using a sword is also a man's romance! A man becomes a man once he starts killing! That's what Mr. Wyncall taught me!"

Man's romance, Allen did not know what that phrase meant, but for now, he ignored it. He knew that this kid probably thought killing was a good thing. And he couldn't agree with that. Because so far, he had never felt pleasure when killing someone. He knew that taking a life was never something to be celebrated.

As he thinks about it, he sees his hand and hallucinates the blood flowing from it. It is not his blood; it's someone else's. He started to feel the weight of the soul.

"There is no way killing is good," Allen muttered.

"Hmm? What did you say?"

Allen kept planting the seed and then said,

"Maybe you're wrong... there's no way using a sword is better than hoeing. When I grasp the hoe, I don't feel any emotions welling up inside me.

There is no blood smell, only soil smell.

There is no anger or screaming voice, only a bird's chirp.

There was only calmness and a pleasant sense of fatigue."

It was still 2 o'clock, but the afternoon light had already begun to appear, and it shone on Allen's sweaty face.

At that time, Allen smiled slightly, then said

"I hope I don't have to hold a sword anymore."

The wind blew towards Pascoe as if it were waiting for Allen to say it.

At that moment, Pascoe was sure that Allen was

"Liar..."

Allen stopped planting, looking at Pascoe,

"You're a liar. You must have never held a sword before. I was wrong. There's no way Hero Allen would say those words. You must be a nobody, just an ordinary kid like me!"

Pascoe walked away, leaving Allen to work alone.

Allen looked at the small potato in his hand. It was the last potato he had to plant. And as he planted it, he thought,

"I wish I was an ordinary kid as you said."

As for Pascoe, he had mixed feelings.

Because when he saw Allen earlier, he was actually convinced that Allen wasn't lying at all. He must have used a sword; there was no way that person would lie. But he didn't want to believe that someone who had the opportunity to use a sword would throw it away, preferring instead to hoe, something he hated.

...

Once they had finished the job, Allen was stunned at the sight of the loose soil before him.

"What's the matter? Silent like that," Rodion said.

"Is this really finished?" asked Allen.

"Of course not. But the hard part is more or less done now. If we're lucky, we can harvest the potatoes at the end of the month."

Allen looked to the left; some potatoes had already grown first because Peter had started working on them a few months ago.

"Will the leaves grow like those over there?" asked Allen.

"That's right."

"How so? Does the soil contain mana?"

Allen remembered how the plants in Felicia's god's blessing worked; they grew as soon as Felicia dripped her blood onto the ground.

"Of course that's not how it works, you idiot. Once the seedling is placed in the ground, it will begin to take root, absorb nutrients, and god make it grow."

"The God… I see…"

Peter came over and looked at Allen's work.

"It's done, good."

"Is it really done? Is this the only way the little seedlings can grow into new plants?"

"Of course. The seeds planted earlier in the future must be well taken care of. The potatoes won't be able to grow on their own; we have to water them daily; when it rains, we have to ensure there isn't too much water.

These seedlings will start to grow, and we must take care of them so that they can grow well."

"Then we must do our best to grow them," Allen answered.

Looking at Allen, who keeps looking at the garden, caught Peter's attention. He couldn't help but think, 'Today he is talking more than usual,'

Although for Rodion, he had already noticed this change since yesterday.

Allen had a keen sense, making him able to comprehend what was happening around him without even looking up. He could more or less know what was going on by hearing and sensing others' presence. This made him keep his head down, as he believed there was no need to see something that did not contribute to his revenge.

However, today as Allen glanced up at the garden in front of him, he was amazed by the sight of the twilight that dewd the soil. It was the first moment Allen saw something without any hatred in his heart.

From a distance, Susan called out to them.

"Mr. Peter! Master! Allen! The food is ready!"

"Did you hear that? Let's eat."

"Damn, I told you so many times that we don't have to eat at your house!" said Rodion.

"Don't be shy, old-man."