Raised in Dungeon



Even though Iva had already reached her old age, her face had wrinkled and her eyes were haggard. She looked in pain with the huge belly she had to carry constantly, to the point that she couldn't even walk properly, but strangely her face was happy.

In that pain, she held hope and happiness; she poured all her efforts into the baby in her belly.

And that moved Allen's heart.

At that moment, Allen suddenly remembered what he had learned from Peter,

"The seeds 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."

Recalling those words, Allen immediately said

"Oh, so that's what it means..."

Allen felt that Peter wasn't just teaching him how to take care of potatoes but also the basic things you should do to take care of others.

'The baby in Iva's belly is like a seedling in a potato, and to make it grow successfully, we must take good care of it,' Allen thought.

"Sorry for the wait; thanks for looking after Ms. Iva, Allen," Susan said.

"No problem," Allen replied.

Peter and Rodion arrived, joining the group already gathered.

"Let's eat first before we go," Rodion spoke up, suggesting they eat before setting off. Maybe it was because today was the last day to help Peter's family, so he didn't refuse to have lunch at Peter's house as usual.

The meal was yesterday's leftover soup, so all they had to do was reheat it.

"Father, mother, I'm hungry," said Pascoe who arrived.

"Oh my! Where have you been? You're supposed to be helping out in the fields!"

"Ma-sorry, I was just playing with the other kids."

"Well, sit down quickly; this is Allen and his friends' last day here. You have to eat this time."

"Okaaay..."

  They started eating their food together.

"You guys have been really helpful. Thank you so much Mr. Rodion, thank you so much Allen, and thank you so much Susan," Iva said, smiling gratefully.

"No problem, after all I was also paid by the master during this time, so I don't feel bad about accepting it," said Susan.

"But you eat for free while you're here," Pascoe muttered.

-BAM

"Don't talk like that in front of guests!" said Peter as he hit Pascoe on the head.

"Sorry..."

Iva continued, "Thank you again, Mr. Rodion."

Rodion looked at Iva "If you want to thank me, give birth to them safely," he said. "And you too… you must stay alive after giving birth to them."

Rodion's words sent shivers down Susan's spine. She couldn't believe what she had just heard.

Susan murmured, "Eh?" in disbelief.

And not just Susan; Allen stopped eating his bread and looked surprised and confused by what Rodion said. He was taken aback and didn't know what to say.

"You haven't told them yet, Iva?" asked Rodion.

"You haven't told them either, Peter," he continued.

Peter and Iva's faces looked uncomfortable; according to what Rodion said, they still had other secrets.

"Sigh... The chances of your baby dying are fifty-fifty, so at this time, you should be honest with everyone so that stress doesn't build up in your head," Rodion said.

"Hey, what does that mean? What does 'if it survives?' mean?" asked Susan worriedly.

Chewing his bread, Pascoe said,

"Mom's going to have two babies."

"Two babies?" asked Allen.

"Twins," muttered Susan.

"It may be a common occurrence for most parents to welcome a single child into this world, yet on rare occasions, God blesses us with two. Mr Rodion expresses it as if it were a misfortune, but it is not. These twins were like a tender caress to my soul as I felt a sudden rush of gratitude that overwhelmed me. It was as if my prayers for a second chance had been answered all along and that all my little angels who had left this world too soon were reborn in this blessed bundle of joy."

"Is there anything bad that happens when you are born to have two babies?" asked Allen.

"Giving birth to one is already difficult," Peter replied, his face a little sad and worried looking,

"Every time you give birth to a baby, the mother is always on the edge of death; she could die at any moment. We had to try to get this child out, and when we did that, we prioritized the baby's safety," Iva explained.

"Why is that? What is the requirement for a baby to be born? Where did the baby come out from in the first place?" asked Allen.

"Allen really doesn't know anything..." said Pascoe.

Rodion then signaled for Allen to come closer, and Rodion told Allen how babies are born.

And as soon as Allen listened to him, his face which had been confused, turned into a face of surprise and disbelief,

"No way! How could it?! How could it come out of there?!" Allen knew how human flesh worked. He had even forced his wounds to open wide when using his God's blessing. That's why he simply couldn't imagine how a baby could get out of such a narrow place. And even if it could, it would be painful and cause injuries.

"So this is what you mean by 'even a born one is difficult.' How could you possibly give birth to two children?!"

Peter then continued,

"Iva has always been able to survive because she has a strong physique; after all, she always helps me with the farm. But now that Iva is not as young as she used to be, her condition does not allow her to give birth to just one child, let alone two."

"No worries Peter, as long as I can endure, I can give birth to them safely, and I will too. I just need to maintain my health and fitness,"

Confused by Iva's words, Allen thought,

'Iva, is it really alright? Why are you so sure of your words? Is it true that a baby is a blessing? If it's killing you, then what's the point of giving birth to them?'

Allen simply didn't understand why Iva could look happy when her life could end soon.

The atmosphere became dark... Everyone was silent, thinking about Iva's future.

Even Allen, who had just heard about the birth, knew that Iva's chances of survival were slim.

Iva had said she could give birth well all this time because she had a good physique and was in good health. But Iva's condition now looked severe in Allen's eyes. She might look fine on the outside and smile all the time. But Allen knew that she always looked in pain. Her sweat didn't even stop soaking her clothes. She repeatedly squinted her eyes in pain. Her back might not be strong enough to lift her belly.

Let alone two children; one child might have killed her.

But...

Iva had said that she didn't think about dying at all. She said she would try to stay alive and see the two children.

'Iva also said that she wanted to see my reaction when I saw the baby...'

Allen breaks the silence.

With a trembling voice, Allen posed his question once more, a glimmer of emotion shining in his eyes

"Iva... you once told me that as long as you have good nutrition, sufficient energy, and excellent health, you would be able to survive and bring both of these children into this world. Isn't that so?"

People looked at Allen with puzzled faces. Allen's face when he asked was a hopeful face that they had never seen before.

At the sight of Allen's hopeful expression, Iva's heart swelled with feelings of hope and adoration. She could feel the tears building up behind her eyes as she slowly nodded her head in agreement.

"Yes!"

"Then I'll do something. Can you leave everything to me?" Allen said.

"Something? What are you trying to do?" asked Peter.

"Rancid boy, don't try to do something you've never done before. You don't even know anything about pregnancy and childbirth; there's no way you can do anything," said Rodion.

"That's right, Allen. Don't talk like that! It's not good!" said Susan.

Iva looked at Allen, who was looking at her with his bright red eyes.

'Those eyes... somehow he looks very reliable,' Iva thought.

'Whereas when he first came here, his face was gloomy and always slouching, but now he's looking me straight in the eye, asking me to leave all these problems to him.'

Iva knew when she saw Allen's face that he was different from the others.

Everyone else, even her own husband, had given up on her.

They didn't think she would survive after giving birth to those two children. But Iva kept her spirits up, and continued to believe that she would survive.

And that belief slowly faded, influenced by the despair of those around her.

And now, when she saw Allen, that belief grew again.

Allen was the only person who hadn't given up on her.

'There's no way I'm going to say no to those eyes,'

The air was filled with a sense of warmth as Iva stood up and grasped Allen's hand, their souls intertwining as they shared a moment of pure tenderness.

"Allen... with all my heart… I beg you...

Please let me see the faces of these two children.

I will believe in Allen, who also believes in my children and my safety."