Raised in Dungeon

"I swear I won't do this again; I won't allow Rachel to make me promise things like this!" Allen said after Felicia ran away.

He sat on the border of the fountain, bowing his head.

'O no, my heart is beating so fast! Why?!'

Again the new feeling made him uncomfortable.

But this was different from before.

This feeling made him forget... the hatred he felt. Whereas a few minutes ago, he was still filled with resentment, but suddenly it all disappeared when he danced with Felicia.

One hour ago, when he danced with Princess Margaret. Margaret told him he would get to kill Leofric if he stood in the rose garden.

Allen didn't sense the lie on her face, but he knew she was hiding something. Because of the resentment and hatred surrounding him, he ignored all the possible consequences if he followed Margaret's words.

"Come to think of it, why can I get a chance to kill him just by standing here?!"

But everything Margaret said made sense.

She talked about the suspicious movements at the ballroom, about Norttish in disguise, and the princes who would follow the Norttish. Based on Allen's conclusion, he was told to wait outside because of the chaos that the Norttish would create, and after that, Leofric would fight the Norttish. Then, when Leofric wins the fight, he will let his guard down, Allen will have a chance to kill Leofric at that time.

'Even so, I shouldn't immediately trust her just with that weak conclusion. First, why does she know everything?!' Allen thought.

Unlike earlier, he was now thinking more rationally, which bothered him a little.

He stood up, then looked down, seeing her face in the fountain.

"Mother..." he muttered.

He suddenly thought about his mother because he felt he would forget everything if he didn't.

"When I was with Felicia, I forgot all the hatred I felt. I'm afraid that makes me forget my hatred that I have and makes me forget about you, mother."

Allen could feel that he was slowly changing. Usually, every time he thought of his mother, he was always stricken with a deep grudge for remembering his mother, who was killed in front of him.

But this time, the grudge was getting dimmer; he only felt sad.

"You are a human being, so don't hate your fellow human beings," her mother's last words were so strong and fragile.

That last request was something that seemed impossible to achieve, but if being with Felicia might be possible... If being with Felicia could make him forget all that hatred, maybe he could fulfill his mother's last request.

Allen's desire were mixed. The desire not to forget that hatred and to become someone his mother wanted. Right now, the hatred was stronger, but the desire to eliminate it was also strong.

Then...

I should take the middle way soon...

That's how Allen thought. The middle way means getting both at once.

'All I need to do is kill Leofric tonight and then set my next goal to see the world Felicia promised. I don't need to kill other humans... I don't need the soldiers who killed Isabelle... I only need Leofric. 'If I kill Leofric I will definitely move forward,' Allen thought.

.

.

.

__1 hour ago in the royal ballroom.

"Master, please pass me that biscuit over there," Heit said.

"Take it yourself," Leofric replied.

A few minutes ago, the nobles approached Leofric, but he ignored all their words; he just ate the dish in front of him with Heit. To the point that people wondered what for...

"'What did he come to this party for,' that they must have thought, master."

"You think I care what the nobles think?"

"If master cared, you wouldn't be wearing such clothes."

Heit glanced at the nobles still looking in their direction; as she did so, they turned their faces away.

"They forgot that this is lil-Francis' birthday party. Poor thing, not a single person came to this party because of him," Heit said as she finished taking the biscuit.

"That stupid little brother wouldn't have bothered or even thought of that. Look at him now; he's looking at other girls while dancing."

"He's a boy; of course, he would be attracted to one or two girls in this room."

After finishing the dance, Francis greeted his brothers, who had come into the room in the order of the eldest brother. Starting from Harald, then Alicia, and then Leofric.

Francis approached Leofric and greeted him.

"Thank you for coming to my birthday party, elder brother, Leofric. I'm so glad you could come to my birthday party."

Leofric took a sip of the wine from his glass, then said,

"No need to be so formal, my brother. I don't need such stiff respect from my younger brother. As long as you truly look up to me, it is more than enough," Leofric replied.

Francis smiled excitedly; Leofric was his brother whom he respected greatly. He admired him greatly and wished he could be like him.

'Brother Leofric is great; he can act ordinary and very elegant just by wearing that pajama, even people won't protest at anything he does. Being strong is great; people will look up to you no matter what you do!' Francis thought.

"Hey... don't forget me..." Heit said.

"Ah, of course" Francis approached Heit and stroked Heit's head,

"Thanks for coming to my party, Heit."

"Hmm... you're getting better..." said Heit, who looked happy when her head was stroked.

Emboldened, Francis asked Leofric,

"B-brother! Can I become stronger?! Just like you?!" Francis asked with anxiety, afraid that Leofric would scold him or demoralize him for asking something that might be obvious.

"Probably..." Leofric replied briefly.

But with just that brief answer, Francis was still curious, so he continued to ask

"Is it really true?! Even though everyone says it's impossible?!"

With Leofric's answer, Francis should not have asked further. Because by asking further, he could fall and lose confidence. But that didn't mean Leofric was lying, and this time the one who answered his question was Heit,

"It might be difficult, but reaching one's strength is nothing impossible. The mana is wider than you think, lil-Francis."

"M-meaning? They say you can't become strong if you're not talented!"

"That's not entirely wrong," Leofric replied.

Leofric put down his knife and fork and continued

"I can assure you that you are not a talented person."

Leofric's words made Francis lose his confidence, pierced his chest, and made him instantly despair.

"Master, don't bully him like that..." Heit said.

Then Heit, with a mouth full of breadcrumbs, said,

"Indeed, Francis is not talented, but talent is not what determines everything. As I said earlier, mana is limitless."

"I still don't understand! If I'm not talented, of course I won't become stronger than a talented person!"

"Calm down... Do you know what answers one's talent?"

"Wh-what?"

"Mana"

Heit put down the cake, cleaned his hands with a tissue, then explained.

"The power of mana comes from human emotions; try to think about the strongest emotion inside you. You are brave and never give up. If you maintain your determination not to give up and the emotion to keep stronger, then mana will answer accordingly. You can take an example, Tobias. He's a knight of rounds member with no talent, but I can say he's one of the strongest of the other members. That's because he has something he wants to aim for; that something, that feeling of his, is probably stronger than anyone else's; that's why he managed to catch up with those gifted humans."

"S-so… that's it... Then, what do you think I should do next?"

"Of course, by trying twice as hard, or maybe ten times as much as a talented person."

Leofric then stood up, preparing to leave, followed by Heit.

As he prepared to depart, Leofric turned to his younger brother and spoke with a solemn tone,

"So try to catch up my strength, if… you are determined to do so. Although I doubt that."

These words hung in the air, making Francis determined to prove his worth. His heart began to race at the prospect of chasing his brother's footsteps, and he was eager to begin his training immediately. It became clear that with enough effort, Francis could truly become greater and stronger, and discovering his talent no longer seemed like a distant dream.

"No! I will definitely chase after you! Brother Leofric!" Francis shouted with excitement, encouraged by their conversation. Leofric ruffled his brother's hair with a grin and declared, "Well, that's good to hear. Since I'm full, I'll leave first."

Francis protested lightly, knowing his brother had a habit of ruining his hair, which caused Leofric to chuckle. But his parting words were serious,

"Keep chasing me, keep training, even after my death." And with that, Leofric departed, leaving Francis feeling both inspired and confused

'dead? Is he talking about when I grow up?'

Heit picked up the basket containing the cake and followed Leofric.

"Goodbye, lil-Francis. I really hope to see you again someday," Heit said.

Francis watched Leofric and Heit leave with a smile.

Right after Leofric left the room, Princess Margaret was suddenly behind Francis.

"How nice... I envy you, little brother."

"Uwaa!" cried Francis, surprised.

"Big sis, stop surprising me like that. Why did you come to me when I could have come to you?" Francis continued.

"Do you know that you are actually fortunate?" asked Margaret, ignoring Francis' question.

"What do you mean?"

"You are loved by everyone... I hate it so much..."

'Ugh, I never liked this woman; she said she hated me so many times, but she always talked to me first. I don't know what's in her mind,' Francis thought.

Margaret then continued

"Leofric never talked to me like that nor gave me any advice. He always looks down on others below him and is cold to others. And that smile of his... I never saw him smile like that except when he was with you. His smile was always cold and full of ridicule; I don't need to tell you how much I hate him whenever he shows me that smile. And the other princes definitely don't like him either."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I wanted to say that I hate you too. Harald, Alicia, Leofric, Elizabeth, and even elder brother Eldritch all pay more attention to you than his other siblings."

"You're overreacting; they're all our siblings! You shouldn't say you hate them! Sabine said siblings should help each other, which is why the brother-Leofric, gave me some advice. If you ask him for advice too, he will definitely give it to you too."

Hearing Francis, Margaret became annoyed and muttered in a small voice, "aaah, this is why I hate you so much, so plain and happy. You know nothing about this kingdom."

"What?"

"Nothing... Thank you for your suggestion; I'll probably ask Leofric for advice. IF ONLY I really could meet Leofric later."

Margaret turned around while waving her hand, then she continued

"Oh, one more thing... I don't really want to say this to you; who knows nothing..."

"What?"

"Prince Leofric is the prince who has the most enemies. You may not realize it, but many people are after Leofric's life tonight. I suggest you stay in the ballroom until the end of the event. Otherwise, you will be implicated."

Hearing that, Francis thought

'What a fool; although many people are aiming for his life, there is no way they will succeed. Brother Leofric is the strongest person in the kingdom!'