Raised in Dungeon



"Iva, is there something stuck in your mind?" asked Rodion as Iva repeatedly failed to focus on the yoga instructions he was giving.

"Remember Iva, you shouldn't stress or overthink too much. If things are weighing on your mind, I am afraid you can't give birth properly," Rodion continued.

Iva hadn't meant to hide anything from the start, so he told him,

"Pascoe... his face when he was angry made me can't stop thinking about it."

"You mean Pascoe's behavior just now?"

"Yes, actually he always treats me like that—angry and noisy." She paused momentarily, reflecting on how she had just looked at Pascoe. "But the expression he had just now...he really looked angry with me." Her mind was fixated on his face. "I can't forget that face, and it seemed like he really wanted to play with me. Can't I spend a little time playing with him?" she said to Rodion.

"Unfortunately you can't. Once the water month comes in, you'll get more rest."

But if that thought kept weighing on her mind, it wouldn't end well either, so Rodion made a suggestion.

"Let Allen play with him; that should be enough."

"Me?"

"Yes, you are the hero, Allen. He admired you from the beginning, right?"

"Master, you know it's wrong. It seems like he's starting to hate me now."

"Teach him a few perfunctory sword moves; he'll be interested."

Reluctantly, Allen replied, "Okay."

From the beginning, Allen's only job was to cook, so once the morning cooking was done, all he had to do was keep watch in case something happened. As for Susan, she was in charge of keeping the soup and food warm. And since the pregnant woman would have to relieve herself frequently, she also had to go back and forth to the bathroom to help her.

In an instant, Allen was able to find Pascoe who was peeking behind the bushes.

"Wha! Allen! What are you doing here?" Pascoe shouted.

"Iva was worried about you, so she asked me to take her place playing with you."

"I see..." said Pascoe, sitting down and hugging his legs.

"But I don't want to play with you..." Pascoe paused, thinking about how his mother struggled. "Allen, could you let me play with Mom more? Could you tell Mr. Rodion to shorten the exercise? Please, don't take my time with mom."

"I can't; we do this for the sake of Iva."

Allen appeared to have an innate understanding of Pascoe's emotional state. The young boy's demeanor showed a sense of longing for his mother's presence, like he was Allen who was constantly waiting for his mother's return. Allen couldn't help but empathize with Pascoe's plight, knowing the deep-rooted loneliness that must be weighing heavily on the child's heart.

However, the present situation is different. Pascoe had become the cause of Iva's stress, which was a cause of concern for Allen. If Pascoe continued down this path of disruptive behavior, it could have detrimental consequences for Iva and her baby.

'What should I say to this child? How should I act? How can I get this kid to take the weight off of Iva's shoulders?'

After thinking for ten minutes, Allen finally put his mouth close to Pascoe's ear and whispered something to him.

...

"That's enough; let's rest," Rodion said.

"Iva, here's the soup and water!" said Susan, placing it beside Iva.

Sweating and exhausted, Iva replied, "Thank you very much,"

'Iva still wasn't focused. That child is still weighing on her mind.'

Suddenly,

-TRAK TRAK TRAK

They then heard the sound of wood clashing. Their footsteps crunched along the garden path; a rhythmic clashing noise caught the attention of Iva and Rodion. Curiosity piqued, Iva and Rodion looked at the source of the sound from the side of the garden, and they paused for a moment. Iva saw Pascoe and Allen practicing, or rather, playing with wooden swords. Allen's face was expressionless, but Pascoe smiled and looked happy with every swing he made.

"Peter! Allen! Helm me here!" It turned out they were lost in their own world, completely unaware of Peter, who called them to help. Iva watched them silently, admiring her son's tenacity and resilience.

'He really likes to swing the sword,' Iva thought as she saw how happy he looked. She never encouraged Pascoe to pursue his interest because she was afraid of the soldier; she was afraid Pascoe would die just like his older brother. But now, as long as Pascoe was happy, she was okay with it.

"Good job, Allen. This way, Iva's mind won't be burdened with that kid."

"Allen... where did he get that wooden sword?" asked Iva.

"I don't know; I'm not sure either," Rodion replied.

'Probably it came from his scarf. What a versatile ability.'

After all their business was done, during dinner Pascoe began to tell stories happily,

"You know what? It turns out that Allen is really good with a sword! We've only been sparring a little, but I can feel that he's a real fighter! Just as I thought, Allen is a descendant of past heroes!"

Iva was surprised to see an excited Pascoe in front of her, as if what happened this morning had never existed.

'Thank goodness Pascoe is happy again,' Iva thought.

From that moment on, Pascoe stopped being spoiled with his mother and did incessant playtime with her.

"Don't you want to play today? There's still a little time before Allen and Rodion come,"

Pascoe shook his head and said, "No need; I need to practice swinging more. Allen says it can help us think clearly and empty our minds. Although I don't know what that means."

"I see... That's good."

He stopped playing with his mother and began gravitating towards Allen. Not only did they practice swordplay together, but Pascoe also found himself readily engaging in all manner of games and tomfoolery with Allen.

The next day,

"Allen! Let's play Ring Toss!"

"It's an easy game,"

"Wow! You can throw all the rings accurately!"

The next day again,

"Allen! Let's use a real sword!"

"No way!"

The next day,

"Allen! Let's use the arrow."

"I never practiced before, so it would be disappointing."

"I believe you can do that."

Then the next day,

"Allen!"

As their bond deepened, Iva couldn't help but notice how much more independent and self-reliant her son had become. With Allen by his side, Pascoe looked happy, like he explored the world around him with newfound confidence, finally allowing Iva to focus on her regular activities well.

Truly, Allen had become a much-needed breath of fresh air for both Pascoe and his mother, bringing joy and companionship into their lives in a way they had never experienced before.

That is how Iva thought…

One day, Iva's stomach hurt. Iva's stomach started to hurt. She fell, held her belly, and felt a sharp pain that grew more intense every second. Eventually, the pain became unbearable, and she couldn't ignore it anymore.

"AAAAAKH!"

"IVA!"

"SUSAN! BRING SOME HOT WATER!"

"Okay!"

"HANG IN THERE, IVA!" shouted Rodion.

"Rodion?! How is it? Is Iva's child finally born?!" Rodion frowned, recognizing the worry that hung in Peter's words. "No... these symptoms are not labor symptoms," he said slowly, realizing the gravity of the situation.

"No... these symptoms are not labor symptoms!"

Suddenly, Iva felt wetness between her thighs, and before she knew it, blood had soaked through her bottom and flowed onto the floor.

"Iva is bleeding! Allen! Take her to the physician we went to yesterday!" exclaimed Rodion, who had rushed over after noticing Iva's behavior.

Meanwhile, Iva struggled to stay conscious as the pain became more overwhelming. As she gradually lost consciousness, she saw Pascoe looking at her with a shocked and sad expression. In his hand was a wooden sword that he slowly removed, perhaps realizing that there was nothing he could do to help ease Iva's agony.

"Mom?"

Allen was silent, looking at Iva.

With Iva lying on the ground, clutching her belly in pain, Allen knew that something was terribly wrong. He could see the blood seeping out of her gown, and his heart raced with fear for the safety of Iva and her unborn child.

"ALLEN!" shouted Rodion, making Allen come back to reality.

Without a moment's hesitation, he scooped her up in his arms and began running as fast as his legs would carry her towards the physician's house. As Allen swiftly made his way through the house, everyone were startled by their sudden disappearance; all they could feel was the fleeting breeze of Allen's steps as he vanished into the distance.

"What happened? Where did they go?!" Peter's heart raced with worry, and Susan was quick to follow with a question in search of some answers.

"Master? What actually happened?" Asked Susan.

While everyone else seemed to be in a frenzy of confusion, Peter knew that Allen's swift and sure-footed nature would ensure that he would lead Iva to safety.

"Allen could run that fast, no worries, he will definitely bring Iva safely. We should prepare to go to the physician's house."

They would soon follow him to the physician's house to provide any support and assistance they could.

In that moment, Rodion knew that he had made a mistake. His lack of knowledge and experience in medical led him to overlook the fact that Iva was pregnant with twins. He had only thought of caring for her as he would for a normal pregnant woman without considering the special attention that twin pregnancies required.