Raised in Dungeon



During a turbulent snowstorm in the middle of the night, Peter and Iva's frantic shouts roused everyone out of their slumber. As they assembled in the front room around the crackling warmth of the fireplace, it became apparent that Iva was clutching her stomach in discomfort—a clear sign that she was about to give birth to their child.

"Dad! What happened to Mom?" Pascoe shouted out to his father to explain his mother's condition.

"Go back to your room Pascoe!" replied Peter.

Then Peter looked at Rodion and asked, "Rodion?! What should I do?! Should we take her to the physician immediately?!" shouted a desperate Peter, waiting for his friend, whom he relied on so much to help him find answers.

But Rodion didn't know what to do either.

That night was a blizzard, and the storm was strong enough to almost break the roof tiles. There was no way they could take Iva, in pain, to the physician. No one could get out of the house in such a violent storm.

"Didn't the physician say they'd be born in two weeks? Why were they born today?"

"I don't know about that either! What's certain is that the child will be born now! How do we handle it?!" snapped Rodion.

Since they were twins, Rodion had already thought about the possibility that they might be born earlier than expected. In the event of an early birth, it would be imperative to have transportation available to take Iva to the physician promptly. Unfortunately there is no car in this world. Yet Rodion had faith in Allen's reliability and knew he could depend on him to transport Iva safely.

Suddenly, a terrifying thunder descended upon them, causing great concern for Iva and the babies. The situation was now critical as the storm intensified. Even if Allen could navigate the treacherous conditions and return, it would be impossible to transport Iva in such dangerous weather. Iva's safety and the babies' health were seriously jeopardized.

Iva cried out in pain, clutching her stomach tightly.

"AaAarrgh! They hurts! My stomach hurts! Please do something! I can't bear it anymore! " she exclaimed. Her baby had decided to arrive earlier than expected, and Iva was struggling to cope with the sudden onset of contractions.

"Iva! Hang in there!" cried Peter with a worried and desperate face.

Hearing Iva's piercing cries, Rodion stepped forward with a determined look on his face.

"It can't be helped; Iva has to give birth here. I'll lead the operation," he declared, surprising everyone present. Despite not having any experience delivering a child, Rodion was determined to step up and help Iva in her time of need.

"Wait! Are you serious?" Peter exclaimed in disbelief, his eyes widening at the thought of an inexperienced Rodion delivering a baby. Rodion began to roll up his sleeves and start approaching Iva.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" shouted Peter again.

"Saving your wife. She had already hemorrhaged before. If we leave her as she is now, she will die, and the child in her womb will die too!"

"Haemorrhag-What?! Wait, do you have the experience of giving birth to a child?! There's no way I'm going to let an old man like you touch my wife!"

"Sigh! You idiot, we don't have any more time!"

Rodion then looked at Pascoe and ordered, "PASCOE! QUICKLY HEAT THE WATER!" shouted Rodion.

"Eh?!"

"YOU CAN DO IT, RIGHT?!"

"I-yeah!"

Pascoe quickly carried out Rodion's order. Peter was still confused about what the old man was doing.

With a scowl etched upon his face, Rodion glared at Allen before letting out a deep sigh,

"This is all your fault, Allen; it's because you gave them hope that now I am forced to do this. Later, if anything happens to me, take responsibility for my tavern," he muttered under his breath.

"Master?" Confusion etched on Allen's face as he tried to make sense of Rodion's sudden words.

Rodion's frustration mounted, and he grabbed at his hair, then muttered,

"God's blessing: Spryatat'sya za skaloy."

Suddenly, his hair began to glow, changing into a new shade that left everyone in the room stunned.

Shocked by the display, Peter shouted

"RODION! YOU ARE! WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?!"

Rodion locked eyes with Peter and replied,

"Hmph! That's really nice of you Peter. We've been friends for ten years; I'm glad you never asked, even though you suspected me of hiding something."

"Master... you... aren't you an other-worlder?" asked Allen in confusion.

"Yes Allen, I am indeed an other-worlder."

"But why... Why do you have white hair?"

Everyone watched Rodion with shocked faces. Rodion's hair transformed from brown to a pure white color, the signature mark of the feared curse clan, The Norttish.

But their shock is pointless now because...

"AAAAAKH!!! MY CHILD! MY CHILD WILL BORN! PLEASE!!! HELP! EVERYONE!" Iva's scream alerted everyone.

"Iva! Hang in there! We will do something!"

Peter looked at Rodion, the friend he had been trusting had been hiding something extraordinary from them. For a moment, it made him doubt his trust in Rodion.

His suspicion of Rodion had started since he first knew him because Rodion had a lot of strange knowledge that he didn't understand. Sometimes he would say something that sounded complicated and speak a language he didn't recognize. Maybe he was a spy or something. But after a few years of knowing Rodion, Peter discarded his suspicions.

But...

Since Rodion is showing it now, it must mean that Rodion is really determined to save Iva.

Peter knew that Rodion must be showing this to him because he knew him so well. Rodion must have believed that Peter would believe him after doing so, and Peter was annoyed that it was true.

"Rodion, my friend, please save Iva," Iva was in too much pain to argue or consider any alternative options, Peter just had the option to hope Rodion really did something for his wife.

"I understand... I'll explain everything to you later. For now, let's save Iva."