Raised in Dungeon



My name is Vash, and I live in an orphanage with my baby sister, whose name is Milley.

When Milley was still in mom's belly, Dad often worried about how to raise his daughter because he would need a lot of money in the future.

Suddenly the Prince came to town and offered a lucrative job.

Father, seeing the potential benefits it held for our family, agreed to accompany the Prince on his daring quest to raid the dungeon. He willingly embraced this perilous endeavor for the sake of our well-being – for my sake, for my delicate mother's, and for the unborn Milley.

However, fate dealt us a cruel blow. Father never returned from the treacherous dungeon raid. His life was tragically cut short within those harrowing depths, leaving my distraught mother burdened with the heaviness of his absence and the weight of her impending motherhood.

Priestess Blanche, then Caster Petronella, told me that I shouldn't cry. I must be strong, taking my father's place to protect my mother and sister.

But I failed.

I didn't have time to call a priest or healer when my mother was in labor.

My mother died after giving birth to Milley.

Now I have to live in an orphanage with Milley.

I have to be more mature and work harder.

Although the situation in the orphanage is not very decent for us to live in, I will try to make it decent, for my little sister.

I won't fail to protect my sister again this time.

But day by day, that failure is getting closer. In the water month, we didn't have enough food for everyone.

The orphanage is a difficult place not only because there is no money but also because of how selfish the foster priests are.

Because of the food shortage, the foster priests who didn't have enough food started taking the food rations of the children in the orphanage. Even the ten sacks of wheat the father gave ran out very quickly; they said it should be well distributed.

Fortunately, Bishop Nicholas visited our church. Unlike the other visiting bishops, he didn't make a monetary donation to the church but a food donation for the children at the orphanage. After that, I went straight to Mr. Rodion's place.

That's how I met Allen, the boy with black hair and red eyes who felt very familiar.

Yes, he's like the black-and-white-haired kid who used to be herded by Lord Barkaley for killing many people.

Since he has very long hair, I couldn't see his face clearly, but I remember his eyes looking at me…

He looked at me angrily because I was the first person to throw a rock at that boy.

"Give me back my father!" I shouted back then.

The boy looked a lot like Allen.

But that was impossible.

That kid should have died being punished by a prince or something.

And even if he was alive, there was no way he would be someone like Allen.

He was a bad person, a ruthless killer who didn't hesitate to kill many people, taking away our father, our brother, and our friends.

As for Allen, he is a good person. Although he is a little lethargic, but he is a person who thought about the people around him.

In a short meeting, I could tell he is definitely not a bad person.

...

"Can I take a shower first?" Allen asked Vash.

During the water month, no orphanage children or foster priests would bathe. Because the water would be extremely cold. Vash had already told Allen that, but he insisted that he wanted to shower, so Vash took him to one of the bathrooms in the orphanage, a small room with a water tub.

As Allen took off his clothes and began to soak, Vash kept noticing Allen's scarred back.

"What's wrong with that?" Vash asked.

"Do you mean these wounds? I got them during my punishment."

"Punishment..." Vash didn't want to ask further. Because it would definitely be a long story.

Beyond his expectations, Allen only washed his body a little. It was just that when washing his hands, he repeatedly rubbed them as if he had a stain that was very difficult to remove from his hands.

Surprisingly, when he did that, his tears came out. Vash also chose not to ask anything about it.

'What a strange person,' Vash thought to Allen.

After bathing, Vash gave Allen his clothes back, and they started cooking.

At first, Allen burned the firewood, then proceeded to put the cauldron of water on top. Vash didn't understand cooking, nor did he understand what a cook usually did. But Vash knew that Allen was very skilled.

His hand when holding the knife, then when he split the mushrooms, and the way he sprinkled the spices and tasted the broth made Allen look very impressive in his eyes.

But... Allen's eyes looked sad and forced, as if he didn't like cooking.

"Allen, why did you become a cook apprentice?" asked a curious Vash.

Allen looked at Vash; he didn't know how to answer.

"You don't seem to like cooking; there must be a reason, right?" asked Vash again.

Allen looked back at his soup and stirred it in the cauldron. After thinking for a while, Allen answered.

"I…" He looked like he didn't want to talk about it.

But somehow, he forced himself to

"I was a murderer."

Allen said, which made the atmosphere around them change. Vash was so shocked that he accidentally dropped the bowls he was holding.

"What are you saying?" said Vash.

Allen continued, "I've taken the lives of many people who I didn't even know.

A few weeks ago, I realized that everything I did was wrong, and I should be punished for all the wrong I've done. But being punished is not enough. Punishment won't bring back the lives I've taken. When I thought I should just die, I immediately thought it wasn't the right thing to do. My death alone is not enough to pay for what I have done."

'Allen, a murderer? No way...' Vash thought.

"So Vash, I actually enjoy cooking, but I try to make myself unhappy. Because I, a murderer, don't deserve to feel that good feeling."

Upon hearing Allen's story, Vash was rendered speechless. As the details unfolded, his mind became a maelstrom of thoughts. A once favorable opinion of Allen was called into question, and doubts began to take root. The boy that Vash believed to be kind had revealed himself as a cold-blooded murderer.

After he thought so, Vash walked up to Allen and held his head.

"Vash?"

-SRET

Vash pulled Allen's hair covering, allowing him to see the white hair that was stuck between his black hair.

…

…

…

Allen and Vash walked in silence, carrying two bowls of soup into the Bishop's room.

A few moments ago, when Vash pulled the cloth covering Allen's head, Allen quickly took it back and covered it.

At that time, Vash looked at Allen for a long time in silence, making Allen sure that Vash had seen his white hair.

"The soup is finished, right? Let's take it to Bishop Nicholas' room," Vash said as he turned around and picked up his bowl.

Since then they didn't talk anymore, and the atmosphere between them became awkward, making Allen think of everything about Vash.

Vash once told him that he lived with his baby sister in an orphanage because his mother had passed away. Then what about his father? Where did his father go?

What if, for example, Vash's father also died? If that's true, then his father died this year because his mother had just given birth.

If all that was true, it was possible that Vash's father was one of the people he had killed. Allen might be overthinking it, but it was possible because Vash tried to undo the cloth covering his hair.

It was as if he wanted to confirm whether Allen was the one who had killed his father or not.

Allen glanced at Vash who was walking beside him, and he immediately felt a feeling of fear and guilt. If everything he thought was true, then he was the one who had made Vash and his sister suffer.

After walking for a few minutes, they finally arrived in front of Bishop Nicholas' room.

"Good afternoon, your grace. I am Vash and the cook Allen, has come to bring you a bowl of soup."

"Come in."

Vash opened the door.

Inside they saw four figures.

Bishop Nicholas, Paladin Ottar, and two more.

"Allen, did you come here?" Knight of Rounds, Birawa.

And another "Thank goodness you came," Priestess Lavinia.

Allen didn't answer; he just bowed his head. At that moment he realized that Lavinia was the one who asked Bishop to specialize in Mr. Rodion's Tavern to cook food.

"Waah that smells so good! I'd love to stop by your tavern, but am very busy now. Next time make one for me," said Birawa.

Allen did not answer him.

"That's probably all we have to report; we'll be heading north soon. Goodbye, Your Grace, Nicholas. May God bless you," Lavinia said.

"Thank you for your hard work. May God bless your journey," the bishop replied.

Birawa and Lavinia left the room; Lavinia had visited the tavern earlier, and she already knew how Allen was doing. Now she could only hope that Allen could once again change.

"Take care of yourself, Allen," Lavinia said as she passed Allen.

Allen, however, could not answer anything.