Raised in Dungeon



As the evening settled, Allen embarked on his journey to drive Susan home. Along the way, he remained lost in deep contemplation, thoughts swirling within his mind about what happened at Barkaley's residence. Susan just looked at him with a smile. And then, as they reached their destination, Susan spoke softly, breaking the silence.

"Allen, we've arrived. See you tomorrow."

Abruptly awakening from his daydreams, Allen quickly apologized, realizing that he had neglected to fully engage in the stories Susan had shared earlier.

"Ah, I'm sorry," he confessed with sincerity. "I didn't attentively listen to all of your stories from earlier."

"It's okay; I'm used to it. I stopped telling you halfway through anyway. Lady Theda's death must have made you sad."

"That's true, but somehow I feel a little relieved. Theda had suffered too much with the disease for over two years."

"So that's it; if you think of it like that, that's good then. Then, see you-"

"Susan, this may be a pointless question, but I still want to suggest it.

Can't you just stay at the tavern from now on?"

It had been two years since he had last asked Susan that question. She couldn't help but wonder why Allen was asking her now, and she suspected that it had something to do with Bedell. This speculation appeared because, as Allen and Bedell came back from Barkaley's residence, Allen's demeanor suddenly turned very serious. It reminded her of the times when he was about to embark on a mission to rescue Iva, so she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

"So that's it; you're going to another city with Mr. Bedell," Susan guessed.

"Yes... My regrets in this town are a little over. I've already discussed it with Bedell, I'll be leaving in 2 days."

Susan looked away, "I see, that's good, are you going to see her? The girl you told me about."

"I have an appointment I want to keep with her."

"Two days... huh... it turns out that our time will only be that short."

"That's why I won't be able to pick you up anymore. I won't be able to protect you anymore."

Hiding her sadness, Susan replied, "It's been three years since I kept waiting for my brother Arthur to come home. Maybe, as Master Rodion said, I should give up now."

"That's not true...

He will come home; I'm sure of it.

You just moved a little further away. If he comes here, he'll definitely visit the shop."

"That's right, you've made the tavern famous; I'm also sure that big brother will look for me."

What Susan feared wasn't exactly that. Her fear stemmed from the possibility of Arthur merely passing by without any intention of acknowledging her presence without wanting to greet her.

As three years elapsed, her big brother still hadn't come home. Now Susan was already growing up, and the doubt started to creep into her: Did her brother still cherish their bond or not? Did he still love her or not?

"Oh my, what is my brother doing? Is it possible that he has found a woman and is living happily somewhere?" muttered Susan.

"Did you hope for it?" asked Allen who could hear her clearly.

"A little. If he's really happy out there, then I am okay If I never see him again.

The past three years have been very tough for me. I was alone at home, then working alone without talking properly to anyone.

Whereas now I'm fine. It might be a little lonely without Allen, but there's Pascoe and Jack at the tavern. Plus, I can cook now, so Mr. Rodion and I will cook together once Pascoe and Jack are more reliable."

"Even though I'm there, I don't talk much either, so it's probably the same whether I am there or not," Allen said.

"No, of course it still felt lonely without you. For example, I can't talk to you at length like I do now."

"Is that so?"

"Yes it is..."

When Allen and Susan were spotted in front of the house, a person addressed them. "Good evening, Allen and Susan," he called out.

The person who spoke appeared to be a middle-aged man with tired eyes accentuated by his round spectacles. It was evident that he had been through a lot, as his disheveled appearance suggested.

"Good evening, Mr. Gorste," Susan replied courteously.

"Good evening."

Mr. Gorste then grinned and said, "Standing together in the middle of the night and even in front of the house, you guys are so good together," Mr. Gorste's joke was too trite, so Susan just smiled back.

"How is the condition of your child? Does she feel better today?" asked Allen.

"Hm? Oh yes, thanks to you, she is now fast asleep. Thankfully it's just a cold. She has to go to work tomorrow."

"If she's just recovering, you shouldn't force her to work."

"Aaah I understand; see you later; I have to continue my work." Mr Gorste went back into his house.

"You better not mention it, Allen," Susan said.

"About what?"

"I don't know; Mr Gorste's home situation is not very good. His craft business hasn't been selling well lately, so his wife ran away from home. Now, he needs his daughter to work to pay the food and salary."

"I see... Master Rodion once told me that I shouldn't pry into other people's family matters, so don't tell me more."

"Haha, you said that when you were also curious about my problems before."

"That was three years ago; I'm still not studying enough. But still, I am glad that I peered into your problem."

"Hahaha, I'm also glad you asked it."

...'three years...'

"Bye then," Allen said, turning his body away from there.

"See you again. Please say my greetings to Mr. Bedell!"

Susan looked at Allen's back as he slowly moved away.

"Three years, huh... It's been that long. It feels like it was a week ago that I met you. It's been a fun time, Brother Allen."