Raised in Dungeon

__To me, Sabine is my mentor, teacher, and caretaker.

I don't remember when I first met Sabine, but because I don't remember, I'm sure it was when I was very young. That's what I heard from my mother, Queen Ismenia.

Compared to my mother, I spent more time with Sabine. That's because mom was always busy. She said she was burdened with a lot of work from the palace, even though I don't know what she was actually did.

As a child, I desperately sought my mother's attention, desperate to gain some recognition for my efforts. I tried everything I could think of - I trained alone in a conspicuous manner, asked her to dress me, even attempted to kill wild pigs—but it seemed to no avail. No matter what I did, my mother never looked at me or gave me any kind of recognition. It was almost as if she didn't even see me, and everything I did was too ordinary compared to my older siblings.

Despite this disappointment, one person never failed to praise me: my mentor, Sabine. Whatever it was, Sabine always took the time to acknowledge my efforts and encourage me to keep going.

If I'm not mistaken, I was six years old at the time. I don't remember much before that, but one thing that made the biggest impression on me at that age was when I cried in front of Sabine.

Everything that I want to do with mom, Sabine is always the one who takes over.

Sabine was the one who told me I was great for practicing swordplay; she told me I was great for killing a wild pig, and she even sat next to me when I was too scared to sleep at night.

"Actually, I wanted mom to praise me," I cried.

"I know, your highness," Sabine replied gently as she rubbed my small head.

"Actually, I want mom to be the one to play with me,"

"I know..."

"Actually, I want my mom to be the one to sleep with me,"

I know..."

My heart was broken at that time. Because all the efforts I made to attract mom's attention were all useless. I held Sabine's hand and looked at her while crying,

Then I said what I shouldn't have said.

If you knew that, why are you here? Why is it that whenever I want my mom near me, you're the one? I just want to be with mom, not Sabine. I don't want to be with you. I hate you! I never wanted to be with you! PLEASE! STOP TAKING MY MOM'S PLACE!"

I snapped at Sabine in a high tone.

In the dimly lit room, I could see the tears streaking down her face, and an immediate wave of regret washed over me. Despite always feeling uneasy around Sabine, I had just made her cry, yet I couldn't bring myself to apologize. I didn't realize it then, but I'm sure that's how I felt.

From that moment on, I stopped seeking my mother's attention. I knew only Sabine would come if I did, and I hated it. But even though I stopped doing it, Sabine was always near me. She was my mentor, but why was she always hovering nearby?

Yes... I hated her.

I hated Sabine for always forbidding me to practice swordplay. She was nagy, grumpy, and stubborn, and her old face annoyed me.

Yes... I hate her,

She was always angry with me. Even though I am a prince and she was just my mentor, she has the courage to pinch, punch, and even punish me.

I do hate her.

But why?

Why did my heart suddenly become very painful when I saw Sabine, whom I hate so much, stabbed before me?

The sword thrust should have been directed at me, but Sabine used her body to protect me. The woman's sword stabbed her right in the stomach.

Oh no, what does this mean?

Is she going to die?

Is she going to leave me?

No way, you are not going to die, right?

After everything you have done for me… You took my mother's place, punished me whenever I skipped your class, and didn't even cheer me up when I lost a duel to Edmund.

And now, you are going to die?

That can be true, right?

Sabine…

If you die…

then to whom…

To whom should I vent all my frustration on mom?

To whom should I blame when I fail?

And to whom should I vent all this affection… I don't have others…

You are more mother than my real mother. After all, you have stolen her place in my life.

In utter shock, I witnessed the woman who killed Brother Leofric also stab Sabine. As she drew back her sword, Sabine's limp body fell to the ground right before me. Without thinking, I reached out to embrace her body, hoping to somehow bring her back to me. However, the vile woman violently grabbed me, her sword pointing sharply at my trembling neck.

"Everyone, please don't move," the woman said.

"Hey! Let him go!" shouted Uncle Maximilian in pain.

Despite my desperate attempts to break free and reach Sabine's body, I found myself trapped, my body locked in this woman's cruel grip. All the while, Sabine's blood continued to seep out onto the floor.

No…

Sabine…

I struggled as hard as possible but couldn't break the woman's hand lock.

Damn... it's all because I am weak.

It was because I was weak that all this happened.

My mother ignored me because I was weak, and my brothers also looked down on me because I was weak. Then I couldn't reach Sabine's body because I was weak.

AGAIN!

I CAN'T DO ANYTHING!

I WISH...

IF EVERYONE WAS AS WEAK AS ME! THEN I COULD FIGHT ANYONE WHO LOOKED DOWN ON ME!!!

And maybe I could… save Sabine

...

God's blessing is bestowed upon humans through mana; to get the blessing it is essential to reach the limit of the mana inside the mana gate. When the gate reaches its limit, mana will seek a way to release from the gate. This activates the divine intervention, bestowing the blessing upon the person.

A person's god's blessing is directly proportional to their determination and desire.

Francis had reached the pinnacle of his mana long before he found himself in a dangerous situation. And this moment was the right time to spill out all the full mana inside his body.

As he lay held hostage by a woman who had already shown her mercilessness by killing his brother Leofric and his mentor Sabine, his boiling emotions drove him to seek vengeance through all the mana he harbored.

He was enraged, frustrated, and determined to end the woman's life, and this was the opportune moment for his mana to unleash from the gate.

Desperate to protect herself from others. Nishizaka resorted to a drastic measure: she seized Francis and held him hostage to make the others halt their attack. Francis struggled to break free from his captor's iron grip, but suddenly he stopped rebelling.

Francis made a sudden move that caught her off guard. He slowly took out the knife from his left pocket and quickly thrust it toward Nishizaka's leg.

But to Nishizaka, such a small knife thrust was not too dangerous; it failed to inflict significant damage on Nishizaka. Nishizaka retaliated by snatching the knife and aiming that knife at Francis' hand. The sharp pain pierced his flesh, causing his body to tremble.

"Francis! Don't act rashly or you could die!" shouted Harald.

Francis remained silent, bowing his head. The sudden stillness confused ripple through the room. The once-whiny and weak Francis seemed to have undergone a drastic transformation—he didn't even react to the knife wound inflicted upon him!

After a moment, Francis raised his head and stared upwards at a 95-degree angle. His eyes met the cold, unfeeling gaze of a woman who had just killed Leofric and Sabine.

"I caught you," Francis declared, his voice vibrating and spooky.

He glared at Nishizaka. Though he only said three words, his glare gave Nishizaka sudden goosebumps.

'What does he mean by caught me? I am the one who is currently making him a hostage,' Nishizaka thought.

As Nishizaka stared at Francis, she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease settle into her chest. It wasn't just her, though; she could tell by the way the others were silent that they were feeling the strange energy emanating from Francis. The air became heavy and still; silence stretched endlessly around them. It was as if time had stopped or was moving in slow motion. The room became so quiet that if you dropped a needle, people could probably hear it.

Then, Francis spoke. His voice was soft but trembling, yet it carried an air of authority that demanded their attention.

"God's Blessing..." he said, and with those two words, Nishizaka felt a sudden chill run down her spine. She couldn't explain it, but she could feel his skin break out into goosebumps. It wasn't just her either; she could see everyone else in the room was experiencing the same sensation.

Nishizaka immediately threw Francis away, retreating backward. Even though Nishizaka had released the hostages, none of them attacked Nishizaka. Everyone was still fixated on Francis, who looked strange.

Francis glared at Nishizaka and said,

"The Masque of Red Bridle"