Chapter: 185
The King blamed the Queen.
The Queen blamed the King.
They exchanged harsh words, pricking each other’s egos, each feeling the need to stab the other with verbal thorns.
In the midst of this, the boy with cow horns simply felt that everything was his fault.
He thought he shouldn’t have been born.
Why was he born? Why did he have to be born with these horns? He asked the Goddess of Dragons time and again.
The Goddess of Dragons would only tell the young boy that every life has its purpose.
So the boy just lived a death-like existence until the day he could understand why he was born.
Until the day the King, seeing him as a thorn in his side, threw him into the labyrinth created beneath the palace.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The place I arrived at after hearing the rumors about the so-called “monster” bull beastfolk was a city-state on an island not far from the mainland.
The city-state named Minoan was once home to some reasonably sized villages three hundred years ago, but now, based on the fertile plains of its southern region and rich marine resources, it had developed into a wealthy city-state.
Being on an island, it appeared to be relatively safe from invasions from elsewhere, allowing its national strength to gradually build up. Notably, there was significant advancement in architecture.
Thanks to the development of skills to cut rocks into suitable stones and build structures, the buildings in this city-state were quite large compared to others.
Perhaps due to the strong foundations, they could erect such grand edifices; instead of using wood for columns, they used stone.
So it was.
“What a magnificent palace.”
In the center of the city stood a palace that rivaled the size of the temples of the Pantheon.
Even one side of this square-shaped palace exceeded 160 meters in length. To think humans could construct something of this scale.
It seemed that human progress was faster than I had anticipated.
Humans are amazing!!
Well, despite such amazement, there was one troubling aspect about being in this city.
“Oh my. Are you a guest from outside? I see you have cow horns, so you must be a bull beastfolk. Welcome to Minoan.”
A woman with a friendly face smiled at me, and I turned my gaze away awkwardly.
It was no wonder; the people of this city…. were dressed rather unsuitably!
Perhaps it was because of the generally warm temperature, their clothing was thin with very little fabric covering them…. little….
Should I say it’s sparse? Or should I say there’s practically no fabric?!
The men were wearing shorts barely reaching the thigh, while the women were practically exposing their chests!
How inappropriate!
I shook my head slightly at the sight of such people before heading elsewhere.
First, I should look for the rumored monster. I can’t stay in such an inappropriate place for long!
Maybe I should try to find the Temple of Life first. It should definitely be in a city like this.
“Excuse me. Where is the Temple of Life in this city?”
“The Temple of Life?”
The woman dressed in unsuitable attire seemed to ponder for a moment.
“Oh! You mean the temple dedicated to the Goddess of Dragons! Just go straight down the main avenue, and you’ll quickly find it when you reach the square.”
The Goddess of Dragons? What’s that about?
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
I arrived at the Temple of Life. No, the Temple of the Goddess of Dragons.
Fortunately, there were people dressed appropriately here.
Well, that’s a relief. Honestly, it would have been quite troublesome if such inappropriate clothing were worn here as well.
“What brings you here, little guest?”
“Oh, pardon me. This is indeed the Temple of Life, right?”
“Hmm? Oh, you’re from outside. Yes, indeed. This place is dedicated to the one known as the Goddess of Life.”
“Others have referred to her as the Goddess of Dragons.”
The person, presumably a priest of the Temple of Life, smiled as if it were a matter of course.
“It has slightly transformed into a local religion here, so you don’t need to worry about it. It’s quite a unique change, you see.”
“That’s… hard to deny, but why is it specifically the Goddess of Dragons?”
I felt like my true nature had been exposed. If stories spread that the Goddess of Life is actually a dragon!
“Well, originally, there were primitive beliefs in this island dedicated to a serpent goddess and one that revered bulls as divine. In such a situation, the teachings of the Temple of Life, which worships the Goddess of Life, intertwined with the beliefs about the dragons from the Lizardman tribes who interacted with this island…. It eventually formed this worship of the Goddess of Dragons, a product of the snake’s scales, the bull’s horns, and other beliefs coming together.”
Hmm. That’s intriguing. It seems to be a mix of indigenous and external religion along with the creation dragon of the Lizardmen.
“But, the bull?”
“Yes. According to the records, a significant number of those who pioneered this island were bull beastfolk. Thus, it seems the indigenous religion venerating bulls emerged from their admiration for them.”
Hmm…. A bull, huh. Speaking of which, the child referred to as a monster is also a bull beastfolk.
Perhaps, he could be a descendant of those very pioneers.
“Thank you for sharing that. But may I ask one more question?”
“Yes. Of course. For a bull beastfolk like yourself, I can answer any question.”
Hmm…. Did they mistake me for a bull beastfolk just because of my horns?
Well, it works in my favor.
“I’ve heard rumors that a bull beastfolk referred to as a monster resides in this city. Do you happen to know where he is?”
At my words, the priest’s expression darkened rapidly.
“I’m not sure where you heard such rumors, but it’s not good to believe in them. You should let those ridiculous stories go in one ear and out the other.”
Hmm? Absurd rumors? What’s with this reaction?
It feels like something you shouldn’t speak about.
However, if this truly is something being hidden, how could a rumor reach outside?
“It’s just a bit of curiosity. If my curiosity is satisfied, I won’t pursue it any further, so just a tiny bit of information, please.”
The priest looked troubled at my words, glancing around before slowly opening his mouth in a small voice.
“Well, this is truly something that shouldn’t be spoken of… If you can keep this completely secret, I’ll tell you.”
“Hmm. I promise. I haven’t heard a thing.”
“I’m not too sure about trusting you, but…. Alright. You must keep it a secret.”
After a few reassurances, the priest said:
“The child born between the King and the Queen is the bull beastfolk referred to as a monster.”
“Hmm? Is he the prince of this city-state?”
“That’s… not the case. Both the King and Queen are human, and suddenly a child with cow horns was born from them…. So he couldn’t be recognized as a prince.”
“Hmm? A bull beastfolk born from two humans?”
An affair?! A love affair?! Is it a tale of love and war?! Now the story is becoming intriguing!!
“Is it the Queen’s infidelity?”
“No, that’s unlikely. Until the birth of that bull beastfolk, the King and Queen were considered the best couple in the city. Plus, there weren’t any bull beastfolk around the Queen who could be suspected of being her lover…”
Hmm. A bull beastfolk suddenly born from two humans.
Well, it’s not impossible.
If either the King or Queen has bull beastfolk ancestry, it could have manifested unexpectedly due to latent genetics.
It’s entirely possible that a potential genetic trait could suddenly express itself.
“Could it be that one of the parents or grandparents of the King or Queen had bull beastfolk ancestry?”
“Well… I can’t say for sure. There might be some records, but…”
Well, humans might not understand such recessive traits.
At any rate, I understand roughly why they’re keeping the “monster” under wraps.
“Thanks for letting me know. Then I shall take my leave.”
“Yes. I’d appreciate it if you kept what I said a secret.”
“Don’t worry. I haven’t heard a thing.”
Most importantly, I would lift the stigma bound to the bull beastfolk referred to as a monster. The label of being an illicit offspring won’t stick.
With that, I moved lightly toward the massive palace.
Now, where could the King be?
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
After hiding my appearance and searching through the palace, I finally found where the King was.
It took quite some time to check hundreds of rooms one by one, but I managed to find some enjoyment in looking around, so I was satisfied.
“Mmm….”
The King I discovered was sitting alone in a small room, drinking wine in utter loneliness.
He looked like a pitifully melancholic widower. In such a disheveled state, who would think he was the King of a city?
Thanks to this, I almost didn’t recognize him during my two passes through the room.
It was only from the chattering of the servants that I learned this shabby-looking widower was in fact the King.
“How could the Queen… why did she cheat on me? What’s lacking in me…?”
The sight of the King, drowning in sorrow as he drank away, was utterly pathetic.
So…
“What a sad sight.”
I decided to offer him a little assistance here.
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