Chapter: 188
“What’s been your diet?”
“Yeah, I mean, proper grass probably wouldn’t grow down in that underground maze, so I’m a bit curious.”
At my question, Asterios hesitated for a moment before answering.
“In the maze, moss and mushrooms grew, so I survived on those.”
“Moss and mushrooms?”
“Yeah. Those things grow well in the dark, so I filled my belly with them. As for water, there were a few puddles here and there where I drank.”
Moss and mushrooms? Could they be the same ones I gave to the dwarves? But why are they even here? Did the dwarves leave them as a gift or something?
Puddles to drink from? Drinking from such places would likely cause an upset stomach if he wasn’t careful…
Well, survival was the priority, I suppose.
“But I didn’t just eat that all the time. Sometimes, I helped other people I came across and ended up receiving food.”
“Other people? You mean adventurers?”
“Yeah. I wandered around helping those who got into danger because of the monsters.”
Hmm. So he’s been running around the maze saving people. What a good kid.
I’m genuinely relieved to hear he hasn’t resorted to cannibalism as his name might imply.
“Still, there wasn’t always moss and mushrooms around, so during those times with no food, I had to eat the monsters.”
“Eating monsters?”
Well… I suppose monster meat is still organic and edible, so it’s not entirely off—it’s just a bit unsettling.
But if he’s eating meat that’s been tainted with magical energy, then who knows what transformations he might undergo from it?
What if he actually became the Minotaur monster for real?
“Just a moment, if you will.”
I gently placed my hand on Asterios’s head and released some magical energy to examine the magical power built up within his body.
It’s possible he’s built up quite a lot already—his body has changed significantly. Perhaps that’s why, despite being so young, he’s more massive and stronger than most adults… The magical power within him must have been altering his physique.
It looks like he’s managed to retain his sanity for now, but if I hadn’t come when I did… he could’ve truly turned into a monster from within the maze.
So…
“Your health isn’t very good, is it?”
“Really? I’ve never felt weak.”
“Stop eating monster meat from now on. It’s not good for you. If you kept it up, you might have become just as vicious as the monsters.”
At that, Asterios’s expression morphed into one of slight horror.
“I don’t want that! I don’t want to become a monster!”
“Well, while it’s not possible to reverse what’s already changed, if you don’t eat monster meat going forward, you can maintain your current state.”
I could extract the accumulated magical power from Asterios, but if I did that and it was deeply embedded in his bones and muscles, he’d end up full of tiny holes… And he’d die immediately.
I could recover him while retrieving the magic, but that would be a hassle. I could do it, but… for an average human, it’s not something they could manage.
Hmm. I can treat him, but it seems like too much trouble. For now, it’s best to leave it be. As long as he doesn’t consume any more monster meat, he should be fine.
It’s not something that will endanger his life, and besides, he’s become quite strong thanks to the magic that’s altered his body.
So let’s just leave it for now.
“From now on, no more monster meat. Got it?”
“Yeah. I understand.”
With Asterios obediently following my lead, we walked toward the maze’s exit.
While I had indeed created several openings on my straight path from the entrance to where Asterios was, they were too small for him to pass through comfortably.
Actually, they were a bit small even for me to squeeze through… It looked like the walls were slowly closing up the holes I made.
It’s almost like the walls of this maze are alive.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Infinite Maze.
One of the seven forbidden areas in the world. A subterranean maze discovered at the ruins of a palace once known as Minoa.
Unlike other prohibited sites, this maze has a unique character, as ordinary adventurers can enter it legally if they meet certain criteria and pass a low threshold of clearance.
So in some ways, the Infinite Maze is probably the perfect training ground for inexperienced adventurers to gain sufficient experience and become a proper adventurer.
…
However, this Infinite Maze possesses an incredibly complex nature compared to other dungeons, with its most notable characteristic being that maps are utterly meaningless.
What was a path one day could be a dead end the next, and there might even be rooms appearing in places where no path existed yesterday. It’s a living maze that shifts every day.
Thanks to the random movement of walls, every wall aside from the entrances and exits of the layers means that maps are completely unusable.
One comfort is that the protective blessing of the maze’s guardian means the stairs connecting the various levels and some spots remain unchanged, providing safety from other monsters.
Without the god’s blessing, those adventurers who went down into the Infinite Maze without regular supplies would have starved to death in there.
Another troubling aspect, alongside the maze’s ever-changing walls, is that each layer’s size is continually increasing.
Considering that research from the Adventurers’ Guild managing the Infinite Maze suggests it grows approximately 30 square meters a year, its danger doesn’t fall short compared to other forbidden areas in the world.
If it keeps growing, one might ponder whether the entire underground would eventually turn into a maze, but studies indicate that the Infinite Maze exists as a separate space from this world, so there’s no need to worry about that.
The guildmaster of the Adventurers’ Guild at that time attempted to stabilize the maze by creating additional entrances to increase the number of people entering and exiting; however, despite digging around the maze, no entrance to the Infinite Maze could be found.
It’s as though the entire maze exists in another realm, with its entrance stretching into this world.
…
As the Infinite Maze continues to expand, monsters keep appearing within. The deeper one goes, the stronger the monsters that appear.
The Adventurers’ Guild closely monitors this Infinite Maze, deploying numerous adventurers to cull the monsters and prevent a disaster from occurring whereby they could flood out into the world.
– Guide for adventurers exploring the world.
Chapter on the seven forbidden areas of the world.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Having arrived at the entrance to the maze with Asterios in tow.
I stepped lightly onto the stairs leading out of the maze, but Asterios appeared hesitant, not moving a muscle.
“Why the hesitation? Are you not planning on leaving?”
Asterios seemed ready to say something but then fell silent again.
He seems incredibly unsure, almost frightened.
He’s likely terrified of his father, the King of Minoa.
“I…”
After some time lingering on his thoughts, Asterios finally spoke up.
“Is it really okay for me to go out?”
Though his face was hidden behind the mask modeled after a cow skull, I could sense his emotions through his slightly visible eyes.
Fear. Terror. And doubt.
“Why was I even born?”
“Why were you born…?”
“Why was I born looking like this? Why do I have these horns? If I hadn’t been born like this, my parents would never have fought.”
His words are filled with denial of his existence. Regret cloaked in fear.
His father, the king, denied him as a son.
His mother, the queen, acknowledged him as such, but couldn’t defy the king’s wishes.
Thus, caught between the two, Asterios must’ve lost all confidence in himself.
Had he been born as an ordinary human, he would have lived happily as a prince.
But due to the beastman genetics inherited through generation, he’s now a child who cannot claim even that title.
“Is there any meaning to my existence?”
A lament rings through his words.
Has he cursed himself, expressing a pain that declares his life as meaningless?
Speaking to Asterios, I addressed him directly.
“Life itself has meaning, simply by being alive.”
No being is born with a predetermined meaning or purpose. Well, I can’t say that entirely, but at least for most lives, it is not the case.
New life is conceived because of love, a baby born from the endurance of pain over a long time, as those who survive childbirth for the sake of that child would never bear such agony if not for love itself.
Within that process, during the creation of life itself, no purpose or meaning exists. So, life itself carries inherent meaning.
“Even if you search for the meaning of your birth, you won’t find anything. It’s nonexistent to begin with.”
“But… the Dragon Goddess said that every life has meaning to its birth…”
The Dragon Goddess?
Hmm, if she’s referring to the Goddess of Life… she might be talking about a division I created for myself.
Seems she’s been working diligently in her own right, but her views seem to have diverged a bit.
Has she changed somewhat after 300 years of self-volition? I should check in on that later.
“While I would question the meaning behind birth, the meaning of living is a different matter.”
The meaning of existence in life lies solely in one’s choices, free from someone else’s decisions.
That’s why…
“Do you have something you desire to do?”
I asked Asterios, who remained rooted on the stairs.
“Something I want to do?”
“Exactly. Something you wish to pursue. Anything, whatever it is that you truly desire—share just one thing with me.”
After a moment of contemplation, Asterios paused before responding.
“I want to see the world…”
“You want to see the world?”
“Yeah. I was never allowed to leave the palace as a child, and after going into the maze, I haven’t seen the outside world since. I want to explore it.”
A world tour, huh? Not a bad idea.
“I want to see the Great Forest of the elves and the highest mountain where the dwarves live. I want to travel around the world and experience many places.”
The wish of a child raised in confinement. A longing from one who has never known freedom.
If I don’t grant such a wish, I wouldn’t deserve to be an adult, would I?
So…
“Come journey with me.”
While we’re at it, I should find some kids suitable for the Zodiac as well.
Next on the list, hmm. A tiger would be nice. A tiger… a Bengal tiger, a Siberian tiger, a saber-toothed tiger—any one of them would do. But they’re all east of here, right?
It wouldn’t hurt to have some company during the journey.
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