Chapter: 187
After hearing various stories from the Queen, I quietly descended into the maze located beneath the palace.
As for why there is such a maze in the palace’s underground… the Queen didn’t have all the details, but she relayed a general understanding.
According to the Queen’s account, it wasn’t originally intended to be called a maze.
It seems the palace underwent so many renovations and expansions that when they reached a point where further horizontal expansion was impossible, they simply dug down to create a basement.
While Minoa had superior construction technology compared to other places, it wasn’t advanced enough for high-rise buildings. Thus, digging underground became a sensible option when expansion hit its limits.
However, from that point, one issue arose.
It seemed that the hastily excavated basement naturally expanded over time and eventually grew so complex that it began to be referred to as a maze.
Moreover, there wasn’t a speck of light, making it dark and confusing. The paths twisted chaotically, and rumor had it that the walls even moved on their own! As a result, even those who meticulously researched and mapped it out found the paths changed within days. Consequently, individuals who ventured into the maze without proper preparation sometimes starved for days before being rescued.
Even more problematic was that, at some point, monsters began to appear in the ever-expanding maze.
While there weren’t any overwhelmingly powerful or gigantic monsters, the mere presence of monsters in a palace’s underground was a serious concern. Hence, the King at that time implemented a policy to call upon adventurers to deal with the monsters.
As a result of that policy… a dungeon was born, where adventurers entered daily to hunt the monsters roaming within the maze.
Fortunately, the monsters that appeared inside the maze didn’t venture outside.
Well, putting aside such trivial tales for now.
Anyway, the fact that adventurers routinely entered the maze to hunt the monsters and accumulated resources allowed Minoa to become even wealthier.
The leather, claws, and bones of these monsters have various uses, as they tend to be sturdier and tougher than those of regular creatures.
Now, about the prince cast into this maze… um, perhaps he’s not technically a prince.
Anyway, somewhere in this maze is said to be the cow beastman referred to as a monster.
After stepping into the maze, I spread my magical energy to scrutinize the area thoroughly.
The space appeared distorted, with the maze being significantly larger than the palace above. Inside it, various monsters wandered around, as did quite a few humans.
Among them, one figure caught my particular attention.
He was quite large for a human, yet he had an oddly calm demeanor for a monster.
Unlike the adventurers milling about in groups, he stood alone.
He neither rampaged unruly nor attacked people like a monster; he merely sat there, staring blankly ahead.
That must be the cow beastman I’m looking for.
After pinpointing his location, I advanced through the maze without hesitation.
I made a beeline toward him, cutting through any obstructing monsters, obstacles, or even walls blocking my path.
Eventually, I reached my destination.
“Hooh….”
I looked upon a huge figure lit by a flickering torch that seemed on the verge of extinguishing.
A large man adorned with the skull of a white cow sitting still; he wore only a pair of shorts typical of Minoa’s attire. Leaning against the wall was a massive bronze double-headed axe, and he was gazing down at a small slime rolling aimlessly.
This slime, existing even in such a maze, was merely rolling around, cleaning the dirt on the floor, yet the man seemed utterly absorbed in observing it, not taking his eyes off for even a moment.
Yet… as I heard the Queen say he was only around 14 years old… he was extraordinarily large. Larger than most adults.
While cow beastmen are typically characterized by their large size, this young man was particularly massive.
“What are you staring at?”
I addressed the boy, who was meant to be the prince of Minoa.
The boy looked up at me, and through the gaps of his cow skull mask, I saw his eyes.
Clear eyes. It’s hard to believe they belong to a child oppressed by his father. As my shadow was obscured by the darkness, his gaze started to waver.
And then he said…
“Who…?”
The boy quickly grabbed the axe leaning next to him and softly spoke.
“There shouldn’t be a little girl in this maze… Who are you? A monster?”
Hmm. The boy was quite tense, likely due to the mask covering his face which inhibited his breathing as he gripped the huge axe tightly.
I can understand his reaction; after all, with only monsters and adventurers roaming this maze, it would be strange to come across a girl.
“I’m not exactly a monster. Would you lower that axe for now?”
“I can’t trust you. There’s no way a girl could be in this maze.”
“Hmmm… It would be troublesome if you don’t trust me.”
Well then, how about I create a dazzling light so we can see each other better instead of relying on this dim, flickering torch?
If we can clearly see one another, wouldn’t it be easier to trust?
With a light snap of my fingers, I conjured a magical light.
A brilliant shine illuminated the maze, completely banishing the darkness that had concealed us.
And then…
“Horns…?”
The boy was captivated by my horns.
“Those horns… they’re like mine? Kin…?”
While they may not be exactly the same, surely a dragon’s horns and a cow’s horns are different.
“Are you starting to feel like talking now?”
I said softly, and the boy nodded.
Well then…
“Let’s calmly discuss this, shall we?”
I smiled gently.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
“What’s your name?”
“My name…?”
The boy hesitated for a moment before replying.
“I am Minoa’s cow. Minotaur.”
“Hmmm? Minotaur?”
Ah, it’s the name of the monster from Greek-Roman mythology.
The cannibalistic beast with a cow’s head trapped within the maze, slain by Theseus.
Using such an ominous name, how unfortunate for him.
“That’s not a great name.”
“It’s not my real name, you know. The King forbade me from using it.”
I see. So that’s not his real name.
“What is your real name then?”
The boy shook his head at my question.
“If I tell you, I’ll be punished. Not me, but you will be punished. So I can’t say.”
“Hmmm… punishment, huh.”
I doubt a drunken King would have the leisure to make such judgments.
But it doesn’t matter to me.
“The King of Minoa can’t lay a finger on you, so don’t worry. Now tell me your real name, the one that isn’t a mere nickname like ‘Minoa’s cow.’”
“But…”
“If you don’t tell me, then I won’t be revealing my name either. So you should share your true name, not one changed by someone else.”
The boy contemplated for a moment before reluctantly responding.
“Asterios. It was my grandfather’s name… the King’s father, the Queen told me secretly.”
Asterios. Translated, it means ‘starry king.’ What a lovely name.
Yet, he refers to his mother as the Queen? Hmm… It seems he can’t even call his parents “mom” and “dad.”
Despite his size resembling that of an adult, he must still be a young boy. How pitiful.
In any case, since he shared his own name, I should probably share mine too.
Of course, one of the names I go by.
“I am Tiamat. I have several names, but the one I’m using now is Tiamat. You may call me Tia.”
“Tia…? Yes. Tia.”
Asterios nodded quietly. Although his face was obscured by the cow skull mask, he seemed strangely pleased.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
After this, I plucked a strand of hair from Asterios, then investigated the genetics of the King, Queen, and Asterios.
If Asterios was truly the biological child of the King and Queen, there should be many matching parts in his genetic material; otherwise, there would be none matching with the King.
The results from using magic to analyze the genetics made it clear… Asterios was undeniably the child of the two.
In fact, it was evident that Asterios carried the cow beastman genetics inherited from the King.
In other words, if I presented these findings to the King… the drunken King would come to his senses in an instant.
Just as the Queen desired, I would be able to rescue Asterios from the maze.
“But… is it really okay for me to leave the maze?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“B-but… the King said that if I leave the maze, he would kill me…”
“The King of Minoa is a fool, so don’t worry about him.”
He’s a foolish man who doesn’t even recognize his own child, after all.
By the way, Asterios has been trapped in the maze for several years. What on earth has he been eating to survive?
There isn’t exactly food in that place; the only entities around would be monsters and adventurers.
Could it be that he hunted monsters to eat? Or perhaps, living up to his name of Minotaur, he ambushed adventurers…?
Hmmm… he wouldn’t have resorted to cannibalism, would he? Let’s hope not.
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