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EP.187

So, after hearing this and that from the queen, I quietly made my way down to the maze that lies beneath the palace.

As for why there’s a maze under the palace… well, even the queen didn’t know the details, but she had heard a rough outline of the situation.

What she did manage to tell me was that it wasn’t originally a place worthy of being called a maze.

It seems as though as they kept expanding and building the palace, they eventually hit a point where they couldn’t expand anymore, and so they just dug down to create a basement or something like that.

Minoa had advanced construction technology compared to other places, but it wasn’t at the level to build skyscrapers or anything. So, sinking underground when they reached the limit of expansion seemed like a totally reasonable choice.

However, a problem arose there.

The basement, created just by digging down without any thought, somehow began to expand on its own, and after some time, it started to get complex enough to be called a maze.

To make matters worse, there was no light at all, making it dark, and the paths twisted about confusingly. It was said that even if one thoroughly investigated and mapped it out, the paths would change within a matter of days. Because of that, many who went down into the maze without thorough preparation ended up starving for days before being rescued.

Even more troubling was that, at some point, monsters started appearing in this constantly expanding maze.

While they weren’t incredibly strong or of massive size, the mere existence of such monsters beneath the palace was a significant burden. Hence, the king at the time implemented a policy of gathering adventurers to deal with the monsters.

And as a result of that policy, a maze where adventurers came and went, hunting monsters… a so-called dungeon was created.

The silver lining was that the monsters appearing in the maze didn’t come out into the outside world.

Well, setting aside those minor details for now.

Anyway, the fact that adventurers came and went, hunting the monsters that sprouted everywhere in the maze, allowed Minoa to grow even wealthier from the by-products they obtained.

The monsters’ skins, claws, bones, and whatnot seem to be used in various ways. They’re said to be tougher and sturdier than those of ordinary creatures.

Thrown into such a maze was a prince… or rather, technically he hadn’t become a prince yet.

Anyway, it was said that somewhere in this maze, there existed a cow beastman referred to as a monster.

Upon stepping into the maze, I extended my magical power to search the area thoroughly.

The space was distorted, and the maze was much larger than the palace above. Within, several monsters were roaming around, as well as many humans.

And among them, something particularly caught my attention.

It was an existence that was too massive to be considered human yet seemed too tame to be a monster.

Unlike the many adventurers moving about in groups, this one was sitting quietly by itself.

It wasn’t rampaging around nor attacking people like a monster, just sitting there vacantly looking on at something.

That was probably the cow beastman I was looking for.

Having pinpointed its location, I boldly advanced through the maze.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I moved in a straight line.

Along the way, I shattered any monsters, obstacles, and even walls blocking my way at dead ends. After maneuvering in a straight path—

“Oooh….”

I saw the figure of a huge man with cow horns, dimly illuminated by a flickering torch that looked like it might extinguish at any moment.

A man sitting motionless, wearing a white cow skull as a mask over his face.

Dressed only in what could be described as shorts in the Minoan fashion, he leaned against a massive double-headed axe made of bronze while gazing down at a small slime rolling around on the ground.

The slime, which somehow existed in this maze, was merely rolling about, mindlessly cleaning the dirt on the ground, but the man didn’t seem to find it odd at all, staring down at it without a moment’s pause.

But… I heard he was only about 14 years old. And yet, he was incredibly large for his age. Bigger than most adults, even.

Sure, cow beastmen are known for their large size, but the dude before me was exceptionally massive.

“What are you looking at so intently?”

I addressed the boy, who was supposed to be the prince of Minoa.

The boy lifted his head to look at me. Through the cracks of the cow skull mask, I could see his eyes.

Clear eyes. Eyes with such clarity, it was hard to believe that this boy had been tormented by his father. As my shadow hidden in darkness reflected in his clear gaze, his eyes began to tremble.

And then he said—

“Who…?”

The boy quickly grasped the axe beside him and spoke in a low voice.

“There’s no way a young girl can be in this maze… Who are you? A monster?”

Hmm. Due to the mask covering his face, the boy seemed to have difficulty breathing and was tense as he gripped the massive double-headed axe tightly.

Well, in a maze like this where only monsters or perhaps adventurers roam, if a girl was indeed wandering around, it would be a reaction worth expecting.

“I’m not exactly a monster, but could you please put down that axe for now?”

“I can’t trust you. A girl can’t possibly be in this maze.”

“Hmmm… it would be a problem if you wouldn’t believe me.”

Let’s see, should I create a bright light so we can see each other better, rather than relying on this dimly flickering torch that barely illuminates anything?

If we could see each other properly, wouldn’t it be easier to believe each other?

With a light flick of my fingers, I produced a radiant light.

The bright light illuminated the maze, completely erasing the darkness that shielded us before.

And then—

“Horns…?”

The boy’s gaze was drawn to my horns.

“Those horns… are like mine…? Kin…?”

Technically, they are a bit different. Dragon horns and cow horns can’t possibly be the same, right?

“Are you ready to talk now?”

I spoke softly, and the boy nodded his head.

Alright then.

“Let’s have a calm conversation, shall we?”

I smiled lightly.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“What is your name?”

“My name…?”

After a brief hesitation, the boy replied.

“The cow of Minoa. Minotaur.”

“Hmm? Minotaur?”

That’s the name of the monster from Greek-Roman mythology.

The cannibalistic beast with the head of a cow trapped in a maze, defeated by Theseus.

How unfortunate for him to bear such an ominous name.

“Not a very nice name, is it?”

“It’s not my real name. My real name… the king told me not to use it.”

Hmm. So it’s not his real name.

“What is your real name?”

At my question, the boy shook his head.

“If I say it, I’ll be punished. Not me, but you. So, I can’t tell you.”

“Hmmm… a punishment.”

I find it hard to believe that the drunken king would have the presence of mind to make such a judgment.

Well, it’s not like it concerns me.

“The king of Minoa can’t even lift a finger against me, so don’t worry. Now tell me, not the derogatory name of the cow, but your true name.”

“But….”

“If you don’t tell me, I won’t reveal my name either. So, tell me your name. Your true name, not one changed by something else.”

After a moment of contemplating, the boy reluctantly replied.

“Asterios. It’s originally the name of the king’s father… my grandfather, the queen told me in secret.”

Asterios. Translating that, it means the king of the stars. What a nice name.

But, does he call his mother the queen? Hmm… It seems he can’t call his parents by their titles.

Though he’s physically larger than an adult, he’s still just a kid. How pitiful.

Anyway, since he shared his real name, I suppose I should reveal mine too.

Of course, it’s just one among many names.

“I’m Tiamat. I have several names, but the one I’m using now is Tiamat. Just call me Tia.”

“Tia…. Yeah. Tia.”

Asterios nodded gently. Though his face was hidden behind the cow skull mask, he seemed oddly happy.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

So, after pulling a strand of hair from Asterios, I cast a magic spell to investigate the king, the queen, and Asterios’ genetics.

If Asterios was truly the king and queen’s biological child, there should be plenty of matching parts within the genetics, and if not, then there would be none that match with the king.

After using magic to check the genetics, the fact that Asterios was indeed the biological child of both became clear.

In fact, it even became evident that the cow beastman genetics Asterios possessed were inherited from the king.

Anyway, if I presented these investigation results to the king… the drunken king would certainly snap back to his senses in an instant.

The queen would get what she wished for, being able to take Asterios from the maze.

“And… but really, can I leave the maze?”

“Of course. Absolutely.”

“But… the king said that if I leave the maze, he’d kill me….”

“The king of Minoa is a fool, so don’t worry about it.”

He’s just an idiot who doesn’t even recognize his own biological son and treats him poorly.

By the way, Asterios has been trapped in the maze for how many years now? What has he been eating down here?

There’s hardly anything you could call food, and the only ones wandering about in there are monsters and adventurers.

Could it be that he hunted monsters to eat? Or perhaps, as his name “Minotaur” implies, he might have launched surprise attacks on adventurers…?

Hmm… I hope he hasn’t resorted to cannibalism. I really hope not.

 

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