Chapter 187

Thus, after hearing various tales from the queen, I quietly descended alone to the labyrinth located beneath the palace.

Why exactly there was a labyrinth beneath the palace… The queen herself didn’t know all the details, but she did share the general situation with me.

According to what the queen told me to the best of her knowledge, this place wasn’t originally called a labyrinth.

It was just that, as they kept expanding and renovating the palace in every direction until further expansion above ground became impossible, they decided to dig downwards and create basements.

While Minoa’s construction technology was advanced compared to other places, it wasn’t enough to build skyscrapers. So, once they hit the limits of horizontal expansion, going underground became an inevitable choice.

However, one problem arose during this process.

The basements they dug out inexplicably began to expand on their own. After some time, the area grew so complex that it started being referred to as a labyrinth.

And with no light at all, pitch black darkness reigned. The paths twisted unpredictably, and the walls seemed to move by themselves. Even after thorough investigations and map-making, the routes would change within days. Thanks to this, there were people who entered the labyrinth without proper preparation and starved for days before barely being rescued.

Even worse, at some point, monsters began appearing in the ever-expanding labyrinth.

Though not overwhelmingly powerful or house-sized, having monsters appear in the palace basement was still quite troublesome. To deal with them, the king of the time recruited adventurers.

And as a result of this policy… Adventurers hunting monsters in the labyrinth created what came to be known as a dungeon.

Fortunately, the monsters in the labyrinth never ventured outside of it.

Anyway, let’s set aside those minor details for now.

Thanks to the adventurers regularly entering the labyrinth and hunting monsters, obtaining valuable by-products like monster hides, claws, and bones, Minoa became even wealthier. These materials were tougher and more durable than those from ordinary creatures.

Now, about the prince thrown into this labyrinth… Or rather, he wasn’t officially a prince, was he?

Somewhere in this labyrinth, there was supposed to be a cow beastman referred to as a “monster.”

After stepping into the labyrinth, I spread my magical power to thoroughly scan the area.

Despite the space being distorted, the labyrinth beneath the palace was far larger than expected. Inside, numerous monsters roamed, along with several people.

Among them, something particularly caught my attention.

A presence that was too large to be considered human yet too tame to be classified as a monster.

Unlike groups of adventurers bustling around, this entity sat quietly alone.

Neither rampaging nor attacking people like a typical monster, it simply sat motionless.

Perhaps this was the cow beastman I was looking for.

After pinpointing its location, I moved through the labyrinth without hesitation.

Without any moment of hesitation, I headed straight towards it.

I shattered any obstructing monsters, obstacles, and even dead-end walls, proceeding in a straight line until…

“Hmm…”

Under the dim flickering torchlight, I saw the figure of an enormous man with cow horns.

Wearing a bleached cow skull as a mask on his face, the man sat silently. Dressed only in Minoan-style shorts, he leaned a massive bronze double-headed axe against the wall and stared down at a small slime rolling around in front of him.

While slimes here mindlessly rolled around cleaning the filth off the floor, the man watched it intently, his gaze unwavering.

Still… According to the queen, he was only around 14 years old. Yet, his size was tremendous—larger than most adults.

Even though large stature is a characteristic of beastmen, this individual was exceptionally gigantic.

“What are you staring at?”

I addressed the man, the boy who should have been the prince of Minoa.

He looked up at me, and through the gaps in the cow skull mask, I could see his clear eyes.

Crystal-clear eyes. Eyes that didn’t seem to belong to someone oppressed by their father. As my shadowed form reflected in his golden irises, his gaze began to waver.

Then,

“Who…?”

The boy quickly grabbed the axe leaning beside him and muttered lowly.

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

Hmm. Perhaps his breathing was strained due to the mask covering his face. He tightened his grip on the enormous double-headed axe, clearly tense.

Well, considering that only monsters and adventurers usually wander this labyrinth, his reaction upon seeing a young girl makes sense.

“Not exactly a monster, but will you put down that axe first?”

“I can’t trust that. There’s no way a girl would be in this labyrinth.”

“Hmm… This is troubling.”

Let me replace this dim torchlight with something brighter so we can see each other more clearly. That might help build some trust.

If we can see each other properly, perhaps it’ll be easier to gain his trust.

With a snap of my fingers, I conjured a bright source of magical light.

The dazzling illumination dispelled the shadows surrounding us, revealing both the boy and myself clearly.

And then,

“Horns…?”

The boy’s eyes were drawn to my horns.

“Those horns… They’re the same as mine… Are you kin…?”

Not exactly the same, but dragon horns and cow horns aren’t identical, right?

“Does this make you want to talk now?”

I spoke softly, and the boy nodded.

“Let’s have a calm conversation then.”

I gave a small smile.

—

“What’s your name?”

“My name…?”

The boy hesitated briefly before answering.

“The bull of Minoa. Minotaur.”

“Hmm? Minotaur?”

That’s the name of the monster from Greek and Roman mythology, isn’t it?

The cannibalistic bull-headed monster trapped in a maze, defeated by Theseus.

What a ominous name for such a pitiful child.

“That’s not a very nice name.”

“It’s not my real name. The king forbade me from using it.”

“Hmm. Not your real name, huh?”

“What’s your real name?”

At my question, the boy shook his head.

“If I say it, punishment will come—not on me, but on you. So, I can’t say it.”

“Hmm… Punishment, huh.”

Someone drunk on alcohol wouldn’t have the presence of mind to make such judgments, would they?

But that’s none of my concern.

“The king of Minoa can’t lift a finger against me, so don’t worry. Tell me your true name—not the derogatory title ‘Bull of Minoa,’ but your real name.”

“But…”

“If you don’t tell me, I won’t reveal mine either. So, tell me your true name—the one that hasn’t been changed by others.”

After pondering for a moment, the boy reluctantly spoke.

“Asterios. The queen secretly told me it was originally my grandfather’s name—the king’s father.”

Asterios. Interpreted as the King of Stars. Indeed, a fine name.

Yet he refers to his mother as ‘queen.’ Hmm… It seems he cannot call his parents by their proper titles.

Though his body is larger than an adult’s, he’s still just a child. How pitiful.

Since he’s shared his real name, I should do the same. Of course, it’s just one of many names I use.

“I am Tiamat. I have several names, but currently, I go by Tiamat. Call me Tia.”

“Tia… Okay. Tia.”

Asterios nodded slightly. Though his face was hidden behind the cow skull mask, there was an unmistakable hint of joy.

—

Afterward, I plucked a strand of Asterios’ hair and investigated the genetic material of the king, queen, and Asterios.

If Asterios were truly their biological child, there would be matching genetic markers. If not, there would be no match between him and the king.

The results of the magical genetic analysis clearly confirmed that Asterios was indeed their biological son.

In fact, it was evident that his beastman genetics came directly from the king.

If I present these findings to the king… It might sober him up instantly.

And following the queen’s wishes, we could remove Asterios from the labyrinth.

“So… Can I really leave the labyrinth without issue?”

“Of course. Definitely.”

“But… The king said if I leave the labyrinth, he’d kill me…”

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

A fool who neglected his own flesh and blood.

By the way, how has Asterios survived in the labyrinth for years?

There’s hardly any food here. The only things wandering around are monsters and adventurers.

Could he have been hunting and eating monsters? Or fitting the name ‘Minotaur,’ attacking adventurers…?

Hmm… I hope he hasn’t resorted to cannibalism. Please let that not be the case. Yes.

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