Thus, Asterios, the monster trapped in the labyrinth, had escaped it.
“Really, is it okay to wander around like this?”
“It’s fine.”
Due to his body growing too large, Asterios struggled to pass through doors and kept glancing at others nervously.
“I’ve cast a spell so no one can see us. Don’t worry.”
“Huh, but…”
Asterios, whose size was mountainous yet whose nerve was tiny, stuck close to the wall, fearing he might bump into passersby. It was quite amusing.
Still, this child survived years in that underground maze. If being this cautious is all the distortion he suffered, we should consider ourselves lucky.
With such hesitation from Asterios, I headed first toward the queen’s chamber.
“Here…”
“Come on, your mother’s waiting. Let’s go.”
“The queen…?”
Seeing the big child unable to call his own mother ‘mother’, I sighed softly.
“She asked me to bring you here specifically. Why are you hesitating so much?”
“But…”
Continuing to be difficult, Asterios tried my patience. I created ropes with magic and wrapped them around him.
“If you won’t come willingly, I’ll drag you.”
“Now, wait! I’ll walk myself, just give me a moment!”
“No. You’ve been pretending to prepare while clearly stalling. What’s with that?”
So, dragging Asterios along, I entered the queen’s room.
Pulling too hard caused Asterios’ head to bump against the doorframe, but there was no harm done. Though, his cow-skull mask shattered completely.
What was he even doing wearing a skull-shaped mask? Not just any mask, but an actual cow skull – it would scare anyone!
“Oh! A skull!”
“What? That wasn’t a mask but an actual skull?”
Turns out, it really was a skull. This complicates things.
Underneath the skull, Asterios’ face revealed a surprisingly youthful boyish appearance despite his massive size. Quite the contrast.
“But His Majesty ordered me to hide my face and wear this…”
“Unnecessary! Now come on!”
After some struggle, I managed to pull Asterios inside.
Inside awaited…
“…Hmm…Will he be alright…?”
The queen stood by the window, sighing deeply with worry.
“I agreed during our conversation, but was it truly right to send such a small child to the underground maze…?”
Even while worrying about me, she cared for others. Such is her nature.
Near her, I dispelled the concealing magic surrounding Asterios and me.
“We’re back.”
“Kyaa! You startled me…”
Surprised, the queen struggled to speak upon seeing me and the motionless Asterios behind me.
“You…I heard rumors, but you’ve truly grown.”
Asterios remained silent, unsure what to say.
“This child has been through much. Perhaps we should let this long-separated mother and son have a calm conversation.”
“Hold on, Tia!”
Smiling gently at the anxious Asterios, I used magic to teleport outside, casting a barrier to keep their meeting private before heading to my next destination – the king’s chamber.
“Was it a dream…?”
“Greeting a human face and dismissing it as a dream?”
“Huh, but…”
“Whether you think it’s a dream or not, it doesn’t matter. I’m merely fulfilling your request.”
At my words, the king’s eyes widened significantly.
“Request…the reconciliation with the queen?!”
“That’s right.”
The king looked at me doubtfully, as if suspecting deceit.
“How exactly?”
“Nothing special. Just resolving the cause of the conflict.”
From within my embrace, I pulled out three strands of hair: the king’s, the queen’s, and Asterios’.
Oddly enough, all three had similar colors.
“What’s this?”
“Yours and the queen’s, and your son’s hair.”
“He’s not my son!”
“At least biologically, he is your offspring.”
“Lies! How could a cow beastman be born from me and the queen?! The horns aren’t fake!”
“Denial won’t change the truth.”
The genetic information read from the king and queen’s hair formed faint shapes of light, hovering before us. Similarly, Asterios’ genetic structure appeared before the king. Cutting the parental genetic structures in half and swapping parts, they combined into a complete form which perfectly overlapped with Asterios’ genetic pattern.
“The life information inherited from you and the queen matches almost perfectly with his. Impossible unless he’s your biological child.”
“Lies! Even if those strange diagrams overlap, that doesn’t prove the monster is my son! And why should I trust you?! You could be lying!”
Sigh. In an era unaware of genetics, explaining this is futile.
Too troublesome to explain anyway. Hmm…Hmm…Ugh.
Forget it. All too bothersome.
“Would you believe me if I declare under the name of the goddess who governs life?”
“What?”
As the confused king watched, I declared:
“As one who acts on behalf of the goddess of life, I proclaim here and now that Asterios is the child born from you and your wife.”
“What did you just say…”
Suddenly, the palace ceiling shattered, and divine light poured down. From the radiant glow emerged a solemn voice:
“In the name of Shamash, god of light, justice, and law, her words and intentions are true. Do not defy them.”
Hmm, Shamash? While grateful for the help, your sudden appearance leaves me somewhat flustered.
Considering how you always know my location so precisely, you’re quite the troublemaker.
Of course, in a world where light doesn’t reach only the deepest seas, finding me as I move about would be easy for Shamash.
“Just now, what was that…?”
“Well, it was essentially declaring that everything I say is absolutely correct. Don’t dwell on it. So, if you don’t want to incur the wrath of both the goddess of life and the god of light, believing me would be wise.”
Half-threat, ninety-five percent intimidation.
Even the ruler of a prosperous city-state cannot oppose the will of the gods.
“So…that monster really is my son? Is that what you’re saying?”
Realizing I’m no ordinary person after invoking divine names and receiving guarantees from two deities representing life and justice, the king’s tone became more respectful.
“Yes. Asterios is your legitimate son.”
“But how?! Both the queen and I are humans! How could a cow beastman be born?!”
“It seems your lineage carries beastman blood.”
I tapped the king’s forehead, revealing a family tree through glowing light – information beyond what mere hair strands could provide. Tracing back through his parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, one anomaly stood out: his maternal grandmother was not human but a cow beastwoman.
“Your maternal grandmother was a cow beastwoman.”
“What?! But I was told my grandmother passed away when my mother was young!”
Perhaps his mother never spoke about her own mother?
It’s understandable. Especially when a parent dies early, it’s not something easily discussed. Early deaths often leave few memories.
“Your mother could have been a hybrid without horns. And you similarly…thus the dormant cow beastman blood resurfaced in your child through generational inheritance.”
“Is…is that really true?”
“Do you doubt the words guaranteed by the gods of light, law, and justice?”
“No, but…”
The king appeared thoroughly confused.
Regardless, I’ve fulfilled my promise.
“In any case, suspecting the queen regarding Asterios’ heritage was your foolish mistake. Keep quiet and ask her forgiveness.”
“But didn’t you say you’d reconcile us?!”
“I said I’d resolve the issues arising from the birth of a cow beastman, not that I’d reconcile you.”
“Aren’t they the same thing?”
“Obviously not.”
I smiled broadly.
“The problem caused by the birth of a cow beastman – uncovering the secret of your lineage. That’s what I’ve done for you. Any new conflicts arising afterward are none of my concern.”
“Nonsense!! You clearly said you’d reconcile us…”
Seeing the king attempt further argument, I clicked my tongue.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t rely on someone whose true identity I don’t know and instead take action myself. Because of your ignorance of having cow beastman blood, you doubted your innocent wife and threw your child into that dark labyrinth.”
“That…that…”
“One who doubts his wife and abandons his child. How fitting that such a man remains a husband and father.”
The king fell silent.
“Then…what should I do?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
I spoke coldly.
“Apologize. To your wife and child. Beg their forgiveness thoroughly. Whether it mends their hearts is uncertain, but it’s better than doing nothing.”
When wronged, one must seek forgiveness. The perpetrator has no choice.
Though ignorance may excuse suspicion, it doesn’t heal the wounds of those continually doubted and mistreated.
Until forgiveness is granted, there’s nothing else but to keep asking for it.
