Minoa's Calf (2)
“Who goes there?!”
Even in his drunken stupor, the king reacted to my sudden appearance. His reaction was to grab a small sake cup from beside him and point it at me like a weapon—hardly an impressive sight. Anyway, I looked at the king, reeking of booze, and opened my mouth.
“Think of me as a wandering traveler passing by. From what I overheard, it sounds like you're having some marital troubles with your wife.”
“H-How did you...?”
“Skip the boring 'how did you know' stuff. Let me make you a proposal instead.”
The king's flushed face twisted in a frown as he stared at me. Well, the fact that he hadn't called for anyone else upon seeing a suspicious little girl pop up out of nowhere was proof he was too wasted to make sound judgments. Suited me just fine—things were going smoothly.
“Do you want to reconcile with your queen?”
At my words, the king—in no state for clear thinking—gazed at me with cloudy eyes. Then, he nodded faintly.
“I do! With the queen! The woman I love! I want to make up! Why do we have to be torn apart like this?! Why did a beastkin cow have to be born from her?! Why?!”
The king spat out his rage, as if a mountain of resentment had built up inside him. When your opponent's this unhinged, it's easy to play them like a fiddle.
“Fine. I'll help resolve the problem caused by that cow beastkin born from your queen. But in exchange, I have one condition.”
“A condition? What is it? Gold and jewels? I'll give you as much as you want!!”
Classic response from the king of a wealthy city-state. But that's not what I wanted.
“I've heard there's a cow beastkin in this city called a monster. Hand him over to me, and I'll help you.”
“That monster? Why?”
“I've got a use for him.”
The king pondered for a moment, then nodded readily.
“Deal. I don't know what you'll do with that headache, but if you're taking him off my hands, I'm grateful! Take him as you please!”
Without a shred of hesitation, the king sold off his own child. What a heartless father. From his perspective, though, it wasn't his kid—it was someone else's. Hard to accept without modern DNA tests or anything like that. No wonder he couldn't believe the so-called monster was his son.
So.
“Then, for starters, give me a strand of your hair.”
“My hair? Why?”
“To solve the problem. If hair's no good, a drop of blood works too. Just for a simple check.”
“One strand is enough?”
The king yanked out a single hair and handed it over. Guess he really hated the idea of blood.
“Perfect. One strand of hair. I'll put it to good use.”
“But can you really reconcile with my wife using just that hair?”
“Of course.”
“How?”
I just gave the king a small smile. Explaining to a drunk who couldn't think straight was too much hassle.
“Resolve the cause of the fight, and you're done.”
The wife was suspected of infidelity because a cow beastkin was born from a human couple. Prove the child was his real kid, and the conflict dissolves. Sure, new fights might pop up after that... but that's not my problem! I just needed to take the cow beastkin and go!
“It'll be quick, so get some shut-eye. When you wake up from a nap, everything will be sorted.”
With that, I lulled the drunken king to sleep, then slipped out of the room, cloaking my presence. Next stop: the queen.
She wasn't drowning in booze like the king, but she sat there with a gloomy face, stroking a tiny piece of clothing. The queen, who must have been a great beauty once, caressed it with a pale complexion, lost in profound sorrow.
“What sin has that child committed...”
She let out deep sigh after deep sigh.
“If there's any sin, it's mine for not giving birth to a human child. Why throw him into the underground labyrinth? It's too cruel... Your Majesty...”
Hmm. Unlike the king, the queen seemed to believe the monster child was hers. That made things easy.
“Mind if I interrupt for a bit?”
“Wh-Who?!”
“Just a traveler passing through.”
I said something utterly unbelievable and flashed a small smile.
“I heard rumors about a cow beastkin called a monster and came to check. Looks like he's your child.”
“Wh-Who?! An intruder?! Guards!!!”
“We're in the middle of a conversation here. Though I get that's the normal reaction.”
The king was the weird one for chatting blankly with a sudden intruder while drunk.
“Scream all you want—no one outside can hear. Oh, and the door won't open.”
The queen ignored me, grabbing the firmly shut door and straining, but the barrier I'd set kept it sealed. I just wanted a calm talk. Though chatting with a random intruder would be weirder.
“Stop wasting energy and let's chat. Your Majesty. Don't you want to save your child?”
Her body froze mid-effort at the door. Child. Her child. The monster one.
“What did you just say...?”
“Exactly what I said. In the underground labyrinth, right? Poor kid. Don't you think so?”
Even with the monster rumors, a mother holding her young child's clothes and missing him? It was heartbreaking.
So, I struck there.
“If you let me help, I can get him out.”
Unlike with the king, I offered her something different. He wanted reconciliation with the queen. She wanted... to rescue the kid from the labyrinth. Satisfy both, and I'd keep promises to each.
So.
“What do you say? Up for hearing me out?”
I smiled faintly, and the queen swallowed hard, her face tense.
“Isn't it too much, Your Majesty!!!”
“Yeah. Way too much.”
“Even if the child was born a cow beastkin! He came from my womb! I endured the painful labor for him! Just because he has cow horns, you won't accept him as your own?!”
“Yeah, yeah. Totally over the top.”
“Your Majesty always praised beastkin cows as sturdy and reliable! How can you flip like that?! It's too much!!!”
“Right? A couple generations back, and you might have cow beastkin blood yourself. Your great-grandma could've been one.”
“Exactly! It could happen!!! I only ever loved Your Majesty!!! To doubt me like that!!! I never knew you were so petty!!!”
“Men are like that. A little suspicion, and boom—attitude change. Or maybe he was always like that, and you were just lovesick.”
“Tell me about it! And now he's boozing nonstop, ignoring state affairs! It's really too much!”
“What can you do? He thinks his pure love might be an NTR plot, so he can't think straight. From your side, it's been pure all along.”
“Pure love? What's that?”
“Pure, untainted affection. Loving only one person, no room for anything else. Honest, intense love.”
“Oh... that's a lovely word.”
“Right? Pure love rocks. Pure love best! Shout it with me!!! Pure love best!!!”
“Pure love best!!!”
And just like that, the queen and I were buddies. Huh. Didn't expect to bond this much.
“Anyway, to fetch your kid from the labyrinth, I need a strand of your hair. If you're okay with that?”
“My hair? One strand's nothing—I could give you a handful! If it saves my child!”
She grabbed a fistful. Whoa, no need for that much.
“One's enough—don't overdo it.”
She plucked a single strand and handed it over.
“But how will hair save him?”
“Nothing fancy. Just proving blood ties between the king and the kid. Once that's clear, the king can't argue.”
“I suppose... but how?”
I pulled out the king's hair I'd stashed away.
“Parts of the body hold the life’s information. That proves it.”
No way I'd explain genes and all that. This vague bit should suffice.
