Chapter 476: Atonement For A Broken Oath

An hour later, William and Erchitu arrived at Ashenward Palace, while being escorted by two Minotaurs that were three meters tall. 

The Half-Elf was shocked when he learned from Erchitu that their two escorts were the two Princes of the Minotaur Race.

The Red Minotaur's name was Icarus, while the Blue Minotaur's name was Daedalus. Both greeted William and Erchitu warmly when they met them at the end of the maze. 

The two Princes were surprised to see Erchitu alongside William because no one could get in and out of the Gate of the Beginnings due to it being completely sealed. 

They were quite curious about how the red-headed boy was able to enter their domain, despite the powerful formations that had kept the Elves from breaching their defenses.

Icarus opened the doors that led to the throne room and made a gesture for William to enter.

As soon as he stepped inside the throne room, the Half-Elf's gaze landed on the marble throne where a black Minotaur sat, that was looking at William with deep interest.

"Step forward, Child," King Minos said in a friendly tone. "It has been a while since we have had guests inside the palace."

William nodded and obediently obeyed the Sovereign of the Minotaur Race. He only stopped when he was ten meters away from the throne and observed the King who was looking back at him with a smile.

"I see, so you are a disciple of our Eternal Guardian," King Minos smile widened after he confirmed his suspicions. 

The King of the Minotaurs stood up, and walked down the steps that led to his throne before stopping two meters away from William.

Just like Icarus and Daedalus, King Minos was three-meters tall and radiated a powerful presence. Although he felt that it was disrespectful to do so, William wasn't able to stop himself from using his appraisal skill to check the Minotaur King's information

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< King Minos > 

-- Sovereign of the Minotaur Race

-- One who was favored by the Gods

-- Creator of the Code of Laws

-- Threat Level: SSR+ 

-- Pseudo-Demigod

-- Can be added to the Herd

-- Success Rate: .0001%

-- King Minos is the mighty sovereign of the Minotaur Race. He has watched over and protected the Zelan Dynasty from those who wished to conquer its lands.

-- Blessed by great strength and intellect, he created the Code of Laws that allows him to bend the rules of reality to do his bidding for a brief period of time.

-- Just like his ancestors, he pledged his eternal loyalty to the God of Shepherds, which granted him this favor. There are very few beings, alive or dead, that were capable of stopping his charge in the battlefield.

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William gulped after reading King Minos' information. At first, he thought that the King of the Minotaurs was only a peak Myriad Beast like the Myriad Ant Queen of the Anaesha Dynasty. 

He didn't expect that the Minotaur in front of him was already a Pseudo-Demigod similar to the Ancient Golem, Drauum.

"Child, it's not good to pry into the secrets of others without their permission," King Minos said. "At least, this is true for beings such as myself."

William felt embarrassed because his act had been discovered. He hurriedly bowed his head and apologized to the Minotaur King who was looking down at him with a devilish smile.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," William replied as he bowed his head. "I wasn't able to stop my curiosity."

King Minos chuckled as he walked back towards his throne. He only wanted to confirm something, so he approached William at close quarters. After verifying his hunch, he once again sat on his throne and eyed the red-headed boy with a calm expression on his face.

"Did you come to our sanctuary out of curiosity, or do you have a purpose for coming?" King Minos inquired. 

William nodded. He then explained the current situation of the Southern Continent to everyone present in the room.

Icarus and Daedalus frowned after hearing William's story. Although they had already expected that the Zelan Dynasty would soon be conquered by the Elves, they were not aware that the survivors had been treated harshly.

Icarus even roared in anger when he heard about the Ash Golems born from the remains of the survivors that had been thrown in a fiery pit.

William, too, felt anger when he heard this from Ezio. After torturing the survivors to their deaths, their bodies were then used as tools to create golems to aid the Elves in war. This was a very inhumane thing to do, but the Elves did it because they treated the Humans as an inferior race.

After listening to William's narration, King Minos remained seated on his throne. He still had a calm expression on his face, but there was a subtle hint of killing intent that flashed briefly in the depths of his eyes, before disappearing completely.

"Ariadne, have you heard everything?" King Minos asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The door of the throne room opened and a lady with long, dark-brown hair walked inside with a serious expression on her face.

William looked at the newcomer, but found himself hard pressed to focus his attention on her. She was like the reflection of the moon on the surface of the lake that disappeared whenever a stone was thrown onto it, creating ripples that destroyed its image.

This was what was currently happening to William. No matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't retain the image of the lady in his memories. He couldn't even remember what she looked like!

Ariadne ignored William's focused stare as she stood a few meters away from the red-headed boy.

"The time is near, Your Majesty," Ariadne said. "The decision lay in your hands."

King Minos nodded as he shifted his attention back to William.

"Did you come here to ask for my help?" King Minos inquired. 

"Yes, Your Majesty," William replied.

A long silence descended on the throne room. Icarus, Daedalus, Erchitu, and Ariadne, waited patiently for King Minos' decision. No matter what choice he made, all of them would obey his decree.

"Right now, the members of our race are in a weakened state," King Minos said after a five-minute silence. "Also, the Gate of Beginnings will not open for two years. If you can solve these two problems, I will agree to aid you twice."

King Minos' stared straight into William's eyes as if probing him if he was capable of solving the obstacles that prevented their race from honoring their oath to the God of Shepherds.

"I don't know if I will be able to cure the MInotaur Race from their weakened state. However, I think I have a way for you to leave this place without opening the Gate of Beginnings," William replied. 

"As long as you are able to overcome these two conditions, we will honor our pledge to fight by your side," King Minos stated. 

"I can only say that I will do my best, Your Majesty."

"Good. You can start now. Icarus, Daedalus, bring him to Spirehorn Haven."

""Yes, Your Majesty!""

The two Minotaur Princes led William and Erchitu to the place where the Minotaur Race were currently resting. 

After the doors of the throne room closed, King Minos' gaze landed on Ariadne who was looking back at him with a serious expression.

"Are you sure about this?" Ariadne asked.

King Minos nodded. 

"Many will die," Ariadne stated.

"Yes." King Minos agreed. "But, this is inevitable. We made a pledge to the Zelan Dynasty, as well as to our Eternal Guardian. We have turned our back on our first pledge, we can't turn our back on the second."

Ariadne sighed, as she reluctantly nodded her head. She was the one that had advised King Minos to seal the Sanctuary of the Minotaur Race to prevent the Elves from invading their Domain while they were in their weakened state.

However, by doing so, they had broken their pledge to protect the Zelan Dynasty from those who wished to invade it.

King Minos was right. They had already broken their oath once, and had allowed the survivors of the Zelan Dynasty to suffer under the hands of the Elves. 

"So be it," Ariadne said firmly. "I will make the necessary preparations."

King Minos nodded. "Go. I need time to think."

Ariadne gave the King a curtsy before leaving the throne room. 

King Minos closed his eyes when the two doors closed behind Ariadne's back. It had been hundreds of years since he had personally led the Minotaurs to fight on the battlefield. He was not afraid of going to war, in fact he was looking forward to it.

They were a race that was born for battle, so fighting alongside William wasn't an issue. His only concern was whether William was capable of resolving the weakness that had currently befallen the Minotaur Race.

As long as that issue was resolved, he would give his best, to smash the heads of those hateful Elves, in order to avenge the lives of the innocent children of the Zelan Dynasty, as well as a way to atone and redeem himself from the oath that he had once broken.