Eric's appearance was a stroke of luck. As a Viking pirate, he followed their custom of recording their journeys. Drake, familiar with this habit, rummaged through the Viking ship and found her treasure.
It was a notebook, its ink still fresh, filled with charts and logs recorded by Eric and his crew.
In this unmapped sea, Eric's "gift" was a true treasure.
"Look at this map. Can you make anything out? Here, the third island to the northwest... it's likely a pirate stronghold," Drake said, pointing at the chart.
"There's a strong Spiritron signature there. Could be multiple Servants. Be cautious," Romani's voice came through the communicator.
Mash asked curiously, "Where's the Director?"
"You mean Marie? She's over there… glaring at me. I'll shut up now."
Ritsuka glanced at Mash, who was stifling a laugh, and thought Mash had a mischievous streak.
The ship pressed on, soon reaching the destination. But as they landed, Sheba's readings fluctuated.
"Strange, what's wrong? Is Sheba malfunctioning?" Olga Marie's voice crackled through the communicator, growing choppy and intermittent, putting Mash on high alert.
Morpheus glanced around, muttering, "Heavy interference."
Suddenly, the ground trembled as if struck by an earthquake. Drake's face darkened. "Not good! Let's check the ship!"
"The ship?" Mash and Ritsuka were puzzled but quickly understood.
On an island, an earthquake likely originated underwater, potentially causing a tsunami that could wreck the ship.
Drake was clearly worried about her vessel's safety.
They rushed back, only to find bewildered pirates.
"Captain! It's weird... no tsunami, but there's a wall! An invisible wall trapping us!" a pirate shouted.
"A magical barrier?" Mash murmured, striking it with her shield. The barrier didn't budge, suggesting someone was trying to trap them.
But Mash's attack failing didn't mean others would.
Ritsuka drew her sword, and with a flash of cold light, she sliced a gash in the seemingly impervious barrier, destabilizing it momentarily.
Yet, it quickly stabilized, reforming into a solid air wall.
Morpheus turned to Ritsuka. "Check the tremor's source. No need to keep hacking here. Or try a few more slashes... might collapse it."
"If I break it now, will it cause issues?" Ritsuka asked, curious.
"The tremors started, then this wall appeared. They might be linked. Breaking it could affect the source, so let's find that first and figure out what's going on before acting."
The group agreed with Morpheus and set off toward the tremor's origin.
Soon, they reached a strange entrance. Morpheus frowned. "A labyrinth?"
"Yes, a labyrinth," Artemis confirmed.
Medea nodded. "Definitely a labyrinth."
Atalanta sniffed the air, whispering, "I smell a bull…"
"A bull?!" Morpheus started, looking at the labyrinth again.
"Let's go in and see what's up," Drake said, moving to push open the door, but Morpheus stopped her.
"Wait!"
"What's wrong?" Drake asked, curious.
Mash and Ritsuka looked at Morpheus, unsure of his intent.
"Most Servants here are Greek, and now there's a labyrinth with a bull's scent. Doesn't that remind you of a myth?" Morpheus asked.
The hint was clear. Ritsuka's eyes lit up. "The Minotaur?!"
"Exactly…"
In legend, after Minos ousted Rhadamanthys to become Crete's king, he prayed to Poseidon for a sign to justify his rule. Poseidon sent a magnificent white bull, demanding its sacrifice.
But the bull was too splendid, so Minos sacrificed another. Enraged, Poseidon cursed Minos' wife, Pasiphaë, with a love for beasts.
To hide her shame, Minos commissioned Daedalus to craft a wooden cow for Pasiphaë to conceal herself within.
So lifelike was it that the white bull mated with it, and Pasiphaë bore a bull-headed monster... the Minotaur, meaning "Minos' bull."
Later, Theseus slew the beast. Now, with a labyrinth here, Morpheus asked uncertainly, "The Minotaur's a Heroic Spirit too?"
Artemis nodded.
Morpheus let out an "Oh" and pushed open the door.
"If that's the case, let's check it out."
Boldness came with skill. If they couldn't escape, he'd use angelic power to get out.
Seeing Morpheus charge in, the others followed. The labyrinth's paths were complex but lit by torches, almost luxurious.
After walking for some time, unsure how far, they were blocked by a bull-headed figure calling himself Asterios. Before Morpheus could act, Mash and Drake pounced, pinning the poor Servant to the ground.
As they prepared a final blow, a voice rang out.
"Don't kill him!"
A petite girl appeared. Morpheus whistled. "Well, damn, another goddess?"
The girl, confused, shouted, "Fine, I get it! I'll go with you! Kill me or whatever, just do it!"
But she froze, spotting a familiar, voluptuous archer.
Artemis!
Her eyes widened, her voice rising. "Why are you here?!"
Then, louder, "You're a Servant too?!"
Artemis smiled. "I came down on purpose. And you? You're a Servant too, but it sounds like you don't know why?"
Her eyes twinkled with amusement, as if she'd seen something hilarious.
"What's so funny, you overdeveloped goddess? Don't think I don't know your forms are fake!" the girl snapped, only making Artemis laugh harder. "Jealous?"
"No way!"
"Who's she?" Morpheus whispered.
Hearing him, the girl declared, "Mortal, I'm a goddess! I'm Euryale!"
"Oh, Medusa's sister," Morpheus nodded. "Not bad, but your figure's not as good as hers, and you've got a sharp tongue. Just a bratty goddess!"
"Human, that's blasphemy!"
Euryale frowned. "Wait, why do you have such strong divinity?"
She hadn't noticed before, but now, focusing, she sensed an intense divinity in this man, far beyond a demigod's... almost a true god's.
After racking her brain, she couldn't recall a god matching his description, so she asked, "What's your name?"
"Morpheus. Just call me Morpheus."
"Morpheus?! The Morpheus?!" Euryale froze, stepping back, uncertain. "You're really that Morpheus?!"
Morpheus, curious at her reaction, asked, "You know me?"
"Who in Greece doesn't know what you did?!" Euryale exclaimed. "You fought in the Gigantomachy, helped the Olympians crush giants, then took on Typhon and killed him. Zeus offered you godhood, and you refused!
"Then you joined the Argo's expedition, slew the Mother of Monsters, but vanished afterward, never found. Your deeds are barely recorded in official histories, just wild tales!"
She smirked mockingly. "Such a pity, huh?"
Everyone present either knew Morpheus or had read his reports, except Drake, who now looked at him in awe.
"Your adventures sound epic! And she says you lived ages ago?!"
"Nah, I'm just in my teens."
Drake laughed. "But she's talking ancient Greece, and it's well past the Common Era. You sure you're a teen?!"
Morpheus sighed. "Really, I'm a teen. Test me, same result!"
"But your adventures are incredible. They match my dream of circumnavigating the world!"
Morpheus smiled. "Adventures are fun, but let's deal with the issue at hand."
He turned to Euryale. "You remember my deeds so well... are you a fan?"
"No way! I'm the one radiating idol vibes!"
Morpheus scoffed. "Idol? You? Not even a local star."
Euryale's eyes widened. "What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Just what I said!" Morpheus retorted. "An idol? They're like the sun, shining on all fans. With your attitude? Don't make me laugh!"
Seeing Morpheus' intense reaction, Ritsuka whispered to Mash, "Is Morpheus… an idol otaku?"
"No idea, Senpai. What's an idol otaku?" Mash whispered back.
Seeing Mash's clueless look, Ritsuka shook her head. "Never mind, I'll explain later. Too much to cover now."
"Oh, okay."
Euryale, stunned by Morpheus' rebuttal, forgot how to respond.
Then, the injured Asterios... the Minotaur... groaned.
Euryale hurriedly said, "Bull, stay still. You're tough; you won't die… probably."
She seemed uncertain, frowning. "If you die, this place might collapse."
"No need for that. Servants heal easily," Morpheus said, stepping forward. A surge of mana flowed into Asterios, rapidly healing the heavily injured Servant, who soon stood again.
"No surprise from a Magus famed in Greece's Age of Gods. For Phantasmal Species, it's instinct to avoid fighting the guy who says 'Veritas000' in battle, or you'll die horribly!"
Morpheus' expression shifted briefly but nodded. "Good point. If I say 'Veritas000,' I'm getting serious."
He turned to Mash. "Mash, explain our situation to her."
Dealing with NPCs was best left to Mash... Morpheus was too lazy for it.
He had other concerns: studying the labyrinth to see if Raphael's or Hermes' angelic powers could get them out.
***
If you enjoyed this story, don't forget to drop 5 stars and your power stone. And if you want to read more than 70 chapters in advance, feel free to visit: pat reon . com / KangTL