Trash Prince and Ice Queen 10th Re - Life-Chapter 124: Kingdom of Grimgrath, Dwarf’s Ancient Kingdom
Bhadra returned carrying the letter of introduction for the miners’ guild and handed it to Ard. Afterward, he sat back down in his chair.
"Hand that letter to the guild receptionist; they will grant you permission to enter the mine," he said.
"Alright, thank you for your help, Chief. Also, there is one more thing. Regarding your curse on the Scrodinix family—could we ask you to release it?" Ard asked bluntly.
The atmosphere immediately went silent as everyone stopped talking, including Bhadra. Ard and Eva kept observing Bhadra’s face, which was cast downward and filled with emotion. His hands were clenched into fists, and it was clear that the backlash of the curse was still eating away at him, even though Irina had helped him the day before. Finally, after a long silence and seeing that Bhadra remained speechless, Ard and Eva took the initiative. They stepped forward and took hold of Bhadra’s hands, leaving him confused.
"Um... what are you doing?" Bhadra asked.
Without answering Bhadra’s question, Ard and Eva immediately released their healing energy in the form of a gray glow that instantly coated Bhadra’s body. Bhadra’s face looked shocked, but he seemed comfortable; his body, which had been thin and frail, suddenly filled out again. His previously pale face returned to its original state, and he became healthy once more, no longer looking like someone suffering from the backlash of his own curse, despite the partial healing Irina had provided.
Bhadra’s body floated slightly off the ground, enveloped in energy shaped like gray light that swirled from bottom to top like a vortex. After a few moments, Bhadra’s body settled back onto the chair where he had been sitting, and the light vanished. Ard and Eva let out a long breath, then waited for Bhadra to open his eyes. When Bhadra opened them, he looked straight at Ard and Eva; his face appeared fresh and energetic, no longer tired and weak as it was before. His face showed many expressions, but above all, he looked relieved. Then, he bowed before Ard and Eva once again.
"Thank you, Ashton and Esmeralda... thank you for forgiving me and even healing me," Bhadra said, his voice trembling.
"You weren’t entirely wrong, but holding onto an old grudge isn’t good. So, it’s best if you lift your curse from them and live in peace," Ard said. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
"Right. One of their granddaughters is my friend and Ard’s fiancée. I don’t want her to be hit by your curse like her predecessors," Eva added.
"I understand, I will lift the curse from them. Besides, I’m sure my child wouldn’t want me to be like this," Bhadra muttered.
Bhadra reached his hand inside his clothes, then pulled out a clay doll studded with crystal stones embedded in its stomach. He placed the doll between both of his hands and immediately squeezed it until it shattered; the fragments of the doll crumbled and fell to the floor along with the crystals. Ard and Eva, watching this, felt a sense of relief, though they didn’t let it show on their faces. After that,
"Thank you for listening to us. So, what exactly is inside that mine, Chief?" Ard asked.
"Your destination is the lowest level of the mine, deep inside the mountain. According to legend, there lies an ancient dwarven kingdom called Grimgrath. The only problem is, no one has ever returned to the surface once they reached it. That is why the mine was closed and requires a permit to enter. If you are looking for the Githiess egg, there is a high probability it is located there," Bhadra said.
"Hmm... that means the place is quite dangerous. But how do the miners know there’s a kingdom in there if no one ever actually returns?" Eva asked.
"When you reach the very bottom of the mine, there is a bridge that crosses over lava. At the end of it sits a massive gate that is always tightly sealed, like a cave blocked by a door of cold steel that looks like ice. According to stories from the few who have seen the gate, some miners who were with them once went inside and never came back out. The guild even sent people in and never heard from them again. Eventually, they decided that the area was off-limits," Bhadra answered.
"I have. A guild envoy once invited me there to translate the inscriptions in front of the gate. That is how we know the gate belongs to an ancient dwarven kingdom called Grimgrath... once I learned the name of the kingdom, I searched for it in my tribe’s ancient parchments, and the name of that kingdom was indeed recorded as the greatest and last dwarven kingdom to ever exist in this world," Bhadra answered.
Ard and Eva fell silent for a moment, appearing to be in deep thought. Irina also seemed to be thinking as she leaned against the wall with her arms folded across her chest. After a while, Ard and Eva looked back toward Bhadra.
"Alright, Chief, we will go to the miners’ guild to get the permit now. Thank you for your help," Ard said.
"Thank you for the information as well; we understand now," Eva added.
"Very well. I ask that you be careful when you go inside. We don’t know what lies behind that gate. If it truly is too dangerous, get out of there immediately," Bhadra replied.
"Understood, Chief. We’ll take our leave now," Ard replied.
Ard and Eva stood up, then said their goodbyes to Bhadra once more before exiting his house. Once they were outside and walking toward the miners’ guild to pick up the permit, Ard turned to look at Eva, who was walking beside him.
"Eva, do you think the Dwarves still exist? Three thousand years ago, we never encountered them even once. We only ever heard about them from Bledvolf, right," Ard said.
"Hmm... I’m not sure. But if that ancient kingdom is still there inside the mountain... it’s possible the Dwarves are still there too... though I still have my doubts about the truth of it," Eva said.
"True. I actually heard about the greatest ancient dwarven kingdom lost inside a mountain once, but I didn’t expect that kingdom to be in this city. When I lived in Durnhill during my third life, I never visited this town," Ard said.
"This is my first time in this city as well. I really didn’t expect it," Eva added.
"The Dwarves and Lizardmen still exist in this world, or so the Dragon God says. You encountered the Lizardmen back when you went to the elves’ sacred tree, didn’t you," Irina interjected from between Ard and Eva.
Hearing that, Ard and Eva turned to look at Irina with faces full of questions. Naturally, Irina cleared her throat and immediately began to explain. According to Bedryt, the Dwarves indeed still exist and live within the mountains of the Durnhill and Ateras kingdoms. Their servants, the Lizardmen, still roam outside—for example, in the elf village guarding their ancestral tree.
When the war between the five Primordial Dragons and the god Ordione ended, the Dwarves disappeared and went into hiding, never to come out again.
"Hmm... if that’s the case, then there is a high probability that the Dwarves still exist in that kingdom," Ard muttered.
"We’ll know for sure once we get there," Eva added.
"I will continue to follow you from behind, just to stay on guard according to the task given to me by the Dragon God," Irina added.
"Okay, I’m counting on you," Ard replied with a smile.
"We need backup in case anything happens in there," Eva added with a smile.
"Leave it to me," Irina added, patting her chest and smiling.
Then, they continued their journey to the other side of the city where the miners’ guild was located to pick up the permit, so they could enter the mine as soon as possible. Once inside, they went straight to the receptionist and handed over the letter from Bhadra. While the receptionist went into the back with the letter, Ard and Eva turned to look around them; all around, they saw many miners queuing up to sell the minerals they had produced. Not long after, the receptionist returned.
"Pardon me, our guild master wishes to meet you. Please, follow me inside," the receptionist invited.
Ard and Eva turned to look at one another, then nodded and walked after the receptionist to meet the guild master, while Irina, having turned invisible, followed them from behind.
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To my dear readers and editors, I am deeply sorry for not updating any Chapters for the past four days. I have been ill and was only able to return with a new Chapter today, even though I am still pushing myself a bit. Moving forward, I will resume updating new Chapters for this novel as usual. For that reason, please forgive me if this latest update is less than satisfactory or contains repetitive phrasing; I will re-read and fix any mistakes. I also welcome feedback from the editors handling my novel. Once again, I offer my sincerest apologies and thank you for your understanding. I will do my absolute best to finish this novel, thank you... regards, the author.
