Trash Prince and Ice Queen 10th Re - Life-Chapter 125: Secret of the Guild Master

"Knock... knock."

The receptionist tapped on the guild master’s door. "Come in," a man’s booming voice thundered from inside. The receptionist opened the door and gestured for Ard, Eva, and Irina to enter. As the three stepped in, they were taken aback by the sight of a human man so massive he was almost like a giant. He was incredibly stout, squeezed into clothes that were far too small, and sat behind a desk that looked like a toy compared to his frame. Bhadra’s letter looked like a tiny scrap in his hands. Seeing this bizarre figure, Ard and Eva moved closer together.

"Is he... human?" Ard whispered to Eva. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"I don’t know... his body is strange. He’s not a giant, but he definitely isn’t human," Eva replied.

Irina, still invisible, stood still and watched the strange man with a look of total confusion. After the receptionist left and closed the door, the guild master invited Ard and Eva to sit on the sofa. He removed a pair of glasses that looked tiny on his wide face and stared at them with a vacant, hollow gaze.

"So, you intend to enter the mine, go through the gates of the Grimgrath Kingdom, and search for the Githiess egg—at least according to this letter. Is that right?" the guild master asked.

"That’s right," Ard replied briefly, his eyes fixed on the man.

"What is your name? I am Evangeline, and he is Arden," Eva said, introducing them.

"Ah, forgive me. My name is Hardim Nighthorn. I am the head of the miners’ guild in this city," Hardim said.

Ard and Eva remained silent, studying Hardim. His face was flat, and his hollow gaze felt like it was piercing straight through their skulls. He seemed incredibly stiff. Ard and Eva stood up, their hands reaching out to summon their swords from dimensional storage. Seeing the two blades in their hands, Hardim stood up slowly.

"So, are you soul fragments of the Goddess Ordione?" Hardim asked bluntly.

"Hey... hey... don’t go around calling us soul fragments of that goddess. We are our own people. Like we told you, I’m Ard and she’s Eva. So please, don’t just lump us in with some other entity that isn’t even around anymore," Ard answered.

"Why don’t you show your true form... dwarf?" Eva asked, leveling her sword at him.

The room fell dead silent. Hardim stood rigid behind the desk while Ard and Eva leveled Exgrandal and Exelion directly at him. A moment later, a sudden loud "Hahahaha" broke the air. Hardim laughed with a stiff, frozen face, and then white steam began hissing out from the joints of his body. His back split wide open, forcing the head to lurch forward until it was staring at the floor.

"Thump," something could be heard jumping down from Hardim’s back. Suddenly, the massive body of Hardim collapsed into a heap of stones arranged like a man, much smaller than its original size. But standing right next to it was a man half the height of a human, incredibly stout and muscular. He had thick red hair tied in braids, and his beard and mustache were so dense that the only things visible on his face were his eyes and nose.

Ard and Eva gasped. The giant "Hardim" was actually a golem, and the figure standing beside it was someone they had only ever heard of in legends: a dwarf.

"Forgive me, Third Prince of the Frendonia Kingdom and Second Princess of the Orthus Empire. Since you aren’t ordinary humans, I had to test you. It turns out you are indeed the ones I’ve been waiting for. I heard stories of Ashton and Esmeralda from 3,000 years ago and followed the tales of their journey among the barbarians. Even though no dwarf ever met you back then, it seems you are exactly as the legends described. It is an honor to meet you," said Hardim, now in his dwarven form.

"So, are you also from 3,000 years ago?" Ard asked.

"Of course not. Dwarves like me only live up to 500 years at most. We heard your story from the humans—specifically the barbarian tribes—and followed your legend in the hope that you could save us, the dwarven race," Hardim answered as he walked over to the sofa and sat across from Ard and Eva, who lowered and put away their swords.

"Oh, okay. But what do you mean by saying we are the hope that can save you? Can you explain that?" Eva asked, confused.

"Ah, right. I will explain. But before that, I am granting you permission to enter the Kingdom of Grimgrath, the last kingdom of the dwarves, located in the north-to-west region of the Durnhill Kingdom... however, if you are looking for the Githiess egg there, that egg is not in that place," Hardim said.

"Hmm... the egg isn’t there? Then why isn’t anyone allowed to go inside? I thought you were all protecting that egg," Ard muttered.

"I don’t allow access there because I don’t want humans to know about the existence of us dwarves. The goal is to protect us from them and to protect them from our technology. The dwarven race is unique; besides loving shiny objects, getting drunk, and fighting, we also love to create and research. Naturally, I don’t want our research results and technology to be used by humans and the outside world," Hardim said in a deep, heavy voice.

Ard and Eva immediately turned to look at the massive golem, which looked like a humanoid robot from the future, yet it was crafted from stone with a body covered in magical runes and could be entered by someone to change their appearance.

After that, both of them turned back to look at Hardim. Naturally, they immediately understood Hardim’s point, as both of them had experienced life on Earth as Ace and Edith during the era of the Second World War.

"Hmm... I see. I understand if that is indeed the reason," Eva said.

"Yeah, we have been in a world where technology was used for warfare, and the results were absolutely horrific," Ard added.

"Exactly. That is why I cannot allow anyone inside, and if anyone dares to enter, I guarantee they will never come out again. Not because they are killed, but because they are forced to live there until they die," Hardim said.

Then they were silent for a moment. The massive golem walked over to fetch drinks at Hardim’s command, then placed the glasses and bottle on the table as smoothly and gently as a well-trained servant. Naturally, Ard and Eva were amazed by the sight; even Irina, who was invisible and had only been listening, gasped with her mouth wide open, unable to believe what she was seeing.

After Hardim poured drinks for Ard and Eva, he invited them to toast, and the three of them drank immediately after clinking their glasses. After setting his glass back on the table,

"So, can you tell us now what you meant about the Dwarves needing our help?" Ard asked.

"Ah... right. As I explained, the Githiess egg is not in the Kingdom of Grimgrath. But we know where that egg is... it is in the kingdom of the Giants located within the underworld, and currently, the Kingdom of Grimgrath is at war with them. Perhaps you could help end a war that has been going on for nearly five hundred years?" Hardim asked.

Ard and Eva’s jaws dropped. Both immediately turned to look at each other, and even Irina revealed herself, shocked by Hardim’s request—though he clearly wasn’t surprised to see her, as he already knew she was there. Hardim’s request was no ordinary favor.

A request to end a war that had lasted nearly five hundred years was clearly not a small matter; it was a massive burden because they would have to travel to the underworld. It was a world that occupied the empty spaces inside the planet, a place of forgotten legends and the gathering site for the spirits of the dead—a place called Le Rien Infernal ( a place like Hollow Earth on Earth).

Ard and Eva turned to look at Irina, who was now sitting between them.

"Did the Dragon God know about this?" Ard asked.

"Um... maybe," Irina answered hesitantly.

"He definitely already knew, and that’s why he tasked us with getting the Githiess egg. I just didn’t expect it to be like this," Eva said.

"Haaah... so before we deal with the war on the surface, we have to settle a war in the underworld first. I see how it is," Ard muttered.

"It seems that way," Eva muttered.

"Forgive me, but before you decide, allow me to return to the Dragon God to ask him about this," Irina said.

"I will not force you to help us. However, if you truly want to retrieve the Githiess egg stolen by the giants, you will inevitably have to help us. The entrance to the underworld can only be accessed through the Kingdom of Grimgrath, which has guarded that path for thousands of years," Hardim said.

Ard and Eva fell silent. They were thinking hard inside their own heads, while their hands reached out to stop Irina from moving to leave them and returning home to the Dragon God.