Trash Prince and Ice Queen 10th Re - Life-Chapter 136: Fight For Peace
A few moments later, after the soldiers had filed back out of the room, everyone sat down again around the table to discuss the war with the giant kingdom. Once everything was clear, it turned out that the reason Murmic was at war—and why Hardim had asked for Ard and Eva’s help to stop it—was that the crown prince, named Elmar Goldshield, had fled the kingdom with his lover, a princess of the giant kingdom. They had taken a national treasure with them: the last Githiess egg remaining in the world, which was being preserved so it would not hatch.
Murmic assumed Elmar was in the giant kingdom, but in reality, he didn’t know where his son was hiding with the giant princess after they had placed the Githiess egg in the kingdom of the giants, where it was now being worshiped.
"So the reason the Githiess egg is there is because of your son’s actions?" Ard asked.
"Correct. It all happened about 50 years ago. We were at war with the giant kingdom, but he went and fell in love with a giant princess... what a useless son," Murmic muttered furiously.
"And you don’t know where your son is?" Eva asked.
"I don’t know, but I suspect he is on the opposite continent—the one guarded by Lucathan. There are also dwarves there who occasionally come to the surface and ally themselves with the barbarians," Murmic answered irritably.
"Oh... the place where Lurgena is, right?" Hardim added.
"Most likely... I can’t be sure yet because we can’t cross the ocean due to Lucathan," Murmic said.
"Hmm... dwarves with my people, huh," Claudia muttered.
"You... are from the barbarian tribes on the surface?" Murmic asked, looking at Claudia.
"That’s right. I have indeed heard legends about a dwarf tribe within my own tribe... they are suspected to be in the northern mountains, where the gates of hell sealing Malekh are located. And there is also a barbarian village there with residents who are a bit strange; they have bodies much larger than most common humans," Claudia answered thoughtfully.
"Ah... I see. Are those people as big as golems?" Hardim asked.
"Yes, exactly. Not every villager is like that, but those giants are incredibly strong," Claudia answered.
"There’s no doubt about it. Those are dwarves using golems as disguises. I used a golem like that on the surface myself. Without realizing it, you’ve been living alongside dwarves there. Perhaps your daughter, Lurgena, is there too, brother," Hardim said, turning to look at Murmic.
"Hmm... it’s possible. We just haven’t been able to get there," Murmic said thoughtfully.
Ard and Eva looked at each other, then sighed in unison. Finally, they both looked at Murmic.
"Alright, we understand, Your Majesty. First of all, allow us to go to the giant kingdom to speak with them and retrieve the Githiess egg. Secondly, allow us to cross to the opposite continent to visit the dwarf tribes there, since our ultimate goal is to go to the mountains where the gates of hell are located to kill Malekh," Ard proposed.
Everyone immediately turned to look at Ard, except for Eva. Murmic and Hardim appeared to be thinking deeply after hearing Ard’s proposal. Then, Ard turned to look at Thorena, who was sitting next to Geoffrey.
"To that end, I want Princess Thorena to come with us as the representative of this kingdom. What do you say, Your Majesty?" Ard asked.
Murmic instantly snapped his head up to stare at Ard as if the boy had grown two heads; he studied Ard’s face, which looked confident yet relaxed. Then he turned to look at Eva, whose expression seemed to say, "I agree with him and will always support him." Meanwhile, Thorena gazed at Ard with a look that was both grateful and excited, knowing she would finally see the outside world.
Hardim nodded along and folded his arms across his chest, his face showing a clear hope that he would be invited on the journey Ard and Eva were planning. He was certain his brother would task him with guarding his daughter, and he was right; King Murmic leaned back in his chair, looking weak and resigned.
"Fine. I understand your proposal, and I think it’s the most logical choice at the moment. I will allow Thorena to go with you, but I ask that Hardim goes with you as well—at the very least to look after my daughter," Murmic said.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Ard said, relieved that his proposal had been accepted.
"Thank you, Papa! I’m so happy to hear that. I will represent you and be the ambassador for our kingdom," Thorena said while hugging Geoffrey’s arm. This time, he let her and simply smiled.
"Yeah, yeah... even if I didn’t give my permission, you would have gone anyway, wouldn’t you?" Murmic said.
"Of course, Papa. Since Elmar and Lurgena already ran away, if I wasn’t allowed, I would have just followed after them," Thorena replied casually.
"Grrr... kids these days," Murmic muttered furiously.
Ard and Hardim laughed at his reaction. Meanwhile, Eva, Alicia, Pyria, Beatrice, Adeline, Rosalind, Milia, Claudia, Mirea, Ainsley, Irwin, Irina, and Geoffrey, who was sitting next to Thorena, looked relieved. They also seemed ready and even a bit excited because they were about to explore Le Rien Infernal on their way to the giant kingdom, and then cross the subterranean sea to the continent on the other side to meet the dwarf tribes there.
After that, they began discussing the logistics, troops, and transportation for the departure of Ard, Eva, and the others. Naturally, Ard proposed using Captain Thorin’s airship, the Black Wind, but without bringing any soldiers along. For the sake of security, Murmic opposed Ard’s suggestion, but Ard emphasized that they were going to the giant kingdom in peace and had no intention of sparking a war. However, if they failed and the giants captured them instead, Ard, Eva, and the others were ready to fight—and perhaps take the Githiess egg by force while destroying the giant kingdom in the process.
As a king, Murmic certainly knew the legends of the heroes Ashton and Esmeralda, who had imprisoned the demon god Malekh 3,000 years ago, and he clearly understood their power. To further convince him, Ard and Eva drew their swords—Exgrandal and Exelion—to show them to him. Additionally, he looked at Ard and Eva’s friends and saw that, besides humans, there were elves and demons among them. Their strength was beyond doubt, and finally, he took a long, deep breath and let it out.
"Fine, but as for Thorena, I want her fully armed—" Murmic turned to look at Thorena. "—bring your combat golem and your weapons. Do you understand?" he said firmly, clearly leaving no room for a ’no.’
"I understand, Papa. I’ll bring everything I need," Thorena said.
"One more thing, Your Majesty. I must tell you what is currently happening on the surface and why we are on this journey," Ard added.
Immediately, Ard, Eva, and their friends explained everything to King Murmic. They covered the events at the academy, the Orthus Empire’s declaration of war against the Ateras Kingdom—with its clear goal of reaching the gates of hell—and the war declaration by the Durnhill Kingdom, who had allied with Orthus against the Fredonia Kingdom, which was supported by the Rellios Kingdom and the elven tribes. Finally, they spoke of the threat of Goddess Ophelia and the Demon God Malekh, who could unite at any moment.
Hearing the situation Ard, Eva, and the others were facing, King Murmic fell completely silent. Naturally, the problems faced by the people in front of him far outweighed the racial disputes experienced by the dwarves. He then leaned his body forward and looked at Ard and Eva.
"I understand. If you succeed in making peace between us and the giant kingdom, I promise I will join you and support you on the surface against your enemies," Murmic said.
"We aren’t asking for that, Your Majesty. I don’t want to involve the dwarves, but Eva and I had to inform you of the current state of the world," Ard said.
"We dwarves are also inhabitants of this world, even if we stay underground. If the world is threatened, we can’t exactly just stay quiet, can we? No need to worry; I will set aside the racial issues that caused us to isolate ourselves underground and go out to help. This is what our Papa wanted before he died—isn’t that right, Hardim?" Murmic asked, turning to look at Hardim.
"Exactly. We focus on ending the war with the giant kingdom that has lasted nearly 500 years first. After that, we’ll head to the surface and, of course, we dwarves will support the kingdom you are going to establish—right, brother?" Hardim replied.
"That is true. As the King of the Grimgarth Kingdom, I decree that Grimgarth joins with the heroes Ashton and Esmeralda," Murmic said, bowing his head and placing a hand over his chest in respect.
"Save that for later, Your Majesty. Once we return from the giant kingdom, then it can be decided," Ard replied, trying to get Murmic to raise his head again.
"Yes, that’s right, Your Majesty. Now it’s time for us to get to work, and hopefully, the King of the giant kingdom is someone we can talk to," Eva added.
"Very well. We, the Kingdom of Grimgarth, thank you for being willing to help us achieve peace," Murmic replied.
"You’re welcome. We’re happy to help," Ard and Eva replied in unison.
