Trash Prince and Ice Queen 10th Re - Life-Chapter 137: Go To The Front Line
The following day, Ard, Eva, and the others were already flying aboard the Black Wind, heading toward the first defensive outpost—the front line of the war with the giants. Ard, Eva, and the rest of the group stared at a robot, an iron golem powered by a steam engine on its back. It featured Gatling guns attached to both arms and a head that looked like a bunker with a single red eye.
Its armor was covered in spikes, and while it was massive, it was not quite as large as a giant. The golem sat stationed on the deck. That iron golem belonged to Thorena; she had also brought a gunblade that appeared even larger than herself, and she sat casually in front of her robot, cleaning her blade.
But what made Ard, Eva, and the others—except for Geoffrey—a little shocked was that Thorena had shaved off her entire beard and her thin mustache. Because of that, she looked like an ordinary human girl, only shorter and more muscular than a normal human girl would be. Ard shifted closer to Geoffrey beside him.
"Bro, did she change her face?" Ard asked.
"Um... you could say that. She said she wanted to be like the other human girls... so yeah... that happened," Geoffrey answered.
"And... how do you feel about her yourself?" Ard asked.
"How should I put it... honestly, I’m becoming a bit interested in her. She’s not like other human girls... she is truly innocent and speaks her mind without a filter... it feels more comfortable that way because she doesn’t pretend," Geoffrey answered shyly.
"Hmm... in other words, you’re starting to love her?" Ard asked.
"Something like that... hey, why are you suddenly interrogating me," Geoffrey replied before finally realizing he was being grilled by Ard.
"Whoops, sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable. After all, I care about my brother, right? Besides, I’m glad you feel that way and don’t feel burdened by being the bridge that connects humans and dwarves," Ard said, patting Geoffrey on the shoulder.
"Hahaha... thanks, bro," Geoffrey replied, laughing as he put his arm around Ard.
The two of them watched as Eva, Alicia, Mirea, Beatrice, Rosalind, Adeline, Milia, Irina, and Claudia talked with Thorena, while Ainsley and Irwin carefully examined her iron golem with intense admiration. The ship continued its journey. Thindor and Hardim were on the bridge piloting the vessel, with Hardim unfolding a map to chart their path.
After they passed the plains, they reached a region of barren black land with veins of glowing red lava stretching out beneath them. In the distance, a tall volcano appeared, looking very much active. Then, on the left horizon, a dark border came into view, which appeared to be a vast subterranean sea.
After passing all of that, they arrived at a field of rocky soil and sand that looked like a barren desert. On the left horizon, the dark sea was still visible, looking like a warning that anyone who dared to come near would never return; additionally, there were occasional bolts of lightning striking the middle of the ocean, momentarily illuminating the darkness. Eva approached Ard, who was standing at the edge of the ship’s deck, looking out to the left.
"The nature down here is truly strange," Ard muttered.
"True, it feels as if every season is gathered here in one place," Eva replied, standing beside Ard.
"Now that we’re in this barren wasteland, I’m reminded of the deserts on Earth, haha," Ard said.
"Please don’t talk about Earth again; I don’t want to remember it because now I remember everything," Eva replied.
"Sorry, I’ve remembered everything too, and it really is painful," Ard said.
Suddenly, a shout was heard from one of the ship’s crew. Ard and Eva turned to look ahead, and there it was—a boundary wall that appeared to be made of stone and sand, stretching out before them in the distance. That boundary wall was the front line that had already entered the giant kingdom in the middle of the desert; from afar, several zeppelin balloons could be seen hovering over the wall. Ard asked a crew member for some binoculars and looked ahead through them.
He could see the dwarf encampments, fully armed, with several steam-powered tanks and countless iron golems lined up atop the wall, looking ready to fire. Ard handed his binoculars to Eva so she could see it too. After Eva had finished looking,
"Ard... they look like they’re shooting at something," Eva said.
"Yeah, it looks like a battle is going on behind that wall," Ard said.
"Should we go there first to help and stop the fighting?" Eva asked.
"Better not. We don’t know what the conditions are like, and don’t forget, we are humans who might actually make the situation even more complicated. We should talk to Hardim and Captain Thindor about our next move," Ard said.
"Ok, let’s head to the bridge," Eva replied.
The two of them immediately left the others and ran into the cabin to head up to the bridge above. When they entered the bridge, they saw Thindor holding the steering wheel and Hardim looking toward the wall through a pair of binoculars. Ard and Eva went straight over to Hardim.
"Ah, you’re here," Hardim greeted them without turning around.
"Yes, it looks like they’re in the middle of a battle. What should we do?" Ard asked.
"Hmm... it’s too risky if you go there. We’ll head over first and enter from the rear without crossing the wall," Thindor answered.
"Captain Thindor is right. We’ll go there first; let me and the captain speak with the general in command there," Hardim replied.
"Hmm... alright, I understand," Ard said.
"We can’t get too close. I’ll probably land a bit far from the wall, and we’ll head there using our vehicles," Thindor added.
"Alright, agreed, Captain Thindor. Oh, and one more thing... Ard and Eva, while the captain and I go ahead, please look after Princess Thorena. Don’t let her head to the front lines before we get back," Hardim said, turning to look at Ard and Eva.
"Don’t worry, I understand," Eva said.
"Yeah, leave it to us," Ard added.
After that, the Black Wing drew closer to the wall. When they were near enough, yet still at a safe distance, Thindor brought the ship down and the crew dropped the anchors just as he commanded. Once the anchors were set, the ship descended slowly, sending clouds of sand scattering into the air from the Black Wing’s propellers. After landing, Thindor and Hardim left the bridge along with Ard and Eva. They spoke with several crew members, including Ard and Eva’s friends and Thorena.
"Thorena, you wait here. The area behind the wall is under attack. The captain and I will go ahead to speak with General Bharlel," Hardim said.
"Alright, Uncle. I’ll wait here with the others," Thorena said.
"Good. I’m heading out. Ard, Eva, and everyone else—please look after this ship and Princess Thorena," Hardim replied.
"Understood, Guild Master," Ard replied.
Hardim and Thindor entered the lower hold. A moment later—"vrooong"—a vehicle resembling a jeep with a steam engine mounted on the back sped toward the wall, kicking up trails of desert dust behind them. From the deck, Ard, Eva, Thorena, and the others watched the vehicle head toward the camp at the wall. Seeing a vehicle so similar to the ones on Earth, Ard and Eva once again shook their heads, wearing faint smiles as they recalled the bitter memories in their minds.
Suddenly, "blaam," a massive explosion rang out in front of them. Everyone reflexively looked to the right, their eyes widening as they saw a gaping hole in the right side of the wall. A troop of giants, nearly as tall as the wall itself, carrying weapons like axes and wearing protective gear, marched inside. They were being bombarded by zeppelins and intercepted by units of steam-powered iron golems and dwarf soldiers firing from tanks and rifles that shot what looked like beams of light.
The giants went on a rampage, parrying the incoming fire. Among them were those with four arms carrying massive shields, blocking every shot to protect the troops moving in.
"The wall has been breached; this is bad," Ard said.
"So what now? Do we move?" Eva asked.
"Yes, big brother, what should we do?" Adeline asked.
Ard turned to look at Eva, then he looked at Alicia, Milia, Beatrice, Rosalind, Mirea, Claudia, Adeline, Irwin, Irina, and Ainsley, who were all looking back at him while gripping the hilts of their swords and summoning their familiars. He also saw Thorena, who had already climbed into her golem, with Geoffrey trying to convince her not to move. Ard ran a hand through his hair, then looked at the encroaching giants once more.
"The moment they reach us, we act to protect this airship," Ard said.
"Understood," everyone replied in unison—including Thorena, who was inside her golem with the helmet open, and Geoffrey, who stood behind the rest of them.
