Trash Prince and Ice Queen 10th Re - Life-Chapter 146: Infiltrate and Investigate
That night, after planning meticulously and deciding to investigate Idor first, Ard, Irina, Irwin, and Lesnar snuck into Idor’s house. The place resembled a temple because, according to Lesnar, Idor and his followers occasionally held ritual ceremonies there. As they entered silently, Ard, Irina, and Irwin could see illustrated pillars inside the front porch of Idor’s home.
Ard narrowed his eyes to look at the giant images on the gate doors, which displayed carvings that looked like hieroglyphs. They depicted a goddess portrayed as an Egyptian deity facing right, and a god portrayed as a male Mesopotamian deity with wings and horns facing left, both standing face-to-face.
"Hmm... Ard, these images... are they what I think they are?" Irwin asked, whispering into Ard’s ear.
"Yes, this is clearly a depiction of the goddess Ophelia and the demon god Malekh, portrayed as a goddess and god from ancient Egypt and ancient Mesopotamia," Ard answered in a whisper.
"Huh... ancient Egypt? Ancient Mesopotamia?" Irina asked, whispering back in confusion.
"Don’t worry about it. We can’t exactly walk in through the front door, can we?" Ard asked Lesnar, quickly changing the subject.
"Follow me; we’ll enter through a secret path from the sewers leading to the basement," Lesnar whispered.
They jumped down from the front porch and ran toward the side of the building, which was only one story tall but incredibly vast. When they reached the back side, they saw several soldiers patrolling with torches. As the guards walked past, the group immediately ducked behind a wall. Lesnar, with his massive frame, shielded Ard, Irwin, and Irina from view. Once the guards had passed, they broke into a run again until they finally found a hole beside the building, right near a back alley within the house-temple complex, covered by iron bars.
Lesnar lifted the bars. Using one arm, he pulled Ard, Irwin, and Irina against his chest and jumped inside. "Splash," Lesnar landed in the underground waterway or sewer. He waded through the water and jumped onto a ledge with Ard, Irwin, and Irina still perched on his arm. Once they reached dry ground, Lesnar set the three of them down and took the lead, carrying a torch to show the way, as the layout of the sewers looked like a labyrinth.
Of course, walking through the sewers was incredibly uncomfortable and nothing like a stroll through a park. Ard, Irina, and Irwin went as far as covering their noses because of the piercing stench, and they tried their best not to look at the thick, black, foamy stream of water flowing beside them. Driven by curiosity, Ard spoke up to Lesnar, who was leading the way.
"How do you know this path, Lesnar?" Ard asked.
"I’ve been here before to investigate. Truth be told, I’ve been suspicious of Idor ever since I caught him in the King’s study performing a ritual. At the time, I didn’t know or understand what he was doing. But after talking with you all and seeing the King’s strange behavior lately—being so consumed by grief and holding such a grudge against the dwarves—I want to find out what’s really going on. It’s clearly connected to Idor," Lesnar answered.
"Hmm... that makes sense," Irina muttered.
"So that’s it. Maybe the symptoms are just like what Emperor Ellard III and King Durnhill went through, Ard... it looks like Edmund’s handiwork," Irwin said, turning to look at Ard.
"Could be. That’s why we’re investigating his residence now. Looking at the carvings on the door earlier, it’s obvious he’s connected to Ophelia and Malekh," Ard muttered.
"Do you recognize the goddess and god on that door, Lesnar?" Irina asked.
"No. There are five gods we worship: Bedryt the God of Life, Githiess the Goddess of the Sky, Lucathan the Goddess of the Sea, Qoaldriog the God of the Land, and Zorax the God of the Underworld," Lesnar said.
Ard, Irwin, and Irina immediately looked at one another. The gods Lesnar mentioned were clearly the five Primordial Dragons of ancient times, and they certainly knew exactly who they were. They hadn’t expected that the giants living in Le Rein Infernal worshipped the Primordial Dragons, who were now asleep and sealed on the surface.
"Hmm... I see," Irwin muttered, deep in thought.
"Once we get back, could you show us these five gods?" Ard asked.
"Of course. We’re almost there," Lesnar answered.
Lesnar turned a corner and they arrived at a dead end. He set his torch down, standing it up on the floor, and began feeling along the wall in front of him. A moment later, "grrk," Lesnar pressed a stone brick—one about the size of a modern lightweight block but made of limestone like the stones of a pyramid—and the wall creaked open. Behind it lay a corridor illuminated by torches. They stepped inside, and the wall closed behind them. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
"Hmm... so this is the way to the basement?" Ard asked while looking around. The walls were covered in hieroglyphic drawings that clearly told the story of the giant civilization, featuring images of giants farming by a river, raising livestock, and building technology that was hard to understand.
"That’s right, this is the secret path I mentioned," Lesnar answered as he walked ahead, carrying a torch.
When they reached the middle of the corridor, Lesnar suddenly stopped and faced the right wall. He held his torch up so the drawings would be visible. Naturally, Ard, Irwin, and Irina turned to look; their eyes widened at the image of a massive tree in the center and a bearded old man with a blurred face looking to the side, his hands held stiffly, one up and one down. Above him was a goddess facing sideways like an ancient Egyptian wall painting with a stiff expression and large eyes. To the lower right, representing the ocean, was a woman who was half-fish, also facing sideways. To the right, representing the land, was a man who appeared to be wearing clothes made of leaves, also looking to the side.
The three of them formed a triangle surrounding the tree and the old man in the center. Below the triangle, there was a man with horns and a black dragon tail, with many tongues of flame burning the ground beneath his feet.
"Hey... this drawing?" Irina asked, clearly recognizing the old man in the center.
"Yes, these are our gods and goddesses. That tree is the Tree of Life that protects the world, guarded by the five gods," Lesnar answered.
"Hmm... I see. Apparently, the giants depict the five Primordial Dragons as their gods and goddesses," Ard muttered to himself. "So that’s what the giants believe," Ard muttered aloud in response to Lesnar.
"Exactly. That’s why I didn’t recognize the gods on Idor’s front door. Only now do I understand—if we can prove he worships gods other than our own, we’ll have a reason to corner him," Lesnar said.
"Hmm... that’s true. If so, he’s committing blasphemy, and we have the right to judge him," Irwin muttered, deep in thought.
"Let’s keep going," Lesnar urged.
"Right," Ard, Irina, and Irwin replied.
They continued walking until they finally reached a staircase leading up to an open doorway above them. After climbing up and entering, they arrived in a vast room that looked like a hall, with many pillars lining the left and right sides. But Lesnar immediately tossed his torch aside and pulled Ard, Irina, and Irwin close. He ran behind a pillar and peered ahead. The sound of many people praying could be heard.
Lesnar peeked out, and his arm, which was holding Ard, Irina, and Irwin, moved slightly so the three of them could see. Ard, Irina, and Irwin’s eyes widened at the sight of a vast number of giants, appearing to be city dwellers, wearing hooded red robes in the center of the hall illuminated by torches. But most shockingly, there was an old four-armed giant with a long beard, and a four-armed giant sitting on a throne-like chair wearing a crown, looking mighty. He stood at the front beside an altar, upon which sat a large white egg with an angel’s halo above it.
Behind the altar stood two massive giant statues seated on thrones. The one on the left depicted a female pharaoh who looked like an ancient Egyptian queen, while the one on the right depicted a male pharaoh with horns who looked like an ancient Egyptian king.
"That’s Githiess’s egg," Irina whispered, pointing ahead.
"Right. Now we have proof that the egg has been in Idor’s hands all along and they are using it for their ceremonies," Ard muttered in a whisper.
"But what about Elmer and Grethia? Where are they if the egg is right there?" Irwin asked in a whisper.
"That’s what we need to find out. And the man sitting on the throne near the altar—that is definitely the real King Vogir... the King Vogir in the palace is not the true king," Lesnar whispered.
Ard, Irina, and Irwin turned to look at Lesnar, who appeared furious. Then, they cast their eyes back toward the mighty giant sitting on the throne near the altar, facing his robed subjects with a vacant stare, like someone who had lost his soul.
