Trash Prince and Ice Queen 10th Re - Life-Chapter 153: The King’s Awakening
That afternoon, Ard invited Hardim to fly on Ace to the front lines to meet General Bharlel and deliver a letter meant for King Murmic. In just a flash, they arrived and landed near the command tent because Ace flew at such high speeds. As Ard and Hardim dismounted, General Bharlel stepped out of the tent and was shocked to see the two of them.
"You... just the two of you?" Bharlel asked.
"Yes, there’s something we need to discuss," Hardim answered, carrying his scroll.
"Come, please come inside," Bharlel replied.
They went inside, then sat at a table facing one another. Without delay, Hardim immediately recounted everything that had happened with Ard’s help. Bharlel’s face, already tense, grew even tighter, then turned to shock, and finally reached a point of total disbelief when Hardim described what Ard and Eva had done to the monsterized Idor and how they had healed King Vogir. Once Hardim and Ard finished their story, Bharlel—who clearly had many questions but hadn’t wanted to interrupt—leaned his face forward.
"So... Prince Elmer is currently in the Tartagia Kingdom... he was being held captive there all this time?" Bharlel asked.
"Correct. As I told you, it was all the work of a nobleman and sorcerer named Idor," Hardim answered, leaning his head forward as if sharing a vital state secret.
"He also controlled the King of the Giants... and a goddess from the surface possessed him?" Bharlel asked again, still finding it hard to believe.
"That’s right. That goddess has caused a lot of trouble on the surface, according to Ard... right, Ard?" Hardim asked, turning to look at Ard beside him.
"Yes, that is true. The kingdoms on the surface are currently at war because of the actions of the goddess I told you about," Ard answered while looking at Bharlel.
Bharlel seemed to ponder this; he took off his helmet and rubbed his head, which turned out to be bald on top without the helmet. The atmosphere inside the tent became silent and a bit tense. Hardim and Ard let Bharlel process everything without any interruption. Shortly after, Bharlel looked back at the two of them, his fingers tapping the table.
"Now the problem is... where is the Githiess egg... the actual size of that magical egg is enormous, perhaps as big as a mountain... it’s just that the egg can understand and shrink if we carry it... an object like that shouldn’t be easy to lose... unless," Bharlel muttered.
"Unless?" Ard asked.
"Legend says only the royal bloodline can speak to the egg—not just dwarves, but giants as well," Bharlel answered, his eyebrows furrowing.
"That’s just a legend... the truth hasn’t been proven yet," Hardim replied, waving his hand dismissively.
Ard thought long and hard. Whoever took the egg from the Grimgrath Kingdom clearly had royal blood—namely Prince Elmer—and of course, Princess Grethias of Tartagia would also be able to speak to the egg because she shared that royal lineage. A revelation struck Ard as all the dots connected; he then turned to see Hardim and Bharlel, who were silent and deep in thought.
"Maybe the egg is with Princess Lugerna," Ard blurted out thoughtfully, not realizing he had said it aloud.
Hardim and Bharlel immediately snapped their heads toward Ard so fast it looked like they were afraid their heads might fly off and bounce away.
"What did you say, Ard?" Hardim asked.
"Princess Lugerna? Hmm... she also vanished right around the same time as Prince Elmer," Bharlel added, thinking it over.
Ard immediately explained his theory, which had no evidence yet and was merely a suspicion based on his instinct. Hardim and Bharlel listened to him with total seriousness because Ard’s explanation made sense to them. Both folded their arms across their chests, nodding along as they took in everything Ard was telling them, and then they turned their gaze back toward Ard.
"Hmm... if that’s the case, then we must focus our efforts on finding Princess Lugerna," Bharlel muttered.
"True, but we don’t have a single clue," Hardim replied, thinking.
"Well, regarding that, we have no choice but to wait for Prince Elmer and Princess Grethia to wake up first. Then we can ask what actually happened 50 years ago and about Princess Lugerna, because in my opinion, they know where the Princess is located right now," Ard said casually.
"But we have to be quick, in case something happens to the Princess and the egg," Bharlel muttered.
"I don’t think anything will happen to them," Ard countered.
"How can you be so sure and say something like that?" Hardim asked.
"The Dragon God tasked us all with finding the Githiess egg. That means the egg is still intact and not destroyed. And if the Princess is with the egg, then surely she will be fine. For now, what we can do is inform King Murmic II of the current situation and the discovery of Prince Elmer, and then ask him to search for Princess Lugerna within the Grimgrath Kingdom," Ard answered casually.
Hardim and Bharlel thought it over again; this time, they thought with total seriousness and briefly glanced at one another, then they turned their gaze back toward Ard.
"Alright, I understand. I will write an additional letter regarding what I have just heard and serve as a second witness, then deliver it to the King along with the letter from Hardim," Bharlel said.
"Thank you, General," Ard replied.
Without any further delay, Bharlel immediately wrote his letter, witnessed by Ard and Hardim. Once finished, he called for a soldier to carry it to King Murmic II in the border city. Then, Ard and Hardim took their leave to return to the Tartagia Kingdom.
***
Meanwhile, at the Tartagia royal palace, Kresus, Lesnar, and Eva—who was sitting on Lesnar’s shoulder—entered King Vogir’s bedroom. They had been summoned by the King’s concubine, who had asked the guards to call for Kresus. When they entered, they saw King Vogir was already awake and sitting on his bed. His face looked confused, yet this time he appeared wise, rather than stern and evil as he had before. The King turned to look at Kresus and Lesnar.
"Greetings, King," Kresus and Lesnar said as they knelt on one knee.
Eva, who was sitting on Lesnar’s shoulder, climbed down and also bowed on one knee. Then the King shifted and lowered both his feet to the floor. The concubine stood up, intending to help the King stand, but the King raised his hand. He then held her hand gently and asked her to leave after offering his thanks. Once the concubine left and closed the door,
"Rise, Kresus," Vogir said weakly.
The three of them stood up. The King’s eyes immediately went to Eva, observing her closely, as it seemed he had never seen a human before. Then the King swayed and gripped his head.
"King Vogir," Kresus and Lesnar said as they rushed to help him.
"I am alright. What actually happened... the last thing I remember, I received news about my daughter’s disappearance because she ran away with that dwarf prince," the King muttered.
Kresus, Lesnar, and Eva fell silent upon hearing the King’s words. But then Eva jumped and stood upon the bed, staring at the King, who also turned to look at her. Then Eva bowed once more on one knee.
"Greetings, King Vogir. My name is Evangeline Juliana Orthus. I am the second princess of the Orthus Empire on the surface. Let me explain everything to you," Eva said.
"You... a human... and a princess?" Vogir asked, confused, pointing one hand at Eva.
"That is correct, Your Majesty. I am human. First, let me explain who I am," Eva answered.
Without delay, Eva immediately told him who she was, who Ard was, why they had come to Le Rein Infernal, and their ultimate goal. After that, Eva recounted what had happened over the last 50 years—including Idor’s betrayal, which she explained with help from Kresus and Lesnar—the disappearance of the Githiess egg, the influence of the Goddess Ophelia from the surface, and the discovery of Prince Elmer and Princess Grethia in the basement of Idor’s residence. The King seemed to be trying to process Eva’s entire story, which she purposely delivered slowly considering the King’s recent recovery. When Eva finished her story, the King, who was still piecing the narrative together step by step, asked several questions because he did not understand, and Eva, Kresus, and Lesnar explained as best they could.
When they were finished, the King fell deep into thought. There was no anger, no sadness, and no regret on his face; instead, his expression was like someone who had received a revelation and finally understood the truth.
"So that’s how it is. Thank goodness my child is safe. All this time I was possessed by that criminal... for 50 years, I was not myself," Vogir muttered, looking down.
"You were being controlled at the time, Your Majesty," Eva said.
"Vaguely... I can remember what I did... like I was watching it from inside my own body... like a dream... my memories are still a mess," Vogir muttered, holding his head.
"Take it slow, Your Majesty. There is no need to force yourself," Eva replied.
Eventually, the room fell silent. Eva, Kresus, and Lesnar understood that it was certainly difficult for the King to accept everything at once, as he had only just regained consciousness after being controlled for 50 years. They patiently and slowly explained things again whenever the King asked, until he truly understood.
