Under Bharlel’s orders, Orin and several other dwarves moved their tanks to form a circle, enclosing Bharlel, Kresus, Ard, Eva, Hardim, and a giant vice-commander nad Lasnar, who had only two arms. The two giants sat on the tanks, using them as chairs. anwhile, Ard, Eva, and Hardim climbed onto a tank and sat on top of it. Thindor returned to his ship to move it to the dwarves’ defensive camp. Bharlel, standing atop a tank, opened the conversation.
"All right, Lord Ard and Lady Eva, please explain who you are to the two giants with us and your purpose for being here. I have already heard everything from Master Hardim," Bharlel said.
"Fine, Eva and I will explain," Ard said.
Without further delay, Ard and Eva explained exactly who they were, their objective, and what was happening on the surface, as well as the reason they were on this journey. Both of them also asked about the Githiess egg located in the giant kingdom of Tartagia. Kresus and his deputy, Lasnar, listened to Ard and Eva’s explanation. Their faces, which had been indifferent at first, began to focus, and by the end, they were taking everything Ard and Eva told them seriously, without even blinking.
Hardim explained in greater detail how Ard and Eva were actually Ashton and Esralda from 3,000 years ago—the two heroes who sealed the demon god Malekh at the gates of hell. Of course, Kresus and Lasnar had heard the stories of Ashton and Esralda before, because the sealing of Malekh had truly brought change to the world, both on the surface and deep underground in Le Rien Infernal. Kresus and Lasnar, who were previously skeptical, beca believers when Ard and Eva once again revealed their legendary swords, Exgrandal and Exelion.
The mont they saw the two swords Ard and Eva produced, Kresus and Lasnar stood up, and then—"boom"—both knelt down heavily on one knee, sending a tremor through the ground.
"Forgive our insolence, Lord Ard and Lady Eva," Kresus said with a booming voice.
"Good grief... please stand up, just treat us like normal people," Ard said.
"That’s right, please don’t be so formal with us," Eva added.
"Very well," Kresus replied.
The two of them stood up again and then sat back down on the steam tanks, which seed to serve as perfectly sized chairs for them.
"Before we continue, I must apologize. Regarding the Githiess egg, unfortunately, that egg is not in our kingdom. The one in the city square is a replica, as we do indeed worship Githiess as our goddess," Kresus explained.
"Hmm? Is that true?" Hardim asked in shock.
"It is. The reason we, the giants, are attacking the dwarf kingdom is to reclaim our master’s egg, which you have turned into your royal treasure," Lasnar answered.
The atmosphere turned silent and tension returned. Ard and Eva looked toward Hardim, who appeared annoyed and confused as he sat deep in thought. Bharlel glanced at Hardim, but he remained quiet and said nothing. Ard and Eva thought back; naturally, they rembered what King Murmic II had told them about the events of 50 years ago before they set out. Then Ard turned to look at Hardim.
"Does this have sothing to do with Prince Elr?" Ard asked.
"Elr? Prince Elr from dwarven kingdom? Do not ntion that na in our presence," Kresus said, standing up, followed imdiately by Lasnar.
Ard went silent instantly. He looked at Kresus and Lasnar in front of him, who both appeared furious. It was clear that the story regarding Elr was not as simple as he had thought.
"Stay calm. We are not taking sides. Please explain this with a cool head before we make a fatal, irreversible mistake," Ard said firmly while tightly gripping his sword, Exgrandal. His eyes t Kresus and Lasnar’s with a serious, sharp gaze.
Seeing Ard’s serious expression and Eva standing beside him ready to back him up, Lasnar gripped Kresus’s shoulder and tried to calm him down. He knew that Ard and Eva looked dead serious, and it was far from certain that their forces could match the pair if they intended to destroy them. Kresus understood Lasnar’s point and sat back down, followed by Lasnar. Ard and Eva sat down as well.
"Okay, now explain what actually happened 50 years ago. I want to hear it from the giants’ side," Ard said.
Kresus took a breath to steady himself, then began to recount the events of 50 years ago. It turned out that back then, Elr had co with his army to the kingdom of the giants to establish peace between the dwarves and the giants. He arrived carrying the original Githiess egg with the intention of returning it to the giants as a peace offering, aiming to end a war that had been raging for nearly 500 years since ancient tis.
Elr t with King Vogir to discuss peace and to question why their two kingdoms continued to fight when they were the only ones living in Le Rien Infernal. King Vogir, still skeptical, considered Prince Elr’s proposal despite many concerns regarding the traditions and history of the giants; nevertheless, he accepted the peace offering from the prince. King Vogir asked for ti to think it over, stating that if the dwarves truly desired peace, he would be willing to et with King Murmic II to seal a treaty.
While waiting, Prince Elr stayed in the capital of the Tartagia Kingdom, and during that ti, he beca close to a princess of the kingdom nad Grethia. Initially, the giants saw no issue with this, until one day, Prince Elr and Princess Grethia vanished, along with the Githiess egg from the capital square, without leaving any word behind. A search was conducted, and this drove King Vogir into a rage; he sent envoys to the dwarf kingdom to et King Murmic, but his envoys were killed by the dwarves. That is why the war beca far more devastating than before, making peace between the two kingdoms seemingly impossible.
Kresus and Lasnar told their story with fiery passion; they felt betrayed and insulted by the dwarves, such that their king’s grudge had beco a mass vendetta for the people of the Tartagia Kingdom. Hearing Kresus and Lasnar’s story, Hardim stood up imdiately.
"Huh... what we heard was that your princess seduced our prince and they ran off together while stealing our royal treasure," Hardim said loudly, pointing his finger toward Kresus.
"Hah... it was your prince who ca to our kingdom under the guise of peace, and when the king sent envoys, you threw the heads of the king’s ssengers in front of our capital!" Kresus shouted back, snapping with fury.
"Yeah, because your ssengers accused our prince of coming to your kingdom just to seduce your princess, and on top of that, you stole the Githiess egg that has been our royal treasure for hundreds of years!" Hardim shouted back.
"Stealing? Your prince brought that egg to us as a sign of peace and to return it to us. I was in the throne room when he arrived and spoke with King Vogir, so don’t you dare talk nonsense about us stealing an egg that was supposed to be ours from the very beginning. If there are any thieves here, it’s you people. Understand?" Kresus shot back, pointing both of his right hands at Hardim in a fury.
Ard and Eva couldn’t say a word; they understood that the problem ran deeper than it appeared, complicated by the two figures who had thrown everything into chaos: Prince Elr and Princess Grethia of the giants. While the two of them were trying to find a way to stop Hardim and Bharlel from debating Kresus and Lesnar, suddenly,
"Stop!"
The shout of a girl rang out between them. Hardim, Bharlel, Kresus, and Lesnar turned toward the sound, as did Ard and Eva. They saw Thorena and Geoffrey standing among the tanks, with Alicia, Beatrice, Adeline, Milia, Mirea, Rosalind, Claudia, Ainsley, Irwin, and Irina behind them. Captain Thindor was also among them.
"Why have you co here?" Hardim asked Thorena furiously.
Thorena fell silent and looked down. Geoffrey gripped her shoulder, and when Thorena looked up, he nodded to offer his support. Then, Thorena looked at Hardim.
"I know what actually happened 50 years ago, and why Sister Lurgena also disappeared from the palace at the sa ti," Thorena said.
Everyone went silent instantly, including Kresus and Lesnar. Although their faces were flushed with anger, their expressions also showed a sense of curiosity, wanting to hear what else the dwarves were about to tell them. Ard and Eva jumped down, leaving Hardim and Bharlel behind. They walked toward their friends and stood beside Thorena to offer her their support. Their movent made their position clear: they were not taking sides with the dwarves or the giants. Their goal was to bring peace to the two kingdoms that had been at war for so long and to find the Githiess egg as commanded by the Dragon God, Bedryt.
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