Trash Prince and Ice Queen 10th Re - Life-Chapter 165: Jungle of Restless Spirits

When they arrived, the zeppelin descended slightly toward the ground. Ard, Eva, and the others immediately jumped down from the ship after saying their goodbyes to Elmer. They all landed smoothly on the dirt, with Claudia carrying Adeline and Beatrice in her right and left arms. Luca and Gigi touched down softly and casually, while Grethia—carrying Thorena and Irina on her shoulders—landed heavily on the ground. They all stood before the dense jungle, which looked dark and terrifying up close. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

They could all feel a gripping dread and a suffocating pressure emanating from deep within the forest; behind the trees, the faint outlines of stone ruins served as the foundation for massive trees with gargantuan roots.

"Ugh... this is terrifying," Beatrice murmured, taking a step back behind Rosalind and clutching her arm.

"You’re right, I’m not comfortable being here at all," Adeline added, also stepping back behind Rosalind to grab her other arm.

"Stay calm. It’s best if you don’t move around too much and stay close to me," Rosalind said, looking a bit uneasy herself.

"Do we really have to go into this forest? Is it anything like the Forest of Illusions?" Alicia asked Pyria, who was standing beside her.

"It’s definitely different. The Forest of Illusions in my village doesn’t have an atmosphere this horrifying," Pyria answered.

"Better get your weapons ready—look at Ard and Eva, they’ve already drawn their swords," Milia said, unsheathing her own two blades.

"Right, we should be careful. We have no idea what’s coming," Claudia added, pulling her sword from her back.

"Hmm... drawing your swords is useless. According to the townspeople, these ruined woods are inhabited by spirits, right? It’s impossible for a sword to slash through them," Ainsley said, pushing up his glasses.

"Hah... our swords can slash them just fine, I’m sure of it," Geoffrey countered, pulling his massive greatsword from his back.

"Right, don’t forget—our swords aren’t just ordinary blades," Mirea added, drawing her own.

While the rest of the group stood behind Ard and Eva, discussing how terrifying the forest before them appeared, Irina and Irwin stayed at the very back, looking perfectly relaxed.

"Big sister... why don’t I feel anything?" Irwin asked.

"Because these ruins used to be on the surface. The parts of these ruins that still exist up there are actually a settlement for demons who have no king and are still waiting for Azroth to return," Irina answered, glancing at Ard up ahead.

"Oh, so that’s how it is. No wonder I feel fine," Irwin said.

"Our mother came from that settlement, so if we manage to reach the surface, we’re actually going back to our original home. Oh, and Baalbel and Xeria are from there too," Irina replied.

"Then what about the wandering spirits they say haunt the city? Are they restless demon souls?" Irwin asked.

"Humans... humans from 3,000 years ago who were wiped out by Azroth," Irina answered.

"I see," Irwin replied while staring at the forest in front of him.

Then, quite casually, Luca took Gigi by the hand and cheerfully walked into the forest as if they were just taking a stroll through an ordinary park, followed by Ard and Eva, who also appeared relaxed despite the swords they held in their hands. The others glanced at one another, and with no other choice but to head in, they all followed Ard and Eva into the woods along the narrow trail.

Ard watched Luca as she pulled Gigi along, strolling casually and whistling as if she knew exactly where they were going. He decided to make sure.

"Hey Luca, do you actually know what these ruins are?" Ard asked.

"Of course I do. I’m the one who brought these ruins here. If I hadn’t, when they sank 3,000 years ago, the merman kingdom was right underneath them. So, if I hadn’t stepped in and moved these ruins, the merman kingdom would have been crushed," Luca answered casually.

"These are the ruins of the Chronius Kingdom, aren’t they?" Eva asked.

"Yep, exactly. Don’t worry, as long as I’m here, those spirits won’t dare come near us. Let’s head to the palace; there’s a portal there to the demon settlement on the surface," Luca replied.

"Wait... a portal?" Ard and Eva asked, shocked.

"Yep, a portal. One of the demon leaders created a path to Le Rein Infernal that connects to a portal in the palace ruins—one that’s been there since before it sank. It was a safeguard in case they were discovered on the surface and hunted by the Orthus Empire about 1,000 years ago. The demons themselves might have forgotten that portal even exists, but I haven’t," Luca answered.

"Oh... I see. So that was back when I was killed in front of the gates of hell that imprisoned Malekh," Ard murmured, thinking.

"By then, I was already dead," Eva added.

"How do you know about all that? I’m a bit puzzled. You live in the sea, so why do you know so much about land affairs?" Gigi asked, turning to look at Luca in confusion.

"I get bored being alone in the sea, so sometimes I play around in the merman kingdom, the demon settlement, and wander through that advanced city we were just in. I also guard that city to make sure no one from the other continents crosses over and finds it. You should thank me for protecting you all this time, hehe," Luca told Gigi.

"Hah... I’m all grown up now. I can protect my own place," Gigi snapped back, annoyed.

Ard and Eva could feel it—among the trees covering the ruins around them, green human-shaped spirits with no visible bodies or faces, save for glowing red eyes, were peeking from behind the trunks and watching their group. It seemed they couldn’t get close at all, or perhaps they didn’t dare to, seeing Luca and Gigi at the very front—who clearly ignored them even though they were well aware of their presence.

Additionally, Ard and Eva didn’t feel any evil aura coming from them, even though they appeared to be under some kind of influence; the two of them could see it in the eyes of those spirits. Ard and Eva looked back at their friends. Grethia was at the very rear with Irina sitting on her right shoulder and Irwin on her left; she looked the largest among them because she was a giant.

The two could see their companions shivering and looking uncomfortable, sensing a foul air in the forest, even though they didn’t seem to notice the spirits surrounding them. Ard saw that Grethia was also a bit frightened, but it seemed Irina and Irwin, who were with her, realized there were spirits nearby watching them.

Meanwhile, Thorena walked side-by-side with Geoffrey, holding his hand. Thorena looked terrified, but Geoffrey seemed fine, gripping his greatsword with one hand. Ard turned back to the front, then glanced again at Eva behind him.

"It seems they’re okay and don’t realize we’re being watched, but they can definitely feel the presence of those spirits—and there are quite a lot of them," Ard said to Eva.

"Hmm... I see. But as long as we have Luca and Gigi, I don’t think anything will happen," Eva replied.

"Yeah, you’re right. I think it’ll be fine," Ard replied, looking forward again.

They continued their pace. As they began to approach the palace, Ard and Eva could feel a heavy pressure of very dark and evil energy coming from ahead. It was likely that the leader of these restless spirits, and whatever was controlling them, stayed in the palace that was their destination.

Ard and Eva gripped their swords; beyond the gripping aura of evil, they also recognized the presence of the person who had destroyed their lives 3,000 years ago—Jourell, the prince and young king of the Chronius Kingdom.

Ard and Eva smiled; for just a few seconds, their faces seemed to shift, flickering into the likenesses of Ashton and Esmeralda from 3,000 years ago before returning to normal.

"You feel it, Eva?" Ard asked with a cynical grin.

"Yeah. That man is still here. Even if he’s just a spirit now, all the evil energy blanketing this forest is coming from him," Eva replied, her own smile just as sharp.

"Exactly. It’s time we finish our grudge from 3,000 years ago," Ard said.

"But didn’t you kill him already? You’ve had your revenge, haven’t you?" Eva asked, turning to look at Ard.

"Back then, Malekh had taken control of me and I wasn’t conscious... I only came to about 1,000 years ago, remember? While I was possessed, I only remembered fragments whenever my consciousness drifted to the surface for a split second," Ard answered.

"Hmm... that’s true. Fine then. Today, we settle our business with that damn young king once and for all," Eva said.

Finally, they reached an open space; before them stood a massive palace, overgrown with vegetation and partially collapsed, showing an ancient design from an era long gone. Luca and Gigi stopped for a moment, then turned back to look at Ard and Eva standing behind them. When they saw Ard and Eva nod, they turned back to face forward, and everyone began walking into the palace.