Trash Prince and Ice Queen 10th Re - Life-Chapter 166: Grudge From 3,000 Years Ago Has Been Paid in Full

"Blam!" Luca kicked the palace doors until they swung wide open. They all stepped inside, and then, "Hellloooo!" Luca shouted cheerfully, completely disregarding the horrific state of the palace interior, which was lit by green flames emanating from torches on the walls. Meanwhile, Gigi just stood petrified beside her, without a single expression on her face.

"Oi, oi, Luca," Ard cautioned from behind the two of them.

"You’re really being reckless, aren’t you," Eva added.

"Loh, why? These ruins don’t have any inhabitants, right?" Luca replied casually while putting her hands on her hips.

"Then who is he?" Gigi asked calmly, pointing to the balcony above.

Everyone turned to the balcony Gigi was pointing at, located right above them. Ard and Eva gasped at the sight of a ghost—a young man, half-skeletal and shrouded in a green aura, wearing noble attire and a crown, looking down at them with a haughty expression. When his eyes landed on Ard and Eva, and then on the swords they carried, the ghost’s face shifted into something truly monstrous; he turned, his hands looking as if they were gripping the ruined balcony railing, even though he wasn’t actually touching anything.

Ard and Eva stared at the ghost and smiled; they raised their swords as if challenging him.

"How’s it going, Jourell?" Ard shouted.

"My, my... it seems even being dead hasn’t changed you; you’ve actually gotten uglier," Eva mocked. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Graaaaaaaah!" The ghost of Jourell roared. The atmosphere inside the room turned terrifying, and all the green torches flared brighter than before. "Blam!" Suddenly, the sound of a door slamming shut echoed; they looked back and saw the entrance behind them was closed. Then, from the left and right, a massive swarm of ghost soldiers emerged—their faces half-skulls, shrouded in green auras, their legs invisible so they appeared to be hovering through the air at high speeds.

The army of ghost soldiers—the long-dead spirits of the ancient Chronius Kingdom—surrounded Ard, Eva, and the others, completely ignoring Luca and Gigi who stood among them. Immediately, Ard, Eva, and the rest drew their weapons and stood back-to-back in a circle, finding themselves cornered with no way out. Gigi glanced at a ghost soldier in tattered armor, its face half-skeletal and wielding a rusted weapon as it closed in, then she turned to Luca.

"This is all your fault. Take responsibility," Gigi said casually.

"As if... it’s not my fault just because I said hello. Should we be the ones to set them free or what?" Luca asked Ard and Eva.

Before Ard and Eva could even answer, a sudden horse’s whinny echoed. Both turned to see a terrified Adeline calling for Peggy, her pet pegasus, who immediately took flight and grew to a massive size. The pegasus’s body then erupted in a brilliant, blinding white light that instantly swept through the entire ghostly army surrounding them, causing their spectral forms to vanish. "Clank!" Dozens of suits of armor bearing the emblem of the Chronius Kingdom and their weapons fell clattering to the floor.

All of Ard and Eva’s friends felt a sudden wave of relief and lowered their guard. Beatrice immediately hugged Adeline, while Rosalind stood behind them both, a smile gracing her face and a deep sense of gratitude radiating from her expression.

Grethia, Thorena, Geoffrey, Irwin, and Irina appeared so relieved they let out long exhales. Meanwhile, Alicia, Milia, Pyria, Claudia, Mirea, and Ainsley—who adjusted her glasses—looked limp as they lowered their swords, the tension finally breaking alongside the relief that everything had been defeated. Ard and Eva simply exhaled. They turned to look at each other, then turned back to see Luca and Gigi standing before them.

"Well, that’s settled," Eva said.

"Yeah, my little sister was scared, so... she took action," Ard added.

"Oh, okay," Luca and Gigi replied, turning to see Adeline panting for breath while being comforted by her pegasus, which had shrunk back into its small, cute form and was fluttering in front of her face.

"Graaaaah!"

They turned back to see Jourell on the balcony, roaring once more in a fit of rage because his army had been annihilated. Ard and Eva instantly vanished and reappeared right in front of Jourell on the balcony. Jourell looked at Eva the same way he used to look at Esmeralda—filled with a dark desire to make her his. Then he turned his gaze toward Ard as if seeing Ashton, his face twisting with hatred because Esmeralda was standing by his side. Jourell drew his sword and lunged forward, swinging it violently at Ard.

"Clang!"

Ard parried the strike casually, even though it should have been impossible to deflect a ghost’s blade. As Eva caught sight of Jourell’s weapon—its black blade covered in etched runes—it was clear this wasn’t an ordinary sword. It was a physical blade made of iron and fire, not a spectral one. And of course, Eva recognized it: the heirloom sword of the Chronius Kingdom. Long ago, it was said to be a weapon on par with Exgrandal and Exelion, leading the kingdom to declare they no longer needed Ashton and Esmeralda.

They claimed that Jourell was now the one who inherited the royal sword as their true hero, and the blade answered his commands. Eva then turned to look at Ard, who was still holding Jourell at bay with his sword.

"Ard, destroy that sword! It’s a cursed blade that’s holding all the spirits in this forest hostage and turning them into restless souls," Eva shouted.

"Okay," Ard replied briefly.

Then, the blade of Exgrandal was instantly shrouded in a gray energy aura, and "clank," Ard struck the sword until its blade shattered into pieces. Jourell, looking shocked as he watched his weapon fall apart, recoiled backward. He turned to glare at Ard with pure hatred, but as he prepared to lunge once more with the broken hilt in his hand, he suddenly found himself unable to move. He looked down and back to see a shadow hand gripping his leg.

All at once, dozens of long, shadow-like hands erupted from the floor, seizing Jourell’s entire body as he struggled to break free. Jourell’s face suddenly turned to one of terror. "Clank," his sword hilt slipped from his grasp and hit the floor. Then, the ghost of Jourell shifted back into his human form—stately and arrogant—staring at Ard and Eva with a face pleading for help.

Instead, Ard and Eva simply smiled and waved their hands. Finally, the shadow hands dragged the struggling Jourell down into the ground, and he vanished completely.

"Blam."

The doors swung open again and everyone rushed outside, including Ard and Eva, who leaped down to the floor below. They all stood frozen, mesmerized as the entire forest before them began to glow brightly. From behind the trees, countless city residents from 3,000 years ago emerged as spirits, floating upward in their original forms, now enveloped in a soft yellow light.

"Well... in the end, they’re finally free after being trapped here for 3,000 years," Ard said.

"True. Though for some reason, I’m still not happy seeing them ascend," Eva replied.

"Let it be. They’ve paid for their mistakes by being trapped and wandering this world for 3,000 years," Ard countered.

"That sword really was the heirloom of the Chronius Kingdom... the one used to replace our sacred swords back then," Eva noted.

"Yep. As it turns out, it wasn’t a sacred sword, but a cursed one... that’s why they all became its sacrifices. You’re right, I don’t feel happy or relieved either—just empty. As if something inside me has finally been paid in full," Ard replied.

"Same. I feel exactly the same way," Eva replied.

"Our child’s death has been avenged... Esmeralda," Ard replied, turning to look at Eva with a smile.

"You’re right, Ashton... now our child can finally rest in peace," Eva replied, looking back at Ard and smiling.

Without even realizing it, Ard and Eva held each other close, their hands entwined as they watched the spirits of the city folk who, long ago, had slandered them—the same people who had cheered when Jourell sentenced a heavily pregnant Esmeralda to death, driving Ashton to be consumed by Malekh and become Azroth. Ard pulled Eva into an embrace as she rested her head against his chest. In this moment, they truly became Ashton and Esmeralda—the heroes from 3,000 years ago whose lives ended in tragedy at the hands of the Chronius Kingdom, losing their child in the process. Now, at long last, they had successfully avenged the child Esmeralda had carried, the one who never had the chance to be born.

All of their friends turned to look at them, remaining silent and smiling without a word, understanding exactly what the two were feeling in that moment. They intentionally stepped aside, giving space to the pair as they continued to watch the souls of the inhabitants ascending. Luca and Gigi simply glanced at one another and smiled at the sight. The long, agonizing journey of Ashton and Esmeralda had finally come to an end.