"Is this where it is?"
"It is thick."
"Can you cut it?"
Aerton's group managed to reach the four ice walls that Leysha left behind. Of course, it took them a while since they had to kill the remaining demons standing in their way.
Aerton couldn't help but realize that the enemies were so strong that Anna had to go all out.
"I think it's better if we call Captain Howard here and let him make a decision. Even if we help Miss Anna, we won't be strong enough to fend off the enemy's attack. We might even become a burden to her." Aerton shook his head and ordered, "The rest of you will maintain the position and inform Grandel to take the command. I'll inform Captain Howard."
"Yes, Sir!"
Aerton hurriedly crossed the river since the problem was truly beyond his ability.
…
In the meantime, Anna and Leysha were staring at each other.
"…" There was an awkward silence after that introduction. Anna simply had a hard time processing what was happening in her mind.
Noel's mother was presumed dead. Even though they knew that she was still alive somewhere, Noel and Anna thought that they would never reveal themselves until something big happened.
But it seemed they were wrong.
The woman before her was truly Leysha.
Anna wanted to ask a lot of things, such as why she faked her death, why didn't she meet Noel, and so on. But the words that came out of her mouth were so ridiculous that she didn't even think she would actually say it.
"Can I punch you on behalf of Noel?"
Leysha was surprised by the question, but she actually looked up to think for a bit before saying, "Sure. Noel will surely not punch me, so I think you're more suited to do that. I know that I deserve that punch… Though, if you want to do it on behalf of Noel, you should wait until you are married. Your status is not enough to represent him."
"…" Anna was even more shocked by her reply. Leysha was actually answering her question seriously.
Leysha was already aware of how much suffering Noel had. While it was true that Noel managed to grow up to be a fine man because of that hardship, it didn't change the fact that she had failed her duty as a mother.
Seeing that Leysha was aware of the problem, Anna let out a sigh, knowing that she must not have come not for all this.
"I understand. When that time comes, I will definitely hit you. But…" Anna's expression turned solemn. "Why do you come here? And even went all the way to attack me."
"I have three reasons." Leysha raised three fingers before Anna stopped her. "Wait. If you're going to explain your situation or whatever. You should go to Noel instead of me. You should know how much he misses you!"
"I want to do that if it's possible, but unfortunately, the circumstances don't allow me to do it. In fact, I don't have much time either since I don't want the soldiers to notice as well." Leysha shook her head helplessly.
"But…" Anna looked down, not liking her decision. She should have gone to Noel even for a little.
Although Leysha wanted to continue explaining, she knew that she had to hurry. Ignoring her reaction, Leysha stated the first one. "First of all, you don't have to worry about the north. There won't be any enemies coming from the north border, but there would be a lot coming through the gap between the terrains. So, beware of that area."
It was a simple reason, which Noel should have known. But considering she gave that assurance, it meant that she was actually actively protecting the border, which would give Noel some leeway in defending the city.
"Secondly, I simply want to see my daughter-in-law. It seems that there is no more trace of darkness in your eyes now…" Leysha looked at Anna's eyes carefully. "When I saw you in the past, it was clear that you were not in the right mind. Your eyes were pretty hollow, but it seemed that you had changed."
"That's…" Anna scratched the back of her head, feeling embarrassed. She was brainwashed after all. "I'm sorry for everything I've done in the past."
"It's fine. I don't hold a grudge or anything. And since you've resolved that problem with Noel, then the matter is settled. You are pretty strong too, so I know that you can work together with Noel." Leysha lowered her head. "Noel might be lacking, but please take care of him."
"Please raise your head…" Anna panicked when Leysha lowered her head. To think she would plead like that all of a sudden, especially despite the fact that she harmed their family in the past.
But after she told the second reason, her face turned grim all of a sudden.
"And this is the third reason… I don't know if I should say this, but I think you have the right to know… the reason why we chose to disappear."
"!!!" Anna didn't know anything about Noel's parents in the previous life. Even back then, they didn't reveal themselves in the open. So, it was most likely they continued to be separated.
She didn't know if Noel knew about their circumstances or not, but she should learn about it as well. After all, Noel wasn't aware of it in this life.
"Do you know why the ancestor of the Ardagan Family became the greatest general in the world at that time? Was it because of him creating this kingdom? Was it because of his strength? Or was it because of his impact on the world?"
Anna shook her head. She didn't know much about the Ardagan Family. Even Noel only had that book and Ardagan.
"The main reason for his title is because he personally slaughtered a Demon King. The deeds he'd done that day laid the foundation of not only the Muivell Kingdom but also the other kingdoms.
"One thousand years ago, the moment the first user of Ardagan passed away, the world was plunged into chaos. A gate connected to another world appeared and filled this world with demons. Spiritual Energy changed all living beings. The animals became stronger, the plants became mutated, and human beings evolved.
"The demons took possession of humans and animals. But due to the different levels of consciousness, the demons preferred to use animals or plants as their hosts. Still, it doesn't change the fact that demons can infect humans. And that's the beginning of the calamity."
Anna noticed something important and couldn't help but ask, "Wait… a human? There are no humans possessed by the demons!"
"Indeed. But that's because their bodies have evolved due to the Spiritual Energy as well as the spirits living inside them. In the past, they didn't have any of that." Leysha explained.
"…" Anna's expression darkened. It seemed that the situation back then was more chaotic than she imagined. The previous civilization was amazing, but they never thought that they were also that fragile.
"They possessed human leaders and gathered a lot of humans in one place before slaughtering them. That calamity is the darkest period of this world.
"As the successor of that sword, he led the remaining people to flee to this land and eventually created a new home in this place.
"During that escape, there were three influential families that followed him. They were Lenfenth, Greenwood, and Sorxesia."
"Lenfenth, Greenwood, Sorxesia?!" Anna gasped.
"Very familiar names, right? The Lenfeth created the Muivell Kingdom, the Greenwood became the neighbor, and Sorxesia was actually the most influential family back then, thus the reason why they were situated behind the Muivell Kingdom and the Greenwood Kingdom."
"Huh? Behind? Are you saying…"
"Yes." Leysha pointed at the north. "They were fleeing, but most people didn't know that they were fleeing from the north. So, if you actually explored the north for a bit more, you would find a lot of things. Don't forget that there is another kingdom in the north… not ruled by humans though."
Anna was dumbstruck. This was the first time she listened to the record that happened in the dark period.
"Anyway, those who were opposed to the creation of these kingdoms ended up banding together and creating a new place for themselves."
"The Atracaeca Kingdom."
"Indeed." Leysha nodded.
"Wait a minute. You said fleeing earlier… but if the ancestor of the Ardagan Family was that strong, shouldn't be…" Anna fell silent, noticing the first part that Leysha talked about earlier. "The Demon King?!"
"Yes. They were running away from the Demon King. While he was the successor, his strength was still too low. During the time they fled, the ancestor met a pair of brother and sister."
"The Sword Saint and the War Maiden," Anna revealed those two identities after knowing it when they infiltrated the Ardagan Family's mansion in the past.
"That's right." Leysha couldn't help but close her eyes as if she was recalling the record. "Back then…"
