In the Fano Dukedom's barracks outside Intelar.

Duke Soleil was already over 50 years of age, and after learning that his only son had been trapped in Intelar by an encirclement of freemen, he immediately set off from Fasentate with 20,000 elite cavaliers, arriving at Intelar four days later.

To his surprise, the one who greeted him was none other than his precious son, Aike.

After their reunions, Aike gave him a recount of how he had gotten acquainted with Lana and how she had quelled the freeman rebellion.

"Oh? That sounds like a very interesting woman," Duke Soleil mused after hearing Aike's story, then asked, "Why did you get her to come with you to see me? Were you worried that I would try to plot against her?"

Even though Duke Soleil was asking that last question in jest, it actually was exactly what Aike had been thinking.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't do that. She saved your life, so I'm indebted to her, and I'm not the type of person to repay kindness with ingratitude," Duke Soleil assured with a smile. "Besides, if she's really as powerful as you say, then it's not like my soldiers can do anything to her."

Immediately thereafter, the tone of Duke Soleil's voice took a turn, and he continued, "This is the first time you've ever come to me about a woman. Have you really fallen for her this time? What I don't understand is why you're so devoted to her when she clearly already has someone else that she loves."

"She's different," Aike said while hanging his head.

"How so?" Duke Soleil asked with an amused expression.

"She's different in every way," Aike insisted as he raised his head with a stubborn expression.

"Alright, alright..." Duke Soleil nodded in response, and he felt like his son was a child that would never grow up. "Get her to come and see me then. Let me see exactly what it is about her that's gotten you so captivated."

All of a sudden, a female voice rang out from outside the tent. "There's no need to fetch me, I'm already here."

The voice was very gentle, but the father and son duo and all of the guards outside the tent were very startled to hear it.

This was a camp with 20,000 troops, yet she had traversed it without being detected by anyone.

Duke Soleil and Aike exchanged a shocked a glance, and the two of them gulped involuntarily at the sight of the approaching woman.

This wasn't a lustful reaction. Instead, it was a reaction borne from fear.

Lana was wearing a green dress that was parted all the way up to the base of her thighs on either side, revealing sections of her fair and delicate legs. There was a white shawl that was draped softly over her shoulders, leaving her collarbone and a small section of her mesmerizing cleavage exposed. Her fiery red hair was arranged to one side, perfectly complementing her breathtaking features. There was an ambiguous smile on her face, and it was impossible to tell what was going through her mind.

Duke Soleil exhaled, and he finally understood why his son was so enamored with this woman.

Indeed, a woman of such stunning beauty could easily capture the heart of any man.

Only after Lana had made her way straight into the tent did the guards outside finally react to what was happening, and they immediately rushed into the tent with their blades drawn, surrounding her from all directions.

"Get out! This is an esteemed guest of mine," Duke Soleil said with a wave of his hand, dismissing his useless guards.

"Greetings, Duke Soleil," Lana said with a smile.

"That was very impressive," Duke Soleil praised in an earnest voice.

Lana had no interest in making small talk, and she cut straight to the chase. "I know that it might be a bit preposterous for me to ask to borrow this city, but if I don't do this, the person that I'm searching for won't know where to find me."

Duke Soleil had heard from Aike that Lana was searching for Erwin, and that was the main reason why he disapproved of Aike's pursuit of Lana. It was clear that this woman's heart already belonged to someone else, and no matter what Aike did for her, there was no way that he could take Erwin's place.

Hence, this was a completely futile pursuit, and there was nothing to be gained from granting her the city. However, if she were willing to become his daughter-in-law, then the story would be completely different, and he would be more than happy to agree to her proposal.

Thus, Duke Soleil was feeling quite hesitant and didn't know how to respond.

Right at this moment, an azure figure strolled into the tent, much like Lana had.

She was extremely elegant in her movements, but also as fast as lightning, and before the guards outside had a chance to react, there was already a fourth person in the tent.

Her suit of azure armor was gently rippling like the peaceful breathing of a newborn infant taking a nap, and the pair of grey eyes beneath the silver mask took a glance at Lana.

"Is it not working out?"

Lana shook her head and offered no response.

During Aike's recount, he had only mentioned to Duke Soleil that there was another powerful figure accompanying Lana, but he never provided Duke Soleil with a description of her appearance.

Hence, Duke Soleil was completely shocked by the sight of the azure-armored figure.

"Long time no see, Duke Soleil," Aglea said as she cast her gaze toward Duke Soleil with a faint smile on her face.

Duke Soleil was horrified to hear this voice, and he was staring at the azure figure as if he had seen a ghost. The first time she had spoken, he had failed to identify her based on her voice, but the second time she spoke, Duke Soleil immediately realized who she was.

"You... You're..." Duke Soleil was pointing at the figure with his finger trembling uncontrollably, while Aike was looking at him with a stunned expression, unsure of what was happening.

Even Lana was quite taken aback by Duke Soleil's reaction.

"It's only been 20 years, Duke Soleil. Surely you haven't forgotten me already," Aglea said with a smile.

"Didn't you die?" Duke Soleil asked with a stunned expression.

"Dying or living makes no difference to me," Aglea said in an aloof voice.

It took Duke Soleil a long while to recover from his shock, and he took a deep breath to regain his composure before asking, "Why are you here?"

Aglea wasn't interested in offering an explanation, and she pointed at Lana before instructing, "No matter what she asks for, just agree."

This time, it was Aike's turn to be astonished. Never had he seen anyone speak to his father like this.

Even the emperor of the Fulway Empire had to treat his father with some measure of respect.

With that in mind, Aike couldn't help but wonder exactly who this person was. However, he didn't ask for the person's identity. The fact that even his father was so terrified of this person meant that he was in no place to speak here.

Duke Soleil immediately nodded in an obedient manner upon hearing Aglea's instruction.

"What's going on with you?" Aglea asked as she turned to Lana, who was standing in silence.

Lana shook her head as a faint smile appeared on her face. "I was suddenly struck by the urge to sing."

"Oh? I didn't know you had such a hobby," Aglea said with an amused smile. She swept two of her fingers through the air as she spoke to conjure up a blue longsword out of thin aid, then tapped the blade of the sword to produce a crisp note.

This method of summoning a sword with her fingers and the sight of the glowing blue longsword convinced Duke Soleil beyond a doubt that this woman was indeed Aglea.

After a few more crisp notes rang out, a gentle tune began to take shape, following which Lana's melodious voice rang out: I am a fallen leaf from the south

I've forgotten where my home is

I drift and I fly, carefree as a bird

Watching the wind and clouds pass by

I've traveled to a faraway land for nothing more than a wild dream Despite our separation, my heart remains firmly hisHe possesses lofty ambitions

While I have only him in my heart

I traveled through the wind and snow to find him Just so he can see me smile with love and affection

But I'm unable to find him

A good man he is not, but he's certainly one of a kind

In our youth, we spoke not of the future

We merely lamented our identities and wished we were someone else He's like a goblet that is filled with my tears After parting with him, he became the scenery all around me But the scenery without him is impossibly bleak 

Unlike the geese returning to the south, I ventured to the north alone in search of him My only wish is that my thoughts can reach him through the masses...

Lana didn't want to have to tell an outsider her story with Erwin. Of course, she was also missing most of her memories pertaining to both Erwin and herself, so she was only able to extrapolate many of the details based on what Aglea had told her in the past.

Her song was extremely infectious, and both Aike and his father were overcome by a sense of sorrow.

Even someone like Aglea, who had seemingly transcended beyond life and death, couldn't help but feel emotional. She wasn't feeling these emotions for Lana. Instead, Lana's song reminded her of so many events in her past. Once upon a time, there had also been a man with boundless ambitions occupying her heart. However, she was unable to treat everything with such placid tranquility like Lana.

At some points, it didn't even seem like Lana was singing. Instead, she was telling a story, and this method of storytelling was something that Aglea had never seen before. Expressing feelings through the medium of song was something that traveling poets regularly did, and it was very common even to have music as accompaniment.

However, it was quite a refreshing new twist for Lana to be telling a story through her song.

Even Lana herself had failed to anticipate that the song she had sung on a whim would have a profound impact on the art form of opera, which was to reach its height in popularity several centuries in the future.

With Aglea's presence applying immense pressure and Lana's moving song, Duke Soleil naturally had no choice but to agree to Lana's request.

...

Following the departure of Lana and Aglea, Aike turned to his father before asking, "Father, who was that person?"

A wry smile appeared on Duke Soleil's face as he replied, "People nowadays most likely don't remember her anymore. Her name is Aglea. She was a madwoman who was constantly going around issuing challenges to others, and countless people have perished by her sword, including your second uncle."

Aike's eyes widened in astonishment upon hearing this.

"Back then, your second uncle was the most illustrious young martial artist in the Fano Dukedom. However, his luck was terrible, and Aglea set her sights on him, insisting that he faced her in battle. At the time, Aglea was only around 18 or 19 years of age, but she was already the youngest sword sage. She had challenged all of the most powerful warriors in the Fulway Empire, and it was no exaggeration to say that the young talents she had slain could form a line that stretched all the way from Fasentate to Finklan."

Aike's face paled slightly upon hearing this. There were very few martial artists of the sword sage caliber in the entirety of the Fulway Empire, and it was truly astonishing that Aglea had reached such dizzying heights at such a young age.

"When we heard that Aglea was coming after him, we immediately arranged for your second uncle to run away and hide. However, that madwoman was determined to goad your uncle into facing her, and she killed a male member of our Dario Family once every 10 days."

Aike drew a sharp breath upon hearing this, and he finally understood why the Dario Family had such a lack of men.

"What happened after that?" Aike asked.

"Your second uncle couldn't bear to see our family being slaughtered by that madwoman, so he returned to fight her."

At this point, it made perfect sense to Aike why his father was so fearful of Aglea. Indeed, such a madwoman was far more terrifying than the emperor.

"How long did my second uncle last against her?"

"He certainly did us proud, lasting over 100 exchanges before he was finally slain."

A pained look appeared on Duke Soleil's face as he thought back to the events that had unfolded 20 years ago.

Aike's second uncle had perished from a wound that had sliced his body diagonally in half from his neck through his heart. That was the most gruesome and terrifying thing that Duke Soleil had ever witnessed, and it was a memory that would haunt him until the day he died.

Hey guys, this is the final chapter of book 2, and I'm leaving this note here to inform you all that due to various reasons, the translation of this book will conclude on chapter 64 of book 3, so for free readers, the final translated chapter of the book will be released on the site on 28/12/2022. For sponsored readers, below is a list of dates of when you will reach the final chapter in accordance with your sponsorship tier:

Erwin: 27/12/22

King Cameron: 26/12/22

Count Friar: 23/12/22

Professor Hawk: 20/12/22

Master Piro: 18/12/22

Master Donson: 16/12/22

While it's unfortunate that the translation of this book had to come to a premature end, I hope all of you enjoyed the ride so far, and who knows? Maybe the project will be picked up by the site again someday.