"You must be misunderstanding something, Your Excellency," Chahan said with a slightly awkward expression. He was well aware of what Erwin was implying here.

"How am I misunderstanding things? I haven't pointed any fingers or named any names, so why are you so nervous?" Erwin asked with a smile. "Even if you weren't intimately involved with the spouse of Count Onen, your ex-lover must've had something to do with their family, right?"

Erwin cast his gaze toward Chahan as he spoke.

Chahan lowered his head in silent contemplation for a moment, then replied, "Well... How do I put this? Master Erwin, I'm assuming you're not aware of the fact that Duke Eru and Count Onen are brothers-in-law, which is to say that their wives are sisters."

"Alright, and how is that significant?"

"In addition to those two sisters, there's actually a third one. The eldest sister married Duke Eru, the second-eldest sister married Count Onean, and the youngest of the three sisters married the quartermaster of our Boll Dukedom, Baron Klay."

"I see," Erwin said as he looked at Chahan with a meaningful expression. At this point, he already knew the identity of Chahan's ex-lover.

Judging from what Chahan had just said, the eldest of the three sisters was residing in Newfando as Duke Eru's wife, so she could be eliminated from the list of suspects. Furthermore, Chahan had vehemently denied any ties between him and Count Onen's family, so the second-eldest sister could be crossed out from the list as well. Thus, the only possible candidate for his ex-lover would be the spouse of Baron Klay.

Of course, this conclusion was made based on the premise of Erwin's previous assumption, which was that Chahan's ex-lover definitely had to be someone of quite a lofty status.

"Let me guess, the wife of Baron Klay just so happens to also be living in Zans, right?" Erwin asked with an amused smile, even though he already knew the answer.

Chahan lowered his own head in an embarrassed fashion. He didn't know why he had decided to reveal all these things to Erwin. It was as if this mysterious noble from the south had some type of special charisma that was encouraging him to spill his guts without any reservations.

Deep down, Chahan had a vague feeling that disclosing this information to Erwin would be of great help to him. He didn't know what Erwin's future plans were, but if he wanted to follow Erwin in the future, then it would certainly be wise of him to be more transparent and open. Of course, another reason behind his decision to divulge this information was that he was also suffering greatly from the breakup, and finding someone to tell his story to was a way through which he could assuage his own emotional pain.

"In times of peace like this, surely there's not much extra money for a quartermaster to earn, right?" Erwin asked, diverting away to a new topic of conversation so that Chahan wouldn't feel so awkward.

"Times of peace? I'm not sure that applies here," Chahan said. "I heard that Baron Klay has been very busy recently."

Erwin raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, and a skeptical look appeared in his eyes as he said, "But if something really is about to happen, then why would Lucidy Farody have come to visit Zans this morning? Surely he would've stayed far away in fear of being swept up in something."

"Perhaps it's still not time for the two sides involved to strike yet," Chahan replied after a brief moment of contemplation.

"Given that Count Onen and Duke Eru are brothers-in-law, doesn't that mean that the Farody Family has next to no chance of winning?" Erwin asked.

"That's not necessarily the case," Chahan replied.

"Are you saying that the power of their wealth is not to be underestimated?" Erwin asked with an intrigued expression as he made a gesture with one hand to simulate a pile of Loonies on the table.

"The head of the Farody Family is not someone to be taken lightly. I've heard from many obscure sources that he's hired a large army of mercenaries," Chahan said.

Right as the two of them were chatting with one another, the food that they ordered finally arrived.

Erwin took a glance at the plates of food that were served up. The firevine snails were giving off a meaty fragrance, while the honey orange roast chicken was glistening with juices, and both of the dishes looked extremely appetizing. Erwin couldn't help but gulp down some drool at the sight of the food. He had been busy at work all morning, so he was truly very hungry.

He cast a glance toward Onean, indicating that the fragrance of the dishes was quite exceptional, and it was rather surprising to him that such delicious food could be found in a place like this.

Even though Erwin and Onean were already accustomed to sampling all types of delicacies, their eyes still involuntarily widened as soon as their taste buds registered the flavors of the food that had been placed into their mouths, and they were both thoroughly astonished.

"How is the food, Master Erwin?" Chahan asked with a pleased expression as he looked at the expressions on Erwin and Onean's faces.

"It really is very good," Erwin praised as soon as he swallowed the roast chicken in his mouth.

The meat of the roast chicken was delicious and fatty, and after just a few mouthfuls, Erwin was beginning to feel a layer of fat coating his throat. This was where the spicy kale borecole came into play. The kale borecole had been cooked to the point that it was looking completely dry and wilted, so the dish didn't appear that appetizing, but it was a miracle worker when it came to eliminating the greasy sensation left behind by the roast chicken.

I have to admit, this Chahan fellow really knows his stuff when it comes to food, Erwin thought to himself.

"Judging from your description, it seems like the situation with all of the churches in the dukedoms of the northern continent is very chaotic," Erwin said in an indifferent voice after enjoying the hearty meal.

Back when Chahan had raised the question to him, he was unwilling to elaborate, but now, he was making an indirect admission that he was indeed from the south. This was actually a type of tactic when it came to speaking, and of course, it also accentuated his status. If he wanted to reveal something, then he would do so of his own accord, rather than passively admitting to something in the wake of someone else's questioning.

Onean merely pretended to have not heard anything and continued to enjoy her meal in a refined and elegant manner. 

Chahan faltered slightly upon hearing this, then cast his gaze toward Erwin, carefully analyzing the meaning behind Erwin's words.

"Tell me about Count Onen. What kind of person is he?" Erwin asked as he turned to face Chahan.

"At the moment, Count Onen can be said to be a representative of the old nobles in the Boll Dukedom," Chahan said. "In reality, he doesn't harbor much ambition, nor is he a very intelligent man. On the surface, he appears to be quite generous and amicable, but deep down, he has a profound distaste toward the common folk."

Judging from the tone of Chahan's voice, it seemed that he was very unimpressed by Count Onen, so there had to be some type of history between the two of them.

"How's his sheepskin coat looking at the moment?" Erwin jibed.

Chahan was immediately able to understand that Erwin was referring to the sheepskin coat gag involving the old nobles, and he smiled as he said, "Count Onen is a decently wealthy man, so the emblem on his shirt isn't showing through his sheepskin coat quite yet."

Erwin was only asking the question as a joke. He was naturally aware that as a significant figure among the old nobles, there was no way he would be in poverty.

Thinking back to what Chahan had said about the imminent conflict that seemed to be about to break out between the old guard and the new nobles, Erwin turned to Onean as he sighed, "It feels like no matter where we go, we can't seem to find any peaceful places." 

"Are you saying that we're a pair of harbingers of disaster?" Onean asked with an amused smile as she turned to look at Erwin.

A smile also appeared on Erwin's face as he shifted his gaze elsewhere, not bothering to reply to the question.

Meanwhile, Chahan was feeling a little perplexed, unable to follow their conversation.

After the meal, Erwin left a tall stack of Loonies on the table in a thoughtful gesture, then departed from the restaurant with Onean. He knew that Chahan wasn't in the best financial situation lately, so he intentionally placed down more Loonies than was required to pay for their meal. Of course, the stack of Loonies included the tip that was to be issued to the waitress as well.

Chahan naturally had something to say to the waitress, so he didn't depart from the restaurant with Erwin and Onean. He knew where to find Erwin for the next half a month anyway.

As for Erwin, while he was making his way back to the Holy Jade Cathedral, he began to consider Lia's intentions for setting him up for that meeting with Lucidy Farody. He felt like what Onean had said made a lot of sense. There was no way that Lia would introduce Lucidy to him for no reason.

However, Erwin still had no intention of straying away from his original plan when it came to the mural that he was going to paint on the ceiling of the cathedral. Ultimately, he was unable to bring himself to conform to the wishes of the nobles like a normal painter would. Even though he wanted to earn more Loonies from the Universal Church, he was still unable to go against his own wilful nature.

Furthermore, there was a thought deep down in his heart, which was that if a deity like the Universal Lord really did exist, surely they wouldn't want to see him conform to the wishes of others for monetary gain, either.

Thus, it was clear to see that Erwin was someone who had an extremely complex and conflicted personality. He was willing to openly denounce the content of the "Sermon of the Universal Lord", but at the same time, he was completing the job assigned to him by the Universal Church in a very responsible and dutiful fashion.

Even though he was extremely resistant to the idea that gods truly existed, he was putting an extensive amount of thought into how he could perfectly depict the doctrine of the Universal Church through his painting.

Thus, over the following few days, Erwin fully immersed himself in the creative process, to the point where he was even unintentionally skipping meals at times, much to the dismay and resignation of Chahan, who was waiting for him outside the cathedral.

However, after the first day, Onean stopped coming to the cathedral with Erwin. This was because ever since their meeting with Lucidy Farody, she realized that her good looks could perhaps bring unnecessary trouble to Erwin, particularly when the two of them were still completely without allies here in the north.

Erwin would often joke around with her, saying that bringing her out in public was a type of showing off. Onean was very pleased with Erwin's flattery, but at the same time, she could detect the hint of underlying concern in his voice whenever he said something like that. 

A wise and beautiful woman was someone to spend your life with, but a clueless and beautiful woman could very well put a premature end to your life.

...

After only eight or nine days, Erwin had already finished the mural on the ceiling, completing the job at a speed that was impossible for the average person to achieve. At this point, there was still almost a week left of the half-month deadline. Not only had he managed to complete such a massive piece of artwork in such a short time, he had done so with a dominant hand that had been severely injured recently, so it was clear that Erwin really did possess abilities beyond those of the average artist.

Even though Onean wanted to stay out of the public eye as much as possible, Erwin still insisted on dragging her along to appreciate his masterpiece on the cathedral's ceiling.

Onean looked up at the enormous artwork on the ceiling, and as a princess, she had seen far more than her fair share of artistic masterpieces, but even so, she still couldn't help but be stunned by what she saw.

The artwork depicted an elderly yet physically powerful man with his hand locked around a half-naked, beautiful woman's throat, holding her aloft with one arm. The only thing that the woman was wearing was a crimson silken scarf that was draped diagonally across her body. She was staring at the man with a mixture of emotions in her eyes, namely fear, derision, and most of all, an undying and unwavering sense of love. Looking at the image, one couldn't help but wonder what the relationship between the two of them was. The man was very strange to behold as he possessed a strong and powerful physique, but his neck was riddled with wrinkles like that of an old man. His face was that of a young man, yet his forehead was deeply wrinkled, and his sideburns were white with age.

What was most perplexing of all about the man was that there was not a single hint of emotion to be seen in his eyes. He was so aloof and indifferent that it was almost terrifying. It was impossible to tell what kind of emotions he harbored toward the woman before him. Perhaps his heart really was as still and tranquil as the emotionless look in his eyes, or perhaps it was hiding a ferocious beast that could devour the woman whole in an instant.

You could perhaps speculate that the man wanted to strangle the woman to death, but upon closer inspection, that didn't appear to be the case.

The arm attached to the hand that was locked around the woman's throat was something that Erwin had clearly put extensive thought and effort into. It was rugged and powerful with veins bulging beneath the skin. However, the details became very blurry at the point where the hand was locked around the woman's throat. That was because the shadow cast by the man's chin just so happened to be covering that part, and the intentional ambiguity there made the beholder even more perplexed, unable to tell whether there was any effort being exerted by the hand. In fact, if one were to look closely, it would seem as if the curvature of the hand vaguely hinted that it was opened outward.