To Erwin's surprise, after he mentioned Faya's proposal to Onean, Onean didn't erupt into a thunderous fury. It seemed that his fears had been completely unwarranted.

"I thought you were going to kill me," Erwin said with a surprised expression.

At this point, the two of them had already emerged from the former Count Onen's manor. Erwin had already decided that this manor was going to be transformed into the Universal Church Freedom Army's military command post in the next couple of days.

"Why? Just because there's a girl who wants to sleep with you?" Onean asked with an amused expression. "Am I really that petty and narrow-minded in your eyes? Given how promiscuous you are, I'd have decades taken off my lifespan if I threw a tantrum every time you mentioned a new woman."

"I see..." For some reason, Erwin was feeling a little dejected upon hearing this.

Onean couldn't help but burst into laughter at the sight of Erwin's disappointed expression.

"Why are you putting on that glum expression for me?" Onean asked as she pinched Erwin on the cheek. "I bet you're actually over the moon right now."

"You got me," Erwin replied as he forced a smile onto his own face.

"Alright, how about this? I'm so furious that I'm itching to get my hands on all of your lovers and kill them one by one!" Onean jibed with an amused smile. "Are you happy now?"

Erwin's dejection was only compounded upon hearing this, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he said, "Back when I first met you during the Pillow Sword Tournament, I thought you were a completely blank slate when it came to romantic relationships, but you've got me wrapped around your little finger! You're clearly far more experienced than you let on!"

"Experience isn't required to have a good grasp of other people," Onean replied in an airy voice. "Also, some things are innately present from birth."

Erwin really wanted to ask her what Master Piro had been teaching her aside from magic, but he decided not to make that joke in the end. After all, Master Piro was a very sensitive subject for her, and he didn't want to rip open any old wounds.

"Are you happy now?" Erwin asked as he glanced at the staff that was concealed up Onean's sleeve.

"I should be asking you that," Onean said as she took a glance back at Count Onen's manor. "Not only did you manage to swindle him into handing over all of his wealth, you even took his daughter in the process. How impressive."

"I wouldn't really call it a swindle. Just like I said, what I'm going to give him in return is definitely worth his investment," Erwin said with a serious expression. "Of course, the thing with his daughter was completely unexpected."

Onean rolled her eyes at Erwin upon hearing what he had to say about Faya.

"So both the nobility system and powerful churches are things of the past now. What exactly is your outlook for this new era?" Onean asked as she stopped in her tracks before turning to face Erwin.

Erwin thought about this for a moment before replying, "Human rights."

"Human rights? This will be the era of human rights?" Onean's brows furrowed slightly as she carefully pondered this notion.

"To put it more accurately, it's not my vision for the future. Instead, I feel like it's a universal trend that I won't be able to control."

"But you're the one who proposed universal equality."

"Do you think the world shouldn't have universal equality?"

Onean faltered slightly upon hearing this, then nodded in response. "I think universal equality should be the ultimate goal to strive for, but a lot of people are going to die in a revolution like this."

"They're defending their own rights, which is a worthy cause to sacrifice their lives for, isn't it?"

"That's a rather innovative way to put it," Onean jibed.

"Are you saying that I'm swindling them?"

"I didn't say that."

"To be honest, sometimes, even I don't know what my own motives are," Erwin said after a brief hesitation.

"That's why historians insist on keeping accurate records of every single thing that a ruler says and does."

"Why is that important?"

"Most of the best rulers in history actually harbor unfathomable intentions deep in their hearts. Their motives are always very difficult to assess, so historians can only record the truth and leave it up to their successors to make assessments based on those records."

"But it's not like I'm some mighty ruler," Erwin said with an amused expression.

"That may be true, but I feel like you're far colder and more heartless than them," Onean jibed.

"So you said all of that just to insult me?"

"What I'm saying is that you already possess the prerequisites required to become a ruler."

"But I don't have the ambition for that."

"Really?" Onean asked as she turned to look at him.

"I recall that Master Donson said that the Cameron Family was going to conquer the entire continent someday," Erwin jibed in response.

"You still remember that?" Onean chuckled.

"If I become emperor someday, you'll be my empress, and you can fulfill the prophecy by poisoning me to death and seizing the throne for yourself," Erwin said with an amused smile. "No wonder you're always saying that I'll die by the hands of a woman someday, I finally know what you mean now."

"You were just talking about how the era of nobility is over, yet you're dreaming about becoming emperor now? I wonder what the people of the City of Freedom would think if they heard this," Onean jibed. "Besides, even if you do become emperor someday, there's no telling who the empress is going to be. It may not necessarily be me. What about that red-haired lover of yours?"

"Ha! You made it sound like you don't care about my relationships earlier, but it looks like you do care, after all," Erwin chuckled. "I was thinking that you actually didn't care about anything."

"Have you received any news about her?"

Erwin's expression fell slightly upon hearing this. "No."

Onean nodded in response.

"Why are you suddenly worried about her?"

"I was just asking out of curiosity."

After a brief silence, Erwin switched the subject of the conversation back to Faya. "So we've reached an agreement on Faya? You're alright with her staying by my side as a servant?"

"What other choice do I have?" Onean asked. "Should I wait for you to have a secret affair with her and lie to my face about it?"

"You know, I really did consider that," Erwin chuckled.

"I believe you," Onean replied with a nod.

"Hey, I was just kidding!"

"Don't try to fool me, I know when you're telling the truth."

Erwin could only give a wry smile as his waist received another vicious pinch from Onean.

"You can keep her, but make sure she stays out of my way," Onean said in an indifferent voice, but she was displaying no intention of releasing Erwin.

"Rest assured, nothing is actually going to happen between me and her," Erwin consoled as he patted Onean on the back of the hand. "Besides, she's not the type of person who would make a menace out of herself."

"I don't think she's very bright," Onean said. "Your tastes seem to be getting more and more... unique."

"The main reason why I'm keeping her by my side is to give Onen an added sense of security."

"Why does that sound like an excuse to placate me?" Onean asked as she raised an eyebrow.

A wry smile appeared on Erwin's face as he sighed, "I honestly feel like I'm completely powerless when dealing with you."

Onean was rather amused to see Erwin's glum expression, and she teased, "So you're saying that men ultimately still prefer women who aren't all that bright because they're easier to deal with, is that right?"

"To be honest, I liked you better back when we were in the forest north of the Terarody Mountain Ranges," Erwin said in a playful voice.

Onean heaved a forlorn sigh in response. "We didn't have much to think about back then, but times are different now."

"I was just kidding," Erwin hurriedly said, then gently latched onto Onean's arm before looking into her eyes with an earnest expression. "I shudder to imagine what my days would look like without you."

"You're trying to sweet talk me again," Onean replied with an amused expression. "How many women do you plan to hook up with in your lifetime?"

Erwin was temporarily stumped by this question.

"It looks like I'll have to present myself in public more often in the future," Onean said. "Otherwise, who knows what you're going to do without me around?"

Erwin massaged his own temples as he put on a fawning smile and said, "I'm sorry, I was wrong. I'll go and return her right away."

He then turned around and made a show of returning to Count Onen's manor.

However, Onean wasn't taking his bait, and she remained still on the spot, making no attempt to stop him.

After walking away for a few steps, Erwin stopped in his tracks in an awkward manner.

Onean looked on with an amused expression, but didn't say anything.

After a long while, Onean finally relented. "You can stop making a fool out of yourself now. If you had the backbone to reject her, you wouldn't have agreed in the first place."

Erwin immediately returned to her side while nodding with a sheepish grin.

As the two of them were walking along, Onean suddenly mused, "Now that I think about it, that Faya is a very interesting person. To think that she would be willing to become a servant for you even though she was the daughter of a count not long ago."

Erwin took a moment to think of a response, then replied in an ambiguous voice, "She really is quite a strange person."

"How so?" Onean asked as she turned to Erwin with a meaningful expression.

Erwin didn't know how to respond to this question, so he could only give an even more ambiguous reply. "You wouldn't understand even if I told you."

"What do you want me to understand?" Onean asked with an innocent expression.

"Hmph, don't let me get my hands on you," Erwin threatened in a quiet voice through gritted teeth.

Onean couldn't help but burst into laughter upon seeing this. Teasing Erwin was quickly becoming one of her favorite pastimes.

I can't let a shameless rascal like you lay claim to me so easily, Onean thought to herself with an amused expression.

"You know, I'm not in a hurry, either. I have plenty of patience," Erwin said, in spite of what he was actually thinking.

"Alright, then you can keep waiting," Onean said with a provocative smile.

...

During the next few days, all of the nobles of Zans scurried out of the city with their tails between their legs one after another, much to the pleasure of the citizens of Zans. After traveling for only less than 10 kilometers out of the city, Onen and his family encountered Sherry and his men. Those men had been arranged by Erwin to accompany Onen's family to Mount Allure.

During this time, the Declaration of Freedom of the City of Freedom was also released. The declaration detailed a series of standard rules pertaining to human rights, law and order, freedom, equality, and personal property. This core agenda was the result of a sleepless night of hard work from Erwin and Turan.

Posters carrying the Declaration of Freedom were plastered all over the streets and alleys of the city, clearly informing all of the city's citizens of their rights and duties, as well as setting boundaries of just how "free" everyone could be in this City of Freedom.