After their return from Newfando, Georgina and Chinba gave Erwin a detailed recount of what had unfolded in Kevin's camp.

Erwin offered the two of them high praise, then carefully examined the wound on Georgina's wrist, upon which he was also quite surprised by Kevin's power.

"Seeing as Duchess Silon really is plotting against us, I think it's necessary to establish foundations of our Shadowfeather Division in the Delair Dukedom," Erwin said.

"Understood," the two of them replied in unison.

"We'll still go along with our original plan, with Chinba setting up the organization, while Georgina will be responsible for practical operations. Are there any problems?"

Chinba and Georgina exchanged a glance, following which the former said, "We have no experience, so there are definitely going to be problems that arise in the future, but we'll just have to address them as they come up."

Erwin nodded in response. "If you encounter any difficulties, then come and see me. Sanfesa is a very dangerous woman, so make sure to proceed with caution in her territory."

Georgina was someone who had followed him all the way from Sarus, so he was quite concerned for his safety.

"When given the choice, always err on the side of caution, understood?" Erwin instructed with a solemn expression.

Georgina faltered slightly upon hearing this, then nodded firmly in response.

Only after Georgina and Chinba had departed did Theresa emerge from another room.

"So? I didn't lie to you, did I? If we had engaged in a full-blown battle at Newfando, she would've swooped in at the end to claim all the spoils."

"It looks like that old hag has quite a large army under her control," Erwin said with a wry smile. "This is most likely going to be a long and drawn-out battle."

"Things aren't as simple as you imagine them to be," Theresa said as she turned to Erwin.

"What do you mean?" Erwin asked with a puzzled expression.

"I haven't told you about this yet, but there's an extremely important figure supporting the Delair Dukedom."

"Who is it?"

"Prince Xar."

"Who is that? Why is the political ecosystem in the Fulway Empire so complicated?" Erwin asked with furrowed brows.

"There are many dukedoms littered throughout the Fulway Empire, but there are only a select few figures who stand at the pinnacle of power. Aside from the emperor, there are two others who are at the same level in the pecking order."

"Two others?" This was sounding awfully familiar to Erwin.

"Those two are Prince Xar and Prime Minister Henry," Theresa said, and she was rather amused by the peculiar look that had appeared on Erwin's face. Having heard his story, she was naturally aware of Prince Lazaar and Prime Minister Fuller. In fact, it was also due to the conflict between the top brass in the Effer Kingdom's royal court that Erwin even traveled to the north in the first place.

"History really does repeat itself, doesn't it?" Erwin sighed with a resigned expression. "Don't tell me that this Prince Xar is also one of your aunt's lovers."

"You think a prince would fall for a used old slut like her?" Theresa scoffed with a disdainful expression.

"I'm assuming the rulers of these dukedoms are split up into two factions in the imperial court, right?"

"Not all of them. There are quite a few sitting on the fence as well."

Erwin nodded in response, then asked, "Why is your aunt so determined to follow Prince Xar?"

"I don't know about that. Ever since she married Duke Silon and went to the Delair Dukedom, I've been unable to keep very close tabs on her," Theresa explained.

"So essentially, what you're telling me is that the Delair Dukedom is not going to be an easy dukedom to conquer, is that right?" Erwin was naturally referring to Prince Xar's support as the main obstacle standing in their way. This was one of a handful of the most powerful figures in the entire Fulway Empire, so he was naturally not to be messed with.

"Are you scared?" Theresa jeered.

Erwin shook his head in response. "I'm thinking that if Prince Xar really does step in to save the Delair Dukedom, Prime Minister Henry isn't going to just stand by and watch, is he?"

"I'd say that's a pretty good assumption," Theresa replied.

After that, Erwin summoned Sherry and Shiba to come and see him, then instructed the two of them to take 20,000 troops with them to set up a fort in the Granch Hills. This was an extremely important step, both for the purpose of establishing a gateway to the north of Newfando, and as a means of preparing for the future battle against the Delair Dukedom.

Erwin made sure to go into great detail when disclosing the site that the fort was to be built on, going as far as to plan out which major road the fort would be connected to, which plots of high ground were going to be claimed, and even the route through which construction materials were going to be transported to the site.

After the two of them departed to carry out Erwin's instructions, Theresa turned to Erwin with a warm smile.

"Are you impressed?" Erwin asked in an indifferent voice without even turning to look at her.

Theresa transformed into a body of water that squirmed into his arms, then planted a gentle kiss onto his lips. "You don't seem very reliable normally, but it looks like you're quite a capable planner when it comes to important things."

"Take me on a tour of Newfando," Erwin said as he gently grabbed onto Theresa's rear end. The texture was somewhere between water and flesh, and it was almost addictive to grab onto.

Theresa looked up at her with a hint of embarrassment and indignation in her eyes.

Through the use of the slave contract, Erwin was sealing her magic power away, thereby making her powerless to resist.

...

When it came to taking a stroll through a new city, Erwin always felt the urge to bring Onean along with him. Only with her by his side could his mind be put at ease.

After leaving Fort Breeze, Erwin decided to make a trip to the Ubiquitous Firm so he could bring Christine along as well.

The more the merrier, right? he thought to himself in a shameless manner.

Erwin was very pleased to see the large number of customers in the hall of the Ubiquitous Firm branch. It had only been a few days since the Ubiquitous Firm had moved into Newfando, and it came as quite a pleasant surprise to him that business was already booming to such an extent.

Christine was naturally very happy to see Erwin.

"What's brought you here today, Brother Erwin?" she asked with a wide smile as she rushed over to him before giving him a tight hug.

Erwin was already accustomed to this as Christine did this every time they met, but Theresa faltered slightly upon seeing this, and her brows also furrowed ever so slightly.

She felt like she had seen this little girl somewhere before, but she couldn't recall where.

"Have we met somewhere before?" she asked as she looked at Christine with a faint smile.

"Have we? I don't recall seeing you before," Christine replied.

"Why are bringing these other women with us? Are you trying to get me angry?" Onean asked with a menacing smile as she began to twist Erwin's ear.

"Hey, don't be jealous. These two are nowhere as beautiful as you, I'm just bringing them with us to further highlight your beauty," Erwin said with a sheepish smile. Unfortunately, Onean wasn't someone that he could control using a slave contract, so he could endure her punishment. At the same time, he was envisioning how heavenly it would be to have a princess as his slave. If that were to happen someday, he would be able to die a happy man.

Theresa and Christine were naturally quite displeased to hear Erwin complimenting Onean at their expense, and they both turned to him with furious expressions.

"Alright, alright, all three of you are just as beautiful as one another," Erwin hurriedly backtracked with a resigned expression. "Are you ladies going to come with me or not? I'm going on ahead."

Christine was the youngest of the three women, so she had the least qualms and concerns. As such, she immediately wound her arm around Erwin's arm as if she were his lover. Erwin was rather amused to see this. No matter how he looked at her, she still seemed like his younger sister. She was always often expressing her romantic feelings toward him, but Erwin simply couldn't bring himself to see her in a romantic light.

"I got here first, so it looks like you two will just have to make do as you are," Christine said as she turned to Onean with a bright smile.

"Cheeky little rascal!" Theresa harrumphed as she turned away with a displeased expression.

As for Onean, she was shaking her head with a hand on her own forehead. For her, it was a rather disconcerting thought that she had to compete for the affection of a man with a pair of underage girls.

With these three beauties accompanying him on the street, Erwin felt as if he were basking in sunshine and roses, even though it was a cold autumn day.

The people of Newfando were also very curious about the leader of the Universal Church Freedom Army, and everyone wanted to see exactly what type of person he was.

Back when the Universal Church Freedom Army first entered the city, many of the citizens were concerned that this would be a den of bandits and ruffians. Hence, everyone was living in a state of fear and locking themselves in their houses. At the time, no one dared to venture out onto the street to see Erwin. After all, they had heard that he had abducted Theresa, which led them to the assumption that he was a brute who was even willing to kidnap Duke Eru's underage daughter as leverage against him.

However, all of the soldiers of the Universal Church Freedom Army behaved in a very civilized manner, and with the doctrines of the City of Freedom being released, everyone quickly came to realize that this was not a group of evil-doers.

Not many people in Newfando had seen Erwin in person, but they had heard that he possessed extraordinary looks, power, magical talent, and courage in equal measure. The fact that he had ventured onto the city wall on his own when he was surrounded by so many enemy soldiers was a clear indication of how bold and courageous he was.

Even though the residents of the city didn't recognize Erwin, they did recognize Theresa. She had always been very kind and caring toward the people of the city, so she was a very popular figure among the masses. Hence, many of the residents of the city had been quite concerned after hearing that she had been abducted, fearing that harm would befall her in enemy hands.

Thankfully, no such news had arisen.

At this moment, the spritely young woman strolling along the street before everyone's eyes was none other than Theresa.

She was walking by a man's side with a bright smile, looking as if she were thoroughly enjoying herself, and this was something that no one in the city had ever seen before. In the eyes of the city's residents, Theresa had always had a rather cold and unapproachable demeanor, particularly when it came to men, which was why this scene came as such a massive surprise to everyone.

Thus, the question that everyone naturally had on their mind was who exactly this handsome young man was.

After some simple deduction, everyone realized that this could only be the leader of the Universal Church Freedom Army.

"You don't think that's Erwin, the leader of the Universal Church Freedom Army, do you?"

"It looks like that might be the case."

"In that case, why is Young Mistress Theresa being so intimate with him? Shouldn't they be sworn enemies?"

"Does it look like they're enemies?"

"Enemies? They look like a pair of lovebirds!"

"I heard that Young Mistress Theresa has already been reduced to a slave to Erwin!"

"Is that true?!"

"Take a look at her neck and wrists. What do you think those things are?"

"Now that you mention it..."

"Why is she still looking so happy if she's become a slave?"

"Who knows? Maybe this is exactly the kind of thing Young Mistress Theresa is into."

"How could you say that? Duke Eru and Young Mistress Theresa have always treated us well. How could you say that about her in this situation? Has your conscience been eaten by a dog?"

"I was just kidding around, don't take things so seriously..."

Similar conversations were taking place all along the street that Erwin and his group were strolling down.

"Given Young Mistress Theresa's aversion to men, he has to be quite an extraordinary man to have captured her heart."

"Take a look at the other women with him. They look more like celestial maidens than human women! That silver-haired woman looks like a goddess that's descended from the heavens! Even Young Mistress Theresa pales in comparison. For him to have so many stunning beauties willingly following him, calling him extraordinary seems like a massive understatement!"

"That's true..."

"Ah! I know who that is! That little girl holding onto his arm is the boss of the Ubiquitous Firm!"

"Alright, then it's all but confirmed that this man has to be Erwin."