Just as Theresa anticipated, an imperial envoy arrived at Newfando a few years later. Erwin and Lia greeted the imperial envoy together at the Great Hansen Cathedral, and the imperial envoy didn't seem to have paid any heed to the fact that he hadn't been greeted by Duke Eru instead. As Erwin listened to the imperial envoy loudly reading out the imperial summons, it occurred to him that the emperor really didn't care whether the dukedoms of the Fulway Empire had changed rulers or not. Clearly, what the emperor valued the most was loyalty. As long as the ruler of a dukedom was loyal to him, he didn't care who it was.

After seeing off the imperial envoy, Erwin and Lia began to discuss what they were going to do next. Even though they couldn't figure out why the emperor had suddenly decided to release an imperial summons at a time like this, this was a serious matter that had to be treated with caution.

"Should I go, or do you want to go?" Erwin asked.

"I can tell that you're really eager. Are you going to volunteer to make the trip yourself?" Lia asked with an amused smile.

"Don't try to put words into my mouth," Erwin countered, but he also had a wide grin on his face.

"Even if you weren't eager to go, you're the only suitable candidate," Lia said with a serious expression after a moment of contemplation.

"Give me the details?"

"You are the best representative of our City of Freedom. You are young and handsome, and you possess exceptional talent in both art and poetry. In contrast, no one would want to see an old man like me," Lia replied in a justified manner.

Erwin was very taken aback to hear this response. "It's not like this is a date, why do my looks matter?"

"Sometimes, political conferences are very similar to group dates. A lot of the time, it's all about first impressions, and the best way to leave a positive first impression is naturally to have an outstanding outward presentation."

Erwin had no idea how Lia had developed such a ridiculous theory.

"Did the Universal Lord say that?" Erwin asked with a mocking expression.

"If the Universal Lord were to descent right now, They would also declare you as a far more suitable candidate than myself," Lia replied with a "reverent" expression.

"What if Sanfesa sends her troops to attack us while I'm in Finklan? Who's going to be able to lead our army against her? Are you going to be up to the task?" Even though there was a joking tone to Erwin's voice, this was something that he was truly concerned about.

"Don't worry about that. Sanfesa will definitely take advantage of this imperial summons to make a big fuss during the imperial conference. If she can convince the emperor that you're a traitor to the empire through slander, then her army will be able to march for our City of Freedom with an official cause. Prior to that, she won't do anything." It had to be said that Lia's psychological assessment of Sanfesa was very accurate.

"There's no need for slander from her, we really are traitors to the empire," Erwin chuckled.

"That may be the case, but do not say anything like that during your visit to Finklan. No matter what Sanfesa says, you must deny her claims to the very end," Lia warned as he looked into Erwin's eyes.

"There are copies of our declaration of freedom plastered all over the place. The evidence is extremely damning and readily available. How am I supposed to deny their accusations with the odds stacked so heavily against me?" Erwin asked as his brows furrowed slightly.

"Just be shameless and play it off. Do I have to teach you how to do that? How do you go about chatting up girls all the time? Why are you suddenly so inflexible when it comes to things that are actually important? " Lia scolded in a stern voice, seemingly a little irked by Erwin's lack of resourcefulness.

Erwin was completely rooted to the spot. He had always thought that Lia was the human embodiment of morals and ethics, and never did he think that he would hear something like that come out of Lia's mouth.

The fact that he's going so far and saying something like this indicates that he's also realized just how important this trip to Finklan will be, Erwin thought to himself.

"Will I have any allies in Finklan?"

"Are you asking about the people from our church?" Lia asked as he carefully watched Erwin's expression.

Erwin nodded in response.

Lia shook his head as he said, "I suggest you banish all such thoughts from your mind. I can tell you now that the Universal Church may not wish to see us succeed, and they will most certainly not support us during this time."

Erwin was rather surprised to hear this. This was the first time that he had heard Lia reveal any of the internal details of the Universal Church.

"Besides, it's not like you don't know what the target demographic of the Universal Church is. Without any connections among the nobility, the impact that it can have on an imperial conference will be extremely minimal."

"Alright, so you're saying I have to rely entirely on myself during this trip to Finklan," Erwin said.

"Not necessarily."

"Why is that?"

"Duchess Silon has the support of Prince Xar, so there's a very good chance that Prime Minister Henry will lend you his support to some extent."

"I certainly hope so." Erwin had already developed a rough understanding of the upper echelons of the Fulway Empire's political ecosystem from what he had been told by Theresa. However, he wasn't so optimistic that he could bring himself to count on the support of a prime minister whom he had never even met before.

...

Seeing as it was decided that Erwin was going to be the one to make the trip to Finklan, he decided not to delay and immediately began to consider the people that he was going to bring with him.

Theoretically speaking, it was a good idea for Erwin to leave someone important behind to guard Newfando. This was someone who had to be able to command the loyalty and respect of Erwin's subordinates, and the only suitable candidate that fulfilled those criteria was Onean. However, this was going to be a rather perilous trip, and if Onean weren't accompanying him, there was a chance that he wouldn't even be able to make it back from the imperial conference alive. Thus, given how cowardly Erwin was, he was definitely going to bring Onean with him. As for Theresa, there would've been no problem leaving her to guard Newfando and lead its army in the past, but at the moment, her identity was a little sensitive. As Erwin's slave, it was rather inappropriate for her to act as the commander of Newfando's forces. Aside from these two, there were no other suitable candidates to leave behind in Newfando. Hence, Erwin could only trust that Lia's assessment of Sanfesa was correct, and that she would only make her move after the conclusion of the imperial conference.

Thankfully, it would only take four or five days to reach Finklan from Newfando. Once construction on Fort Lungpierce was complete, the troops under Sherry and Shiba's command alone would be sufficient to keep enemy forces at bay for at least a few days, which would give Erwin sufficient time to return from Finklan and take over from the two. Furthermore, Erwin had also sent a message to Chinba, instructing him to keep a close eye on any moves made by the Delair Dukedom's army, and to inform him right away of any significant moves by sending urgent reports to Finklan.

After making all of those arrangements, Erwin decided that it was time to set off for Finklan, and he was going to bring both Onean and Theresa with him. Onean was going to be his most powerful ally in battle and also his wisest advisor, so her accompaniment was vital on this trip. As for Theresa, she was far more familiar with the complex political situation in the Fulway Empire than Erwin was, so her cousel was also undoubtedly going to be extremely valuable to Erwin. In addition to those two, he also brought Yuho with him. With this constant chatterbox accompanying them on their trip, there was no chance of any boredom setting in. Faya was feeling very sad to be left behind when Onean and Theresa were allowed to accompany him, and she looked up at Erwin with tearful eyes, silently imploring him to take her with him. Erwin explained to her that the trip was going to be very perilous, and that there was a chance that he wouldn't be able to protect her. However, her counterargument to that was that even someone like Yuho was able to come on the trip, so why was she being left behind?

Erwin was caught completely off guard by this, and he had no way to rebuke this argument, so he could only agree to take her as well. In contrast, Christine was much more mature and unselfish. After hearing that Erwin was going to Finklan to attend the imperial conference, she knew that she wouldn't be able to provide any assistance to him by accompanying him, so she willingly stayed behind to look after the Ubiquitous Firm.

What came as a surprise to Erwin was that even though Lia had told him not to expect any support from the Universal Church, he had sent Turan to accompany him on this trip, a decision that Erwin found to be rather perplexing.

Why did he send this old man who only knows how to write and draw? Erwin thought to himself.

Turan could see the befuddlement on Erwin's face, and he was quite displeased to see that Erwin was clearly looking down on him. "I lived in Finklan for several decades! Surely I'll be more familiar with the city than you."

Thus, the group set off on their journey to Finklan.

By the time they set off, it was already the end of winter, and the imperial conference was only due to commence in early spring, so they had plenty of time on their hands and didn't have to rush in their travels. Erwin was in the same carriage as the three women, and he was thoroughly enjoying the experience.

Unfortunately for Yuho and Turan, they didn't get the same treatment. Yuho was responsible for driving the carriage, while Turan was riding on horseback alongside all of the other guards that were riding along around the carriage. In order to assuage his indignation from the unfair treatment, Turan could only sip on bottles of wine, drowning his sorrows with alcohol.

Why am I not allowed to sit in the carriage? Turan grumbled internally, and his face was already bright red from the effects of the alcohol.

"It's truly a blissful experience, traveling while surrounded by such glorious scenery," Erwin remarked as he cast his gaze toward the scenery outside the horse-drawn carriage. Of course, he naturally wasn't referring to the actual scenery outside. Instead, he was indirectly expressing his pleasure at being surrounded by the women in the carriage.

Yuho couldn't help but admire the creativity in the way that Erwin was teasing these women, and he could only wish that he possessed the same level of talent in this regard.

As for Turan, he pursed his lips with disdain after hearing what Erwin had just said, then took another large gulp of wine.

"Before you look at the 'scenery', tighten your collar to keep out the wind so you don't start coughing again," Onean said in a cold voice as she took an indifferent glance at Erwin. She was holding an open magic book in one hand while continuing to inject magic power into the magic array set up in the carriage to prevent him from erupting into a coughing fit from the cold.

Faya hurriedly rose to her feet and buttoned up the collar of Erwin's cloak upon hearing this.

Meanwhile, Theresa stretched lazily while laying in Erwin's arms, and there was a hint of lazy and effortless seduction in her bleary eyes. She had been woken up by Erwin's voice, but it was clear that she wasn't bothered by that in the slightest.

Erwin felt like she was a puddle of warm water sitting on his chest, and he found it to be rather amusing. He knew that Theresa was intentionally doing this, but he didn't expect her body to have such an interesting use.

"You're not shy in the slightest, are you? You're laying all over me like a kitten," Erwin jibed as he looked at Theresa while giving her a pat on her smooth and round behind.

"Isn't this how a slave should act? I should be frivolous and sordid, right?" Theresa asked as she breathed into Erwin's ear, then imitated Erwin's voice as she asked, "Is it not working for you?"

Erwin couldn't help but burst into laughter upon hearing this.

Faya was blushing furiously as she watched the two entangle with one another.

As for Onean, she was looking on with a cold expression, wondering to herself whether she should do something to teach the two a lesson. However, she had a feeling that the way Theresa was willingly debasing herself had something to do with the secret hiding in her heart.