Law of Space and Time

Kaiba asked him what the 50,000 Loonies were for, and Erwin gave a rather vague response, telling Kaiba that he had purchased a lot of precious ore from the governor's manor.

"I heard that you're going to the north, is that right?" Kaiba asked as he took a glance at Erwin.

It was clear that Gwen had told Kaiba about Erwin's plans and had encouraged him to come and bid farewell to Erwin, and this was a surprisingly thoughtful gesture from her.

"You've been constantly buzzing around Gwen like a fly these past few days, so I didn't get a chance to mention this to you," Erwin jibed. "Also, you never asked me about my plans. I was about to tell you that night in Sarus, but you were distracted by Gwen, so I didn't end up getting to tell you."

However, Kaiba didn't laugh at his jibes. Instead, he looked at Erwin with a serious expression as he asked, "Have you already made up your mind?"

Erwin's smile also faded, and he took a glance at the people on the deck of the airship before nodding in response.

"I thought that you and Her Highness would definitely stay," Kaiba said.

Erwin merely shook his head in silence.

"This is all so abrupt! We didn't even get a chance to have a meal together, and you're leaving already," Kaiba complained with a disgruntled expression. "I can't believe Sherry and the others didn't tell me anything, either."

"They probably all assumed that I had already spoken to you."

Kaiba heaved a forlorn sigh, and a sorrowful silence descended upon the two of them.

"Take care," Kaiba suddenly said. He knew Erwin very well, and he knew that once Erwin made a decision, there would be no persuading him otherwise, so he chose to offer Erwin his well-wishes instead.

"You too," Erwin said as he looked at Kaiba with a serious expression.

After all of the crates of Fall Crystal ore were loaded into the cargo space beneath the deck, the airship was ready to set off.

Erwin called for everyone on the deck to gather around, and they quickly obliged, converging around Erwin and Kaiba.

It was immediately apparent to everyone that Kaiba most likely wouldn't be accompanying them on their journey to the north.

Sherry, Lanyon, Georgina, and the rest of the Four Winds mercenaries came forward one after another to embrace Kaiba. They had all been through life and death together, so a hug was enough to convey everything that they wanted to say.

Shortly thereafter, the airship began to slowly rise up into the bright and sunny sky.

Kaiba raised his head, standing under the shadow of the airship as he waved in farewell to all of the people on the deck.

I wonder when or if I'm ever going to see them again, he sighed internally to himself in a forlorn manner.

Erwin looked down at Kaiba with a solemn expression, and he didn't wave back like everyone else. Instead, he mouthed the words "take care" once again.

Erwin cast his gaze toward the turning steering wheel at the center of his deck, and he couldn't help but get a little sentimental. The gears of the steering wheel were like people who were being turned by the wheel of fate, not knowing when they would turn and when they would stop.

Thus, the airship departed from Tewadedan, flying toward the north.

It was already past noon by the time the Zam Highlands appeared in everyone's field of view. Fresh, green grass spread as far as the eyes could see in all directions, and herds of cows and sheep were grazing lazily without a care in the world. Erwin was basking in the cool breeze blowing through the air above the highlands while looking down at the vast pastures under the bright and sunny sky, and he felt a sense of freedom and release that washed away the sorrow in his heart.

As the airship was flying through the sky, the cows and sheep down below occasionally raised their heads to take a glance, as if it had been a very long time since they had seen any visitors.

The shepherd boy was very elated to see the airship, and he was waving his cap vigorously up at everyone, despite not knowing whether the people on the airship could even see him.

As the long shadow of the airship was cast over a group of horses that were drinking water, they immediately began to gallop over the pastures to follow the shadow.

He turned around to see if anyone else was appreciating the scenery with him, but all of the Four Winds mercenaries were busy doing other things, while Christine was nodding off on the pilot's chair, so no one was there to share the experience, and Erwin could only give a resigned shake of his head upon seeing this.

Where's Onean? Why has she still not gotten up yet? I haven't seen her all morning, Erwin thought to himself with a puzzled expression as he made his way toward the tail end of the airship.

He gently pushed open the door of the room, and he heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing the bleary-eyed Onean. "I almost thought we accidentally left you back at Tewadedan."

"You woke me up when you got up this morning," Onean said with a displeased expression as she got up into a seated position, but her eyes were narrowed and her face was buried under her free-flowing silver locks. It was clear that she wanted to keep out as much sunlight as possible from her eyes. She was wearing a thin silken sleeping gown that was very loose-fitting, and one of her delicate shoulders was exposed in an alluring fashion.

"Surely that doesn't warrant sleeping until this late in the morning," Erwin said with a smile.

"How could I fall back asleep when there was so much rumbling this morning?" Onean complained without even raising her head.

"Were they that loud when they were carrying the stuff onto the airship?" Erwin chuckled with an amused expression.

Onean ignored him and buried her face into her pillow.

"It's time to get up. We've reached the Zam Highlands," Erwin said as he made his way over to the window before pulling the curtains aside.

Onean immediately groaned in protest at the bright sunlight shining in through the window, and she hurriedly ducked her head under her blankets to shield her eyes from the light.

"Are you not interested in seeing the vast grasslands of the Zam Highlands or are you running away from something?" Erwin asked as he sat down onto the side of Onean's bed, and his eyes were roaming over the alluring figure under the sheets.

"What do you mean by that?" Onean peeked out from under blankets, looking at Onean with a curious gleam in her golden eyes.

"Don't try to play dumb with me," Erwin said as he looked into her eyes.

Onean's eyes narrowed slightly as she stared at Erwin for a moment longer, then ducked her head under the blankets again.

"Looks like you're still unwilling to admit it," Erwin sighed in a wistful manner.

Onean didn't say anything in response, and Erwin also didn't say anything further before leaving the room.

...

After flying over the picturesque Zam Highlands for an hour or two, a gust of cold wind suddenly blew past, and Erwin couldn't help but shiver in response.

"We're about to leave the Zam Highlands, Brother Erwin. Up ahead is the Terarody Mountain Ranges, so make sure everyone puts on some warm clothing," Christine yelled toward Erwin from the pilot's chair. After issuing that reminder to Erwin, she raised the windscreen by a couple of notches, then tugged on a few levers on the control panel, and the airship began to fly ahead at full speed.

All of a sudden, the sky had turned a little dark.

Shortly thereafter, Erwin saw Christine's father rushing out of their room, holding several warm pieces of clothing that he had clearly prepared for Christine, and he couldn't help but feel a little amused. In order to avoid Erwin, Christine's father had constantly been staying in his room, and his actions reminded Erwin of a petulant sulking child.

"Listen up, everyone! We're about to enter the Terarody Mountain Ranges soon, so it's going to get very cold. Put on all of your winter clothing so you don't freeze to death," Erwin instructed.

All of the Four Winds mercenaries were fit young men who weren't scared of the cold, and it was only the beginning of spring, so the air temperature was still quite mild and pleasant. As such, they were all wearing very thin clothing. Thus, they didn't pay much heed to Erwin's words of caution. However, as soon as they felt the gusts of freezing wind pass over their bodies, they immediately rushed toward the level beneath the airship where all of their winter clothing was being stored.

Erwin also rushed back into his room, only to find that Onean was still pretending to sleep on her bed.

"It's time to get up," Erwin sighed at the sight of Onean's sad attempt to deny reality. "Take another look. Once we leave the Zam Highlands, we'll officially be out of the Effer Kingdom's territory."

Onean continued to pretend as if she couldn't hear him.

For some reason, a rush of anger welled up in Erwin's heart, and he pounced onto the bed, then picked up Onean along with her blankets before lifting her off the bed. This was most likely where the term "princess carry" originated from.

"What are you doing?" Onean yelled with anger and embarrassment while frantically pushing against Erwin's chest, and it was as if she had forgotten that she was an exceptional magician. "Put me down! Put me down right now!"

However, Erwin ignored her with a stony expression on his face, carrying her out of the room against her will.

Onean continued to push against his chest in futility for a while longer, then allowed him to do as he pleased, crossing her arms as she turned her head to the side with a grumpy expression.

Everyone on the deck was rather taken aback to see the two of them being so intimate with one another.

Onean cast her gaze toward the snowy white peaks in the distance, and she pursed her lips as she murmured to herself, "What terrible weather this is. Then again, it seems to be perfect weather for farewells."

"Tuck the blankets tighter around your chest. You're going to catch a cold," Erwin said with a serious expression.

Onean pretended not to have heard him as she continued to look at the sprawling mountain range laid out before her.

In a rare instance of self-restraint, Erwin didn't look down at the woman in his arms. Instead, he was also looking at the snowy mountains in the distance in silence.

After a while, her anger and embarrassment abated slightly, but she still gave Erwin's chest a vicious pinch to express her displeasure, in response to which Erwin feigned a wince of pain.

All of a sudden, a smile appeared on her face as she looked at Erwin and asked, "What are you thinking about? Are you wishing that Lana was here as well?"

Erwin almost dropped Onean upon hearing this, and the feigned wince on his face instantly stiffened.

"Why do you have to suddenly mention her at a time like this?" he sighed in an exasperated manner.

Onean merely pouted with a displeased expression as she turned her face to the side. "Ever since I first returned to Sarus, I heard that the son of Count Friar was known for being promiscuous. Why don't you tell me how many women you've been with before me and Lana?"

Erwin shook his head in response, unsure of how to answer this question.

Meanwhile, Onean looked absentmindedly into the distance, and tears suddenly began to well up in her eyes as she heaved a heavy sigh. "I wonder when we'll be able to come back."

Erwin was saddened by her heartbroken display, and he gently laid her down onto the ground, allowing her to stand on her own.

As soon as Onean found her footing, Erwin immediately wound his arms around her waist.

Onean was at a slight loss for what to do as she looked up at him, and he inched his face closer to hers, but instead of pressing his lips to hers, he stopped just short, leaving the choice to her.

She hesitated momentarily, then kissed him on the lips.

With the backdrop of the snowy mountains behind them, the two of them flew out of the Effer Kingdom's territory and embarked on their journey to the north.