The next morning was a bright and sunny one.

Georgina and Erwin were the ones who got up the earliest. Of course, Erwin barely slept at all the night before.

Following his conversation with Onean, she had grown rather sleepy and was able to fall asleep after returning to her room, leaving him to appreciate the night scenery alone. The wind on the deck was too strong for him to fall asleep, so he could only conjure up a forcefield in the area around the steering wheel to keep out the wind, then snuggled up on the pilot's seat for a rough night's sleep. As a result of his terrible sleeping posture, his body was extremely stiff, so he could only stand with a hunched back. Furthermore, his eyes were severely bloodshot, and he was looking very much worse for wear.

"Look's like you had a rough night's sleep, Master Erwin," Georgina jibed.

"Don't call me Master Erwin, it's not like I hold any noble rank," Erwin said with a wry smile. "How about you follow Christine's lead and just call me brother."

"I can't do that. Even if you're not a noble, you're still the commander of our mercenary legion, Master Erwin," Georgina said with an amused smile, displaying no intention to change the way he referred to Erwin.

"Alright, do whatever you want then." Erwin shook his head with a resigned smile, then asked, "By the way, why did you come after us? Who's going to look after your mother in your absence?"

Georgina's smile faded slightly upon hearing this, and he replied,...