He smiled as he cast his gaze toward Sanfesa, then said, "It warms my heart to see that you're keeping such a close eye on the affairs of our Boll Dukedom. Indeed, there are some sinister individuals sparking unrest in our Boll Dukedom under the guise of the Universal Church. However, they've already been completely eradicated. I didn't think that such a minor incident would attract so much attention from you."

Through this statement, he was implying to all of the dukedom rulers present that Sanfesa's accusations merely stemmed from her selfish desire to take over the Boll Dukedom, and that this City of Freedom that was seeking to abolish the nobility system didn't actually exist. Prior to setting off for Finklan, Erwin and Lia had already determined that the best strategy was to deny all of these accusations, and Erwin was prepared to follow through on this strategy to the very end.

A hint of amusement flashed through Prince Xar's eyes upon hearing this. Never did he think that such a handsome and talented young man could also be so shameless when he wanted to be. At the same time, this only made Prince Xar even warier of him. It was clear to the prince that Erwin was far from just a pretty face.

Meanwhile, the emperor and Prime Minister Henry were both quite impressed by Erwin's composure. The two of them were well aware of what had happened in the Boll Dukedom recently, and they were very concerned that Erwin would willingly admit to these accusations and declare to everyone that he was indeed starting a revolution to topple the nobility. If he were to do that, he would immediately become the foremost public enemy to everyone present, and once that happened, even the emperor and the prime minister would've been powerless to save him.

As for why the two of them wanted to help Erwin, each of them had their own reasons. To Prime Minister Henry,...