To The Eternal Knight (2 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 154

“…How could Eric Scadugard possibly command private troops? Anja, is there no chance you were mistaken? And to think it was on the scale of a trading company’s escort knights!”

The first to speak was the Grand Duke. He looked at Anja with a disbelieving expression, but her reply remained unchanged.

“I beg your pardon, but I saw it clearly. It was at least three full battalions. There were hundreds of mounted knights, and though the one at the very front was unfamiliar to me, the others unmistakably included Eric Scadugard.”

Private troops under Castarti!

Ever since the Hundred-Year War with Gauwe, noble houses had been forbidden—aside from their own household knights—from maintaining private armies. So deeply was this principle held that even Rosa Trading Company faced fierce outcry from imperial nobles when they first formed their escort knight detachment.

Of course, as unprotected convoys were increasingly plundered and tax collection grew difficult, escort knight detachments were eventually permitted—but private troops remained strictly prohibited for all other noble houses.

Yet if Eric Scadugard, along with someone of even higher standing, had brought at least three battalions of private soldiers into the capital…

This was clearly a prelude to war. Nerea clenched her fists and spoke to the Grand Duke.

“It’s too large an undertaking for Eric Scadugard alone. If the Emperor is involved, we must also consider the possibility of combined forces with the Imperial Palace Knights.”

“Impossible. Even if His Majesty attacked the Valer domain, would he really dare violate his own imperial laws by raising private troops?”

The Grand Duke shook his head, his face clouded with confusion. In his calculations, the worst-case scenario had only ever been a direct clash with the Imperial Palace Knights.

He had believed that, by combining neutralist knights with Rosa Trading Company’s escort knights, he could suppress the Imperial Palace Knights without excessive bloodshed.

But if the Emperor’s private troops entered the fray, it would undoubtedly tilt the balance heavily against the Grand Duke’s camp.

He desperately wanted to argue that Eric Scadugard wasn’t the Emperor’s ally—but it was futile.

“In fact, I haven’t had a chance to mention this since Anja entered.”

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