To The Eternal Knight (2 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 161

Some members of the First Knight Order, having changed their minds, immediately joined the neutral knights, while others paused to ponder, saying they needed time to consider.

But as soon as Uther Opinion—who had been the first to declare he would turn his back on the Emperor—and several other knights persistently tried to persuade them, the atmosphere among the First Knight Order shifted entirely.

Even the hesitant knights, after seeing Elaine Dunst standing silently in resignation and witnessing the captured knights of Gauwe below, began leaning toward believing Nerea’s words—and some even let out bitter sighs.

“…Then… it’s truly the case that His Majesty saved Prince Gauwe and even supported him?”

Hearing the young knight’s bewildered voice finally burst into a sigh, Nerea could faintly empathize with the sense of betrayal and disappointment they felt—though it was only a faded echo of emotions she herself had experienced ten years ago.

It would surely take considerable time for them to suppress and manage those violently surging feelings, yet Nerea considered it fortunate that these young knights had only just encountered the very beginning of the countless hardships she had endured—and, moreover, that among these elite and potentially dangerous knights, there were no scions from staunchly imperial or noble-aligned families.

It seemed the entire First Knight Order, who always led the way in the most perilous missions, now regarded this incident not only as a matter of upholding their knightly principles but also as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

From the moment crimson evening hues began to fall, the First Knight Order started narrating fervently what they had seen and heard.

“Therefore, by His Imperial Majesty’s command, we of the First Knight Order came here with the mission to apprehend His Grace the Grand Duke, Count Nerea Esteban, and all members of the neutral faction as traitors.”

“….”

“Our commander’s strategy was to rendezvous here with the three battalions led by Sir Eric Scadugard, merge into a combined battalion, and then swiftly assault the Grand Duke’s residence, Count Rosa’s estate, and the trading company upon returning to the capital.”

The testimonies offered by the First Knight Order matched almost exactly the secret intelligence Nerea had received from Alejandro.

It was a fairy-tale-like account—how Sir Eric Scadugard and Elaine Dunst, who took the lead in foiling the rebellion, had unexpectedly joined forces with the exiled prince, who had been quietly living under the Emperor’s mercy—and even included predictions that the Orlandor and Valer territories, which previously bordered the fallen kingdom, would now align themselves with Prince Gauve.

As they testified, the knights of the First Knight Order realized they had never expected to unite with Prince Gauwe’s battalion—and inferred that the border territories were what the Emperor had secretly promised them.

More and more knights fell speechless, and at some point, their faces began alternating between pale ashen and deathly blue.

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