"I know what you mean, but other people will find out about this eventually."
Teres took a draw from his pipe, a habit he had formed over eight years undercover. The Patrol Knight shook his head slightly. "Though the Marquis isn't a Great Knight, he's still the head of a major faction within our Order. There's no need to hide it. The various departments need secrecy between them, but internally, we should at least know who belongs to whom."
"You're right."
Ian sighed, with no intention of arguing with Teres.
The internal distribution of power within the Inspecting Knights Order placed the Order's leader and two vice leaders at the very top. The Third Energy Level Great Knights rallied beneath these leaders, while each Great Knight had their own squads, retainers, and apprentices beneath them.
Marquis Barton was a rather independent branch. He was neither a leader nor subordinate to any Great Knight. He answered directly to His Majesty the Emperor and oversaw military intelligence along the borders.
First Energy Level Patrol Knight apprentices like Ian, meanwhile, belonged to the category that still needed to "continue training"... Only after qualifying could they be assigned missions.
"But you probably won't need that—anyone recommended by Marquis Barton's side is considered qualified. That old general's assessments are extremely harsh. Many Great Knights who have met him found him terrifying."
Teres was not usually much of a talker. The reason he was so enthusiastically explaining things to Ian was mainly because the youth had been constantly drawing him out—using an inquisitive manner, the status of a junior, satisfied praise, and admiring eyes to make this knight, who rather enjoyed being looked at with respect, talk a little more.
Perhaps more than a little.
In any case, this knightly old brother was also an undercover