Extreme Cold Era: Shelter Don't Keep Waste
Chapter 56 Two Banner Teams

Chapter 56: Chapter 56 Two Banner Teams

"Sword and Rose Knight Order? Does Aunt Annie have such a knight order under her command?" On the top deck of the White Gem, Perfikot sat by a small table, sipping her afternoon tea while meeting the knights dispatched to her.

They weren’t Imperial Guard Knights, and naturally didn’t possess the exaggerated strength of full-fledged knights; even their attendant knights were still just apprentices, not official knights.

But they came from a knight order led personally by Eldest Princess Annie, and comparatively speaking, they were more trustworthy than the now-distrusted Imperial Guard Knights.

After all, from recruitment to training, as well as combat, all were personally handled by Eldest Princess Annie herself. If these people weren’t reliable, Annie wouldn’t have anyone else more trustworthy to offer.

Facing Perfikot’s skepticism about their knight order’s name, the leading knight explained to her: "The Sword and Rose Knight Order was established two hundred years ago, adapted from a knight order during the Rose War, and has served the Royal Family for centuries.

Though not as renowned as the Imperial Guard Knights, it has taken on more royal affairs. Whenever a royal family member enlists for military service, a knight order under the royal name is assigned to them as guards.

After Eldest Princess Annie was conferred the title of Eldest Princess, the Sword and Rose Knight Order was assigned to her name.

The members of the knight order are personally selected and trained by Her Highness the Eldest Princess herself. We once followed Her Highness in the Empire’s war with the Desert Kingdom against the French army, gaining Her Highness’s trust."

"So, how many have you brought this time?" Perfikot’s gaze swept over the others behind the knight, then returned to the file in her hand.

Upon hearing Perfikot’s inquiry, the knight responded to her: "I’ve brought two units totaling fifty men, including five full knights, consisting of the unit leaders and their deputies, as well as myself as the Knight Commander.

The Sword and Rose Knight Order, accustomed to ongoing war duties, often operates in larger numbers. Thus, Her Highness established the role of Knight Commander to lead multiple units in battle during wartime."

At this point, the Knight Commander straightened up, letting the medal on his chest gleam brightly in the sunlight.

However, Perfikot wasn’t impressed by this; talking about medals, her grandfather had so many they could weave into an armor, significantly more than this Knight Commander.

"Hmm, how many people are there in one unit? How many knights and knight apprentices are there in each?" Perfikot raised her teacup, took a sip, and continued asking without looking up.

Perfikot’s indifferent demeanor was slightly frustrating for the Knight Commander but he quickly responded: "A unit in the Sword and Rose Knight Order varies from 20-30 members, typically including twelve official knights and eight to fifteen attendant knights.

However, casualties in warfare are inevitable. Occasionally, when newcomers are added and injured members return, the numbers might exceed the limit.

We also adjust the ratio of knights to attendant knights based on practical needs; sometimes attendant knights have already reached the official knight’s level but haven’t completed the promotion; hence, they remain in their original units as attendant knights.

In these two units I’ve brought, there are thirty official knights, including eleven attendant knights who possess the strength of official knights."

Perfikot was well aware that the status of knights and attendant knights wasn’t strictly correlated to their capabilities. Foster was strictly speaking still her grandfather’s attendant knight, yet possessed the strength of a commendable knight.

After all, real-life isn’t like a game, where reaching a certain level automatically earns a new title.

Overall, Perfikot was satisfied with the knights dispatched by Eldest Princess Annie.

Trading four full knights for five new ones, along with a group of official knights and apprentices, all battle-tested — it hadn’t significantly reduced fighting power but instead enhanced the number of her available hands.

However, this also gave Perfikot a headache; the current structure of this exploratory team was severely unbalanced, with an excess of combat personnel.

One unit of Imperial Guard Knights short four people, two full units of Sword and Rose Knight Order, and an infantry company organized following Guard Army standards — a sum nearing over two hundred people, not counting the twenty security personnel O’Connor managed.

Yet, the actual working explorers in the exploratory team were less than a third of the armed personnel, truly making it challenging to maintain composure.

It seemed as though the exploratory team was maneuvering like a military convoy.

Regardless, Perfikot didn’t dwell on this matter. She instructed the Knight Commander to coordinate with Samantha, then let Foster arrange accommodations on the vessel.

The Knight Commander clearly understood his priorities; upon boarding, instead of settling his subordinates, he brought everyone to pay respects to Perfikot, undoubtedly earning her favor.

Naturally, this was greatly influenced by the telegram Perfikot had sent back, since it was Sir Beckett who got dismissed for his lack of respect towards Perfikot, triggering Langton City’s sweeping purge of the Reform Faction.

How could this not make the temporarily reassigned Knight Commander apprehensive and extra attentive?

After handling the matters related to the knight order, Perfikot looked up at the sun in the sky, then reached out to adjust the brim of her sunhat, asking Beifa nearby: "Beifa, how many days have we been at sea now?"

Though Beifa couldn’t speak, she quickly gave Perfikot the answer she wanted after her inquiry, holding up a "four" gesture.

"Four days? Looks like we’re about to enter the northern sea route." Perfikot estimated the journey, nodding slightly, feeling a hint of concern.

She had heard before departure that mishaps on the northern sea route were increasing, with ships encountering icebergs.

Now that she herself was navigating this route, it was inevitable to feel apprehensive.

"If it comes to it, let’s equip the ship with a few searchlights and assign people for day-and-night watch to avoid iceberg collisions." Perfikot was cautious, hence resolved internally to prevent such accidents.

After making up her mind, she instructed Beifa: "Notify the captain that I have an important matter to discuss, and ask him to come over when he’s available."