The paperwork to appoint Reinhardt as captain of the Steel Knight Order’s second squad was ultimately never submitted.

While soldiers were clearing out Erich’s personal effects, they found the document in his locker. It was stamped with the official seal of the Steel Knight Order and co-signed by Vice Commanders Erich and Friedrich.

But the man was dead, and the Steel Knight Order itself existed in name only.

Whether it was submitted—or whether Reinhardt could even be appointed captain of the second squad—no longer mattered.

Only two formal members of the original Steel Knight Order had truly survived: Adrian and Holden.

Even three days after the battle, the latter still lay unconscious in a tent.

On that same day, an order from the Seventh Group Army’s high command reached Frostfire Fortress. It commanded Duval to have his troops garrison the fortress and await the arrival of the forces from the Hearn Territory to complete the handover.

Officially, Reinhardt’s status was still that of a follower from the Steel Knight Order’s training camp, even though he had awakened his Knight Power and possessed strength equivalent to a Three-star Military Rank.

But since the Steel Knight Order’s paperwork had never been submitted to the Group Army for approval, he remained a Free Knight, outside the jurisdiction of the Imperial Army.

As for the fate of him and the other followers who had narrowly survived, the Group Army’s high command issued no direct orders. In other words, whether they lived or died was simply irrelevant; no one cared.

「Seven days later.」

Having completely suppressed the Abyss Legion’s small-scale invasion, the Radiant Empire used a combination of diplomacy and military pressure to force the Scaya Dragonfolk to withdraw their troops.

The relief forces from the Hearn Territory arrived as promised.

Among the arriving personnel was someone Reinhardt had met before: the daughter of the Great Lord, Eliza Hearn.

Reinhardt had once naively believed that Lord Hearn dispatching his daughter to select talented youths from the Steel Knight Order’s followers and invite them to join the Hearn Territory was merely a private deal between his family and Sedon.

But now he understood.

Even though Sedon was a vice commander of the Steel Knight Order, he was still insignificant—a nobody—before a behemoth like the Seventh Group Army.

Without the tacit approval of a true powerhouse, Sedon would never have dared agree to such a shady deal—one that bordered on treason—even if he had a hundred times the courage.

Or, to put it more bluntly, Lord Hearn had clearly known some of the Steel Knight Order’s inside secrets, including the great upheaval in the autumn of 1438.

He had even known all along that after the Knight Order became defunct, its former followers would be abandoned at the fortress by the Seventh Group Army, left to fend for themselves.

The youths didn’t understand politics.

They were simply confused as to why, even after ten days, the reinforcements from the Empire had completely ignored them.

But Reinhardt had already guessed the answer: because every one of them was branded with the mark of the Steel Knight Order.

Someone in the Group Army’s high command would not allow any Knight or follower bearing that mark to continue serving in the Imperial Army.

Sedon had received the same answer on the day the Abyss Legion launched its full-scale assault on the fortress.

In fact, that powerful figure was deeply displeased by his act of recommending Reinhardt.

The delayed arrival of the reinforcements was itself a severe warning!

As a price for his actions, simply for writing a confidential letter recommending Reinhardt as an expression of his Loyalty to the Empire, Sedon lost an arm and his Direct Lineage Knights were all but annihilated.

Snow fell year-round in the Northern Lands.

A bonfire sputtered, struggling for life against the howling, frigid wind.

Carl and Pachy, two of the lucky ones, sat silently beside Reinhardt. Vice Commander Erich and Instructor An Jie were dead, the Empire’s reinforcements had ignored them, and the anxiety of the bitter wait was eroding their patience with every passing moment.

"Knight Reinhardt, may we speak privately?"

Eliza Hearn still wore that same thick, fur-lined cloak. An unhealed scar was visible on her forehead. The harsh cold of the Northern Lands made her skin seem all the more fair, and her gentle gaze seemed to hold a Magic Power capable of soothing one’s heart.

Especially at a time like this.

When Reinhardt had been a mere follower, he hadn’t felt anything was amiss. But now, having awakened his Knight Power, the woman—Eliza’s—gaze made him deeply uncomfortable.

Though gentle on the surface, her eyes held an unspoken aggression and coldness in their depths. It wasn’t just a psychological impression; it felt as if some mysterious power was at work.

Eliza Hearn was beautiful—a true stunner who would stand out even among the socialites of the Imperial City. She possessed a classical grace, flawless skin, and clear eyes. Even in the dry, bitter cold of the Northern Lands, her lips remained moist and cherry-red.

When Carl and Pachy looked up at such a beautiful young woman, their eyes widened in a daze.

Reinhardt, however, only furrowed his brow.

"If you have something to say, just say it."

’He knew what this woman wanted, but he had no interest in selling his life for a Local Lord.’

Unfazed, Eliza smiled. "My father knows that you were the one who saved me that day. He would like to invite you to the family castle for dinner as a show of his gratitude."

"Of course, my father and I have also prepared a generous gift to show our thanks."

She knew a Free Knight of the Empire would not easily pledge Loyalty to a Local Lord, so she phrased her invitation very tactfully.

But this move by the Hearn Territory—acting like ghouls picking at the corpse of the Steel Knight Order—thoroughly enraged Reinhardt. ’The Knight Order has only just been disbanded, and you’re already here, eager to devour its legacy?!’