Azurite terms of address?

[Aedilred]

I concur with your main point: the Sapphire Guard and the military of Azure City are not the same. But "secret"? I don't recall that -- citation?

Not necessarily "secret", but not common knowledge, anyway. Here. That seems to have changed in later strips; whether that's a retcon or just that the war meant the paladins became more publicly visible is I guess up to the reader.