I Resign From the Coin Mercenary Knights

The hero Kwon Hee-jin.
Until he was first summoned, his reputation was at its worst. To the point where they wanted to demand a refund from the Goddess.
Was it his poor physical condition or his novice swordsmanship?

Those weren’t even the big problems. Originally, most heroes had no combat power at all when they were first summoned. Even with the Goddess’s blessing, they needed to be trained for at least a few months before they could be put to use.
However, even considering that, Kwon Hee-jin was a difficult hero to approve of.
He frequently skipped training while making excuses, and treating us like savages was just the start. He would mutter incomprehensible words to himself, and when people around him gave him strange looks, he would sneer, “As I thought, there’s no helping it…”

‘With that kind of skill, subduing even one of the Demon Lords would be an impressive feat.’
‘Why is this generation’s hero acting like that? He keeps saying his father is an inspector, but I don’t even know what kind of job that is.’
‘I heard Martav got so fed up trying to talk to that brat that he just stood up and left.’

He had too ordinary talents for a hero, an arrogant attitude that showed no inclination to adapt to this world at all, and his chin was stuck out defiantly at all times and places.

He wasn’t someone who had done anything particularly bad, yet he kept accumulating dislike.
The turning point for Kwon Hee-jin came about 6 months ago, when he issued some kind of ‘commemorative coin’ ahead of the campaign.

I am about to embark on a campaign to subjugate the Demon King’s forces. However, an expedition to the Demon World requires far more funds than you might think. We cannot rely on the Empire’s finances forever, so I have decided to procure funds independently!

That means was the commemorative coin, he said.
Its name was Codana.
At first glance, it was just a commemorative coin. Slightly smaller than ordinary gold coins, the only unusual thing was that Kwon Hee-jin’s highly idealized face was embossed on it.
If there was anything unique, it was that since the hero had bestowed a blessing with his holy power and added a unique serial number, counterfeiting was impossible.

Other than that, it truly had no function at all. Since the front and back were identical, it couldn’t even be used for coin flips.
Nevertheless, a considerable number of nobles in the Empire purchased the hero’s commemorative coins.

First of all, the stated purpose was good. Wasn’t it for raising funds to subjugate the Demon King’s forces?

Among previous parties of heroes, there were many who barged into any household indiscriminately to extort money, so getting commemorative coins was a relief in comparison.

And while it was highly unlikely, if the hero did actually defeat the Demon King, it could become an honorable collector’s item as proof that the noble society jointly supported the hero’s party.

After procuring ample military funds through the Codana, the hero’s party soon set off on their expedition amidst the send-off of countless people.

A genius magician, a holy maiden, a female knight, even an elven archer.

Except for the holy maiden, their selections seemed based more on looks, figures, and virginity rather than ability, but that was par for the course with previous heroes as well. Heroes generally tended to be like that.

After the sendoff ceremony, people soon forgot about the existence of the hero’s party for a while.

Originally, a hero party’s expeditions tended to drag on fruitlessly for years. Naturally, they didn’t report their accomplishments every time they defeated a few monsters. At minimum, they had to defeat a Demon Lord before their deeds were talked about.

But Kwon Hee-jin was different. Even after the hero’s party departed, the people of the Empire frequently received news about him.

This was because reports about the hero’s party were constantly published in the Empire’s only newspaper, the Imperial Times, with information directly relayed by the hero through a communication crystal.

[Hero Kwon Hee-jin Subjugates Orc Tribes in Southern Borderlands… “Defeating the orcs threatening the people’s lives is more urgent than the Demon King lurking in the Demon World,” he claims]

Publishing a newspaper article just for defeating some orcs?

[Insisting on a small elite force is inefficient, will join forces with the Church Nation]

He also donated a large sum to the cash-strapped Church Nation to borrow their holy knights and priest workforce. I knew there were previous hero parties that hired porters, but this was really unprecedented.

But no one really raised any objections, since the Demon King’s forces were steadily being whittled down.

And at some point, the prevailing public opinion started to favor Kwon Hee-jin over previous heroes who spent years holed up in the Demon World on forced marches. Some people even suddenly engaged in self-reflection, saying “We’ve been too foolish until now.”

Thanks to this, public sentiment towards the hero Kwon Hee-jin also gradually became more favorable, washing away the infamy he had earned from his initial inappropriate behavior.

However, as Kwon Hee-jin’s reputation rose, an unforeseen situation followed.

The prices of the Codana coins issued by the hero began to skyrocket.

When they first appeared, the Codanas had no inherent value. People simply showed Kwon Hee-jin a degree of ‘goodwill’ within their means, and received a few Codanas in return.

But at some point, the Codanas began being traded in the market.

It’s unreasonable for only the Empire’s nobles to possess Codanas! The hero fights for all humans, not just the Empire!
Just humans? Then do dwarves not count? There’s a halfling in the hero’s party too, so why are you discriminating against us?
Give us a chance to purchase Codanas too! Give it to us!

Some foreign nobles with a collector’s mania were willing to pay exorbitant prices to acquire Codanas. Some lower-ranked nobles in the Empire who were short on funds readily accepted their offers.

As a few trades were successfully made, demand surged even further as the Codanas demonstrated their liquidity.

It wasn’t just nobles who desired Codanas either.

Merchants who had amassed fortunes through business also began to covet them, and even former members of past hero parties purchased Codanas, perhaps wanting to show support for their hardworking juniors.

The more this happened, the higher the prices of Codanas climbed.

And at some point, strange rumors about Codanas also began circulating.

Rumors that possessing a Codana blessed by the hero could ward off illness (some even claimed it could cure premature ejaculation).

Rumors that when Kwon Hee-jin achieves victory over the Demon King, Codana holders will receive rewards from the Empire, and commoners may even be granted titles.

It even went so far as rumors that the vast treasures (whose very existence was uncertain) hoarded in the Demon King’s castle would be divided among Codana holders.

Of course, these were all baseless rumors.

But once such rumors had spread, there was no way to stop them. No one knew for certain where the truth ended and the falsehoods began.

Only the price of Codanas kept changing amidst the ever-expanding rumors.

Six months ago when the Codanas were first issued, donating a little over a month’s salary for an Imperial Guard was enough to receive one Codana.

But four months ago, the price had already exceeded five million rir.

Two months ago, there was no guarantee you could acquire one even if you offered 100 million rir. This was partly thanks to the hero’s party defeating one of the Demon Lords around that time.

And about two weeks ago, prices had settled into the range of 250 million rir or so, continuing their solid uptrend.

Introduced to the world only 6 months ago, Codanas were already being treated as a symbol of wealth.

The hero Kwon Hee-jin had even forcefully demanded that exchanges be established in the capital Imperial City and some other major cities.

Who could have predicted that coins initially issued simply to garner support for the hero’s party would see their prices soar like this?

No one knew for sure, but honestly, no one was curious about it either. People simply looked forward to how much higher Codana prices would climb.

“They’ll reach 300 million by the end of the year.”

“No, after a brief consolidation early in the year, they’ll break 300 million.”

“Once they get close to the Demon King’s castle, they’ll easily surpass 400 million.”

Everyone only talked about Codanas.

Anyone who managed to possess even a few Codanas was the absolute elite envied by others. Those who couldn’t acquire any forced bitter smiles to hide their jealousy. There were even those who complained about everyone only talking about Codanas.

However, I,

As Eric, a 3rd year member of the Imperial Knights, had no dissatisfaction with this atmosphere at all.

I had never felt a sense of deprivation or any issue with it.

The reason was simple – I was a Codana holder myself.

And not just scraping by with one or two Codanas, but one of the Empire’s highest-ranked whales.

///

The number of Codanas I currently hold is 108.

Of course, I didn’t purchase them at market prices.

The Imperial Knights I belong to are the imperial capital’s elite knightly order for protection. While I am considered one of the most outstanding members, I’m still a young regular knight. As a commoner, I also can’t draw funds from a noble household.

The reason I possess over 100 Codanas is one – when the hero Kwon Hee-jin was initially staying at the palace for training, I was in contention to become a member of his party.

Of course, everyone knows there’s no way a hero would choose a male party member, but at least the initial recommendations were based solely on ability. I was even well-suited for expeditions to the Demon World as a commoner with a strong constitution.

The days I spent with Kwon Hee-jin were, to put it bluntly, hellish. I ended up acting as his sparring partner despite knowing full well I had no chance of being selected for his party.

In the end, I was even involved in the process of circulating the Codanas, likely because as a member of the strongest Imperial Knights, I was considered trustworthy enough to run errands.

The Codanas I currently possess were compensation for those errands.

To be honest, it was more like he dumped the leftover Codanas he couldn’t sell off onto me, telling me not to complain about being used and then passed over for the party in favor of a mediocre female knight named ‘Milliah.’

“Let’s announce that you declined joining the hero’s party of your own accord. In exchange, I’ll give you these.”

So I had no choice but to begrudgingly accept them, thinking I could always just melt them down into gold and sell them to break even if needed.

But now, 6 months later, my thoughts on the Codanas have completely changed.

“I’ve heard the hero’s party defeated another Demon Lord, taking down the Water Lord.”

Having received yet another positive news today, I jingled the pouch filled with my Codanas and smiled contentedly. Just seeing Codana prices lately filled me with a sense of satisfaction.

If this momentum continues, a big payday is guaranteed.

No, it’s already a big payday.

This is far better than being a human shield in the hero’s party, watching the hero and female members fawn over each other.
As I wished for the safety and good health of the hero I respect, a contented smile graced my face.