I Resign From the Coin Mercenary Knights

Idiot.

…That idiot.

Those were the words the female knight Selina silently muttered, directed at the back of Rufus Weinwright’s head.

Granted, in terms of swordsmanship alone, he was an unparalleled superhuman that none could approach – having single-handedly cut down over half a dozen ogres, and even resolving an internal conflict in a marquis’ territory singlehandedly some 20 years ago.

But no matter how powerful, what good was it if he couldn’t even see through Eric’s shallow ploy and simply nodded along like an idiot?

“…Eric. I will surely restore your honor one day. Of course, I know my words have lost credibility.”

He had even followed Eric outside, consoling him with a firm grasp of his hand and grave expression.

Watching the commander advise Eric so solemnly, Selina was enraged to the point of losing her mind.

She wanted to immediately expose Eric’s vile lies about “aiding refugees,” but—

She could find no way to demolish the trap he had laid with that fabrication.

Later, Eric finally left the barracks, his appearance pathetic and haggard.

He had relinquished his armor and sword, even his two warhorses. The current Eric only had a simple longsword, clad in a humble civilian outfit.

Above all, he had abandoned his knighthood.

Knighthood was a position, not a title.

Under the banner of the Imperial Knights, he could command respect even from nobles. But once discharged, he was nothing more than a commoner.

But what did such status even matter now? Eric already had an astronomical 40 billion rir fortune.

Selina could not simply let Eric monopolize that vast wealth. At the very least, she wanted him to cough up a portion before leaving…

No, it wasn’t about the money itself, but holding Eric accountable for the despicable tricks he had employed.

‘I can’t just let him go like this.’

Selina decided to pursue Eric.

“Commander, though a minor misunderstanding led to this outcome, Eric was still our comrade. Allow me to bid him a final farewell.”

“Go on, then.”

Without even a hint of suspicion, the commander immediately assented. Selina hastily went after Eric’s receding figure.

“Eric!”

“……”

“Stop right there. I have something to say.”

“I do not.”

Eric didn’t even spare Selina a glance.

There was no trace of wistfulness as he departed the place he had been a part of for years. Rather, he seemed eager to leave as quickly as possible.

‘You think you can have it your way?’

Selina quickened her pace to forcefully block Eric’s path. Only then did he briefly pause, regarding her with a dull expression.

That expression alone made her want to slap him across the face, were it not for all the potential witnesses. For now, she had to remain composed and confront him rationally.

Fortunately, Selina’s patience was second to none. Reaching the advanced expert ranks as a female, being renowned as one of the Empire’s top swordswomen among the younger knights – these were feats that required extraordinary mental fortitude.

For someone like her, logically challenging Eric was child’s play…

‘Ah?’

But what exactly should she challenge him on? She couldn’t quite pinpoint it.

Some of the other members had belatedly caught up, but they too were at a loss for words, their faces contorted with rage as they could only spew curses.

“That bastard…”

“That’s a bit excessive for a farewell, isn’t it?”

As Selina and the others hesitated awkwardly, Eric let out a deep sigh before making a dismissive gesture for them to move aside.

It was an exceedingly arrogant act, yet the words from his mouth were unexpectedly deferential.

“Sirs and madams. I apologize, but please make way for me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“While I received your considerate treatment as a comrade in the past, circumstances have now changed, have they not?”

“…Hah.”

If he had defiantly lashed out in anger, they could have at least confronted that. But the current Eric showed no signs of rage – he seemed utterly unbothered by his expulsion from the knightly order and severed ties with those who were like brothers-in-arms.

It was Eric’s nonchalant demeanor that made Selina’s blood boil even more.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

“…Eric.”

“If not, I shall take my leave. Just think of how many refugees are awaiting a helping hand right now. Even a rock-hard loaf of bread to share, a chance at learning for children wishing to escape the shackles of poverty.”

Maintaining his shameless attitude until the end, Eric slipped away like an eel.

Selina and the others could only blankly stare at the back of his head.

“That miserable bastard…”

“Should we go after him and beat him to death?”

While Selina too fixed a murderous glare on Eric’s retreating figure for a while, she didn’t waste any more time on futile gestures.

She had accumulated knowledge from extensively investigating Eric’s background over a long period. Now was the time to put it to use.

Selina promptly assigned tasks to her comrades on the spot.

“Morgan, have the scouts keep Eric under surveillance. No direct contact, just track his movements. He’s likely to relocate his residence soon.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And Senior Alan? Your cousin is currently a senior administrator, right? There should be a subordinate named Bingo there who’s close with Eric. We need to leverage him.”

“Got it. That piece of trash Bingo is regarded as a waste by the administration anyway, so he won’t cause any trouble.”

“Let’s move quickly, everyone.”

There was no time to waste.

At Selina’s hushed instructions, the knights sprang into coordinated action with the same grim determination as when rescuing a village overrun by a monster wave. A single conviction drove them – they could not allow Eric to get away with this.

However, their plan to find a breakthrough through the administrator Bingo immediately crumbled.

“Bingo, you say? He resigned as well.”

Bingo had left the knightly order at the same time as Eric.

While not to the same extent as Eric, the administrator Bingo had also struck it big.

He had reportedly taken out loans to acquire 9 Codanas back when they were less than 10 million each, and was now sitting on massive profits after their prices had multiplied dozens of times over. Just by liquidating his Codana holdings, he could easily earn more than a century’s worth of a regular member’s salary.

If even Bingo had fled, there was no clear way to pressure Eric.

‘What do we do now?’

Should they resort to threatening his family?

But Eric’s family whereabouts were unknown. His parents had died in their 40s, and his siblings had scattered for various reasons. Not due to some calamity, but simply the typical fate of an impoverished commoner’s life.

Yet brute force or abusing authority was not the answer either.

‘The commander is shielding Eric now.’

The very commander who had persecuted Eric until recently now seemed to regard him with utmost pity. He would likely… no, for quite some time, the commander would observe Eric’s actions and try to look after him in some way.

“Overpowering him by force is the only way.”

Those were the words grated out by Ramsey, the member with stringy, seaweed-like hair, as he gnashed his teeth. Selina looked at him with disdain.

“Are you insane? You want to start swinging swords within the Imperial City?”

“When he lets his guard down…”

“He won’t let it down. And even if subduing him were possible, then what? Threaten to cut off one of his arms? Or take him to the Imperial Bank at knifepoint? Speak sensibly.”

“……”

Finally, even Ramsey closed his mouth, seemingly realizing how foolish his words were.

If Eric were intoxicated by his newfound wealth, wandering about unarmed in the pleasure districts, it might be a different story. But the current Eric was wary of his former comrades. His stated intention to open a swordsmanship academy likely reflected his resolve not to stray too far from the blade.

With no proper recourse in this situation, the members could only exchange dejected looks and heave deep sighs.

Selina decided to first dispel this awkward atmosphere.

“My apologies for the harsh words, everyone. Now is not the time for us to be fighting among ourselves.”

“…Yeah. I was short-sighted.”

The members who had raised their voices quickly restored their camaraderie.

With no way to leverage connections or overpower Eric through force,

if they allowed internal divisions to fester, it would only benefit Eric. They had to maintain a united front, no matter what.

After taking a moment to cool their heads, the members began racking their brains for a solution once more.

Or rather, they intended to, before an ill-timed summons arrived the very next day.

“Shit. At this crucial juncture?”

Grumbling, Selina responded to the summons, joining the 80 or so members who had assembled, excluding those on external deployment. Commander Weinwright stood before them with a somewhat solemn expression. Selina gritted her teeth, hoping it would be over quickly.

But the commander had not gathered them for some perfunctory lecture.

“We have been ordered to deploy.”

“Pardon? So suddenly?”

“Suddenly, you say? When have the Demon King’s forces ever considered our circumstances before appearing?”

“Ah, my… Apologies, I misspoke.”

“Tsk… The Lancart Margrave’s territory is under attack by hundreds of lizardmen, they say. The Demon Lord that the hero’s party recently defeated was one of the Four Heavenly Kings, was it not? …It’s rather unusual for the subordinate forces to remain active after their commander is eliminated.”

“……”

The news that hundreds of lizardmen, with several times a human’s physical strength, were attacking a margrave’s territory – it was undoubtedly a situation requiring the Imperial Knights’ deployment.

Yet the members whose minds had been consumed by Codanas looked disgruntled, as if thinking, “Why now of all times?”

The commander surveyed the sullen expressions of some members with a puzzled look before letting out an exclamation as realization struck.

“…Ah yes, I understand. Eric’s discharge must be weighing heavily on your minds. But that burden is mine alone to bear. Your duty is simply to fulfill the missions entrusted to you. Let us rescue Lancart’s territory with the resolve to compensate for Eric’s absence.”

With those reassuring words dismissing their concerns over Eric, the commander ordered their deployment.

A perilous combat mission, he said – they might even be tied down in the margrave’s territory until the lizardmen forces were completely eliminated, potentially taking over 3 weeks considering the travel distance.

‘We can’t just leave like this.’

Selina racked her brain for any way to remain in the Imperial City, but—

“Repelling the Demon King’s offensive is a nobler duty than aiding refugees. …As for Eric, I will keep watch over him from afar, so do not worry.”

The commander deliberately singled out Selina as he said this, selecting her for the deployment.

“…Commander.”

“I know. For now, focus solely on the mission and put everything else out of your mind. The chance for reconciliation will come eventually.”

Selina could only gaze at the commander with a dumbfounded expression as he smiled kindly back at her, as if there could be no greater glory or fulfillment than rescuing a territory in peril.

Unable to voice a single objection, Selina departed for the expedition with a sullen expression.