I Resign From the Coin Mercenary Knights

In the end, these bastards were just bothered that I had made a fortune.

Me, a commoner who joined the Imperial Knights solely on the merit of my swordsmanship skills, having acquired immense wealth, and not announcing any intention to share a big portion with the knightly order after earning such a large sum – that’s what really irked them.

Selina, the female knight who was once a close comrade, was just voicing that resentment.

After dismissing their grievances as nonsense, retaliation was practically guaranteed.

I was never explicitly threatened with “Give up your Codanas or face consequences,” but there was no way the members would just laugh it off and let it go.

‘Crazy fools. We’ll see who gets the last laugh.’

When I first declined joining the hero’s party, my comrades subtly mocked me. That mockery only became more overt after I got saddled with the Codanas issued by the hero – an air of me being a fool duped by the hero.

Eric, I heard you got Codanas as some kind of consolation prize?
You’ll probably have to melt them back into gold in a few months to get your money back. Should I introduce you to a refinery? You’ll only get proper value if you process them into ingots, poor guy.
It’s a pity, but you should have conducted yourself more properly. The hero must have really thought you worthless to fob off such trashy commemorative coins on someone who willingly declined joining his party.

Comments along those lines.

Of course, I didn’t actually withdraw of my own volition, but chose to step aside at Kwon Hee-jin’s behest so he could recruit the beautiful female knight Milliah instead. However, since I had no real rebuttal, I just played along with some casual acknowledgments, though inwardly I thought it was all nonsense.

But for them to suddenly turn around and vilify me as a selfish individualist after just a few months – what was that about?

‘Can’t they even remember what they said just a few months ago?’

Of course, I had no intention of just voicing complaints. Rather, I made the decision to take active measures to thoroughly protect my Codanas.

Storing them in a safe or tearing apart the walls of my residence to hide them would have been pointless. There was no guarantee someone wouldn’t abduct me and steal the Codanas. It would be too naive to believe they wouldn’t stoop to theft just because we were all knights.

The method I chose was to take my Codanas to the exchange and register their unique serial numbers to have them deposited for safekeeping.

Originally, the exchanges were institutions that purely facilitated Codana trading. It would be difficult to establish credible market prices through individual peer-to-peer transactions. However, as Codana theft incidents became frequent, they also started offering depository services.

Of course, the exchanges didn’t provide that service for free – I had to pay them a fee.

“108 Codanas, unique serial numbers confirmed. The owner is Eric of the Imperial Knights. Is that correct?”

“Yes. I’m with the Imperial Knights. …For now, at least.”

The fee, honestly, was regrettable. But it was far better than being careless and having my Codanas stolen without any safeguards in place.

“Thank you for your patronage, sir!”

Perhaps because of the sheer number involved, the exchange employee looked flushed with excitement. Even the nobles who had come to execute sales contracts glanced my way, with one person even sneering that the depository fee alone would be enough to purchase a decent mansion.

Once I had deposited them at the exchange, there was no avoiding the fact that Eric of the Imperial Knights possessed 108 Codanas from becoming widely known.

No, in fact, an annoying situation arose the moment I left the exchange.

“We’re from the Radobid Relief Center~ Please show your kindness to those with disabilities and the homeless who can’t even afford their next meal…!”

“Over there, Sir Knight? You know that with just one Codana, you could cover an orphanage’s operating expenses for a year? Please have mercy so these children growing up in conditions unfit for animals can live healthy lives. What separates humans from beasts is our compassion!”

“…Is that Eric? 108 Codanas? …Makes sense he gave up joining the hero’s party.”

People seemed to materialize out of nowhere, slithering closer to request donations, even demanding alms while carrying children with tear-stained faces at their sides.

The guards stationed in front of the exchange pretended to intervene at first before giving up, likely because such scenes happened all too frequently.

Fending off those demanding charity was no easy task.

If I had been an influential noble with a retinue of armed guards, it would have been simple to handle – they wouldn’t even have dared approach me in the first place. But I was alone with just a sword at my hip.

There was no way I could brandish my blade against those pesky beggars clinging to me. From the outset, those harassing me probably realized as much, feeling emboldened to pester me since the worst case was rejection.

“Excuse me, are you Sir Eric the knight? I understand you are of common birth.”

A middle-aged man who had managed to accost me grinned slyly as he addressed me.

“I’m still a commoner now.”

“Ah, yes yes. Then you must understand the plight of our livelihoods. While the nobles and wealthy merchants enjoy their Codana amusements, folk like us worry about scraping together enough to feed our brats.”

“I’m sure it’s difficult. But if you have families to support, seeking employment would be quicker than begging in front of the exchange, no?”

“…Heh. How can a commoner like yourself speak such impudent words? You should pity those who face a lifetime of exploitation simply for being born lowly.”

“I’ve never exploited commoners. In fact, just last week I risked my life halting a monster wave that struck a small fief two days away from the Imperial City. Stop harassing innocent people and begone.”

“…You certainly have a way with words, Sir Knight.”

The middle-aged man’s expression soured as he released my collar.

My attitude may have seemed rather brusque, but once I started showing kindness, there would be no end to it. More importantly, I barely had any cash on hand right now. No matter how high Codana prices climbed, they were just numbers until actually liquidated.

Right, I could somehow fend off the demands for charity.

‘The problem starts tomorrow.’

Depositing my Codanas at this point was a declaration of concern over potential theft or robbery. It was also an act of provocation against members who were already agitated. While they might not know it, there was a very high likelihood of vicious harassment beginning tomorrow.

The only consolation was that I no longer had any expectation of them. I had already abandoned any minimal hopes I had for my comrades.

///

The next day, I reported to the garrison at my usual time.

However, I could not carry out my duties as normal due to the harassment that began, just as expected.

First, the rank-and-file pages ignored me.

The pages were young lads who had not yet been knighted. Normally, their duties involved diligently training while handling odd errands for the knights.

“Why hasn’t my chainmail been properly maintained?”

When I asked about the faint traces of rust and dirt still clinging to a chainmail hauberk I had handed over for maintenance a few days prior, the pages exchanged furtive glances before turning their backs on me.

After glaring at them for a moment, I ended up cranking the mechanism myself to properly service the chainmail.

Their childish harassment didn’t end there.

Ignoring my greetings, refusing to be my sparring partners, I was even excluded from the guest list for a soiree hosted by a prestigious ducal family that I had planned to attend – a rare chance for revelry gone.

And most decisively, the entire tack, including saddle and bridle, went missing right before mounted training.

‘Heh. Even when I first joined, the hazing wasn’t this bad.’

While other forms of harassment were somewhat expected, stealing essential tack like saddles and bridles was an intolerable act of depravity.

The Empire wasn’t currently experiencing any wars. But there were still plenty of fiefs facing crises due to monster outbreaks. The Imperial Knights were a military force whose area of operations covered nearly 40% of the Empire’s territories.

What if we were suddenly called to mobilize, only to be delayed because our tack was missing?

Of course, we could probably find a way to resolve it somehow. But in the time it took to get deployed, there was no guarantee an innocent person or two wouldn’t lose their life in the interim.

‘This calls for disciplinary action.’

Pages refusing their duties was a common occurrence – the knightly order was a veritable hotbed of irregularities. Veteran members would often declare “Don’t listen to that brat from now on” to exclude arrogant young members trying to flex their authority.

But tack theft was the kind of breach of military discipline that warranted punishment.

However, I decided against reporting it to my superiors – the commander or vice-commander. Without their implicit approval, the members would never have dared pull such stunts, so they were all complicit to varying degrees.

But seeking help from other authorities wasn’t the answer either.

This was because of the lofty status of the Imperial Knights.

Only the imperial family could issue commands to the Imperial Knights. Even nobles could only exert indirect influence, not give direct orders. And I could hardly bother the imperial household over a stolen saddle.

‘They know that, so they’re brazenly pressuring me.’

Even after returning to my quarters, I remained lost in contemplation for a while.

The word ‘resignation’ briefly crossed my mind, but that wasn’t a good option.

If I relinquished my knighthood, I would just be an adept commoner swordsman. At that point, there was no telling what outrageous acts the members with their eyes rolled back might commit. The parasites who had been unable to approach me due to the shield of the Imperial Knights would swarm as well.

At minimum, I would have to liquidate my holdings before even considering resignation. I racked my brain intensely, searching for an escape route.

“Ugh. What do I do about this?”

But coincidentally, an unexpected visitor arrived around this time. With a hint of caution, I opened the door with one hand on my sword hilt, but thankfully it wasn’t some thugs there to rob me.

Deep golden hair, unusually tall for a woman, wearing a dress that accentuated her slender waist and bosom. Even her languid smile was enchanting.
For a woman like this to visit a knight’s solitary quarters, she would normally be mistaken for a high-class courtesan, but she was not – she was my fiancée.

“Ember.”

Why had she happened to visit today of all days? I gazed at her intently for a moment before letting her inside. I hoped she wouldn’t act like a courtesan, but I didn’t have high expectations.