I Resign From the Coin Mercenary Knights

It was just last evening that the Imperial City’s prosecutor’s office recommended disciplining me specifically.

Officially, they borrowed the name of a young prosecutor, but it seemed obvious Ember’s father was behind it.

‘A dignified gentleman… He must have been unable to refuse his daughter’s insistence.’

For a prosecutor to request disciplining a member of the Imperial Knights, an order directly under the imperial household, was highly irregular. Frankly, it overstepped boundaries.

But if the target was me, it was a different story. I was already in their crosshairs.

“Eric. Can I see you for a moment?”

As soon as I arrived for duty, Rufus Weinwright, commander of the Imperial Knights, summoned me.

In his late 50s, an age when ordinary knights would have grown feeble due to senescence, Weinwright looked at least 15 years younger than his actual age.

The reason was simple – he was one of only three masters on the entire continent.

He had overcome the constraints of age to a limited degree and was a superhuman capable of effortlessly cutting down hundreds of soldiers if he wished.

To me, Commander Weinwright was an absolute existence. Even conversing with him felt presumptuous. For those of us who lived by the sword, he was someone we could only revere.

I maintained a formal posture. For now, yes for now, I was still a member of the knightly order.

“Don’t just stand there, have a seat.”

Even as I obediently followed his instructions, my mind was uneasy. I couldn’t help hoping this gentleman at least wouldn’t bring up the matter of Codanas.

How nice it would be if he just criticized my conduct. But my ominous premonition proved correct.

“Eric.”

“Yes.”

“Because of you – to be precise, because of the Codanas you possess – the atmosphere within the order has become chaotic. I tried to avoid intervening if possible, but it has already crossed a critical threshold. …As the leader of the knightly order, I have an obligation to restore proper discipline.”

“I do not understand what you mean.”

Please don’t…

But Commander Weinwright immediately betrayed my hopes by frowning.

“…Are you pretending ignorance? The Empire’s finest knights are neglecting their training just to check Codana prices. The younger members are wasting their time gossiping about Codanas they don’t even own.”

“That is not my fault. Just tell me directly what you wish to say.”

“The time has come for you to make a decision. You can consider this a final notice.”

“……..”

Weinwright stared me down with a stern expression as a brief silence ensued.

While I aspired to reach the highest ranks, I had yet to surpass the advanced expert level. In contrast, Commander Weinwright was the pinnacle that all knights in the Empire revered. I doubted I could match him for at least another decade.

An unbridgeable gap existed between us that should have been intimidating. Yet for some reason, I felt no such burden.

It was because he currently wore the face of an ‘administrator’ rather than the exalted master commanding universal respect.

Mercifully, unlike the blatantly covetous rank-and-file members, he didn’t seem particularly interested in the Codanas themselves. Perhaps because he hailed from an affluent prominent family and had made his name with the sword, he appeared devoid of material desires.

‘So instead, he probably just sees me as a needless source of discord, foolishly clinging to something I should simply distribute.’

It was pointless to expect a wealthy gentleman born with prodigious talents to understand the mindset of a commoner knight.

“Eric, I understand your obsession with the Codanas. People tend to lose their senses when it comes to money. But it’s hard to view your selection as the hero Kwon Hee-jin’s comrade, or your massive acquisition of the Codanas he issued, as the fruits of your own efforts, isn’t it?”

“…Commander.”

“Moreover, the members aren’t even demanding you hand over everything. …From what I’ve gathered, they’re willing to compromise up to 30%. If you just give up 30% of your Codanas, I’ll take responsibility for restoring the order’s atmosphere to normal.”

“Commander, do you know how much 30% would be worth at market prices? It’s more than a knight could earn over 200 years of service to the order.”

“So you insist on keeping it all for yourself?”

“Yes. I’m sorry, but 30% is unacceptable.”

At those words, Commander Weinwright gazed hollowly into the distance with a dejected expression.

“…I misjudged you as this kind of person. What a disappointment.”

He then brusquely dismissed me with a wave of his hand as if shooing away a pest. It was no longer the manner of addressing a member.

And that very afternoon, my disciplinary action was announced.

[Disciplinary Decree]

[Imperial Knight Eric is hereby dishonorably discharged for conduct unbecoming (excessive search of a civilian residence).]

The succinct notice was posted all around the garrison grounds.

From the contents, it seemed to be accusing me of excessively searching a rural village last year while tracking deserters, causing fear among the residents. Ember’s father must have dug up a petition filed by the village headman from some records cabinet.

Frankly, it was an embarrassingly flimsy charge.

At the time, I had been pursuing a group of over 20 deserters – not just regular deserters, but an entire deserter unit led directly by an officer. If they had turned to banditry, it would have been beyond the capacity of a rural fief to handle.

‘And calling it an excessive search is ridiculous. I didn’t damage any property or loot supplies.’

For a disciplinary committee to even convene over something so trivial was strange in itself. If they handed out punishments so frivolously, there wouldn’t be a single innocent knight left in the Empire.

Moreover, the disciplinary action itself was excessively severe – dishonorable discharge.

It wasn’t unheard of for members of the Imperial Knights to be forcibly discharged.

But until now, those subjected to discharge had all committed extreme offenses –
killing prisoners of war for amusement, raping female knights, or dereliction of duty during operations. And by dereliction, I don’t mean just some casual scuffle.

Of course, self-determined discharges by the knightly order itself weren’t automatically ratified either. If an appeal was filed within a week, the accused would have a chance to defend themselves – they couldn’t simply discard such a valuable resource as the Imperial Knights arbitrarily.

‘I suppose they’re hoping I’ll submit within that one-week period.’

For them to go this far yet delude themselves into thinking I would want to remain in the knightly order was laughable.

Naturally, being dishonorably expelled from the Imperial Knights would mean the end of one’s life as a knight. Apart from the Emperor himself, no noble would be so brazen as to take in a knight personally branded by the untouchable Imperial Knight Commander.

But I felt no such anxiety.

‘It’s for the best. This is far better than some ambiguous reprimand or demotion.’

Having reached this point, I too had to prepare for life after discharge. To do so, I first had to quickly dispose of my 108 Codanas.

It has barely reached the chest area. I should sell near the crown.

My friend Bingo had said the Codanas still had a long way to go before peaking, mentioning the “crown of the head”, but it seemed difficult to wait that long.

‘I should sell them off as quickly as possible and get them liquified first. Diversifying my assets will make it easier to protect them, even if only slightly.’

And that timing arrived sooner than expected.

Two days later, news broke through the Imperial City Journal that the hero had defeated yet another Demon Lord’s forces.

Faced with this massive positive catalyst, the Codanas soared madly, reaching 380 million. At this point, it wasn’t just the chest area – we were talking the nipple region.

If it was the nipple region, it was sellable.