Ch.1010. Shield

Idiot.

…That idiot.

Those were the words female knight Selin muttered inwardly about the back of Lufus Waynelight’s head.

Of course, when it came to swordsmanship alone, he was an extraordinary person whom no one could easily approach. He had once slain seven ogres single-handedly, and about 20 years ago, he had resolved an internal conflict in the duchy all by himself.

But what good was all that strength? He couldn’t even see through Erick’s shallow scheme and was just nodding along like an idiot.

“…Erick. I promise I’ll restore your honor someday. Of course, I know my word has lost credibility.”

Now he had even followed Erick outside to comfort him.

Watching the commander holding Erick’s hand firmly with a serious expression, Selin was about to go mad with anger.

She wanted to expose that vile human Erick for his lies right now, but—

She couldn’t think of a way to dismantle the “refugee relief” trap that Erick had set.

After being detained by the commander for a while, Erick finally left the barracks.

On the surface, he looked miserable and gaunt. He had returned his armor and sword, and had already returned his two military horses. Now Erick was barely carrying a single self-defense sword with shabby civilian clothes.

Above all, he had given up his position as a knight.

Knight was merely a position, not a title.

While staying under the banner of the Royal Order, one could be respected even by nobles, but once retired, he was nothing more than a commoner.

But what did social status matter? Erick already had 40 billion Lyra.

Selin couldn’t stand by and watch Erick monopolize such enormous wealth. At the very least, he should cough up a portion before leaving…

No, it wasn’t about the money—she needed to question the pathetic scheme Erick had employed.

‘I can’t just let him go.’

Selin decided to follow Erick.

“Commander. We may have fallen out over a small misunderstanding, but Erick is still our comrade. I’d like to at least say a proper goodbye.”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

Once again, the commander agreed immediately without a hint of suspicion. Selin hurriedly chased after Erick.

“Erick!”

“……”

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

“I don’t have anything to say.”

Erick wouldn’t even look in Selin’s direction.

He showed no signs of regret about leaving the workplace where he had spent years. Rather, he seemed eager to leave as quickly as possible.

‘You think you can have your way?’

Selin quickened her pace and forcibly cut in front of Erick. Only then did he stop with a sullen expression.

With that expression. If there weren’t so many eyes watching, she would have slapped him across the face, but for now, calmly questioning him was the priority.

Fortunately, Selin’s patience was second to none. Reaching Expert level as a woman, and being recognized as one of the Empire’s top swordswomen among young female knights—these were not accomplishments that could be achieved without extraordinary mental fortitude.

For someone like her, logically questioning Erick should be no problem at all…

‘Huh?’

But what exactly should she confront him about? She couldn’t quite grasp it.

Other colleagues rushed over belatedly, but they too were at a loss for words. They just contorted their faces in anger and spat out curses.

“This son of a bitch…”

“That’s a bit harsh for a farewell.”

While Selin and the others stood awkwardly hesitating, Erick heaved a deep sigh. Then he gestured for them to move aside.

It was truly an arrogant attitude, but surprisingly, he spoke respectfully.

“Knights. I’m sorry, but I’d appreciate it if you could make way.”

“What are you trying to do?”

“When I was your colleague, I enjoyed your consideration and spoke casually, but circumstances have changed, haven’t they?”

“…Huh.”

If he had been defiant out of anger, they could have confronted him. But now, Erick showed no signs of anger. He didn’t seem to care at all about being expelled from the knights or falling out with members who had been like brothers to him.

Selin’s blood boiled precisely because of that calm expression.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

“…Erick.”

“If not, I’ll be on my way. Think of how many refugees are waiting for a helping hand. I need to share even a rock-hard piece of bread, and provide opportunities for learning to children who wish to escape the shackles of poverty.”

Erick maintained his shameless attitude until the end and slipped away like a loach. Selin and her colleagues stared blankly at his back.

“That worm-like bastard…”

“Should we chase him down and kill him?”

Selin also stared at the back of Erick’s head with murderous intent for a while, but she didn’t waste time just glaring.

She had accumulated knowledge from tracking Erick for a long time. Now was the time to use it.

Selin immediately assigned tasks to her colleagues.

“Morgan, have your subordinates monitor Erick. Don’t make direct contact, just track his movements. He’ll probably change his residence soon.”

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

“And Senior Alan? Your cousin is a senior administrative officer now, right? There should be someone named Bingo among the lower ranks. He’s close to Erick, so we need to use him.”

“Good. I heard that Bingo is treated like garbage in the administration department anyway, so there shouldn’t be any repercussions.”

“Let’s move quickly.”

Because there was no time to waste.

At Selin’s quiet command, the knights moved in perfect unison.

Their attitude was far more solemn and serious than when rescuing a village swept up in a monster wave. They were driven by the determination not to let Erick go like this.

However, the plan to find a breakthrough through Administrator Bingo collapsed from the start.

“Bingo? He resigned.”

Bingo had also left the knights at the same time as Erick.

Administrator Bingo was also someone who had struck it rich, though not as much as Erick.

When Cordana prices were below ten million, he had bought nine of them even going into debt, and now he was reaping dozens of times in profits. If he sold just the Cordana he owned, it would easily amount to 100 years’ worth of salary for an ordinary member.

With Bingo gone too, there was no good way to pressure Erick.

‘What now?’

Should they threaten him using his family as leverage?

But Erick’s family was nowhere to be found. His parents had died before reaching their 40s, and his siblings had scattered for various reasons. This wasn’t due to some calamity—this was simply the life of poor commoners.

Using power or force to threaten him wasn’t the answer either.

‘Right now, the commander is behind Erick.’

Until recently, the commander had been oppressing Erick, but now he seemed to pity him endlessly. He would probably observe Erick’s movements for quite some time and try to take care of him somehow.

“We should just subdue him by force.”

That was what Ramsey, a knight with seaweed-like hair, said while grinding his teeth. Selin looked at him with contempt.

“Are you crazy? You want to start a sword fight in the imperial capital?”

“When he lets his guard down…”

“He won’t let his guard down. And even if we could subdue him, what then? Threaten to cut off one of his arms? Or hold a knife to his throat and drag him to the Imperial Bank? Talk sense.”

“……”

Realizing he had said something stupid, Ramsey finally shut his mouth.

If Erick were intoxicated with his vast wealth and frequenting places like brothels unarmed, it would be a different story, but right now Erick was wary of his former colleagues. The fact that he planned to open a swordsmanship school also showed his determination not to distance himself from the sword.

With no good solution in sight, the members looked at each other and sighed deeply.

Selin decided to ease the awkwardness first.

“I’m sorry for raising my voice, senior. This isn’t the time for us to fight among ourselves.”

“…You’re right. I was being short-sighted.”

The members who had raised their voices at each other quickly restored their camaraderie.

They couldn’t dig into his connections, and it was difficult to subdue him by force.

In the midst of this, if the members split into factions, it would only benefit Erick. They needed to maintain a united front at all costs.

The members cooled their heads and began to put their heads together again to come up with a plan.

Or rather, they tried to.

But unfortunately, a summons came down the very next day.

“Damn it. Why at such a critical time?”

Selin grumbled but responded to the summons. Eighty members, excluding those deployed externally, all gathered. Commander Waynelight stood before them with a somewhat somber expression. Selin gritted her teeth, hoping it would end quickly.

However, the commander hadn’t summoned the members for some pointless lecture.

“Deployment orders.”

“What? Why so suddenly?”

“Suddenly? When has the Demon Lord’s army ever considered our circumstances before appearing?”

“Ah, that… I misspoke. I apologize.”

“Tsk… The Margrave of Lankart is under attack by hundreds of lizardmen. The Hero’s party recently defeated one of the Tetrad who was a beastman, right? …Usually when a member of the Tetrad is eliminated, their forces remain quiet for a while, so this is a bit strange.”

“……”

News that hundreds of lizardmen with several times the strength of humans were attacking the count’s territory. Naturally, the Royal Order had to be deployed.

The members, distracted by the Cordana situation, were hesitating with expressions that said “why now of all times.”

The commander looked curiously at some members who seemed to be chewing on something bitter, then opened his mouth with a sigh.

“…I understand. You’re uncomfortable because of Erick’s departure. But that’s entirely my responsibility to bear, and you just need to faithfully carry out your assigned duties. Let’s save the Lankart territory with the determination to fulfill Erick’s share as well.”

After consoling the members with words they didn’t understand, the commander ordered the expedition.

A dangerous battle, and they would have to remain in the count’s territory until the lizardmen forces were completely repelled. Considering the travel distance, it would take at least three weeks.

‘I can’t, I can’t go like this.’

Selin racked her brain trying to find a way to remain in the imperial capital, but—

“Defeating the Demon Lord’s army’s offensive is an even more noble mission than helping refugees. …I’ll look after Erick from afar, so don’t worry.”

The commander specifically selected Selin while saying this.

“…Commander.”

“I understand. For now, forget everything and focus only on the mission. There will be a chance for reconciliation someday.”

Selin looked at the commander with a dumbfounded expression, and the commander smiled generously as if understanding her feelings. As if there could be nothing more glorious and rewarding in the world than saving a territory in crisis.

In the end, Selin set out on the expedition with a tearful face, unable to voice a single objection.