Ch.33. Preparing to Part Ways

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

A commoner by birth who joined the Royal Order solely on the merit of my swordsmanship, I had acquired enormous wealth. And the fact that I hadn’t offered to share a significant portion of that money with the Order—that’s what bothered them.

Selin, the female knight who was once my close colleague, was merely voicing that discontent.

Having dismissed their complaints as nonsense, retaliation was all but guaranteed.

I was never explicitly threatened with “If you don’t hand over your Cordana, we’ll make things difficult for you,” but there was no chance the members would just laugh it off.

‘These crazy bastards. When did they ever stop mocking me?’

When I first gave up joining the Hero’s party, my colleagues secretly ridiculed me. After I accepted the Cordana issued by the Hero, their mockery became more blatant. The atmosphere suggested they thought I’d been played for a fool by the Hero.

“Erick, I heard you got Cordana as consolation money?”

“In a few months, you should melt it back into gold to at least recover your principal. Want me to introduce you to a refinery? You’ll need to refine it into gold bullion to sell it at a fair price, you poor bastard.”

“It’s a shame, but you should have conducted yourself properly. They must have been desperate to dump that garbage commemorative coin on someone who voluntarily quit the Hero’s party.”

That’s how it went.

Of course, I hadn’t withdrawn voluntarily—I’d stepped aside following Gwon Heejin’s wishes to recruit a beautiful female knight—but I had no real defense, so I just went along with it. Though inwardly, I thought it was all bullshit.

But now, just a few months later, they’d changed their tune and were painting me as selfish. What was that about?

‘Do they not even remember what they said just a few months ago?’

Of course, I wasn’t just sitting around complaining. Rather, I had devised a plan to thoroughly protect my Cordana.

Keeping it in a safe or hiding it inside the walls of my home would be pointless. There was nothing stopping them from taking me somewhere and stealing it. It would be too naive to believe that knights wouldn’t stoop to theft.

The method I chose was to take my Cordana to the Cordana exchange, register its unique serial numbers, and deposit it there.

Originally, the exchange was an institution that purely facilitated Cordana trading. It’s difficult to establish credible market prices when individuals trade among themselves. However, as Cordana theft incidents increased, they began offering deposit services as well.

Of course, the exchange didn’t hold it for free. I had to pay a certain fee.

“108 Cordana, unique serial numbers confirmed. Owner is Sir Erick of the Royal Order. Is that correct?”

“Yes. I belong to the Royal Order… for now.”

The fee. Honestly, it was a bit painful to pay. But it was far better than sitting around mindlessly and having my Cordana stolen.

“Thank you for using our services, sir!”

Perhaps because of the sheer number, the exchange employee couldn’t hide their excitement. Nobles who came to conclude purchase agreements glanced in my direction. Some even sneered, saying the deposit fee alone could buy a mansion.

Once registered at the exchange, I had to accept that the fact that Erick of the Royal Order possessed 108 Cordana would become widely known.

In fact, troublesome situations arose as soon as I left the exchange.

“We’re from the Radobid Relief Center~ Please show compassion for the disabled and homeless who can’t even afford meals…!”

“Sir Knight over there? You know that just one Cordana could cover an orphanage’s operating costs for a year, right? Please show generosity so children growing up in conditions worse than livestock can live healthily. What separates humans from animals is compassion!”

“…That must be Erick. 108 pieces? …No wonder he quit the Hero’s party.”

People appeared from nowhere, approaching to request donations, and some even forced begging by clutching children with dirt streaming down their faces.

The guards stationed in front of the exchange made a half-hearted attempt to stop them before giving up. This must happen frequently.

Fending off these donation-demanders wasn’t easy.

If I had been a duke or count with several bodyguards, it would have been simple. They wouldn’t have been able to approach me in the first place. But I was alone, with just a sword at my waist.

I couldn’t unleash my sword energy on beggars just because they were being annoying. Those clinging to me knew this, which is why they approached without hesitation. They figured they had nothing to lose.

“Excuse me, are you Sir ‘Erick’? I understand you’re of commoner birth.”

A middle-aged man who had successfully detained me spoke with a sly smile.

“I’m still a commoner.”

“Ah, yes, yes. Then you must understand how tough life is for people like us. While nobles and wealthy merchants profit from Cordana, people like me are busy worrying about feeding our children.”

“That must be difficult. But if you have a family to support, wouldn’t it be quicker to look for a job than to beg in front of the exchange?”

“…Huh. How can someone who claims to be a commoner speak so heartlessly? You should pity those who are exploited their entire lives just because they were born lowly.”

“I’ve never exploited commoners. If anything, last week I risked my life stopping a monster wave that hit a small territory two days from the capital. Stop harassing innocent people and back off.”

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

The middle-aged man released my collar with a disgruntled expression.

My attitude might seem harsh, but once you start showing kindness, there’s no end to it. Above all, I had almost no cash on hand. No matter how high the price of Cordana climbed, it was just a number until I could convert it to cash.

Yes, I could somehow fend off forced donation requests.

‘The real problem starts tomorrow.’

Depositing my Cordana at this point was a declaration that I feared theft or robbery. It was also an act that would provoke my already agitated colleagues. In all likelihood, petty harassment would follow starting tomorrow.

The only consolation was that I couldn’t be disappointed in them. I had already abandoned even the minimum expectations I had for my colleagues.

///

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

However, I couldn’t carry out my routine as usual. As expected, the harassment had begun.

First, the squires ignored me.

Squires were youngsters who hadn’t yet been knighted. Normally, their job was to train consistently while running various errands for the knights.

“Why hasn’t my armor been maintained?”

When I asked about the fine rust and dust still on the chainmail I had entrusted for maintenance days ago, the squires glanced around nervously and ignored me.

I glared at them briefly before turning the crank myself to maintain the chainmail.

The childish harassment didn’t end there.

Ignoring greetings, refusing to spar, and I was even excluded from the guest list for a social gathering I had agreed to attend at the request of an archduke’s family. I lost a rare opportunity to feast.

And decisively, all my horse tack disappeared right before mounted training.

‘Huh. Even during my initiation when I first joined, it wasn’t this bad.’

I could tolerate the other harassment, but stealing saddles, bridles, and other horse equipment was unacceptable misconduct.

The Empire wasn’t currently at war. But there were plenty of territories in crisis due to monster appearances. The Royal Order was a military group whose activity area covered nearly 40% of the Empire’s territory.

What if an emergency deployment was imminent and I was scrambling because my equipment was missing?

Of course, I could somehow manage. But during the delay, innocent people might die.

‘This deserves disciplinary action.’

Squires refusing to work happened occasionally. The Order was a group rife with injustice. Veteran members would sometimes declare “Don’t listen to him anymore,” ostracizing arrogant members to correct their attitude.

But the theft of horse equipment was a matter of military discipline that warranted punishment.

However, I decided not to report it to superiors like the commander or deputy commander. Without their tacit approval, the members wouldn’t have dared to do this. They were all in it together, just to varying degrees.

Seeking help from other institutions wasn’t the answer either.

The Royal Order’s status was too high.

Only the Imperial Family could command the Royal Order. Even nobles could only exert indirect influence but weren’t in a position to give orders. And I couldn’t bother the Imperial Family just because my saddle was stolen.

‘They know that too, which is why they’re pressuring me so confidently.’

I remained lost in thought even after returning to my quarters.

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

If I gave up my knighthood, I would be just a commoner who was good with a sword. Then there was no telling what the enraged members might do. And parasites who couldn’t approach me because of the Royal Order’s protection would swarm in.

At the very least, I should convert my assets to cash before pursuing resignation. I racked my brain intensely, searching for an escape route.

“Ugh. What am I going to do about this.”

But at this very moment, there was an unexpected visitor. I opened the door with my hand on my sword hilt just in case, but fortunately, they weren’t here to rob me.

Deep blonde hair and tall for a woman. A dress design that emphasized her slim waist and chest area. A bright smile to top it off.

A woman like this frequenting a knight’s quarters alone would typically be treated as a high-class prostitute, but she wasn’t a prostitute—she was my fiancée.

“Ember.”

Why did she have to visit today of all days? I stared at her intently before letting her in. I hoped she wouldn’t act like a prostitute, but my expectations weren’t high.