Ch.99. Packaging

After I announced my retirement, a cold silence hung in the commander’s office for a while.

“Erick…?”

Commander Waynelight, the Empire’s representative swordsman who commanded the respect of all knights.

This man was staring at me blankly, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He probably couldn’t fathom that someone would willingly leave the Royal Order. And this after giving me a severe disciplinary action just days ago.

‘Yes. That’s the kind of man he is.’

Waynelight was a man intoxicated with knight-worship despite being the commander himself.

Despite being the heir of a wealthy noble family, he had swung his sword like a madman since childhood with the sole determination to become a knight, and he even possessed talent that matched his ambition. Literally someone who had walked only on paths strewn with flowers.

Perhaps because of this, he tended to be unable to empathize with the worldly desires of individual members.

He couldn’t understand why members were neglecting training and grinding their teeth at me because of Cordana,

How unreasonable and violent it was to demand dozens of Cordana for free,

And why someone would willingly give up the honor of being a Royal Order member for “mere” money.

Even now, he was staring at me blankly with a dumbfounded expression.

After stammering for quite some time, he began to recite what he had surmised.

“Erick, do you perhaps think the disciplinary action was unfair? Of course, it’s true that it was unprecedented. But think about the influence you’ve had on the Order. Young members are ignoring training and checking Cordana prices because of you.”

Thankfully, the commander recited exactly the repertoire I had expected. If things continued this way, it would be easier to proceed according to my plan.

From now on, acting skills were crucial.

I chewed on my lip as if I couldn’t bear to look the commander in the eye. I also gazed at the sword issued by the Order that I was holding in one hand with a look of lingering attachment.

And finally, as if I had made up my mind, I began to speak.

“Commander. I admit it. Although it wasn’t intentional, I undermined the morale of the Order.”

“If you knew that, why did you act that way?”

“At the time, I didn’t know I was causing trouble for the Order. I even felt victimized, thinking members were trying to take what was mine out of greed. Now I know that’s not the case.”

“…?”

At these words, the commander tilted his head, and confusion began to seep into the eyes of the members who had been glaring at me with murderous intent.

It made sense they would be confused—I was contradicting the truth that they were indeed trying to extort me out of greed.

“Erick. What nonsense are you talking about?”

Finally, Selin cut in, unable to contain herself.

Bronze skin, glossy blonde hair, and a voluptuous figure that maintained femininity despite being larger than average. Her appearance and outstanding skills once made her a colleague I viewed favorably, but now she was just an enemy obsessed with Cordana who threatened me.

However, now was not the time to show hostility toward Selin. Instead, I looked at her warmly with a sorrowful smile.

“Selin, I understand now. Why you all demanded Cordana.”

“…?”

“Honestly, at first I thought it was unfair. I even thought you were persecuting a colleague who had struck it rich. …But now I know you weren’t demanding Cordana with ill intentions. I’m sorry it took me so long to realize.”

“Of course… you are. What did you think we were?”

Selin stammered, glancing toward the commander. Even she would find it difficult to show her true face openly in front of the commander.

“I’m sorry. But I want you to understand that my background is different from yours. …As you know, I’m a commoner. I grew up tangled with my brothers and sisters in a house infested with rats and fleas. You might not believe it, but we once shared a single sprouted potato among four of us.”

“…”

“Growing up in an environment where you go hungry more often than not naturally makes you selfish. It was only thanks to a retired knight living in the village, and his recognition of my talent, that I had a chance to escape poverty.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying I didn’t have the opportunity to learn about chivalry and moral obligations from a young age like you did. I learned about it from textbooks at the Academy, but I never truly empathized with it. I only thought about becoming a knight and advancing in life by any means necessary.”

“…”

As I self-deprecatingly went on about “living such a shameful life,” Selin and the other members seemed increasingly anxious.

Meanwhile, Waynelight appeared engrossed in my story.

He was probably thinking something like, “I failed to consider that Erick is different from us due to my own shortcomings!” Or he might be seriously pondering whether it’s actually possible for four people to share a single potato.

I turned back to him and said:

“Commander. I truly didn’t know. That the members wanted to receive my Cordana to carry out relief work.”

“What…?”

“You didn’t know? …Well, to be honest, I only found out yesterday evening. A member came to me secretly after I had sold all my Cordana and tipped me off.”

Of course, no such member existed. It was a fictional character I hastily created during my conversation with Bingo yesterday. Fortunately, Waynelight didn’t seem suspicious.

“What did they tell you…?”

“That the members were trying to help refugees cornered by the war with the Demon Lord’s army. Especially the refugees living in conditions worse than vermin in the imperial capital.”

“Is that true?”

“Why would I lie when I’m announcing my retirement? It’s the truth. Though not all members agreed with it.”

It was obviously a lie.

Relief work? The members simply wanted to divide up my Cordana among themselves. Of course, to avoid the impression of extortion, they outwardly proposed making it “collective property of the Order” or “using it for the Order’s benefit.”

Commander Waynelight looked at the members as if he still couldn’t believe it.

“Is what Erick says true?”

“…”

“I asked if it’s true.”

As the commander kept pressing, the members finally nodded in agreement. Ramsey, who had previously called me a son of a bitch, even looked at me with an awkward smile.

For their benefit, I added detailed explanations as their expressions soured.

“As you know, Commander, refugees are gathered in the 18th District of the imperial capital.”

“I believe these friends wanted to use the money from selling Cordana to help those refugees rebuild their lives. Considering the background of Cordana’s creation, there couldn’t be a more appropriate expenditure. After all, it’s a commemorative coin issued to fight against the Demon Lord’s army and protect the people.”

“After learning this fact, I was too ashamed to show my face. I wish I could erase my past of treating the members like robbers.”

I had created a relief project that didn’t even exist until moments ago, elevating the members’ sublime morality.

The commander kept murmuring in agreement, completely absorbed in my story.

He even looked at the red-faced members with appreciation. He seemed pleased by the suggestion that the members weren’t jealous of a colleague’s wealth but were trying to uphold the honor of the Order. Though using someone else’s money for charity isn’t exactly a normal idea either.

However, the commander didn’t listen to my story indefinitely. At some point, he tilted his head and looked at me.

“But… Erick?”

“Yes.”

“If your misunderstanding about the members has been cleared up, why are you retiring? Couldn’t you reconcile now and join forces to support those refugee groups in the name of the Order? If you’ve already sold the Cordana, you should have sufficient funds, right?”

At this, I let out a small laugh.

“I would like to do that. But the disciplinary action makes it impossible.”

“What?”

“I received a severe disciplinary action that is essentially a death sentence for a knight. I heard it’s the first retirement order in nearly 20 years. If I were to donate a large sum of money to the Order after receiving such punishment, what would people think?”

The commander suddenly became pensive with an “Ah…”

His expression, which had initially been filled with puzzlement, gradually became solemn.

He must have realized that if someone who had just received an unjust punishment suddenly donated about 10 billion, it would easily arouse suspicion.

“…Huh. What a predicament.”

“I didn’t intend it, but I’m sorry. However, if the members had revealed the truth to me a little earlier… No, I shouldn’t blame the members now. It must have been uncomfortable for them to say they wanted to do charity work with someone else’s money.”

“Nor should I blame you. …It’s just a terrible misunderstanding that led to disaster.”

The commander exhaled a long, damp sigh, as if saying he wasn’t free from responsibility either.

He seemed to regret having imposed the punishment too hastily. He also seemed to acknowledge that even if he reversed the disciplinary action now, it would be difficult to escape suspicion.

I hesitated as if I could barely bring myself to speak, then suddenly placed my sword on the commander’s desk.

And I said:

“Commander. I am still a person steeped in base material desires. It seems that a person’s disposition is not easily changed. …With sincere apologies, I must live affluently with this money.

“…Tell me more.”

“But I don’t want to run away ignoring the noble intentions of the members. …So I plan to carry out some relief work, at least partially honoring my colleagues’ wishes. At least until my guilt subsides.”

“Erick. For a member with your talent to retire so early…”

“I am no longer worthy of being a member of the Royal Order. I’m just a materialistic person excited about living in luxury after leaving the Order. Just think of it as getting rid of one money-obsessed knight.”

“…”

At my earnest request, Commander Waynelight finally nodded as if giving in. He even added that he would restore my honor someday. I grasped the hand he extended with an emotional expression.

By now, the commander’s heart was likely filled with guilt. He had essentially expelled a knight who could have been part of the Hero’s party due to a trivial misunderstanding. And he couldn’t even reverse that mistake for fear of damaging his own reputation.

With this, I was able to leave the Order while keeping my tens of billions intact.

Of course, I wasn’t completely safe yet, but having the pinnacle of imperial knighthood as a shield was a huge advantage. If I set up something like a swordsmanship school under the pretext of helping refugee children, I could continue to evoke the commander’s guilt.

I turned around after showing proper respect to the commander. Of course, I didn’t forget to look at the Order’s emblem with lingering attachment before leaving.