I Resign From the Coin Mercenary Knights

Ember Hyde, Eric’s fiancée, had never been satisfied with the life she was given.

She was a noble. At least, in status she was.

Being born a noble in a world where half the commoners couldn’t even secure three proper meals was already a privilege in itself. She could bathe in clean water daily, eat nutritious food, and sleep in a bedbug-free bed.

However, Ember could not be satisfied with just having her basic needs met.

Her father was the third son of a viscount’s family.

A noble, but one without an official title. He was reasonably intelligent and had studied law to become a prosecutor for over 20 years, but it wasn’t exactly a lucrative profession. He had some authority, but also far too many enemies in exchange.

Ember, I’m sorry but our circumstances can’t afford academy tuition. If you had any talent for magic or swordsmanship it might be different, but you don’t.
A soiree…? I understand your desire, but you’ll only face disdain if you force your way in recklessly. Don’t needlessly invite harm upon yourself.
You need to find an occupation befitting your station.

Her father often made offhand remarks about ‘knowing one’s place’, ‘circumstances’, and ‘station.’

The careers her father suggested did not appeal to Ember either.

Becoming a noblewoman’s personal physician or maidservant would allow a decent income and professional respect, or how about a civic school teacher – if even that was unpalatable, he could introduce her to a junior prosecutor so she could marry early.

Objectively, they were reasonable suggestions. After all, Ember was born to a modest household and had no particular talents.

Except for her remarkably beautiful looks, she had nothing else going for her. Apart from the occasional visit to her paternal uncle’s territory where he was the lord, she had no real sense of her noble status.

However, Ember could never accept her father’s suggestions.

Becoming a physician or maidservant peeking into people’s privates,

Becoming a civic school teacher earning a pittance while teaching commoner children letters and arithmetic,

Marrying a man with an ordinary profession like a prosecutor and spending her days doing housework and raising children – all of it was utterly unacceptable.

She firmly believed she deserved a glamorous life befitting her station.

If she had been raised by strict parents, she might have been corrected through somewhat violent means, but fortunately or not, Ember’s parents doted on their only daughter immensely. They were prepared to do anything to fulfill her ambitions.

In the end, Ember’s father desperately utilized his prosecutorial connections until he succeeded in securing her an opportunity matching her desires –

An engagement to one of the elite members of the Imperial Knights, the Empire’s foremost military force.

That person was Eric.

Although a commoner, he was a prodigy who had advanced along the path to success thanks to his exceptional talent with the sword from a young age. He had even nearly become a member of the hero’s party at one point, apparently giving it up due to the burdens of an expedition to the Demon World.

Seeing this as a potential opportunity for the status elevation she craved, Ember gave her father a rare bright smile in response.

However, she did not forget to assess Eric’s qualities in person before finalizing the engagement. If he was just a brute with brawns but no wits, there would be no point in meeting him.

While the Imperial Knights were an order so prestigious that joining alone was considered a three-generational glory, Ember desired something beyond mere honor.

Fortunately, the impression Eric gave during their first meeting was relatively satisfactory.

“…Preserving life and limb has to be the top priority. If I happened to lose an arm fighting monsters, I’d spend the rest of my days scraping by on a measly disability pension. I’m not someone obsessed with martial prowess.”

“What about aiming to become the commander or vice-commander then?”

“If I became a master, I’d be forced into roles I might not want. But it wouldn’t matter if I failed – you know the marquis estates run their own knightly orders, right?”

“I have heard rumors that Imperial Knights often receive advances from nobles.”

“With my current standing, it’s possible I could be offered the commandership in my 30s and transfer over. If I became the commander of a marquis’ order, acquiring a fief wouldn’t be difficult. There are those who have ‘laundered’ their status that way. …That said, I didn’t expect to have this kind of conversation on our very first meeting.”

“Oh my, excuse me. Haha.”

Ember belatedly covered her mouth in slight embarrassment while Eric nodded somberly with a wry smile.

From then on, Ember put on some coyness while moderating her conduct to suit Eric’s temperament. He was a man worth the effort – a skilled individual who had nearly been recruited into the hero’s party, yet also possessed pragmatic sensibilities.

A few meals together, one gathering with Ember’s family in attendance – after the typical process, they eventually held an engagement ceremony.

‘This is a suitable enough match.’

There was the downside of likely spending nearly a decade as the wife of an ordinary elite knight after marriage. But from middle-age onward, he could provide her an affluent life. While she had stumbled at the initial vetting meeting, she thought she could make up for it.

Ember’s evaluation of Eric only grew more favorable over time.

Naturally, this was thanks to the dramatic surge in Codana prices. Eric’s perceived value, which had merely been decent at first, had now risen to towering, no, even greater heights.

When Ember requested to know the precise number of Codanas he held, Eric had consistently deflected the question, which was unsatisfactory.

‘But he didn’t outright deny having a large number.’

Just estimating 100 Codanas at current prices would amount to over 30 billion rir – a staggering sum that most viscount or baron estates would never see in a lifetime, an amount even many marquis households could only scrape together by liquidating all their assets.

Possessing that much in liquid cash would allow a glamorous life even in the Imperial City itself.

A massive estate? A dozens-strong household staff and four-horse carriage? Those would be trivial acquisitions.

And it wouldn’t just be an enriched lifestyle. With that level of wealth, the haughty noblewives of the Imperial City might be the ones sending invitations first, requesting her attendance at their soirees – the true noble life Ember had longed for.

Swelling with anticipation, Ember had been urging Eric to hasten their marriage for the past couple of months.

Eric was also in his mid-20s – an age where it wouldn’t be strange for an ordinary person to already have two children trailing behind. The sooner they held the wedding and combined households, the sooner she could partake in that immense wealth he possessed.

‘Hurry, we must settle this soon.’

She had made every effort to hear those four little words “Let’s get married” from Eric’s lips.

She tried to meet him at least twice a week at minimum, attempting subtle physical contact each time. If Eric reciprocated more actively, she was even prepared to surrender her maidenhood – he couldn’t very well back out of the engagement after taking it.

But the vexing Eric refused to utter those words she wanted, displaying no sexual desire or inclination to spend nights with her.

‘Is he just being old-fashioned, wanting to spare me?’

While exceptionally rare, she had heard there were still some who placed great importance on preserving their fiancée’s virginity.

If so, she could ask for nothing more – it meant he cherished her that much.

Unfortunately, that did not seem to be the case. It wasn’t just about avoiding sex – he had never even expressed any affection.

While confident in her own charms, Ember could not help the seeds of unease sprouting as their lukewarm relationship dragged on.

And today, an incident occurred that only fueled her suspicions.

Eric’s comrade, the female knight Selina, had approached her without any prior notice.

“Ember…was it? I heard you’ve been engaged to Eric for quite some time, but this is our first meeting. There would be nothing strange about friends like us casually meeting up.”

“Eric is rather cautious when it comes to opposite-sex relationships.”

“Eric had that kind of personality? That’s not how I remember it – in his first year, during the Western Campaign he hooked up with a village girl… Ah, no, it’s inappropriate for me to say such things to a stranger. In any case, you don’t seem to know much about your own fiancé, Ember. What do you two even talk about when you meet?”

“……”

“Not much conversation, huh? Well, Eric has been rather preoccupied checking Codana prices lately.”

Ember flinched involuntarily at the mention of Codanas.

Her attention had been completely consumed by the Codanas Eric possessed as of late. As if sensing Ember’s anxiety, Selina grinned slyly before whispering conspiratorially:

“You must be indulging in some grandiose fantasies right about now, but don’t get your hopes up too high. Eric has no intention of sharing that vast wealth with you, Miss Ember.”

“How would you know that, Selina?”

“Think about it. Didn’t Eric’s attitude towards you turn cold as Codana prices suddenly skyrocketed? Your meetings became less frequent, and when you did meet he was just distracted, putting you off whenever you brought up marriage.”

“……”

“Do you understand what I’m saying?”

In truth, Eric had never been particularly affectionate from the start. He had never given her a thoughtful gift nor taken her to any soirees.

But after hearing Selina’s words, it felt like Eric had truly betrayed her.

‘That’s right. It was strange, undeniably.’

Having also overheard whispers within the knightly order about Eric’s suspicious behavior lately, the seeds of doubt in her heart only grew larger. The words came from one of the Imperial City’s top female knights, so they carried credibility – Selina had no reason to outright lie.

Unable to contain herself after the encounter with Selina, Ember rushed to the quarters where Eric was staying.

However, she did not come unprepared. To deflect any suspicions that she had come because of the Codanas, she made sure to rehearse her pretense in advance.

She decided to don the guise of a maiden summoning her courage to win over her indifferent fiancé. And she planned to claim that the unsavory interrogation during their first meeting was her parents’ doing, not hers.

‘I can’t directly bring up the word Codana. I have to approach it indirectly.’

But then,

“Ember. You came because of the Codanas, didn’t you? You must have been in quite a hurry.”

Eric’s casual question, as if stating the obvious, caused Ember to involuntarily knit her brows. She quickly regained her composure, but Eric’s gaze had already turned cold. The carefully prepared act was ruined in an instant.