I Resign From the Coin Mercenary Knights

While the bloody battle between the humanoid forces and the Imperial troops raged on in Lancart, a small frontier village much closer to the Demon Realm remained eerily tranquil.

Outwardly, it seemed no different from any other remote village – barely governed, sparsely populated.

For some time now, this village had been hosting the hero’s party.

A major event for the few dozen households where mundane days typically blurred together.

At first, the entire populace had been excited as if a festival was being held. There were even residents who had slaughtered pigs to entertain the hero’s party.

But that enthusiastic reception was short-lived.

The hero’s party had already been staying put here for two weeks.

No matter how uneducated the self-sustaining villagers were, they couldn’t help but sense something amiss by this point. Why would the hero’s party, busy warring against the Demon King’s forces, be holed up in an unremarkable village like this?

“…Well, it is an honor, but this is a bit…”

“Ahahah, my friend. Don’t you know the saint cured all the kids with skin rashes? She even gifted us gold for burdening us with their supply demands!”

“We’re grateful for that, but shouldn’t such busy people be allowed to rest for so long like this?”

“Who knows, maybe they plan to settle here after defeating the Demon King! Could be scouting properties in advance, eh?”

“In this rural backwater…?”

Whenever they met, the villagers would discuss the hero’s party’s extended stay.

Not out of annoyance or dislike, but sheer bewilderment. They couldn’t fathom why the hero’s party, occupied with slaying the Demon King’s army, was secluded in their humble village hall. It was unlikely they aimed to become villagers themselves.

However, the villagers’ murmurings didn’t persist for long.

“Our circumstances must be of great interest to you?”

The hero’s party members had suddenly revealed themselves, startling the residents.

The ethereally beautiful elven archer Silvina, and the pink-haired, mysteriously alluring female knight Millia. Their beauty far outshone the village maidens with their dirt-smeared faces.

But the villagers had no leisure to admire their looks. No matter how lazily the hero’s party had languished for two weeks, they were still the hero’s party after all.

“Oh my, that’s not it at all.”

“No, we don’t mean you shouldn’t be curious. From your perspective, it’s only natural to wonder. But you see, our war against the Demon King’s army requires patience. We must move stealthily before striking swiftly to claim any achievements.”

“Ahah, I see.”

“This village… yes, you could call it a secret base of sorts. It’s within striking distance of the Demon Realm, yet beyond the Demon King’s patrol routes. We may be endangering you by our presence, but please bear with us a little longer. You understand, don’t you?”

“Oh. Of course!”

The villagers hastily retreated, chastising each other with “See what I mean?”

After carefully observing their retreating figures, Silvina and Millia finally heaved deep sighs, as if lamenting having to deceive the villagers.

“Silvina, how long must we languish here?”

“Until the hero who left for the Imperial City issues separate orders.”

“But the villagers are growing increasingly suspicious of us. Wouldn’t dealing with the monsters lurking nearby help alleviate that? Then we could deceive them into thinking we’re using this place as a base against the Demon King’s army.”

“And what if our location is exposed to the Empire or Demon King in the process? No matter how isolated, this village still has outside contacts from time to time.”

“I suppose that’s true… Sheesh.”

Silvina took the lead, saying they should trust and wait for the hero, while Millia followed with slumped shoulders.

During their journeys, there had been occasions where they lingered in specific villages for days at a stretch. Such grueling schedules necessitated periodic respites to maintain their strength.

Especially this current hero’s party, which was unusually large compared to past incarnations.

They had brought along dozens of elite holy knights dispatched from the Church Empire.

Rumors claimed they had mobilized half the Church Empire’s military strength.

It was thanks to those holy knights, whose divine powers were amplified against demonic foes and who also possessed formidable swordsmanship, that the relatively lacking hero had been able to rapidly accumulate achievements.

As a result of depleting its forces, the Church Empire had frequently fallen victim to demonic raids, but seemed to bear no complaints, likely placated by the hero’s generous donations.

But now, the hero’s party had been reorganized into a streamlined force once more.

For one reason:

Their fateful clash against Leoneo, the Demon Lord of Humanoids.

Leoneo, the Demon Lord of Humanoids.

A lizardman by birth, possessing innate prowess and genius combat abilities that had allowed him to unite all lizardman tribes as a celebrated hero before even reaching adulthood. So transcendent compared to ordinary lizardmen that rumors circulated of him being a dragon hybrid.

Yes, he was undoubtedly powerful.

But not to the extent that the hero’s party, having already eliminated two Demon Lords, should have feared him.

When they received intelligence that the Humanoid Lord, who had been residing in the Demon Realm, had paid a rare visit to his tribe’s territory, it was only natural for the hero’s party to seize the offensive opportunity.

However, their battle against the Humanoid Lord did not unfold as smoothly as the hero’s party had expected.

First, the holy knights who had served as capable meat shields and offensive forces found their divine powers ineffective.

No matter that he was a humanoid, the Humanoid Lord must have absorbed demonic energy to ascend to that rank, so why were they powerless against him? It was utterly baffling from the hero’s party’s perspective.

Regardless, the Humanoid Lord proceeded to slaughter several holy knights without hesitation before charging the hero with overwhelming force, his tribesmen also joining the fray with renewed vigor.

Even so, the hero’s party had not lost confidence until that point.

The greatest human warrior, the hero Kun Hei-jin, was still standing firm after all.

While criticized as lacking due to neglecting his sword training, he was nonetheless the wielder of the holy sword and a transcendent being blessed by the goddess. Moreover, this wasn’t even a one-on-one duel, with the rest of his party supporting him.

True to his self-assurance, Kun drew his holy sword to challenge the Humanoid Lord, as if to avenge the holy knights’ pitiful deaths.

“Come! I shall cut you down in an instant!”

His boldly proclaimed words rang with uncharacteristic conviction, as if that lowly reptilian brute could be swiftly subjugated.

But the Humanoid Lord’s combat prowess exceeded all imagination.

The weapon he wielded was fashioned from dragon fangs, and the supposedly humanoid being even wielded magic – he may well have been an actual dragon hybrid.

A class above the Demon Lords they had defeated thus far, an overwhelmingly formidable foe for the hero who had grown distracted by Codanas and womanizing.

The outcome of the battle was catastrophic.

While not an outright defeat, the results were tantamount to a disastrous rout.

Most of the holy knights dispatched from the Church Empire had been slain by the Humanoid Lord and his subordinates, with the survivors sustaining grievous wounds as they remained secluded in this village, their recovery uncertain.

That wasn’t all.

The mage had overtaxed her mana reserves, damaging her magic circle.

The elven archer had shattered her bow crafted from a World Tree branch.

Most critically, the hero himself had been injured – not a grave wound, but an irreversible one nonetheless.

The lone exception was the knight Millia, who had escaped relatively unscathed, but she had never been a particularly meaningful combatant against such formidable foes to begin with, having only recently attained the advanced expert realm.

It would have been some consolation if they had at least managed to slay the Humanoid Lord despite such heavy losses, but regrettably, he had only sustained critical injuries before somehow escaping with his life.

Considering humanoids’ fabled recovery abilities, there was a chance he could eventually regain his peak condition. If the Humanoid Lord were to reappear on the battlefield…

The mere thought was chilling. Millia shook her head with a pallid expression.

“Silvina. How long can we keep this hidden?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb. If word gets out that the Humanoid Lord still lives, then we…”

“Mind your words. While isolated, this village still receives the occasional merchant caravan. Letting something slip could lead to an irreversible situation. Considering the Humanoid Lord’s injuries, there’s a high chance he’ll simply retire anyway.”

“…But, it’s already…”

Millia nearly blurted out that it was already an irreversible situation, but held her tongue. She couldn’t bring herself to voice their predicament so baldly.

Silvina gently patted her back in consolation.

“It’ll be alright, Millia. The hero will find a solution.”

The rationale Silvina clung to was, predictably, the hero Kun Hei-jin himself.

“How could the hero possibly resolve a situation like this?”

“He is relatively clever, for a human. …And Millia, who else can we trust or rely on besides the hero in our current state? The best course is to quietly recuperate until the hero issues separate orders.”

“If you insist, Silvina, then…very well.”

Indeed, the party currently had no one to turn to besides the hero.

Despite engaging in a skirmish beneath the Demon Lord’s level against the mere Humanoid Lord, and having already falsely reported to the Empire after consulting with the second prince invested in Codanas, the hero was still the hero.

In this dire predicament, he alone could potentially find a way forward.

“The hero has likely reached the Imperial City by now.”

“Yes, I suppose so. Probably.”

While the Imperial City would assume his temporary visit was to announce the defeat of the Demon King, the reality differed. How could he go to face the Demon King when he couldn’t even slay the Humanoid Lord?

The hero had simply gone to the Imperial City to untangle the complex web they found themselves in – the mass casualties of the holy knights, the injuries to himself and his party members, and the false report they had submitted.

‘Yes, he must have gone to the Imperial City because he has some solution in mind.’

Millia too decided to place her hopes in the hero. After all, she had little else she could do.

At the same time, within the Imperial Palace.

“…No, Your Highness. I took the risk of pumping them for you, yet you still haven’t been able to offload them? I arranged a safe exit opportunity for you, and I’ve already cut and run.”

“Extenuating circumstances arose. Ever since Eric flooded the market with 108 at once, the big players… whales, as you put it? The whales’ movements have drawn excessive scrutiny. If I attempt to sell, it will immediately trigger a market crash.”

“Haah, what a mess. The Church Empire will start getting suspicious soon too.”

“Hurry and find another solution, hero. Only then can I continue shielding you once the truth comes to light.”