Chapter 79: Twist in the plot (1)

When I arrived at the Deepsnow estate, I activated the “Hey, friend! Let’s hang out!” technique.

Fortunately, Rigrid was home.

“Welcome, Luke! I didn’t expect you to visit so soon.”

Instead of just leaving it as a promise over a meal, I actually showed up within a few days, and Rigrid welcomed me warmly. He could have had a servant escort me to his room, yet he personally came out to the front gate to greet me. Seeing that, even I wasn’t sure if he was genuinely happy to see me or just trying to show off.

‘Well, there must be some sincerity to it. After all, I’m someone who can be useful to him right now, so he must appreciate that I’m actively engaging with him without hesitation.’

Although he was a villain in the novel who chose betrayal due to his inferiority complex and need for recognition, even villains had emotions.
Considering that his betrayal stemmed from emotional reasons, he probably had a richer emotional depth than most people.

Rigrid and I walked side by side from the entrance, exchanging updates on our lives over the past few days. Despite only knowing each other for a short time, our friendly interactions resembled those of childhood friends. The Diffsnow household servants subtly glanced our way.

Now that I noticed, Rigrid was intentionally taking me through the busiest areas under the pretense of giving me a tour of the estate.

Realizing his intent, I played along and expressed admiration every time he introduced a part of the mansion. It wasn’t entirely an act—although I worked at the Winter Palace, the residence of the Northern Grand Duke, noble estates had a different charm.

It must be difficult to grow plants in the North, but as expected of a grand noble house, they had even used magic tools to create a garden. The natural snowy scenery blending harmoniously with it was genuinely fascinating.

Though our relationship was based on mutual interests, having a noble friend… didn’t seem too bad.

While I was busy processing that thought, Rigrid seemed fully prepared for today.
A completely unexpected encounter took place.

“Greetings, Lord.”
“Ah, yes. I remember you from the tournament. Welcome to Diffsnow, Sir Luke.”

The head of the Diffsnow family, Lainel Diffsnow, was home.
As expected, his eldest son, Isaac, was absent, likely stationed at his unit.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on you with interest. Not only did you play a significant role in the Snowflake Tower incident against the Seven Heroes, but you also spoke your mind confidently at the tournament. I still recall that moment from time to time. Haha! I never expected my son to have such a connection.”

Lainel greeted me with a warm smile, and Rigrid, standing beside him, also laughed.

Now that I saw them together, it was clear—Lainel’s talent had gone to the eldest son, while his personality had passed down to the second.
The two of them smiling together was almost identical.

Finding that amusing, I smiled along with them.

“If you’re a friend of Rigrid, you’re like a son to me as well. No need to feel pressured—just enjoy your time here. You two are of similar age, so I’m sure you’ll be good friends. Hahaha!”
“Thank you for your hospitality.”

I almost considered giving him a deep bow, as if I had just gained a father, but unfortunately, such customs didn’t exist here.

Now that I had left an impression on the household staff and greeted his father, Rigrid finally led me to a private training ground used exclusively by the Diffsnow family members.

For some reason, it felt less like visiting a friend’s house and more like meeting a girlfriend’s parents. I quickly dismissed that thought.
There was only one house I truly wanted to visit.

That reminded me—I had never talked to Elaine about her parents.

In this world, I had no family, but Elaine had also never mentioned her parents in front of me.
All I knew about her was that she lived alone and came from a commoner background.

Because of her striking beauty, I once wondered if she was secretly a noble’s hidden child, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

If I were to marry her, I’d have to meet her parents someday.
I should ask her about it when the opportunity arises.

“Here, since you’re a beginner, this one should fit your hand best.”

Rigrid handed me a bow, and the moment I gripped it, memories of my past life’s experience with traditional Korean archery resurfaced.

My skill back then? Hah.
There was a reason I considered this whole thing an ‘accommodation’ for Rigrid rather than a proper match.

After all, Koreans had a well-earned sense of pride when it came to archery.

Rigrid patiently and thoroughly explained the correct posture step by step.

I found myself impressed—he was surprisingly good at teaching.

Since it was my first time, I figured hitting the bullseye immediately would be too much, but I also didn’t want to miss so badly that it would embarrass my ‘teacher.’

So, aiming to barely graze the edge of the target, I pulled back the bowstring and released it.

“…….”
“Oh! You missed, but for a first attempt, just clearing the target is impressive. As expected of a knight, you’re quite strong.”

Our kind Rigrid didn’t laugh at the arrow that had flown way past the target.
Instead, he praised me and gracefully framed it as a positive achievement.

Meanwhile, my pupils trembled, and my expression stiffened.

“Alright, I think I got the hang of it. Let me try one more time.”

I loaded another arrow and fired.

“That was really close! Wait, Luke, didn’t you say you had no experience with a bow? But now that you’re learning, it seems like you have some talent.”

The dangerous word ‘talent’ came out of Rigrid’s mouth, but I had no time to worry about that.

‘N-No way.’

This couldn’t be happening.
That last shot wasn’t just for show—I had genuinely aimed with all my might, even preparing myself to excuse it as a lucky shot.
But I didn’t even hit the target, let alone the center?

Maybe it was because I had the DNA of a Northerner instead of the legendary archer Jumong.
I gained the ability to wield a sword and use magic, but in exchange, my long-range skills were sealed away.
My skill tree had been forcibly changed from an archer to a magic swordsman.

‘I-I’m a hopeless archer…?’

I was so shocked that my hands trembled.
Seeing how pitiful I looked, Rigrid patted me on the shoulder.

“Don’t be too discouraged. No one is good at everything from the start… except for my genius older brother.”

Rigrid, who had always seen me as one of the most talented young knights in the North, now felt a sense of camaraderie with my mediocrity. His words of comfort were heartfelt, but this was not part of my plan.

Originally, my plan was to barely graze the edge of the target, praise Rigrid’s excellent guidance, and then ask him to demonstrate a proper shot.
Then, each time he hit the mark, I would enthusiastically cheer, “Young master, nice shot!”
But instead of earning his favor, I ended up getting his pity.

‘Damn…! This isn’t the time for that, Luke.’

As much as I wanted to empty my entire quiver to prove I wasn’t completely useless with a bow,
I couldn’t be the main focus today.
Swallowing my wounded pride, I regained my composure.

“Man, this is way harder than using a sword. I thought I’d at least be able to hit the edge, since I am a knight, after all.”

I felt utterly humiliated pretending to be cool, but at least it seemed to make me more likable than I’d planned, so I found some solace in that.

“You show me how it’s done. I need a good example to learn from.”

“Alright, watch closely.”

Now that Rigrid knew I was a complete beginner, he seemed much more confident.
With a firm stride, he approached the target, pulled the bowstring back with ease, and fired almost immediately without much aim.

Thud!
The arrow landed dead center.

After finishing our archery practice, we took a break with some refreshments brought by the attendants.

As expected from the Dipsnow family, even the snacks were top-tier.
Elaine would love this.

Would it be rude to ask for some to take home? Sneaking them out would be too pathetic.
I should just buy some nice pastries on my way back as a reward for today’s effort.

“You really are used to physical training as a knight. You’re improving so quickly.”

So quickly, huh.
I went from hitting nothing to landing three out of ten shots—definitely an improvement.
If it were Elaine, she’d probably already be decorating the target with heart-shaped patterns.

“It’s only because I have a great teacher. Did you see my first shot? Even I didn’t expect to be that bad.”

That wasn’t just an act—it was my honest thought.

“By the way, are you sure you just learned this as a hobby? Your skill level seems way beyond that.”

That was also my honest thought.

If there was one thing I unintentionally discovered after spending the morning training with Rigrid, it was this:
This bastard is insanely good with a bow.
So much so that I didn’t even need to butter him up—his skills spoke for themselves.

While I was barely hitting anything, Rigrid never once missed the center of the target.

From what I know, archery requires not only concentration and composure but also significant physical strength.

Yet this guy, with his slender frame, showed no signs of fatigue even after firing multiple arrows. Was he secretly built like a tank? His precision and steadiness were unwavering.

If he had been born in the modern era, he would have undoubtedly been an Olympic national representative.
Even in this world, he could have competed on equal footing with elves.

“Haha, yeah, it’s just a hobby. But since I enjoy it, I did get a little into it.”

Rigrid had a deep-seated inferiority complex about talent and a strong desire to be acknowledged by others.
There was no way someone like him, after realizing his talent in archery, would have just dabbled in it casually.

But the reason he still called it a hobby was simple.

“A knight’s expertise is in the sword, not the bow. Even in the North, archery isn’t exactly a prestigious skill.”

He was right.
In the North, known for its warrior culture, melee weapons were the most revered.
Knights primarily used swords and spears rather than bows.

It wasn’t that archery was looked down upon, but it was seen as an unpopular discipline.
Most would rather use magic or sword aura for ranged attacks than rely on a bow, which was primarily a weapon for soldiers.

If Rigrid had been born a commoner, he might have gained fame as an archer.
For those without access to magic training, archery was one of the best ways for a commoner to achieve military merit.

But he wasn’t just any noble—he was from a great noble house.
As a knight, it was expected that he would master melee weapons rather than a soldier’s bow.
In times of war, a knight was supposed to stand at the front, brandishing his sword heroically to showcase the glory of the Deepsnow family.

Perhaps, in some way, Rigrid’s talent for archery had only fueled his sense of inferiority.
Maybe he wished he had been gifted in swordsmanship instead—because then, he could have truly become a knight.

That was probably why he chose to ignore his skill in archery.

‘Now that I think about it, it’s kind of pitiful.’

Having talent doesn’t always mean it’s a good thing.
What really matters is having the right talent at the right time.

If someone destined to be a great archmage were born on Earth, would they ever get the chance to realize their potential?
And what would an award-winning game developer do in a fantasy world?

So, to be honest—

‘What a waste.’

Rigrid’s talent was truly wasted.
He had a natural gift, yet he wasn’t making any use of it.

Instead of focusing on what he excelled at, he was chasing after what society expected of him.
That was how he ended up being misunderstood as a mediocre knight.

It was like a sniper putting down his rifle to pick up an épée, only to get depressed about how bad he was at fencing.

After thinking it over for a long time, I made my decision.

“Hey.”

“Hm?”

Yeah. No matter how I looked at it, this was the best choice.

Did a character being a villain in the novel mean I had to completely write them off?
Take Lowna, or that… what was his name again? That bastard terrorist from the Snowflake Tower.

Guys like that, who were beyond redemption, deserved to be discarded.

But what if a so-called villain could be made to pay for their sins and work for me instead?
Then wasn’t it better to put them on a leash and make them work like a dog?

After all, if they were going to become a villain anyway, I wouldn’t feel the slightest bit guilty about making them suffer.

“Have you ever thought about joining the Honor Guard?”

“?!”

“The workload’s a bit heavy, but—oh, right, you’re rich.
Still, it’s an elite unit directly under His Grace, the Grand Duke.
It’s prestigious, popular, well-paid, and a great stepping stone for promotion.
What do you think?”

In spy movies, the sniper always played a crucial role.
And right now, there just happened to be an opening in the Honor Guard.

So, I decided to abuse my authority as the deputy of the Honor Guard and personally scout a new recruit.

Wouldn’t it be dangerous to keep a potential villain sniper so close to Grace?

Oh, don’t worry. I’ll handle his ideological training myself.

With the right amount of praise as a reward, I could turn this kid into a loyal hunting dog, one that would plant arrows right into our enemies’ skulls.