Chapter 75: Fantasy Gold

I didn’t have any siblings in my past life or in this one, so I don’t know much about it.
But from what I’ve seen, sibling relationships seem quite complicated.

There are countless historical cases of siblings shedding each other’s blood in battle.
Even without looking far into the past, you can see siblings around you constantly bickering—so much so that outsiders can’t tell whether they’re joking or serious.

There are many reasons for sibling rivalry.
But the most common one, by far, is jealousy.

Wanting something an older sibling owns, feeling envious of the affection a younger sibling receives, coveting the inheritance meant for the eldest.
Even in the Bible, there’s a story right at the beginning about an older brother murdering his younger brother because God favored the younger.
Seeing that, it’s not an exaggeration to say that sibling jealousy has existed since the dawn of humanity.

What’s interesting, though, is that jealousy between siblings isn’t necessarily strongest when they have similar levels of wealth or talent.
Rather, it tends to be the most intense when one sibling is far superior to the other.
It’s a common trope in novels—an underachieving sibling, constantly compared to their outstanding brother or sister, eventually spirals into delinquency.

‘The reason I’m thinking about all this right now is…’

Rigrid Dipsnow is the second son of the prestigious Dipsnow family.
His father, Lynell, became one of the top five most powerful figures in the North after the dissolution of the Five Great Houses.
His older brother, Isaac, serves as the commander of the Wintercannon Wall Defense Force, one of the most crucial military units in the North.
Even without their family’s influence, they are both highly respected individuals in their own right.

In contrast, Rigrid…
He trained in swordsmanship from a young age, but he isn’t skilled enough to pass the knight’s exam.
He lacks the talent for magic and is unsuited to becoming a mage.
Although he’s mild-mannered and gets along well with others, he doesn’t have the charisma to lead.

In other words, he isn’t completely useless, but he isn’t particularly exceptional at anything either.
If a person’s abilities could be rated out of 100 like in a game, his would all hover around 70—a perfectly average standing.

Of course, just because there’s a gap between siblings doesn’t mean the weaker one will always go astray.
Many people accept their shortcomings and maintain good relationships with their families.

Rigrid was one of those cases.
His father, Lynell, cherished him enough to bring him along to formal meetings and parties, and there was no mention in the novel of Isaac looking down on him.
Rigrid, in turn, respected his accomplished father and admired his impressive older brother.

‘At least, on the surface.’

Rigrid’s image as a ‘proper young noble’ was something he carefully constructed.

According to the novel’s descriptions,
Unlike his older brother, an ‘elite noble’ who excelled in both martial and scholarly pursuits, Rigrid decided to prove himself through his character.
Whereas Isaac was strict and cold, Rigrid made himself soft-spoken and warm.

Thanks to that effort, many people grew fond of him and enjoyed his company.
But in the end, it was always Isaac who received the spotlight.

He never hated his brother. In fact, Rigrid genuinely respected and took pride in Isaac’s achievements.
However, the stark difference in their abilities left him with an overwhelming inferiority complex.
His initial desire to distinguish himself in his own way slowly twisted into something else—proving that he was the better person.

People flocked to Isaac because of his abilities,
But when it came to personal connections, they preferred Rigrid.
In the end, he was the one receiving more affection.

Though he smiled outwardly, inside, his heart was rotting away.
That festering resentment eventually corroded the walls of his mind, allowing his true feelings to seep through.
And that, ultimately, was what led him to fall for the villain’s temptations.

‘With the war against the West approaching, his resentment must be at its breaking point by now.’

I couldn’t afford to be fooled just because Rigrid was approaching me with a friendly smile.

His bitterness stemmed from his inferiority to his talented brother.
As a result, he harbored an instinctive hatred for prodigies.

And yet, despite being one of the most promising rising stars in the North, I had caught his interest.
That could only mean one thing—he was looking to build ‘connections that his brother didn’t have, people who belonged to him alone.’
I had to keep that in mind.

‘Alright then, let’s see how I should steer this conversation.’

Switching my role from knight to therapist, I prepared to deal with this fragile, fantasy-world ‘golden child.’

“I actually saw you a few times from a distance when I was still a rookie on security detail at parties.”

“Did you? Haha, I’m honored you remember me.”

“Most young noblemen tend to be shy at such gatherings, but you stood out as particularly sociable.”

“My family holds a lot of social events, so I’ve been attending them since I was a child. I suppose I’ve gotten used to it.”

“If you’ve been attending since childhood, you could have just stuck with familiar faces. But instead, you reached out to those who were new and struggling to fit in. That says a lot about your character, Lord Rigrid.”

“Haha… You’re being too generous with your praise.”

Rigrid let out an awkward laugh at my barrage of compliments.
People who aren’t used to receiving praise tend to have little resistance to it.
His reaction wasn’t discomfort—it was subtle enjoyment.

And I wasn’t done yet.

“Honestly, I was disappointed that I couldn’t properly greet you at the last tournament because the captain called me. Since I’m a knight, I couldn’t ignore his words…”

“Were you?”

“Yes. How could I not be excited when the famous figure of high society, Lord Rigrid, approached me first with goodwill?”

When I expressed my desire to get closer, Rigrid’s face brightened, showing genuine joy.

Seeing that expression, I smirked inwardly.

‘Phew, I passed the first stage.’

It might have looked easy, but what I had just done was a significant task.

I had to make sure that even the slightest hint of “wanting to get close because of his bloodline or status” didn’t seep into my words. I carefully avoided any potential pitfalls, focusing entirely on Rigrid as an individual and showering him with compliments.

Moreover, I emphasized his social connections, something he cared about, to lift him up.

Most importantly, from the moment I mentioned, “I’ve known about you for a while,” I had already melted his heart—someone who longed for recognition.

‘To be honest, the first time I noticed Rigrid wasn’t for a good reason.’

Back when I had just joined the escort knights, I was a little excited to see the Northern characters I had only read about in novels come to life.

Some, like Grace, were easy to recognize because they had illustrations. But for characters described only in text, I had to match names to faces.

So, for future reference, I decided to use my knowledge of the novel to figure out who was who. And during that process—

—That guy is the traitor, huh?

The young man beside Lionel back then—Rigrid—I had memorized his face.

“Sir Luke, I’m truly delighted that you think so highly of me. I also regretted not getting the chance to grow closer that day.”

Temporarily flustered by the flood of compliments, Rigrid quickly regained his composure, proving himself to be a veteran actor who had been playing the role of a “good kid” for over a decade.

“Starting today, I hope we can become good friends.”

He reached out his hand for a handshake.

My response to that gesture—

“If you drop the formalities when addressing me. As you said, we’re about the same age, aren’t we?”

“Then does that mean you’ll also speak informally with me?”

“Of course. There’s no need for honorifics between friends, right?”

“!?”

Rigrid looked visibly surprised at my words.

He was one of the noblest among the Northern aristocrats.

No matter how close someone was to him, it was unlikely they had ever dropped honorifics when speaking to him.

But here I was, casually saying I’d do just that.

For him, this was likely a refreshing experience.

At the same time, this was also an opportunity for him.

After all, having the most promising trainee knight in the North as a friend was a fantastic conversation starter to boost his own reputation.

“Then I’ll speak comfortably, Luke.”

“Alright, Rigrid.”

We exchanged handshakes while addressing each other informally.

With this, I had cleared the second stage.

“Haha, this feels a bit surreal. I’ve met so many people, but this is the first time I’ve dropped honorifics on the very first day of getting to know someone. I’m really glad I spoke to you.”

“I don’t do this with everyone. It’s just that you gave off such a comfortable vibe that I felt at ease.”

“R-Really?”

Hearing that he was “comfortable,” Rigrid’s expression darkened slightly, as if something about it bothered him.

Noticing that, I immediately added,

“For most people, nobles feel unapproachable to commoners like me, right? But you interact with others without caring about status or rank, making you stand out from other nobles. How should I put it… You have a way of making people want to befriend you.”

I wasn’t an actual therapist.

But I had dealt with far worse personalities than an affection-starved nobleman.

A manager who threw a fit if his drink wasn’t poured exactly two-thirds full, a boss who nitpicked every single word for formality, a client who sulked because I didn’t use an emoji in my message—

After surviving people like that, dodging emotional landmines had become second nature to me.

And ever since coming to this world, I had further honed my social skills.

So I skillfully stroked Rigrid’s ego, and the delighted noble wagged his metaphorical tail in response.

“You even caught birds? Then you must be really good at archery.”

“Come on, a knight should be good with a sword. Archery is just a hobby.”

“Hey, what’s the first weapon used to start a war? Bows. I heard elves even imbue arrows with magic to take down knights.”

“Haha, well, I can’t infuse magic into them just yet.”

“Isn’t it supposed to be harder to enchant arrows than swords? Oh, by the way, if you have time later, could you teach me archery? I’ve never used a bow before, but I’ve always wanted to learn. And now, I just happen to know a great teacher.”

“I’m not sure if I’m skilled enough to teach… but alright.”

Among men, the best ways to bond were through alcohol or shared hobbies.

Since I didn’t drink, I had been wondering what to do with this guy.

Then, during our conversation, I learned that Rigrid could use a bow.

Even a refined noble like him had Northern blood in his veins.

If that was the case, then what better way to build camaraderie than through physical activity?

Without hesitation, I used learning archery as an excuse to set up our next meeting.

Now, it was time for the third stage—

Time to put my sportsmanship hospitality to work, a skill honed through countless friendly soccer matches.

“I should get back soon. If I slack off too long, the captain will scold me.”

“If you run into trouble, just use my name. Maybe they’ll let you off the hook.”

“Should I? Might as well take advantage of my new friend.”

I playfully patted Ligrit on the shoulder. He seemed slightly startled, not used to such casual gestures, but he soon smiled at the refreshing sense of familiarity.

“If you ever want to practice archery, feel free to drop by anytime. I’m usually at the mansion.”

Oh? So he wants me to visit freely to show off his networking skills?
So much for being an upstanding noble—he’s got a cunning side.
But the more he tries to use me, the more important my presence becomes to him, so I didn’t mind.

“See you around.”

I waved to Ligrit and made my way back to Elaine.
I had gotten everything I needed from this party.

“Where have you been? It took you quite a while for a simple security check.”

“Oh, I was greeting Lord Ligrit.”

“Lord Ligrit? Of Deep Snow?”

“Yes, and also—”

I handed Elaine a drink I had picked up on my way back.

“What a coincidence.”

Elaine was also holding two glasses.
She must have gotten one for me as well.
Fortunately, they were different drinks.

“We can just swap.”

“Sounds good.”

A nearby standing table was unoccupied.
Since we were both drained from socializing, we headed there to take a short break.
We clinked glasses, starting with the one I brought.

“Mmm! It’s really refreshing.”

“You like fruit, don’t you? This one’s sweet and tangy, so I thought you’d enjoy it.”

Elaine had a fondness for fruit, especially apples.
And the drink I had chosen was apple-flavored—perfect for her taste.

“You remembered.”

She smiled softly as she looked at the glass. Then, before the taste of the first drink could fade, she eagerly handed me the one she had brought.

“This is my recommendation—try it!”

Her excitement was adorable, so I chuckled as I accepted the glass.

‘Wait, what?’

If my nose wasn’t deceiving me… this was alcohol.

“I know you don’t drink, but for tonight, I wanted to share at least one drink with you.”

Elaine hesitated as she gauged my reaction.

“And besides—”

“Hm?”

“His Excellency said that one drink wouldn’t be enough, so he gave you special permission to start work late tomorrow afternoon. So… um… tonight…”

Elaine suddenly trailed off, realizing we were still in a crowded ballroom.
Her face turned red, embarrassed at pushing alcohol on me so eagerly.

‘Now that I think about it… the reason I stopped drinking…’

It was because of the shock from the mistake I made with Elaine while drunk.
I had sworn to be careful from then on.

But if it’s with Elaine… even if I do get drunk…
There’s no problem anymore, right?

Elaine had already had a drink before we danced.
Was it because of that? Or the lingering heat from the dance?
Or maybe because she drank before dancing, making the warmth linger even longer?
Either way, the faint flush on her face made me feel like I was heating up too.

“If I drink this, I won’t be able to hold back and will lose my excuse to be careful.”

“…That’s why I gave it to you.”

“!”

Well, if she’s being this direct, I guess there’s no choice.

Unlike before, we clinked glasses in silence, and even after drinking, we simply stared at each other.
It was just one drink.

But both of us were already intoxicated.
Whether it was the alcohol or something else.

After the party ended that night—
The moment we stepped into the house and closed the door,
Before we could turn on the lights or even think about taking off our clothes,
We embraced each other right there at the entrance.

That night awakened a new preference in Elaine.
Ever since, she would occasionally ask me to hold her while she was still in uniform.
In the end, I had to get a separate set of uniform just so one could be crumpled or stained without worry.