I Reincarnated as a Villainous Noble, Nothing More Than the Hero’s Foil: Since the Hero Can Only Bring Misery to My Favorite Heroine, I’ll Use My Game Knowledge and Over-the-Top Effort to Rewrite the Scenario and Make Her Happy. - Chapter 8

“Master Cain! Great news! Wonderful news!”

Lancelot, the butler, suddenly came running toward me, his voice filled with excitement.

“We had the soldiers investigate the location you mentioned, and they discovered an unknown cave… a mithril mine!”

“Oh! Is that true?!”

“This will bring significant development to the region! The lord is absolutely delighted!”

Relief washed over me. I had been worried about what might happen if they found nothing. This confirmed that the game’s map and the real-world geography of this place were identical.

“…By the way, what exactly are you doing here, sir?”

Lancelot’s gaze landed on us. Seeing Selvia wearing a collar, drenched in sweat, and panting heavily while I stood nearby with a smug expression, he looked understandably confused.

“Ah, well, there’s a very good reason for this…”

It was no wonder he’d misunderstand. The whole scene looked highly suspicious. If I saw this, I’d probably report it to the authorities myself.

“Oh, Lancelot, this is simply an act of love between the two of them!”
“In broad daylight?!”
“No! I mean… yes, but no!”

Ellis’s attempt at “helping” only worsened the situation, and I hastily denied her claim.

“Please don’t misunderstand. This is all part of a plan to deceive Prince Leon,” Selvia explained calmly.
“Ah, I see. My apologies, Lady Selvia. I misjudged the situation.”
“Though, perhaps doing something so provocative outdoors was a bit excessive. I’ll reflect on this. Cain-niisama, let’s continue the binding indoors.”
“WHAT?! No, absolutely not!”

What was Selvia even saying? Did she truly understand her own words? While it might be necessary for the plan, this was too much.

Putting a collar on my favorite heroine and treating her like property was pushing my mental fortitude to its limit. Desperate to change the subject, I turned to Lancelot.

“Speaking of which, Lancelot, I have a favor to ask. You were once the strongest knight in the kingdom, weren’t you? Would you teach me how to wield a sword?”

In the game, Lancelot was the bodyguard of the villainous noble Cain and a formidable opponent who stood in the hero Abel’s way.

Honestly, Lancelot was far stronger than Cain. Avoiding a fight with him was essential in the early stages of the game; he was one of those overpowered bosses designed for advanced players.

“…A sword, you say?”

Lancelot’s gaze sharpened, his eyes narrowing.

“Are you serious about this?”
“Of course. My goal is to win the royal martial arts tournament.”
“In that case, you must first acquire at least one combat skill. That is my condition for accepting you as my disciple.”
“Understood. I’ll achieve it right away.”
“Oh?”

Perhaps thinking I was bluffing, Lancelot’s aura grew even more intimidating.

“Wait, aren’t skills extremely difficult to acquire? Don’t they require years of rigorous training?”
“Cain-niisama, are you sure you’ll be okay?”

Ellis and Selvia looked genuinely concerned.

In the game Apocalypse, skills were acquired by completing difficult requirements, often demanding long and arduous effort.

“…Very well. Notify me when you’ve acquired a skill,” Lancelot said, bowing slightly before leaving. His retreating figure practically radiated skepticism, as if to say, Let’s see you try.

“Cain-niisama, if there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know!”
“Me too! I’ll help however I can!”
“Thank you. With your help, this will be much easier.”

Skill acquisition requirements were indeed strict, but I knew of loopholes. We headed to the training ground.

“Alright, Ellis, Selvia, I need you two to throw balls at me. Take it slow.”
“That’s all? Sure thing!”
“Understood!”

The two girls gently tossed balls my way. Using a wooden practice sword, I deflected them one after another with ease.

After repeating this several times…

‘You have deflected projectiles consecutively 30 times.
Congratulations! You have acquired the skill [Projectile Deflection].
Success rate for deflecting projectiles increased by 50%.’

A familiar mechanical voice echoed in my head—the system notification sound from the game. I hadn’t expected things to align this closely with the game. I couldn’t help but pump my fist in triumph.

“Yes! I’ve got my first skill!”
“Wha—? Really? You got a skill from doing something that simple?” Ellis asked, her skepticism evident.

“Some skills can be obtained by simply fulfilling specific conditions. For [Projectile Deflection], the requirement is to deflect projectiles 30 times in a row. Even slow-moving balls like yours count.”

Deflecting arrows from skilled archers would have been impossible at low levels, but understanding the requirements allowed me to acquire the skill easily.

“That’s incredible! Where did you learn all this, Cain-niisama?” Selvia asked, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

“Oh, uh… I heard it from an adventurer I met once.”
“An adventurer? That’s surprising. I once researched skill acquisition in the royal library, but [Projectile Deflection] wasn’t listed. Could this be a high-tier skill?”
“Wait, seriously?”

The conditions for basic skills were widely known, but advanced skills were closely guarded secrets, monopolized by elite groups like the Royal Guard or S-rank adventurers. Knowledge was power, and hoarding it preserved their authority.

Realizing my story was flimsy, I quickly improvised.

“They were an S-rank adventurer about to retire. They said they no longer cared about guild rules and decided to share it with me.”
“Wow! That’s amazing!”
“Indeed! Legendary adventurers are known to pass their wisdom to worthy successors. Cain-niisama, you must have been chosen!”

Selvia seemed to have misunderstood entirely, her eyes shining with excitement.

“Well… if you say so.” I nodded, deciding to leave it at that.

“Cain-niisama, may I also learn [Projectile Deflection]? I want to help you in any way I can.”
“You want to learn it too, Selvia?”
“Yes. I don’t want to hold you back ever again. Please, let me grow stronger so I can support you.”

Her serious expression tugged at my heart. Selvia was truly adorable.

“Alright, let’s work on it together, Selvia.”
“Yes!”

Selvia’s face lit up with a radiant smile.

“Here we go!”
“Please do!”

Ellis and I began tossing balls to Selvia, who effortlessly deflected them with a wooden sword.

“I did it! Cain-niisama, I’ve learned [Projectile Deflection]!”

Overjoyed, Selvia threw herself into my arms. My heart skipped a beat.

“Great job, Selvia!”
“What’s next? Please teach me! I’ll do anything!”
“Anything…? Well, let’s start with fire magic. It’s perfectly suited to your abilities.”
“Fire magic? Understood!”

Selvia nodded eagerly. I knew of a secret technique to amplify her fire magic using her hidden ability as the Saint of the World Tree. Best of all, this method ensured no one would discover her true identity.

In the game, this build was known as the Firepower Specialist Saint, a strategy for advanced players that transformed Selvia from a support character into a damage-dealing powerhouse.

“You did great, Selvia! Though… I’m completely exhausted,” Ellis said, collapsing onto the ground after helping for so long.

“Thank you so much, Ellis!”
“Thank you, Ellis-sama!”
“Oh, it was nothing. Anything for my dear Cain!”

Her words warmed my heart.

Still, something about Ellis troubled me. She hadn’t appeared in the game, nor had our father. Perhaps the developers had omitted them as irrelevant to the early story.

But if something significant happened to Ellis before the game’s timeline, I wanted to protect her, just like Selvia.

Chapter 8: Unlocking Advanced Skills Using Game Knowledge

“Master Cain! Great news! Wonderful news!”

Lancelot, the butler, suddenly came running toward me, his voice filled with excitement.

“We had the soldiers investigate the location you mentioned, and they discovered an unknown cave… a mithril mine!”

“Oh! Is that true?!”

“This will bring significant development to the region! The lord is absolutely delighted!”

Relief washed over me. I had been worried about what might happen if they found nothing. This confirmed that the game’s map and the real-world geography of this place were identical.

“…By the way, what exactly are you doing here, sir?”

Lancelot’s gaze landed on us. Seeing Selvia wearing a collar, drenched in sweat, and panting heavily while I stood nearby with a smug expression, he looked understandably confused.

“Ah, well, there’s a very good reason for this…”

It was no wonder he’d misunderstand. The whole scene looked highly suspicious. If I saw this, I’d probably report it to the authorities myself.

“Oh, Lancelot, this is simply an act of love between the two of them!”
“In broad daylight?!”
“No! I mean… yes, but no!”

Ellis’s attempt at “helping” only worsened the situation, and I hastily denied her claim.

“Please don’t misunderstand. This is all part of a plan to deceive Prince Leon,” Selvia explained calmly.
“Ah, I see. My apologies, Lady Selvia. I misjudged the situation.”
“Though, perhaps doing something so provocative outdoors was a bit excessive. I’ll reflect on this. Cain-niisama, let’s continue the binding indoors.”
“WHAT?! No, absolutely not!”

What was Selvia even saying? Did she truly understand her own words? While it might be necessary for the plan, this was too much.

Putting a collar on my favorite heroine and treating her like property was pushing my mental fortitude to its limit. Desperate to change the subject, I turned to Lancelot.

“Speaking of which, Lancelot, I have a favor to ask. You were once the strongest knight in the kingdom, weren’t you? Would you teach me how to wield a sword?”

In the game, Lancelot was the bodyguard of the villainous noble Cain and a formidable opponent who stood in the hero Abel’s way.

Honestly, Lancelot was far stronger than Cain. Avoiding a fight with him was essential in the early stages of the game; he was one of those overpowered bosses designed for advanced players.

“…A sword, you say?”

Lancelot’s gaze sharpened, his eyes narrowing.

“Are you serious about this?”
“Of course. My goal is to win the royal martial arts tournament.”
“In that case, you must first acquire at least one combat skill. That is my condition for accepting you as my disciple.”
“Understood. I’ll achieve it right away.”
“Oh?”

Perhaps thinking I was bluffing, Lancelot’s aura grew even more intimidating.

“Wait, aren’t skills extremely difficult to acquire? Don’t they require years of rigorous training?”
“Cain-niisama, are you sure you’ll be okay?”

Ellis and Selvia looked genuinely concerned.

In the game Apocalypse, skills were acquired by completing difficult requirements, often demanding long and arduous effort.

“…Very well. Notify me when you’ve acquired a skill,” Lancelot said, bowing slightly before leaving. His retreating figure practically radiated skepticism, as if to say, Let’s see you try.

“Cain-niisama, if there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know!”
“Me too! I’ll help however I can!”
“Thank you. With your help, this will be much easier.”

Skill acquisition requirements were indeed strict, but I knew of loopholes. We headed to the training ground.

“Alright, Ellis, Selvia, I need you two to throw balls at me. Take it slow.”
“That’s all? Sure thing!”
“Understood!”

The two girls gently tossed balls my way. Using a wooden practice sword, I deflected them one after another with ease.

After repeating this several times…

‘You have deflected projectiles consecutively 30 times.
Congratulations! You have acquired the skill [Projectile Deflection].
Success rate for deflecting projectiles increased by 50%.’

A familiar mechanical voice echoed in my head—the system notification sound from the game. I hadn’t expected things to align this closely with the game. I couldn’t help but pump my fist in triumph.

“Yes! I’ve got my first skill!”
“Wha—? Really? You got a skill from doing something that simple?” Ellis asked, her skepticism evident.

“Some skills can be obtained by simply fulfilling specific conditions. For [Projectile Deflection], the requirement is to deflect projectiles 30 times in a row. Even slow-moving balls like yours count.”

Deflecting arrows from skilled archers would have been impossible at low levels, but understanding the requirements allowed me to acquire the skill easily.

“That’s incredible! Where did you learn all this, Cain-niisama?” Selvia asked, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

“Oh, uh… I heard it from an adventurer I met once.”
“An adventurer? That’s surprising. I once researched skill acquisition in the royal library, but [Projectile Deflection] wasn’t listed. Could this be a high-tier skill?”
“Wait, seriously?”

The conditions for basic skills were widely known, but advanced skills were closely guarded secrets, monopolized by elite groups like the Royal Guard or S-rank adventurers. Knowledge was power, and hoarding it preserved their authority.

Realizing my story was flimsy, I quickly improvised.

“They were an S-rank adventurer about to retire. They said they no longer cared about guild rules and decided to share it with me.”
“Wow! That’s amazing!”
“Indeed! Legendary adventurers are known to pass their wisdom to worthy successors. Cain-niisama, you must have been chosen!”

Selvia seemed to have misunderstood entirely, her eyes shining with excitement.

“Well… if you say so.” I nodded, deciding to leave it at that.

“Cain-niisama, may I also learn [Projectile Deflection]? I want to help you in any way I can.”
“You want to learn it too, Selvia?”
“Yes. I don’t want to hold you back ever again. Please, let me grow stronger so I can support you.”

Her serious expression tugged at my heart. Selvia was truly adorable.

“Alright, let’s work on it together, Selvia.”
“Yes!”

Selvia’s face lit up with a radiant smile.

“Here we go!”
“Please do!”

Ellis and I began tossing balls to Selvia, who effortlessly deflected them with a wooden sword.

“I did it! Cain-niisama, I’ve learned [Projectile Deflection]!”

Overjoyed, Selvia threw herself into my arms. My heart skipped a beat.

“Great job, Selvia!”
“What’s next? Please teach me! I’ll do anything!”
“Anything…? Well, let’s start with fire magic. It’s perfectly suited to your abilities.”
“Fire magic? Understood!”

Selvia nodded eagerly. I knew of a secret technique to amplify her fire magic using her hidden ability as the Saint of the World Tree. Best of all, this method ensured no one would discover her true identity.

In the game, this build was known as the Firepower Specialist Saint, a strategy for advanced players that transformed Selvia from a support character into a damage-dealing powerhouse.

“You did great, Selvia! Though… I’m completely exhausted,” Ellis said, collapsing onto the ground after helping for so long.

“Thank you so much, Ellis!”
“Thank you, Ellis-sama!”
“Oh, it was nothing. Anything for my dear Cain!”

Her words warmed my heart.

Still, something about Ellis troubled me. She hadn’t appeared in the game, nor had our father. Perhaps the developers had omitted them as irrelevant to the early story.

But if something significant happened to Ellis before the game’s timeline, I wanted to protect her, just like Selvia.