I Start with a Bad Hand!

‘I’m seriously distressed.’

How could I not shoot a single arrow properly? I was the person who wanted to burst out laughing the most at this archery range, unable to even check who had laughed behind my back. Forcibly suppressing my almost overwhelming feelings, I stepped away from the shooting line.

“Degoph, what were you doing just now?”

“Why were you just standing there without shooting?”

But contrary to what my fellow archery club members were saying, it wasn’t that I didn’t shoot.

‘I couldn’t shoot.’

When I pulled back the bowstring as usual, the arrowhead suddenly seemed too sharp. Once I became aware of that sharpness, I couldn’t pull the bowstring anymore. Even though I knew the target was just a target and my arrow wouldn’t hurt anyone, I just couldn’t do it.

Finally, when someone murmured behind my back, I let go of the bowstring reflexively, and the arrow hit the very edge of the target. As I stood there in disbelief, a moment of silence passed before the archery range erupted in laughter.

“Hey, that’s too much.”

“Don’t fool around. Aren’t you being too lenient?”

“Such consideration is even more hurtful. Dietrich, shoot properly!”

My fellow club members dismissed the result as my whimsy and laughed it off, but I couldn’t. Soon, the attention that had been on me shifted to another target. Roxanne, who drew her bowstring skillfully, eliciting light exclamations of admiration.

“Wow, Roxanne has really improved.”

“That’s some amazing progress.”

It seemed Roxanne’s training was paying off. Whether it was her personal tutor, who had won the archery tournament on the continent, or Icarus, whoever had helped her would be pleased to see her shooting like that, I thought as I drank some water.

Now everyone’s eyes were on Roxanne’s arrows. After my disastrous shots, Roxanne’s arrows were hitting close to the center, if not dead on. Watching her poised form, I took another sip from my water bottle. The water was long gone, but with nothing else to do, I didn’t take my mouth off the bottle.

‘The person who laughed was behind me, and at that time, behind me was….’

Watching the silver hair tied up in a single tight knot sway, I stopped my negative thoughts. True, there were quite a few people behind me at the time, not just Roxanne. It meant that it wasn’t necessarily her who laughed at my mistake. I clicked my tongue and tapped the empty bottle absentmindedly.

“Good job, well done!”

“Yeah, with a bit more practice, you might hit the target next time.”

Roxanne’s expression after shooting her last arrow wasn’t particularly bright. It was only when teammates approached to offer words of encouragement that she shyly accepted them with a smile.

‘This isn’t the time for me to be worrying about others.’

I should focus on myself. Why worry about someone trained by the continent’s best archer and the empire’s top swordsman? With these self-deprecating thoughts, I turned my gaze away from Roxanne’s back. At that moment, I made eye contact with Agatha, who was frowning slightly. She gave a small nod, signaling for me to come closer.

“Why did you shoot like that?”

The direct question carried pure curiosity rather than reproach. Unconsciously, I stood up straight as if receiving a reprimand.

“I was a bit out of it….”

“Being a bit out of it doesn’t explain missing all five shots.”

You weren’t this bad when you first came here. After a brief silence, I looked towards the back.

The people continuing the bet had already quieted down. The archery club members were now intently watching others shoot. Among them, I saw Roxanne standing alone. Pulling my gaze away from her calm side profile, I hesitated for a moment before whispering to Agatha.

“Could I perhaps have a word with you after class?”

“A word? Sure. I need to hear what you have to say too.”

Her hand was gentle as she patted my shoulder. Agatha then moved past me to approach the other archery club members at the shooting line. I sat back down in a chair at the temporary shelter and let out a sigh. I knew the reason for my current state all too well. The problem was… I didn’t know if talking about it with someone would help.

“…I almost shot someone, and that made the tip of my arrow terrifying.”

But surprisingly, saying it out loud brought me a bit of comfort.

“There are always those kinds of bastards. When I was your age, a noble made my classmate put an apple on their head and told me to shoot it. After I hit the apple, he moved on to a walnut, then a cherry. Eventually, he placed an almond on their head.”

As I spoke about a recent event with a bit of resignation, Agatha, who had been listening with a serious, concerned expression, suddenly shared her own story. I wasn’t sure whether to be glad or sad that people who forced others to shoot objects off someone’s head existed in both our worlds.

Suppressing my mixed emotions, I listened quietly. After a moment of thought, Agatha spoke with an obvious expression.

“And of course the tip of an arrow is scary. It’s sharp, after all.”

That’s true.

“No, um… yes, that’s true.”

“I’ve told you several times not to play with arrows during class, and I thought you, who even won the autumn hunting festival, would naturally know this.”

As I continued to listen quietly to Agatha’s muttering, which seemed a bit surprised, she stared at me for a moment before speaking.

“Well, I can understand your feelings. Shooting at a target and shooting at a person are completely different. And in such a situation, you might feel pressured to shoot. I know that feeling well.”

With that, Agatha paused as if she was about to reveal an important secret.

“But in those moments, you just shoot.”

“What?”

“I mean, if a bunch of people armed with weapons are threatening you to shoot, you have to think about saving yourself first.”

Well… that’s not exactly wrong, but… As I stared at Agatha, unable to hide my conflicted expression and thoughts, she continued nonchalantly.

“Just make sure to shoot very well.”

How could one shoot an arrow at a person very well? By sending them off painlessly in one shot, like a clean kill? My shoulders, which had been tense, relaxed at her seemingly sportsmanlike answer.

“Are you telling me to make sure I take them down with one shot…?”

Agatha snorted and laughed as if it was absurd.

“No, I mean shoot well enough so that you don’t feel fear. Even in that situation, what you had to do was shoot that person, right? Not kill them.”

As she tidied up the protective gear the archery club members had messily left behind, Agatha spoke in a calm voice.

“So from now on, shoot to hit. Just don’t kill.”

How is that even possible? As I stood there, puzzled by her confusing words, thinking about what to say next, Agatha suddenly threw an apple she had brought as a meal substitute at me. The apple unexpectedly hit my stomach, and I caught it reflexively, letting out a small grunt. Seeing my staggered reaction, Agatha laughed and said,

“When something flies at you suddenly, people tend to be caught off guard, no matter what it is.”

If that’s true for an apple, it must be even more so for something as fast as an arrow. Agatha took an arrow from the quiver and snapped off the arrowhead.

“Even without the tip, you can still knock someone down. And you’re good at these tricks. From now on, make sure to blunt one or two of your arrows.”

“You never know when you might be forced to shoot someone.” Agatha, gesturing for me to eat the apple she had thrown, started to leave her seat. But there was still something she hadn’t explained. Feeling a bit desperate, I stopped her.

“But it’s still an arrow… wouldn’t it cause serious injury if it hits?”

Agatha replied nonchalantly, “Well, if it hits wrong, it could break something, but isn’t that better than dying? And usually, you wouldn’t be shooting at someone who isn’t wearing anything, right?”

She lightly tapped her chest, where a white button adorned her shirt. Then she flicked the black bead necklace hanging around my collarbone. Her intention was clear, and I stared at her.

“Your target is now even smaller.”

Do your best. Patting my shoulder, Agatha walked past me.

“There are plenty of weirdos with lots of time who enjoy tormenting others in bizarre ways.”

With a wave of her hand, Agatha walked away. Watching her retreating figure, I tapped the button on my training outfit. Underneath, I felt the solid texture of the necklace I always wore, the one made with Dietrich’s spirit.

I felt a bit better. Yeah, whether it’s a button or a trinket, there’s always something to aim for. If I aim precisely, even in such a situation, I can prevent the worst-case scenario. If there’s a solution, I can overcome it somehow, no matter how difficult it might be.

I quickly headed to the academy. I needed a hearty meal since I would continue training in the afternoon. As I was just leaving the archery range, one of my classmates, who hadn’t shown up all day, was waiting for me, his shoulders hunched.

“You…”

“Hey, Dietrich. Can I have a moment of your time?”

The cause of all this trouble, Frank.