K_Y_4815

There’s this super-famous game series called First Fantasy—people usually call it FF. It’s a massive franchise, loved by everyone from casual gamers to hardcore fans.

They made an anime version of FF, but it’s often called the biggest flop in the entire series. Why? Because the main characters never catch a break, and the story is full of gloomy, depressing twists. Most people hated it, saying it’s the darkest stain on FF’s record. Some fans even refused to admit it was part of the series! The official title of the anime is First Story, but in a joking way, people started calling it FS to make it sound separate from actual FF.

In this infamous anime, there’s a villain named Arc Noyadarma. His name sounds all grand and evil, but he’s basically just a throwaway bad guy. His final scene is so brutal that viewers don’t feel satisfaction—only trauma. Now, our protagonist has been reborn into this poor guy’s body… even though he knows nothing about FS!

“A count? Isn’t that, like, easy mode for life? I’ll do whatever I want and be a corrupt noble!”

That’s how he decides to take advantage of his new noble status for personal gain. But somehow, he keeps saving the people around him—and ends up wrecking all the depressing storylines of the original FS without even trying.

Reborn as a Villainous Noble

A huge bang echoes around the training grounds.

I'm firing magic at the target nonstop.

That target is a doll made to look like the princess.

Apparently, it's some kind of magical tool you can shape however you want.

If it looked exactly like the princess, it'd cause a lot of trouble if someone found out.

So I made it only roughly resemble her.

It also fixes itself when it's destroyed, so I can blast magic at the princess (or rather, this doll version of her) as much as I want.

I lost my precious vacation because of her.

What a great way to relieve stress.

Ewa praises me, saying, "You really are amazing."

The princess can go jump in a lake for all I care.

A poor baron shows up, carefully holding his bow. His name, if I recall right, is Barrett.

He's fidgety and unsure, like always.

Well, that's what you'd expect from a washed-up Baron of the Fromarrow family.

No money, no status, no power, no future. A noble only by name.

Unlike me, who has wealth, prestige, power, and a bright future.

Just looking at him makes me feel superior.

"U-uh... I'm going to join the magic tournament, so..."

No matter who I face, I'll crush them.

"No chance. Especially if you're still clinging to that dusty old bow."

The Fromarrow family got famous through archery. But with magic on the rise, bows became outdated, and so did their status.

They're stuck in the past, desperately holding onto their old glory.

In this era, a bow is no match for magic.

"So if you don't have that bow, you can't do anything?"

"If you stay stuck in old glory, you'll never climb back up."

The more beautiful it was, the harder it is to let go.

I'm not giving advice here, just telling him the cold truth.

"Accept that you're weak, pathetic, and have nothing."

Then envy someone like me, who has it all.

That's still better than clinging to some relic of a bow.

"How am I supposed to accept that...?"

"Throw the bow away. Or pick up a magic gun or something."

For an archer, switching to a gun is probably humiliating, huh?

Well, I'm a villainous lord, so it fits.

"I guess... I need to change. Which means... I don't need this anymore!"

Barrett snaps his precious bow in two.

I teased him, and now he suddenly looks super determined.

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