The Man Who Vanished from History
On the continent where the Kingdom of Gilbert is located, there exists a country called “Wa no Kuni” across the eastern sea.
Wa no Kuni is a very small island nation with a unique culture somewhat different from the continent, with a land area less than one-hundredth of the continent’s size.
There once existed over twenty territories and lords, with constant battles for land between warriors called samurai.
A period later known as the “Warring States Era” saw the largest-scale territorial disputes in history, lasting a full century in Wa no Kuni.
At its end, one man unified all the territories for the first time in history, becoming the first king of Wa no Kuni.
The man who became king was once the lord of a weak, small territory with little land, few people, and barely any military power.
However, this man continued to expand his influence by defeating one powerful warlord after another, eventually unifying all the land.
In Wa no Kuni’s history, it’s said that “the first king boasted undefeated victories, overcoming overwhelming differences in military strength through extraordinary intelligence and strategy.”
…But the truth is slightly different.
In fact, it wasn’t the first king himself who led the weak territory to national unification, but rather the achievements of a man who served as his close aide and strategist.
Though called a close aide, this man who served as strategist wasn’t originally the first king’s retainer.
This man was originally a humble farmer in the territory ruled by the future first king.
The farmer had no ambitions to become a “ruler of the realm” or desires to “raise his status,” and lived an ordinary life as a farmer.
However, triggered by an event where his village was about to be caught up in a large-scale battle, he decided to unify the realm himself to bring lasting peace to Wa no Kuni and ensure his village would never again be engulfed by the flames of war.
But as a mere farmer, this man possessed not a shred of talent for fighting, such as physical strength, swordsmanship, archery, spearmanship, or the arts known as ninjutsu or sorcery.
However, the man had a terrifyingly keen eye for observation and insight that could see through others’ thoughts completely.
Additionally, he excelled at deducing the most appropriate words for any situation, the ability to deceive others with rhetoric, the foresight to anticipate and create situations he envisioned, and above all, an extraordinary level of courage.
The man used these abilities without reserve, skillfully deceiving troops on the verge of battle with his words, successfully preventing the large-scale conflict that threatened to engulf his village. Using this achievement as a gift, he ingratiated himself with the lord who would become the first king, quickly rising to the position of strategist.
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After becoming the strategist, he unleashed a parade of dirty tactics and smooth talking.
At times he deceived two opposing powerful camps into destroying each other, at times he tricked transporters called “horse-lenders” into circulating blunt weapons in enemy territory, at times he deceived enemy foot soldiers to steal supplies, at times he deceived neighboring lords to borrow military strength, at times he deceived enemy soldiers to incorporate them into his own ranks, and at times he made enemy generals believe false information and surrender.
The man continued to wage war in a way that trampled, kicked, and spat upon the ideals called “Bushido” in Wa no Kuni, which embodied meanings such as “fair and square,” “respecting etiquette,” and “proud.” However, this resulted in ending the Warring States period with minimal bloodshed.
He should have been remembered for generations to come in Wa no Kuni as a rare strategist of his time.
…However, his achievements and name were never known to the public.
During wartime, his existence had to be kept secret due to his role.
Afterwards, after unifying the country, the first king proposed to reveal the strategist’s achievements to the public and offered to hand over his position as king to him.
Becoming king would have meant acquiring the highest position and honor in the country, guaranteeing a life of luxury for the rest of his days. The man who truly unified the realm should receive such treatment.
However, he stubbornly refused this offer, and at his own strong request, his existence continued to be kept secret.
His words were — “Doesn’t ‘shadow strategist’ sound kind of cool?”
The name of the man who served as the first king’s strategist was Ichinose Ippei.
After the unification of the country, Ippei casually gave up his position as a retainer to the king and set out on a journey to see the country he had helped bring peace to.
Later, his descendants crossed over to the continent and, using the exceptional insight and rhetoric inherited from their ancestor, achieved success as merchants.
— …Time passed, and now a descendant of the family was facing off against the world’s strongest dragon.
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