The Man Who Was Nothing is the 409th chapter of the Kingdom manga.
Summary
The minister of Ai Ko Reki tells the general Han O Ki that now is the period where they should lie low and bide their time. However, he says that it wasn't worth mentioning as it was just a mock battle for morning training. They attacked a tribe village. They held out for surprisingly long, so they got some good training. However, the minister tells once again that they should conceal them from Kanyou. Han O Ki says that he is aware of that, however their army has been rallied. Without a suitable outlet to direct their stress, he fears they will begin to collapse from the inside out. Also, the fact that there is no clear date for this decisive attack doesn't make things easier. The minister says that there is no need to worry as the time draws near.
At the palace of Ai Rou Ai while called the king walks in. Even as he told them to stop calling him his majesty or king, they still call him that. He is afraid that the Queen is going to be angry. It is already too late as she tells him not to get carried away. He thinks back of his childhood as he doesn't have any redeeming qualities.
He was born into an ordinary family with a father that worked as a low ranking official. He himself was big, but since he wasn't strong or smart, he was often bullied. Even as he grew up, he didn't have the courage to go to the battlefield. Woman didn't pay any attention as well. Thanks to his father he was able to land a job as a low-ranking civil servant. Even then he had no talent for the job. The only thing he could do was to entertain the middle and high-ranking officials. But it was only by fate that he was smuggled as a eunuch into the Royal Harem. In order to become the partner of the Queen Mother. However, she wasn't as easy to live with. She was easily angry and directed that anger to him. However, one night her face twisted with pleasure and was crying. He could tell that she was deeply wounded and suffered in a way he couldn't possibly imagine. Those wounds have never healed. From that moment on he did everything he could to let her forget her pain even if it was only for an instant. Of course, he was nothing more than a tool to her for sating her lust. However, that didn't bother him. because for the first time in his life he felt someone needed him and starts crying. The Queen notices this cries and is stunned.
Sometime later he hears that the Queen is pregnant. She decides to keep it. Rou Ai tries to change her mind, but she doesn't want to. He however is happy that someone was willing to give birth to his child. However, he can't allow that as it will lead to a path of ruin. It would be impossible to raise children without the outside world finding out. Once exposed he will be gravely punished by the king. She however tells that her life already was brought to ruin. She tells him not to worry as this is not some selfish destructive tendency. She states that she has the desire to rest and heal her heart. That is the reason that the created the state of Ai. In order to heal her wounds and forget the past. A place where she can feel safe. Therefore, he tells the minister once again not to call him a king and to tell this to the others as well. The minister tells however that there is news. He has received a report from Kanyou. It seems that they know about his interaction with the Queen and of the two children. He also heard of them quietly mustering an invasion force. If they don't take the first strike, then everything they own will fall into ruin.
Characters
Ai
- Royal Palace
- Rou Ai
- Queen Mother (flashback and main story)
- Ko Reki
- Ko Reki's aide
- Unnamed officials
- Unnamed eunuchs (flashback)
- Rou Ai’s children (mentioned)
- Unidentified tribe
- Unnamed members (heads)
Qin
- Unidentified city
- Rou Ai’s father (flashback)
- Rou Ai’s relative (flashback)
- Unnamed officials (flashback)
- Unnamed others (flashback)
Characters Introduced
Ai
- Han O Ki
- Han Roki
Chapter Notes
- Minister of Ai is Ko Reki.
- General of Ai is Han O Ki.
- Rou Ai father was a low ranking official.
- Rou Ai doesn't have any redeeming qualities.
- Rou Ai once had a job as a low-ranking civil servant.
- Rou Ai was smuggled into the Royal Harem as a eunuch.
- The minister heard of Kanyou planning an invasion force.
- First appearance of Han O Ki and Han Roki. Han Roki is not identified by his name in this chapter.
- Ko Reki is identified by his name for the first time.