Read The Legendary Rebuilding of a World by a Realist Demon King

158 - - Hannibal Barca Corporation

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　As I had imagined, the people of Danke village gave us a grand feast.

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　They slaughtered some of the village sheep and roasted the meat.

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　They gathered mushrooms from the forest and served them to us.

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　They generously offered us their old wine.

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　The vegetables from the village were also very tasty. The young girls of the village served them to us, and we felt as if we were in heaven.

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　When I told him honestly about this, he said, "For the demon king, heaven is heaven.

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Is heaven a good place for the Demon King?

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"Well, I don't know about that, but I'm sure it will be hell first after I die.

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"Well, I don't know about that, but I'm sure I'll be in hell after I die, committing all kinds of deadly sins... lies, lies, deceit, fraud, trickery, trickery, scheming..."

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"That's what I mean. At least let's hope they have this kind of food in hell."

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　I put a piece of roasted lamb in my mouth. It has no smell and is very tasty with a fruity sauce.

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"I heard you're staying a few days, have you found a girl you like?"

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"Not exactly, but do you have one in Sosan?"

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"That's a foolish question," he said as he drank his wine.

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　He says as he sips his drink and turns his attention to the waiter's daughter. Her cheeks turn red.

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"You're a lively one," she says.

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"Your husband is as useless as ever," she says.

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　They laughed at each other and said, "Indeed.

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　The party went on until midnight, but I was so tired that I left early and stayed in the guest room of the chief's house.

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　I went to bed and Jeanne came in after me, but she fell asleep without doing anything in particular. I felt sorry for her, so I left her there and closed my eyes.

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　The next morning, I wake up at a time when not even the chickens are awake. The area is shrouded in night fog, but without hesitation, I head for the place where I met the old man yesterday.

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　I arrive at the stump just as the sun is rising. There was the old man in the morning mist.

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　He was sitting on a tree stump, sleeping.

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　I arrived at the stump almost at the same time as the sunrise, but the old man seemed to have arrived first.

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　It was a shame that he came later than his master. When I felt ashamed of what I had done, the old man said to me.

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He said, "I don't need to remind you of your tardiness, but you seem to regret it. Then come back on time tomorrow.

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　With these words, he left.

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　I returned to the village of Danke and spent the rest of the day playing Go with Toshizo and Frisbee with Jeanne, all the while enjoying the hospitality of the villagers.

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　I went to bed early that day. He woke up in the middle of the night. We made our way to the stump before sunset.

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　It was hard to walk in the dark, but I didn't want anyone to notice me, so I made my way to the stump by the light source, which was faint like firefly light, and found an old man sitting on the stump.

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　The old man smiled at me and said, "You're late again, aren't you?

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"You're late again," he said.

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　The old man smiled and said, "Late again, aren't you? Naturally, I could not ask him to teach me. I went back to the village and went to bed earlier this time, getting up in the evening.

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　I made up some excuse to Toshizo and Jeanne, and headed for the stump while the sun was still shining.

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　As expected, the old man had not arrived. This time I succeeded in getting there first, and waited for the old man in the darkness.

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　At midnight, I hear the sound of someone stepping on a fallen leaf. It was the old man.

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　He is surprised to find me ahead of him.

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"Oh, I didn't think you'd get here before me. Your modesty is important to me. I will give you the Art of War of Kings as I promised.

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　He pulled a book from his pocket. It was a magnificent book with a leather binding.

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　He gratefully accepted the book, but more than that, he asked for the actual teaching of the Art of War.

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"That's not a bad idea," he said, "but I think it would be like preaching to the devil to talk about the Art of War to you now.

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"No way. The old man of the mist's art of war surpasses mine.

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"Well, I'm not so sure. In less than a year, the king has transformed from the weakest demon king to the strongest demon king around. He's the king who skewers and kills dragons with the quickest of moves. You could say that he has already mastered the art of war."

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"All of this is the product of coincidence."

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The art of war is to take advantage of coincidences and make the most of them.

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I see. That's a very meaningful statement.

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"History buffs often talk about history would have been different if the hero had been born in a different place or a little earlier. It is fate and inevitable that a thing is born in a certain time and place.

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Is it also fate that I met you?

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Yes. Yes, it is fate. It is also fate that you were born as the Demon King Ashtaroth, that you met me, and that you received the book of war written by me.

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Will I live up to your expectations?

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You don't have to. Live as you are. You were born under a star that will bring you great success. If left unchecked, you will expand your power even further and will go toe-to-toe with other mighty demon kings. Whether you can defeat this mighty demon king and become a great demon king is not certain, but I can tell you one thing.

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"What can I say?　What is that?

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That is that I am hungry. I tried to arrive earlier than you, so I didn't have breakfast.

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　The old man smiled as he said this.

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　I offered him a sandwich I had made for him.

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"What a thoughtful man. Have you prepared enough for both of us?

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"Here you go, too."

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　I also offer him a small bottle of spirits.

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"Perfectly thoughtful. Attention is a prerequisite for a great general. If you can read an opponent's mind, it will help you on the battlefield.

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　The old man sipped the distilled spirit over his sandwich.

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　He drank a lot, which was hard to believe for an old man. After that, the old man, who was in a tipsy mood, told me about the basics of strategy, the art of tactics, and the strategies of both sides in politics and warfare.

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　All of his words were full of meaning and depth, and the more I listened to them, the more I learned from them.

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　I listened to the old man's words attentively, but then something caught my attention. I remembered again that I had not heard the name of the old man in front of me.

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　He called himself the old man of the mist, which of course had to be an alias.

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　When I offered to know his name since we had talked so much about strategy, the old man said, "Once upon a time, a long time ago.

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Once upon a time, a long time ago. There was a man named Hannibal in the other Mediterranean world. At the age of twenty-six, he became commander of Carthage's army and quickly swept across the Iberian Peninsula and crossed the Pyrenees into Gaul.

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　The old man's words overwhelmed him.

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"He smothered the pursuing Roman army, crossed the Alps, and surprised the enemy in Rome. The number of his men was less than 30,000."

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　I'm not saying that 30,000 men couldn't defeat Rome. I had an inkling of who the old man was.

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"The man they called Hannibal fought alone in enemy territory and won many victories against the mighty Romans. He was successful in the battles of Ticinus, Trebia, Lake Trasimeneus, and Cannae, where he defeated most of the Roman commanders."

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　Hannibal, the son of war. I know that name. His strategy is top-notch and his tactics are godlike. All soldiers admire him and shudder when they learn of his greatness.

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　I was one of them. I will tell you the truth.

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　The old man chuckled,

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"Then I lost out to some greenhorn like Scipio," he said.

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He said regretfully.

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"Hannibal won by strategy and overwhelmed by tactics, but he was indifferent to politics. He could not coordinate with his home country. If he had, Rome would have belonged to the Carthaginians by now."

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"As I said before, there are no "ifs" in history. Hannibal's strategy and tactics were extreme, but his politics were poor. That's all."

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　But, he continues.

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"It seems to be the same in this other world. Politics is still poor. That's why I sent you the book to take on as an apprentice a demon king who can handle both politics and intrigue.

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You admit that you are General Hannibal?

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"Yes, I have nothing to hide.

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　The old man assured him. He looked at the cover of the book he had just received.

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　On it was written the name . The author was, of course, Hannibal Barca, the old man in front of me.

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　The old man said, "This is as good a book as Caesar's book on the battle of Gaul, and there is only one copy of it in the world. And there is only one copy in the world. I hope you will read it, understand it, and make use of it in the future.

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　He assured me of this and showed me his back.

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　Would it be too extravagant of me to ask him to serve me and make use of his genius strategy?

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　I knew that General Hannibal did not want me to serve him, so I did not say those words, but I would regret it in later years.

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　I wanted to hear more of the words of the great general Hannibal Barca and to see his life close at hand, but my wish was never granted.

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　It was a bitter disappointment for the Witch King Ashtaroth.

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　So wrote the historian who wrote my biography in later years.

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