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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: The Betrayed Marshal Betrays
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In any organization where people gather, situations where social skills matter more than ability are all too common.
Employees with outstanding talent who can't get promoted because of poor relationships, or people demoted for crossing the wrong parachute appointee.
The importance of social skills is a historically proven fact.
Take Romance of the Three Kingdoms, for example. Zhang He served three lords—Han Fu, Yuan Shao, and Cao Cao—and ended up well-treated in the final destination, Wei.
He was even included in the term "Five Elite Generals," referring to the five capable generals.
In contrast, Lü Bu, based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms, served Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo, then sought refuge with Liu Bei—three lords in total—yet he's evaluated as an icon of betrayal both in his era and today.
He's a character with 100 martial prowess in Three Kingdoms games, one you don't want to miss, but his reputation is abysmal by comparison.
In my view, the biggest difference between the two was their social skills.
Unlike Zhang He—who was absorbed into Yuan Shao's forces after Han Fu's downfall, treated as a rebel by Yuan Shao first, and then surrendered to Cao Cao—Lü Bu personally took the lead in killing Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo.
Liu Bei took in the fleeing Lü Bu, but the moment Liu Bei stepped away, he betrayed him and seized Xuzhou.
As a result, Zhang He died honorably on the battlefield as a Wei general to the end, while Lü Bu was captured, begged Cao Cao for his life, and was executed.
That's why, when I suddenly found myself dropped into a strategy game world, after tasting bitterness early on when I knew nothing, I naturally focused most on social skills.
You can't conquer the world or anything else if you're dead, right?
I wasn't a good person, but I worked hard not to end up rejected like Lü Bu just for my reputation.
"Your Majesty orders your arrest."
"..."
Even when the first kingdom I served discarded me, I didn't act rashly.
I didn't like the kingdom, but showing it would make my loyalty itself suspect.
I played the part of the wronged yet dignified loyal retainer being exiled.
The image of surrendering for peace without resistance helped build my reputation later in the empire.
"Approved."
"Thank you."
"If you fail, your head will roll. That's fine with you?"
"Yes."
The emperor had marked me in various ways, but showing groveling weakness would undermine all my future opinions.
I hid my trembling hands and stood straight.
After several of my advice proved successful, the emperor stopped threatening to take my head.
"...I surrender."
"Why come to me specifically to say that?"
"I've heard you're the real power in the empire."
"Not true."
When a chance came to greatly bolster my power, I recalled Han Xin, who unified the central plains only to be discarded and executed.
I wanted world conquest, not the emperor's throne, so I firmly refused various offers.
Eventually, weird people stopped approaching me.
"Fine, I lost. I lost! Do as you please!"
"...Do what as I please, exactly...?"
"Ugh! Do I have to spell it out?!"
Even when the enemy kingdom's queen burst into my lodgings spouting nonsense, it was the same.
Knowing that even a leader of a defeated nation could hold grudges and be dangerous, I persuaded her through a long conversation.
"I-I'll come back next time!"
She left a bit calmer than when she'd stormed in red-faced.
Like this, even in this scary world, with my diligently honed social skills and minimap, I'm not afraid.
People have always been the scariest thing.
"After the meeting, come to the rear chambers."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Then..."
"Alone."
"...Yes."
...I'm not afraid!
---
Grand strategy games.
A genre where you pick one of many nations and aim for world conquest.
Representative works include the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series and the Civilization series.
My father, who loved this type of game, influenced me to devour every grand strategy title out there.
While friends played stuff like Legend of Battle or MapleStory, I went home to run a country.
Painting the map in my chosen nation's color was pure joy, and eventually, I could clear even first-time games easily.
Then, a game called Great War came out.
Unlike its World War I-evoking name, it featured a fantasy world with orcs, elves, dragons, and more, distinguished by tactical control of unit-based troops.
It even evaluated your tactics after each battle with phrases like "decisive victory," so replaying the same fight for high scores was addictive fun.
I mainly played the Dragonia Empire, which started big but had heavy penalties.
From balancing the noble and emperor factions' power struggle early on to prevent invasions, to conquering the world with a perfected empire—everything was enjoyable.
As a result, most of my thousands of hours of playtime were spent on the empire.
Instead of trying many nations, I delved deeper into the empire.
I researched specifics like empire-unique troop tactics and key figures' backstories.
...In hindsight, I should have played other nations more.
Because without warning, I woke up in this game world.
In a nation other than the empire.
***
I awoke in the Ruth Kingdom, bordering the empire to the north.
Lacking resources, population, and technology, with irrational, incompetent leadership—that was its trait.
How could such a country exist?
Because Ruth Kingdom was unplayable, a stepping stone for the Dragonia Empire's tutorial.
With a new emperor ascending amid chaos in the Dragonia Empire, Ruth repeatedly provoked border disputes. The moment kingdom troops crossed, imperial lords responded, sparking the Northern War.
This war was the empire campaign's tutorial in Great War.
Surprisingly, the tutorial Ruth couldn't even beat the empire's border vassal armies in the first battle.
Processing the remnants lets the noble faction rise on those merits, sparking a power struggle with the emperor faction—ending the tutorial and unlocking the empire's unique "Imperial Power" system.
That's right.
Ruth Kingdom was doomed to fall by the time the game truly begins.
...I became 16-year-old orphan Viktor.
Dropping into Ruth among all those nations was horrific.
Defeat itself meant little to regular citizens—just swap flags—but the problem was Ruth's special event at tutorial's end.
The "forced conscription" event drastically cuts population but mass-produces low-morale, unequipped peasant troops.
Annoying extra enemy fodder in-game, but now in reality, I could be one of those peasants.
I might get thrown at mounted knights in rags with a sickle.
I racked my brain to escape the kingdom somehow.
At least I had a minimap similar to the game's—that was consolation.
Leave this doomed country, and with my knowledge and minimap, I could achieve great things.
After deep thought, I decided to use this nation as a stepping stone for my rise.
First, make a name anywhere to avoid conscription, then flee to another nation at the right time.
It might sound odd, but game lords didn't hesitate to use surrendered talent, so it wasn't impossible.
Pondering paths, I enrolled in the kingdom's military academy.
Tactics—controlling units directly, unlike simplified internal affairs—suited showing my skills.
***
It wasn't easy.
I entered top of the class thinking it'd smooth sailing, but in an academy dominated by well-fed, well-educated nobles, I was always an outsider.
Professors pandered to nobles, ignoring me; other commoner students envied or shunned me.
Even excelling in classes, wargames, and tactical exams changed nothing.
Proving myself with ability alone was arrogance.
I blamed my background, others' pettiness, but nothing changed.
Despite never losing top rank over four years, I was posted to some remote mountain backwater.
Not even the noble runner-up, let alone bottom-scoring commoners, got such an overt dead-end post.
That's when I realized what I lacked.
Social skills.
More than ability, it was social skills.
Not bragging about talent—if I'd just kept quiet like a mouse, it'd have been better.
From then, I diligently revisited forgotten lessons.
Especially from figures in Romance of the Three Kingdoms and such.
I gained more than just key lessons.
My ever-present minimap in vision's corner had tactical map functions—not just spotting enemy/ally positions, but directly commanding my subordinates.
Issuing instant orders to troops in battle without flags or horns was huge; any worry about lacking ability vanished.
I could wait confidently.
***
Four years into my provincial posting.
Knowing war loomed, I prepared maximally without drawing attention.
Spent savings on supplies, trained troops.
I also tracked politics via newspapers, tavern and inn rumors—to stay current.
I minded relationships too; my reputation improved vastly from academy days.
Troops obeyed well; no major clashes with other officers.
While prepping for the campaign's start, the Northern War suddenly erupted.
***
Two years later.
I'd planned to flee at the right moment.
Somehow, I ended up Ruth Kingdom's Temporary Commander-in-Chief.