Chapter 59

## Chapter Chronology

**The Greatest King** is the 59th chapter of the "*Shuumatsu no Valkyrie: Record of Ragnarok*" manga series.

## Summary

Qin Shi Huang was the most cursed prince in history. In 260BC, at the Battle of Changping, the General of the Qin Army, Bai Qi, had the captured Zhao soldiers buried alive en masse. According to the Shi Ji, 450,000 men were killed. In the following year, Zichu (a member of the Qin's royal family being held captive by the Zhao) had an affair with a Zhao dancer. Born in enemy territory, their child was a boy called Ying Zheng, who would grow up to be known as Qin Shi Huang. In 257BC, Zichu returned to Qin alone, abandoning Ying Zheng. Ying Zheng's mother also abandoned him. When King Zhaoxiang of Qin invaded the Zhao's capital, Handan, a soldier asked what he would do about Ying Zheng, since he was still in the capital.

King Zhaoxiang denied ever knowing who he was. At just two years old, Ying Zheng was abandoned by his father, his mother and even his own country.

Five years later, on the outskirts of Handan, there lied a mansion that was covered in graffiti of many curse words and at the entrance, were two guards who were lazily sitting down. A seven-year-old Ying Zheng (later known as Qin Shi Huang) arrived back home. As he went up the stairs with a bag, one guard glares at him while the other spits in his direction. The one who spat loudly complains about how he has to guard the home of the Qin's prince. The other guard agrees, saying Ying Zheng is not even worth being a hostage before glaring at Ying Zheng's eyes and threatening to bury him alive if he is ever allowed to.

Closing his eyes as he feels a throbbing, Ying Zheng painfully smiles and thanks the guards for keeping his home safe. As he walks in, the guards remark about how he's always smiling like that and call him creepy. Even after Qin's siege of Handan, Zhao continued to keep Ying Zheng hostage. They placed him under harsh supervision. Keeping him alive yet never really letting him live all while he bore the scorn of the Zhao people. As Ying Zheng entered the courtyard of his mansion, he was surprised to see a woman blowing a pinwheel.

She asks if he's Ying Zheng and after the boy confirms he is, the woman admits she didn't think he would be so young. Ying Zheng asks who she is and the woman introduces herself as Chun Yan, his new live-in caretaker and bodyguard. Leering over him, Chun Yan asserts that means she can do whatever she wants to him but Ying Zheng simply smiles and bows, saying it's a pleasure to meet her. After making a comment on how polite he is, Chun Yan asks Ying Zheng to show her around.

When they enter the mansion, Chun Yan laughs about what a sorry state it is in and guesses it suits a reject from the Qin family like Ying Zheng. Ying Zheng, while keeping his eyes closed, asks Chun Yan if she'd like some water and Chun Yan suddenly questions if Ying Zheng is really seven.

Ying Zheng asks if there is anything strange about him and Chun Yan asserts she doesn't like him. She points out that a kid his age would normally be crying or throwing a fit yet all Ying Zheng has been doing is smiling, which has begun giving Chun Yan the creeps. Ying Zheng apologizes before half-heartedly throwing a tantrum while smiling and asking if this is better. Chun Yan questions if he's mocking her and after he nervously says no, Chun Yan disregards it and opens a window, telling Ying Zheng that they're going to be cleaning this mansion. And so, their unusual familial life began.

Later that day, Chun Yan and Ying Zheng go to a market and after Chun Yan buys something, she notices how Ying Zheng is looking at the mantou stall. She encourages him to tell her when he wants something before going to the stall and requesting two mantou as well as some grilled meat.

The owner picks up a mantou with chopsticks and compliments Chun Yan's beauty before noticing Ying Zheng behind her. With a scowl, the owner drops the mantou on the floor and tells Ying Zheng to take it. Grabbing the owner by his collar, Chun Yan questions what he's doing, only to witness Ying Zheng thank the owner, pick the mantou off of the ground, dust the dirt off and eat it. The people around realize who he is and talk about how they lost their loved ones at the Battle of Changping, blaming it all on Ying Zheng and wishing they could kill him.

Ying Zheng opens his eyes and feels pain from their glares. That night, after Ying Zheng finishes eating, he prepares to go lie down and bows, causing Chun Yan to briefly see a small mark on Ying Zheng's chest. Chun Yan orders him to wait and pulls Ying Zheng's shirt off, revealing multiple scars around his body. Chun Yan questions if the people did this but Ying Zheng reveals to her that scars appear on his body whenever he sees someone get injured or if they feel hatred towards him. This is what is known as **Mirror Touch Synesthesia**. For example, if a person with this condition saw someone touch their cheek, they would feel the exact same sensation on their own cheek.

In Ying Zheng's case, every time he saw someone else get injured, that injury would appear on his body. Furthermore, as a result of him being exposed to the Zhao people's hatred for his entire life, Ying Zheng surpassed human limits and developed a horrible condition in which the hatred towards him also became pain. Putting his shirt back on, Ying Zheng assures Chun Yan it'll be alright as the pain is little and his wounds will heal with time, only to sway forward. Chun Yan catches him and points out how it's not just "a little pain" as Ying Zheng can barely stand up.

When she questions why he is hiding this, Ying Zheng asserts that the pain he feels from the Zhao people's hatred is his punishment. Ying Zheng had instinctively learned how to smile at the age of seven as a way to slightly allay the hatred towards him. It was a pitiful armor that Ying Zheng wore in the hopes that the people would one day forgive him. Mocking his hope that they'll forgive him, Chun Yan questions how he can keep smiling like that, why he doesn't get angry and why he doesn't hate them. Falling to her knees, Chun Yan assures Ying Zheng that the Battle of Changping is absolutely not his fault.

She says it isn't right for Ying Zheng to get hurt like this and she yells at him to stop holding himself back. If he wants to cry, he should cry. If he feels mad, he should let it all out. Chun Yan instructs him to stop killing himself inside and to stop lying about how he feels. Still painfully smiling, Ying Zheng says he cannot get angry as he is a cursed child. Hugging him, Chun Yan assures Ying Zheng that he hasn’t done anything wrong at all and he doesn’t deserve to be punished for what his parents did.

Crying, Chun Yan calls Ying Zheng a kind person who can understand the pain of others and his wounds are proof of that: they are not a curse. As the boy begins tearing up, Chun Yan tells him that he can live life however he wants. Ying Zheng begins bawling and as Chun Yan encourages him to let it all out, Ying Zheng reveals how he really hates everyone as they all blame him for something he had no part in. That day, for the first time in his life, Ying Zheng let his true feelings show. The next day, Ying Zheng wakes up in bed and after getting up, he walks to the kitchen where Chun Yan is making breakfast. After noting he must’ve slept like a baby, Chun Yan decides to give Ying Zheng a blindfold.

Blowing her pinwheel, Chun Yan notes that she thought that if he covered his eyes, it’d help with the pain a little. After hearing Chun Yan made it herself, Ying Zheng puts the blindfold on and exclaims “Hăo!”, promising to take care of it. Smiling, Chun Yan admits she likes the word, “Hăo”. From then on, Chun Yan became the only person Ying Zheng could be around and not feel any pain. Every day he spent with Chun Yan, Ying Zheng was able to smile, have fun from the bottom of his heart and became more and more cheerful. It was the first time in Ying Zheng’s life where he was truly happy.

However, 2 years later, King Zhaoxiang and his son, Xiaowen, passed away. And so, in 250BC, the man who had abandoned Ying Zheng, Zichu, ascended to the throne.

Thus, Ying Zheng unexpectedly became the crown prince, the first in line to the throne, and was permitted to return to Qin. Outside the mansion, Chun Yan and Ying Zheng were picked up by soldiers from Qin. On the way, a soldier driving the carriage points out to Ying Zheng that once they’re past the cliff, they’ll be at the borders of Qin. As Chun Yan blows her pinwheel, Ying Zheng sadly guesses this is where they’ll say goodbye.

Chun Yan says her job will only last until the border before admitting to Ying Zheng that the 2 years she spent with him were really fun. Ying Zheng asks Chun Yan to come with him into Qin but Chun Yan points out to Ying Zheng that she’s a citizen of Zhao and pats his back, telling him to lose the gloomy face as he’s now the Prince of Qin. Suddenly, Chun Yan notices an arrow flying at them and covers Ying Zheng and ducking, causing the arrow to pierce the back of the driver. This ends up leading to the carriage falling over. Four armored men arrive on horses and as the soldiers point out to them that this is the carriage of the Prince of Qin, one of the armored men shoots all the soldiers down. As they all surround it, Chun Yan and Ying Zheng crawl out of the fallen carriage.

Looking at them, Chun Yan recalls how Ying Zheng was a guest of the King of Zhao since he was a hostage.

But now that he isn’t, it seems these men from Zhao have come to take out their anger on him. Realizing this is his fault, looking at the dead soldiers, Ying Zheng takes off his blindfold. Picking up a sword, he stands in front of Chun Yan and promises to fight. Chun Yan commends him before kneeing his stomach. As Ying Zheng lies on the ground, Chun Yan stands to defend him, claiming this is her job. One Zhao soldier decides to kill Chun Yan first and swings his sword. Chun Yan leans down to dodge before kicking his face. A second Zhao soldier grazes a part of Chun Yan’s back and attempts to stab her, only for Chun Yan to duck and kick at the soldier’s legs. As he loses balance, Chun Yan elbows the man’s face. As Ying Zheng worries for Chun Yan, a third Zhao soldier stabs her back, calling her “Qin scum”.

Asserting she is a Zhao, Chun Yan turns around with the sword still in her back and palm strikes the man’s face as he falls down. The final Zhao soldier appears behind his falling body and slashes Chun Yan across the chest, causing her to fall down. The soldier then approaches Ying Zheng and lifts his sword up to kill him, only for Chun Yan to grab his head from behind. Telling him to stay away from her child, Chun Yan proceeds to break the soldier’s neck. Afterwards, Chun Yan falls down again and Ying Zheng cradles her, begging her to stay with him. Chun Yan apologizes and Ying Zheng questions why she did this for him.

Chun Yan confesses she’s been hiding something and reveals to Ying Zheng that she had a son that would’ve been his age. He was named Chun Ou and he was buried alongside the Zhao soldiers at the Battle of Changping. Chun Yan started to hate living and cursed Qin. When she heard there was an opening to be Ying Zheng’s nanny, Chun Yan really wanted to see what kind of expression Ying Zheng would have on his face.

If she didn’t like it, she would’ve given him a piece of her mind. Just like the rest of Zhao, she tried finding a way to vent her anger but after meeting Ying Zheng, Chun Yan stopped caring about that. She guesses that if a kid like Ying Zheng, who understands the pain of others, became king, then maybe he could change the world like he changed her.

She encourages Ying Zheng to walk the path he believes in and become the greatest king of all. Crying, Ying Zheng promises to become the greatest king so in exchange, Chun Yan shouldn’t die. After telling him to bawl his eyes out if he is sad, Chun Yan begins imagining Ying Zheng as Chun Ou. Caressing his cheek, Chun Yan asks to see Chun Ou's face and Ying Zheng squeezes her hand, calling her “Māma.” Chun Yan responds with “Hăo” before dying. Ying Zheng begins to cry over Chun Yan’s corpse. Afterwards, Ying Zheng arrived safely at Xianyang, the capital of Qin.

On July 6, 247BC, following the death of Zichu, Ying Zheng became the King of Qin at the age of twelve. As he walks through a hallway where servants bow at his sides, Ying Zheng looks at his blindfold. He asks Chun Yan to watch over him and after putting the blindfold on, Ying Zheng tells Chun Yan they should walk the path of an Emperor together. 25 years later, Ying Zheng became Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor in history to unite China. In the present, Qin Shi Huang complains about how this hurts.

Hades realizes he can feel the pain of others and calls it an unfortunate blight. Qin Shi Huang disagrees and asserts that, because he can feel the pain of others, he is the Greatest King.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Qin Shi Huang
* Chun Yan (Flashback)
* Hades