— Summer of the 1543rd year, Continental Calendar —
Approximately three years before Souma was summoned to this world,
in the steppes northeast of the Union of Eastern Nations...
Above the broad blue sky and the towering cumulonimbus clouds;
below the vast carpet of grass that seemed to stretch out forever. With no
great mountains, only gentle hills, if you strained your eyes, you could see
far into the distance. Four mounted knights raced across those steppes like
the wind.
The four knights all bore arms and wore armor. The orange-haired
mounts they rode were like a cross between a mountain goat and an oryx.
These animals were called temsbocks, and they were raised to serve in
place of warhorses. A temsbock could leap to great heights with a rider on
its back, giving birth to the leaping cavalry, a type of troop that only existed
on these steppes. Riding at the lead of the group was a big man who was a
little over the age of twenty.
The big man turned back to shout, "Ha ha ha! You're falling behind,
Kasen!"
"H-Hold on!" the youngest of the group, the boy riding at the very rear,
practically screamed in response. "Lord Fuugaaa!"
The one leading the group was Fuuga Haan. He was the twenty-twoyear-old son of Raiga Haan—the unifier of the steppes. This was before he
met Durga the flying tiger, so he rode a temsbock like the others. But even
at this time, he already had the appearance of a general.
The boy at the rear, who had a quiver and bowgun on his back, was
Kasen Shuri. At thirteen years of age he was the youngest of Fuuga's
cohorts, but his skills as a mounted archer were good enough to leave any
of the others speechless.
"Bwa ha ha ha ha! If you keep whining, we'll leave you behind, Kasen,"
said one man in the middle of the group. He rode atop a saddle with
decorations that could have competed with those of the Polish Winged
Hussars for showiness.
Kasen frowned. "The way those wings jangle is too noisy, Gaten!"
"Ha ha! Too bad! These wings are my trademark!"
His name was Gaten Bahr. He was the only human present, thus having
no wings. He was vain and superficial, but a talented commander who used
the iron whip he kept at his waist to fight using a highly variable style of
combat.
"Heh heh, Lord Fuuga doesn't need laggards following him."
"That's what you said when you left Moumei behind..."
Kasen glared resentfully at Gaten who shrugged.
"There was nothing else to be done about Moumei. He rode on a steppe
yak."
Moumei Ryoku, the man they were talking about, was even larger than
Fuuga. He was a powerful warrior who wielded a big hammer. However,
due to his massive size, he was unable to ride a temsbock. Instead he rode a
steppe yak—a large, woolly cow-like creature raised on the steppes. That
left him unable to keep up with Fuuga and the rest, so he would have to
catch up with them at his own slow pace later...
"If you two keep blathering, you're going to bite your tongues," Shuukin
Tan, Fuuga's childhood friend, warned. Being the same age as Fuuga, he
was a superb warrior and strategist. It was expected that he'd become
Fuuga's closest aide the day Fuuga took his father's place as king.
Shuukin brought his temsbock up alongside Fuuga's.
"Anyway, Fuuga, just how far do you plan to go?"
"As far as I can."
"Huh?"
"Don't you think it'd be fun to keep going until we run out of land?"
Fuuga said, looking at the horizon with a laugh.
Shuukin pressed his fingers into his forehead, shaking his head with
dismay. "We're heading north right now. If we keep going, we'll end up in
the Demon Lord's Domain, you know?"
"So? We'll make the Demon Lord's Domain part of our domain too."
"Are you insane?! Even your great father was pushed to his limits just
unifying the steppes," Shuukin said, but there was a glint in Fuuga's eye.
"My old man had to start with just a single tribe. That's why unifying
our homeland into the single nation of Malmkhitan was all he could
manage. But I'm starting with Malmkhitan. Shuukin, my friend, do you
think me a lesser commander than my father?"
"No... You are greater than he."
Knowing Fuuga as well as he did, these words were not mere flattery,
but something he genuinely believed. Martial prowess, strategy, command
—Fuuga lacked in none of them when compared with King Raiga—and he
had a greater charisma that drew others to him.
Fuuga smiled widely and thrust his fist towards the heavens.
"I'll race from this steppe and go as far as I can. The routes we take will
become our roads; the things we see will become our land. We'll expand
our country to the utmost limit!"
"......"
It was a bold claim. And yet, Shuukin didn't think it was impossible.
Ever since the Demon Lord's Domain appeared, the people of the continent
had tended to look down. They stopped hoping for things to become better,
and instead prayed that they could face a tomorrow no worse than today.
Despite that, Fuuga had his eyes set on a bright, distant future. This was
how a leader ought to be.
"Lord Fuuga! I will follow you anywhere!" said Kasen.
"Ha ha ha! It's fun to run with a commander, after all!" agreed Gaten.
The two had been listening to their conversation.
Fuuga and Shuukin looked at one another then laughed at their reaction.
"Of course. I'll be with you too, my friend!"
"Yeah, Shuukin! Come on the endless journey with me!"
The two of them drove their temsbocks to run even faster.
◇ ◇ ◇
However, that winter, the moment of destiny arrived: Raiga Haan,
founder of the steppe nation Malmkhitan, suddenly passed away.
The cause was an epidemic disease, but his death came so suddenly that
rumors spread saying it was the work of an opposing political faction. The
fact that every tribe began making disquieting moves shortly afterwards
only poured fuel on that fire.
The day of Raiga's funeral came. The tradition of his tribe was to dig a
hole in the open steppe, lay the body and funerary accessories to rest, then
finally slaughter a horse and bury it with the deceased. Raiga had asked for
that kind of traditional burial when he was still alive.
Old man... Is this as far as you could go...? Fuuga thought as he looked
down at his father laid in the ground. You unified the steppes and became
king. You, a man like none before, unfettered by tradition. And yet...you still
chose to be buried in the old ways. What will I do? Will there be a time
when I, too, entrust myself to our customs? I want to live a more glorious
life and meet an end I can be satisfied with...
As Fuuga contemplated, his ten-year-old sister Yuriga clung tightly to
his side. He put a hand on her shoulder, pulling her even closer...
Suddenly, a messenger arrived, shouting, "I bring a message! The tribes
hostile towards Raiga have banded together and are headed this way now!"
Given their words, it was likely another messenger would rush in before
the funeral ended.
"Damn! They must see Lord Raiga's passing as their chance to strike!"
Shuukin said, his voice full of distaste.
Yuriga squeezed Fuuga tight. "Big brother..."
"Don't fret, Yuriga..." Fuuga gently placed a hand on her shoulder to
push her away, then called out to an old muscular wolf-eared soldier nearby,
"Gaifuku!"
The man's name was Gaifuku Kiin. He was of the mystic wolf race, but
unlike Tomoe, he had not left as a refugee, having served the House of
Haan under Raiga.
Gaifuku crossed his arms and said, "Sir!"
"Gather the men at once. Just the ones who can come."
"Yes, sir. Should I put out the call to our allied tribes as well?"
"No need. They'll want to stay out of this until a victor is made clear.
I'm sure they're waiting to see if I'm a worthy heir to Raiga Haan. And
that's exactly what I'm gonna show them."
Next Fuuga looked to his young friends.
"Shuukin, Moumei, Gaten, Kasen!"
""""Yes, sir!""""
"Each of you, gather the men you've trained for this day. We will show
our prowess. Those who oppose us and those who choose to wait and see
shall come to kneel before my feet."
""""Yeah!""""
The enemy had rounded up around three thousand men. Fuuga's
personal forces numbered a thousand. And yet, this did nothing to erase his
indomitable smile.
"Gaten, take a hundred riders to attack their right flank! Make it showy
and draw their attention!"
"Understood, Commander."
"Kasen, take a hundred mounted archers to shoot at their left flank.
Make them break formation!"
"Yes, sir!"
Having received their orders, Gaten and Kasen went to attack the flanks.
Taking advantage of their swift temsbocks, they stuck to tactics that
damaged the enemy while limiting their own casualties. It was similar to
flies swarming around the mass of enemies that all rushed towards them in
one group.
The enemy that had tried to overwhelm them with numbers was caught
off guard and broke formation.
Seeing this, Fuuga put on his helmet, and said to Shuukin, "Okay,
Shuukin! We're going straight in."
"To disrupt the enemy and spread chaos, right?"
"Exactly," he replied. Fuuga turned and called to a huge man riding a
steppe yak, "Moumei! You take the infantry. Once the enemy is confused,
charge in!"
"Right! Understood!" Moumei bellowed, thumping his chest with one
hand while the other held his large hammer. Fuuga nodded.
"I'm leaving the defense here to you, Gaifuku. Take care of everyone."
"Leave it to me, young master—no, my lord!" Gaifuku said, crossing his
arms in front of him.
Turning to face forward once more, Fuuga gave the order, "All right,
let's move, Shuukin!"
"Yeah!"
The two of them led the leaping cavalry into the middle of the enemy.
As they approached the enemy's front line, they bounded over the
soldiers who were holding their shields ready, easily clearing the defensive
line to attack the archers behind them. The archers, who had relaxed their
guard, assuming they were safe behind the shield bearers, were put to the
slaughter by Fuuga and his men's blades.
"We have the numerical advantage! Regroup!" One commander in an
especially impressive suit of armor tried to recover from the chaos, but...
"You're in the way!"
"Wha...!"
With one slice of Zanganto, the rock-rending blade, Fuuga parted the
man's head from his shoulders. The man must have been a major
commander in the enemy force, because the chaos accelerated. By the time
Moumei arrived with the infantry, the enemy had completely collapsed. The
leaping cavalry pursued their fleeing enemy and showed no quarter.
When all was done, the steppes were slick with the blood of their foes.
Fuuga and his men had defeated their attackers despite facing superior
numbers.
With this victory, Fuuga proved himself a worthy successor to Raiga.
No... In fact, he proved he might be even greater. The steppe tribes all
submitted to him. Even the tribes that Raiga had only been able to bring
under his sway as allies submitted, making Fuuga the true king of the
steppes.
The young tiger's road to hegemony began here.