Epilogue: The Great Tiger Kingdom of Haan

— 1st day, 1st month, 1550th year, Continental Calendar —

Fuuga made his move right at the beginning of this year. Sharn Castle in

what had once been the Kingdom of Sharn, the mightiest country in the

Union of Eastern Nations, was now known as Haan Castle, the new home

of Fuuga. In the audience hall there, with the flag of his ancestors hanging

behind him, Fuuga stood before his commanders—brave, cunning, and

fierce—in front of a throne that was raised several steps above them.

"I hereby rename the Union of Eastern Nations the Great Tiger

Kingdom of Haan!"

It was a declaration of the end of an old state, and the birth of a new one.

"This country will continue liberating the Demon Lord's Domain with

one unified will! Lend your strength to me, Fuuga Haan! I will build a

strong nation that no one, man or demon, can tread on!"

"""Yeahhh!""" Fuuga's followers cheered with throaty voices.

On this day, Fuuga finally announced the founding of the Great Tiger

Kingdom of Haan, and took the throne as the first Great Tiger King. With

the extermination of his political rivals inside the Union of Eastern Nations

the previous year, he had already effectively made the country his own, but

this was a declaration to everyone inside and outside the country that he

was king here now.

During his speech, he was flanked by his wife Mutsumi and advisor

Hashim.

In his role as master of ceremonies, Hashim declared, "In celebration of

our king's ascension to the throne, a messenger has arrived from another

country. Step forward, Saint Anne."

A young girl in a white habit stepped forward from the line of people in

attendance. She walked to stand before Fuuga, sinking to her knees, and

putting her hands together in front of her chest as if in prayer. Then she

spoke in a quiet but clear voice.

"The Lunarian Orthodox Papal State recognizes Lord Fuuga as the holy

king chosen by Lady Lunaria. May your hands protect the faithful, and your

words lead the devout. The Orthodox Papal State swears to walk by your

side."

"That so...?" Fuuga said simply.

Originally, religion was something Fuuga could do with or without. He

found it better to act himself than to beg for divine intercession. The way he

saw it, doing so would likely turn his fortunes, and God would probably

side with him anyway. That's why being recognized as a holy king by a

theocratic state didn't evoke any strong emotions in him, but Hashim had

insisted that an alliance with the Orthodox Papal State would be

indispensable to their further expansion.

"Let me be a king worthy of the honor you have given me," he said,

hiding his true feelings.

Anne bowed her head. "My life is yours to command, Lord Fuuga. I will

serve you as I serve Lady Lunaria. I offer my body and soul. Use me as you

see fit."

"Oh, yeah...? Thank you for your trouble."

Fuuga had heard from Hashim that the Orthodox Papal State sent

beautiful and submissive young girls to influential figures of the time as

saints. He preferred a woman like Mutsumi who had a mind of her own,

and felt no attraction to one like Anne who left herself to the whims of fate.

Still, he felt some pity for her, so he meant to treat her well.

I hope that by living in this country, she'll be able to smile like Yuriga

one day, Fuuga thought, compelled by his nature as an older brother.

Anne stepped back, and Hashim took a piece of paper presented to him

on a tray by some bureaucrats.

"Yet another country sends us congratulations on this auspicious day.

The king of our neighboring country, Sir Souma A. Elfrieden, has sent kind

words through Lord Fuuga's younger sister Lady Yuriga. I will read them

now."

Hashim read off an inoffensive statement from Souma celebrating the

founding of the Great Tiger Kingdom and wishing for amity between their

two countries.

As he did, Mutsumi, who was standing beside the throne whispered,

"Couldn't Yuriga make it today?"

"I told her in advance not to..." Fuuga whispered back.

Mutsumi cocked her head to the side. "Why is that? It's your big day."

"If she comes home, Souma's people may get wary and refuse her

reentry. Foreign royalty who haven't sworn loyalty to you are just a source

of trouble, after all. As long as we're expanding, he won't know what to do

with her."

"Is that right...?"

Fuuga smiled wryly at the disappointment in Mutsumi's tone.

"Yeah. But it sounds like Yuriga had no intention of coming anyways,

you know?"

"Huh? She didn't?"

"When I told her she didn't have to, she told me she couldn't anyway

because, 'she has school,' and, 'she wouldn't get off with just

supplementary lessons if she took off for another extended leave now.' Do

you think school's really more important than her brother's moment of

glory?"

"Hee hee. It sounds like she has a lot of friends, so she must be enjoying

life in the Kingdom."

"It wouldn't be good for her to get too influenced though." Fuuga

shrugged. He seemed unconcerned, but sensed that Yuriga might decide to

settle down in the Kingdom.

Yuriga was clever. She was also the kind of person Fuuga liked; one

who could think with her own head. If, having thought things through

herself, Yuriga took a different road, that could be interesting in its own

way for Fuuga.

◇ ◇ ◇

Fuuga Haan's ascension to the throne as the Great Tiger King, and the

founding of the Great Tiger Kingdom of Haan would have a massive impact

on the situation on the continent.

For one thing, it essentially rendered the Gran Chaos Empire's Mankind

Declaration toothless. The unification of the Union of Eastern Nations

resulted in the loss of many signatories, leaving the Empire's two vassal

states and Zem as the only other remaining members. Furthermore, because

of the Great Tiger Kingdom's conquest of the Demon Lord's Domain, its

purpose had also been lost.

However, thanks to Empress Maria's charisma, they were still the largest

and most powerful country on the continent. There was also another large

faction, overshadowed by the Great Tiger Kingdom, the Maritime Alliance

consisting of the Kingdom of Friedonia, the Republic of Turgis, and the

Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union.

This alliance was founded on the "Law of the Sea," which said they

would each help the others in times of trouble on the waters, and was

designed to let them immediately form a unified fleet—essentially a shared

one—in the event that any of these countries was in danger. The Kingdom

of Friedonia and the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union combined

had the largest maritime force in the world, obviously overwhelming the

Great Tiger Kingdom with its almost nonexistent fleet, but also the Empire,

which was always a country with a heavy focus on land.

While the Great Tiger Kingdom and Empire competed for supremacy

over the land, the Maritime Alliance was growing at sea.

The Great Tiger Kingdom of Haan. The Gran Chaos Empire. The

Maritime Alliance.

In the 1550th year of this world's Continental Calendar, these three

forces would struggle for supremacy. And...it would also be the year when

an event would happen that shook all three.