Prologue: Tora and Tiger

Beneath the high sky on a warm, clear day, the winter was drawing near.

The Dabicon River shone in the sunlight as a procession of troops

belonging to the Kingdom of Friedonia moved east along it. They marched

at a confident pace, but not hurrying.

The demon wave was a phenomenon in which a great number of

monsters were flowing out of the Demon Lord's Domain in the north.

Our forces from the Kingdom of Friedonia were coming to aid the

Union of Eastern Nations, which was being struck by the demon wave.

Just the other day, we had gone to one of the areas of intense fighting,

the Kingdom of Lastania. Working with local forces, we had succeeded in

eliminating a swarm of monsters. We were now heading toward the other

area that had seen intense fighting, the Duchy of Chima.

Having received a report in the Kingdom of Lastania that they were

facing a crisis situation, I had sent the Wyvern Cavalry and Dratroopers

ahead and placed a heavy focus on speed as we hurried to have the troops

march. But then word came that the forces of the Union of Eastern Nations

had gathered in the Duchy of Chima, and it was unlikely to fall

immediately, so we were now proceeding at a normal marching pace so as

not to break ranks.

As the one who was, for official purposes, leading this force (though the

one taking actual command was Ludwin), I had joined the procession on

horseback.

There were sturdy carriages for the higher-up, but being in a carriage the

whole time would have made my shoulders stiff, so I was riding a horse so

that I could move around.

Naden was sitting in front of me as I held the reins. "Wow, who knew

you could ride a horse?"

I had mostly been riding Naden in her ryuu form lately, but I couldn't

match pace with the army that way, so we were riding a horse together this

time.

I felt embarrassed when she complimented me on my skill with a horse,

so I scratched at my cheek. "My teacher, Owen, taught me well."

"Hmm, this is kind of new. Normally, I'm the one giving you a ride, but

now you're giving me one. This is nice, too, in its own way." Naden leaned

back against me.

When Naden's head got closer to mine, her glossy, black hair gave off a

pleasant scent. I rested my chin between Naden's two antlers. When I

moved my chin around a little in that position, Naden let out a sigh in weird

voice. "Ahhhhh..."

While I was playing with Naden, a horse approached from behind.

"You look like you're having fun," said the horse's rider.

This was a blue-haired beauty who was the sole person wearing a

marine uniform in this military procession: our Prima Lorelei, Juna.

"I'm a little jealous that you get to have a leisurely ride with His

Majesty," she went on.

"I'll trade places with you later," Naden said.

"Hee hee! Please do. If I ride, maybe I should be the one in back."

While listening to Juna talk cheerfully, I smiled wryly. "I was sure you'd

be going back with Excel."

Excel had done a great service for us in the Kingdom of Lastania, and

then been stubbornly resistant to return home afterward. Having foreseen

that, my prime minister, Hakuya, had sent Excel's granddaughter, Juna, to

come collect her.

I had expected her to go back to Parnam with Excel, but now she was

accompanying us instead.

Juna gave me a charming smile. "If Roroa has returned to the castle,

there's no reason I should have to, too. I will be staying with you from here

on, sire."

I smiled. "That's reassuring for me, but... Excel's going to get miffed

about it."

In fact, Excel was probably complaining, And here I am, going home

quietly! right this moment.

Juna gave me with a very nice smile. "It will do Grandmother some

good. She's always playing around too much, despite her old age."

"There's a line I'd be too scared to say myself," I confessed. "Especially

the part about her age."

"Ahaha! You do get it!" Naden, whose age was as much of an unknown

as Excel's, laughed.

While we were talking about that, Aisha came up on a horse. "Your

Majesty, a message for you from Sir Ludwin. There is a request from a

nearby town saying, 'We are surrounded by monsters and would like to ask

for help.'"

"Again?" I sighed.

The effects of the demon wave were spread along the Dabicon River,

which served as the border with the Demon Lord's Domain. In short, there

was fighting all over.

Even if most places weren't facing a crisis on the same scale as the

Kingdom of Lastania or the Duchy of Chima, there were obviously going to

be places that couldn't slay all of the monsters on their own.

There was an endless stream of requests from such places, and as we

were here in response to a request from the Empire to provide aid, we had

to respond to each one.

"How many?" I asked.

"Around a hundred," Aisha reported. "If we send out the wyvern

cavalry, they can scatter them instantly."

"We'll have to send Hal and his men again, I guess... Okay. Tell him he

has my permission."

"Yes, sir. Understood."

Aisha's horse raced to the front of the procession. When there was a

request for aid, we deployed a unit with high mobility, like the wyvern

cavalry or regular cavalry, and had them rejoin this main force when the

enemy were defeated. This was another reason we couldn't pick up our

marching speed too much.

"I knew it would be, but monster slaying is tiresome work," I

commented.

"Unlike war, it doesn't end when you break the enemy's main force,"

Juna agreed.

"That's right." I nodded. "It's a pain, but we can't leave them be. We

have to nip trouble in the bud as much as possible."

"Yes. I think you're right."

"If Ruby gets tired, let's go, too," Naden put in. "I'll drop some

lightning on them and scatter them."

"Yeah," I said, looking up to watch a unit of wyvern cavalry flying off

into the eastern sky. "I'm counting on you."

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile, as Souma and his party were heading to the Duchy of

Chima...

In the area around Wedan, the capital of the Duchy of Chima, an intense

battle was being fought again today.

The strategy being used in the Duchy of Chima during this demon wave

was essentially the same as the one used by Julius in the Kingdom of

Lastania. The armed forces abandoned all the places that would be difficult

to hold, concentrating their forces in Wedan and preparing for a siege.

However, the Duchy of Chima had two things the Kingdom of Lastania

did not: the solid Wedan Castle, and reinforcements from the Union of

Eastern Nations that they had gained through skillful diplomacy.

In order to use these two things effectively, Duke Chima had

deliberately allowed the monsters to approach Wedan Castle, and worked

with the reinforcements from the union to meet them there. The back-andforth battle between the monsters and the united forces of the Union of

Eastern Nations was ongoing.

There were eyes watching the battle which continued on today, from a

distance.

From atop a tall tree in among the trees on a hill that overlooked the

field of battle, there stood a great man clad in black armor and wearing a

black tiger mask.

This was the leader of the Kingdom of Friedonia's clandestine

operatives, the Black Cats.

Hm... The union's forces are doing a good job defending against the

monsters. With eyes shining beneath the mask, Kagetora observed the

battlefield.

Faced with an untold thousands of monsters, the ragtag forces of the

union seemed to be putting up a good fight. However, Kagetora had his

arms crossed in dissatisfaction.

They are putting up a good fight, he reflected. However, with each force

fighting as it pleases, they lack efficiency. If the king of some country were

to lead an alliance, and organize this force, they could surely reduce the

number of casualties...

Then he shook his head.

But considering how the union's combined force was formed, it would be

impossible.

If someone could be credited with the creation of this force from the

Union of Eastern Nations, it would likely be Duke Chima with his request

for reinforcements. However, the Duchy of Chima was a small country, and

no matter how capable they were at diplomacy, they did not have the power

to take the head of a coalition and unify the forces of each country under

their command.

Meanwhile, if the country with the most forces were to try and take

command, the other countries that were trying to distinguish themselves and

win the reward of one of the Chima siblings would push back against it.

Because of that, each country was paying with not-insignificant losses as

each fought as they pleased in order to win acclaim.

It was a style of fighting that brought massive damage to the enemy, but

also to one's allies as well. If they continued like this, there would

inevitably be places where their forces collapsed... or so he had thought.

But it has yet to happen...

In contrast to Kagetora's expectations, the forces of the union had not

collapsed anywhere. That was because anywhere that it seemed there might

be a collapse, those people would jump in.

If you squinted at the battlefield, there was something there, jumping

around like fleas. Not just one or two of them. There were more than a

thousand of them traversing the battleground freely, literally jumping

around from place to place. When those people reached a point that looked

ready to collapse, the tides of battle were instantly reversed, and the forces

that were close to breaking recovered. He had seen it happen several times

on the battlefield in front of him.

Kagetora felt a sudden presence behind him.

"Master Kagetora." One of the members of the Black Cats, wearing the

black mask and outfit of a ninja, landed on a branch behind him. "We have

determined their identity."

"Let's hear it." Kagetora had ordered the Black Cats to investigate the

ones jumping around that battlefield.

The Black Cat reported his findings. "The ones who are jumping around

the battlefield are leaping cavalry from the nomadic state of Malmkhitan,

from the steppes to the east of here."

"Malmkhitan... That's not a name I've heard."

"Their country was only just formed before the creation of the Union of

Eastern Nations, so there has been little chance for talk of them to spread."

Then the operative began to explain the events leading to the formation

of the steppe state of Malmkhitan.

On the formation of the steppe nation of Malmkhitan in the Union of

Eastern Nations...

The area where Malmkhitan would eventually form was originally

populated by many small nomadic tribes. Before the formation of the Union

of Eastern Nations, these tribes warred with each other at times, formed

blood ties through marriage, and went through a series of destructions and

unifications.

Whenever an enemy tribe was destroyed, it was not completely

annihilated, but instead absorbed into the conquering tribe in its weakened

state, allowing the population of the steppes to be maintained without too

much of a decline.

The many small tribes often warred, but they had a strong sense of being

a common steppe people, and so whenever outsiders invaded, the tribes

would unite to eliminate the external threat.

Meanwhile, those tribes on the edge of the steppe traded with outside

countries, invited in skilled people, and traded in slaves. This brought in

foreign blood, but they worked to ensure it did not become too prominent. It

was a region that had a closed-off mentality that placed value on steppe

traditions, while also embracing and absorbing events from the outside

world.

The people of this region were of diverse races. The human, dwarven,

and beastmen races were all represented, but because many tribes had died

out or were integrated, the majority of people were a mixture of human and

beastman blood.

The most common people looked human, aside from beast ears or tails,

or they had small wings growing from their backs. The latter might make

one think of angels, but the feathers were more often black or brown, so

they looked more like crow tengu.

When these steppe tribes saw the nations of the north fall after the

appearance of the Demon Lord's Domain and the southward advance of the

monsters, they felt a sense of crisis.

The existence of a foreign threat greater than any before gave birth to an

unprecedented sense that the steppe tribes must unite as one. And as they

experienced events similar to the demon wave that would come four years

later, that sense was suddenly heightened, so all the tribes of the steppes

were united.

The largest and most powerful of the steppe tribes, the Haan, was at the

center. And the head of the Haan was Raiga Haan. So, with all of the tribes

that supported him, Raiga eliminated any tribes opposed to unification and

founded the steppe state of Malmkhitan.

However, Malmkhitan could not prepare to face the threat of the demon

wave alone. So it acceded to the Union of Eastern Nations, which formed to

prepare for the threat of the Demon Lord's Domain, becoming a mediumsized state inside the union.

And then Raiga, the overlord of the steppes, finally ran out of luck. He

suddenly passed away that winter.

He was forty at the time of his death. It was said to be death by illness or

poison, but the rumor that he was poisoned spread especially widely.

Perhaps the rumor was perpetrated by a remnant of one of the lesser

tribes he'd destroyed in unifying the steppe, or perhaps the assassination

had happened because of another chief's jealousy of Raiga having become

their overlord. The truth was unclear. Raiga had been beloved by many of

the steppe people, but he had also made many enemies.

And thus, Raiga was succeeded by his twenty-two-year-old son.

Kagetora listened quietly as the Black Cat operative relayed the story of

Malmkhitan's founding. When he had heard it all, he asked a question.

"I understand what this Malmkhitan country is. But what are those

leaping cavalry you mentioned?"

"The leaping cavalry are a powerful type of cavalry used by

Malmkhitan," said the operative. "They're not horses, but a type of goatlike, cow-like creature... a massive horned riding beast known as a

'temsbock.' These temsbocks are raised in Malmkhitan, and they have the

strength to leap up a castle wall in three bounds."

"Hm... Then those temsbocks are the things jumping around the

battlefield?" Kagetora let out a groan of admiration. "They are cavalry, but

like wyvern cavalry, they fly through the skies of the battlefield. Their

ability to suddenly appear and disappear must be incredibly confusing for

the enemy. I can see they would be a difficult type of soldier to deal with."

"Yes, sir," said the operative. "The fact is, countries that have invaded

the steppe in the past, despite an overwhelming numerical advantage, have

been beaten badly by the leaping cavalry."

It's not hard to see why... thought Kagetora. When he saw how the

leaping cavalry was traveling across the battlefield freely, butchering

monsters, it was very convincing. I must report to the master that this is not

a country to be taken lightly.

Having determined that, Kagetora turned to ask the Black Cat operative

another question. "And what is the name of this son that succeeded—Ah!"

Kagetora suddenly drew the tachi Souma had given him. While the

operative was still shocked at him suddenly drawing his weapon, Kagetora

swung the blade. When he did...

Whoosh! Clang!

...his Tachi cut down an arrow that came at them suddenly.

"Wha?! Where did that come from?!" The operative panicked,

apparently anticipating a surprise attack when he saw the severed arrow fall

to the ground, but there were no enemies to be seen, and he couldn't sense

anyone in hiding, either.

Unlike the worried operative, Kagetora exhaled, returning his sword to

its sheath. Looking to the battlefield, he let out a sigh of admiration. "To

think they could reach this far from there..."

"From there?! You can't be serious!"

The operative looked where Kagetora was looking, and his eyes went

wide.

Kagetora's eyes were on the distant battlefield. Did he mean to say

someone on the battlefield had sensed their presence several kilometers

away and then managed to get an arrow, even one with its range extended

by magic, to reach them?

If someone like that existed, that person was the greater monster here.

"Now, what was the son's name?" Kagetora asked.

The operative came to his senses and hurriedly replied. "H-His son's

name is Fuuga Haan. I have heard he is a hero with a rare physique and

strength unrivaled on the steppe, who fights with a long-handled weapon

with a curved blade. I also heard that Fuuga's mount is not a temsbock, but

a flying tiger, or something like that."

"A flying tiger... I see..."

Kagetora turned a stern eye on the battlefield.

If so, that must be it...

It was on the battlefield near Wedan, where man and monster endlessly

fought to the death.

In the middle of the unceasing shouts and sounds of fighting, a young

man in his early twenties held a great bow that no ordinary person could

even draw.

He stood at least a hundred and ninety centimeters tall, and his tanned

limbs were thick with muscle. He had short, bluish-black hair, and a

majestic face. The young man who wore silver armor over his red leather

clothes, and a bowl-shaped silver helm on his head had small white wings

on his back.

He drew attention himself, but his mount did, too.

It was a white tiger so great that people looked up at it.

While its master drew his bow, that tiger batted away incoming monsters

with its paws. It was like a cat playing with a ball, but the fact that these

monsters were larger than a grown man made the sight frightening.

A young commander on a temsbock approached this man and beast who

were so clearly a cut above the rest. "What's the matter, Lord Fuuga? Why

suddenly fire in such an odd direction?"

"Hm?" said Fuuga. "Oh, Shuukin."

The great man riding on the tiger was Fuuga Haan, the young king of the

steppe nation of Malmkhitan, and the leader of the magnificent temsbock

cavalry. The other man was his confidant and same-age friend, the brave

commander Shuukin.

Looking down at Shuukin from atop his massive tiger, Fuuga wore a

bold smile. "Oh, it's simple. I felt something watching me from that hill, so

I tried taking a shot at it."

"You tried taking a shot at it? What if it was a civilian, or one of our

allies?!"

Shuukin was aghast, but Fuuga laughed it off jovially. "Ha ha ha! No

civilian would be near this battlefield. We didn't have a unit or scouts up on

that hill, either."

"Well, yes, but..."

Shuukin seemed unconvinced by his reasoning, but Fuuga smiled wryly

as he went on.

"Well, if they're over there, they're not one of ours, at least. More

importantly, though, Shuukin, it looks like the forces are under pressure on

the northeast side. Let's pop over there and deal with it nice and quick.

We're going, Durga!"

His favored mount, the flying tiger Durga, took off.

"Ah! Lord Fuuga!" Flustered, Shuukin gave a command to his

subordinates. "Don't let the king go alone! We're following after him!"

Thus did the Malmkhitan temsbock cavalry jump across the battlefield,

dragged around by Fuuga and Durga.