Chapter 52 The History of Yugan
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Ahhhhhhhh!!!! Help meeeeee!!!”
Ayumu Sanai panted, his heart pounding in his chest. Am I… still alive? Today had started as just another day of gathering potion ingredients, but it had quickly turned into a nightmare.
”Stay away! Stop! Please, spare meee!” he screamed, dodging another lunge from a Horned Rabbit. The creature’s horn had pierced his left flank, and the pain was excruciating. Worse still, his cry of pain had attracted more of the territorial beasts, leaving him in a desperate sprint for survival.
”Huff… huff… huff… Finally… huff… shook them off…” Ayumu leaned against a tree, clutching his wounded side. He pulled out one of his self-made potions and poured it over the injury. According to the rough-and-tumble adventurers he knew, his potions were “fast-acting and effective.”
”Ouch… not fast enough,” he grimaced, wrapping a bandage around the wound. It took five minutes for the bleeding to stop and another two to three minutes for the pain to subside. Definitely room for improvement, he thought, abandoning his gathering for the day and heading back to town.
And so, Ayumu embarked on refining his potion recipe.
* * *
”Hmm…”
His first question was simple: How can I make a more instant potion? He had studied his own potion-making process extensively, but he realized his knowledge of potions in general was lacking. To address this, he purchased several historical texts and research books on the subject.
Back home, Ayumu opened the first book.
* * *
The Yugan Free Cities League emerged in the year 4256 of the Imperial Calendar, during the reign of the 22nd Emperor, Yuri El Yugan. Facing the crumbling stability of the Yugan Empire, Emperor Yuri implemented a radical policy of territorial reduction and indirect governance, giving birth to a new political entity—a quasi-state and independent state alliance.
At the time, the empire under the 21st Emperor, Sephoras El Yugan, was plagued by noble corruption, bureaucratic graft, civil strife, and widening wealth inequality. The resulting chaos led to rampant violence, riots, and murder among citizens. Maintaining order consumed nearly 40% of the empire’s total production, a trajectory that threatened both fiscal collapse and the ruin of its people.
Emperor Yuri, deeply troubled by this humanitarian crisis since childhood, pushed through his ambitious reforms despite opposition and assassination attempts. After ensuring their completion, he passed away, his role fulfilled.
News of his death spread swiftly across the empire and former territories. His funeral procession in Livonia, near the old capital, drew nearly 150,000 mourners—representatives of the 160 newly formed states, their leaders, and citizens alike. The entire former empire grieved.
Though the empire’s fragmentation raised fears of war among the nobility, the cultural ties inherited from the old empire and the economic bonds of the new alliance kept relations surprisingly stable.
Interestingly, Emperor Yuri remains beloved by humans and demi-humans alike, even those with historical grievances against the empire. Demi-humans, in particular, revere him as a liberator, a rarity in the empire’s long history.
Today, the authoritarian rule of the Yugan emperors is gone. However, to strengthen unity among the Free Cities, the 23rd Emperor, Rai El Yugan, serves as a symbolic figurehead. Officially recognized by the Senate of the Lukursa Theocracy (an elven nation), he is acknowledged by all nations on the Beastfolk Continent.
* * *
Ayumu closed the book, stunned.
(Wait… there’s this much backstory?)
He sat there, mouth agape, utterly bewildered.
Notes:
• Lukursa Theocracy – Elven nation mentioned in the map.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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