"???
"Hichugiskhan's face was filled with confusion. After so many years as a Duke, he also intended to take a rest. With the Moonstone, the Fur Race could enter the Moon Lion state at any time, greatly enhancing their safety.
The wandering Lord of the Beasts itself wasn't easy to find, let alone the elite Firearms Team and Knights had already mastered the Moon Lion state skillfully.
In addition, the strength of Zeraora and Setsuna had already left Hichugiskhan far behind. If Zou were handed over to them, he could peacefully enjoy his retirement life.
Not to mention that Setsuna could now communicate with the Lord of the Beasts, whose massive size, while perhaps not nimble, meant each of its actions was a terrifying disaster to the outside world.
Previously, being against the Fur Race was synonymous with being against the kingdom, referring to the entire nation's Fur Race. But now it was different; this really was being against the nation, as the attacks launched by the Lord of the Beasts had already surpassed the human realm.
Though a maintaining ruler, he understood the residents of Zou well enough. When Setsuna was young, she kept clamoring to be a Duchess.
Earlier she said to wait until after marriage, assuming they'd be king and queen in Zou as a couple by now. But unexpectedly, she presented him with such a move.
"Duke Hichugiskhan.. no, I should be calling you senior now, senior, this is a new Duke's order. I feel like I'm not yet fit to rule Zou, so I'm handing this crucial task over to you.
Saying it like that doesn't seem quite right either. Let's just say, everything will remain the same as it was."
Once she thought the Duke's position was so lofty that nobody would stop her from doing what she wanted, but now she understood that the position brought not only power but also obligations and the future of the race.
Though she wasn't done playing, she was willing to contribute her part to the big Fur Race ship but wasn't yet prepared to be the helmswoman all the time.
"Wait, this isn't right. Didn't I pass the Duke's title to you?"
"Yes, but as the Duke, I'm ordering you to act as a proxy. According to the outer countries' terminology, this should be called a Regent King. Anyway, you are experienced, so everything can continue as it is. I'll be back in a few years."
"No, it's just that I'm already of an advanced age and should be resting. Since that's the case, I use my current power once more to command you to take this position!"
Hichugiskhan tried to compel her to take the position by a means of layering, but it didn't go as he expected.
"No, it's not possible. I'm the Duke now, didn't you already pass the position to me?"
Touching his empty head, Hichugiskhan suddenly realized the problem. The handover ceremony of Zou was simple, and during this time, everyone had already recognized Setsuna as the heir, so he only needed to announce it unilaterally.
Once he uttered those words, it meant the handover of the Duke's position was complete.
From now on, as the retired Duke, he needed to follow the decrees of the new Duke, but the new Duke didn't need to listen to him.
This is why Setsuna demanded Hichugiskhan become the Regent King, without reappointing him as Duke; she blocked the possibility of Hichugiskhan's deferral from the root.
Moreover, to prevent surprises, she didn't set a date at all. In a sense, the day she takes the throne is always tomorrow, never today.
"Rest assured, rest assured, just work hard for another decade or so. You're still in your prime now, no need to rush retirement."
Based on the original timeline, by this time Inuarashi and Nekomamushi had long taken over Zou's position, and Hichugiskhan had disappeared. But things were different now; with material assistance, everything in Zou was prospering.
In this situation, the mood of the person steering Zou naturally improved, and his physical health also became better.
In a scenario where Hichugiskhan was at a loss for words, he had no choice but to take over this Regent King's position. Once the decree was announced, the youth felt no difference since it seemed like nothing changed for them.
The elders who knew the former Duke of Zou were slightly surprised, but only sighed that they couldn't keep up with the trends of the young.
Even though the nominal Duke of Zou had changed, everything maintained its previous state, and Setsuna's actions gave Hichugiskhan a reminder. He started picking some talented individuals from the Fur Race to share the load of the job.
Watching the tribesmen below, Hichugiskhan couldn't help but lament that times had changed, making the throne a hot potato.
However, only in this unique environment of the Fur Race could this method occur. Such a thing couldn't possibly happen in an ordinary kingdom where the competition for royal power had long obliterated humanity, with examples of father-son strife and sibling rivalry everywhere.
Ahead of handing over power, in later years, might not ensure one's security, so people of most nations hang onto power until their last breath.
After the celebration, everything stayed as was, but Hichugiskhan felt a lot balder. Yet, this unsuccessful handover ceremony was not without effect; the Fur Race's Firearms Team underwent a new round of upgrades.
The Fur Race and ordinary humans have a significant difference, which is that they aren't afraid of static; they can utilize the static electricity in their fur for combat, and Mareep wool also shares this trait.
Hence, a batch of non-processed Mareep wool-made battle garments were delivered to Zou.
These looked like ordinary clothing without any special abilities. Wearing them might leave ordinary people tormented by static, like touching a car door and getting shocked painfully in the dry winter, an unpleasant experience.
But it's different for the Fur Race. This static force could combine with their own static electricity, allowing them to use a stronger current.
Moreover, in an electrified state, such garments retained the fluffiness of Mareep wool, effectively reducing the risk of accidental garment bursts during the transformation of the Fur Race.
The clothing's style remained similar to the inherent attire of the Fur Race, except there was an additional storing belt.
At the buckle position of the belt, there was a groove designed for embedding the Moonstone. When needed, you just press the switch on the belt; the back will open up to allow contact between the Moonstone and the Fur Race's body, transforming into a Moon Lion.
After the battle, pressing the switch again isolated the Moonstone from the body, ceasing the transformation state. This very simple mechanical device could achieve this setup.
This could be considered an equipment upgrade for the Fur Race Firearms Team and Knights, making the combat uniform and transformation belt sound like something quite cool.