remarking that a king can only be a king if he has people to lead. As king, he comes to be known as Shoryu, the Chinese pronunciation of the characters for his given name, Naotaka. When he ascends the throne, the Kingdom of En is in a terrible state; during his five hundred year rule, he has led the country to a state of extreme calm and prosperity. He initially appears to Youko and Rakushun as and offers both protection and support to Youko as the new Queen of Kei. As such, Shoryu provides her with an army to rescue Keiki and retake the Kingdom of Kei. As a fellow taika, Shoryu feels that he should help guide Youko in her new life and proves to be one of her strongest supporters as she becomes the new ruler of Kei. Enki As a taika from Japan, is also known as . Born during a time of civil war in Japan, the Kirin of En was abandoned by his parents at a very young age and had been starving to death until his Nyokai found him. Because he matured at a younger age, Enki appears as a young boy compared to other kirin like Keiki. He and Shoryu share a good relationship and are able to treat one another in a casual manner. As a result of his past, Enki possessed a strong aversion to kings, seeing them as warmongers and the ones responsible for destroying a country. Originally feeling that humans could not rule a kingdom properly, Enki was reluctant to choose a new king. Invoking a Meishoku, he returned to Japan and met Naotaka Komatsu, the son of a seafaring king and a taika from the Twelve Kingdoms. Though he did not have any faith in kings, he realizes that Naotaka is the king of En and Rokuta accepts him as his master. The pair return to the Twelve Kingdoms and Naotaka takes the throne as "Shoryu". Their trust in one another is strengthened when the King of En is forced to suppress a rebellion in his kingdom. When the kingdom of En chooses to aid Youko to rescue Keiki and free the kingdom of Kei from its false queen, Enki and Rakushun travel through various provinces in Kei to persuade the governors to abandon the imposter. Because he periodically travels to Hourai, Enki is also responsible for finding