The next morning, aboard the bridge of the Aurora.
Setsuna lounged comfortably in a recliner as Belfast served freshly baked bread and coffee. After a few bites and sips, he casually opened several newspapers.
"The Eagle Union announces surrender to the Starsea Empire, agreeing to cede sovereignty and dissolve all existing armed forces..."
"The Battle of Paris ended yesterday at 19:26, lasting a total of 11 minutes and 40 seconds. The French Republic has surrendered to the Starsea Empire's Iron Blood First Fleet."
"This marks the second Blitzkrieg against France in 60 years. The Iron Blood Fleet denies any relation to Germany."
"Reportedly, the Starsea Empire will continue plantation operations in Africa, with both black and white workers laboring together. The EU has protested, insisting they should at least serve as managers."
Nothing new under the sun.
During any world conquest, nations reacted in much the same way. Pre-spacefaring civilizations were easily subdued; the occasional unruly state was crushed by starship fleets and Angeloids—examples made to warn the rest.
"Well done with the fleet's mission." Setsuna praised Bismarck verbally. The Iron Blood shipgirl had handled most of the conquest work during the campaign.
True to her name, she had taken the entire world with iron-blooded methods.
"Thank you, Commander. The governance of this world will be left to other fleets now." The blonde, blue-eyed shipgirl in uniform nodded and withdrew.
"Hmm... next, let's see the Horse Girls?" Setsuna picked up another paper.
The conquest had mainly targeted the ruling class; ordinary life was largely unaffected. Most people merely found themselves with a new nationality and more Angeloid patrols on the streets.
Tracen Academy, a relatively independent organization, had been deliberately sheltered and saw minimal disruption.
"Rookie Horse Girl Special Week triumphs in debut! Wins by overwhelming margin! Shatters world record by 10 times!!" blared the headline.
Her unbelievable result had stunned the entire racing world. A photo of her sprint adorned the front page.
"Not bad. As it should be." Setsuna nodded.
The second page still featured her: "Special Week freezes on victor's stage!"
While second- and third-place winners bounced to the music, Special Week—dressed in a gown—stood frozen like a deer in headlights. The awkward scene had been captured for all to see.
"...Oops, forgot about that." Setsuna tapped his head. "Richelieu, which shipgirls dance well? Have them teach the Horse Girls."
"Uh... let's see... Kearsarge? You do like watching her dance, Commander." Richelieu smirked.
"...I meant something proper. Not the kind done in a private room, thanks."
"How about teaching them 'Gokuraku Joudo' instead...?"
Knock knock knock—
"Commander, Special Week and some Horse Girls would like to see you," came Aurora's sweet voice.
"Come in."
The door opened, and over a dozen uniformed Horse Girls stepped nervously inside.
It was their first time aboard a spaceship, and the Horse Girls seemed timid.
Even those who had previously bragged about not taking trainers seriously now kept their heads down, silent and meek.
Looking up, they saw that in addition to Special Week, Tracen Academy executives like Yayoi Akikawa and Tazuna Hayakawa were also present.
"Yo, congrats on your win." Setsuna greeted the Horse Girls with a smile.
"How's the Genetic Ascension? I told you it'd be worth it, right?"
"Just... sorry for forgetting about the victor's stage. We'll work on that later."
"...Ugh..." Mentioning the stage made Special Week cover her face in embarrassment, cheeks flushing red.
After a moment, one Horse Girl gathered her courage and stepped forward. "You're Special Week's trainer? Um... would you be willing to train a few more of us?"
"If you don't mind... I-I'd like you to be my trainer too..." Several others nodded in agreement.
"Oh? And why's that?" Setsuna chuckled.
"Because you trained Special Week for just a few days and she broke the world record by ten times!!!" The Horse Girls looked at him with open admiration.
A trainer who could boost a Horse Girl's speed by such an insane margin in so short a time might as well be a god.
"Hmm... sure. I'd already planned to bring the entire Tracen Academy under my management. The academy will be relocated to another world."
"As for genetic enhancement... I'll need to reconsider. In competitive sports, chasing the 'optimal solution' with advanced technology feels inappropriate." Setsuna mused.
The results of high-tech enhancement were immediate, but sports shouldn't be purely a contest of technology. He needed to find a balance.
He smiled at Yayoi Akikawa and handed her several newspapers. "But first, let's talk business. I'm extending my offer to acquire Tracen Academy once again. You're not going to refuse this time, are you?"
"Huh?!" The Horse Girls were startled by the sudden shift in topic.
Yayoi, however, didn't seem surprised. She glanced at the papers and sighed. "As I thought... Mister Alien, your origins are anything but simple."
While the Horse Girls rarely followed world affairs, Yayoi knew well how the outside world had been shaken in recent days. The academy's peace was thanks to Setsuna's deliberate protection.
For a man conquering the world, playing the role of a Horse Girl trainer was child's play—just a bit of fun on the side. In a sense, he was honoring the academy with his attention.
With him already controlling the world, refusing now would be downright foolish.
"I... don't think I have the ability to refuse, do I?" The petite chairwoman scratched her head.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm not making you do hard labor—it's all voluntary." Setsuna reassured the nervous Horse Girls.
"You'll live, train, and race exactly as before. Nothing will change—except that in the Starsea Empire, we can host far larger sporting events with more participants."
"When you're tired of training and racing, you can travel to other worlds and planets to enjoy life."
He was already picturing a large-scale Olympic-style event within the Empire.
The specific events were yet to be decided.
"Eh?!" Hearing that the Empire had all kinds of strange races, the Horse Girls grew restless.
"You're not seriously going to make us compete against Dragon Girls and Shipgirls, are you?! They've got warp drives and can use magic!!!"
...
A few days later.
Tracen Academy.
In the early morning, every Horse Girl in the academy gathered in the main hall of the central building.
From star racers like Silence Suzuka and Tokai Teio to those who had only recently joined the academy, everyone was present.
Such a large assembly could only mean the chairwoman had something major to announce.
Special Week, Oguri Cap, and others who had met Setsuna before knew some inside details, and their companions crowded around them with excited questions.
"Special Week, is it true your trainer is an emperor from another world?!"
"I heard he owns over a dozen spaceships! They must be worth way more than planes, right?"
"When you're with him, do you get premium carrots at every meal?"
Most Horse Girls lived and breathed running, with little concern for the outside world. Their knowledge of it came from occasional news and rumors.
They could hardly imagine the might of an interstellar empire or grasp the state of the world.
"No, the trainer said he has hundreds—no, thousands of ships. What came to this world is just a small part of them..."
"And he doesn't feed me carrots. I eat something called 'Angeloid Special Nutrient Meals.' They taste pretty good..."
Special Week animatedly described her experiences aboard the ship.
Just a week ago she'd been a country girl from the sticks. Meeting Setsuna had instantly transformed her into the most worldly Horse Girl in the academy.
"Eh?... An empire that controls an entire solar system?"
The Horse Girls tried to picture it, but without ever having seen the stars or much exposure to science fiction, their imaginations fell short.
"Ahem—"
Amid the chatter, Yayoi Akikawa stepped onto the podium.
Standing on a small stool to reach the microphone, her voice still carried a trace of childishness.
"Today, I have something important to announce:"
"From now on, Tracen Academy will become part of the Starsea Empire. I have agreed to Commander Setsuna's request to acquire the academy."
"Eh?!!!" The hall erupted in murmurs.
"Chairwoman, are you abandoning us?" asked Mihono Bourbon, dressed in a dark blue gown with her long hair covering one eye.
"Not at all, Mihono. This is for your own good." Yayoi shook her head.
"The Starsea Empire is a great nation far more advanced than anything here. There, you will receive far better training and care. Problems that trouble our academy are easily solved in the Empire."
"Their education and medical care are far more developed, allowing your potential to be fully realized."
"And if you get injured on the track, the Commander says that even if you're barely clinging to life, you can be healed in a single day."
Her sincerity was clear.
Having seen it with her own eyes, she knew the incredible level of genetic science in a spacefaring civilization.
From an administrative standpoint, handing the academy over to them made perfect sense.
"And what about you, Chairwoman?" Symboli Rudolf asked, feigning reluctance.
"I'll remain as acting chairwoman, managing the academy." Yayoi snapped open her folding fan, boldly displaying the words "Chairwoman."
"Mm, so it's like having an extra boss above you? The Commander would be like the board of directors?"
Setsuna's plan was to bring the Horse Girls—and the academy's female staff—along wholesale.
Keeping Yayoi Akikawa, Tazuna Hayakawa, and others in charge would ease any shyness or resistance from the Horse Girls.
"Oh..."
Hearing that Yayoi Akikawa would remain as chairwoman, the Horse Girls let out a sigh of relief.
"After the merger, whether you go live in the Starsea Empire will be entirely voluntary."
"This Tracen Academy will remain here, but the Empire will equip us with far more advanced teaching facilities."
"Those who wish to travel or study in Constantinople can submit an application to the Commander. I've heard their track is over ten times bigger than our largest stadium, and each of you will have your own villa to live in~"
"In short, he treats us very well, so relax~"
The chairwoman spoke playfully and casually. There was no need to talk to the Horse Girls about world conquest or cutting-edge technology—just address their interests and treat them like ordinary young women.
"Waaah—" The Horse Girls broke into excited chatter.
It was essentially an opportunity to travel and study in another world out of nowhere.
"I want to go right now!! Is the trainer still accepting new Horse Girls?!"
...
Over an hour later.
In the open square before the academy's main building, the Aurora hovered just above the ground.
Below, a dense crowd of Horse Girls queued up.
"Tokai Teio, applying to visit the Starsea Empire~" The brown-haired, high-ponytailed ball of energy handed in her application.
Like a job application, it listed her stats and specialties in detail.
"Mm, board the ship." An Angeloid reviewed it, then pointed her toward a nearby shuttle.
The Horse Girl stepped aboard curiously.
"Silence Suzuka, leaving her in your care."
"Mejiro McQueen, I'll be in your hands."
"Mihono Bourbon, can Mihono come too?"
One after another, the Horse Girls handed in their applications, each approved in turn.
Those wishing to live in the capital were rarely refused—just lightly vetted.
Before long, the shuttle carried hundreds of Horse Girls up to the Aurora.
Setsuna quickly tallied them up. In addition to the famous names, many lesser-known Horse Girls had come along—most simply wanting a change of scenery and a stroke of luck.
A huge group of girls with twitching horse ears and swishing tails crowded together made for an impressive sight.
"Does the Starsea Empire feed us? Do they have carrots? Are we going to bankrupt the trainer with so many mouths to feed?"
"How many trainers do they have?"
"Ugh, I hope there's no culture class—it's such a pain..."
Their wishes were charmingly simple, making listeners smile.
"Don't worry—it's all-inclusive, with regular inter-world travel opportunities," Setsuna assured them.
He cleared his throat.
"Let's go home!!! We've captured a lot of Horse Girls this trip, yep."
—
—
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven