The Radiant Knight, Descends!
As the tall, Golden-Haired Knight sensed the unimaginably unique [sword-spear] in her hand...
A trace of astonishment flickered across her heroic yet delicate features.
So light?!
Holding it now felt nearly identical to when she'd wielded the bow as Platinum—hardly any difference at all.
It was almost like picking up ordinary medical instruments back when she was just a regular human doctor, before her transformation.
But one had to realize—this sword-spear, extraordinary at first glance, should by all means be far heavier than any bow. Yet now, she could lift it with just one hand!
Transformed into the one known as [Margaret Nearl], she could hardly keep her heart calm. Was this the true, magnificent power of the knight hailed as the Radiant One?!
Immediately, the golden-haired maiden Nearl, her bearing proud and heroic, turned and walked toward the mirror in the room.
Reflected in the glass—
Bathed in the fading crimson sunset streaming through the room's open window, Nearl's well-proportioned figure, her tail swaying gently in the breeze, and her cloak fluttering dramatically.
Along with the sword-spear held firmly in her hand, her unique heroic demeanor and the radiant aura capable of illuminating all darkness—anyone witnessing this sight... would instantly think of a shining knight embarking on a grand expedition, right?!
Who could possibly believe this was a rookie Uma Musume just preparing for races?
Compared to that overwhelmingly powerful presence and posture, what Nearl focused on was the long sword-spear in her hand.
"This spear..."
A hint of hesitation flashed across Nearl's refined and spirited face.
Back when she'd transformed into Platinum, the moment she'd acquired her racing outfit, she'd received the Three Goddesses' approval.
Thus, she'd successfully integrated the bow as part of her racing outfit, enabling her to run and gallop holding it during races.
But now, with this sword-spear...
Would it be the same as before? Could she step onto the track with it?
Yet quickly, the hesitation in her heroic eyes vanished entirely.
'No need to worry about such things so early.'
At present, she hadn't even made her debut.
After arriving in the United States and embarking on a new racing calendar, she could consider matters like racing outfits and weapons after winning her debut race.
The tall, heroic golden-haired knight made her decision.
'Racing outfits, weapons for racing outfits—those are matters for G1 races.'
'After finishing my debut race, I'll think about those then.'
I wonder just how many excellent opponents await in the U.S., known as the center of the world's dirt tracks?
For now, it's time to prepare to leave Japan and head to America!
--+--
The next moment, the transformation ended.
As the radiant glow faded away, the black-hearted young doctor with his hands in his pockets reappeared in the room.
"Hmm, even in the hyper-competitive U.S. dirt racing circuit."
"Since it's Nearl, she'll definitely win! Margaret Nearl is a champion who's triumphed in knightly tournaments!"
Even Lin Anran, who often skipped confusing, cryptic storylines in games, had seen some of the famous scenes from Margaret Nearl's game story.
For instance, there was the time when the character Candle Knight, Viviana, hearing that someone named Nearl had come to see her, had broken into a brilliant smile—until she realized...
It was Margaret's uncle, Młynar Nearl, who had arrived. Her smile had instantly frozen.
Besides that, in various storylines related to Kazimierz, Margaret Nearl was practically a household name—her popularity... undoubtedly earned through her strength and charisma.
One could say that as the most famous and outstanding [Margaret Nearl] among the knights of Kazimierz, she was bound to demonstrate terrifying dominance on the Uma Musume racing circuit!
This draw was like pulling an SSR card!
After marveling at this pleasant surprise, Lin Anran reopened the system panel.
This time, upon opening it, his pupils contracted sharply as he saw a rather unexpected notification.
[Note: Margaret Nearl has been granted a reasonable identity in this world as a member of a fallen noble horse girl family from Poland.]
[Furthermore, identity-wise, she is the host's niece.]
"???"
After clearly reading the system notification, even Lin Anran was stunned, taking a long moment to process it.
Huh?
"Poland?"
"Fallen noble family?"
"And lastly... my niece?"
Lin Anran knew, of course, that many elements in games drew from real-world prototypes.
Among them, the region of Kazimierz, where both Platinum and Nearl originated, was actually modeled after real-world Poland.
First, the name Kazimierz derived from the historical Polish king Casimir III, also directly translated as Casimir. Moreover, Poland's knightly history and even its chivalric culture were world-renowned.
Therefore, as a reasonable origin for the Radiant Knight Nearl, being from a fallen Polish noble family seemed extremely appropriate—even authentic?!
The rationale of the identity felt incredibly fitting and perfectly authentic to Lin Anran.
But the last part—being his niece—was something Lin Anran had never seen coming.
Oh no, does that make me Młynar now?!
'So, I've become the uncle?'
With an exceedingly complex expression, Lin Anran pondered for a moment.
Once Margaret Nearl made a name for herself in the U.S., inevitably, opponents, fans, or news reporters would investigate her background.
When that time came, they'd discover she came from an impoverished noble family in Poland, journeying to the world-renowned heart of Uma Musume racing in the U.S. to restore her family's honor!
And she even had an uncle clocking in and out of work in the U.S.!
After the initial shock, since it wasn't a bad thing anyway, Lin Anran nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad, very reasonable."
'Now just wait until we reach the U.S. to start the racing schedule and begin Nearl's debut race.'
It won't be long now!
He was already prepared to leave, even feeling somewhat excited about what would happen after arriving in America.
For instance, Nearl's debut! The Radiant Knight's racing outfit and even special effects!
Or perhaps, the turf racing circuit that the Pegasus Platinum would challenge.
Also, could Secretariat win the Belmont Stakes and become a Triple Crown horse girl?
And what about those young American fillies he had such a good relationship with—would there be a chance to take things further and, well, reap some benefits?
Everything, everything was about to unfold.
'My last day of work is done, luggage is packed, and tomorrow I finally return to the U.S.!'
Ready, set, go!
Then, the black-hearted young doctor seemed to remember something.
'Right, just like when I left the U.S. last time, I should let those fillies with potential or who I'm close with know.'
'Then give them some final comfort and encouragement—who knows if I'll ever come back here again?'
Back then, the short-sighted black-hearted young doctor had been disappointed, feeling that all his efforts had only led him to meet small fries.
But since he'd already built good relationships, there was no need to just disappear without a word. What if in the future they actually built up steadily and won major races?
So, before leaving the U.S. for Japan, Lin Anran had sent final gentle words of encouragement and comfort via text to Secretariat, Flightline, Dahlia, and Sunday Silence.
If he ever returned, he could always look up Speed, Teio, and the others again. There was no need to leave without a word.
Thinking of this, Lin Anran immediately took out his phone.
Then, he found the contacts of those few fillies.
But it's worth noting, Lin Anran didn't tap on the screen to type out any encouraging messages.
Instead—he opened the familiar chat histories of those American fillies from before, found the old comforting and encouraging texts, selected copy and paste, and carefully edited the names.
Pure laziness!
Finally... the black-hearted young doctor scheduled the messages to send automatically when he boarded the plane tomorrow!
--+--
The next day.
In a laboratory,
The young girl, Agnes Tachyon, clad in a white lab coat, sat at her seat, her face icy cold, her expression somewhat grim.
"Dr. Lin... is leaving so soon?"
As a mad Uma Musume scientist, Agnes Tachyon had zero interest in ordinary humans.
But Lin Anran—back when she suffered from tendonitis, diagnosed as incurable by many horse girl doctors—had grabbed her sleeve and vowed to do everything in his power to heal her.
And in the end, Lin Anran had actually done it!
What horse girl could remain indifferent to that? The impact was far greater than any words or physical contact.
There was both an unforgettable debt of gratitude and medical skills worth researching. One could say everything about Lin Anran deeply interested and mattered to Agnes Tachyon.
And Agnes Tachyon's initial plan had been...
Peak Period!
Wait until after her Peak Period passed...
Then she wouldn't need to spend so much time and energy on races and training, and could instead have time to deepen her contact with Dr. Lin, taking their relationship further.
Typically, a horse girl's career spanned: first year as a rookie, second year as a classic contender, third year and beyond termed as an aged mare.
Most horse girls reached their peak, their Zenith, within two or three years, after which their form declined and they went downhill.
The golden period was usually during the classic year or the first aged mare year.
Horse girls like Mejiro McQueen, who grew stronger upon entering her aged mare years, and who even now, after four or five years of racing, showed no decline in form, were truly rare monsters.
And Platinum was similarly special, much like Mejiro McQueen.
But her uniqueness was even more astounding—she directly challenged the Classic Triple Crown in her first year! So outstanding she hardly seemed like a newly debuted Uma Musume.
Thus, even though she'd only been racing for just over a year—from last May to this June—many Uma Musume habitually regarded her as an aged mare.
But technically, by time, that Silver-White Maiden was still just a classic-year filly.
As for the current Agnes Tachyon, she had already entered her aged mare years. In her estimation, after about six more months of racing, her peak period should pass, and she'd have more time to pursue deeper contact with Dr. Lin.
But now—
Dr. Lin was going back? Returning to his original home, the U.S.?
'Too late...'
'It seems,'
Even Agnes Tachyon couldn't help but sigh softly at this moment.
Then, the very next second, she heard the notification sound of a text message from her phone on the desk.
Agnes Tachyon pulled her hands out of her pockets, picked up her phone, and looked at the screen.
It was...
A text from Dr. Lin??
Agnes Tachyon's pupils constricted sharply. She opened it immediately.
And then—
[Lin Anran: I feel fortunate to have been able to treat you during my time as a doctor.]
[Though I'm leaving now, I'm still a little worried about you. I hope you won't immerse yourself too deeply in training, Tachyon, and that you'll take good care of your health.]
[Regardless of results, Tachyon, I hope you can gain something during your career...]
After reading the lengthy text from Lin Anran, Agnes Tachyon could sense the thoughtfulness contained within.
She just didn't know why Dr. Lin was so certain she was immersed in training?
After all, quite often she was actually researching other things...
But at the very least, she could ascertain Dr. Lin's sincerity, and his departure.
'I wonder if Dr. Lin will go to Europe...'
Agnes Tachyon put down her phone, saved the text to her favorites, afraid it might get automatically deleted later.
'If he does, then maybe I can try challenging the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Then I'd get to see him again.'
--+--
Elsewhere.
The petite young girl, Tokai Teio, was bowing her head, looking at a forum.
She was browsing the internal forum of Tracen Academy, where many posts from peers or young fillies appeared.
And from yesterday to today, the number of posts in these two days had surpassed the total from the past week combined.
It's worth noting that most posts contained one key phrase—[Dr. Lin]!
[Wuwuwu, Dr. Lin really left. I went today and saw the resignation notice posted on the infirmary door.]
[I can't without Dr. Lin...I beg you!]
[Sigh, I knew it. Tracen Academy couldn't recruit the Pegasus who connects to the world, and even less could it keep a world-class doctor like Dr. Lin.]
[There's no longer an infirmary where just stepping inside fills me with a refreshing, heart-easing fragrance.]
[Lin, my prisoner! Don't go! How can I live without you!]
Many posts were visibly emotional.
[Dr. Lin, can't you treat Japanese Uma Musume at Tracen for a lifetime?!!]
Tokai Teio randomly clicked on one post begging Dr. Lin not to leave.
Beneath it, several Uma Musume commented that Dr. Lin's departure was inevitable.
[Can you bear Dr. Lin's fate? What kind of resolve did you have when you said that?]
[You really are only thinking about yourself, huh.]
[Wuwu, I also wish Dr. Lin wouldn't leave, but with his medical skills, he's surely better off going to the world's dirt center, the U.S., or the world's turf center, Europe, to fully display his talents.]
Even though within Tracen Academy, the total number of various staff members amounted to no less than a thousand.
And the number of school doctors was definitely in the double digits. Over the years, some doctors had always left during holidays, and new ones had joined.
But over the past few years at Japan's Tracen Academy, the combined impact of all departing doctors paled in comparison to that of Lin Anran alone!
After all, this was a young doctor who could successfully treat everything from fractures to incurable tendonitis, and who was gentle with every horse girl.
Even Tokai Teio felt somewhat discouraged now.
"Wah... Dr. Lin really left."
But soon, she regained her composure.
"Maybe if I campaign overseas later, I can see Dr. Lin again?"
"Or perhaps Dr. Lin will come back someday?"
"For now, I need to keep training properly! Maintain excellent condition so I can amaze Dr. Lin in the future!"
Also, she needed to control her training volume from now on...
After all, without Dr. Lin, Tokai Teio lacked that ultimate sense of security.
Even though there were many famous doctors inside and outside the school, Tokai Teio didn't think any could compare to Lin Anran.
"Alright, I must reduce and control my training volume."
"The good news is, the Pegasus has left for overseas campaigns, so indeed there's no need to maintain the same intense training regimen as before."
After finishing her thoughts, Tokai Teio saw her phone light up with a text message.
Huh??
Dr. Lin... sent a text?
She opened it immediately.
[Dr.Lin: Teio, I'm sorry but I still have to...]
--+--
United States.
In a skyscraper that served as the headquarters for American Uma Musume racing.
Inside a private office, an elegant yet authoritative young girl of medium build looked down with slight surprise in her deep, azure eyes at the documents before her.
The documents she was reviewing were application papers for an Uma Musume doctor's license to practice in the U.S.
And the applicant was... a certain young doctor who, last year, had chosen not to renew his license and had instead gone overseas.
Then, the young girl smiled faintly, as if recalling something amusing.
"The doctor beloved by Big Red is returning now?"
"It seems Big Red is going to be stimulated into going all out."
"This final battle of the American Triple Crown is about to get interesting."
She possessed both a young girl's liveliness and the authority of a colossal entity.
Even though this young girl wasn't an active racing Uma Musume, the aura she emitted surpassed that of any active world-class Uma Musume!
Seabiscuit was her name. She was a retired racehorse girl.
After Seabiscuit retired, she immediately received an invitation from the American racing authorities and joined as an executive official.
This was something quite unbelievable in horse girl racing circles worldwide. But if it was her, no one in all of America would question or doubt it.
That was a name that resonated across America, with profound influence—a legendary figure in dirt racing history, acknowledged as a once-in-a-century [Dirt Legend]!
Logically, an Uma Musume's influence declines visibly after retirement, gradually replaced by new generations. Even world-class Uma Musume were no exception!
After all, worldwide, from Europe to America, no less than two or three world-class Uma Musume were born steadily each year.
Only historical-level racehorse girls recorded in annals wouldn't be forgotten with time.
Yet Seabiscuit had transcended historical level. She wouldn't be forgotten by time either, boasting perhaps the most fans in American history!
The entire American horse girl racing world had been propelled forward single-handedly by Seabiscuit during her time—an achievement truly rare in the world!
When this legendary racehorse girl Seabiscuit was active, she sparked an Uma Musume fever in America, inspiring countless world-class racehorse girls to emerge and follow in her footsteps.
Seabiscuit wasn't from some super elite family; she wasn't even from an ordinary Uma Musume family. She grew up in considerable poverty, and due to her family circumstances, she was physically frail and underestimated.
Even the Uma Musume Academy she attended believed the weak Seabiscuit lacked the potential to become a graded stakes racehorse girl and expelled her.
The more adverse the circumstances, the more this weed-like young girl grew. She stopped slacking, began winning streak after streak, gradually making a name nationwide and aweing the world.
The influence of Seabiscuit, an ordinary girl with an indomitable spirit, spread across vast America, inspiring countless horse girls.
During Seabiscuit's active career, she even had a great [Match of the Century] with the historical-level, American Triple Crown winner, War Admiral!
The outcome of that Match of the Century was Seabiscuit surpassing the Triple Crown winner War Admiral in a direct showdown!
At that time, Seabiscuit broke world records and demonstrated power on a different level from historical-level racehorse girls! In one move, she deified and ascended as a true 『Legend』!
Even though Seabiscuit's achievements in dirt racing didn't surpass [War Admiral]'s, her influence on dirt surpassed his.
It was like how in Japan, Oguri Cap's results indeed didn't match Symboli Rudolf's, yet countless Japanese believed Oguri Cap's popularity and influence actually surpassed Symboli Rudolf's.
And in Japan, the hugely influential [Super Star · Oguri Cap], whose popularity was second only to the Pegasus Platinum, had another nickname—[The Japanese Seabiscuit]!
In America, a saying even spread:
[War Admiral Belongs to the Nation, Seabiscuit Belongs to the People.]
After retiring as a legend, Seabiscuit still cared deeply about American dirt racing, turning her focus to nurturing the next generation.
And among the American new-generation Uma Musume she watched, the most outstanding was...
The successor to the first [Big Red · Man o' War]! The one called the second Big Red—Secretariat!
The talent Secretariat displayed even made Seabiscuit feel fighting spirit when watching, stirring excitement and a sense of startling crisis.
That was a height that, barring accidents, would surely reach legendary status, with talent potentially challenging Man o' War's seat as the strongest legend!
Even in today's America, gathering stars and monsters everywhere, already called a golden generation by the outside world...
Secretariat remained the most brilliant moon! However excellent other Uma Musume were, they were merely stars!
After learning about Dr. Lin from Secretariat, Flightline, and the others previously, Seabiscuit had been quite interested. But unfortunately, Lin Anran had already left for Japan then.
Now, he was finally returning?
Seabiscuit revealed a faint smile of anticipation.
"This excellent doctor arrives just in time!"
"Big Red's monster!"
"The absolute powerhouse, the loneliness born from it, the one who taught her love is—"
This year's Belmont Stakes might become a deifying battle unmatched for a decade or even half a century, right?
--+--
Evening.
Lin Anran, dragging his luggage, had just gotten off the plane and was walking out.
As he walked, Lin Anran took out his phone, bowed his head seriously, and sent a text to a certain racehorse girl he hadn't contacted in a long time.
That was...
[Secretariat]!
[LinAnran: I've landed.]
The next moment—!
[Secretariat: You're here?]
[Secretariat: Send me the specific location pin.]
Seeing Secretariat's instant reply, the black-hearted young doctor was stunned.
This time... normally, Uma Musume should be finished with training, utterly exhausted, and resting, right?
She wants to come now?
[Secretariat: I'll be right there!]
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.