With less than a month until her first race, Rampage had grown accustomed to life in the Irish Royal Castle. Fine had become particularly fond of her, now casting glances that subtly pleaded, "Please stay in Ireland forever." Occasionally, at the request of His Majesty the King, she would even do a live stream to symbolize the friendship between Ireland and Japan, which, as usual, caused a commotion and crashed the server. Amidst all this, the Uma Musume participating in the KGVI & QE Stakes were finally being revealed.
"Turf Hopper... wasn't she in Flora's Japan Cup?"
"She was, indeed~"
Among the names, there were a few familiar ones. There were Uma Musume who had contested the Japan Cup, and others whose names, though different, were clearly based on historical racehorses.
"Garnier...?"
"Um, this one."
Searching and viewing the data, I found her to be a strong Uma Musume who had placed 2nd in a recent Grade 1 race, the Eclipse Stakes. However, the name itself bothered me. After racking my brain for a bit, I understood it from an interview comment.
"This is a magnificent first step for me, yes, the drama starring me—the glorious opera starring Garnier!!"
"Quite a confident comment, isn't it~"
"Indeed... (Ah, I get it. She's the Overlord's father.)"
When speaking of Japan's Overlord, there was only TM Opera O, also known as the "Century's End Overlord," who, due to her absolute strength, had an entire encirclement strategy deployed against her. And Opera O's father was Opera House, who in history won three consecutive Grade 1 races starting the next year and showed his strength with a 3rd place finish in the Arc de Triomphe. Garnier refers to the Palais Garnier in France, which is the opera house. In a way, it was the perfect name.
"Any others...? Almecoa... her name is here too?"
"Oh, right, she was from Germany, wasn't she? Hehe, planning to settle the score from Dubai?"
"Even so, I won't lose."
Does that mean she can handle turf too...? Is being a dual threat on turf and dirt not that rare, I wondered for a moment. The thought of facing her again, just like in Dubai, filled me with a surge of fighting spirit. After all, I had been completely dragged into her domain and pushed to my mental limits, suffering a kind of defeat, depending on how you looked at it.
"Sue-chan, sorry, but could you watch my run? I want to refine the previous one."
"I don't mind, but now? You could still be resting."
"If she's running, I want to raise my completeness even further."
"Understood, I'll join you."
Just moments ago, she had been in a somewhat relaxed, off-duty mode, but as soon as she knew a rival was appearing, her eyes ignited. "I guess I really am an Uma Musume," she thought, quickly changing and getting permission to use the course before dashing off.
"Come at me, Al, if you dare! I'll beat you again!! This time, with a complete victory!!"
Sue-chan timed Rampage as she galloped across the turf. She was putting up excellent times, her running style had adapted to the European turf, and its completeness improved with every stride. It seemed she had truly mastered how to run here.
"May I join you?"
"Oh, Your Majesty. There's no need to ask; this is your castle, after all."
"No, no, I am a guest, after all."
"Sue-chan, yoo-hoo~ ♪"
"Ohh~ Far-chan came too~ ♪"
"Yeah, I came~ ♪"
His Majesty the King of Ireland, Fine's father, had come to join them, bringing Princess Fine to watch Rampage's practice. He had some free time and wanted to see her practice just once.
"I'm not terribly knowledgeable myself, but... I can only say that she is not inferior to our country's Grade 1 Uma Musume... No, perhaps such words are even disrespectful."
"Ran-chan probably wouldn't mind. She'd probably say something like, 'Being told that by His Majesty the King means I'm not so bad myself,' wouldn't she?"
"Oh, Sue-chan, that was just like her~!!"
I couldn't help but smile at the two, laughing gleefully. It was rare to see such a close bond between individuals with an age gap like a grandchild and grandmother.
"Actually, I have a request. I would like to ask Rampage-dono to participate in a certain race."
"Oh, really? That depends on the timing, of course."
"The Irish Champion Stakes. Would she consider running in it?"
It was a Grade 1 race held in Ireland, scheduled for September 13th. The timing wasn't bad, and since she was staying in Ireland, there would be no concerns about long-distance travel. Furthermore, Uma Musume who perform well in this race often go on to challenge the Arc de Triomphe. Since she was being hosted during her European expedition, agreeing to this request wouldn't be a bad adjustment.
"Understood. I'll speak with her. I think Ran-chan will probably be up for it."
"That's excellent. In fact, many have voiced a strong desire to compete against Rampage-san."
"Rampage-san is so popular~"
"Indeed~ I understand that feeling very well."
However, this effectively completed Rampage's European expedition schedule. The KGVI & QE Stakes in July, the Irish Champion Stakes in September, and the Arc de Triomphe in October. All Grade 1 races, with no consideration for Grade 2 or lower; an incredibly aggressive schedule. But for her, this level might be just right. After all, she was the Tyrant of the World.
"Sue-chan, did His Majesty see my run just now?"
Rampage, having finished her run, called out to ask for feedback. Noticing the King and Fine, she gave a proper greeting.
"I was observing you."
"Observing!!"
"That's a great honor indeed... So, what's up, Sue-chan? You look cheerful."
"Hehehe, just a little something. Ran-chan, since you're here, why not run in an Irish Grade 1 race?"
"If the schedule works out, I'm in."
Hearing that directly, the King's heart swelled with anticipation. He couldn't wait to see the competition between his nation's proud Uma Musume and her.
"I'll go to see that race too. I'll somehow adjust my schedule—no, I'll definitely adjust it!!"
"Oh~ Father will be cheering with me~!!"
"Will it become another imperial race?"
"Oh my, oh my, how exciting ♪"
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