Chapter 269: Advancing to the Main Tournament
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 269: Advancing to the Main Tournament
The day of the third preliminary match arrived.
After sending Miro to the racers' waiting room, we found seats in the stands with a clear view of the track.
The stands were packed, even for a preliminary match. There were not only beastkin, but also many humans who had come to Vestia to watch the race.
As the competition progressed, the skill level of the racers and the event's popularity had grown, drawing more and more interest.
The situation was similar at other racetracks, not just the Beastialis Academy, so the main tournament was already shaping up to be quite a spectacle.
Narsha, who had been running an errand, arrived late and looked around.
“Narsha, over here.”
I waved and called out, and Narsha pushed through the crowd to my side. Two horse beastkin were with her.
“Miyu!”
“It's Mire!”
“Have you been well?”
“Yeah!”
Miro's younger siblings, who were with me, greeted the newcomers warmly.
“I've returned. I've brought all of Miss Miro's siblings, as you asked.”
“Good work. Let's have them enjoy the race and cheer for Miss Miro, then we'll take them to the merchant group later.”
“Understood.”
Narsha sat down next to me.
“But Master, may I ask why you brought Miss Miro's siblings here at this particular time?”
“It wouldn't look good for a master to use his slave's family as a bargaining chip, now would it?”
“Is that really the only reason?”
I gave Narsha, who was looking at me with suspicion, a soft smile.
“A goal set by others is no different from being forcibly pushed from behind. It can be the driving force that moves someone who was standing still, but it will soon lose its power and they will stop again. At that point, you have to set an even more coercive goal. After all, it takes greater force to move something that has stopped.”
“…”
“But that only increases the pressure, and its effectiveness will diminish over time. In the end, one must set their own goals. Their own finish line to fix their eyes on and run toward.”
“Is that the same reason you had that racer placed in Miss Miro's group?”
Narsha's gaze fell upon a racer wearing a tattered robe.
“Before she can run forward, she needs to know where she stands. That person is a pacemaker for her.”
*
Miro stepped onto the track for the third preliminary match.
The number 2 was written on her uniform this time.
Miro had passed the second preliminary match smoothly and was confident she would pass this one without issue, but her expression was somewhat deflated.
What was the reason she had entered this race?
There was her master Karami's order, but it was also to save her siblings. For Miro, who had once resented them and blamed herself, it was a chance to wash away her guilt.
But Karami had told her he would save all her siblings, regardless of the race's outcome.
It was what she had hoped for; her goal had been achieved.
It should have been a joyous occasion, but…
‘Now… what am I running for?’
Her goal had vanished.
Her reason to run was gone.
Miro was seized by an inexplicable sense of doubt.
-The third preliminary match will begin shortly. Racers in Group A, please enter the gates.
‘No, I'll think about it later.’
It was best to put aside thoughts that interfered with her focus before a race. Miro slapped her cheeks.
‘This time, my opponents are…’
They would be stronger than her previous opponents, but no one stood out in particular.
‘Huh? That person?’
Then, Miro's eyes caught a woman bundled up from head to knees in a coarse robe. She remembered seeing that reddish-brown ponytail fluttering behind her.
It was the same person who had shot from the very back to the front in a single burst when she first visited the racetrack with Karami.
Their regions were different, so she'd thought they would only meet in the main tournament, if at all. She never expected to see her here.
She would have to be wary of her violent racing style.
-Before we begin the first race of the third preliminary match, who are the noteworthy racers in Group A?
-First, we have racer Miro. She had a close match with Lua Swift in the first round but over-paced and fell to fourth, barely qualifying. Still, she came in first without trouble in the second round, so she's one to watch this time as well.
-Next up is this racer: Scarlet Stampede. She might be unfamiliar to those who have only watched the Academy's races, but she's already famous in other regions. A runaway chariot that mercilessly tramples any racer who gets in her way! The other racers will need to be careful.
I always feel this way, but I hate listening to that commentary. It creates unnecessary tension. It's a relief I can't hear it when I'm focused on running.
-All racers are in the gates. The Group A race of the third preliminary match will begin shortly.
Clang!
-And they're off! Who will be the first to pass this final gateway of the preliminaries and head to the main tournament? The sixteen racers of the third preliminary match are on their way!
-All racers start off in a line. Right from the start, number 16, Goldie Impact, pulls ahead and easily takes the lead. The other racers follow behind her as if by agreement, forming a line.
-Racer Miro is in the middle of the pack as usual, and racer Scarlet, who had a relaxed start, has also settled into her usual spot at the very back. A familiar formation.
-I'm already excited to see what kind of close contest these two racers, who both favor a late-race spurt, will show us.
-As I speak, they pass the first corner and enter the second. Goldie Impact is still in the lead.
“Hoo, hoo.”
Miro ran, maintaining a moderate pace.
There were no major opponents to keep in check. However, she had to be aware of how she was perceived in this race. A primary target for the others. A moment of carelessness, and she could easily be boxed in.
Find a way out and spurt at the right moment.
‘What does a goal matter?’
Just look ahead and run, and cross the finish line before anyone else. That's the only goal a horse beastkin needs.
How simple and clear.
-The race has been uneventful, flowing smoothly past the halfway point and into its final act. Could it really end this peacefully?
Not a chance.
As if to shout just that, Miro pulled out to the side at the perfect moment. She poured strength into her legs, her steps quickening as she began to pick up speed.
She shot forward, as if pushing the very ground away.
-There it is, right on cue! Miro starts to pull ahead from the outside! She picks them off one by one and joins the lead group in an instant! Goldie Impact grits her teeth and tries to hold on, but ultimately gives up the lead! Three lengths, four lengths—she keeps widening the gap without stopping! This is Miro's great escape!
‘Ah, this view.’
The wide-open straight track, with no obstacles to obstruct the view. Above it, a crystal-clear sky stretching beyond the horizon. And the finish line in sight.
A perfect trinity.
A view reserved only for first place.
It feels good every time I see it.
Just like this, I'll cross the finish line without any issues──────.
“Ugh?”
A sensation that set every nerve on edge.
The illusion of the very earth shaking.
Startled by the thundering sound of the ground, Miro instinctively glanced back.
A storm of dust.
Racers being swept aside.
And charging through it all, with the storm at her back, was the reddish-brown chariot.
Scarlet Stampede sprinted forward, her robe fluttering.
-There she is, there she is, there she is! A spurt wouldn't be complete without her! Racer Scarlet has begun her final spurt and is fiercely chasing down racer Miro!
‘Wh-what is that?’
What kind of monster is chasing me?
If that thing hits me, I'll die, won't I?
-Run, Miro! Catch her, Scarlet! A chase of the hunter and the hunted! Will she escape, or will she be caught! 600 meters remaining!
“Eek!”
Miro sprinted, looking only ahead.
An immense, invisible pressure bore down on her back.
Was that why?
As she ran with all her might, the pain that had subsided felt like it was growing again for no reason.
A thought suddenly crossed her mind.
‘Do I really need to run this hard?’
My siblings are already saved.
I can advance to the main tournament even if I'm not in first place.
So is there any reason to endure the pain and keep running?
THOOM—!
The ground shook.
Just as she was about to glance back, Scarlet, who had been far behind, was right alongside her.
From within the impenetrable hood, a cold, brown light flashed in her eyes.
“You're in the way. Move, you pathetic fool.”
Before Miro could even protest, she shot past her.
“Ugh! Wait…!”
-It's Scaaaarlet! Scarlet has taken the lead! Scarlet, who was at the tail, has finally climbed all the way to the head! A true runaway chariot! A true stampede!
-200 meters remaining! Miro musters her strength once more, dreaming of a comeback, but the gap just won't close! No matter how hard she runs, she can't reach her!!!
A distance she couldn't reach even if she stretched out her hand.
No matter how much she ran, she didn't get closer; instead, the distance only grew.
It had been stolen from her.
Just moments ago, the view before her had been hers alone.
Now, her wide-open view was blocked by an unwelcome back.
I'm running at full power, aren't I?
I'm running so hard my back hurts.
Why?
Why can't I catch up?
In the end, she couldn't catch up to Scarlet by the time she crossed the finish line.
-First place! It's Scarlet in first place! The miracle comeback did not happen! The star of the show to receive the spotlight is not Miro, but Scarlet! Scarlet Stampede advances to the main tournament faster than anyone!
“Hah… hah… hah… hah…”
Miro slowly came to a stop, catching her breath. A thunderous roar of cheers filled the stadium, but it didn't reach her deafened ears.
Congratulations and glory belong only to the victor.
A world of light and shadow, divided by a single line.
The winner's space, a place she shouldn't covet.
This was the view given to the loser.
Miro, who until moments ago had believed without a doubt that she was the protagonist, was now reduced to a mere extra, watching blankly from several paces away.
Scarlet, reacting not at all to the crowd's wild cheers, adjusted her hood and walked away impassively. She seemed to glance at Miro for a moment, but then passed by as if she had no interest.
Her siblings were in the stands, waving and telling her she did a good job.
Miro couldn't bring herself to look them in the eye and instinctively turned her head away.