All love stems from the anticipation of victory. So after her defeat in the Satsuki Sho, Orfevre lost everyone's affection. Did she, feeling that expectations had diminished, unconsciously revert to her old self?
"Aside from retainers, there's also family, right? How does Orfevre's family treat her?"
Dream Weaver lifted her head and asked the stunned retainer lady.
"How… they treat her?"
The retainer fell silent for a moment, as if carefully considering how to phrase it, but finally let out a soft sigh and spoke quietly.
"Though it's not my place as a retainer to discuss the affairs of my masters… but Miss Orfevre's family, especially her parents and older sister, do indeed dote on her excessively."
Now convinced by Dream Weaver's analysis, the retainer held nothing back and shared everything she had observed.
Since she was no longer burdened by expectations, perhaps there was no need to continue acting as the Golden Tyrant. If that was the case, why not simply return to the side of those who loved her?
That was why Dream Weaver sensed a touch of childish willfulness beneath Orfevre's dominant performance today.
Even Orfevre herself wasn't fully aware of that faint whisper hidden in the corner of her heart—yet Dream Weaver had seen right through it.
Unlike T.M. Opera O's baseless confidence, Orfevre's pride was something forged over time. Because she achieved glorious results, she could become the Golden Tyrant—and therefore, she had to possess such pride.
But how can anyone maintain such an extreme state indefinitely? Eventually, the tightly drawn string would snap under the pressure.
Even if Orfevre had won the Triple Crown, the future would still bring the overwhelming weight of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe—a mountain pressing down on the Japanese horse racing world, leaving everyone breathless. Eventually, she would crack under the pressure of public expectation.
Yes, even without this defeat in the Satsuki Sho, even if Orfevre had won the Triple Crown in an invincible manner, she would have instinctively relaxed and taken a step back after such victory.
After all, the Triple Crown is a feat only a handful of Uma Musume can achieve. Reaching such heights—even without winning the Arc—should be enough to carry the glory of the Orfevre name and meet the audience's expectations, shouldn't it?
Sooner or later, Orfevre would be worn down by the unbearable weight of pressure. Dream Weaver's victory had only accelerated that process.
Thinking this, Dream Weaver couldn't help but marvel at her own insight. Why was it that after only meeting Orfevre a few times and observing her through just a handful of interactions, she had been able to figure all this out?
Was it because she had once been a rival to a king herself, allowing her to see Orfevre on equal footing?
Or was it her upgraded purple skill, [Intuition], that granted her some special ability to see into Orfevre's heart?
Or perhaps…
Dream Weaver frowned slightly and murmured to herself:
'Have I too felt the pressure that comes with such expectations?'
As an Uma Musume who fought her way from the local circuits to the central stage, winning everything from the Kyodo Tsushin Hai to the Satsuki Sho—even dethroning the highly anticipated Orfevre—what kind of expectations would the audience now have for her?
Almost instinctively, Dream Weaver silently called up the system in her mind.
As she focused her thoughts, a semi-transparent blue panel appeared before her eyes.
--+--
[Main Objective: Gain the Recognition of the Audience.]
[Current Recognition: (80/100)]
[Evaluation: A legendary Uma Musume who rose from the local circuits to the center stage, now regarded by many as a ruler of her generation—one with the same dominating potential as Orfevre.
She will surely wipe away the shadow cast by elite families over the horse racing world, and rekindle the faded glory of the local circuits.
This is what many believe, how they see her, and what they await—anticipating the arrival of her next race.]
--+--
Reading the increasingly detailed evaluation, Dream Weaver let out a heavy sigh. Though the text was barely a hundred words long, she could feel the immense weight of expectation behind it.
"Uma Musume bring hope to people."
Dream Weaver had experienced the truth of those words firsthand. Whether it was the critically ill children in the real world or everyone in Kasamatsu in this scripted world, she had already given hope to many.
But now, Dream Weaver suddenly realized that she wasn't only meant to bring hope to those she knew—she also had to pass that hope on to countless strangers she had never met.
They entrusted their expectations to her, hoping that her victories would reignite their passion for life.
Because of that, she had to win. Only by winning could she carry their hopes.
Orfevre must have thought the same.
A true ruler doesn't only enjoy the admiration and awe of the people—she must also bear their hopes and, through her own strength, shoulder the negative emotions and shadows in their hearts.
"To bear the disgrace of the state—that is to be master of the realm. To bear the misfortunes of the nation—that is to be king under heaven."
Dream Weaver whispered the words softly. Only now did she realize how fortunate T.M. Opera O was to possess such unfounded self-confidence.
All she had to do was complete her main objective, and she could leave this world. But what about Orfevre?
How much longer would she have to endure?
In this state, no matter how hard Orfevre trained or how astonishingly her physical abilities improved, it would be difficult for her to defeat Dream Weaver—who had a main objective to fulfill and could almost taste victory.
Dream Weaver was aware of this, and she unconsciously pressed her lips together.
If she ignored Orfevre's unusual condition, her chances of winning the Japanese Derby would be much higher.
Winning the Japanese Derby and securing the audience's recognition would allow her to complete her main objective and leave this scripted world with ease.
After her departure, everyone at Kasamatsu Tracen would move toward a brighter future, inspired by the legacy and hope she left behind.
Wasn't that enough? They were her closest friends in this world. Giving them a better future—surely she had already done enough.
Orfevre was just a rival in competition. What excuse did she have—what reason—to pull her out of this shadow?!
Dream Weaver tried to use logic to convince herself to make the "right" choice, but her feet unconsciously carried her toward the staircase.
Now that she thought about it, from the very first day she entered this scripted world, she had never made a truly rational decision.
As a newcomer, she should have wisely stayed out of the dynamics between the upperclassmen at Kasamatsu Tracen.
As an Uma Musume, she should have recognized the unreliability of Kasamatsu Tracen and used her own abilities to wisely transfer to the central circuit.
As Dream Weaver, tasked with completing an objective, she should have taken Chizuru Haibara's advice and postponed her confrontation with Orfevre until the Japanese Derby.
But it seemed that every time, she had made the wrong choice—the one that went against reason.
--+--
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.