"You know of the Northern family?"
In the past, this question would never have received a response—in fact, there were scarcely any who could even ask it.
But if you were to ask it now, you wouldn't be met with a nod of recognition, only a series of odd stares.
Who hasn't heard of the Northern family?
In today's Uma Musume racing world, the name of the Northern family has become legend. Their history, their past, every last one of their glories is passed from mouth to mouth.
From St. Simon to Nearco, then to Northern Dancer—from Europe to Canada and the Americas—Uma Musume from the Northern family have achieved countless honors across the world.
This, of course, is worthy of admiration, and there has never been any shortage of articles chronicling their legendary tales.
But in this generation, in the present racing world, there is only one reason people talk about the Northern family.
The last hope of the Northern family, the one who single-handedly breathed embers of life back into a fading lineage, the cursed blade that severed all the chains of the past, the undefeated winner of back-to-back Tenno Sho—spring and autumn—
Northern Dreams.
She is the most dazzling legend of this generation.
No one is unaware of her story; no one is ignorant of her journey. In that old Western-style mansion of the Northern family, now open to the public, thousands of people come daily to trace her past.
From the dust-laden boiler room to the clearing piled with fallen leaves, from the empty, lonely corridors to the resplendent hall—hidden within this dilapidated mansion lies the youth of a legend.
She grew up here, honed herself here, gazing upon the achievements of her ancestors through countless late nights, secretly vowing in her heart to reclaim the brilliance that belonged to the Northern family.
What kind of solitude was that? In an environment almost devoid of interaction, through years spent with only the sun, moon, and stars as companions—how did she fortify her will to shoulder the glory of her forebears?
Before her debut race, did she ever hesitate? Taking that step meant bearing an inescapable burden.
In the Kobe Shimbun Hai, did she ever doubt? What awaited her after was a showdown with the strongest of her generation, Narita Brian.
In the Kikuka Shō, did she think of turning away?
The consequence of cutting short the Triple Crown path had already been demonstrated by a predecessor.
In the Tenno Sho Spring, did she feel the pressure? The gaze of nearly the entire racing world, months of criticism—it wasn't something just anyone could withstand.
And before the final Tenno Sho Autumn, did she ever consider what it truly meant to declare war on the Mejiro family in front of the press?
So many questions, so much speculation. This Uma Musume who emerged from the deep mountains almost never revealed her inner thoughts to the outside world.
And precisely because of that, people grew ever more curious, increasingly eager to uncover her past.
Only after fully understanding her journey and her solitude did the name Northern Dreams become the most radiant legend of this generation.
After her, the name of the Northern family once again resounded throughout the Uma Musume racing world.
Future Uma Musume inheriting the Northern name would no longer need to trouble themselves with the old entanglements with the Mejiro family—she had already severed those chains for her lineage.
But just as people were looking forward to her future, eager to witness what new legends this undefeated Uma Musume, victor of back-to-back Tenno Sho, would write—
This Uma Musume, who had captured the attention of an entire racing generation, suddenly vanished from the public eye.
Just as people began to wonder if she had been forced to retire due to severe injuries after the Tenno Sho Autumn, the Uma Musume who had inherited the Northern family simply offered the swarming crowds a mysterious smile.
And the answer to that mystery became a subject of widespread speculation.
That's why the Northern family's old mansion is now flooded with swarms of visitors—people are far too curious about Northern Dreams' whereabouts, so much so that they hope to deduce her future by studying her past.
After dealing with yet another day of tourists, Matikanetannhauser slumped listlessly, the mysterious smile she had maintained instantly collapsing into a pitiful, slightly foolish expression.
She rubbed the small of her back, unable to help reminiscing about how she had ended up in this situation.
After the Tenno Sho Autumn, Matikanetannhauser was suddenly informed by a lawyer that she had inherited all the Northern family's assets.
Her first reaction upon hearing the news was bewilderment, followed only after a long pause by shock.
Even now, she couldn't forget the impolite look in that lawyer's eyes when he broke the news to her.
"It's not like I failed to manage my expression… Was that look really necessary?"
Matikanetannhauser muttered under her breath.
Anyone would react the same way upon learning they were about to take over a family renowned throughout the racing world.
Although Matikanetannhauser had previously heard from Dream Weaver that she carried Northern family blood, after that, the other hardly brought it up again. Even when they occasionally met at Tracen Academy, Matikanetannhauser felt too awkward to ask.
Gradually, she began to treat it as some kind of background setting that would never actually matter, slowly pushing it to the back of her mind.
But who would have thought that right after the Tenno Sho Autumn, Matikanetannhauser would suddenly be pulled aside and told she was inheriting the entire Northern family?
While signing that stack of contracts, her expression was utterly blank. She couldn't understand a word of the gibberish written on them, only thinking to herself, 'Am I about to become rich?'
What should I do first once I'm rich? Buy a giant sunfish for the cafeteria to cook up?
Half dazed and half daydreaming about what came with inheriting the Northern family, Matikanetannhauser suddenly realized—
She seemed to have gotten it all wrong.
Staring at that rundown old Western-style mansion, she remembered her voice nearly breaking with tears.
"Wh-what in the world is this?!"
But soon, the lawyer meticulously detailed the Northern family's assets from that pile of folders filled with who-knows-what legalese.
Aside from this mansion, the entire mountain had actually been purchased by the Northern family long ago.
Even ignoring the mountain, the mansion itself housed many precious antiques brought over from Europe, the oldest dating back to the Victorian era.
For any ordinary Uma Musume, this was a fortune substantial enough to be considered vast.
The same went for Matikanetannhauser.
But just as she was finally coming to terms with reality and preparing to live the ordinary rich life she'd always dreamed of, a black luxury car seemed to materialize out of nowhere, stopping right in front of her.
A tall, mature-looking Uma Musume pushed the car door open. Her sharp, narrow eyes fixed on Matikanetannhauser as she said in a stern tone that brooked no argument, "You can't rest yet."
Just like now.
Watching Mejiro Ramonu come to hurry her along again, Matikanetannhauser twitched the corner of her mouth into a smile uglier than tears.
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! 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.