Chapter 22: It Is I, Mia Luna Seamoon!

“Hm... Chloe was right. This is pretty tough to walk through. All this muck means we can’t start off too fast or we’ll get too tired toward the end.”

During the downtime after the conclusion of the men’s speedriding event, Mia had a moment to feel out the course, so she rode a lap on Kuolan’s back, making sure to keep a very leisurely pace to avoid any embarrassing accidents.

“The rain yesterday really did a number here. The ground’s so uneven it’s going to be really easy to trip... Good thing I did a trial run first.”

Mia tended to get cocky, and she often slacked off, but she was ultimately a coward at heart. Boldly confronting unknown perils was not her thing. Given a chance to check things out beforehand, she was definitely going to take the opportunity. Especially after Chloe warned her about the potential dangers underfoot.

“Even with Chloe’s advice though, riding on this kind of ground isn’t going to be easy,” she grumbled with a frustrated sigh.

After dabbing some light sweat from her forehead, she took another look at the course and gulped, the bumpiness of her test run still fresh in her memory. Actually, it wasn’t technically a “test run.” Specifically, it wasn’t a “run.” In equestrian jargon, gaits of different speeds had different names. There was the canter, a brisk stride slower than a full gallop. Slightly slower was the trot. Slower than that, the walk. Then came whatever it was that Mia used while circling the course, a plodding shuffle so slow that birds actually landed on Kuolan’s head to enjoy a quick break. Absolute caution was the name of the game, making for a test stroll that, to her credit, did at least provide ample time to enjoy the scenery.

“If I want to make it to the finish line in one piece, it’s going to be critical that I start slow. The last stretch of the course is straight and relatively dry, so I should take my time until I reach it. Or maybe I should just hope Ruby messes up and stumbles somewhere...”

With the addition of Safety First to her usual principle of Mia First, she immediately gave up all intention of properly winning the race.

“In that case, I should probably go full speed in the beginning as a bluff. That way, she’ll panic and try to pull ahead. If she then ends up tripping over a ditch somewhere, maybe...”

Time passed quickly while she schemed. Soon, it was time for their race to begin. They drew lots to decide their lanes, and Mia secretly rejoiced upon seeing the one she’d been assigned.

Yes! I got a good lane!

Not too far ahead of where Ruby sat on Skyred Hare was a muddy area. If she went straight, she’d plunge right into the muck. If she avoided it, it’d cost her time.

It’s not much, but it’s all I have right now. I doubt I’ll win through this alone. Still, a small advantage is better than no advantage.

She glanced at Kuolan.

“I have to say though, I’d appreciate a little more enthusiasm from you...”

The rain had prevented her from practicing yesterday, but the day of rest hadn’t infused the horse with any extra energy. Ever since Kayou had given birth, Kuolan had been growing more and more placid.

Hnnngh, what’s the matter, Kuolan? How come you’re so indifferent? Have you just accepted our fate?

It had remained unruffled even in the face of Skyred Hare’s open derision. She remembered the look in Kuolan’s eyes. It was similar to how adults would look at children engaging in the natural mischief of their age, before making a comment to the effect of “Oh, what am I going to do with you,” a question belied by the fond smiles on their faces.

“What happened to the old Kuolan? The one with attitude? Who tried to buck me every time we went for a run? I need the old Kuolan back, or I won’t have any chance at winning...”

Just then, she noticed a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye.

“Oh, look, Kuolan. It’s your boss.”

The other moonhare, led by Malong, clopped over with regal grace.

“All right, Kayou’s watching, so you’d better get serious. Or would you rather humiliate yourself in front of the head honcho?”

Her provocation bounced off Kuolan like a pebble against a brick wall. It turned its head toward Kayou and grinned. There was still no sense of fight to the horse.

“Augh, this is not the time to be fooling around! What, are you going to grin Ruby’s horse into submission? Come on! We might not win, but for the sake of our dignities, we have to at least put up a decent fi— Ah.”

A third figure came between the two horses, blocking their view of one another. Skyred Hare, with Ruby saddled firmly on its back, let out a melodious whinny. It looked at Kayou and flicked its tail. There was an elegance to the way the crimson horse carried itself.

Aaaah, it’s so graceful. Just like Kayou. They’d be such a good match...

The thought crossed her mind mere moments before she sensed a sudden tension in the air.

“Hm?”

It seemed to be radiating from Kuolan’s direction, and it felt like an aura...of something hot.

“Kuolan... What’s gotten into you?”

It nickered and blew air from its nose, its expression as tranquil as always.

“Huh? Well, that’s odd. I swear I felt...” she muttered, inclining her head to one side in bemusement.

The stakes were high, the stage was set, and their duel was about to begin.

“All right, listen, Kuolan. We’re going all out from the very start. Understand? We’re going all out from the very start. Get ahead, stay ahead,” Mia said in a bold voice loud enough for Ruby to hear.

Needless to say, this was a bluff. She was strategically lying through her teeth in an attempt to lure Ruby into dashing headfirst into her own ruin.

Heh, I don’t have to rack my brains this time. I just have to talk. Easy-peasy.

And talk she did, rambling on and on about her plan to immediately leave Ruby in the dust. She even hummed a little song for effect. Interestingly, such a ploy wouldn’t have been possible before, because Kuolan might have assumed she was giving it orders and actually done as she said. It wasn’t like she could explain the concept of bluffing to the animal. Smart as it was, Kuolan was still a horse. She could hardly expect it to comprehend the nuances of verbal stratagem, so she would have had to choose her words very carefully.

Not anymore though. Its intractably fiery spirit had somehow evaporated, leaving it a docile shadow of its former self. Nothing she said roused it. Neither encouragement nor provocation could elicit even a hint of competitive enthusiasm. So she was free to blab to her heart’s content!

“All right, Kuolan. Listen up. We don’t need to play fair. We just need to win. Winning is love! Winning is life! Winning is all that matters! Got it?” she declared. “It’s all about the start, you hear? Victory will be decided at the outset, so go as fast as you can, as soon as you can, straight down this lane!”

She was signaling to Ruby that she saw no need to conform to the standard theory of holding back until the second half of the race. She was going to go full speed right out of the gate. As soon as she’d finished her sentence, Kuolan whinnied. Slowly, it craned its neck toward her and pulled its lips into a grin as if saying, “Gotcha, boss.”

“...Hm?”

Mia suddenly got a bad feeling about her immediate future, but before she could dwell on this any further, she was signaled into position. Thus the two competitors lined up adjacent to one another, Mia atop Kuolan and Ruby atop Skyred Hare.

“So, Your Highness’s strategy is to take the lead and hold it?” Ruby asked with an easy smile.

“Absolutely. I believe that in competitions like these, the most important thing is to secure an early lead.”

“Hah. I didn’t think you’d be so gutsy.” Ruby narrowed her eyes at the course. “As for me...I’ll be taking the slow and steady approach. Going too fast too early on a course like this will leave you struggling at the end...”

And so, Mia’s strategy proved to be dead on arrival.

“Huh? Wait, what? You can’t—”

“Competitors, on your marks! Get set! Go!”

A sharp voice and a quick swing of a flag signaled the start of the race. Before she could even process the shock of her failed ploy, the pair of horses burst into motion. Ruby’s steed, true to her word, settled into a slower, more controlled pace. Its steps were steady and confident, showing no panic or doubt. Kuolan, on the other hand...

“Wha— Sto— No, Kuo—” Mia shouted falteringly, struggling to speak with the wind hammering her face.

True to her word, Kuolan broke at full speed. Faster, even. It broke at fuller, no, fullest speed.

“Too fast! You’re going too fast! Aaaaaaaaah!” she screamed in a voice of primal fear as her steed rampaged forward.

To her terror, it kept building speed. Within seconds, a large gap had formed between it and Skyred Hare.

Augh, if we go this fast in the beginning, we’ll get tired and lose too much speed at the end. And that’s if we even reach the end! At this rate, we’re definitely going to trip over something!

Then, Kuolan hit her with a double whammy of unexpected behavior.

“Wait, what are yo— No, not that way!”

She suddenly noticed that they were quickly approaching a large puddle of mud. It was, in fact, that puddle of mud. Indeed, Kuolan had charged diagonally down the course and was now in Skyred Hare’s lane. To an observer, Mia’s horse undoubtedly looked like it was out of control. This was extra baffling for her, considering she’d been getting pretty good at handling Kuolan recently. Her mind raced at the same speed as the blurring scenery.

“Wh-Why are you going out of your way to run in the harder lane?” she yelled in between shrieks of terror.

Kuolan glanced at her, blew some air out of its nose and, without any hesitation...dove straight into the mud!

“Gaaaaaaaaah!”

Gobs of muck and mire exploded upward as hooves slammed down. Mia stiffened and tightened her grip on the reins mere moments before Kuolan raised its rear. Its back pitched forward, sending her sliding toward its neck. The sudden motion almost sent her tumbling off, and only with a desperate effort did she manage to hang on. She caught a glimpse of the mud being kicked up by Kuolan’s powerful hind legs...as well as its target. A jet of brown splatters hit Ruby and Skyred Hare with an archer’s precision. The crimson horse neighed in dismay and slid to a stop, vision and momentum robbed simultaneously as slop blanketed its eyes. Ruby, an equal victim of the sludgy projectile, narrowly avoided being thrown off herself.

“Wh-What the...” Mia stammered in bewilderment before her mind caught up with her eyes and she realized what Kuolan was doing.

The mad dash was so he can get in front of Skyred Hare and kick mud back at them? He must have been planning to do this from the very begi— Eeeeek! Kuolan?!

That was all the thinking she managed to do before her steed accelerated again. Now it dodged all the puddles in front of it, swerving around some while leaping right across others, as it hurtled down the course at breakneck speed.

It was, frankly, an egregious display of unsportsmanlike conduct. After all, kicking mud at a rival competitor was pretty much the textbook definition of playing dirty. However, it wasn’t met with jeering from the crowd. Rather...

“Huh. Damn. You go, girl.”

Malong spoke for the vast majority of the spectators. To understand their reaction, one must consider the nature of horsemanship. What was horsemanship? Was it an aristocratic pastime? A sophisticated leisure activity for young noble girls? No! Certainly not! Horsemanship, at its core, was a martial skill. Meant to be employed in war, it sought first and foremost the defeat of an opponent. The point wasn’t simply to ride fast. It was to do everything possible to dismount one’s opponent. To win the engagement.

This essence had been lost on much of the audience, who’d shown up expecting to witness the genteel performance of an imperial princess and a duke’s daughter. It would, they’d figured, be a reserved affair in which a pair of refined-looking girls did some refined riding, weaving carefully around muddy areas and conserving their horses’ stamina until the home stretch, where the race would be decided by a straight line sprint. Clean, conventional, and wholly colorless. The last thing they were expecting was Mia’s near-suicidal gambit. To their further excitement, Ruby had shaken off the surprise attack and was now in fierce pursuit. The whole venue immediately began to buzz with energy.

“Now that’s some entertaining riding! My money’s on the princess!”

“Don’t rule out the Redmoon girl though. Look at how close she’s staying. It’s damn impressive. Some real dogged riding there.”

To their approving eyes, even Mia’s desperate shrieking and dodgy riding—she frequently had to scramble to heave her rear back into the saddle after nearly being thrown off—seemed like a part of her strategy. It wasn’t, of course. But anyway...

“Aha ha, it looks like Her Highness has got a few tricks up her sleeve,” said Ruby, chuckling as she wiped the mud off her face. She licked her lips. “Yes... This is it. This is what I wanted.”

Her heart was pounding. From exertion, yes, but far more from the elation of being able to fight for the one she loved.

Unlike that time, when I couldn’t...

The words flitted through her mind, and then were gone. She frowned.

“That time? What...?”

She tried to chase the memory, but it had evaporated like a dream upon waking. All the details were gone. There was one thing she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt—the source of this burning impulsion within her was regret. Suddenly, she understood. Losing was painful, but not even getting the chance to fight was far worse. It was a strange insight, one she felt she’d known all along, and it put a euphoric smile on her face.

“Don’t get too cocky, Your Highness, because this duel’s just getting started. Let’s go, Skyred Hare.”

At her signal, her mount broke into a fierce dash. Despite its speed, its strides were light and graceful. Its reputation, as proven by this smooth gallop, was not undeserved. Like a red comet, it shot down the length of the course, evading mud puddles while continuing to accelerate. Onlooking eyes began to focus on its rider.

“That horse is a beauty, no doubt, but the young Redmoon is no slouch herself. That’s some fine riding.”

Impressed voices could be heard throughout the venue. Those who’d dismissed the event as a mere diversion for highborn daughters changed their tune after witnessing Ruby’s skillful handling of Skyred Hare. Then there was Mia. Her embarrassingly high-pitched squealing had died down. Now she rode in dispassionate silence, paying no mind to Ruby’s fast-closing form. She didn’t panic. She didn’t even seem to notice.

...Just to be clear, she didn’t pass out or anything. Her eyes were focused intently forward, and her face was devoid of emotion. She was tranquility itself, the eye of a storm, riding with steady, impassive composure. This change in mannerism was brought about by a realization that had dawned on her soon after the race began.

This...is entirely out of my hands now, isn’t it?

When a man out to sea is caught in a storm, how does he fight the waves? The answer is simple: he does not. He cannot. Then what could Mia do to control the horse-shaped tempest that was Kuolan? Nothing. So what was she supposed to do? She had, in fact, already discovered the answer back during the summer—the back float! Man was powerless before Mother Nature. The fury of the open sea could be neither pacified nor conquered. When faced with a towering wave, one should not oppose it but rather relax and give in to its flow.

That’s right. I have no control, just like those moon jellyfish floating in the sea. In fact, I should learn from them. They definitely know what they’re doing. Okay, think like jellyfish, be like jellyfish. I am jellyfish... I am jellyfish...

And thus, she became one with the gelatinous moons of the sea. She was now Mia Luna Seamoon!

After allotting a portion of her mental resources to her continued mumbling of jellyfish-related incantations, she devoted all the rest to reading Kuolan’s rhythm, working her own legs to match its strides. At last she’d discovered her ideal way to ride—total relinquishment of control. Her dream had always been to become the ultimate yes-man. To find people who could accomplish her goals and leave everything to them so she could relax in bed.

How would this apply to riding? In terms of racing, the goal was of course to cross the finish line before everyone else. So who was capable of doing this? In this respect, she now knew that she’d harbored a grave misunderstanding, thinking that she was the one who needed to accomplish this goal.

It was not so. In the Horsemanship Tournament, the one doing the running...was the horse. Horses knew how to run quickly. They knew far better than she. Her job, then, was to surrender control. The horse was the one who was good at running. She just had to let herself be taken along for the ride. And under no circumstances should she ever get in the horse’s way.

So, Mia focused every last drop of her concentration on matching Kuolan’s movements. Discordant motion would cause it to waste momentum, so she tried her very best to avoid any such occurrence. This would also keep her from falling off, which was arguably even more important, because falling off seemed like it would hurt a lot!

She managed to finish most of the course using this hands-off approach. As she rounded the final bend of the first lap, she heard Ruby’s voice.

“Better watch out, Your Highness.”

Mia glanced sideways to find herself neck and neck with Ruby. She looked from her opponent to her red steed. Skyred Hare’s face, now marred by splotches of mud, had lost all semblance of its prior regality. Its eyes flared with rage.

“It’s my turn now,” Ruby declared tersely.

The meaning of her words immediately dawned on Mia.

“Ah! They’re going to ram— Eeeek!”

Her words were cut off by her own scream as she felt her body tilt. A split second later, there was a heavy impact, after which she saw Kuolan crane its neck toward her and peel its lips back in an incredibly smug grin. Indeed, the horse had seen that Skyred Hare intended to ram them and responded with a preemptive body slam of its own.

A strained grunt escaped Ruby as she righted herself.

“Hah, not bad. You play pretty rough.”

The timing of the counterattack had been impeccable, striking Ruby’s steed just as it shifted its body to attack. The surprise impact slowed Skyred Hare as it struggled to keep its balance. In the meantime, Kuolan charged forward, pulling away again.

When both competitors finished their first lap, the gap between them was two horse-lengths. Amidst the roaring of a thrilled crowd, the race entered its second and final lap!

Not far into the second half, Skyred Hare struck back with a revenge body slam. It had a similar effect, catching Kuolan off guard and sending it stumbling into a mud puddle. It splashed up, coating Mia’s face.

“Gah!”

She shrieked, the jolt causing her balance to waver. In what seemed like a display of concern, Kuolan glanced back at her. Then it gave her another one of its horsey grins.

Wait a minute... That’s not a concerned face! That’s a “You’re still on, right? Because I’m just getting started” face!

She immediately tightened her grip on the reins at the realization. A moment later, she felt all the muscles in Kuolan’s back tense. Skyred Hare leaned in for another hit, but Kuolan took it head-on, turning it into a shoving match. Unprepared to wrestle, Skyred Hare broke from the engagement. Undeterred, it came in for another strike. Kuolan met it again. And again. And again. The two horses slammed into each other three times, sending viscous shockwaves up through their riders.

“Ugh!”

Ruby winced, struggling to control her mount as wind blew drops of glistening sweat off her forehead. Mia, meanwhile, did the exact opposite. Having mastered the Way of the Seamoon, she entered Jellyfish Stance and employed the first of its ultimate techniques: pass-through! As the president of the student council, a great variety of issues would end up at her desk. Each time one did, she would hand it off to someone else with practiced efficiency, the motion as natural as breathing.

It was almost as if the documents had never stopped at her desk in the first place. They simply passed through her. Reports from Chloe would flow straight to Rafina. Documents from Sapphias landed right in Sion’s hands. Then, when the receiving party came back with a solution, all she would do is smash the metaphorical like button on their response and send it off. From left to right and east to west, things just kept flowing right through her, propelled by her masterful usage of pass-through. Like clothes on a line or a petal in the wind, she bent and swayed with the flow, her lithe form offering no friction or resistance.

Met with the violent jolt of colliding animals, she did the same, her limp body twisting and turning like a ragdoll as the force of the impacts passed through her. This (situationally, depending on the perspective) graceful method of riding wowed the audience and elicited gasps of admiration.

“Go Princess Mia! Go Princess Mia!”

Synchronized cheering reached her ears. She glanced sideways to find her group of makeshift cheerleaders yelling encouragement at her. Their efforts had prompted a number of spectators to join in. As she passed in front of them, she took one hand off the reins and waved. This cocky gesture of composure elicited an even louder round of enthused roars from the crowd.

...Obviously, Mia was not actually being cocky. After all, she could hardly flaunt her composure when she didn’t have a shred of it left. The hand in the air was, in fact, waving of its own accord! Having slipped from the reins, it fluttered in the wind, fingers too weak to ball into a fist, and she was desperately trying to pull it back down.

Eeeeek! Help! Help! I’m going to fall! I’m going to faaaaall!

She stared with desperate, teary eyes at the back of Kuolan’s head, focusing every remaining speck of concentration on a single point, hoping to get its attention. In that moment, she had indeed become the princess with the high-powered gaze. Suddenly, Kuolan looked back toward her.

Oh thank the moons! I got through to it!

A moment’s reprieve from anxiety. Then, that horsey grin again. It seemed to say, “Yeah, yeah, I know. Win by any means necessary, right? Just leave it to me. I’ll show you what real speed looks like.”

Which was pretty much the exact opposite of what she wanted to convey.

Nope, I didn’t! I didn’t get through to it at all! Eeeeeeeek!

As a fresh round of tears further clouded her vision, she heard Ruby’s voice beside her.

“So, are you done? If you’ve got no more tricks, then I’ll just go ahead and win this race,” Ruby declared with supreme confidence.

I have to give it to you. You put up a good fight. But this is it. The race is mine, Your Highness... thought Ruby as she eyed her opponent.

The two horses were almost neck and neck. The stage was set for her to come from behind and win. They’d just cleared the last bend, and it was now a straight dash to the finish line. In a contest of pure speed, she had every advantage. She’d always planned to win through this final stretch. Though she’d fallen behind earlier, she knew this was where she could turn the tide. Having caught up right as they reached this last leg of the race, she felt a surge of confidence in her victory...followed by a rush of doubt.

This was her chance. Her golden opportunity. But it was...too golden. Could a race like this really work out so perfectly in the home stretch? Through her education in military tactics, Ruby knew that the world would, on very rare occasions, see the rise of a special kind of genius who could have their opponents believing confidently in their victory every step of the way...to their own demise. The mind-bending prowess of these wizards of strategy dotted the pages of history, each brilliant ploy a work of art unto itself.

Ruby knew that the strategy of true genius was subtle. She also knew that the girl beside her was Mia Luna Tearmoon, whom a number of influential people revered as the “Great Sage of the Empire.” Finally, she saw that Mia’s eyes were fixed intently on her own horse. There was no hint of defeat in those eyes.

Sh— That’s her plan!

The revelation of her own failure came woefully late. She’d played completely into Mia’s bluff. A contest of pure speed favored Skyred Hare. Therefore her opponent had forgone such a contest, trying instead to win through trickery and mayhem by launching surprise attacks, hence the mud-slinging and tackling. But what if that fundamental assumption was false?

What if her horse’s top speed is only a little slower than mine? Or...the same? Then her horse would have been running exactly the way she planned, while we’d have spent the whole race dealing with their disruptions. Who would be more exhausted by the end?

In that case, the events of the race so far would not have been an attempt to close the gap between their horses’ potential for a slim chance to win...but a methodical scheme to seal victory.

Ruby swallowed as the race neared its end.

...For the record, if we were to apply Ruby’s logic, then Mia, who’d been dealing with nonstop environmental disruptions since the race began, should be the most exhausted of the four of them. All that pass-throughing took a heavy toll.

“I... I can’t... No more... Can’t hold reins... Going to fall...”

Her teary whimpers were mercilessly drowned out by the thunderous cheers of the crowd.