Chapter 380 - Game Change
"First is the change of the match venue. The tournament will now be held in a section of the training grounds owned by the knights. It's outdoors. It will be far larger than the match stages we currently use."
What in the world? Moving from an indoor stage to an outdoor one, and a military training ground at that? That was a massive change.
I couldn't say for sure until I saw the place, but a training ground would likely have realistic terrain. If they just wanted a vast space, they wouldn't need a military ground. There would likely be buildings or natural obstacles, making it completely different from anything before. We would have to rethink our entire fighting style. It would be nothing like the current matches where dolls clashed head-on on a small stage.
I wanted to grill the people who decided the rules on what their intentions were. Was there even an explanation for the reasoning?
While the room buzzed at the larger-than-expected change, it seemed the President wasn't finished. Curious about what was coming next, I clapped my hands to silence the chatter.
"Harmyra, continue."
"Yes. Next is the change to the maximum number of participants. Currently, up to twenty-five can participate... but this has been significantly increased to fifty."
Double. I found myself narrowing my eyes. The club members fell silent as if they couldn't comprehend what they'd just heard. It seemed they needed a moment to process the news. It was that big of a change. I wasn't even surprised anymore; I was just exasperated.
The Magic Doll Club wasn't just popular in Berleeza; it was apparently a very popular club among students in the northern part of the continent. So most schools had a club, and the number of members was usually quite high. I didn't know the specifics, but the rules were likely common in other countries, too. I wondered if it would be a problem to have such a significant change only for Berleeza's competition. Many questions arose.
Regardless of the rules in other countries, if it became possible for fifty people to participate, not every club would be able to secure that many members. As it stood, St. Emeralda Girls' Academy only had twenty-five members. We'd had more, but I'd kicked out the ones who lacked motivation at the beginning. I didn't regret it for a second, but I never imagined things would turn out like this.
"President, a question. Were there no objections to this change at today's briefing?"
"Of course, there were many. I also protested, but they said it was a decided matter and there was no room for discussion."
"I see... I bet the briefing was in an uproar. No wonder you're late."
"Actually, the change in numbers isn't the only thing. It won't be fifty-on-fifty matches. Four teams will be fighting simultaneously. A winner will be decided from among those four teams."
The clubroom, which had been noisy, went silent again as if they didn't understand what had been said. This wasn't just a major change; we had to consider it a completely different sport. With a battle royale format, our previous tactics would be useless.
Still, that meant up to two hundred magic dolls would be on the field. In terms of spectacle, this might actually be more interesting.
With such a massive increase in numbers, it made sense why they'd move the match from an indoor stage to an outdoor one. With that many people, the current stage would be too small for a match. Regardless of which reason came first, the two were clearly linked.
But this change presented major problems beyond just each school securing enough members.
"Wait a minute. How are we supposed to operate the magic dolls in a military training ground?"
That was it. If there were buildings or natural objects, there would be situations where you couldn't see the dolls. Even if there were no problems with the wireless operation of the dolls themselves, being unable to see them would almost certainly lead to being unable to move them properly. I didn't think an environment where you couldn't constantly see the dolls was suitable as a match venue. Moreover, if the operation range became wider, the remote operation would consume more mana. From that point as well, we wouldn't be able to do things the same way as before.
In the buzzing clubroom, the President continued her explanation while calming everyone down.
"Special magic tools will be distributed by the Association. They also said they would provide a location in the training ground that offers a wide view. The details aren't known yet, though..."
"New magic tools and a high vantage point? If that resolves the issues, then fine, but in the end, you'll still be operating from a distance, so I'm worried about whether the mana will hold out."
"Exactly. Due to the mana issue, a time limit has been set for the matches. This is also a new rule."
It seemed the Magic Doll battles, which used to have no time limit, were changing to match the change in venue and numbers. This part was actually quite logical.
"Next is how the match is decided. Until now, it was only annihilation matches, but with the increase in numbers and the time limit, this will also change."
The President looked down at her materials, confirming the contents before speaking.
"As a major change, participating teams must apply for a 'General Unit' in advance, and if that is defeated, the team loses."
"So, basically, the goal will be to defeat that General Unit?"
"It would be good if that were the case, but they won't be putting any special marks on the General Units. It might be difficult to identify which one it is on a vast battlefield. After that, the ranking will be decided in order of the number of dolls still surviving within the time limit."
Interesting. The fact that the General Unit can't be identified by sight means you have to identify it by its movements. Basically, the flow will be to hide your General Unit while reducing the enemy's numbers. It's a rule that leaves a chance for a reversal for the underdog while making it difficult to pull off.
"Wait, President. If it's the side with more surviving dolls..."
"If the number of participants is small, you'll be at a disadvantage from the start. For example, a team of fifty and a team of twenty-five would have a twenty-five-point difference from the beginning."
"That's awful!"
I see, so that's how it is. If you're counting the number of surviving dolls rather than the number of dolls defeated, that alone creates an advantage and disadvantage. From the perspective of the smaller team, the battle would proceed at a disadvantage due to the numerical difference, and with a twenty-five-point gap, the larger team could win even with passive tactics like strengthening their defense or running away. For those on the receiving end, this was harsh. Moreover, the battle is in a battle royale format. Attacking the weak first is a standard tactic in battle.
Hmm. Preparing numbers is also an important strategy, but... doesn't the rule seem unusually professional overall? I wonder what kind of intent led to this.
"I thought we finally had the full quota of members, but we'll have to do an emergency recruitment again. Let's all think about this together. Professor, we'll also need to purchase additional dolls. Will the academy approve it?"
"Given the circumstances, probably. Fine, I'll talk to the student council."
The comeback of the Magic Doll Club was an order from the Principal. Even the student council, which had been reluctant, was now on better terms with us. It's a wealthy school, so I could probably get the talk through easily. I have several favors to call in, so I'll manage.
"Thank you. Moving on to the next change..."
"What, there's more?"
I understood the feeling. Just hearing what we'd heard so far was enough to make anyone fed up. The President looked like she felt the same way.
"Continuing on. As a new attempt, bringing in magic tools is now allowed. Only one per school, offensive magic tools are prohibited, and it must pass a pre-screening."
"What's the deal with that? It sounds like another rule that's going to cost money."
"There are restrictions on the mana stones that can be mounted on the magic tools, so they've made it so you can't just spend a fortune. The details are still being finalized, but it seems subsidies from the Association are also being considered. Any school's club should be able to afford at least one."
I guess that was fine, then. If there were no restrictions, someone could theoretically use high-purity mana stones as much as they wanted. For an extreme example, a magic tool for barrier magic would be incredibly powerful. If you had a numerical advantage, you could just hunker down with barrier magic from the start and guarantee a victory. Well, there's no way a club activity could prepare such a magic tool, but you never know since there are exceptions to everything. Setting restrictions was a good call.
Conversely, if it's a magic tool that can be activated with a small amount of mana, high-performance ones can't be used, so there won't be a difference in terms of budget. If someone could prepare an artifact-class magic tool that produced a powerful effect with a small amount of mana, that would be a different story, but the pre-screening is likely there to avoid such situations. However, deciding on what specific item to prepare would be quite a headache. Depending on the compatibility between our magic tool and the opponent's, it could be the factor that decides victory or defeat. It was that important an element.
"Those are the main rule changes. The whims of the Magic Doll Association's upper management are troublesome, but now that the changes have been decided, we have no choice but to comply. Professor, let's rethink our practice content."
"Right. Basic training can stay as it is, but we have to decide on what magic tool to bring and devise tactics involving it. First, I want to check out the training ground that will be the battlefield. Well, this is going to be a lot of trouble for every school."
Things had become quite chaotic, but summer was only halfway through. There were quite a few days until autumn, so we should be able to get things somewhat ready, including various preparations. The problem was still the number of members. I had to rely on the members' recruitment efforts. Aside from the numbers, it might actually be the powerhouse schools, whose previous practice might no longer be as effective, that would have more trouble adapting.
Yeah, I should think positively. My little sister and Curly also had serious expressions as they thought about things. Yes, think, think. Rule changes are full of pitfalls. See if you can find them yourselves, not me. Then think of ways to exploit them.
"Everyone, it's late, so let's save the Q&A and countermeasures for tomorrow. Please organize your questions by then. Ah, Professor, I'd like a moment of your time."
"Sure."
I wondered what it was. Something difficult to talk about in front of everyone? The clubroom, which had been noisy with questions and complaints, became quiet, leaving only me and the President. It didn't seem like anyone was trying to eavesdrop, so it should be fine now.
"Harmyra, what's up? Oh, if it's love advice, leave it to me. It's just like a battle: win with the first move, and once you've landed a blow, just push and push until they give in."
"...Actually, when the rule changes were announced at the briefing, I felt something was off."
My witty joke to lighten the mood seemed to have been ignored.
"Specifically?"
"With these bold rule changes, almost every school was protesting vehemently. But I noticed that some students were quiet. If it's just my imagination, then fine, but..."
I see. That might be interesting.
"So, you mean those people might have known in advance? I don't think you'd suspect them without a reason, so there must be a commonality."
"Yes. Some of the so-called powerhouse schools had that kind of reaction, so I couldn't help but wonder..."
You're quite observant. I'm impressed. And I was also impressed that she didn't just leave the suspicious points alone and consulted me as her advisor.
"One question. You said 'Magic Doll Association' earlier. What is that?"
"It's a system where clubs from various schools that have joined the Association can participate in tournaments. Since there's preparation of venues, scheduling, publicity, and various administrative tasks, the organization that mainly handles those is the Association."
"Naturally, St. Emeralda Girls' Academy is also a member... By the way, how are the operating costs handled? They can't possibly be run on good-will volunteer work or donations."
Doing anything requires coordination and preparation with relevant parties, and doing it on a large scale naturally incurs significant expenses. As soon as money was involved, my professional habit made me suspicious.
"As far as I know, it was funded by membership fees paid by each school, spectator income from the tournaments, and I believe operating costs were included in the price of magic dolls and related products."
I could understand why they needed funds, but the question was how much they needed and how much of a surplus was being generated. Organizations rot easily when large sums of money are involved. And they also start pursuing profit. Human greed is bottomless, myself included. Well, as long as they don't call themselves a non-profit organization, making a profit isn't necessarily a problem, so whatever.
In any case, it's fine to create a system to line your pockets rationally, but being inconvenienced by rule changes is a bit much. There must be some kind of intent behind it, too.
"If it's even included in related products, they must be making quite a bit. Who's running it?"
I figured it was probably some nobles.
"...The management is mainly composed of current or retired advisors of the Magic Doll Clubs from the member schools. Rule revisions are also handled there."
I see, I see. You need people to run it, and people involved in Magic Doll Clubs are familiar with the rules. But if even current advisors are involved in rule changes, it's incredibly unfair. I imagined that being part of the management was some kind of special privilege.
Still, the positions of the schools that make the rules and the schools that just accept them are too different. I wondered if the other schools were okay with that.
"By the way, can't I join the management? I am a current advisor, after all."
"I wonder. I'm not sure about that..."
Hmm, well, whatever. The involvement of powerhouse schools probably had to do with their performance over the past few years. Or perhaps a donation above a certain amount. If anyone could join the management by meeting certain conditions, then there's a slight bit of fairness, I guess.
St. Emeralda Girls' Academy's performance hadn't been good for a long time, and we didn't have the budget. Whatever the future held, it was probably useless to complain to the management now.
Or rather, there was a possibility that this rule change was caused by our club, which had suddenly started to stand out. In the practice match we had a little while ago, even though it was against a mid-tier opponent, we won overwhelmingly. It seemed like it would be quite difficult even for powerhouse schools to win by such a large margin. What if the people who can change the rules as they like thought things would be bad at this rate?
As long as they could prepare a plausible pretext when asked, they would change things to their advantage. That's what power is for. There's no reason not to use it. In fact, thinking they wouldn't do it would be too naive.
Moreover, as the advisor, I was being watched from all sides, and some noble daughters even bore a one-sided grudge against me over the Prince. Would it be too much of a leap to think those people were involved in the management of the Magic Doll Club? Well, I could imagine various bad things.
In the end, come to think of it, it was fine overall. So what if they did?
"Harmyra, I understand there are some rotten people out there. And there's a high probability your suspicions are correct. but let them do as they please. If they think they've gained an advantage just by changing the rules... let's prove them wrong during the actual tournament."
In fact, I was starting to get excited. Let them scheme all they want and try to kick us down with something other than actual skill. The weak have no choice but to defeat the strong with their own kind of battle. I even found that struggle quite appealing. Whether they twist the rules or plot some cheating, they're doing what they need to do to win. That's fine by me.
Learning about this kind of dirtiness is also a form of education. You can't get by in the world with just pretty words. For these upper-class girls, I could consider it a good educational opportunity.
Yeah, it's fine, it's fine. After all, that's what a competition is. There's no such thing as dirty or not. You win or you lose, that's it. It's much more interesting because I can feel a sense of true stakes, rather than some lukewarm student youth drama.
If you're going to be a champion, you have to be able to bounce back from things like this. That's what a true comeback is all about. You could even say things had been going too smoothly until now. Heh, this is getting interesting.