"Please read through it once and sign here in the blank space. Or since there isn't much time left now, would it be alright if I quickly explain the procedures?"
The member standing beside him pointed to the signature line with his fingertip as he spoke. Having stared at the league hosting flyers for five days straight, he had memorized most of the general content. Even if he looked at the outline document again now, nothing would change, but he needlessly scanned the black letters with his eyes. Perhaps it was his last psychological line of resistance...
Leonardo nodded at the waiting member while shifting his gaze. Rather than needing an explanation, it was an action to buy time internally.
The member began explaining while flipping through the desk calendar on the table without showing any sign of annoyance.
"There are several tests before the preliminaries. Please check the schedule carefully and mark the dates you can participate. If you pass the tests, your name will go up on the preliminary bracket and you won't be able to choose dates after that. Oh, of course, you'll receive participation prizes just for taking the tests, so don't worry."
Since the league charged admission fees to spectators watching the matches, they needed to show match compositions worthy of those admission fees. In other words, this meant they would appropriately filter out mediocre fighting skills like neighborhood thugs brawling. Of course, this didn't mean they would prevent participation, but they seemed to want to select personnel who could show reasonably interesting fighting skills through tests before the preliminaries.
The test items ranged from 5 to 7. They were generally events related to basic physical fitness, but the specific evaluation criteria would be announced on the day as a rule. The member cautiously added that once they advanced to the preliminaries, their appearance could inevitably be exposed to the audience, so they needed to fill out consent forms to participate.
It seemed he thought the applicant was reluctant to be exposed publicly, since the person who came to apply was clearly bundled up tightly.
Leonardo, for whom this point was indeed the biggest concern as the member's intuition suggested, hesitated before opening his mouth.
"Um, during matches, can I cover my face with a hat or mask or something like that? ...I think it was said to be allowed."
"Ah, yes. Of course! The Council, which hosts the league, basically protects participants' personal information."
Among participants, there were those with outstanding skills but who were uncomfortable appearing in public places, so covering faces or hand scars and other parts that could identify individuals was no problem. Thanks to this, using aliases was also possible.
Just as he was thinking this was fortunate, the member continued his explanation.
"However, participants must personally apply for participation themselves, and to prevent proxy participation, the organizers will verify identity right before each match. Originally the procedures weren't this cumbersome, but about 5 years ago... there was an incident where two people with similar appearances were caught taking turns participating in matches. Please think of it as a policy for fair league operation and cooperate with us."
Humans seemed to be animals that would find loopholes somehow if there weren't tight regulations. Those two had really been quite dedicated.
The fact that he had to expose his face before every match was inconvenient, but since he only needed confirmation from the Council side anyway. Leonardo nodded in understanding.
"To briefly add regarding this, hoods, hats, gloves, or accessories are allowed to be worn, but clothing that goes against the empire's or Council's ideology, is indecent, or contains hate speech that could cause discomfort is restricted. Also, magic tools with magical functions or weapons that could directly affect match performance can only be carried one per person."
'Weapons?'
"Bladed weapons like swords, axes, hammers, maces. Magic tools like teleport devices, staffs, amulets, and amplifiers can also be used. However, weapons and magic tools will have their abilities verified and balanced during the test process before the preliminaries begin, and this can also affect the bracket. Oh, but you know artifacts can't be brought into matches, right? There are so many exceptions regarding items, so it would be good to read the detailed list of prohibited items later."
Since he hadn't even thought about using weapons, these were quite radical rules. The flyer had written that one 'match assistance item excluding clothing' could be carried, so he had only thought of simple things like masks or dark sunglasses to cover his face.
But thinking about it, the Council-hosted league was known to have many participants who weren't mages and didn't possess mana. Generally, mages would be much more advantageous in matches than them, but they wouldn't structure it so plainly that only this determined the outcome of 'combat.'
Individual experience and combat abilities were all different, and there were definitely people in the world who trained their bodies to the extreme and were called strong even without mana. If weapon utilization skills were added to that, even if the match opponent was a mage, victory and defeat couldn't be easily predicted.
Since he knew the Council sold betting tickets for the league, he wondered if they had created such rules for match diversity, but understanding that this was close to the 'fairness' they pursued, he could more or less understand it.
Unlike himself who was lucky enough to be born with powerful mana, most people in the world were constantly struggling to surpass the limits of their abilities. Shouldn't they also be given opportunities to rise up by adding additional efforts?
Somehow it seemed like Agrizendro would say something like that.
"Yes, I understand."
Leonardo answered like that while quickly scanning the rest of the outline document.
The preliminaries were conducted not only as individual matches but also as team matches organized by appropriately distributing various personnel and ability levels. Someone might argue this was unfair, but since quite a few people advanced to the preliminaries, they seemed to need a method to eliminate and select many at once.
"If you safely pass the preliminaries, you'll enter the main tournament's round of 32 and the match format changes to a 1-on-1 tournament style. The main tournament has much looser restrictions on rules and weapon use compared to the preliminaries, so the probability of injury is much higher. In severe cases, you could suffer fatal injuries or at worst, death."
"Death?"
"Yes. Of course, the Council always has medical teams on standby and strives for immediate response when injuries occur. Also, if either participant is judged to have suffered fatal injuries, match progression is immediately halted, and whether to continue is decided by comprehensively considering the participant's condition, recovery period, and personal wishes."
This was why the several consent forms were packed with tiny text. The member emphasized that while there had been no deaths in the nearly 20 years since the league was established, consent regarding notification and awareness of risk factors was essential as a precaution.
Some people gave up and left because of this word 'death.' Leonardo was also a bit surprised, but he had no reservations about that point.
'I'm more worried about accidentally killing someone.'
"Consent for this is reconfirmed right before the main tournament begins, so you can think about it then and withdraw consent to forfeit if you want. Oh, but from the semifinals onward, if someone forfeits voluntarily rather than due to combat incapacity, the entire league is suspended, so you must be careful."
"The entire league is suspended just from forfeiting?"
"Yes, we have surveillance systems throughout the league period, but actually from the main tournament onward, there are often attempts to approach other participants to manipulate match outcomes. Since this is also a structure that generates revenue through betting tickets, financial issues are involved, so the organizers pay special attention to it."
The member added that from the semifinals onward, betting amounts also increased and participants' skills and participation will were firm, so there were almost no cases of voluntary forfeiture.
"Please think of it as a minimal device to prevent unsavory transactions. Now, I haven't explained everything, but have you understood the main points to some extent?"
The member's speech gradually quickened, and he glanced at the watch on his wrist. Leonardo's gaze also turned to the watch he was wearing. It was now 5 minutes until the participation application deadline.
Just then, one participant who had rushed over from behind thrust his pre-written application and consent forms onto the table. Another member approached and collected the documents he submitted. Listening to their conversation, that participant also seemed to have been agonizing until the last moment and returned just before the deadline.
Leonardo, whose heart was also swayed, gripped the pen in his hand tightly. His inner self still hadn't made a decision. Honestly, he was afraid.
Even if he covered his face during matches, combat involved unexpected situations. Moreover, if identity verification was done right before participation, he couldn't use appearance-changing magic. Even if he cleverly changed his face after entering the arena, it was uncertain whether he could maintain that advanced illusion magic solidly in front of thousands of spectators during intense combat.
However, the member's final explanation meant, in other words, that even if he participated, he could freely forfeit in matches below the semifinals. If problems arose, he could quit midway. Wasn't that better than blocking the path from the beginning?
"Now, please give me your ID and... could you show me your face for a moment?"
Since the person who came to participate was standing like a stone statue, the member peered at the eyes visible under the hat. Most people filled out applications with a light heart anyway since the majority were eliminated before the preliminaries. But somehow this participant seemed very careful and troubled, as if going to a battlefield. The expression visible through his eyes was even resolute.
Around that time, Leonardo, who had made up his mind, floated the pen he was holding in the air. The pen that floated leisurely descended onto the table and signed the consent forms in order as if scribbling.
At the same time, Leonardo took out his ID from his inner pocket. It was the registration card that His Grace had personally given him before.
He opened the blue cover and handed it to the member, then took off the hat he had pressed down firmly. He pulled down the turtleneck that had been raised to his nose to below his chin.
The eyes of the members looking at him instantly widened.
Just as the blonde handsome man revealed his face, brilliant fireworks announcing the prelude to the new year embroidered the evening sky behind him.