153: Second Round and Violations

"Still, it's a clean tournament, isn't it? I mean, with Nine Cubic, or whatever you call it—since it's a tabletop game, it's hard to cheat even if you wanted to."

The rapid-play Nine Cubic tournament had just concluded its first round and was moving on to the second round.

Amidst this, Joharis muttered thoughtfully, as if struck by an idea.

"Your Excellency, what exactly are you comparing this to?"

"Yesterday, during the report writing, I was streaming that sports match. There was a player who got ejected for deliberately hitting an opponent's back of the head while both teams were mixed up."

"Ah, that's right. I remember now. Something like that did happen."

"Hmm... I see."

A foul, huh... Well, in a physical contact sport, depending on how intense the game gets, it's possible for someone to lose their cool and act out in the heat of the moment.

In high-level matches like those held in the Niliani Potts system, it's rare for players to lose their cool and act recklessly on the field, but it's not impossible.

It's not unusual for such people to exist.

And if no series of fouls follows, then even a rough game remains within normal limits.

"Lord Johalis. Fouls can happen even in the Nine Cubic tournament."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. While it's impossible to hack a piece to make it move in impossible ways, there are instances where players use mods to receive external advice, or even fix matches by intentionally losing as a form of bet."

"Unusual strategies, you know—planning for long battles, using energy-supplying mods to prevent brain function from slowing down due to low sugar levels. Some even take stimulant drugs to stay awake and keep their minds sharp."

"Wow, so there are cheating methods like that?"

Memokushi and Vilibianira are discussing possible forms of cheating that could happen in this tournament.

Still, neither of these seem like particularly meaningful forms of cheating, really.

That's right.

"Yeah, but it wouldn't really mean much. In a match at this level, you couldn't possibly win just by getting advice from outside sources."

"You're right, now that you mention it."

Even the best outside advice would only reach the level of a Nine Cubic–specialized artificial intelligence.

And the top competitors in this tournament are all capable of matching—or even defeating—such advanced artificial intelligences.

This isn't an opponent you can handle with just some advice.

"If you're going to fix the match, is the money you'd gain worth risking your career? Wouldn't it be more logical to just win the prize money?"

"In that case, it'd be you being threatened, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, like having family members taken hostage. That actually sounds more plausible than match-fixing."

Fixing matches wouldn't even make much sense anymore.

If someone were deliberately losing, it might be more likely that they're being threatened.

"What kind of thing is this 'energy supply mod'?"

"Sat?"

"The effect is exactly as the name suggests. While the specifics vary from mod to mod, it essentially transfers energy obtained by other people to the target individual. Incidentally, it's only considered legal under specific circumstances—such as when someone can't eat for some reason and cannot receive nourishment through methods like IV drips, or when such measures aren't available in time."

"Truly impressive, Sat-sama."

The energy supply mod... well, it's certainly a unique one.

It's for cases where someone has lost their gastrointestinal system and is undergoing regenerative treatment—since simply receiving IV drips would cause the body to weaken, this mod prevents that.

Or when an android with mechanical intelligence must operate in a state where it can't receive proper energy supply.

Basically, it's a mod designed for emergency situations like these.

Also, when operating the doll, I always use a variant of the energy supply mod, but I obtained proper authorization for it back when I was affiliated with Seiryō Corporation, so it's legally permissible.

"What kind of drug is it, then?"

"It's what you'd call a stimulant—basically, it's simply illegal."

"Oh, yes, sir."

I know what it is, so I keep quiet.

Judging from the update history of the Nelianipotts system Sw, there's suspicion that Viscount Nelianitek and his faction have been distributing that kind of stimulant.

Yeah, it's been repeatedly added and later removed—several times over.

Few people can analyze Sw, and even if there were any, they probably couldn't stand up to the viscount's family alone, so it's likely been overlooked... but that's going too far.

"Well, for this tournament specifically, I don't think we need to worry about organized violations. In fact, trying something like that under the current circumstances in the Narianipots system would be nothing short of suicide."

"Yeah, reinforcements have been arriving steadily from neighboring star systems and Imperial Planet Vanilla Sid."

"That's right. The intelligence units, in particular, are numerous. Even if they haven't gone as far as purges, there's clearly been a tightening up internally."

Given that the Viscount Nerialniteck family is involved, there are no sacred grounds within the Nerialnitz system that can't be investigated. It should wrap up in a few days at most.

Incidentally, as a side note, while casually observing the venue area through the main body, I noticed that numerous suspicious street vendors, hooligans, and shady individuals were being subdued by ordinary-looking people who appeared to be well-trained—far more so than their appearances suggested.

Probably some plainclothes police officers, intelligence agents, or off-duty Imperial soldiers... Well done on your hard work.

You all deserve peace of mind, as you're clearly not the kind to face strict disciplinary action for your efforts here.

Now, as for the report... It seems to be finally coming to an end.