Gray Porcelain's head snapped up when he heard Montedan say, "There's no guide for the perfect version."
He looked at Montedan, hesitating as though he wanted to ask something.
Gray Porcelain's thoughts showed plainly on his face. Montedan took one look and guessed what he was thinking. "You want to ask how I can score you without an established guide, don't you?"
Gray Porcelain nodded at once. Montedan was a man who believed in following the rules. Without even an "official guide," what rules did he have to go by?
Montedan spoke slowly. "I heard what you said about me earlier. You think I care only about the process, not the result."
"In broad terms, you're not wrong. I do value the process more than the result."
"But to be precise, I'm not someone who follows rules for their own sake. As I said in the note I left you—"
"What matters most to me isn't the result. It's the understanding teammates build by studying a monster's weaknesses together and coordinating their efforts. It's the bond forged when their lives hang by a thread. It's the courage to give everything for victory."
He did not place much weight on the result.
A fair process mattered, but it was not what mattered most to him either.
What he valued most was the bond between teammates in battle, and the courage to charge forward like the blazing sun rising into the sky.
Therefore...
With no established guide for the perfect version, Montedan would no longer base his score primarily on whether a team had followed the proper procedure. He would judge whether the challengers had shown the understanding, bonds, and unyielding spirit he sought.
"I know everything about how you approached this challenge," Montedan said. "I'll give you my approval score based