Douglas waited quietly for him to finish before speaking at an unhurried pace, though the disdain in his voice was hard to miss.
"Headmaster Karkaroff, you made three points. First, I have defiled tradition; second, the tournament has become a farce; third, I am only in this to make money."
He raised one finger:
"As for tradition. Tradition is a great foundation, but it is not a ceiling. When tradition becomes a cage that permits no development whatsoever, it is no longer an honor, but...
Well, we call that stagnation."
He raised a second finger, looking Karkaroff straight in the eye:
"As for the farce. You consider debating a squid a farce, yet your champion, Mr. Krum, suffered a crushing defeat in that farce.
Does that suggest that Durmstrang only teaches its students to wield their wands with brute force, but not how to think?"
"You..." Karkaroff trembled with rage.
Douglas ignored him completely and continued:
"We are testing the champions' adaptability, empathy, and wisdom in solving problems outside the rules.
Is a victory won through intelligence somehow less honorable than one won through muscle?
Or does your educational philosophy itself lack respect for intelligence?"
"As for the third point..."
The corners of Douglas's mouth curved into a cold smile.
"Making money. Yes, Marauders Power Company is a commercial enterprise. We pursue profit, and we have never made any secret of that.
But what do we do with those profits?
We invest in research and development, creating the Mirror Combat System you call flashy, which provides the most intense opposition while ensuring your champion's absolute safety."
He paused, then spoke even more sharply:
"Headmaster Karkaroff, allow me to remind you of a statistic. Throughout the history of the Triwizard Tournament, the casualty rate among champions has been as high as