Kings On The Horizon (Vol. 1-3) ✓

107 | Third Protectors

     "N-No, I meant...he didn't do anything harmful. He just did his job well as a suspended student. He didn't cause any trouble or anything like that," Max clarifies.

     Arjun, who heard what Max has to say about the Count from the other table, looks at them and says, "Well, Cj isn't really the type of person to make any trouble. When you think about it, he does his job well. He's truthful too so you just end up getting used to his personality. We should know. We've been with him for almost four years."

     "No! Not you too Arjun!" Red suddenly complain, making Khian hit his head so he could stop whining.

     Hans, who sometimes had disagreements with his right-hand man, couldn't really help but nod his head in agreement. "I guess we should give the count some slack. Cj's not always a bad guy. Most of the time people don't even notice him because he does his job in secret. He's not flashy like Viktor which is nice. And besides, Cigarettes are loyal to him, and that tells a lot about what type of leader he really is."

     "I know, but wasn't it also weird to see him wearing a white uniform again?" Hansol then asks, making Max look back at them with shock.

     "What do you mean again?"

     "Well, all of us were white uniforms before too, and Cigarettes and Jokers wore the uniform longer since they only started when they were sophomores," Marcus explains, and Max couldn't believe that he hasn't thought of that before.

     "So you guys were white uniforms..." Max says while scratching his chin.

     "Well, the Royals were the first ones to form their brotherhoods, and then BND followed soon after. Cigarettes were then formed the following year, same with Jokers, and then Crazy 8 came. If you weren't aware they were from the House of Pawns before," Hans explains.

     "Yeah, I'm aware of that. Cindy told me about it during the Welcome Ball. But I'm still surprised about the other information," Max says before taking a sip of his hot coffee.

     "I'm surprised you haven't heard of it before," Hans tells him.

     "We might have talked about it at our Brotherhood History class but I've been absent a couple of times so I must have missed it," Max says, making Krist chuckle.

      "Apparently you guys are like the pillars. Viktor created the customs which redefined the power of brotherhoods. Cj on the other hand introduced the underlings which also reshaped the brotherhoods' reputation. Jokers became the father of the we-don't-care ideology that's very trendy now with other brotherhoods, while BND made the role-model image a thing. That's why it's very fitting that you guys are in this house," Ari says with an impressed tone, and Max, Felix, and Ervin couldn't help but agree.

     "Actually, I don't really see us as such. In the first place, we were only forced to join a brotherhood. It's not like we had a choice," Brave casually says, immediately making Master Joker kick him underneath the table. When Brave realized what he just said, he immediately gasps and nervously laughs it off.

     "Please forget that I just said that," Brave says, making the table awkward and quiet. Thankfully, the waiters arrived with their food just on time, making everyone shift their attention away from what Brave just said. One of the waiters even greeted Max since they worked together for a while, which Krist and the others still found strange.

     While everyone was enjoying their lunch, trumpet sounds were suddenly heard throughout the Great Hall, automatically making the white uniforms stop eating so they could stand. Even Max and his friends stood up as well.