♰
"YOUR VIDEO ALREADY has a thousand views, yet there are only around 600 students in this school. Imagine that," Keigo says, watching Max's video on his phone for the hundredth time to the point where Stefan and Xander are getting annoyed by it.
"Who even uploaded it anyway? And aren't we banned from using our phones? How did they take a video of that?" Xander then asks, immediately making Keigo laugh and hide his phone away.
"It's obviously some gaffer in our class who just wanted easy likes," Stefan says before turning to Keigo, "And you should hide your phone too before a professor sees you with it."
"Don't worry, this is a special phone. I already surrendered my dummy phone, so they won't know I have another one," Keigo confidently says, and all Stefan and Xander can do is sigh.
"Wait, you can't use your phones here?" Max then asks in shock, surprised to hear about this rule. But before anyone could even answer him, the doctor suddenly went inside the room, instantly making all of them stand straight.
"Alright, Sinclaire, how's your hand? Does it still hurt after I applied the ointment earlier?" The nurse, who just so happened to be a nun as well, asked as she approached Max. Thankfully, she's a lot kinder than their class adviser, Sister Celeste.
"It still hurts from time to time, especially went I move by fingers. But I think it's fine now," Max answers and the doctor nods her head before grabbing her medical kit.
"Then I'll put some more ointment and change your bandage. Refrain from getting it wet and moving your fingers, so ask your friends for help if you need to do anything. Come back here tomorrow after your classes so I can check it again," the doctor explains, and Max nods his head as she starts removing the bloody bandage that she already placed earlier.
After taking care of Max's injury, the doctor heads out first. The serfs were about to leave the clinic as well so they could head back to their dormitory and rest, but before Max could stand from the bed, someone suddenly knocked on the door, startling them.
Everyone became completely quiet as the door opened, revealing the Saints' President, Justice Thorndyke.
"President Justice," Xander, Stefan, and Keigo immediately greet while holding onto their chest.
Justice holds his chest back and nods his head at the three of them before walking towards Max. Max got ready to show his respect as well, but the president immediately stopped him. "It's okay," he says. "You don't have to move your hand too much. School hours are already finished anyway."
"Is that so?" Max says back. "But why are we being graced by your presence tonight, President Justice? Am I in some sort of trouble?" Max then asks, instantly making Justice smirk.
Everyone eventually notices the case that the president is holding, so without the need to explain what he's actually here for, Keigo immediately walks towards Justice so he can take the case from his hand.
Justice thanks the serf as he opens the red velvet case, revealing the black stole that Max will be wearing for the entire month. "I'm a bit saddened when I heard that you're not planning to rank up. But somehow, wanting to stay as a serf is a lot more impressive than wanting to be a gaffer," Justice says as he carefully takes the stole out of the case.
"So you've watched the video too?"
"I'll have to find the uploader so I can scold them for illegally using their phones. But then again, I don't really care if that video of yours stays up for everyone to see. It's the least of my concerns," Justice honestly says, making Max chuckle. He then sat up straight as the man in front of him got ready to put the stole on him.
"Anyway, this is a strange setting, but let's proceed with the ceremony," Justice finally says, immediately making Xander and Stefan bow their heads. After clearing his throat, the Saint's President then recites, "As the President of the Saints, Maximilian Leigh Sinclaire, I declare you a serf under the protection of the House of Bishops. May God be with you and your spirit."
Max bows his head as Justice puts the stole on him.
"Thank you," Max says, holding onto the stole to have a better look at it.
"I know you're only here for a month, but you can keep that stole as a memory. Whether your memories here end up becoming good or bad," Justice explains.
"Thank you," Max says again.
"Now, there's actually something else that I want to talk with you about, so gentleman, can you give me and Mr. Sinclaire some privacy?" Justice then asks, and the three serfs don't even have to question the president as they immediately head out of the room with no hesitation.
As soon as they are gone, Justice takes a deep breath and pulls out a chair so he can sit right in front of Max. "Looks like you've made a lot of noise on your first day here. How's everything so far?" He asks, the sadistic grin that Max saw on him earlier now making its return.
"If getting beaten and hit by a stick is your way of showing how good your house is, then I'm doing extremely great," Max sarcastically says, emphasizing the word extremely.
Justice chuckles at the answer, but he already expected much, especially from someone like Max. "It's very different from J.S High, isn't it? And to be honest, we're a bit jealous. During the convention, our students saw how the House of Kings was, and they explained how envious they were to see how your school has improved."
"It's all thanks to the efforts of the past and the previous Elites," Max quickly says, and Justice nods his head to agree to it.
"You're right, which is why I persecute myself every day because I know how terrible I'm doing as a President here," Justice says back, which should sound sentimental if he didn't have such a grin on his face.
"I actually wanted to blame the Saints for what's happening to this school," Max suddenly reveals, making Justice tilt his head to the side, instantly intrigued by what the heir is about to say next. "But Adachi Ren told me that if I blame the Saints and think that they've failed, then I haven't learned anything. And after experiencing the cruelty of your system firsthand, I think he was right. The Saints didn't fail."
"How so?"
"The school failed...you," Max adds, and the grin on Justice's face now turned into something more serious. "There is only so much you can do to a school that is ruled by a wicked tyrant. The Saints are victims too by the system they're in. The real people in power are those above us. That's why the real villain in this story is the school president, Reverent Father Lu—"
Before Max can even finish his sentence, Justice immediately stands from his seat to cover his mouth, surprising the serf.
"Hush now," Justice whispers. "We don't speak of such mutiny here," he adds before letting go of Max and heading back to his seat with a heavy sigh.
"But you're right. The people who control us are far more powerful than any of the Saints combined. You might even ask, 'Why don't you just leave?' Well, it's not that simple. Most of us here are heirs, and getting invited to enroll in one of the brotherhood houses is not just a privilege but a huge opportunity for our families. It's networking, so to speak. Our families would rather have us suffer here than leave. They'd even chain us here if they could," Justice explains, which is something that Max is very aware of.
With what the president said, Max instantly remembered the Griffiths twins. When one of the twins ended up getting demoted, their father beat them up because he said they were embarrassments. In this world where business is everything, even the school where the heir is studying already shows their status. After all, having a lot of money comes with a lot of price. And these families are willing to sell their children as payment for it.
"So you've had students tell their families about their treatment here?" Max then asks, and Justice nods his head to confirm it.
"It's mostly serfs. Since you grew up with a silver spoon, it's almost unspeakable that you'd let yourself live in a dump and eat bland food. But when their parents come here to complain, the Ministry would just tell them to pull their kids out instead of giving solutions. Of course, no one ever does, so the cycle continues," Justice tells Max, making Max furrow his brows this time.
"Ministry?"
"Oh yeah, from what I know, President Janus usually makes all the decisions himself in J.S High. Here, in the House of Bishops, we have the Ministry, which is made up of three High Priests, the Mother Superior, Reverent Father Lucas Ivory, and the leader of them all, the Archbishop. They're the people who oversee the school," Justice explains.
"And President Janus knows about this?"
"I think he knows a little about what's going on, but only what Father Lucas Ivory tells him. President Janus might be the president of the entire Brotherhood Association, but the houses are a separate entity or, in business terms, a private company of their own. Father Lucas might be the president, but the archbishop is like the chairman. He's the real boss," Justice explains further, making Max close his eyes and sigh in frustration.
"This just got a lot more troublesome," Max says. "It's one thing to handle brotherhoods and white uniforms. But it's another thing if it's actual adults. This is on another level. I can't just go out and question an entire ministry without anyone backing me up," Max explains, and this time, Justice ended up laughing.
"I thought you wanted to help."
"I did...I do...But helping is different than taking over. I need someone in the front line," Max explains, and Justice smiles before adjusting himself in his seat.
"The issue with PHD...might be connected to the power struggle we have in our house," Justice suddenly reveals, catching Max off guard.
"What do you mean?"
"The reason why PHD lost was because of Paradox, wasn't it?" Justice finally revealed, and the mere mention of Paradox instantly made Max gulp.
"Paradox, the previous kings of J.S High which made up of ten members, five of which were members of Crème de la Crème. In all of brotherhood history, they held the most power inside and outside of their school, practically making them invincible," Justice says, and the thought of having such powerful heirs in one group made the hair on Max's skin stand this time.
"Are you telling me Paradox is somehow connected to what's going on here?" Max asks, preparing himself for what the president is about to say.
"To be honest, I myself don't have enough proof yet, but I'm going to give you something that you can research as a starting point. Maybe you can find something useful," Justice says, instantly making Max look at him intently so he won't miss a single detail.
"Before you, who was Crème de la Crème's rank 1?" Justice suddenly asks, instantly making Max furrow his brows.
"Viktor was the heir before me," Max answers, but Justice shakes his head in disagreement.
"No. Before him."
"B-before...Viktor?" Max asks back, suddenly looking away in confusion because he never really thought of it before. It also doesn't help that the members of Crème de la Crème are usually hidden in secret. Max might have met them, but he wouldn't have known what rank they'd be in. It's like how others don't know that Max is Rank 1, and they all just assume that it's Cindy.
"I don't know," Max truthfully says.
"You don't know, right? Well, as a heads up, Crème de la Crème's Rank 1 was a member of Paradox," Justice reveals. "His name...was Klaus Vitus Von Hatzfeld."
Max's jaw instantly dropped when he heard of the name. Hatzfeld family was old money. They're older than the Sinclaire and the Lemieux family combined. Unfortunately, through time, their family's influence declined, and their importance was practically forgotten. But they were still a name that once ruled the business world.
Their family practically ran an entire country back in the day.
"H-Hatzfeld? He studied in J.S High?"
"Klaus was invited to study there, and surprisingly enough, he accepted the invitation," Justice explains. "He was Crème de la Crème's Rank 1, but before he even turned eighteen, his title was taken from him, and it was suddenly given to none other than Viktor Alekovich Stepanov."
"So Klaus had a grudge?"
"Could be. But that's not the important part," Justice continues. "Because after Klaus, their family was never included in Crème de la Crème. This is a piece of crucial information because his young brother, Klyde Vitus Von Hatzfeld, ended up becoming the House of Bishop's first Saints' President," Justice reveals next, and the shocked look on Max's face almost made Justice laugh.
"Shocking, isn't it?"
"But doesn't this connect to something else? Viktor took Klaus's position as rank one and ultimately erased their family's influence in the business world. The Hatzfeld family could be a suspect in the bombing incident that killed Viktor's entire family, but they never were," Max then says, his chest beating faster at the sudden revelation. But when he saw the look on Justice's face, he knew that they'd also thought about this already.
"You'd think so, right? It's the only logical thing. But there's a small piece of information that might end up ruining that theory," Justice then says.
"The Hatzfeld family was invited to attend that party too."
"W-What?"
"Imagine that, Sinclaire. Why on earth were all the most powerful families in the world invited to that party? What were they all planning to do? What was supposed to happen there that someone just had to make it...boom," Justice says while his hand made an explosive gesture.
"Okay, this is starting to hurt my head," Max says as he tries to make sense of everything he has found out.
Crème de la Crème's rank 1, Klaus Vitus Von Hatzfeld, was a member of Paradox. While his younger brother, Klyde Vitus Von Hatzfeld, was the Saints' President who proposed the Divisions Program at St. George Academy. The Hatzfeld family was also invited to the Stepanov party, where almost all the powerful families attended, a party which killed the entire Stepanov Clan. After that, incident after incident just started happening, which ultimately killed Grey and Luna.
Now, what the hell was going on during that period?
Why did all those families meet up like that?
"This still doesn't answer my initial question. What does Paradox have to do with how you're all treated now? I get that Hatzfeld proposed the Division Program, but what about it? The Ministry is the real people in power, right? You said so yourself. So how are these two—" Before Max could even finish his sentence, he suddenly stopped himself when a possibility flashed in front of him.
"W-Wait..." Max says as his eyes slowly widen in shock. "The Archbishop...what's his name?"
Before President Justice could even answer him, the bell suddenly rang, indicating that it was now the 9:00 PM Prayer, which also meant that Justice now had to leave.
"Well then, it looks like I have to go first," Justice says as he stands from his seat, immediately making Max stand from the edge of the bed as well.
"Wait. You didn't answer my question. What's the Archbishop's name?" Max asks again, and Justice sighs and massages his temple.
"Even if I tell you, it wouldn't help. The archbishop changed his real name to a Catholic name. I've also tried everything to connect the dots, but his identity is way hidden," Justice answers. "But you actually might have a shot. You have a friend who's good with computers, right? You might find something about him. Who knows, things might work out for both of us here."
Great. Looks like Max's list just keeps getting longer.
OBJECTIVES:
(1) Help serfs produce 50,000 merit points for next week's tax collection.
(2) Find clues on who's working with Payton Wolfe.
(3) Prove there was foul play to get PHD back in J.S High.
(4) Ask about the previous president who proposed the Divisions Program.
- Serfs mistreatment(?)...why are serfs treated like this?
- House of Bishops' involvement with PARADOX (Klaus & Klyde Vitus Von Hatzfeld)
- WHO IS THE ARCHBISHOP?
- Do all this in 1 MONTH: April 22, deadline.
"I guess this is where our meeting ends. I'll see you tomorrow Sinc—"
"How much do you know about my roommate, Vesper Cinna? Why did you make us roommates? You assigned our rooms, right? Then why?" Max immediately asks next before Justice can leave the clinic.
"Vesper Cinna?" Justice asks back, the name familiar since Vesper is infamous for defeating a brotherhood on his own. But beyond that, the president actually has no clue who the man is. "I don't really know about that, but the arrangement regarding your roommate is actually requested by my brotherhood leader, Uchdryd," Justice casually reveals, catching Max off guard.
"I'm sorry. What?"
"Not obvious yet?" Justice asks before pointing at the brotherhood brooch on his collar. "I'm a Castling. As well as Vice President Levi. I guess that's the reason why he helped you earlier at the atrium. I think our leader mentioned that you're both friends?"
"Uchdryd and I? Friends?" Max asks back in shock. Not because he finds being friends with Uchdryd strange. It's because Uchdryd openly told his underlings that they were one.
"I guess that's it..." Justice was about to leave the clinic again, but Max, for the second time, grabbed his arm and stopped him, making the president grunt in frustration.
"W-wait, so you're helping me because of Uchdryd? Is that the reason why you're telling me all this?" Max then asks, and Justice sighs before pulling his hand away from the heir.
"To be honest...I don't know," Justice says before scratching his chin. He thought about it for a while, but then he remembered what Vice President Levi told him before. If he wants someone to help their school, J.S High's future Elites President might be his best bet.
"Maximilian Leigh Sinclaire. You want to help us, right?" Justice suddenly asks. "As a Castling, I have hundreds of information that might help you with your task. But as the President of the House of Bishops, let me ask you one thing."
"What is it?"
"How deep are you willing to actually go to help us?" Justice asks him.
The question was vague, and Max didn't fully understand the gravity of it all. But when he looks at the wounds on his hand again, he takes a deep breath and finally answers, "How deep are you willing to take me?"
...
Vice President Leviathan takes a deep breath and adjusts his glasses before stepping foot inside Dante's Inferno, better known as the Brotherhood's Dormitory. Unlike the other dorms, this dormitory was bigger and a lot more grand, which was similar to Saints Haven, which was the council's dorm. But despite the similarity, the vice president couldn't help but admit that Dante's Inferno still felt a lot more intimidating than their own dorm.
"Why are you acting so scared? You've snuck inside my room a dozen times already," Uchdryd suddenly teases, immediately making Levi hit him.
"Aww..."
The two of them walked toward the elevator at the end of the hallway. Outside, the dorm is only one storey high, but if you go inside, it actually goes seven floors deep, each floor representing the seven brotherhoods. These floors are also considered their base, so if you want to find any of the brotherhoods, this place is your best bet.
Since they're heading to PHD's section, they're only going to the 2nd basement, just right below the Clan.
Levi and Uchdryd hop inside the elevator. The brotherhood leader then pulled out a silver card with PHD's logo on it before tapping it on the elevator so it could bring them to their designated floor. As soon as they got there, the door opened, revealing the members of Dangerous Five waiting for them.
"Good evening," Uchdryd casually says.
One of the members of Dangerous Five glared at the leader, but he then walked in front of Levi and told him, "Follow me."
Levi and Uchdryd followed the previous prince to a large door with a banner of PHD's logo just at the end of the hallway where Ren Adachi was waiting for them.
"Lord of Pride," Ren greets while looking at Uchdryd, who smirks at him and replies, "Lord of Gluttony."
"I remember that our leader only asked for Vice President Dubois. What on earth are you doing here?" Ren then asks, making Uchdryd chuckle this time.
"If you think I'm just gonna let him waltz over here alone, then you're delusional. That's why if any of you lay a single finger on him while we're here, your whole base is gonna feel my wrath," Uchdryd then threatens, instantly making Ren grin.
"You never change, Uchdryd. It's almost amusing," Ren comments as he finally opens the door for them.
Levi took a deep breath and walked inside first before Uchdryd could follow behind him. As soon as they got inside, Levi looked at the man sitting in front of him wearing an eyepatch that covered the injury he got from his previous battle.
"Lord of Pride," Killshot and Blade greeted first while Levi continued to stare at the man in the middle. And for an unexplainable reason, as he stood face to face with their leader, a tear instantly fell from the vice president's eyes, his chest tightening as he remembered the memories they shared in the past.
"J-Joon," he calls out while Kim Hee-Joon, the leader of Rank 13, PHD, looks back at him and says...
"How have you been...Lev?"
- END -