♰
THE SERFS CONTINUED EATING their lunch as Max happily talked to his friends about everything that happened at last night's anniversary party. They congratulated Max on his grandmother's new position, happy about the transfer but, at the same time, worried about Denzel's retirement as it would change the company's dynamic a lot.
"Your company is well known, but so is your father. I'm not saying Madam Estelle isn't capable, but aren't you worried that your grandmother might get manipulated by the board of directors?" Stefan asks, curious about it too since his father is a general manager of a famous company.
"Indeed, she's not as business-oriented as my father, and this is the first time she's going to be handling the company, but grandma saw how my grandfather handled the business, so I think she'll be alright. My butler Étienne will also be with her, and Étienne knows more about the company than I do," Max answers honestly before sipping his tea.
"But what I'm surprised about is Marcus," Keigo then opens up. "It was already a shock that you two are brothers, but he's now a shareholder too, and people are already saying that he's going to legally change his surname to Sinclaire now."
"That's true. They'll probably do it once my father marries Edith," Max confirms.
"But not to offend you or anything, Max, but aren't you...weird about it?" Stefan then asks. "I mean, I know nothing about your relationship, but Marcus is...you know...how do I put this—"
"An illegitimate son?" Vesper continues for him, making Keigo glare at him. Thankfully, Max wasn't mad about the mention of such a word.
Stefan takes a deep breath and awkwardly scratches the back of his head. "Well, if you put it that way, then yeah. I'm just trying to understand it, you know? Your father's engagement with Edith Thompson and how it was revealed that Marcus Thompson was his son became such a huge scandal to the public. Looking at the timeline, everyone discovered that Chairman Denzel cheated on Madam Luna. The fact your father gave his shares to him is kinda insulting to his late wife, don't you think?" Stefan points out, and Max can only take a sip of his tea again while Vesper, Xander, and Keigo wait for his response.
Max has always been aware that his family is in the spotlight. The public is more updated with their affairs than he is, and having to talk to Stefan and the others puts that into perspective. He never realized how interested people are in his family because the people in J.S High aren't really allowed to talk about outside matters to the point where he forgot that they're always in the news, and people keep themselves updated with it. They're literally more famous than most celebrities.
"You don't have to comment about it. Sorry, that was a bit insensitive," Stefan quickly says, but Max shakes his head and gives his friend a reassuring smile.
"No, it's fine," Max answers before putting his cup down. "About what you said, well, you're right. My mother would have slapped that old man for giving Marcus his shares. She might have even made a scandal at that party. But..." Max paused, and then he looked at a distance before continuing, "She's dead. There's nothing she can do about it. Whether my father gives his shares to Marcus or a total stranger, the dead can no longer complain. And that's something I and my family must live with."
Everyone at their table became quiet, but soon after, Vesper swallowed the dessert in his mouth and asked, "But what do you feel about it?"
"Me?" Max asks back, looking down at his cup and staring at the little tea left inside. "What I feel about it shouldn't matter. Marcus is my brother. Whether he's a Thompson or a Sinclaire, or whether he receives shares or not, he's still my brother."
The group was surprised by the answer, especially the one who asked the question. Vesper never really realized the amount of Max's love for his brother, but this sealed the deal for him. Vesper once saw Marcus when he was still a freshman. He wasn't as confident as he was now, but he was sincere and kind. Maybe that's the reason why Max loves him so much. It's because Marcus was everything that Max didn't find from both of his parents.
"Anyway, enough about me. How about you guys? What's—" Before Max could even finish his sentence, the door to the serfs' cafeteria suddenly opened, instantly making everyone quiet. As expected, the Tax Collectors came in with smiles on their faces. Standing in the middle was their leader, Matthias.
"Good morning, serfs! It's collection time!" Matthias excitedly says, making Max and his friends stand from their seats while Vesper continues to eat his meal, unbothered.
"You're finally here," Max says as he bravely approaches them, Stefan and Keigo following behind them while Xander stays close to Vesper.
"Ah, it's Sinclaire. You must be in a good mood today. And it seems like you have a feast here, too. Shall we grab a bite since we're already here?" Matthias suddenly says. He and the rest of the Tax Collectors are about to approach the buffet, but Max stops Matthias and pushes him away, surprising the others.
"Your only job is to look tough and scan points, so I assumed that you'd at least be good with that. Looks like I'm wrong," Max provokes, which obviously angered Matthias, though he tried not to show it by laughing at the statement.
"For someone who couldn't even offer a single cent the other day, you're acting all tough now, right?" Matthias asks with a smug look on his face. "Father Lucas wasn't pleased with what you did. You mocked our system, and he said it was a form of disrespect to the archdiocese."
"I don't think Jesus would need millions of euros."
"You've got jokes now."
"The offerings aren't mandatory. You can't punish me for giving zero donations, even if you consider that disrespectful. That's written on the rules," Max then explains, and the side of Matthias's mouth twitches in irritation.
"Don't act cocky now, Sinclaire. Just because you were able to help these serfs doesn't make you a threat. The system in St. George Academy won't waver because of an exchange student," Matthias responds, and Max rolls his eyes back before handing their division's tablet so they can scan it.
"You done? Now scan the card and leave. You're spoiling everyone's appetite," Max says, and the smile on Matthias's face finally changes into irritation as he angrily grabs the tablet to check their division's total points.
"Serfs Division, your quota is 50,000 merit points. If you do not reach these numbers, all of you will be punished," Matthias says with a smirk on his face, confident that the serfs wouldn't be able to reach such a high number. Matthias then checked the student list and gave the tablet to another collector so he could scan it. Everyone in the cafeteria was waiting for the results, and when the numbers were finally revealed, the collectors instantly looked at Matthias and showed them the screen.
50,000 MP
Those were the numbers shown.
"S-Scan it again," Matthias says in a panic, and the collectors scan it again like what they were told. Unfortunately, the screen showed the same thing.
"Impossible," Matthias says in disbelief. "You must have done something. No division could acquire this number of points in a week."
"Our Division reached the quota fair and square. Don't mock their efforts by doubting them like this. If you want to double-check, you can review it with the Beta Society. But if you have nothing else to say, you may leave," Max says, and the Tax Collectors look at Matthias while Matthias clenches his fist in irritation.
When one of the collectors touched his shoulder, Matthias flinched, and then he immediately put a smile on his face, pretending as if nothing happened. "Looks like you reached your quota. Congratulations, Serfs Division. Your next quota will be announced tomorrow. That will be all," Matthias says before turning around and walking away.
The rest of the tax collectors looked at each other before following Matthias out. As soon as they left, everyone in the cafeteria started cheering, once again celebrating their unexpected achievement. But while the rest of the serfs showed their excitement, Vesper and Xander walked up to Max, who seemed to be unsatisfied.
"You're getting bolder now, kid. You're gonna get on their bad side if you continue doing this," Vesper tells Max.
"Well, that's the plan," Max then answered, confusing his friends. "Anyway, I have another plan besides that."
"Another plan? This is going to be interesting," Vesper says as he returns to his seat while Max and the others walk to the front where the serfs can see them.
"Attention, everyone!" Max suddenly shouted. When the cafeteria quieted down, he continued, "Our first objective has ended successfully, but things are going to be crazy from here on out. I've read your rule book a dozen times, and whether we like it or not, our division is the most disrespected. We all obviously know that by now, but what we have overlooked is that we, too, don't respect the other ranks."
"What are you talking about, Max?" A serf confusingly asks him.
"The divisions are expecting us to act cocky, but that's not going to be the case here. I'm going to show you how J.S High does it. I'm going to show you what real kings do. "
...
The church bell rang, and all the divisions left their dorm to head to the Atrium for their assembly. The gaffers walked toward the atrium first while the dwellers followed close behind them. The two divisions have always been first at the atrium, while the serfs arrive last. This is because the serfs always take more time to get ready, thanks to their busted-out showers and toilets. Of course, the two higher divisions expected it, too, but when they arrived at the atrium, they were surprised to see that the serfs were already in their seats.
"They're here?"
"What on earth are they planning now?"
"Are they gonna blow up the atrium this time?"
The Gaffers and the Dwellers cautiously went to their usual seats. But as they got ready to head to the top area of the atrium, the serfs suddenly got up. The moment they did so, the other white uniforms moved away. They were afraid that they'd pour paint on them like they did last time, but unexpectedly, the serfs touched their chests and bowed their heads to them, leaving everyone completely speechless.
"Good afternoon, Gaffers and Dwellers Division!" The serfs greeted in unison.
The two divisions were obviously confused about why they were doing such a thing. Some found it awkward because this never happens, while others acted pridefully. "As they should," a handful of gaffers thought. Some thought they were joking around, but not a single member of the Serfs Division laughed, so that confused the others even more.
When the white uniforms finally sat down, the serfs also sat down. Soon after, the Saints arrived, and the serfs rose and bowed to them again. The divisions don't usually bow their heads to the Saints like this, but when the Serfs did it, the Dwellers Division unconsciously got up and bowed as well, surprising the council.
"What the hell is going on?" President Justice asks, walking down the middle with his hands inside his pockets.
"T-They're...bowing," Vice President Levi answered, equally confused. "They usually just touch their chest. What are they planning now?"
"Is someone threatening them?" Justice continued to ask.
"Well, it's about time they showed us this treatment," Secretary Perseus then adds, and Levi and Justice finally let it go.
After a while, the brotherhoods arrived as well. The Clan came in with PHD following right behind them. Then there are the Gallants, the Archers Red Tigers, the Scarlet Letter, and lastly, Checkmates. The brotherhood sat on the chairs in the middle of the atrium while the Saints sat in front of them.
"Today's the day," Ruby, leader of the Scarlet Letter, says while brushing her hair with her fingers.
"The exchange program is coming. I can't believe you agreed to let J.S High send a brotherhood here," Elijah Memphis of Red Tigers then complains while looking at Uchdryd Rease, who has an excited smile on his face.
"Like I said, the brotherhood will become a white uniform as soon as they arrive. They won't have power in our house," Uchdryd clarified.
"Right. But what if they send a leader here instead?" Memphis then asks. "Imagine if it's someone like Hans, or even worse, Vik—"
Before Memphis could even finish his sentence, Uchdryd stopped him. "I don't think they'd send a leader here, let alone a King. They won't risk that," Uchdryd explains, which the others agreed on. He then looks at Kim Hee-joon and asks him, "But who do you think it would be, Lord? Who do you think J.S High would send here?"
Killshot is about to answer for him, but Joon stops him and says, "I'm not interested in a house I don't belong to."
"Oh, bitter, I see," Uchdryd teases, making Joon roll his eyes back in annoyance.
While the rest of the members were waiting, the school's president, Reverent Father Lucas Ivory, finally arrived at the atrium with the professors following behind him. As usual, the students stood up and greeted him while he walked towards the stage. When everyone sat back in their seats, Father Lucas walked up to the podium to finally start the afternoon assembly.
"Good afternoon, St. George Academy. As you all know, today's gathering will be different. In a few moments, we will welcome our new student from the House of Kings. Of course, the first representative has already been sent here," Father Lucas says, glancing at the Serfs Division before looking back at the others. "Sending two representatives was quite unplanned, but I hope Mr. Sinclaire has been enjoying his time here for the past week."
"Yeah, he's been enjoying his time very much," Vesper whispers under his breath, making Max nudge his side so he can shut up.
"A few hours ago, the Elites President, Ian Rothman, sent a message that our own representative, Martin Osborn, has also arrived in his new house. Here in the House of Bishops, we pray that he has a wholesome and unforgettable experience there. After all, we are—"
Before Father Lucas could even finish his sentence, the giant screens above him suddenly turned on, confusing everyone, even the brotherhoods. Max also looked at Keigo, assuming that he had something to do with this, but Keigo immediately shook his head and waved his hands to deny it.
"What's going on?" President Justice confusingly asks, slowly standing from his seat.
The screens showed an image of St. George Academy's house symbol, but after a while, the screen glitched and turned to J.S High's logo.
"Turn the screens off. Turn it off now," Vice President Levi instructs, and Secretary Perseus and Treasurer Adam immediately stand from their seats and run to the technical booth. But when they arrived there, the door was locked.
"W-What's going on? Why the hell is this locked?! Where's the keys?!" Perseus angrily shouted.
While the two Saints were figuring out what was happening, the video continued playing. Everyone in the atrium stared at J.S High's logo on the screen, but soon after, it started glitching again until the screen turned completely black.
The students and the professors inside the atrium thought that Perseus and Adam were able to turn the screens off. But while everything was completely silent, it turned on again, and this time, it showed a photo of Martin Osborn, covered in pig blood from head to toe. There was also a sign attached to him that said, "Faith is weakness."
The people at the atrium gasped in shock. Even the brotherhoods were dumbfounded. It felt like something you'd see in a horror movie.
"W-What is the meaning of this?!" Father Ivory shouted.
"Holy shit," Uchdryd then comments while staring at the photo.
Everyone started talking amongst themselves while President Justice and Vice President Levi tried assessing the situation.
"Evacuate the students," Justice decides, and Levi nods his head in agreement. Levi quickly approached the Alpha Society leader so they could help clear the atrium, but then the screen changed again, making him stop.
Images of Brotherhood logos start appearing on stage. First, it was Busters, then BND, and then followed by Crazy 8, the Revels, Cigarettes, and Jokers. The logos flashed in front of everyone continuously until it got faster and faster. They glued their eyes on the screen as they watched the logos flash before them. Soon after, it started slowing down again, and then, it suddenly stopped at a logo that no one expected, instantly making everyone's jaw drop.
"T-This can't be," Chandler Heptinstall, leader of the Gallants, says in shock, a chill running down his spine as he stares at the familiar logo.
While everyone was trying to understand what was happening, the quiet atrium was suddenly awakened by the sound of trumpets. Soon after, the doors opened, revealing a powerful man wearing a white uniform.
"N-No way..." Keigo says in shock as the 'white uniform' walks his way down the middle aisle for everyone to see.
They couldn't believe what they were witnessing. But while they were in a state of shock, Max stood up, and then he touched his chest and did a proper bow, the type of bow that only the students at J.S High do. Keigo was still confused, but he stood up and bowed as well. Soon after, the members of the Clan stood up, followed by the Gallants, the Archers, and eventually Scarlet Letter. Even Levi and Justice unconsciously bowed down.
"What have you done, Uchdryd?" Ruby asks while Uchdryd still has his mouth wide open in shock.
The brotherhood members who were standing immediately bowed as the white uniform walked past them. Soon after, the members of PHD got up and bowed as well, except Kim Hee-joon, who couldn't help but show his disbelief.
"Has he gone mad?" Joon whispered under his breath as the white uniform stood before him.
"Kim Hee-joon..." he says, and Joon finally stands up to look at him face to face. "Long time no see," the white uniform continues with a smirk, and Joon quickly touched his chest and bowed to him.
Everyone in the House of Bishops was utterly speechless. No one expected J.S High to send someone like him. They couldn't believe they'd bring someone like him here. Both of White Uniforms and the Black Uniforms couldn't even fathom what was happening because standing before them...was none other than J.S High's king, the Destroyer, Hedeon Stallion.
- END -