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IN THE MIDDLE OF the busy streets of the city, there is a windowless building where all the students of the five Brotherhood houses gather. Students of the said houses weren't always allowed to publicly talk about the things that happened in their school outside the walls of their campus, but this windowless building was an exception.
The Mask, a pub where the white and black uniforms gather, was filled with students who decided to get a drink after a busy day at school. One group in particular who easily commanded everyone's attention by their mere presence was none other than J.S High's strongest and smartest students, the Elites.
"Things have been very quiet recently, except for the part where Martin Osborn got kidnapped by the Rebels and we literally had to threaten them to get him back, but other than that, things have been good," Richard shares, taking a sip of his beer before turning to look at the rest of the members of the council, which excluded Heaven J. Carter who was only a proxy for Max.
"Too quiet, actually," Council Treasurer, Dustin Griffiths, adds, making President Ian chuckle.
"The brotherhoods eventually gave up on chasing the Saints' representative, Martin Osborn, and surprisingly enough, no one has pulled a flag or done anything particularly concerning yet. If you ask me, I'm starting to get a little worried. J.S High is always being tangled in some sort of trouble. The fact that we haven't caught anything only means we don't know what's happening at all," Ian then explains.
"You're overthinking it," Richard comments before taking another sip of his beer.
"Richard's right," Vice President Gavriil then agrees, "We might as well enjoy the peace now because when those particular students return, hell will once again break loose."
"Those particular students? You mean Sinclaire, Kawanishi, and Hedeon Stallion?" Richard asks next, but Gavriil takes a sip of his beer as well before shaking his head.
"Not them," he answers. "I meant the princes, PHD."
As soon as the brotherhood name was mentioned, President Ian instantly had a grin on his face. It hasn't really been that long since the reranking ended, but imaging Kim Hee-joon and the rest of his brotherhoods back on the grounds of the Kings' Castle made his skin crawl. Those bunch definitely made J.S High interesting.
There's also the fact that Viktor becomes more active when his precious prince is by his side, so Gavriil's right on that one. Once PHD returns, J.S High will definitely go back to normal.
"Well, we only have two weeks before the exchange program ends so we should—" Before Ian could finish his sentence, the door to the pub suddenly opened, revealing three famous gaffers that immediately made everyone there turn to look at them.
These three have been making a name for themselves so there's no surprise that even students from the lower houses recognize them and are low-key starstruck.
"Look who we have here, it's Sinclaire's friends," Dustin says with a monotone voice, making Ari, Ervin, and Felix turn to him with an annoyed expression.
"We have names you know! Ari, Ervin, and Felix. You should at least know that by now," Ari defended, and all Felix could do was sigh and massage his temple because Ari didn't really have to comment about it at all, but now he just looks plain childish.
"What are you guys doing here?" Gavriil asks next.
"Well, you're not the only one who can come here," Ervin answers back.
Ian smiles at the bunch and suddenly stands from his seat. "Well since you're here, come and join us. The more the merrier," he says, and even though Ari and the others would rather not share a table with the Elites, it would make them look bad if they reject them in front of all these students from the lower houses.
"The more the merrier," Felix answers in defeat, taking a seat first so Ervin and Ari can follow.
As soon as they got comfortable, Ian took the liberty to order drinks for them, telling the sophomores that it would be his treat, so none of them could really decline.
"So, what have you guys been up to without Max?" Richard asks, making Ari look at the secretary annoyingly again, acting as if he wasn't a fellow Rose.
"We have lives outside Max, okay?" Ari defends again.
"You were just complaining about how boring it was without him," Felix then reveals, and this time, Ari looked at his little friend with a "how-could-you-betray-me-like-this" look.
"Well, we've been focusing on our own thing," Ervin answers while Felix and Ari are bickering at the side. "I've been training for an overseas competition happening next month, which will definitely boost my merit points if I end up winning it. Ari's been writing essays and research papers nonstop and might even be sent to Finland to present them, and Felix here has been busy with his...crazy...duties. If you know what I mean," Ervin surprisingly explains, which made the Elites surprised.
"Looks like you guys are chasing something too. I'm relieved that you guys are working hard," Ian answers with a suppressed smile, trying not to sound sarcastic with his genuine compliment.
Ervin smiles back, and then he turns to look at the vice president and says, "We're doing this for ourselves, but we also don't want to be a burden to Max. We want him to return and realize that we have grown too. We're not just waiting for him here without doing anything."
As soon as Ervin said such a serious statement, everyone at the table became completely quiet. Even Ari and Felix became serious.
Thankfully, after a while, Ian broke the silence by giving out a chuckle.
"Looks like you really admire Max Sinclaire. That's good. It's always good to have someone as an inspiration," Ian says, turning to look at Gavriil as well. "Don't you agree, vice president?"
Gavriil rolls his eyes back as he grabs his drink. Ari and the others' beer also arrived, so the council members passed it down so the three could finally have a drink. But while they tried to enjoy the rest of their night, someone from the pub suddenly shouted something that startled them.
"Isn't that Father Lucas Ivory?!"
As soon as he said those words, everyone in the pub turned to the television that was actually showing the news. And like what the student said, the president of the House of Bishops, Father Lucas Ivory, was right there on the screen, being escorted out of the campus by police officers with handcuffs.
"W-What the fuck is going on?" Dustin asks in shock.
Ian was surprised too, so he looked at the bartender and told him, "Can you please turn the volume up?"
The bartender nodded his head and did what he was told while everyone's eyes were glued to the screen.
"The police have finally arrived to arrest Lucas Ivory, who is known to be the school president of St. George Academy, after evidence of student exploitation and abuse was surrendered to the authorities this afternoon," a news reporter who was standing outside the gates of St. George Academy explains, leaving everyone completely speechless.
"An insider reported that Ivory and his allies who are called the Ministry have blatantly been abusing the students and have forced them to reside in a terrible environment for the past year," the reporter continues to say, now showing the state of the campus which only looked like that after two weeks of chaos, but the news somehow made it seem like they've been living in such a condition for years.
"It was also stated that in order for the students to be treated more fairly, they must hand over thousands, and sometimes even millions of euros. But what really shocked the authorities was the involvement of the Secretary of Education, Laurence Chapman. The police have said to have arrested him just moments ago, but his lawyer refuses to give us any statement for the time being."
"Loraine, has President Janus Sinclaire spoken up about this yet?" the news anchor in the studio then asks.
"Well, we briefly got a word from him before he left to join the police for further questioning, but he explained that the association will do everything they can to handle the situation, and every student will definitely be compensated for the horrors that they had to endure in this school," Lorain answers.
"How about the students? Any reports about them? Will the school be closed for the time being?"
"Actually Herbert, it is still unclear what the next course of action would be with this school, but as I'm standing outside, not a single student has been seen or interviewed. It may be because most of them are currently being protected by their influential families, but regardless, the public is still wondering...how are these kids holding up after all the trauma this school has put them through?"
...
[St. George Academy, at the Atrium]
"Holy fucking shit! We did it!" one of the serfs shouted as almost everyone in the atrium was celebrating and jumping for joy. They hadn't even slept all night because of everything that happened, but they were still filled with energy.
The serfs were practically crying because of happiness, the dwellers were also overjoyed, while the gaffers, who weren't as happy about the outcome, were still somehow relieved that things were settled before it got worse. And then there are the brotherhoods, who looked like they didn't care about everything that happened, when in fact, they're glad the Ministry is finally out of their hair.
This was definitely a win for all of them.
"By the way, didn't Uchdryd mention that St. George Academy wasn't a registered school? What happened after that announcement?" one of the white uniforms wondered.
"I actually don't know. But honestly, if it's no longer an issue then who fucking cares!?"
Most of the students, especially the Saints, were surprised when it was never revealed that St. George wasn't even a registered school. It seems like Janus was able to handle it behind the scenes with Laurence Chapman. They're not even sure how the president was able to talk to him about it, but whatever he did to that secretary is better to be left unknown. Max is just glad that he pulled through in the end.
The Ministry was also taken by the police, along with a couple of Tax Collectors who weren't even students to begin with. And apart from the case that Janus filed, a dozen more lawsuits were piling up thanks to the ever-so-protective families of these spoiled and entitled heirs.
It was also crucial that Janus filed the case against Lucas Ivory and Laurence Chapman first so that he could immediately separate the Brotherhood Association from the picture. But there are rumors that the other houses will be investigated as well, which Janus happily agrees with. Honestly don't know how J.S High is gonna make themselves look like a normal school when the authorities make a surprise visit, but that's going to be a problem at another date.
There's also the case with the mysterious Archbishop. When the authorities took the members of the Ministry, it was finally revealed that the Archbishop...wasn't even an Archbishop to begin with. It was all fake, which was already expected. Lucas Ivory used that fake archbishop to distract everyone, just like how Max and Keigo wasted time by looking for clues about him, clues that weren't even important.
When Max found out about this, he realized something crucial. What if he's wasting his time pursuing Payton Wolfe too? What if Payton was just a distraction from the real culprit who is just hiding in plain sight, just like Lucas Ivory? What if the person behind the demise of PHD has nothing to do with Payton at all, and Payton is only there to stall them and waste their time? What if the mastermind is someone close to them all this time?
Those questions only confused Max even more, but then again, he'll just have to ponder over it some other time.
What's important is that things ended well for them.
Now there's only one thing left to do.
"Attention, everyone!" the president of the Saints, Justice Thorndyke, shouted as he stood in the middle of the atrium with the rest of the council members while Max and his friends were with the Serfs Division, their duties to this school now officially over.
When everyone settled down and looked back at them, Justice finally made his announcement. "We have spoken briefly with President Janus before he left. He explained that the students who wish to be compensated will be entertained and will be given top priority. The doors will also be open to those who wish to transfer to a different school amidst this issue. Legal documents for your transfer will be sent to you immediately upon your request."
"So as we explained yesterday, the gates are open for anyone who wishes to leave. This time, there won't be any judgment thrown against you. Just leave, and never look back," Vice President Levi Dubois then adds.
Everyone was quiet as soon as they said those words. At this point, they at least expected a handful of students to get up and leave, but to their surprise, no one did.
"Looks like you guys are tougher than I thought," Justice says with a smile before turning to the other members of the council.
"It's time," Secretary Perseus says, making the rest of them nod their head in understanding.
"Well, since it looks like everyone decided to stay, I'll tell you my second announcement," Justice says, looking at the brotherhoods before looking back at the white uniforms. "I know that you've all expected this, but as you all have realized, our system is flawed. In fact, it is the most flawed compared to the other houses. And one of the reasons for that is because...apart from the House of Pawns, St. George Academy is the only school that does not follow the White Uniform Protection Code."
As soon as the code was mentioned, everyone in the atrium started talking amongst each other, some even looking displeased, which was a reaction that the Saints, and even Max expected.
"We are aware that most of you are afraid, especially since the White Uniform Protection Code will make the Brotherhood Customs legal, and we all know how everyone suffered because of that for the past week," Justice states.
"But there is a bigger purpose for this code that will weigh everything down," Levi explains next, taking a deep breath when he suddenly remembered the sleepless nights when he was in the council office at J.S High with President Matthew Grey Cullen, assisting him as he wrote the entire code.
"The White Uniform Protection Code gives every student an equal chance to rank up. This code assures not only your protection from the brotherhoods but also the system itself. Everyone is given a chance to become better. Biases will be terminated. The school will not protect a single division because it will protect all three. Your food, your living conditions, and your quality of education will all improve. All of you...and I mean all of you...will be able to conquer all," Levi says, almost repeating the exact words that Grey once uttered to him before.
"Now it's your decision. We cannot implement this without the approval of most of you. If you want change, you have to—" Before Justice can even finish his sentence, a powerful brotherhood member suddenly started waiving his hand frantically, cutting Justice off midsentence.
"Before you proceed with that," the previous prince, and a member of PHD's Hot Wingmen, Choi Myung-Jin, also known as Blade, suddenly interrupts while raising his hand like he's about to recite something. He then proceeds to walk towards the middle so he can face the council. "There's something I would also like to announce, which I know is very untimely, and might just make this even harder for all of you, but this was requested by our king so we can't really defy his orders."
"What are you talking about?" Justice asks confusingly.
The playful expression on Blade's face slowly turns into something more serious when Kim Hee-Joon and Killshot approach them as well. With his usual cold expression, PHD's leader glances at Levi first before turning to the white uniforms. He takes a deep breath, and then he finally states, "Listen and obey."
As soon as Hee-joon's words echoed inside the atrium, everyone's hair instantly stood in fear. You could tell that they've developed some kind of trauma by those simple words.
"Though I believe that it is still too early for this, I do not have the power to defy a king," Hee-joon says, his expression unreadable as it always has been. "But as promised, starting today...I declare the removal of the brotherhood custom," the leader then reveals, instantly surprising everyone. Some of the brotherhoods were surprised by this too.
"No one is allowed to kidnap, hurt, or merely touch these students. All brotherhoods must automatically cease their customs, and will properly receive punishment if they fail to meet these terms in accordance with the Division Program. This is the Prince's Law, and those who defy it will be stained in red."
The entire atrium became completely quiet after hearing what the leader had to say. At first, everyone was confused, basically unsure if he was bluffing or not. But after letting it all sink in, the white uniforms cheered, acting as if a curse had been lifted.
The brotherhood custom was now removed. Even without the White Uniform Protection Code, they won't have to suffer again. Well, that's what others thought.
"Fuck.." President Justice mumbles to himself before glaring at the king, unaware that the person who really wanted this to happen was none other than a white uniform among the serfs' division, Max.
"Now, you may proceed...Saints," Joon then adds, almost smirking in their direction before joining his brotherhood.
While waiting for everyone to calm down, Justice almost gave up on the proposition regarding the White Uniform Protection Code. All he wanted was to make their house better, but now with the Prince Law being lifted, it's unlikely that the higher-ranked white uniforms would agree to have the code implemented.
"Hey," Levi suddenly calls out, making Justice look back at him. "There's still a chance. We haven't even voted yet."
Justice wanted to tell the vice that there was nothing they could do now, but when he saw the look in Levi's eyes, he smiled and nodded his head. He wanted to believe in his mentor. And deep down, Justice felt that this was a good thing. Now they'll know if the students really want change or not.
"Well, shall we proceed with the voting?" Justice finally asks, making everyone settle down.
Everyone else was called to the atrium. The rest of the members of the Saints helped arrange the students. The Serfs, the Dwellers, the Gaffers, and the brotherhoods were divided into their respective groups, and like the time when they'd donate money during the Sunday mass, a machine was placed in the middle where each student would cast their votes, two officers from the Brotherhood Association standing beside it to watch over everything. Even the students who were kidnapped by the brotherhoods were finally released so they could cast their votes.
"As this proposition was officially sent to our office, we will be overseeing the entire process from start to end," one of the association officers explained "Now we may begin. Please, observe silence."
The gaffers voted first, followed by the dwellers, the serfs, and the Saints. Unfortunately, since Max and Hedeon were only exchange students, they were not given the chance to vote. Soon after, the brotherhoods placed their votes as well, eventually concluding the voting after an hour and a half.
"Looks like everyone has now cast their votes," Justice says while the two members of the Brotherhood Association were checking the results in the machine. "Martin Osborn, our school representative, has also cast his votes and will be returning to the house tomorrow," Justin adds.
"Are you guys ready?" Secretary Perseus then asks, and Justice, Levi, and Treasurer Adam Hall nod their heads as they walk to the front again, standing behind the students while their eyes are glued to the large screen above them.
"Attention St. George Academy. Once again, I am Xian Chu, an officer of the Brotherhood Association. Upon the request of your student council, we are here to tally the results of your votes regarding the implementation of the White Uniform Protection Code, a code created by Matthew Grey Cullen, which was approved in the year 2021," Xian explains while holding a microphone.
"For a code or a rule to be implemented, 75 percent of you must agree to it, while the student council must all vote in favor of it. If one member of the Elites goes against the implementation, the law will automatically be discarded, regardless of the students' votes," Xian explains further, making everyone start talking again. Justice and Levi were especially nervous about this because Perseus and Adam might look like they were on their side throughout this whole ordeal, but they might have just been fooling them. There's also Martin Osborn who they haven't really talked to in a while after he got transferred to J.S High.
"Now, usually, we only need 75 percent of everyone's vote, which means out of 680 of you, we'll only need the approval of 510 students, including the Saints. But because of your system, which is the Divisions Program proposed by Klyde Vitus Von Hatzfeld, each division and group must acquire a specific percentage," Xian reveals next, and this time, some of the white uniforms got up to protest.
"W-Wait...I wasn't aware of this," Justice says in shock.
"For the Saints, you need 5 votes out of 5 officers," Xian starts to explain to them, the numbers automatically flashing on the large screen for everyone to see. "For the Serfs Division, 195 out of 260 students. 208 out of 277 for the Dwellers Division. 65 out of 86 for the Gaffers Division. And lastly, out of 52 Brotherhood members, you need the approval of 39 black uniforms. Remember, if the rest of the division met their quota, but one division fails to reach theirs, the law will still be discarded," Xian explains with a serious expression while the rest of the students, especially the serfs, looked like they were about to cry.
"Shit! I didn't know this. I didn't know the Division Program would affect the voting," Justice says in frustration while Levi tries calming him down.
This changes the entire game. They have the support of the Serfs, the Dwellers, and even the brotherhoods. But if the less than 65 students in the gaffers division agreed, everything would have been for nothing.
"One more thing, Saints," Xian then says, looking back at the student council this time. "If this law does not get approved today...you will not be able to propose it again. Is that understood?"
Justice took a deep breath and glanced at the students before swallowing the lump in his throat. He then closed his eyes and massaged his temple before saying what any sane council president would say in this situation.
"Fuck..." Justice curses, making Xian sigh and adjust his glasses before looking back at the white and black uniforms.
"Well then, let us now count the votes."
- END -