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"FOR THE STUDENT COUNCIL, we will no longer base it on ranks alone. For each position, we will now have an election so that even a serf can be a member of the council. This is what we've been planning...since the moment you left the house." Justice finally explained, and both Max and Joon ended up becoming completely speechless.

    An election.

    This was something no other house would dare implement, especially with their merit system.

     Justice was right, an election will never work on J.S High. If the students could just vote on who they want to be their president, then no one would want to rank up anymore. But for St. George, maybe it was possible, especially since they have the Division Program. Max couldn't think of how they'd make it work, but this wasn't his house. It's not his problem anymore.

     "I can't believe you're doing that," Max honestly said to Justice. "What about the merit system? There's no reason for the students to rank up anymore if you're just going to have elections."

    "I couldn't believe it either when Levi showed the documents to me. Levi did everything he could to polish it before he left, but this was really someone else's idea," Justice explains.

     "Whose?"

     "Our old president, Klyde Vitus Von Hatzfeld," Justice answered, and his name instantly made the hair on Max's skin stand.

     "When we defeated the Ministry, Mother Margaret permitted us to look at the archives and files in the convent. We saw that Klyde actually proposed two systems. The Division Program, and the Elections. These two were supposed to go hand in hand, but Klyde left before the Elections could be finalized. I'll admit that Klyde wasn't the best president, but he was hella smart. He created this election system that doesn't ignore the merit points. I can't explain everything now since we're still trying to figure out the hundreds of documents Klyde made, but I think this will help, especially in our house."

     "Wow, Klyde really is something, huh?" Max thought, the image of Klyde suddenly appearing in front of him again. But before he could see anything unpleasant, Max cleared his throat and looked at Justice again.

     "But the idea of an election is crazy. You could lose your position, do you not know that?"

     "I know, but it's something I will wholeheartedly accept. If the students are not willing to make me their president anymore, then that is a risk I am willing to take," Justice explained. He looked so ready that Max couldn't help but admire him for it. After everything Justice has been through, he's willing to throw it all away for the sake of his house. Max isn't sure if he could do the same.

    "An election, huh? Then I'm guessing Martin Osborn isn't happy about that," Joon then interrupts, making Max and Justice go back to their initial topic.

     "I guess so," Justice agreed. "He probably knew that if the election gets approved, he won't have a chance to win it. If he doesn't win, he won't be a Saint anymore, and considering everything the council has done to the lower-ranked students, Martin is going to be dead meat."

     "But is that all to it?" Max asks, which was something Joon was wondering too. "I mean, I'm not even in St. George Academy anymore. I won't be able to help him whether he wins or loses that election."

     "Then it's probably the information itself. His lead might be someone powerful," Joon adds.

     "Wait, that's right. Before he lost consciousness, Martin mentioned something that only a rank 1 would be able to help him," Killshot remembers, the last words repeating in his head since earlier.

     Max furrows his brows, confused as to why his rank would matter. But as he was thinking of possible reasons, Max couldn't help but feel strange about this whole thing. Something was off. He just doesn't know what it is just yet.

     "What if this is some sort of plan?" Max suggests the idea making Killshot and Justice nervous all of a sudden since it didn't even cross their minds. They were so occupied with what happened to Martin that they didn't even think of that possibility.

     "I'm the one he's looking for, right? Why? Because of a mere election? I've been on this game for so long. This shouldn't be this simple."

     "You think it's a trap too?" Joon asked, and as much as Max didn't want to admit it, he nodded his head to agree to it.

     "I mean, we checked Martin's room, his laptop, everything. He didn't have any suspicious activity when he was in St. George," Justice confirmed.

     "But he was out during the exchange program, right?" Max reminded them. "There's a huge possibility that someone talked to him when he was out of St. George Academy. And I don't really want to say this, but I think it might  be someone from J.S High."

     As soon as Max said those things, Killshot, Joon, and Justice looked at each other, unsure of what to do now.

     "Then what do you plan to do?" Joon asked, looking at Max again. "We're already here. If this is a trap, then we've walked straight to it. If we're moving forward with this, we need a plan."

     Max thinks about it for a while and realizes that they're somehow at an advantage. Max came here with the Lemieux Family's guard unit, which has been considered the best of the best. If something were to happen to him, today would be the best day for it to happen.

     "We're not really sure if this is a trap or not, but I think Martin will be the only person to answer our questions. Do you think I can talk to him now?"

     "Are you sure about this?"

     "I'm sure."

     Without wasting any more time, Justice and the others head to the room where Martin was confined. After talking to a few doctors, Justice told Max that he could now enter the room and that Martin was ready for him. Max wanted Joon to come with him, but Martin explained that he wasn't going to say anything if Max didn't come alone, so they were left with no choice.

    "Just go," Joon signaled Max, and Max nodded his head and finally entered the room.

     As soon as the door closed, Killshot looked at the prince and told him, "Am I seeing things or are you two...closer?"

     "I'm going to stab you."

     "Yes, sorry."

...

"Martin?" Max called out, walking further inside the room, the sound of machines making him feel nervous for some reason.

    Martin Osborn was in bed. His eyes were closed so Max thought he was just sleeping. He didn't know if he should disturb him, but as he got closer, Martin's eyes opened. He looked directly at Max, and it almost made the young heir flinch.

     "S-Sinclaire..." Martin weakly says. "You're here. Y-you're actually here."

     "I'm here," Max repeated, looking around the room first before walking towards a window and quickly closing the curtain. "How are you feeling, Martin?"

    "I-I'm fine," Martin struggled to answer, which made his statement seem like a lie. "But that's not important. I need to...I n-need to tell you something. There's not much time."

    "Why?" Max asked, staring at the curtain, not even daring to turn to the Saints' representative. "Who have you been making friends with, Martin? How deep have you dug your grave by now?

    "W-What?" Martin said in surprise.

     Max takes a deep breath and finally turns to look at the boy lying on the hospital bed. "I came with a dozen highly trained guards. I already told them to inspect the whole building, so whatever it is that you're planning, give up now."

     Martin didn't say anything after that. Max didn't know how he would react, but he was eager to find out. After all, whatever happens now will be Max's answer. He'll instantly know what this was all about based on Martin's reaction.

     And unsurprisingly enough, Martin didn't disappoint.

     Because the moment Max was done talking, Martin Osborn started laughing.

     "Y-You're an idiot!" Martin shouted, his weak persona completely thrown out the window now. "This entire room is bugged! They heard everything that you just said. Now we know your plan."

    Max was a bit taken aback by the sudden shift of personality, but he didn't waver. Instead, he moved closer to Martin and stared down at him with no fear. "Who did you talk to? No...who made you do this? Was it Payton? Is she the one listening to us right now?" Max asked, not wasting any time.

     "And why would I tell you?" Martin angrily answered, now sitting up from the bed. "Do you know what happened to me in J.S High? They tortured me! Just because you got hurt, they made it look like it was my fault! It's all because of you!" he started shouting this time, and for once, Max understood his sentiments. But it wasn't enough to change his opinion of him.

      Martin was one of the Saints who instigated everything that happened to the dwellers and serfs in St. George Academy. Because of him, a lot of people suffered.

     "I can't control what people do, but what do you want from me? Do you want me to apologize? Do you want me to go down on my knees and bow to you? Is that what you want?" Max asked, and Martin just continued to look smug.

    "That would actually be great," he replied.

    Max continued to observe Martin, looking at his face and his posture. But as he was staring, he noticed Martin's expression changing from time to time. He'd look confident, and then look worried for a few seconds. Like what Martin said, the room had hidden microphones. Max couldn't help but think that the microphones really weren't for him but for Martin instead.

       Whoever was listening, they were making sure Martin didn't fuck up.

     "Alright then, I'll bow to you," Max said out loud, but instead of doing that, he grabbed his phone and typed something down. Martin was about to say something, but Max immediately showed him the phone with a note that said: Nod your head if you're in danger but continue talking...

     Max looked back at Martin, his heart practically racing. If he's wrong with this, he made a huge mistake.

     "N-No..." Martin answered. Max thought Martin wasn't going to admit anything, but then he nodded his head like Max typed down and quickly continued, "I don't want you to bow to me. Instead, I need you to tell me where you're hiding March and the other members of Revels."

     "Wait,  what? The Revels?" Max asked in surprise. "You're looking for them? Why?"

     "I'm not obligated to explain anything to you," Martin answered while Max started typing something on his phone again. "Like what you suspected, there are snipers surrounding the area. They'd be able to shoot before your guard unit finds you. Closing the curtains won't help either. I can simply say where you're standing and they know where to shoot."

    "Is that so?" Max asked back, showing his phone to Martin again.

     "Are they forcing you to do this?" the note read, and Martin quickly nodded his head before Max could scroll down. "Is there a bomb in the room? Anything that might hurt you? Where is it?"

     "I don't know what you want with the Revels, but I don't have them. Our king has been hiding them since they arrived at our house. I'm the wrong person you trapped," Max then answered, staring at Martin whose confident demeanor turned into fear.

    Soon after, a tear poured out of Martin's eye as he pointed at his stomach, making Max's eyes widen in complete shock.

    "There's something...in his stomach?" Max thought to himself, his entire body trembling at how dangerous this had all become.

    "T-Then what are you going to do about it now? Hmm? You're not leaving this hospital alive, Sinclaire. I need the Revels, and I need them now," Martin says as panic appears on his face.

     Max couldn't say anything anymore.

     Something was inside Martin's stomach. They implanted something in his stomach, and the mere thought of it made Max feel completely trapped. How was he going to help him? How was he going to get out of this?

     "Okay..." Max says, putting his phone down. "You want the Revels, then okay. But you have to allow me to return to J.S High first. I can talk to Viktor. I can ask him to bring March here."

     "No, you're not leaving!" Martin suddenly shouted, making Max flinch. "You are not leaving this building, do you understand me? If you're going to call someone, then do it here."

     "I can't do it here!" Max answered, panicking now too. The situation reminded him too much of what happened to Klyde back in Germany. The memory of seeing his dead body made his heart beat faster and faster. He doesn't want to experience it all over again.

      It's obvious that the moment Max leaves, something will happen to Martin. But there's no way for Max to speak to Viktor here. He doesn't even have his number. But even if Max did have his number, Viktor wouldn't just give the Revels to him just because he asked.

     There's only one person who can talk to Viktor and make him listen.

     Only one.

     "Kim Hee-joon," Max finally said. "I came here with Kim Hee-joon. He can...he might be able to talk to Viktor and convince March and the rest of the Revels to come here like you wanted. He can—" Max suddenly stopped himself when he realized what he was saying.

     "What the hell am I saying?"

     Max was willing to make Joon face Viktor again just to save Martin. He promised Joon that he'd never let Viktor come close to him again, but at the same time, was the still promise important when someone's life was at stake?

    "S-shit...I can't do it," Max thought to himself, looking back at Martin who had tears in his eyes.

     Max grabbed his phone again and started typing something down. "I'm sorry. There's no way for me to help you. I don't know how to..." but as Max was tying the words with his trembling hands, he cursed and immediately deleted everything.

    He took a deep breath and unconsciously touched the brooches in his collar. But the moment he touched the cold metal, Max's eyes widened in realization. In an instant, he thought of something.

     "Okay, I don't know where March is hiding," Max honestly said. "But there's one member who I can pinpoint," he added before typing something down on his phone. This time, he didn't show it to Martin. Instead, he sent the text to someone, someone who might be able to help them.

     "If I tell you, do you promise to let me go?" Max asked.

     Martin was quiet for a while like he was waiting for a response. Max doesn't know how Martin is even communicating with the mastermind, but it looks like a decision was made when he answered, "Alright. Tell us where one of them is then you can walk away."

...

"What's taking them so long?" Killshot asks as he, Joon, and Justice are waiting outside the room where Martin and Max were in.

     "Should we check on them?" Justice suggested.

     Before Killshot could agree, Joon stops him and says, "Something doesn't feel right. I know that Max said he'll handle it, but something's off."

     "Then isn't it better for us to go check?" Justice answers.

     Joon thinks about it, but then, Justice's phone suddenly rings, interrupting the prince's thoughts. 

      Joon and Killshot look at Justice as he confusingly brings his phone out—which wasn't his actual phone but the council's since he has to bring one in case something happens in the House while he's away.

     Justice looks at the phone and realizes that it's a call from an unknown number. The president didn't know if he should answer or not, but when Joon nodded his head to him, Justice finally answered the call, putting it on speaker so the rest of them could listen to it.

     "Hello?" Justice answered.

     "H-Hello...J-Justice?" a voice answered, a little unclear since it was mostly static. "Hello...can you hear me?" the voice continued to say, and Killshot suddenly furrowed his brows, surprised to hear someone familiar.

     "Wait, Cinna?" Killshot reveled, surprising Joon and Justice this time.

     "They can hear us now!" Vesper Hugo Cinna, who was on the other line, exclaimed to another person who was probably beside him.

     "Wait, Vesper, did you just...hack the school satellite again?" Justice asked this time, remembering that as lazy as Vesper looks, he's still the son of a genius IT who specializes in telecommunications.

     "No time for that. Max sent me a message," Vesper immediately told them. "He didn't give much detail, but he said that he and Martin were in trouble and requested that we cut the signal near the hospital. Keigo is here with me right now, helping."

     "Hey guys," Keigo then added.

     "So something's really happening?" Justice asked in shock. "What's going on? How are they in danger? Is someone actually in the room with them? Is there a sniper? Shit, Max was right. What should we do?"

     "How about you calm down first," Joon said with his poker face. "The fact that we're not hearing anything inside the room means that Max is trying his best to give us time."

     "Wait, Max just sent another message," Keigo interrupted. He was silent for a while, but then he started cursing, causing the others to worry even more. "Max said they don't have much time. He explained that someone was talking to Martin through an earpiece he was wearing, and the room was wired so that person could hear their entire conversation. He also suspects that...he suspects Martin has a controlled bomb implanted in his stomach."

     "What?!" Justice, Killshot, and even Vesper shouted in shock. Thankfully the entire hallway was empty and no one was there to hear them.

     "What the fuck is going on?!" President Justice says in a panic. "This isn't part of my job description as council president. This wasn't part of the deal!"

     "Can you relax?" Killshot scolds this time, even though he completely understands Justice. Hearing your member have a bomb implanted in his stomach isn't really something you should be relaxed about, but the temporary leader knew that panicking won't help them.

     "Okay, I don't think we have much time," Vesper says on the other line. "Keigo and I have checked the hospital you're in. Nothing else is being tampered with, but we are seeing signals in a patient room which I'm guessing is where Martin is. Room 503, right?"

     "That's right."

     "Good, then that means it's the only room with hidden microphones," Vesper said in relief. "Now this is what you're going to do. Ready a car...we'll block the signal, but not permanently. The communication between Martin and whoever it is he's talking to will be gone for at least five minutes max. The same goes for that bomb. I already asked Elijah, and he confirmed that controlled bombs have a similar signal with phones so this will be easier...somehow."

    "Wow, that's fast," Killshot commented.

     "As soon as we block the signal, you need to get Max and Martin out of there. Ready a car if you can...a fast one. Within five minutes, you need to drive Martin as far away from the hospital as possible. If he's far enough, the bomb might not be controlled anymore."

     "Might?" Joon asked, but Vesper ignored him.

     "Anyway, you guys ready?" Vesper then asked, and Justice, Joon, and Killshot looked at each other, making sure they were ready.

     Justice still didn't understand what was going on, but he took a deep breath and became determined. Martin wasn't the best, but he wasn't going to let a fellow Saint die. Not here, and not now.

     "Alright, I'll ready the car."

- END -