Kings On The Horizon (Vol. 7-9)

305 | Out Of Spite

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"SO, WHAT HAPPENED? WHY did you suddenly run off earlier?" Ervin asked as he and Max were walking down the stairs. The meeting with the Jacks finally ended, and the two were heading to the Great Hall to have their lunch with the others.

     After the meeting, Brave arrived with Joon's lunch. He stated that Master Joker demanded that Joon stay on the rooftop until lunch ends and avoid the Great Hall at all costs. Max didn't have a choice and left him there with the rest of the Jesters.

     "I met up with Meirion March," Max reveals to his friend without a second thought. "He told me everything that happened, about how they got acquainted with Payton Wolfe and what came after. And then I found out that there's actually two bullets inside that aluminum case."

     "Oh yeah, I heard about that from Master Joker too."

     "I can't believe someone remade the bullet," Max says next. "Things are even more complicated now. Hedeon said that three main suspects are involved in what happened, excluding the Revels and Payton Wolfe. The first one is Magnus McKay, who implanted the bullets in J.S High during the Elite School Convention. The second one was said to be in the House of Pawns..."

     "Master Joker said it was a black uniform who helped Payton get a hold of Revels," Ervin explains, which somehow made sense.

     "And now we have one more person. The kings suspect that it's someone from the House of Bishops, but I've stayed there for an entire month and I'm not even sure myself. Checkmates and the other brotherhoods already promised that they'll help look for the suspect, but there's no luck yet," Max explains further.

     "But have you thought of how that third suspect was involved?"

     "Wait, now that you said it..." Max pauses and thinks about it for a couple of seconds. "Could this person be the one who recreated the bullet? That's the only possible answer, right?"

     "That's actually what the brotherhoods suspect too."

     "Then the answer is in that bullet. Do you know where the other bullet is now? Has anyone examined it yet to see what its content is?"

     "I think Master Joker and Brave mentioned that Viktor has it," Ervin reveals, instantly making Max curse. Looks like there's no chance for him to know what that bullet is now. Unless...

     "Should I ask Gavriil to get the bullet for me?" Max wonders, instantly making Ervin grin.

     "Oh yeah, I almost forgot that you two are like a thing. Asking that kind of favor won't be much of a problem," Ervin teases, instantly making Max laugh. He didn't even deny it, nor did he act shy or embarrassed.

     "Imagine being a student council vice president and an underling of the kings. My friend's boyfriend is definitely terrifying," Ervin continues as he drapes his arm around Max's shoulder. "No wonder Keigo gave up so easily."

      "Come on now, give Keigo some respect," Max answers, making Ervin chuckle this time.

      "But now that I think about it, are you going to ask Gavriil to the Spring Dance? You know, this dance is some sort of tradition for us. A few would usually attend it alone, but most of the time students would bring someone with them. And in J.S High's customs, both here and our sister house, your partner is someone you deeply admire and respect," Ervin explains to Max, making Max unconsciously touch his bracelet.

     When Ervin sees the worry on Max's face, he pats Max's head and adds, "But don't think about it too much. I'm sure you're going to be asked by a lot of the students here, or maybe even from the House of Queens. Better yet, maybe the vice president would have the courage to flaunt you. Who knows."