Chapter 49 All In A Days Work (2/2)

Henry was silently rejoicing. How do you like that, huh, you punks?! Against a true Devil you're all nothing, less than nothing!

”Huh, who're you?” Damien suddenly noticed an aging man with a haggard face quivering in excitement by the doorway.

”Call me Henry, little friend.”

Henry is sure the overseer would thoroughly take care of the young Devil soon enough, but for now he'll enjoy the show.

Please, crush their wills to live as soon as you can.

Damien caught the heartfelt desire for retribution in the other man's eyes and felt annoyed. ”You a teacher here?”

”For over twenty years, Great One.” For the time being, this devilish youth was a hero in his mind. Henry became tearful at remembering all the injustices he's suffered.

But it's okay because this young man would avenge---

”Well then you're next, pal.” Damien pulled the guy's ear. ”Honestly,” He chastised, ”What the hell kind of school you guys runnin' here? Can't you control a couple pieces of shit like these? Letting them run wild and pull pranks all willy nilly. If I don't beat you up for your negligence, that'd be too unfair.”

***

”Disciplinary committee?” Gladstone frowned. ”What's this?” He stared down at a large pile of paperwork.

A beautiful girl with purple-black hair stood prim and proper in front of him. Flame-like eyes burned with interest as she sat them at his desk just moments ago.

”He wants to establish a new branch in the school's administration designed to ”govern and enforce public morals” among students. Strictly speaking, it's a club. But one officially recognized and backed by the Academy itself. It's quite clever.”

And it is. Clubs at Haytham are given complete autonomy. This would mean the ”Disciplinary Committee” is allowed to have it's own rules and run itself as the club president dictates, but the entire purpose to be a peace keeper force. It's club activities would be to go around and enforce these ”public morals” around the entire highschool division. It wasn't limited to just block C.

Normally the clubs wouldn't be able to have a say in how students present themselves.

But since this one would be sanctioned by the Academy itself it can impose their rules upon the entire student body. This would effect the other clubs as well. Their members would also have to follow whatever rules and regulations the Disciplinary Committee establishes.

Gladstone read through the papers for several minutes in silence.

”...Devious….” His frown deepened the more he read. The whole thing was ironclad. ”He'd have the authority of school administration behind him but we wouldn't be able to have a say in what he does ourselves.”

She was right. Strictly speaking, it is a club. Only a club. Which meant the Academy would have no right to interfere in their activities.

”It's only been a day.” Gladstone's gravelly voice was severe. The stack of paper was daunting. ”How did he get all this done? It's entirely hand-written.”

”I've read it. He's acquired a solid grasp on school guidelines, it seems.”

”The handbook is nearly five hundred pages. I don't even understand it.” He rubbed his temples as he recalled all the jargon he couldn't begin to comprehend in the short time he's been here. ”When I finished the first section I had to close my eyes and rest for an hour,” Gladstone admitted.

Helena shrugged. ”I got through half of it, but I had a servant read it to me aloud.”

”Worthy of being the devilish youth of the generation.” Gladstone begrudgingly praised. It was too amazing, his dedication to causing trouble.

”His Grace is certainly on a level different from us.” Helena nodded calmly. Something about her words nagged at him. Did she call the boy, His Grace? No, that was nonsense. He must've misheard.

”The boy's already kicking up dirt.” A savage grin. ”I like it.” The frown returned. ”But what I don't like is having my hand forced.”

There was no real reason to reject the creation of the club, and on paper it was only a positive change.

He wasn't blind, he knew that girl overseeing block C is as corrupt as they came. He simply didn't care. They achieved passing scores in tests continuously, and cheating was impossible. She was also good at hiding her tracks, that woman. At most, it was just the students being unruly by themselves, nothing connected directly to her. So nothing much could even be done to begin with.

Since she kept it under the rug and test scores were decent, every Principal before Gladstone was either blissfully unaware or gracious with turning a blind eye. He was, too. He had no reason to get involved. And it wasn't as if there were any deaths due to her machination, at least as far as he knew.

In any case, it's true that the place being seedy was an open, unsightly secret among the administration.

This is the positive change he'd meant. Yes. On paper, there were no negatives. The Violet-Eyed Devil, however, was in the details, slyly giving him jurisdiction over ALL students, not just those from block C.

...As it was so well-written and offered to rid the school of a long-held problem….

The boy had even lightly threatened to go over Gladstone's head if he were to refuse. The Academy had autonomy itself even as they were funded by various nations. But every principal from middle school to the university division was part of a group that democratically decided matters which affected the whole.

This Claybrook kid could--and vaguely implied that he would--bring evidence of block C's misconduct to the other Principles. If they sided with him, they'd outvote Gladstone. At that point it wouldn't matter what he said. Perhaps they'd install similar clubs in their own divisions, even.

This was...quite a headache.

His hands were tied. He had to agree to the proposal. That brat didn't give him the choice to refuse.

The boy was here a day and already prepared himself a nice little kingdom to rule. The laws he wanted to enforce were all rather reasonable. It's just, the methods he used to enforce them was up to his own judgment. Another seemingly innocent detail that was, in reality, worrying.

”He's definitely going to butt heads with that vulgar woman, though.” Gladstone gave his seal of approval with mixed feelings. The creation of such a club was a direct challenge to her authority. The Academy gave overseers their freedom, mostly. Normally it didn't matter as other overseers won't involve themselves with the students themselves too much, but that woman's different. She uses the students to her own ends.

This would be wrenching away that control. A not-so-civil war may be on the horizon, he feared.

”I doubt she'll be much trouble for him, my Lord.” Helena scoffed lightly. ”Haven't you heard what he did this morning?”

”...Please tell me no one died.”

”Oh, it was quite a bit worse.” Her lips curved beautifully. ”Unfortunately, he wasn't so lenient.” And began to tell him of the boy's latest exploit.