Chapter 656 Following changes
[OP: ]
Accidents.
They are bound to happen in a space where many people have to be together and corporate with each other.
Especially in a competitive system like the one in the academy, there are always going to be accidents and they are inevitable.
Some were caused by the stupidity of the students themselves, some caused by environmental factors, some artificial ones that were caused by the forces of the outside ones, some clandestine powers that even the highest powers of the academy couldn't do anything carelessly about, and other factors that will always be the cause which, ultimately produce the results, or in this case, the accidents.
It was an academy, an educational institute that focused on the holistic growth of the individuals, and in an environment like this one there was bound to be prejudice, personal stereotypes, as well as limitations that would become the cause of the conflict.
And, wherever conflict was involved, politics followed behind.
Individual and group, individual and individual, group and individual, or a community and society. There is bound to be conflict all around us and there is bound to be accidents in the process of facing these conflicts.
And, since the society itself was based on a class system for most of the parts of the continents, the students who did not understand the meaning of having no rank or particular status in the academy grounds, were bound to create these conflicts which would inevitably give rise to the accidents.
And, there are things that would still remain inevitable even after the presence of strong authority figures like the house captains, the ones who were the only ones aside from the teachers and student council presidents who actually possessed any kind of authority within the academy ground.
Some things... are inevitable.
And accidents of all nature are included in this.
During every past year, there have been times when the students would act on their own and risk their time in the academy or the punishments after becoming accustomed to the academy's nature and the new environment.
Conflict would start surfacing, things that the captains had not faced would start surfacing one by one, new powers would rise and the captains would have no means to deal with them even after knowing all about them.
It was all enviable, and, the start of all of it, was always the first ever conflict or accident that took place on the academy grounds.
It acts as a signal that even after all the powers that the captains possess, even after the established system they were in, even after all the precautions and safety measures to maintain the law and order within the academy, there are certain loopholes that they can exploit and if not that, there is always an excuse before them for the things they want to do, for their own agendas.
Propaganda, some tricks, some mischiefs, or some kind of powerful behind-the-curtain politics takes form in a system that was otherwise working normally, and, sometimes, if the captains are smart enough, they also play their own tricks and use all the commotion going on in the environment to get ahead of a race that not only they, but the entire house they are in charge of, is running together.
And, what happened with the wisdom phoenix, was the trigger that though very early in comparison with the other previous batches, was something that started the 'rush hour' for all the houses and their captains.
Following the accident with the Wisdom Pheonix, the houses became more active.
The captains started taking things seriously and the rosy atmosphere of the academy slowly started becoming heated, or, from the eyes of the teachers, something that was actually normal.
But still, it hadn't reached the point of completely normal news according to them.
From what they all could tell, even after the accident and the trigger, the captain had phenomenal control over their house and their talents spoke for themselves.
The students started doing daring things even after knowing of the punishments, they started following the rules and did things that were within the rules, things that although benefitted them or their houses in one way, were something entirely personal from the other side.
Some of the students, nobles, and royals for most parts, gathered together and started creating new clubs or in their own words, the societies.
And in response to the nobles, the commoners also gathered and did the same.
The houses and the distinction of house spirit were slowly starting to get blurry and starting with that, the Capetians of the houses, had to step up their games.
...
Every house felt with the chaos and the changes in their own way.
Some employed some of the famous tactics and created their own systems of rights and wrongs, or (do)s and (don't)s.
Some of them established a system of reward for their contributions and some of them did things that were different from the norm.
They continued doing things the way they were doing and even if the conflict arose at some point, they resolved it personally or by legal, liberal, or political means.
They did not retaliate and showed their authority, and for that, their point accumulation was increased compared to the others.
Some houses did something of their own with the support they had received from their housemates.
They established rules to live, guidelines to follow, and habits that were unique to their own houses.
Wisdom Phoenix and True Dragons were two houses that did not change their ways much from what they already were.
They had no need to do so in the first place.
One house was the top of the leaderboard and even without them changing anything, it stayed like that. And, even though the house that initiated the change did not change its ways, it had managed to maintain its place in the top three, sometimes overtaking the first place for a brief moment, but not staying there for long enough to celebrate.
The other houses were accumulating points, and thanks to their changing tactics, the interference from the students who did not care about the rules anymore or were following the rules while doing the wrong, as well as the outside interference that was slowly revealing itself, the Wisdom phoenix could not maintain their top spots for long.
The other houses were receiving support from the outside, by the people who used to be from the same house or those who just wanted the fall of the other houses.
The notion that the Great Academy was a closed-off space independent from the influence of the outside society was slowly crumbling, and still, no one who would want to support the wisdom pheonix was emerging.
Or, if anyone did actually pop up and approached the captains or the vice captains, they rejected them outright, saying they were doing well on their own...
Even the members of the houses did not take help from them, be it the commoners who would always be in need of money, or the nobles whose families had high expectations of them.
They all rejected the help as per the rule of their house, and, for that, they were rewarded with delicates no money in this world could ever purchase.
Their captains knew everything about them and the things that were happening all around them and the only reason they still followed their own ways, was because they had an absolute faith in themselves.
They knew, they just knew even if the world said their ways were wrong and help from the outside, or a changed method or some leniency with the rules would be a better way, they rejected them all and followed themselves.
They chose faith in themselves and discipline over the unreal hope of a better future and by doing so, even after countless difficulties, they managed to maintain their spot in the top rankings.
There were new problems every day.
Sometimes the house members were absent or went missing, sometimes they faced environmental problems when training in the garden, sometimes they received unexpected punishments because of the things they had not even done themselves, and sometimes, they had to lose their members to the probation punishments.
They were attacked even though maintained their own business, but, their consistent top position in the eyes of the others, was not something they could possibly accept.
Over the course of three weeks after the accidents involving famous figures like the three that received harsh punishments just because they ventured into some other house's training room 'by mistake' and tried doing something obviously right, many things happened in the academy.
Many things brought substantial changes, many of the things aimed at the peace of the other houses, and many things were positive as well, but that did not change the fact that many accidents and negative things happened.
Lines were drawn between houses, groups, and societies, and, though the lines had yet to extend themselves to the playgrounds, the classrooms, and the captains themselves, according to teachers' experience, it wouldn't take long before the differences of opinions, the house conflicts, and the politics reached those places as well.
It was only a matter of time from their experience, but, this time, they were at least wrong about one thing.
"Uriel! I was going to eat that!"
"Oh, you can have mine. I am full anyway. God, I ate too much today..."
"Hmm? Really?! Thanks Lizzy~!"n)-O--V/(e()L--b./I/-n
-"Alf? Are you done? I want to see what that thing is as well."
"Just a minute Miss Bell. I am almost done."
-"So, this is how we define the Oligarchy. It's simple right?"
"Hmmm... everything becomes simple when Miss Quin explains it."
-"Ehehehe..."
"Shut up Titania. Let them cook."
"You shut up you bastard! Hump! Hehehe..."
-"Haaaa... anyone wants ice cream?"
"MEEEEE!" Every single person present, despite of whatever they were doing, shouted in unison. And, their voices rang far away, just like it usually does during many of their lunches.
"Haaa... yes."
Sitting in their reserved space in the garden, the group that had gotten larger now was having their usual lunch with not only the captains of the houses but, many of their ace members as well.
They were closer than ever, at least when it came to this personal space that belonged only to them.
Their competition could wait till they were doing the other things but, when it came to the food of their Lucifer... there was no force in the world that could possibly separate them.
"Help me."
"YESSS~."
They weren't going to let things get in the way of their friendship.
At least, not in the way of their group lunches and occasional dinners, and the rare breakfasts, or the special snacks...
