Chapter 80.1

Chapter 80 – 26: The Leader Does Not Receive Unfair Punishments (2)

“Disciplinary Committee Leader, Ahn Woo-jin.”

The Disciplinary Committee room.

The fourth-year chairman of the Disciplinary Committee looked at the documents and spoke amidst the gathered student committee members.

When holding a disciplinary committee for a student holding a crucial position, like the leader of the Disciplinary Committee of a major academy, members are chosen randomly from those deemed suitable across various academies to prevent biased decisions. This is a sensitive matter.

Hanyang Federal Academy oversees this process, and the chairman belongs to Hanyang Federal Academy, while the other members come from different major academies.

Only two members were from Ahsung High School.

After discussions, the severity of the disciplinary action is determined by a majority vote among them.

One of the Ahsung High School committee members bit their lip and lowered their head, while the other glared at the chairman with an angry face.

Meanwhile, my emotions were cold.

“After deliberation by majority vote, although there were some mitigating circumstances, it was determined that the student excessively abused the position of the Disciplinary Committee Leader outside his jurisdiction. It is also noted that he significantly disturbed the order in Neo Seoul, indicating a severe nature of the offense. Rules and laws must apply equally to everyone.”

The chairman raised the gavel and spoke.

“We hereby announce the decision: Ahn Woo-jin is dismissed from his position as the Disciplinary Committee Leader.”

“I object.”

I interjected sharply.

“Object? Objections are not acceptable.”

“Then postpone the decision.”

“According to regulations, we cannot delay the decision unless there are unavoidable circumstances.”

“I find this decision unacceptable.”

“Objections are not acceptable.”

The chairman answered dismissively, without taking his eyes off the documents.

In the disciplinary committee, the chairman holds overwhelming authority.

Even if I could come up with an unavoidable reason, the chairman would likely reject it with some pretext.

“Chairman, look me in the eyes.”

“…….”

“Why won’t you meet my gaze?”

“Because there is no need to.”

The chairman sighed, clearly annoyed.

The proceedings of the disciplinary committee had been excessively biased.

The reason the Ahsung High School members were glaring at the chairman was due to the unreasonable discussions that had taken place.

The backstory was easy to guess.

‘Were they bribed?’

The identities of the disciplinary committee members are kept secret until the day of the committee meeting to ensure fairness and prevent lobbying.

The Ahsung High School members are chosen randomly at the time of the meeting, so there’s no need to worry about lobbying within the school.

However, the external members must be pre-determined due to the structure.

These external members had likely been bribed, despite coming from various academies.

The student council president can know in advance which students from their academy will serve on the committee. Hanyang Federal Academy is obligated to notify them.

Although the student council president has a duty to maintain confidentiality, if any suspicious circumstances are detected, they can instruct the Disciplinary Committee Leader to investigate the student.

This regulation was meant to ensure the fairness of the disciplinary committee, but it was practically meaningless. The stringent security made it difficult for illegal activities to occur, and even if they did, it was hard to detect them in advance.

Regardless, the disciplinary committee was thorough in pursuing fairness, but this time the outcome was very poor.

‘Someone is determined to remove me from the Disciplinary Committee Leader position….’

I could sense someone’s stubborn will.

It was easy to guess who wanted to cause me harm while easily bypassing the secrecy of the disciplinary committee.

‘The Head Principal… Is this how you intend to interfere?’

The Head Principal had started targeting me.

Though I didn’t know her objective, it was clear she now viewed me as an ‘enemy’ rather than just a ‘nuisance.’

The power and force held by the Disciplinary Committee Leader in Academy City are significant.

Moreover, I had achieved notable feats, such as defeating two of the six sinners under the Head Principal after Anomia, gaining fame.

Even the Head Principal would find it difficult to easily bury someone like me.

The Head Principal’s position is not invincible.

She is neither a king nor a president.

If Academy City turns against her, she would have to step down. Given her secretive actions so far, it seemed she hadn’t fully brought the Federal Council to her side.

So, the Head Principal seemed to be peeling away the elements unfavorable to her, starting with me.

Removing me from the position of Disciplinary Committee Leader would be a significant step.

‘Damn bastard.’

My eyes narrowed involuntarily.

I was the subject of discipline here.

I couldn’t exert any power.

I could contest the disciplinary committee’s decision later through the Judicial Academy, an independent institution even the Head Principal couldn’t influence.

However, that process would take considerable time.

My term as the Disciplinary Committee Leader would end during that period, and I’d only receive compensation for the disadvantage. It was obvious what would happen in the meantime.

I had no valid reason to claim, so applying for a temporary suspension of the decision to maintain my position was also impossible.

It was a filthy situation.

But.

‘This much was within the expected range.’

The disciplinary committee doesn’t conduct personal searches.

Strictly speaking, this isn’t a courtroom.

I had a small pager in my pocket.

When the discussions in the committee turned against me, I pressed the pager while adjusting my posture.

As a result, a signal would have been sent to the device Baek-seo had. She would have followed the instructions we had pre-arranged based on the number of signals.

It was about time for something interesting to happen.

“If there are no further statements, this concludes….”

At that moment.

Boom! The door suddenly opened, and four students entered.

All eyes turned towards them.

No footsteps were heard outside. In other words, the four students had sneaked in and were waiting outside the door.

“!”

My eyes widened as soon as I saw them.

“What is this? This place is off-limits to unauthorized personnel….”

The chairman looked up and recognized the intruders, swallowing nervously. Their appearance was unexpected.

They weren’t supposed to be here, especially given the poor relationship with Ahsung High School.

‘Why are you here…?’

I, too, couldn’t understand why they had appeared.

I hadn’t called them…?

“Excuse me, are we not allowed to enter? According to regulations, key parties involved in a disciplinary case are eligible to participate, regardless of affiliation, aren’t they?”

A female student in a light brown uniform asked with a bright smile. Her smile was so pure and beautiful that it felt like flower petals were scattering around her.

The badge on her left chest shone brightly, signifying her high status within Academy City.

“You see, I’ve been listening in secretly outside, and the more I listened, the more it seemed…”