Chapter 21: An Excuse for Gambling

The group reached the Principals office. A short, tanned man with a thick beard and a rather stylish outfit sat down and stared in surprise at the arriving group. As soon as the Principal noticed Alean, he fidgeted subtly. Seeker, who saw that, frowned slightly. Was there more to this school that what the eyes see?

"Miss Cipril! How may I help you today?" He asked courteously.

"Principal Decker, I have received reports from Ted Zyrcon that this student, Seeker Carlean, is engaged in various gambling activities and is promoting this vice in school." Cipril smiled sweetly as she delivered her sentence.

The Principal was shocked to hear that. However, he knew what the necessary actions he needed to take to please this puppet master.

"What? Is that true?" He glared angrily towards Seeker.

Before Seeker could even utter a word, the teacher continued.

"Gambling is among the illegal activities that the school takes a firm stand in! We do not allow, nor do we encourage students to gamble!"

At this moment, Seeker started to chuckle.

This was a surprising twist. The Principal was berating Seeker, but Seeker simply laughed.

"What's so funny?" The Principal roared angrily.

"First of all, good afternoon to you, Honored Principal. Secondly, I believe we have not yet heard about the issue! And yet judgment has already been passed. Miss Cipril has just received this report from Teddy here, and she has yet to verify the truth of these claims. So I don't really know on what grounds I am being charged." Seeker smiled.

Ted was surprised at Seeker's calm response. Anger started building up. He hated the nickname, Teddy.

Alean was just as surprised. She did not expect that timid student who just lazed around the room would ever be this bold.

The Principal was surprised as well. This student clearly held no fear in their current situation.

"Nonsense! Miss Cipril is one of the most respected teachers that has graced this institute, of course, she would check and verify before bringing this accusation towards me!"

"Alright. Then what is the exact nature of my so-called 'gambling activities?'" Seeker turned to Alean with a smile that matched her deviously angelic smile.

Alean was flustered and angry at the same time. She only received the report that Seeker was gambling as to what Ted reported.

"Ted? Would you mind elaborating on it once more? I might convey it differently." Alean smiled sweetly towards Ted.

Lynd and Meryl clutched their fist in frustration. It was evident that this was just a random act to entrap Seeker, but the Principal was ignoring it.

"Principal Decker, I was shocked to discover why people were flocking towards Seeker earlier today. He was apparently the celebrity who caused a commotion at the gates. It is because Seeker is a skilled online gambler. This is why he is famous. Worst still, people are praising him. My hope that the school will not become a den of gamblers if students like Seeker are left unchecked."

Meryl had to contain the urge to shout back at Ted. Even the meek Lynd was silently gripping his hands. A rare look of anger flashed in the eyes of Lynd.

Seeker, who observed everything around him, was smiling. In fact, he was happy.

He stared back at Ted and shook himself as if he pitied the fool.

"What an idiot." Seeker voiced out in pity.

Ted had to control the shaking of his hands. No one had ever called him that to his face.

"What did you say, you Rising Rat?" Ted angrily cursed.

"Obviously, you both know nothing of what it is I am doing. Gambling? It was an online stream and was receiving donations from my viewers and fans. Haven't you heard of the phrase online celebrity? Look it up. I'm sure a Royal and a teacher could easily access the internet!" Seeker laughed.

Ted and Alean glared towards Seeker. This was the first time that Alean lost her composure and revealed her real face. The President gulped as he saw the face of Alean.

"Seeker! Your behavior is rebellious, and this is a clear act of insubordination!" The Principal raged.

"Why?" Meryl could no longer remain silent.

"Seeker is right! No one has even investigated Seeker's actions! Sure, there was a feature where people could place bets on, but what he did was after school!" Meryl complained without giving the Principal and Alean any ounce of respect.

"Oh, so there is gambling! There you have it, Principal Decker! A claim that Seeker is gambling!" Alean immediately responded.

Meryl paled once she realized what she did.

"No, it's not!" Lynd finally shouted.

Ted, Alean, and Principal Decker were startled at Lynd's sudden roar. They looked at the tall teen, and a hint of fear emerged in their heart.

"Seriously?" A complaining sigh was heard, but no one paid any attention to it.

Meryl took the opportunity at this momentary silence.

"The only betting that took place involved Seeker challenging the viewers' demands whether or not he can or cannot fulfill a certain challenge! This is in no way similar to gambling activities that the school bans!"

"Wait! Don't Royals host a betting challenge during school plays?" Lynd added.

"Yes! That's right! Doesn't the Summer Slam event of our school use bet boxes? And aren't they organized by the Royals?" Meryl challenged Ted.

"Yeah! How is that allowed and Seeker not allowed?"

Ted was surprised at the sudden switch.

"That- That is not- We don't…" Ted started to stutter and could not provide an accurate response.

"That is different!" The Principal frowned.

"No, it's not! It's similar. There's a contest, for Zeek, there's a challenge. People bet on which side they think will win! If that is allowed on school, why can't Seeker do the same online?"

Ted was quickly rummaging through his phone, hoping to find more things that he could use against Seeker. But then, the Principal came to the rescue.

"The Summer Slam bets are used to foster a competitive spirit across the year levels so that they will be further motivated to perform! What Seeker is doing is just plain gambling!"

"That's right!" Ted finally spoke.

"We do it so that the entire school can take it seriously! Not to mention that it's a legitimate school fundraising activity! We give 20 percent of our earnings to the school! Seeker is just gambling!"

"That is correct. Seeker has no excuse or reason to gamble. Especially when he is gambling the money that his parents clearly gave him to pay for tuition!" The Principal accused.

Meryl was frustrated. Why was the Principal so keen on defending Ted and Alean Cipril? She once believed this Principal to be fair and kind. This was not who he was now. Is their school involved in the dark nature of their homeroom teacher's secret drug business?

"MISS! PRINCIPAL DECKER!" Ted shouted in shock.

The two were startled and turned to Ted.

"Seeker has earned up to 35,000 Credits in just two days!" The revelation was just too shocking for Ted! No wonder Seeker became an online-celebrity level overnight! He was indeed a capable gamer!

"WHAT?!" The two chorused.

Greed filled the eyes of Alean.

"Looks like your gambling spree has reached a terribly dangerous level."

"Indeed. Miss Cipril is right. As I suspected, he is even stealing from his parents! Shame on you, Seeker!" The Principal glared at Seeker. But a hint of anticipation was left in his eyes.

"NO! Seeker didn't get all that through gambling! More than half of that was earned through donations and the paywall on his stream!" Meryl angrily reacted.

"That's right! People pay to watch Seeker! That's why he's a celebrity!"

Cipril took the phone from Ted and browsed through the stream.

Seeker remained silent. He looked as if he was waiting for something. In fact, he had a very detached look as if he did not care what would happen to him. The only things that interested him are the anger that his two friends would display.

"Seeker is doing a legitimate act! Hundreds of people in the stream can testify that Seeker was not gambling!" Meryl erupted once more.

"Seeker is no gambler!" Lynd roared as well.

The three accusers suddenly flinched. The Principal took the initiative to step forward, meeting the rage of Lynd.

"Lies. You three are in line for expulsion." The Principal declared righteously as he approached the angered Lynd.

"This is a blatant breach and a disgrace to the integrity and characters that a student of West Phil-Pangea High should have!"

"Alright, I've had enough of this." Seeker finally spoke.

"Principal Decker, you said that the 'gambling' done during the Summer Slam was allowed because it has a specific purpose or goal to reach correct?"

"Yes! To foster and build-"

"So if I have a legitimate reason for doing my said 'gambling,' then will it also be allowed?" Seeker interrupted with a smile.

"Legitimate reason? We, your teachers, are the ones responsible for approving and denying legitimate reasons!" The Principal shouted.

"What if it's a medical excuse. You allow the use of medical marijuana in this school. So if I have a medical excuse for gambling, will I be allowed?" Seeker smiled once more.

The Principal and Ted started to laugh. Even Alean stopped perusing the stream to give a soft chuckle at Seeker's claim.

"And what authority would provide you with a legitimate medical excuse for gambling?"

"Not what, but who. And he should be outside." Seeker smiled and pointed out the window.

Outside the window was a flock of students who were once again forming a fan circle. Principal Decker and Alean frowned and immediately went out of the room to have a closer look.

They went to the hall outside of the office, and there noticed another commotion brewing. The commotions that they could see through the parapet of the second-floor hall. They were shocked.

"Dr. Charles Lindmitt! Marry me!" A disgraced teacher shouted.

Several other female teachers shouted the same thing.

The female flock of students also cried similar sentiments. They continued to encircle the famous doctor but received no form of special treatment as the doctor seemed preoccupied and tried to squeeze through the crowd. In fact, he seemed to be in a hurry. He paid little attention to the cheers, cries, and proposals around him.

A single, rich, and handsome doctor was in their midst. But more than that, he was even more famous than most stars in their country. In fact, there were rumors that Charles Lindmitt is to receive a title making him equal to National Heroes.

"Dr. Charles Lindmitt!" Principal Decker exclaimed.

Alean had a look of lust in her eyes. Before her very presence was one of the most handsome, rich, and famous bachelors in the entire Pangean Nations. No! Even in the Continent of Asia, very few would stand at the same level as this man!

"You'd better hurry, Principal Decker. I called him here to discuss my medical condition, which can exempt me from the penalties of your so-called gambling crusade." Seeker stood confidently and started waving towards Charles.

Principal Decker was about to angrily bash Seeker when shock appeared before his eyes.

Dr. Charles Lindmitt, to name a few of his credentials, is the leading figure in Neuro-Alteration science, attributed to the discovery and application of the cure for Alzheimer's disease, a famous model and actor, and a potential National Hero of the Pangean Nations. And despite all of these incredible titles, Dr. Charles Lindmitt was waving back at Seeker Carlean.