[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 46

The term “the largest mobile artillery in Trinity” now refers to the Border Checkpoint.

With over 40 guns capable of significant mobility, equivalent to two artillery regiments, it can temporarily provide firepower support surpassing that of Gehenna Academy’s Pandemonium Society. The massive amount of explosives tied to the 6.1-inch caliber brings destruction to a wide area.

Yet, it’s still insufficient. The Tea Party Artillery, with its overwhelming 200 guns and seasoned expertise, compensates for its smaller 4.1-inch caliber. Operating as half an artillery regiment with a 12-gun system, it is nothing short of the core of rapid operations across Trinity’s vast lands.

Man, those guys are incredible. I never imagined I’d see a medium-caliber howitzer achieve a two-round TOT (Time on Target) in my lifetime.

But it happened. I nearly fainted when I saw 24 rounds land on a target 13 miles away when only 12 were supposed to hit. The artillery fire coordinator was calculating firing data with a calculator—insanely fast and accurate. It’s on a completely different level from us, who draw and calculate manually.

Thus, the Tea Party Artillery remains the core of Trinity’s artillery strength.

The difference between 200 guns and 40 is significant. Unlike their two-battery system, the Border Checkpoint moves in four full companies in most situations, giving them an edge in concentrated salvos but falling far behind in overall bombardment capability.

To begin with, the Border Checkpoint had no bombardment capabilities until I introduced the Caesar self-propelled howitzers on a large scale. At its peak, the unit had nearly a thousand members, most of whom were infantry, tasked with defending the long border.

From its inception, the Tea Party Artillery was built on the motto of powerful artillery strength, fundamentally different from us.

Each has its strengths and weaknesses, with both groups exhibiting extreme characteristics in their own way.

These traits have laid the foundation for a cooperative relationship between the Border Checkpoint and the Artillery. Though it has never happened before, in the event of a large-scale invasion—primarily defined as coming from Gehenna—the Checkpoint would provide infantry support, while the Artillery would deliver firepower.

As one of the longest-serving members of the current Border Checkpoint, second only to the best, I’ve experienced plenty of these joint exercises. From suffering PTSD after dealing with the SA80’s awfulness in middle school to the time Itsuka-senpai was promoted to captain. It’s been a lot.

Thanks to that, I have some connections with the Artillery. Not many, but the quality is top-notch.

“Oh, I think this is the first time I’ve met you since you got promoted to captain. How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been fine. How’s Itsuka-senpai doing these days? I heard she quit her job and is just chilling.”

“I’ve been too busy to visit her. I’m planning to treat her to a meal after Eden’s done.”

As promised, I visited the Artillery.

Eclaire-senpai was apparently childhood friends with Itsuka-senpai. Because of that, we often met since I was treated like an adoptive younger sibling by Itsuka-senpai. Thinking about it, it’s pretty amazing that two childhood friends both rose to club leadership positions.

Today, I was set to observe a bombardment training exercise. Well, that’s the official reason—really, it’s a meeting about Eden.

Behind the Cathedral of Perforation, two batteries of L118s, 12 guns in total, were positioned in an open lot. The pristine white paint on the guns, befitting the Tea Party’s elite artillery under Nagisa-sama’s direct command, was rumored to cost hundreds of thousands of yen per bucket.

The L118 4.1-inch light howitzer, in terms of caliber and explosive yield, is outclassed by the 6.1-inch Caesar self-propelled howitzer’s GIAT cannon. The caliber difference is 1.5 times, with roughly double the destructive power.

But as I mentioned, the senpai’s Artillery compensates for this with near-veteran-level expertise.

Look at that prowess—firing one round every four seconds by hand. Compare that to a Hippo truck, which fires one round every five seconds after expending its ready rounds, and it’s an insane speed. For context, the Caesar takes 10 seconds per shot!

Even more astonishing, the impact patterns of rapid and sustained fire with high-explosive rounds are nearly identical. Considering the strain on the barrel, this is almost unthinkable.

Honestly, I still don’t understand how they pull it off.

“Hikari, sit here. Do you still make cocoa?”

“Of course. I brought some in a tumbler.”

“Let’s see… Oh, it tastes even better now. Time really is the best medicine.”

I sat in the chair senpai prepared, and we shared a cup of nostalgic cocoa.

It brings back memories. I wonder if Itsuka-senpai is just chilling now.

“Prepare to fire the first round… Fire!”

“Fire!”

—BOOM!

Maybe I’m too used to the Caesar and Hippo trucks, but the L118’s individual shots felt underwhelming.

Still, the salvo from 12 guns was quite a sight, especially since every impact landed within a 3-meter circle.

How do they do it?

***

“So, how was it?”

“It was fun to watch. Though it doesn’t compare to our self-propelled howitzers. Come check ours out sometime, senpai.”

“The administrator who observed your bombardment last time said the exact same thing.”

In the afternoon, with the sun high in the sky, we held a meeting in a small prayer room inside the Cathedral of Perforation.

Today’s decisions are pretty important for preparing for Eden.

Trinity General Academy’s massive and complex administrative system responds stably but slowly to all events. The workers oil the administrative machine, but the key is the connection between superiors and subordinates.

It’s critical that orders from above reach the bottom without distortion, but ensuring they’re even delivered is a challenge. This issue persists in both horizontal and vertical situations, creating headaches.

In emergencies, the communication network between the Checkpoint and the Artillery is vital. While a wired network exists between the Checkpoint and the Tea Party Hall, no such link has been established with the Artillery, which only has a main battery and no proper building.

So, we decided on a workaround. Since Eden’s treaty signing will happen at the Cathedral, we’ll designate a nearby building and connect a telephone line. It’s not exactly legal by church law, but it’s not explicitly illegal either, so it should be fine.

Senpai and I spread out a strategic map, looking for a Tea Party building suitable for requisition.

“…Oh, this one looks good. This building. It’s spacious enough and has thick walls, so it seems sturdy.”

“That’s, if I recall, a Sanctus safehouse. We’d get in big trouble if we mess with it.”

“But the location is perfect. It’s a good distance from the Cathedral and connected to the main road. If we don’t take it, it’ll just be a liability during the Eden treaty signing. Requisitioning it for contingencies is patriotic, don’t you think?”

“You always get chatty when you’re at a disadvantage, senpai. It does make sense, though. Since we’re both club leaders, we could probably just strong-arm it with our rank… Hmm, would that work?”

“It’ll work. Sanctus’s deputy director is just a director. They can’t beat us.”

We decided to call and notify them of the requisition right then and there. The mental toll on Sanctus’s deputy director wasn’t considered.

It’s a surprisingly solid argument. Unlike Pater or Filius, Sanctus has a relatively good impression of me, and Eclaire-senpai is also part of Sanctus. Add in the fact that we’re two club leaders, and requisitioning a panic room seems entirely doable.

Since Seia-sama’s assassination, Sanctus’s faction leader position has been vacant, and the deputy director of communications is, well, just a director. In terms of power hierarchy, two club leaders like us have an overwhelming, almost absolute advantage.

As long as we don’t make a complete mess, they’ll probably let us have it.

Since Eclaire-senpai said it was a hassle, I made the call.

I dialed the communications director’s number, and a voice answered shortly after.

“…Club leader. What’s this about?”

“Hey, Director. We need to borrow something for our operations.”

“Borrow something? Sure, most things are fine. What is it?”

“The Sanctus panic room.”

A brief silence.

Then came the lecture.

“What does that even mean? Even if you, Hikari, as head of the Border Checkpoint, have the authority to requisition regular buildings, taking a Tea Party-affiliated panic room is something I can’t comprehend or agree to!”

“Look, Panic Room 51 is in the perfect spot for the main battery. We’ll only connect a phone line and won’t touch anything else.”

“Even so! That’s the room where Seia-sama once hid! I’ve never even been inside, and with no idea what classified documents or secrets are in there, there’s no way I’m handing it over to the Border Checkpoint—”

“Let’s get the facts straight, Director. It’s not the Checkpoint requisitioning it—it’s the Artillery.”

“…What?”

Here came senpai’s clutch move, wielding the authority of a third-year, one rank above the director. It was simple: I dragged senpai, still sipping cocoa from her tumbler, chair and all, to the phone. A quick “Hello?” and a few words later, the director, overwhelmed by her seniority, surrendered and retired from the conversation.

The short call secured conditional requisition of Panic Room 51 and nearby buildings. We can do whatever we want with the safehouse as long as we don’t destroy it, but we need to notify them about other buildings. It was a bigger win than expected, and senpai and I high-fived in celebration.

Though senpai got shut down when she pushed her luck and asked to requisition more.

“As expected, both the Artillery and Checkpoint are full of people who don’t use their heads. I’m only allowing this because it’s you.”

“I know, Director. I appreciate it. One more question, if I may?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“What was that about Seia-sama earlier?”

Oh.

The director let out a gasp.

***

The director, whom I underestimated as a fellow second-year, turned out to be surprisingly sensible.

The topic of Seia-sama, who was assassinated last year and had her funeral, was quickly brushed off by the director. She insisted it wasn’t a phone conversation and suggested meeting at the Tea Party Hall.

My socially savvy brain interpreted this as “a crisis where highly classified information nearly got exposed.” It’s been a while since Seia-sama’s passing, so her reaction suggests there’s still something tangled up.

Seia-sama.

The former Sanctus faction leader and someone who should’ve been the current Tea Party host.

Her assassination was a massive controversy, even among students with little interest in politics or social circles. Newspapers ran front-page stories for nearly two weeks, and the Checkpoint even held debates.

The core question was simple: the who, what, and how. In short, “Who destroyed Seia-sama’s halo, and how?” That was the gist.

I remember days spent on high alert, barely breathing. It’s a miracle no succession crisis erupted.

And the director is hiding something about Seia-sama.

What is it? I’m kinda curious.

No, wait, this isn’t the time. I’ll think about Seia-sama after meeting the director.

For now, there’s work to do. Connecting a phone line to the Sanctus safehouse is as simple as calling a contractor. But my goal isn’t just to coordinate with the Artillery for emergencies. I need to think bigger to respond effectively.

To that end, in a few days, I’ll have meetings with the people I find most pathetic and those I consider somewhat reasonable. Yes, I’m planning talks with Gehenna’s Pandemonium Society and Prefect Team to devise emergency response plans.

The meetings might be frustrating, but I’ll have to endure.

Once this is over, the Checkpoint’s workload should lighten significantly. Time to give it one last push.