[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 89

Himuro Sena fought desperately to keep Sensei’s consciousness intact.

The wound wasn’t fatal, narrowly missing an artery, but the fact that Sensei—a human without a halo—had been shot was critical. A fragile human body couldn’t withstand even a single bullet for long. Death was only a matter of time.

They had to hurry.

“Floor it. We’re heading straight to the hospital.”

“Accelerating. Hold on tight.”

The team member who received the order slammed on the gas. The sudden acceleration jolted Sena’s body.

What the hell had happened?

The Ancient Cathedral had been attacked, and Sensei had been shot.

Had Trinity attacked Gehenna? No, they wouldn’t be foolish enough to target the Ancient Cathedral.

The radio channels were in utter chaos. A senior administrator from the Prefect Team was heard ordering an attack on Trinity. Rumors swirled that Pandemonium Society had declared war. Sena glanced at the Prefect Team Leader, but she seemed unaware of her superior’s status.

Her efforts to maintain discipline and issue orders were commendable… but they weren’t getting anywhere.

None of that mattered in the face of the patient before her. Sena’s priority was stopping Sensei’s bleeding.

“Contact the hospital.”

“Understood.” The team member, gripping the steering wheel with one hand, dialed the receiver.

Moments later, a girl’s voice came through. Sena took the receiver from her teammate.

[This is the Knight Chief.]

[Emergency Medicine Club Leader. I know things are chaotic there. I think I’ve got the gist, so answer my questions with yes or no.]

[Yes.]

[Are they dead?]

[Yes.]

[Is it a faction leader?]

[No, nothing like that.]

[Is it a Code One?]

[Yes.]

[…Understood. I’ll contact you again.]

Sena had grasped Trinity’s situation. But the hospital was too far away. It might be better to head to the Relief Knights’ urban outpost instead. The radio calmly announced the time signal.

—Beep!

[Kivotos Emergency Broadcast—]

***

[Kivotos Emergency Broadcast: The Trinity General School Student Council Tea Party has issued an emergency martial law and full mobilization order effective immediately. The affected areas are as follows: all autonomous districts except the Tea Party Hall.]

Why aren’t they picking up?

Why the hell aren’t they answering?!

It had been mere minutes since she’d entered the scene with students conscripted from the border checkpoint and the field, and they were already facing a massive crisis.

This was a world without mercy. Trinity General School was in disarray, stumbling in confusion. The fact that the Tea Party Hall had immediately approved the emergency order was surprising, but given its authority under ecclesiastical law, it was an exception.

The situation was grim. Passing students were filled with anger and unease, hurling insults at the rival academy. Tensions were brewing between the Justice Task Force, the Sisterhood, and the Prefect Team. Gunfire had already broken out in some areas.

If it were those damned Pandemonium Society girls, they’d probably see this as a golden opportunity.

But for her—someone lacking the courage to act decisively—this was far from ideal. In a time when order needed to be restored, internal and external conflicts were no different from sabotage. Exploiting a crisis to push personal agendas was the surest way to bring the academy to its knees.

With the Prefect Team Leader not answering, it was reasonable to assume she was missing. Both Trinity General School and Gehenna Academy were teetering on the brink, and she had to stop it.

Calling the senior administrator was exactly for that purpose… but why wasn’t she answering?

“Captain, stop making calls and help us hold this position!”

“You can handle it, junior. Just hold on a bit. If I can get through, we’ll figure something out…”

“Ugh, fighting these unknown jerks is exhausting!”

I know the feeling, Yuzuki.

Let’s think calmly. The enemies in front of them had pale skin, wore gas masks similar to those of the Arius Branch School, and—most notably—were dressed in familiar leotards. No clue who these guys were! They were clearly enemies, given their reckless shooting, but without a stated motive or justification, it was hard to say.

Alright, alright, this was her fifth call—

Please, Administrator, pick up the damn phone.

Rrrring! Rrrring!

[—What the hell do you—]

[Finally, you pick up! I thought you were dead, Administrator!]

[What?! What’s that supposed to mean?! Is this how Trinity greets people, with insults right off the bat? Is this your idea of etiquette?]

[It’s the same pattern as last time, isn’t it? Anyway, are you guys okay? It’s a complete mess here.]

[…You’re the ones who started this coup, so why are you asking me?]

What is this guy on about?

[You’re talking nonsense. You think we’re crazy enough to fire a missile at the Ancient Cathedral?]

[Of course! You Trinity folks are always bickering among your factions, so maybe you saw this as a chance to take out Gehenna and your rival factions! Who knows if that missile came from your Ordnance Bureau?]

Hmm… While unrelated to the current situation, it’s a plausible theory. Some Tea Party factions, aligned with Eden, would want to eliminate students who constantly obstruct them, and the Sisterhood would respond swiftly to such a coup.

But it’s as absurd as curing a blind man’s eyes. Does he think Trinity’s political system was built in a few years? The Tea Party Hall is well-versed in handling crises like this.

And it goes without saying that an unconditional coup isn’t part of their playbook.

[The Pater folks are stirring up trouble for no reason. We didn’t do this. Most of our faction leaders are missing, so we don’t have time for this. With martial law declared across Trinity, a coup is the last thing we need—the academy’s on the verge of anarchy.]

[…Ugh. Then what’s going on?]

[No idea. Is your Prefect Team Leader safe?]

[No word yet. She was definitely inside the Ancient Cathedral, but we don’t know if she’s buried in the rubble or escaped. I thought you guys killed her.]

[She’s not someone who’d die that easily. Anyway, contact me immediately if you find her. Things are looking bad.]

She didn’t know much about Gehenna’s situation, but Trinity’s was clear enough. According to the communication hub’s administrator, the Tea Party Hall was swarmed with frantic students. The Pater faction, Justice Task Force, and even the Sisterhood were all involved.

Rumors must have spread through the city, as conscripted students were clamoring about preparing for war with Gehenna. Meanwhile, the people in charge were scrambling to prevent things from worsening. The mob mentality was sweeping through Trinity.

Even with martial law, they couldn’t maintain control. What were the Justice Task Force and the Guard doing?

“Senior, we’re being pushed back! I don’t know what’s going on, but for every one we take down, two more show up!”

“Sounds like Red Winter kids. Hold on, I’ll come up with something.”

When Yuzuki called for help with that urgent expression, it was only natural to respond. As the saying goes, “If the enemy’s overwhelming, consider if you’re lacking firepower.” Time to bolster their strength the classic way.

But was there anything more unfortunate than friendly fire? No matter how dire the situation, they had to assess the surroundings and ensure they weren’t blindly attacking students in the chaos.

She switched on the radio and tuned it to the fire brigade’s frequency. The fire at the Ancient Cathedral was nearly under control, and her priority was whether the missing had been rescued.

Who better to know than the fire brigade commander?

[This is Yamatsu from the Border Checkpoint. How’s the situation?]

[Fire suppression and basic debris clearing are nearly complete. All missing persons were rescued moments ago, and we’re preparing to withdraw.]

[Thank you. Um, about Nagisa…]

[She was unconscious but not in critical condition. Don’t worry.]

Phew, that’s a relief.

She needed to report this to the Tea Party Hall immediately.

[Start withdrawing as soon as you’re ready. We can’t guarantee the fire brigade’s safety during our operations.]

[We’re leaving now. Thanks for your hard work, as always.]

The fire brigade commander gave her assurance. With all the missing rescued, there’d be no unfortunate incidents of stragglers getting caught in the crossfire.

As soon as the call ended, she dialed the communication chief. The effort to send personnel to restore the base station had paid off, connecting her to the Tea Party Hall in a dramatic moment. Amid the frantic voices of students in the background, the chief shouted.

[Whoa, I got through! Captain, you okay?! They were about to lose it thinking even the acting commander was out of contact!]

[I’m fine. Let’s exchange info first. How’s the Tea Party Hall?]

[Total chaos, obviously! The Pater sub-faction accepted your emergency order, but they’re still yelling about sending a declaration of war to Gehenna. With most administrators missing, they’re freaking out too.]

[The missing students have all been rescued by the fire brigade. Nagisa-sama’s unconscious, it seems. Also, we need to expand the evacuation order to the areas around the Ancient Cathedral. Can you help?]

[Got it. Oh, right, there’s a report from the city. The Emergency Medicine Club Leader is transporting a patient.]

[That’s normal, isn’t it? Who’s getting such special treatment?]

[It’s Sensei.]

…What?

***

[Confirmed. Captain Hikari has delegated authority. She issued an evacuation order in advance.]

[…Is this really okay? Won’t the Sisterhood throw a fit?]

[The acting commander said she’ll take full responsibility, so don’t worry. She said to eliminate all visible enemies.]

—Sigh.

Is this really the right call?

When the request for artillery support came, she’d accepted it eagerly, but who could’ve guessed it’d be aimed at the Ancient Cathedral?

The radio confirmed that the Ancient Cathedral was in ruins. She remembered the Tea Party Hall declaring martial law and a full mobilization order, and that Hikari had become Trinity General School’s acting commander.

Like most Trinity students, she couldn’t wrap her head around what was happening. If the Border Checkpoint Commander was given full authority, did that mean all higher-ranking students were missing? Was Nagisa-samasafe?

Being stationed dozens of miles away at a base was proving to be a disadvantage.

The lack of information was painfully clear. She didn’t even know the identity of the forces Hikari was requesting artillery support against.

Who was behind the attack? If it was a preemptive strike by Gehenna, a declaration of war would’ve accompanied the last emergency order, but the sources were silent. It didn’t seem like the horned ones. The Prefect Team students weren’t that incompetent.

There was no way a third party like Millennium Science School, involved in the Eden Treaty, would interfere, and the Arius Branch School students mobilized for Misono Mika’s coup were likely all detained by the Intelligence Bureau, so they lacked the resources.

Ugh, she couldn’t make sense of it.

[Hey, Eclaire. Live rounds loaded.]

[Got it. We’re deploying now, so hold on a bit.]

Inori must have some kind of foresight. The Border Checkpoint’s artillery unit, as if anticipating trouble, had already aimed their guns at the Ancient Cathedral. Live rounds were loaded the moment the order came.

In peacetime, this would be enough to slap them with treason and lock them in the Tea Party Hall’s basement dungeon. But right now, in this urgent situation, there was no time to be picky.

“Deployment complete. Distance 7.4 miles, elevation 41 degrees. Combat observed.”

“…Combat?”

“Yes, intense. A firefight.”

Hikari hadn’t mentioned anything about this. With both the Justice Task Force and Prefect Team at the scene, a fight could’ve broken out in the chaos. If true, artillery strikes would be strictly forbidden.

The Border Checkpoint might be involved in the combat, but even so, artillery… Could they use a method that directly harmed students? She couldn’t be a reckless commander.

“Adjutant, hand me the radio. I need to talk to the checkpoint directly.”

“Here you go.”

Turning the radio dial, Inori answered.

[Hey, what’s up? Problem with the deployment?]

[No, it’s not that. Our scout says there’s a fight at the Ancient Cathedral, and I’m worried about friendly fire. Just checking. Hikari’s on-site, so she should know what’s going on.]

[That’s the issue? Don’t worry, the Border Checkpoint and some Justice Task Force members are in a firefight, but they’re well-covered. The enemy… whoever they are, it doesn’t matter, apparently.]

Broken Arrow. With the Border Checkpoint’s expertise, they’d manage somehow.

[Just to double-check, the Sisterhood won’t freak out about shelling the Ancient Cathedral, right?]

[Not many students would dare complain in front of the acting commander.]

[Fair enough.]

[Right?]

If Inori was that confident… maybe it really wasn’t an issue.

[Alright. I’ll give the order soon, so stand by.]

[Waiting for you.]

Standing up and raising the flag, the artillery unit’s students sprang into action.

“Load live rounds. Prepare for sustained fire at 30-second intervals.”

“Confirmed. Loading live rounds!”

The 4.1-inch howitzer’s lever was turned, and high-explosive shells locked into the open chamber with a dull metallic thud. With over two hundred guns and a thousand students bustling about, the base was quite a spectacle.

The number of loaded guns grew one by one. Within minutes, the base was filled with artillery ready for the firing order.

“Battery One, fire.”

“Firing! Battery One, fire!”

As the order came, the nearest battery began firing.

The shells recoiled with trails of smoke.

[Smoke confirmed. Border Checkpoint Artillery Unit, commencing barrage. All guns, fire first round!]

The self-propelled guns spewed flames. Even from miles away, the fire was vivid in her eyes. As if proving the difference in speed between light and sound from her school days, the roar of the barrage swept through the forest seconds later.

Dark plumes of fire and smoke spread across the Ancient Cathedral’s sky. She didn’t know the full details, but to Trinity’s enemies:

Burn brightly.