Vol. 3 Ch. 2 Ep. 1: The Great Leviathan

"Azusa is the traitor?"

That she is, and I would like you to protect her.

I guess getting straight to the point doesn't make sense without all of the details. Nagi's bad habits might be rubbing off on me.

How about I explain it from the beginning?

I'm not as good at this kind of thing as Nagi or Seia are...

...but I'll give it my best shot!

First is what defines Trinity General School. As I'm sure Nagi told you, our academy's history is built on several factions coming together.

As the name would suggest, there are three such factions that comprise its center: Pater, Filius, and Sanctus.

However, there were many other smaller factions, such as the Remedial Knights and the Sisterhood.

Back then, those factions were just as hostile toward one another as Trinity and Gehenna are today.

Conflict was a daily occurrence, growing worse by the day.

Until finally they all came together and created a peace treaty.

And so the First Council was held, where it was agreed to end the bloodshed and unite as one academy.

It does, doesn't it?

Trinity General School as we know it was born from that First Council.

There are still traces of those factions even today, but most people would never know it. Over time, history tends to become rather faded.

However, there was one academy that chose not to participate in the council.

The Arius faction.

I say "faction," but it's been an organized academy much like our own for a long time.

The two sides had much in common, but were driven apart due to differences in how to interpret the ancient scriptures.

Their academy also held chapel classes, kept a strict conservative uniform, and had a strong contempt for Gehenna.

But Arius vehemently opposed the union...and that feud ultimately led to conflict.

Trinity suppressed Arius following the unification. It simply couldn't withstand the combined might of the new academy.

Such stories are commonplace in history. Those who hold great power tend to want to test it, and Arius made for a suitable target.

Arius Academy fell to ruin.

It was banished from the Trinity district, but rumors say its doors remain open, hiding somewhere in the underbelly of Kivotos.

They've kept the location of their district a secret to avoid Trinity's watchful eye. Even the General Student Council doesn't know where Arius operates from currently.

It wouldn't surprise me if those that know the story thought of it as nothing but an urban legend. How could such an academy truly exist? Then again, I think most of our students are completely unaware of the tale.

That's the Arius Academy of today. A shadow forgotten to history.

Correct.

You said the story sounded familiar. As you suspect, the Eden Treaty that Nagi is proposing now is an homage to the First Council.

This is a chance for two great academies to reconcile and come together in peace.

If it sounds too good to be true, that's because it is. The real objective is to establish the Eden Treaty Organization, or ETO for short.

The Eden Treaty is anything but a peace signing, it's the start of a formal military alliance.

The creation of a single armed organization using the combined forces of Trinity and Gehenna.

These are uncertain times we're living in, the General Student Council president is still missing. Now, from the shadows, rises a new overwhelming power.

And what does Nagi intend to do with it, I wonder.

Perhaps attack what remains of the General Student Council and assume control of Kivotos?

Or does she plan to uproot Millennium and stop its sudden emergence as Kivotos' rising new academy?

I can't say what her goal is for certain, but there is one thing I know.

Power that immense can be used to silence any and all dissenters.

Just as Trinity did to Arius long ago.

Or just like Seia...

Uh, sorry. Pretend you didn't hear that.

...

She's...ill. Just as I told you.

Hmm.

Do you really want to know?

Telling you would mean crossing a line I could never walk back from.

So if you betrayed me, I truly would be completely abandoned.

Do you still want to know?

Yes, but I'm sure it will be fine. You said you're on my side, didn't you?

If someone who said that went on to betray me, then...maybe I wouldn't mind so much. Heeehee.

The truth is that Seia isn't fighting illness.

Her halo was destroyed.

...

I know. It's too horrible to be true, but it is.

And it's been covered up since last year. Seia was attacked by an unknown assailant.

Her illness is nothing but a facade, Seia's dead.

And no one knows but the Tea Party.

Well, it's possible the Sisterhood may be aware... Their intelligence-gathering has always been remarkable.

Regardless, it's a secret that must be kept hidden.

"And no one knows who is responsible?"

There's an ongoing investigation, but it remains a mystery. Seia held no shortage of confidential information, so I'm sure that only makes it harder to narrow down the suspects.

So there you have it.

Personally, I have my own list of suspects, but it wouldn't be wise to share it without knowing for sure.

Let's get back to talking about Shirasu Azusa.

I was the one who arranged to have her transferred to Trinity.

Uh-huh. I kept it a secret from Nagi. I registered Azusa as a student returning from break after falsifying her documents.

You're probably wondering why.

Arius still hates us, after all.

While our students take the privileged environment around them for granted, their students scrape by under impoverished conditions, not knowing what it truly means to receive an education.

They stubbornly cling to a grudge from years past and reject the help of anyone, including the General Student Council.

I want Trinity to reconcile with Arius.

But the hatred our schools have for each other is too great, and the misunderstandings too many. It's not a relationship I could ever hope to reconcile on my own.

Nagi and Seia objected to my opinions for political reasons, but I never held it against them. That's the essence of what the Tea Party does.

I'm not the best when it comes to politics...but I wish that we could all just get along.

If only we could reconcile our misunderstandings over tea like in the past.

What I really want is for Azusa to become a symbol of peace.

I don't know her very well, but she was supposedly an outstanding student at Arius, and I want to foster her potential.

Maybe I should have been more honest and tried to convince Nagi through the proper channels...but I had my doubts it was possible.

I don't think she ever would have agreed to it.

Reconciling with Arius will become impossible if the Eden Treaty is signed. I wanted to make amends before that happened at any cost.

I want to show through Azusa that an Arius student can be happy and accepted at Trinity.

But now Nagi has introduced the rumor of there being a traitor attending Trinity.

I don't know how she came to that conclusion. Maybe it's all my fault.

She became so paranoid that someone was interfering with her plans that she decided to form the Make-Up Work Club.

Speaking of which, have you figured out why each student was forced to join?

It's because Nagi suspects every one of them.

Hanako is a little eccentric, but she was an outstanding student with excellent grades. She was even a candidate to join the Tea Party once.

The Sisterhood tried to recruit her as well, but that didn't work out.

She attended a chapel class in nothing but a swimsuit and was dragged out by the Sisters. You should have seen the shock on people's faces. Hahaha.

Hanako had so much potential in her first year, but then she began scoring the lowest grades in her class at the start of her second year.

Why? Was she doing it on purpose?

She had already made inroads around Trinity and was aware of several academy secrets before her scores began tanking.

It drew Nagi's suspicion.

As for Koharu... She's a nice girl that really has nothing to do with politics.

Her enrollment into the Make-Up Work Club has to do with Hasumi.

Nagi doesn't like there being such a powerful club with someone so influential outside of her direct control.

So Koharu is her insurance policy.

Anyone from the Justice Task Force would have worked. Koharu's poor grades just made her a convenient target.

She's a hostage, in other words, and I bet Hasumi is aware of it. One wrong move could lead to expulsion.

But what? Are you surprised to hear that Hasumi would be considered a dangerous element?

There's one particular incident that may pique your interest, then.

...

...

V-Vice President Hasumi, please calm down...

How dare they?! Pandemonium Society! Gehenna! Do they think they'll get away with this?!

Ahhhhhh!

*pant* *pant*...

Listen carefully.

This isn't over...

Hasumi is the vice president of the Justice Task Force, Trinity's main armed force, and holds Gehenna in contempt.

She would obviously oppose the Eden Treaty because it would require an alliance with her greatest enemies.

And finally, there's Hifumi.

She's just a sweet, cute, lovable girl, right? Even Nagi adores her.

But that's also what landed her right in Nagi's crosshairs.

Hifumi was caught sneaking out of the district and visiting suspicious places, such as the prohibited underground Black Market.

There's even intel that connects her to a masked criminal group. Can you believe that? She seemed like such an innocent girl.

How like Nagi to keep her friends close and her enemies closer. Very predictable.

There you have it. The whole story of how Nagi's paranoia...

...led to a full-blown conspiracy that a traitor is out to ruin Trinity.

Nagi's absolutely certain that there must be a traitor in their midst.

I know that explanation was a little long-winded, but that is the whole truth.

I did. But think of it this way: How would you define what it means to be a "traitor"?

Nagi is under the assumption that someone is trying to deceive her, and thereby Trinity's Tea Party. She suspects there to be a spy.

In that sense, Azusa, the one whose background is a complete fabrication, is the closest to fitting that description.

Unlike the others, she truly is a transfer from one of Trinity's enemies: Arius.

She's now at the eye of a complex political storm and has no idea that it's all my fault.

That's why I'm fighting to prevent her expulsion.

Or at least, that's what I'm attempting to do by pleading my case to you. I want you to prevent her from being expelled. That's something only you can do, Sensei.

In a sense, you could argue that I'm the real traitor. After all, I'm the one who's opposing Nagi's Eden Treaty.

But since I'm not the host, I don't have any real power and have no means to prevent it.

...

Then again, maybe that's not the truth either.

You could just as easily argue that if anyone is betraying Trinity...

...it would be Nagi.

She's attempting to transform Trinity and all the values, harmony, and unity it's enjoyed into something else. She wants to awaken a Leviathan.

That's my take on things. Whether you believe or agree with anything I've said is completely up to you.

Everything is in your hands now. Whether you'll protect Azusa or weed out the traitor... Whether you'll believe Nagi or myself...

Pretty much. I'm responsible for Azusa enrolling at our academy, but this is as much as I can do to help her.

Don't tell me you're worried about me, Sensei.

Hahaha. How very sweet of you. I may fall for you after all.

You don't need to worry about me. I'm much stronger than I appear.

Well then, I should be going. I really enjoyed talking with you today.

People might start spreading salacious rumors if we spend too much time alone together...not that I would mind. Heehee.

Until we meet again, Sensei.