Vol. 6 Ch. 2 Ep. 7: Porta Pacis 1

"What...is that?"

W-Well... I don't actually know either. It's a building here, in Arius.

I think it's really, really old. But that's pretty much it. The Squad might know, though.

All I know is that it means "Gate of Peace"...

...And that its doors are never to be opened.

Yes. Arius had a revolving door of leaders during its long history of civil wars.

Despite that, every faction respected the law to never approach Porta Pacis.

...Thinking about it now...I wonder what manner of things could possibly be hidden there.

All these people who hated each other were able to agree on just this one subject.

We were too focused on survival to think about things like that then...

They always told us first-years that it wasn't our business and to not go snooping.

...

I've only heard rumors.

But one says that there are secrets of Arius' past buried there, ones that no one is meant to know.

But I've heard all about the history of Arius from my seniors...

Yes, but what you heard was Trinity's records. Because, publicly, that's all that's known.

...We never had the chance to inspect them ourselves, but we grew up learning that everything written in Trinity's public records is nonsense.

L-Like how the excommunication was inevitable once Arius escalated to violence at the Council...

Arius had no one to blame but ourselves for our exile. And on and on.

They say history is written by the victors...and that rings especially true here.

...

Hm? Yes, Sensei?

Do I have something to say?

...

If I may ask, Sensei...

Do you know of any students well-versed in the darker aspects of history between Trinity and Arius?

...That's impossible, Atsuko. How would they know any better?

No, it's always possible. Because, no matter where you look, you'll always find those who pursue and preserve the truth.

Trinity's Library Committee, perhaps?

I don't know much about the students themselves, but I've heard of them, at least.

I've also heard that their president has quite an...impressive personality, amongst other things.

H-How? We never received that kind of intel...

Fufu. I do wonder.

Perhaps it is simply...the privilege of my royal lineage?

There's our Hime.

R-Right...! U-Usually, someone like me shouldn't even be looking at the princess...

Now, now. That's not me anymore. Now, I'm Atsuko.

Wh-What?! B-B-B-B-But...!

We're both first-years, aren't we? Maia?

Th-That is true! But still...!

Let's practice. Ah-tsu-koh!

A-Atsuko...

Yes. Good job. Here, a handshake.

Eeek...

...Atsuko had secrets of her own she had to keep.

It's an inevitable side effect of her position and status. She was inherently entitled to higher-level intel.

So that's why...you didn't...tell us about them...

Yes, I apologize. At the time, if I had spoken too carelessly...

It would have been our lives on the line.

E-Eeeek...

And after we left Arius, well, what was the point?

Yes. But now it does matter.

"I'll try reaching out to Ui."

"Ui." So that's her name.

I'll leave it to you then, Sensei.

Am I some kind of handy encyclopedia to you?!?!

E-Eeek...! She's scary...so scary...!

Wh-Whoaaaa... She's scary...so scary...!

You're s-scared too, Hiyori? I didn't think the Squad members were scared of anything.

B-But there are so many things to be scared of in the world...

"Sorry, I'm really sorry..."

"How about 20 coupons for an americano? For 'White & Mason!'"

President, do not accept that offer! This is an opportunity to repay Sensei for all they've done for us, not squeeze them for caffeinated drinks!

B-But...

If you even think about it, I'll drag you on a "business trip" all the way to Sensei's location!

Aaaah?!

She truly lives up to her reputation.

Hello, Ui, Shimiko. I am Hakari Atsuko, from Arius Satellite School. Nice to meet you.

Joumae Saori.

...Imashino Misaki.

I'm Tsuchinaga Hiyori... H-Heehee... Um, I heard Trinity's old library is a renowned library in Kivotos...

Do you also have things like...past issues of magazines?

Yes, Hiyori. We do have electronic copies of magazines, for record-keeping purposes. Would you like me to deliver you some through Sensei?

R-Really?! Th-Thank you! B-But I don't have anything to offer in return...

It's okay. Anyone who appreciates the persevering importance of the printed medium is our ally.

Waaaaaah! I'm so glad to be alive...!

Excuse me for my late introduction. I am Endou Shimiko.

What? I-I need to introduce myself too?! Ah! Uh, um... I'm Tachigi Maia... Nice to meet you...

...

President?

W-Well... *sigh* I'm Kozeki Ui... Moving on to the topic at hand...

Yes. We investigated every avenue available, and I believe we were able to find what you wanted, Sensei.

You found them?! But...

...Of course, these are classified as banned books in Trinity...

I can understand why some of these resources shouldn't be made available to the public, but...

It's all because of the Tea Party and Sisterhood's stubbornness... Their handling of this has been so egregious that it's making them look suspect.

...But we're Trinity's Library Committee, and keepers of the old library, on top of that. We were able to find most of what you needed.

Of course, our information on other academies may not be completely accurate...

...but even that is just another manifestation of Trinity's past.

Those authoritative scum always want to twist the narrative to their advantage...

So they lie, and cover things up, and use more lies to hide their tracks!

...But in this case...

Could you tell us what you know, Ui?

I am asking as someone who was once called the royal blood of Arius.

"Royal blood"? You?

...

I was going to tell you everything I knew, regardless, just so you know.

But since Sensei is vouching for you as well, there's really no need to hold back.

Porta Pacis was originally intended to be used exactly as its name suggests.

Yes. It was going to be the Gate of Peace.

...It was built when Arius Satellite School first split off from the Trinity General School.

Surprisingly, back then...both Trinity and Arius thought this conflict...would be peacefully resolved...

...However, that wasn't the case at all, yes?

...Yes.

Well, even our records get a little blurry when it comes to that time in history.

...There's a saying that the true horror of power lies not in recording things, but in not recording things at all.

So, we weren't sure about this part...

...It's rather inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, but I will summarize briefly.

The endless civil war in Arius began with a dispute over the completion of Porta Pacis.

But wasn't it the Gate of PEACE? That's the opposite of what it stands for, isn't it?!

A-Am I allowed to be here right now?

You'd be surprised at how often monuments like these become divisive symbols.

There are inherent limitations to the concept of symbols, just like this one. People tend to rebel when they feel like something is being forced upon them.

Yeah. There were people who thought the Gate of Peace was a farce.

But there were also others that said that it didn't matter if it didn't bring about peace. It symbolized the belief that peace would eventually come.

There was one belief at the core of each side: that any negotiations with Trinity would be impossible...

...and that negotiations were the only way forward.

And so, civil war.

Yes. The anger that had been directed outwards began to turn inwards.

That should sum up what you need to know.

It happened too long ago and was too violent of a time for Arius to possess any proper records either.

But the seed of anger that was planted then...it has passed down from generation to generation.

A seething hatred towards Trinity, an even greater hatred towards ourselves.

...In the present, it's simply a story from our history books.

...People are beings capable of empathy, after all...

As we've evolved, we've reached a point where we're able to empathize with others.

And we're able to apply that same empathy when studying history.

We can understand the emotions and perspectives of the people from those times still.

Yes, that's exactly how the anger festering in Arius has continued to pass down.

The faction against the Porta Pacis as a symbol of peace was the first to emerge victorious during the long war.

They decided to construct a massive underground archive to create and set guidelines for Arius.

There was an archive under Porta Pacis?!

Yes. And that archive...is a record of everything that has ever happened in Arius.

...It sounds just like the Trinity library.

Recording something for the future to one day see...is something like humanity's instinct... It's like a universal desire...

Yes. So the archive of Porta Pacis served as a library and archive for Arius.

However, if my knowledge is correct, the party that held power in Arius about 150 years ago...

...designated Porta Pacis and its archive as restricted.

No one knows. I only have my own speculations.

Perhaps it's because they couldn't handle it anymore.

All the stories that kept piling up, and the dark emotions linked to them.

...So, an information blackout... Trinity suffers from those too.

Seriously, authority figures are always...

Solely from governing and ruling perspectives, stoking some level of anger in your subjects can be a beneficial tool, but excessive amounts can backfire.

...We see it in history again and again: someone mobilizes a group of agitators to seize power, and then eliminates them as soon as they get what they want.

I-Is that really how the outside world works...? I'm scared, Hiyori... I'm scared...

M-Me too... I'm losing my strength to live on. Waaaah...

But Shimiko said she'll send us copies of magazines, so I'll try to hold on to hope a little longer...

I mean, the same thing happened in Arius too...

I see. So Arius' history was passed down by oral tradition after that.

Yeah. However, Arius' ruling power changed hands constantly until Madame... Until Beatrice took control.

Which is why each of them restricted access to Porta Pacis.

...You finally said her name.

Yes. I think it's about time I should.

But there were definitely side effects of passing down history orally.

...To put it simply, everyone's stories were slightly different.

That's how it usually goes without written records.

Some things get exaggerated, some things get lost, some things get distorted by emotions...

The history of Arius we were taught is probably a very distorted version of the truth.

Yes. I don't believe anyone would find anything groundbreaking from releasing the records in Porta Pacis either.

In fact, reviewing the records may become the first step to normalizing Arius.

But then...what does Subaru want there?

Subaru probably knew "something."

Although I cannot say what the exact process was, after Beatrice disappeared, Arius was warped into...a place where the rules of reality were twisted. Anything was possible.

Th-That's...true... Which is why, until Subaru regained order...this place was...

*sob*

Now, now. Don't cry. I'm sorry. I'm going to tell you all something now, something only I know.

Although, I suppose Subaru likely knows of it now as well.

What...is it?

It's the mystery of Arius, hidden in Porta Pacis.