The Eden Treaty Organization was originally meant to be a neutral institution attended by the core members of Trinity and Gehenna, one that would intervene and mediate whenever disputes arose between the two schools.
It was supposed to be a measure implemented to preserve peace in Kivotos, to prevent conflicts between the academies from escalating further and eventually developing into a war that would engulf the entire academy city.
That was how it was supposed to be.
Yet the Arius Squad, which had just launched a terrorist attack on the ancient cathedral, now declared themselves to be the Eden Treaty Organization.
"This was originally our duty."
Saori said,
"Ever since the First Ecumenical Council, this was a right that should have belonged to us. However, Trinity trampled it underfoot. Instead, they labeled us the source of conflict and subjected us to complete persecution as targets for suppression."
Her explanation could only be described as superficially similar to Trinity students' general understanding of that history.
According to records preserved by the Sisterhood, during the era of the First Ecumenical Council, Arius had consistently opposed Trinity's unification.
As for the reason behind that opposition, the most widespread explanation was that the Arius faction interpreted doctrine differently from the other branches. But naturally, the truth could never have been that simple.
After clearly expressing their position, Arius suddenly changed their stance and proposed a condition.
If the others wanted them to agree to the merger, then Arius had to be the one to assume a role similar to an "arbiter" within the academy.
Exactly like the position now occupied by the Eden Treaty Organization within the alliance between Trinity and Gehenna.
However, just as Mika had once slandered Nagisa in front of me...
Once such authority and power were obtained, what would they ultimately be used for?
Perhaps the Arius faction at the time had only wanted sufficient influence to secure their own interests, but the other branches had no way to confirm their true intentions. Naturally, they could not agree to such a demand.
Thus, the matter remained deadlocked for a long time, until eventually the other branches were finally moved by Arius's stubbornness.
They unanimously decided to exclude Arius entirely and proceed with unification on their own.
After that, led by the Justina Council, the predecessor of today's Sisterhood, the newly formed Trinity launched war against Arius and drove out all these dissenters whom they viewed as harboring ulterior motives.
Yet even when looking at the same event, different perspectives naturally lead to different conclusions.
Especially after such distant ages have passed, with all those who knew the truth long since gone, there was no longer any way to untangle these muddled historical accounts, written as they likely were with the subjective emotions of their authors.
Only hatred remained.
Hatred deliberately guided by those with ulterior motives, burning ever fiercer amid suffering until it finally began devouring everything around it.
"...From this point onward,"
Saori said coldly,
"the Arius Special Squad, acting as the Eden Treaty Organization, will exercise its authority and redefine the targets of suppression. Gehenna and Trinity themselves are the causes of conflict that violate the Eden Treaty. They are the ones who should be eliminated."
Although I had already roughly guessed it, I still fell silent for a moment before asking to confirm:
"...In other words?"
Saori answered calmly, as though stating something completely natural.
"To erase Gehenna and Trinity from Kivotos. Literally. Together with the commandments of the treaty and their guardians."
Once she finished speaking, those undead revenants who seemed to have crawled out from history silently gathered behind her like loyal supporters.
To be exploited as weapons of war despite being guardians, what an ironic thing that was.
...It truly was just like these Arius students themselves.
"The hatred accumulated since the First Ecumenical Council, over hundreds of years until now... this way, they will finally understand our hatred."
Saori closed her eyes as if letting out a long breath. Then she extended a hand toward me, her gaze clear and sincere.
"So, Sensei, please come over to our side. She also said that we do not necessarily have to become enemies."
The "she" she referred to could only be the true mastermind behind this entire chain of events.
Beatrice.
Looking at the hand Saori extended, then at the other three girls beside her one by one, I fell silent for a moment before murmuring:
"Yes... we do not necessarily have to become enemies. So then, why not have all of you come over to my side instead?"
"...I see. What a shame."
Saori withdrew her hand and gripped her rifle once more.
"It seems we can only resort to force, bring you back to Arius, and slowly persuade you there."
Even though, as long as they were willing to trust my words, I would have treated them equally and done everything in my power to save them... yes, I should have been able to do that.
Yet why had things ended up like this? What exactly had I done wrong? Or had I simply done nowhere near enough? And if so, how was I supposed to make up for it now?
Even if I thought about such things now, it was probably already too late...
The moment I imagined Trinity and Gehenna, and perhaps even more academies, being dragged into war, the students I knew and who trusted me becoming caught up in it and harmed, I felt suffocated. My vision blurred further, and my heart began to ache like it was being pierced by needles.
It was all my fault. This outcome had been caused by my arrogance.
If only I had possessed greater power...
Amid the torment of self-blame, regret, and guilt, I suddenly seemed to hear the sound of a taut string snapping. Then, as though grasping a faint glimmer of light in darkness, realization abruptly dawned upon me.
I see.
The answer could not have been more obvious.
The one in the wrong was not me.
It was this world.
These ungrateful aberrations...
"I... will never allow you to take Sensei away!"
The white-haired girl squeezed out the last of her strength from her small body and forced herself upright with her machine gun as support. Though her legs trembled from exhaustion, the pressure she exuded rivaled her peak condition, and her eyes burned with violet flames.
At this moment, in my eyes, she was like the true light illuminating my world itself.
She stepped forward, shielding me behind her, and shouted loudly:
"Come then! Step over my corpse first!"
...That's right. How had I nearly forgotten what I truly needed to do now?
"...Sorasaki Hina."
Saori slowly spoke her name.
"You were always one of the targets we intended to eliminate. Since you insist on seeking death, then I shall grant your wish..."
"Wait."
I stood back up and pulled Hina, who was about to fight to the death, behind me. Then I calmly spoke to Saori:
"Have Beatrice herself come negotiate terms with me. As for you..."
To be precise, that included Beatrice as well.
"You are not qualified."