+18 Chapter 10: Peterheim Middle School Tragedy

While I plan to become an Elite Operator in Rhodes Island, my initial goal was to start as a regular operator. However, Kal'tsit unexpectedly promoted me to Elite Operator after reviewing my files.

(This situation is advantageous for me, as only Kal'tsit and Amiya can issue orders now. However, it complicates matters since I could be assigned to distant missions, as most Elite Operators are often away from Rhodes Island engaged in external operations.)

Currently, I am partnered with Pith, another Elite Operator. If I recall correctly, she hails from a former aristocratic family that served the Grande Armée of the fallen Gaulish Empire. With over 50 years of combat experience, she has been active since the empire's fall around 1031, and now it’s 1095.

(The timeline appears quite disordered. From what I remember, the doctor should awaken in 1096, but Reunion is already advancing into Chernobog, likely to begin the war, placing us a year ahead. Moreover, the Babel incident occurred in 1090 instead of 1094, which significantly alters the events in Arknights.)

While I understand this is an alternate universe, I had assumed that key events would remain relatively unchanged. However, the discrepancies imply that things are different, and Amiya is younger than she was when she went to rescue the doctor.

(At this point, I should abandon the idea that everything will unfold as previously known and view it instead as a randomizer, where certain events might happen sooner or later than in the original timeline.)

Nonetheless, this also presents an opportunity. If I strategize carefully, I might be able to prevent some deaths, such as Scout's demise at the hands of Hoederer in Chernobog or Ace's sacrifice while holding back Tallulah to help others escape.

For now, I have already sent Orga via telepathy to support Scout by engaging Hoederer, but not to the point of killing him.

Now that I think about it, I’ve never seen Orga fight. Will he be okay? I hope he doesn’t sustain serious injuries or worse. But can I revive Orga like Kal'tsit can revive Mon3tr when he dies?

I still catch myself thinking this way to distract from what I'm currently doing.

(I THOUGHT SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE LESS EXTREME, BUT WHY AM I DOING A MILITARY DRILL WHEN WE'RE A PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY FOCUSED ON RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT?)

I’ve calmed down now, but I never expected Pith to act like a drill instructor. This military training is intense.

Right now, I'm running while carrying weights that would put the previous world to shame. Each weight is supposed to be 10 kg, but what surprises me is that they measure it in grams here.

The total weight I’m carrying is about 50 kg. I'm only allowed to use the Verbesserung school, and when I tried to use Wiederherstellung to speed up my muscle recovery, I was caught immediately and hit with a Hervorrufung school attack, which hurt a lot.

(How does it hurt? I have a resistance of 75, but that’s probably because her main class is a caster with a talent that ignores 25 resistance, so I guess it’s normal.)

In the end, I’m undergoing all sorts of training, from accurately shooting art to maintaining Verbesserung for long fights. While Misery is more skilled in the Umwandlung school than Pith, she at least knows enough to teach me.

Logos is the most powerful caster at Rhodes Island, but Pith excels as a mentor to fellow casters because her lessons are easier to understand than Logos’s—he's like one of those geniuses who struggles to teach.

Oh, and I finally got my operator outfit! The jacket design combines elements from Amiya and Rosmontis, but I created the inside myself, using Originium to enhance my art. I can’t increase the Originium in my blood anymore since Kal'tsit forbade it.

Because of that, aside from my jacket, all my equipment is made of Originium. In the past, all my gear would radiate Oripathy, but I’ve learned my lesson and made it stable. However, when I tested it, the power was slightly lower compared to the unstable version.

Months went by as we slowly approached Ursus.

We're approaching Chernobog, where the doctor lies sleeping inside the Sarcophagus. I find myself facing Kal'tsit in the command room because I need to confirm whether, in this alternate universe, Mephisto is ordering his men to barricade Peterheim Middle School.

Pith is not with me; she is busy preparing for our entry into Chernobog, as this is a large-scale operation. The only Elite Operators remaining at Rhodes Island, aside from Pith, are Ace, Raidian, Mechanist, Sharp, Blaze, Rosmontis, and Touch.

Touch will be heading to Chernobog shortly, following Logos, Misery, Stormeye, Mantra, and Outcast, who have already gone ahead. This highlights the scale of the operation, as many Elite Operators, even those assigned elsewhere, have prioritized this mission.

"You want to act alone?" Kal'tsit asks.

"Yes, but only for a while to confirm something."

"What do you want to confirm?"

(I feel hesitant to reveal too much, but I doubt I can deceive Kal'tsit; after all, she has lived for millennia and can easily see through lies.)

Letting out a sigh, I look at Kal'tsit seriously, clenching my hand.

"I'm still unsure, but I caught a glimpse of Reunion members moving toward Peterheim Middle School, and I dread to think about what they might be planning so far from Chernobog, especially at a school."

Suddenly, I feel a surge of electric energy. I turn to see Raidian, her face filled with anger.

"Is what you just said true, Alisia?"

In an instant, she is close to me, grabbing my shoulder with her four arms. Her presence surprises me; I can’t lie to her either, as she is essentially a lie detector.

"I'm not sure, which is why I want to go and find out. If I'm wrong, I'll return, but if I'm right, it might be too late."

Upon hearing my reasoning, Raidian's gaze shifts slowly from me to Kal'tsit.

"Please, I ask this of you, Kal'tsit: let me go as well."

This surprises me; Raidian has never been on the frontlines before, usually focusing on logistics—perhaps because she grew up in Ursus and has a soft spot for children.

Kal'tsit and Raidian engage in a silent stare-down, both wearing serious expressions that make the atmosphere tense. Finally, Kal'tsit lets out a sigh.

"Fine, but take Sharp with you. I'm worried about just the two of you going into what is likely a Reunion base."

With that, Sharp, Raidian, and I set out toward Peterheim Middle School.

Alisia, Sharp, and Raidian were currently riding a creature that resembled a horse, which Alisia had created from nearby Originium. They were running out of time, so after disembarking from the helicopter that had transported them from Rhodes Island, they moved closer to Peterheim Middle School.

They chose not to ride the helicopter all the way to the school because they worried that their speed of 120 km/h might alert the Reunion members, who were likely nearby.

However, the hastily made ride was torturous for Alisia, who wasn't accustomed to such rough journeys. Despite this, they managed to reach a small hill near Peterheim Middle School. Sharp looked through her scope at the school while Alisia observed through the scope of her Railgun.

“How does it look?” Raidian asked.

“Just as you said, Raidian,” Sharp replied. “The place is swarming with Reunion members who are barricading the school. I don’t know why they’re keeping the kids inside, but I hope they’re safe.”

“Then we must go now,” Alisia urged.

“I understand your concern for the children, Raidian, but we need to deal with the Reunion members first,” Sharp said.

Alisia felt a pang of fear that they might be too late. She hoped they could rescue the children before things turned dire and she didn’t want Gummy to experience what the original Gummy had gone through.

“Sharp, I have a plan,” Alisia declared.

Upon hearing her, Sharp and Raidian turned to her, prompting her to explain.

“The Reunion force is larger than I initially thought, but most of them are stationed at the gate, far from the school. I’ll create a diversion to draw their attention while you and Raidian rescue the children.”

“That’s reckless, Alisia. You’re still young; I can’t allow you to do that,” Raidian cautioned.

“What Raidian said is correct, Alisia. While your power is indeed strong, you’re still inexperienced, and the Reunion force is larger than we expected,” Sharp added.

Ignoring their objections, Alisia began crafting her Originium bullet using the active state of her first skill, reinforcing it with all the arts she had mastered. Fortunately, she triggered the passive effect of her second skill, resulting in a black bullet pulsating with red energy, as if it were alive.

“This is my all-out effort for now. Let’s just say that when this bullet lands, it will trigger an explosion and likely unleash a small-scale effect of every art under the Hervorrufung school. While I don’t think I can take out all the Reunion members, I can probably cripple the majority of them.”

Alisia slowly loaded the special bullet into her Railgun, staring intently at both Raidian and Sharp.

“Besides, the longer we wait, the worse the situation may become. We don’t know how long the students have been barricaded inside.”

Hearing this, Sharp let out a sigh and finally agreed with Alisia. Raidian was about to protest when Sharp placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

“Alisia, we’ll be quick, so take care of yourself, okay? Don’t push yourself too hard. If it seems impossible, just retreat. Sharp and I will handle the rest, no matter what happens.”

"Well, it looks like this is a tough job, but if I don't do my best, I would feel ashamed in front of a kid who is giving her all after all."

"I'm 18 years old, you know? Besides, my birthday is coming up, so I'll probably be 19 this year."

"Oh, we need to celebrate that! What do you want, Alisia, dear?"

"Just an apple pie would be good enough. Thanks, Raidian."

Raidian then hugged Alisia before heading toward the school with Sharp as she guide him through a secret shortcut she often used when she was a student.

Alisia waited patiently, charging her railgun with electric art. Unsure of the end result, she attempted to activate all the art under Hervorrufung school simultaneously to guarantee her second skill would trigger them all.

Suddenly, she received a communication from Raidian that they were ready. This prompted Alisia to slowly absorb the Originium she had secretly carried to further boost herself, making her halo and wings radiate a strong light that attracted the Reunion members on guard.

Before they could react, Alisia fired her railgun, leaving a trail of light that struck directly in the middle of the Reunion encampment, resulting in a massive shockwave. Her second skill activated, creating a small tornado of fire, thunder, and ice.

Those who were less fortunate died instantly from the shock of her bullet, while the others faced a grim fate, being torn apart by the wind, burned by the fire, electrocuted by the thunder, and frozen to death.

The phenomenon lasted for a minute before gradually fading, but Alisia, witnessing the destruction, vomited against a nearby tree. She couldn't handle it as well as she had thought. The chaos made the remaining Reunion members believe a catastrophe was unfolding, prompting their retreat.

This turn of events was fortunate for Alisia, who was no longer in a fighting state. She forced herself to move toward the school. Just a few minutes later, when Alisia arrived at the former encampment, there were no surviving Reunion members left.

Still pale, Alisia pressed on, trying to ignore the dismembered, burned, and frozen corpses surrounding her. The stench was unbearable, threatening to make her vomit again, but she pushed through and entered the school gate.

Inside, the children looked on in shock. Raidian spotted Alisia and rushed toward her, noticing her condition. She hugged her tightly while patting her head.

Feeling a sense of calm, Alisia slowly lost consciousness with a smile, relieved that the operation was a success and they had managed to rescue the kids.

However, inside the helicopter, Raidian began to lecture Alisia about not listening to her earlier words. Sharp noticed that Alisia seemed to be improving, so he silently watched over the two of them.

But he knew this was not over yet; they still needed to rescue the doctor next.