Chapter 22: Amazing Grace

We made it to the second floor, but the situation remained the same. There were bodies everywhere, even more than before. Above me, I could hear a battle raging, but Shirai-san kept me working on the here and now.

"Focus, Otohime-chan!"

She nodded towards the unconscious person lying in front of me. He was a Hispanic boy, dressed in a starched tunic and breechcloth, and he was adorned in many precious stones, from the turquoise earrings to the piercing in his tongue. He had lost a lot of blood, so we were transfusing plasma into him. As I held the bag aloft, Shira-san gave him chest compressions. Meanwhile, I kept thinking about what Musujime-san told us, about the people who put her and her comrade's lives at risk. I knew this boy was part of that group and I felt very confused. "Why are we saving him? Isn't he the enemy?"

Shirai-san glared at me. "Look at him, Otohime-chan. What do you see?"

I looked down at him. He was slightly taller than me. He still had some baby fat, and his face was pudgy. I could easily picture meeting him at a playground. "If circumstances were different," I thought out loud, "Maybe I would have played dodgeball with him."

Shirai-san nodded. "Then you get it."

"But…"

"But nothing!" Shirai-San said sternly, "Those who fight against you today may fight with you tomorrow! Right now, he's hurt, and he needs us to save him! That's all you should be concerned with!"

Suddenly, the boy gasped and tried to get up, but we pushed him back down. Shirai-san stopped her chest compressions and went to comfort the victim. Soon, Anti-skill officers came with stretchers and took the boy away.

"You-gat-ta! What a relief!" Shirai-san stood and wiped the sweat from her brows and smiled, "Good job, Otohime-chan! As a reward, let me tell you the rest of my story."

Side-story: Sing the Bells of Notre-Dame

Rather than returning to my dorm and facing Onee-sama, I decided to rent out a place inside the Garden of learning. This had the double effect of getting to the target sooner and hiding away my shame. Strictly speaking, I was following Konori-senpai's instructions of not acting as a lone wolf. I was simply waiting for Kamijou-senpai to arrive. It was prudent to start proceedings while he was sorting out his difficulties, and no one could blame me if he was late.

However, not vouching for him certainly wouldn't have helped his case, and it certainly wouldn't have help with our work as a team. I knew that Kamijou-senpai would have a hard time getting in, even with his permission from Konori-senpai. The guards would be suspicious since he was a boy, and they would have run a full background check before he could get in.

The next morning in the Garden, I awoke to the bells of Notre-Dame. The cafes started brewing and the bakeries baked to the bells of Notre-Dame. To the big bells as loud as thunder and the little bells soft like a song. Some say the Garden is a more alive now thanks to the toll of the bells, like a spell cast from Notre-Dame itself.

With the regime change, the Roman Catholic Church became the sixth school in the Garden. The Church bought up all the apartments around the Cathedral and turned them into monasteries, abbeys, convents, and classrooms. Meanwhile, the Cathedral, which was just a half-scale imitation of the Parisian monument, was renovated and then formally consecrated as Notre-Dame dés Académie Japonais. Most people just called it Notre-Dame, while others called it "Il Duomo" because of its association with Rome.

That morning, it was a Sunday. I had a light breakfast, got dressed, and made my way to the Cathedral.

The inside was packed with worshippers, many of whom had come from outside of the city. They carried with them the same white card Konori-senpai had given to Kamijou-senpai. In fact, it was the Church who passed out the cards so worshippers of both sexes could attend.

Now, let me be clear. I did not barge in there or disrupt Mass! I sat in the back row and waited for the ceremony to end. Yet, even as I sat there, my armband set everyone around me on edge. Also, I didn't partake in the Communion, though I dutifully passed the wine and wafers along when it came to me, and I didn't pray or cross myself, though I bowed my head respectfully when the time came. That however set the worshippers off more than I realized. Many were whispering about me, calling me a heretic, an apostate, a charlatan, a prankster. Ultimately, I was confronted by a group of nuns.

They escorted me out of the chamber and up into one of the bell towers, and they led me to the open-air walkway between the towers. That's where I met their leader, Agnes Sanctis. She is a temperamental girl, stubborn, hotheaded, and ruthless. She is the same age as me, yet she is a head shorter. That was compensated, however, by her 30 centimeter Chopines, which she wore without stumbling. You gotta give this girl some credit!

Stepping out onto the veranda, I found her sitting on a high stool, writing at a desk. We were only two stories above the plaza, and a fountain could be heard spewing water into its pool. The nuns had converted the place into an open-air study, where they could read scripture or work on Church-related paperwork in leisure. An ornate scepter leaned against the table. It was covered with beautiful scrollwork from the flower-like head to the weighted butt that tapered to a point.

As I came in, she sighed and said, "I apologize for this inconvenience. I know you came with good intentions." She put down her pen and stood up. Then, she picked up the scepter and planted the butt end firmly on the ground, making a loud clang as it struck the stonework.

"Let me guess, you're here for our roster, aren't you?"

I nodded and opened my mouth, but she gave me no chance to plead my case.

"Get this into your thick skulls! We're! Not! Telling! You! Who's joining our Church is none of your business! Many have come to seek sanctuary within these walls! They came specifically to escape from you! From this godforsaken city! From the cruel scientists who care not for human dignity in their sick and twisted experiments! From the inept government who turn a blind eye to these atrocities! From the well-meaning law enforcement officers who nevertheless bring ruin upon the victims! Only the Bishop knows the names and he will not divulge his secrets to vultures like you! Now buzz off!"

If I was in a better mood, maybe I would have been able to calm things down. Maybe I would have made some sort of compromise. Instead, all the frustration and humiliation from the past week boiled over, and I lost control of myself.

"All you religious types are the same! We let you into our city and what do you do? Hide people away and poison their minds with unscientific teachings! It's just like how you locked away Galileo in his own home because he said the Earth, or rather your Church, wasn't at the center of the Universe! How about that fucking telescope you didn't want us to build? Apparently, the volcano was supposed to be some kind of altar to some sky god! Oh, the irony!"

The nuns gasped when I swore, but I was too angry to care. Agnes Sanctis sneered at me.

"You naïve little fool! Talking like some internet troll with little knowledge about the world! I see that you're not a student of history, for you would know that Galileo wasn't punished for his knowledge but because he slandered the Pope in his writings! That was heresy, and he should've been burned at the stake! He should be thankful for our mercy, and he was!"

"As for your telescope, obviously you're talking about the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mona Kea. That has naught to do with us, but fine, I'll bite! That thing was built anyway, wasn't it? You scientists pushed your stupid telescope onto their sacred ground so you could have a better look at the stars! So what if it served the same purpose as the sacred site? Who the fuck cares? Those Hawaiians wanted to worship the stars their own way!"

I looked away, not knowing what to say next. All I could do was listen to the fountain outside.

Agnes sighed. "We're done here. Sister Angelene, Sister Lucia, show this girl to the entryway. See that no harm comes to her."

"Hai!"

"Hai!"

Two nuns approached me, turned me around and ushered me towards the bell tower. That's when I snapped.

Maybe I just wanted a fight. Maybe I just wanted to duke it out with someone and vent out all that pent-up stress. Maybe I wanted to be taken down so I could wallow in my sadness for a while. Maybe I wanted to be punished for getting myself fired from Judgement. After all, I failed, again!

I shook off the girls holding me and teleported away. Then, I sent my metal spikes into their habits, pinning them to the walls.

More nuns charged towards me, but I avoided them easily. Spinning around, I kicked one girl in the head. Then, I flipped the other up over my shoulder, so she landed on her back. Yet, as I twisted around to punch the third girl in the gut, an invisible fist slammed into my chin, knocking me over with an uppercut. Struggling to my feet, I saw Agnes Sanctis standing in front of me with that scepter held out in front of her. Its shape had changed, and the flower had opened. I remembered Konori-senpai's words, about their strange and dangerous powers, and I was afraid.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" She sighed, "Very well then."

She struck the ground with her scepter, and the invisible fist punched me in the gut. She swung it around, so it hit the stone wall, and the invisible hand-copied its movement. I felt it slam into my side, and I went flying. I teleported above her, hoping to land on her and pin her to the ground, but two little coin purses slammed into me and knocked me away. I landed hard on the stone floor and my solar plexus seized up. I rolled on the ground, gasping, desperate for air.

Agnes Sanctis turned around lazily. "Have you read the Bible, Shirai Kuroko?" she asked.

I glanced up at her, surprised that she knew my name. "What? No."

"Maybe you should," she said, "There's a lot of good stuff written in it that may help you. It might even pull you out of your misery. I've got this verse memorized myself. Do you want to hear?"

Again, she didn't wait for an answer and instead started quoting the Bible.

"Ezekiel 25:17," Agnes strolled towards me, watching as I rolled around and struggled to my hands and knees. "The path of the righteous man and the righteous woman are beset on all sides by the inequalities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil…"

I managed to get into a kneeling position. She calmly walked towards me.

"…Blessed is he or she who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he or she is truly his or her brother's or sister's keeper and the finder of lost children…"

Screaming, I got up and tried to charge her down. She slammed the scepter on the ground, and the invisible fist slammed into my gut.

"…And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt and destroy My brothers and My sisters…"

Desperate, I crawled away from her. She pulled out a knife and scraped it along the scepter's length. I felt the knife gouge into my back, and I screamed.

"…And you will know My name is the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon thee."

The nuns surrounded me. I was trapped. The scratches in my back were too painful for me to make my calculations. Agnes Sanctis squatted down and looked down upon me. Her face was calm and without malice.

"I pity you, truly!" She said, "But you brought this upon yourself."

She rose and stepped aside. Behind her, the girl named Sister Lucia held a great wooden wheel above her head. Her face was twisted in a savage grin as she slammed the wheel on the ground. It shattered into a thousand pieces and the splinters shot towards me like bullets.

"It's over!"

I closed my eyes, covered my head, and waited for the pain to come.

But it never did.

When I opened my eyes, a shadow loomed over me. Looking up, I felt panic well up in my throat.

"Are you okay? Shirai-san?"

Kamijou Touma was standing over me. As he spoke, blood spurted from his mouth. All the nuns had backed away in horror, but he was only concerned with me. Then, he was kneeling beside me, and all I could do was keep him from falling over. That's when I saw it. His back was riddled with long pieces of wood, and his shirt was drenched in blood. He saved me from my own foolishness and paid for my sins.

"Oh my God! Sister Angelene!" The shrill cry of Agnes Sanctis pierced through my stupor. With a clang, the scepter fell to one side, and she dropped down next to me and fretted about his wounds. "Call Anti-skill now! We need to get him to the hospital immediately!"

"Yes, right away, Sister Agnes," The little girl said. She rushed to the telephone at her desk, but just as she picked up the handset, Kamijou-senpai stopped her.

"No! Don't!" He exclaimed, struggling with every breath, "If they come here, they'll hold you responsible! Then, you would be exposed, and the hammer will come down hard upon all of you!"

"But!" Agnes said weakly, "But you're hurt!"

"It's okay, I've been through far worse! This is nothing!" Yet even as he said this, blood kept spilling from his mouth. We laid him down on his stomach to rest. His voice was ragged, as his lungs were punctured, but he persisted. "If you're forced from this city, then what will happen to the people you're protecting? Where would they go? Who would save them?"

He coughed up more blood. Agnes Sanctis bit her lips and then stood up. "Sister Angelene! Get me a line to the Hospitallers! Hurry!"

We kept the splinters in Kamijou-senpai's back for fear that removing them would lead to his bleeding to death. Instead, we removed his shirt, cleaned his wounds carefully, and nursed him until more help arrived. I watched as the nuns came and went, carrying away his blood-soaked shirt, and bringing tubs of warm water. Moments before, I was fighting against them, but now, we were helping each other save someone's life. I bit my lips, regretting everything I had done. "I'm sorry," I said mournfully, "I didn't mean to blow up on you. I didn't mean to say all those terrible things. I got carried away and hurt your girls. I forgot myself."

Agnes sighed. She soaked a washcloth into a tub and washed Kamijou-senpai's back. "I know. Kamijou-nichan called me last night and told me about your troubles with the other faiths. You must have been so frustrated when you came in today. He asked me to be lenient on you and to help you however I could."

I copied her example and helped her care for Kamijou-senpai. The fountain outside continued to spew water into its pool, and its sound was oddly soothing.

Agnes spoke again. "You know, Galileo and Pope Urban VIII were once childhood friends!"

"Eh?" I said, "Really?"

She nodded. "Back when he was just Maffeo Barberini, he had a close relationship with the burgeoning scientist. Did you know? They grew up together in the streets of Florence and even went to school together in Pisa. As Cardinal, Barberini always leant his ear to Galileo and protected the scientist from other church officials. He was always someone Galileo could speak openly about his research. They were, however, diametrically opposed to one another when it came to the Church's role in the world. Back then, the Church did indeed consider itself the center of the universe, and its word was Law! When he became Pope, Urban VIII had to uphold this doctrine, and Galileo was outright challenging it, saying the universe wasn't written in scripture but in mathematics. Their schism was every bit as personal as it was consequential."

"Ugh!" I snorted, "What a terrible way to break-up with a friend, am I right?"

"Ha!" Agnes scoffed as well, "Yeah! That went for both of them."

Chortling, Agnes sat up and wiped her brow with the back of her hand. She looked down and saw that Kamijou-senpai was awake and was listening to us all this time. She smirked.

"You know, we weren't really going to hurt you!" She said, "Those splinters were meant to fly over your head. We only wanted to scare you. Leave it to Kamijou-nichan to needlessly put his own body on the line for you!"

Kamijou-senpai groaned. "You tell that to me now? My back must look like the surface of the moon right now! Or at least like a miniature forest after a fire! Fukouda!"

Agnes and I looked at each other, and we broke into hysteric giggling.

It was mid-day when we heard sirens coming from the distance. A white ambulance flying a white cross on a red field pulled up to the entrance. Two paramedics emerged with a gurney and entered the Cathedral. A nun guided them up to our level, and they went to work tending to Kamijou-senpai. Carefully, they transferred him onto the gurney so that he lay on his stomach, and they covered his back with a cloth to hide away the splinters from any would-be onlookers. As they prepared to carry him away, he suddenly woke up again.

"Wait! I got it!" he croaked, "Agnes, come here! Please!"

Agnes Sanctis dropped to her knees and lowered her head to hear. Kamijou-senpai spoke into her ear with a quiet voice, and she listened intently. After a while, she nodded, "Yes, that is acceptable. I will ask the Bishop."

"Thank you," Kamijou-senpai said.

Agnes ran off to the altar with her nuns. Kamijou-senpai turned to look at me and motioned me closer. I knelt down next to him, and he spoke into my ear. "Listen to me carefully! Someone is trying to research where faith is in the human mind! That's why all the religious schools have missing students! They were kidnapped to serve as test subjects and are in mortal danger! It's also why the churches and temples are so protective of their congregations! The people who have sought shelter within this very cathedral are refugees who survived that research project, which is ongoing! They know everything! If this case isn't solved soon, then more students will disappear, and the entire Magic side will get involved!"

"Magic side?" I asked, "What's that?"

He shook his head, "I'll tell you later! Listen, we're trying to prevent a holy war from devastating this city! Agnes will guide you to the confessional! Then, she will send them in one by one. They will tell you their bell names, and they will tell you what they went through! Remember, we don't have to know what they look like. We just have to know who they are. We just need to know their stories. Who or what are they hiding from? What faction is hunting them? Listen to them and write down everything they say! Every word is precious! Once you're done, go to Konori-senpai and tell her what you find! I'm counting on you!"

My jaws dropped. "Researching where faith is in the human mind!?" I repeated, "Surely, he didn't mean…"

"Hai," Shirai-san nodded, "He meant exactly what you think it means! The stories I heard that day were horrifying. I had terrible nightmares all night after that!"

"What are Bell-names?" I asked.

Shirai-san shrugged, "They're the pseudonyms the refugees use to hide their identities, based on the bells of Notre-Dame in Paris."

We were sitting at a couple of benches. Saten-san had joined us and was listening intently to Shirai-san's story. She growled.

"Scientists here are insane! Unlike other places, our city doesn't care about morals or ethics. Consent are given by children who barely have any understanding of what they're put through, other than what they're told by the researchers. In the minds of higher-ranking officials, we're seen as merely guinea pigs to be experimented on. I told you about the Chemicaloid experiment, but that was only viewed as a science fair project by higher-ups. Misaka-san and Kamijou-senpai can both tell you far more sinister experiments carried out in this city. Honestly, a holy war to exterminate us may be a blessing to the rest of the world, pun not intended."

"Unfortunately, I can't tell you what I heard that day," Shirai-san said, "Investigations are ongoing, and we still haven't found the bastards who did it! Who knows how deep this rabbit hole will go!"

"It's one of the reasons we're raiding GROUP headquarters today," Saten-san said darkly, "If I was a betting girl, then I think a Kihara is involved in all of this!"

"Shh!" Shirai-san said, "Not too loud! There are spies around everywhere!"

Her eyes darted around, scanning for anyone who was listening. "Anyway, we kept Kamijou-senpai's injury a secret, and Konori-senpai forgave me. As I had brought crucial new information about the case, I redeemed myself in her eyes."

Suddenly, the Anti-skill officers called out again, and we followed the others up to level 3. As we climbed the stairs, Shirai-San spoke to me.

"Someone once told me that we find our true friends on the battlefield. There's nothing like saving a comrade's life that could forge a stronger bond. I owe Kamijou-senpai for everything: my job, my honor, my dignity."

She smiled. "Perhaps, even my life!"