Kayama Esumi: Catacombs

Roughly thirty minutes later.

"......I'm lost."

Esumi had been aimlessly wandering around the cathedral, trying to escape the crowds drawn in by Kio and Cheri's argument, only to realize that she was now hopelessly lost.

She had been attending Trinity General School for two years now. Usually, as long as she could make it outside the cathedral grounds, her natural sense of direction would kick in and guide her back to the school buildings. However, she had somehow wandered to the edge of the cathedral grounds, an area not well-maintained by the sisters. Thanks to the towering thickets of trees, she couldn't even spot the main school building, let alone the cathedral.

"I didn't think I had a bad sense of direction... I suppose I'll need to be more careful from now on."

With a weary sigh, she pulled out her smartphone.

It had been several tens of minutes since then, so she figured that Cheri and the others, who had been loudly bickering in front of everyone, would have calmed down and reached out by now. She was right; she had several messages from Cheri on MomoTalk from a few minutes ago.

"Master, where are you right now!?"

Adding exclamation marks to a simple message—it was hard to tell if she was panicking or, conversely, being perfectly calm. Her personality was a mystery.

Esumi sent a reply regarding her situation.

"Sorry, I'm lost. I think I'm at the edge of the grounds. The thicket is so dense I can't even see the cathedral to get my bearings."

"What are you doing!? Kio is the same, but Sakurako, who has been searching inside the cathedral, is also worried because she can't find you!! Is there anything nearby that could serve as a landmark!? We'll come pick you up right away!!"

Esumi looked around, idly thinking about how frantically Cheri must be typing on her phone. However, perhaps because this was an area the sisters neglected, there was nothing that stood out as a landmark, nothing taller than the thicket itself...

"......There."

Wait, there was something.

Beyond her line of sight, a small, dilapidated chapel stood abandoned within the thicket.

She couldn't pin down the exact era, but it looked incredibly old—possibly hundreds of years old.

(Perhaps a chapel once used by the Sisterhood? If so, it would be the perfect landmark to pinpoint my location.)

They were an organization that managed old works of art and kept detailed, meticulous records of them. It wouldn't be strange if they possessed the blueprints for that chapel or a map of this sector. Unfortunately, Esumi, having lost her way, couldn't risk moving aimlessly, so she decided it would be wiser to wait for Cheri and the others inside the chapel.

Esumi sent Cheri a photo of the chapel’s exterior and its features via MomoTalk, then headed toward the building to wait for her ride.

"......The structure itself is sturdy. The pillars and walls don't have any issues with durability... but the inside is austere... there isn't a single chair or piece of furniture."

Once she stepped inside, she realized that despite its miserable, crumbling exterior, the interior was remarkably well-preserved. From the outside, it looked like a stiff breeze or a minor earthquake would bring it down, yet the internal damage was minimal. It was more than sufficient as a temporary shelter.

That said, it certainly wasn't fit for sleeping.

Dust had piled up, dried leaves blown in from outside had formed mounds in the corners, and there wasn't a single piece of furniture. Resting here could easily lead to illness.

The Sisterhood had likely cleared everything out, assuming it would never be used again. Given the state of the overgrown thicket outside, this section had clearly been abandoned for a long time.

(So even the Sisterhood can't manage every corner of their own grounds... Hmm? What's that behind the wall... a door?)

Esumi, who had been walking carefully to avoid getting her hands dirty, found her attention drawn to a door in the distance.

But it was nothing special.

It was only natural for a chapel to have a small room for the clergy. However, since this was a building where even the confessional had been removed, the odds of finding anything inside were slim.

Yet, why was it?

She had a feeling that something significant was hidden behind that door, and, giving in to her rising curiosity, Esumi unconsciously opened it.

"......A basement?"

Opening the door, she was surprised.

It wasn't a small room for the clergy, but a staircase leading underground. It was either quite deep, or the light simply didn't reach the bottom; it was dark, and she couldn't see the floor.

With no other choice, she turned on the flashlight feature on her phone and decided to treat this as an adventure while waiting for her pickup, descending the stairs quietly and calmly.

"I wonder what the old Sisterhood was doing, building a basement in a chapel like this?"

Clack, clack. Her shoes echoed against the dirt and brick steps, the sound growing wider and more resonant as she descended.

Esumi realized it was much deeper than she had expected.

She didn't feel any fear that "something mysterious might pop out," but she knew for certain that if she kept going, something unknown was waiting for her ahead. She proceeded with the utmost caution, yet she was gradually becoming intoxicated by the mysterious sense of elation that stimulated her spirit of adventure and curiosity.

"I made it... but... well, when it's an underground space near the cathedral, this is only natural, isn't it?"

Eventually, she reached the "bottom" of the basement and, seeing the scenery spread out before her, realized the truth.

"......Catacombs. I can't believe there was one here, too."

Catacombs.

So-called underground burial grounds that have been used by certain religions since ancient times.

While they vary by region and religion, the passageways are generally less than two meters high and about a meter wide. However, by digging them down into multiple layers, they can become massive cemeteries stretching for kilometers.

Also, in Esumi’s previous life, they were used as secret places of prayer by Christians who were persecuted for a time; their purposes have been incredibly varied throughout eras and nations.

"But why catacombs here? There should be other catacombs in the Trinity district..."

As Esumi noted, catacombs weren't exactly rare in the Trinity district. There were catacombs of various sizes all over the autonomous district, and people were even free to enter them.

Which meant there was no need to build such massive catacombs on the grounds of the cathedral, which was under the jurisdiction of the Sisterhood.

This was just a hypothesis, but there might be a completely different reason why they were built here.

"......Let's go."

Forgetting her original purpose of waiting for Cheri and the others, Esumi walked deeper inside, scanning her surroundings.

The catacombs, which had been left abandoned for a long time, seemed to welcome the visitor, echoing her footsteps clearly and deeply, as if they were music.

1-2

(......It's long.)

A few, perhaps nearly ten minutes had passed since she arrived in the catacombs.

Even after walking for a while, she hadn't reached the deepest part, nor had the scenery changed. Here, Esumi began to wonder if she should head back to the surface.

(This place is supposed to function as a cemetery, after all... Maybe I'm just crazy for convincing myself I'd find something mysterious...)

In fiction, catacombs often hide the location of buried treasure or are rigged with dangerous traps and gimmicks. But in reality, those buried in catacombs are martyrs who believed in God and lost their lives for it. They were brave souls who dedicated their lives to their faith. It was impossible to think anything else slept here.

(......It's probably dangerous to go any deeper.)

As time passed, Esumi’s initial curiosity and spirit of adventure began to settle, and she decided to turn back, feeling it was disrespectful to the dead to pry any further.

Besides, she hadn't intended to spend this long walking outside, and her phone’s battery, which she was using as a light, was about to run out. It would likely last another few tens of minutes at best.

Honestly, since the area was off-limits after the chapel above was abandoned, there were no lighting fixtures. Even with her phone’s light, it was barely illuminated, and the path was extremely unstable because it was unmaintained.

If the battery died and she was enveloped in darkness, moving around here without light would be far too dangerous.

She decided to shelve her curiosity, get permission from the Sisterhood to explore properly at a later date, and turned around to head back to the surface.

"......Hmm?"

That was when it happened.

As if to keep her from returning to the surface, music suddenly began to echo from the depths of the passageway. Unfitting music, ringing out in a place that functioned only as a graveyard. It was abnormal and eerie.

"............"

Understanding that this was certainly not naturally occurring music, and sensing something abnormal, Esumi immediately drew her sidearm—a .45 caliber double-action, affectionately known as "Niki"—from its holster, gripped it tightly in her left hand, and, stifling the playful footsteps she had been using out of curiosity, began to approach the source of the music as quietly as possible.

Holding her phone in her right hand to light the way, she kept her gun aimed straight ahead in her left, inching forward through the passageway.

"This sound is... a piano?"

Esumi hadn't been able to grasp the nature of the music at first, but as she closed the distance, she realized the instrument playing this music that reverberated through the catacombs was, indeed, a piano.

Still, even if it were a violin or a flute, it was eerie to hear music played in the dark, stale air of the catacombs with no proper lighting. Enduring the mysterious chill brought on by tension and anxiety, Esumi let her thoughts race as she drew closer to the source of the music.

What on earth was happening here?

Why did piano music suddenly start playing in these catacombs?

No matter how hard she thought, no answer to this inexplicable situation bubbled up from her mind, but it was better than cowering in fear of the unknown.

Eventually, walking the passageway with bated breath, Esumi arrived before a spacious area—a kind of great hall built for the believers gathering in the catacombs to hold meetings or services. It was vastly wider than the corridors she had been walking through, and the ceiling seemed three or four times her height.

However, the joy of escaping the narrow corridor was outweighed by the feeling that "something" was there, sharper than before. Esumi narrowed her eyes and scanned the area.

"......The ammunition is fine... The maintenance is solid... I can deal with whatever comes for now... Alright."

Checking the rounds loaded in Niki and visually confirming it wouldn't malfunction, Esumi turned off her phone light and pocketed it.

Fortunately, candles were lit in the back of this vast hall; if she headed toward that spot, she could at least escape the darkness.

Above all, the piano music playing since earlier was coming from that direction. Was someone playing? Either way, if there was light to ensure visibility, her phone was no longer needed.

Now, was the person over there an intruder like herself, or a mysterious ghost dwelling in the catacombs?

If it were truly a ghost, having this gun would be utterly meaningless, she thought, pushing aside the distracting thought as she walked deep into the hall... toward the deepest part where the candle flames were burning.

"......!?"

The moment she stepped into the depths of the great hall, she lost the ability to speak, staring in utter astonishment at the scene before her.

"......Are these... sculptures?"

Before her, hundreds of "sculptures" were lined up as if to fill the entire hall.

Every single one of them was illuminated by the flickering light of candles mounted on the walls, their shadows writhing. Even as an art enthusiast, Esumi found the sight far too eerie, and it sent shivers down her spine.

However, the fact that these sculptures were here, on the grounds of a cathedral under the Sisterhood's jurisdiction, made it clear that they were almost certainly sculptures that had been managed at the cathedral in the past.

"But why in the catacombs? ...And... wow, they’re all in terrible condition..."

Perhaps due to acid rain from back then, or because the catacombs were an unsuitable place for preservation, most of the works were unrecognizable and crumbling. Some still barely retained their original form, but not a single piece was in perfect condition, and in places the candlelight couldn't reach, collapsing works had been left in a pathetic state.

It was far too sloppy.

Honestly, she couldn't believe the Sisterhood, who meticulously cared for the art kept in the cathedral for years, hadn't foreseen this disaster.

In other words, they had intentionally abandoned these many sculptures in these catacombs... but why?

As luck would have it, the answer lay within the statues themselves.

"......Ah, I see. No wonder the cathedral gave up on managing only the sculptures... The models for these sculptures are all the 'Justina Council'..."

The Justina Council.

The guardians of the law, a militant group that valued discipline and acted against those who disturbed it. It was said they were an organization with a dark history, not hesitating to employ oppression or torture, and now, to the residents of Trinity, they were widely remembered as the "organization that symbolizes the bloody history of Trinity."

Perhaps they were indeed inappropriate for display in the cathedral, a place of faith.

Furthermore, Esumi and her group had originally speculated on the reasons these sculptures were no longer managed—the Reformation, the impact of acid rain, and so on. But this was likely the turning point when they were reborn from the Justina Council into the Sisterhood.

In a sense, they had likely abandoned them in the hidden catacombs in an attempt to erase their own dark history.

Though, this thought she just held was also just one of many speculations...

"I'll go back to the surface and report this to everyone. This is... a huge discovery."

Sculptures that had been missing for a long time were hidden deep in the catacombs, and, moreover, they were all modeled after the Justina Council.

This would be big news, spreading not just through the school, but to other autonomous districts. It was a discovery that would rock the art world.

Things might get busy from here on out, Esumi thought, sighing deeply and lowering her gaze to the floor... before instantly aiming Niki’s muzzle toward the darkness.

"......Who's there?"

She realized the piano performance that had been playing for a while had stopped.

Perhaps there was a real piano nearby, or maybe they had noticed Esumi’s arrival and interrupted the performance.

Either way, someone other than Esumi, the illegal trespasser, was here. Esumi strengthened her guard toward the darkness, her finger resting on the trigger.

"Considering you're calmly playing piano in a hall filled with an abnormal number of sculptures, I assume you have nerves of steel... but I wonder if you’d be fine if you were shot once or twice... Shall I test that right now?"

She spoke haughtily, but she knew that even if she pulled the trigger into the darkness where not even candlelight reached, she would only hit a sculpture or the wall. Whether a bullet would actually hit the suspicious person was another matter.

It was, in other words, a bluff.

Even for Esumi, who was somewhat confident in her marksmanship, this was mere bravado. Preparing for the worst—a preemptive attack from the other side—she listened intently, trying to gauge their response.

Then—

"Let us wait... This is the moment of our first encounter... If possible, I would like to avoid needless conflict."

The first thing Esumi’s ears picked up was an inorganic voice, followed by the sound of something creaking.

"......You are...!?"

Immediately, knowledge from her previous life, dormant in the depths of her brain, was jolted awake, and Esumi winced at the sudden headache.

It was, however, a fleeting moment. She quickly regained her composure and steadied her breathing. Without the slightest hint of noticing the abnormality she had shown, a single adult figure emerged quietly from the darkness.

"......Kayama Esumi... A student with excellent artistic talent, known not only in Trinity but throughout Kivotos as a painter... I am honored to meet you like this."

A figure in a well-tailored suit, with a body like a mannequin and two heads. Every time he moved, the sound of his body creaking echoed, but he didn't seem to care, just staring at Esumi, illuminated by the candlelight. Esumi, meanwhile, kept her gun aimed at him and replied calmly.

"......Forgive me, but I don't know who you are. Are you the caretaker who lives in these catacombs? ...Or are you a corpse?"

"Indeed, it was rude of me to be the only one who knows you... But unfortunately, I hold no 'name'... Therefore, I am fully aware that it is highly unpleasant for you, but I would like you to see me as an artist, if you would."

"An artist... If you don't have a real name, don't you at least have a pseudonym? Do you not even have one of those?"

"That is correct. Of course, you and I are both in a position to continue pursuing art... You may call me by whatever name you like..."

"............"

The "pseudonym" Esumi spoke of refers to a pen name. It's a second name used for various reasons, including when an artist who doesn't want to use their real name works in hiding.

Of course, Esumi had realized from the moment she saw him that the person before her was a member of the organization known as "Gematria," which appeared in the Blue Archive main story.

She had tried tossing out words to see if she could pull his real name out of him, but it seemed she had failed.

It couldn't be helped.

Since he told her to call him whatever she liked, she decided to call him by the "name" he was known by in the original main story.

"Then 'Maestro'... I will take the liberty of calling you Maestro from now on. Is that acceptable?"

"Ah... I am honored. It is a name called by no other than you. I have no reason to refuse... Strangely, it is a name with a pleasant ring to it."

"Is that... so?"

Actually, in the original story, he had introduced himself that way... She wasn't sure. Since this was two years before the original main story, a difference in memory might be inevitable.

For now, Esumi lowered her gun from Maestro and asked a question.

"So, Maestro, what are you doing in a place like this? As you know, these are the catacombs beneath a sector under the jurisdiction of the Sisterhood. What are you, an adult, doing in the basement of a school managed only by students?"

"A simple story... This is creative activity."

"Creative activity?"

As Esumi asked back, Maestro nodded significantly and reached out to the sculpture beside him.

"All the sculptures here imitate the organization that once ruled Trinity... the Justina Council... Evil leaning toward good. Darkness leaning toward light. The deeds performed by the Saints Council were all built upon a combination of truth and concealment."

Standing beside the sculptures, which were crafted nearly two meters tall, Maestro ran his hand over them as he moved his creaking body. Slowly, as if stroking a young girl's hair, as if confirming her flesh and blood.

"The same applies to sculpture... Sometimes art has treated works that mix reality and fiction as the one and only 'authentic,' making the audience believe in them... That is common to painting, sculpture, and architecture alike... Therefore, I, too, decided to create works that are as close to authentic as other arts..."

"Then... are you trying to create something close to the authentic as well?"

"Precisely... What I create is the Justina Saint itself. In other words, a reproduction."

"......Reproduction... In other words, Mimesis."

"I shall bring the Justina Saints of the past, which could only be reproduced in stone and bronze, closer to reality, closer to the original, and bring them to life in the modern day... Art cannot move forward by merely learning. Only by respecting the masterpieces of the past and using them as a stepping stone can one reach the next level."

The sculpture, which had already been heavily worn, suddenly collapsed as if it had lost its reason for existing the moment Maestro spoke those words. Was it originally marble? Granite?... No, it might have been made of some other material.

The corrosion of the sculptures in this hall had progressed so far that she couldn't even distinguish that. Esumi picked up a piece of the sculpture that had rolled to her feet with her right hand and stared blankly at the part illuminated by the candle.

"Why a reproduction of the Justina Council? In the first place, what is your reason for stepping into these catacombs?"

"My fixation on reproducing the Justina Council is because I judged it could be a process to reach a certain stage... And if I am to make a reproduction close to the original, I must naturally investigate the original itself. Just as everything has a progenitor, I need only reach the origin."

"............Could it be, your purpose in coming here is... wait, if that's the case... tell me, Maestro. Are you saying the corpses of the students of the Justina Council from that time are sleeping in these catacombs?"

When Esumi said that, looking as if she couldn't believe it, Maestro crossed his arms behind his back, keeping his back to her.

"Art has emphasized uniqueness, value, surprise, and creativity by repeating imitation upon imitation, leaving it to posterity for a long time... However, no matter how much future artists imitate imitations, what they reach is nothing but a separate entity, far removed from the original... The Justina Council, in particular, has been a presence conveyed to posterity with truth and lies mixed together for a long time. Even if one references documents or the sculptures in this hall, there is a limit after all... If so, one should reference the origin itself, just as the first imitation of the Justina Council was born into this world..."

He turned his body toward Esumi and stepped over the fragments of the collapsed sculpture at his feet. Esumi did not fear him, but she stepped back quietly.

"Kayama Esumi, let me answer your question from earlier... You asked if the corpses of the Justina Council, the organization that once ruled Trinity, were sleeping in these catacombs... That is a fact. Their corpses are still sleeping in these catacombs to this day..."

"......!?"

The moment a doubt turns into a conviction is, honestly, not a very good feeling.

Because it meant one answer had been provided for why the statues of the Justina Council were placed in this hall.

"......Judging by your reaction, you have realized the meaning of this hall... That is correct. These sculptures are not abandoned in the catacombs to hide the existence of the Justina Council from the outside... These are all an expression of respect and a wish for their immortality, directed toward the dead of the Justina Council sleeping in the catacombs."

"......I, indeed. It is not uncommon to place sculptures and paintings related to the dead as ornaments in catacombs... But to think that the corpses of the Justina Council are sleeping in a place like this..."

In the first place, in the China of Esumi’s previous life, just confirming the terracotta warriors, which imitated people and horses as burial accessories for the First Emperor sleeping in his tomb, counted to about 8,000.

Catacombs centered in Europe were not as large-scale as those in China, but sculptures modeled after figures appearing in the Bible and the like were decorated as ornaments, said to show identification and respect for the dead.

If that way of thinking were alive and well in this Blue Archive world, these sculptures would undoubtedly all be directed toward the dead of the Justina Council sleeping in these catacombs.

In other words, the situation of these sculptures being placed here was the undeniable evidence that the corpses of the Justina Council were still sleeping in the catacombs today.

Esumi lamented the tremendous misunderstanding she had been harboring, and at the same time, felt a certain question.

"......Have you already found the bodies in these catacombs?"

"Naturally... I have already obtained all the information necessary to create the perfect reproduction... That said, there is no need for you to worry about the graves... I have proper respect for them as they continue to sleep. The graves are untouched."

"I see. But... that aside, you have trespassed into the catacombs without permission, and you are even meddling with graves... Even if you have not committed acts of destruction, this is a clear crime."

"......Is that the reason you have continued to refrain from putting your gun back in its holster since a while ago?"

Maestro’s gaze turned to Esumi’s hand.

"This place is under the jurisdiction of the Sisterhood. Strictly speaking, it is on the grounds of Trinity General School. As a student belonging to that school, I cannot simply overlook an outsider who has entered without permission."

"......Then what will you do? Will you stop me here...?"

Maestro said that with his mouth, but he showed no sign of running away or resisting. He just stood there quietly.

"......No. Honestly, I want to avoid causing a commotion here."

"......Then will you let me go?"

"No, I will have you accept one condition. If you can acknowledge that, I will reluctantly pretend 'I saw nothing' because of this darkness and not raise a hand."

"......Let me hear it."

"For the next two years. I will have you prohibited from making contact with me, including stepping foot into this Trinity district."

Creak. Instead of a verbal reply, Maestro’s body creaked. He must be wondering what on earth she was saying.

Esumi, of course, thought the same.

Thinking in terms of common sense, she should immediately capture this person or make him pay. After all, the opponent was Gematria.

However, if she turned him over to the Justice Task Force here, or defeated him and caused him serious injury, it might create major contradictions or adverse effects on the subsequent Blue Archive main story.

For Esumi, that was not her intent.

Therefore, she made it a condition that he be prohibited from making contact with her and entering the Trinity district until she graduated.

Honestly, although their awareness and values regarding art differed, there was a strong mutual attraction regarding the aspect of being an artist.

Besides, even if Esumi wasn't interested, as understood from the conversation they had exchanged, he, a member of Gematria, seemed somewhat favorable to Esumi, and also somewhat interested.

If she let him go unconditionally like this, Maestro might try to make contact again.

Though she was slightly happy to be noticed by that famous Blue Archive character, that was originally something that should be directed toward the protagonist of the original story.

To show that she was serious, Esumi intentionally put her sidearm back in its holster and shrugged.

"Does this make you believe me, Maestro?"

"............Hmm, interesting. Your actions sometimes easily exceed my expectations."

"Well, if I kept being trapped by common sense, I wouldn't be who I am now. After all, I am an artist, too."

"......Then, I shall respect the will of you, an artist, and follow that judgment..."

Maestro turned on his heel and began to move toward the place where he had first appeared.

Did he intend to go home, or would he play the piano again?

When Esumi looked puzzled, he suddenly stopped and turned his face back.

"......Uriel..."

"Eh? ...What is it, so suddenly?"

"It is a nickname I have been calling you by in secret for some time... For you, who loves art and is enrolled in Trinity, where angels attend, there could be no name more fitting. Is that not so?"

"I see, is that how it is... But I am a presence far from an angel, Maestro."

"Maestro is fine. You named me, no title is needed. Also, there is no need to force yourself to use honorifics... Since you and I, if possible, would like to continue to be on equal footing from here on... Then let us meet again sometime. Kayama Esumi. You who love art and are possessed by art."

"I see... but I sincerely hope that today will be our first and last meeting. Well then... goodbye forever, Maestro. I’ll be looking forward to your works in secret."

"............"

There was no reply to those words; Maestro disappeared into the darkness again, his body making creaking sounds, and a moment later, the piano performance began again. It was music played at a unique tempo, no different from the beginning.

It was surprising that he could play the piano in that darkness. Perhaps, as a being that couldn't be called human, that, too, was out of the ordinary. The very fact that there was a piano in the catacombs was abnormal in itself.

"Hmm? ...This song is... Ah, that's what it is."

With that, Esumi seemed to finally realize the true nature of the music being played on the piano. She hadn't been deeply knowledgeable about music to begin with, but if the song was something deeply involved in art, that was a different story.

However, that was also a fact that made her doubt Maestro’s sense of song selection.

"......'Pictures at an Exhibition'... Movement 8... Catacombs (Con mortuis in lingua mortua)... It certainly is a fitting song for this place, but to play a masterpiece born from the 'death' of a dear friend and artist in the catacombs... Maestro, despite how he looks, has quite a twisted sense of humor."

Or perhaps his values and sensibilities were completely different from human ones.

Above all, she didn't even know how he was playing the piano in the dark, so Esumi decided that any further inquiry was unnecessary.

(Justina Council... Reproduction... Catacombs... This world seems to be moving steadily toward the Blue Archive main story... ...I see, only two more years.)

Before she knew it, there were only about two years left in her student life at Trinity General School.

At the same time, it would also be two years until the curtain of the fateful Blue Archive main story rose.

Esumi glanced at the candle flame beside her, projecting herself onto the flame that looked as if it might go out at any moment... she let out a small breath and returned to the surface.

When she returned to the catacombs with Cheri and the others who had come to pick her up, Maestro’s figure had already vanished.