Ludvico Private Girls' Academy

Ludvico Private Girls' Academy (私立ルドビコ女学院), also known in early sources as Ludvico Girls' Academy (ルドビコ女学院), is a Garden in Shinjuku, Japan. It is one of three Gardens tasked with the defense of Tokyo, the other two being Irma Girls' High School for the Arts and Odaiba Girls' School. Together, they are known as Tokyo's "Three Greats" (東京御三家).

Location

The Garden's campus is located in the Shinjuku Gyo-en National Garden. Real buildings today known as the NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building and the Shinjuku Gyo-en Greenhouse are both visible from Ludvico, though it is unknown whether they are part of the Garden's campus.

Overview

Ludvico is described as a "missionary Garden", perhaps alluding to a similar academic structure as the one found in Christian missionary schools, where students are taught the Christian faith and practices as part of the official school curriculum. Indeed, many elements of Christianity are perceivable in the Garden's culture: their Instructors are referred to as "Nuns" (シスター) and don a habit reminiscent of ones found in traditional convents. Most notably, all students of Ludvico are bestowed a baptismal name upon entering high school, which always reference a Christian Saint.

Ludvico was once considered the strongest in all of Tokyo during the Duelist generation, due to their Lilies being exceptionally proficient in this combat technique, and until the Odaiba Counteroffensive, the Garden was known to be the only one in all of Tokyo to not show any restraint in deploying their Lilies into battle. Because of this, Ludvico was well respected among its peers, and its fame notably earned it a slightly larger portion of territory for its National Defense Lines in comparison to the other members of the Three Greats.

However, as Dueling grew increasingly less effective against the Huge, many of its once top Lilies would meet their end in combat, ultimately eroding Ludvico's battle capabilities and losing it the title of Tokyo's strongest. But although it now adopts the Neunwelt Tactic as its primary discipline of combat, one of the Garden's educational policies is to still "accommodate Duelist tactics". and because of this, their students have a high level of tactical understanding on average.

The Garden's reputation from its golden years still endure to this day, as many Lilies enroll into Ludvico out of admiration for its past as the single Garden to spearhead the defense of Tokyo. The admission process is not particularly difficult, said to resemble the one employed by Sagami Girls' Academy, and so, they welcome new students in very large numbers.

The Academy is said to have "tales pertaining to time" embroiled in its history, and perhaps due to this influence, it shows a greater focus on the education of Rare Skills such as Z, Phantasm and Hawk's Eye. Furthermore, it is standard practice for Ludvico Lilies to wield either one of the Second Generation CHARMs Dainsleif Carbine or the Gungnir Carbine, the former actually being directly commissioned to the Yggdrasil Corporation for Ludvico's use, with Amatsu Marei noting that they're "very easy to use".

Ludvico is a staunchly pro-GEHENA Garden, being described as the de facto GEHENA Garden of the entire Kanto prefecture. It features a research facility, named "Ludvico Labs", not far from the school's main campus. Because of their influence, many of Ludvico's students are said to positively view GEHENA and their research.

The academy has had a long term rivalry with another one of the Three Greats: Irma Girls' High School for the Arts, particularly as it pertains to each Garden's adopted tactical ideologies and school traditions. Ludvico sees Irma's notoriously rigid battle formations in low regard, while Irma Lilies are particularly critical of Ludvico's approach to the Neunwelt Tactic. This rivalry is a friendly one, however, and both Gardens have come to the other's rescue on more than one occasion.

Legion System

Ludvico once employed the Top Legion system, theirs called the Temple Legion, which was unique in the fact that, apart from the fixed roles of captain and vice-captain, it does not employ a fixed lineup. Instead, before every deployment, the strongest Lilies at that particular point in time are appointed by a dedicated instructor to join the Legion. As such, all Lilies within the Garden are encouraged to train with the goal of one day becoming strong enough to join the Legion. Despite such an extremely variable lineup, the Temple Legion was one of the most effective Legions in Tokyo, rarely ever seeing defeat. Members of the Temple Legion dons a unique jacket, which is regarded as a symbol of great honor, that all Ludvico Lilies aspire to wear.

Following Ludvico's collapse at the end of White Resistance ~The Blade of Truth~, the school administration ceased to be, and as such, the Temple Legion was unable to have any members (apart from the fixed captain and vice-captain positions) appointed to it. Though their captain, Ichinomiya Michaela Himari stated her desire to rebuild the Temple Legion anew, it is not yet known if they resumed their activities.

During White Resistance ~The Promise's Path~, Fukuyama Jeanne Sachie and other Lilies form the first ever independent Legion in the Garden's history, called Ironside. However, because Ludvico forbids the creation of independent Legions, they are not officially recognized by the school administration, and are essentially left to operate at their own discretion, completely apart from the Garden's commands. Due to their independent status, Ironside was left as the only active Legion after the Garden's collapse, and as such, they operated as Ludvico's forefront representative in the Temple Legion's stead in the events that followed.

History

As a notoriously pro-GEHENA Garden, Ludvico conducted particularly unethical experiments on their students, targeting Lilies of the highest Skiller Values, as it was the case with Kishimoto Maria Mirai, who, even before undergoing the boosting procedures, was considered to be the strongest Lily in all of Ludvico's history. Their Instructors were shown to mostly act in accordance to GEHENA's orders, even if unwillingly so, as it was the case with Izumi Rosa Rina and Kosaka Anastasia Ryoko.

Following the events of Schwester's Secret, where Mirai was shown to have been brought back to life by a post-mortem boosting procedure, Izumi Rosa Rina departs from the Garden, being replaced by two newcomer Instructors Makabe Melania Sayoko and Kaido Beatrice Chiharu, while the members of the Temple Legion and Class B of first years grow increasingly distrustful of the Garden's ways. Not long after joining Ludvico, Chiharu is mysteriously murdered by Sayoko, with the Garden's administration falsely accusing Rina as the perpetrator. The escalating circumstances of distrust amongst the students culminate in Fukuyama Jeanne Sachie, one of the Garden's aces, leaving the Temple Legion and forming a Legion of her own, titled Ironside, in direct opposition to Ludvico and GEHENA's practices.

Legion Ironside continuously clashed against Ludvico and GEHENA throughout White Resistance ~The Blade of Truth~, particularly battling the pro-GEHENA instructors Sayoko and Toride Suzanne Reika. In their final confrontation, the Instructors orchestrate a Huge attack against the Garden and its students, causing extensive damage to the school facilities and resulting in the Irregular Huge test subjects held in GEHENA's Ludvico Labs to break free. Through the efforts of the Temple Legion and Ironside, as well as the aid of Irma legions Irminshines and Hakolberand, the Huge are successfully repelled, however, the Garden's facilities were left severerly damaged by the Huge's attacks, and as multiple of the Garden's Instructors perished in this battle, Ludvico was no longer able to function as a Garden.

As the only Legion able to continue operating, Legion Ironside was at the forefront of most of Ludvico's activities following its collapse, where it continuously collaborated with other Tokyo Legions such as Hronesnæsse and Hervör, as well as Yurigaoka's Team Hitotsuyanagi in the events that followed the Shimokitazawa expedition and the Area Defense Collapse Incident, such as the emergence of Gozen. A multi-Garden initiative, called the "Conference for the Tokyo Defense Project", was held in the still derelict Garden's campus, and had as one of its directives the coverage of Ludvico's territory by other Gardens of Kanto, as well as the provision of aid for the Garden's rebuilding.

Legion Ironside continued to lead defensive efforts and aid other Gardens in curtailing the Huge's advance within its territory, namely aiding in the pushback against the multitudes of Irregular Huge that relentlessly emerged throughout the streets of Tokyo following the Area Defense Collapse Incident. By the time of the Oshima Nest Survey expedition, Ludvico was stated to have resumed operations, though it is not yet known whether GEHENA is still involved with the Garden in any capacity.

Schwester System

Much like the other members of the Three Greats, Ludvico also has its own tradition of a sisterhood pact, named the Schwester System (Schwester being German for "sister"). This system is much closer to the Schutzengel's Oath of Yurigaoka, where it can only be taken between a senior and a junior, and the older Lily is expected to assume a role of guidance and mentorship. Unlike Yurigaoka, however, it is not permitted for multiple students to take the oath.

When taking the Schwester's oath, both Lilies will exchange the medalhas ("medallion", in Portuguese) that are habitual for Ludvico Lilies to wear. Seemingly any kind of pendant counts as a medalha, as Lilies have been shown exchanging medallions, rosaries, diamond necklaces and even an anime character necklace. A Lily will normally directly approach the one she wishes to become Schwesters with, however, during the Easter festival held yearly by the Garden, it is a common tradition for a senior to leave her medalha inside an easter egg, giving the privilege to whoever finds it to ask them to become their Schwester.

Like Yurigaoka's Schutzengel System, the Schwester's oath can be annulled, and a Lily may do so unilaterally.

Trivia

• Ludvico took its name from the real-world theater troupe Ludvico Private Girls' Academy, who performs the Ludvico stage plays.
• Ludvico's location in Shinjuku Gyo-en may have been inspired by the fact that the original 2016 performance of Assault Lily: Schwester's Prayer was held at Sun Mall Studio, a theater which is itself located in Shinjuku Gyo-en.

Gallery

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References

Ludvico Private Girls' Academy Legions Temple Legion  ·  Legion Ironside Faculty Izumi Rosa Rina  ·  Kosaka Anastasia Ryoko  ·  Makabe Melania Sayoko  ·  Toride Suzanne Reika  ·  Kaido Beatrice Chiharu

Ludvico Private Girls' Academy Legions Temple Legion  ·  Legion Ironside Faculty Izumi Rosa Rina  ·  Kosaka Anastasia Ryoko  ·  Makabe Melania Sayoko  ·  Toride Suzanne Reika  ·  Kaido Beatrice Chiharu