'Goddess of Victory: NIKKE' features the 'Mimir High School,' a dedicated academy for Nikkes. You might be tempted to call it a normal school where students commute in uniforms and even have teachers, but alas, the setting of Goddess of Victory: NIKKE is a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

In this bleak world, one figure stands out for trying to protect the students: our protagonist of the day, 'Marciana.' Designed specifically for the role of a teacher, Marciana is a mentor who cares for students more than anyone else. During the recent summer event, the character poured out all the struggles and worries. KookminTree has compiled the story of Marciana.

A true mentor struggling for students in a hellscape

Before diving into the story of Marciana, let us look at Mimir High School. It is an institution that teaches Nikkes based on a curriculum created by 'M.M.R,' a research institute under Missilis. The chairman is none other than 'Shuen.' For those familiar with the lore, the mere mention of Missilis—infamous for all the wrong reasons in Goddess of Victory: NIKKE—is enough to make any Commander anxious.

In truth, the purpose of Mimir High School is a twisted experiment to see if 'a Nikke's combat capabilities can be enhanced through education.' To this end, students take regular exams and attend classes just like in a real school, learning to handle specialized weaponry produced by M.M.R. The problem lies in the exams. There are written and practical tests, and the latter involves heading to the surface to engage in combat with Raptures. It would be fortunate to have a competent Commander like the protagonist alongside them, but for 'reasons of accurately assessing individual student capabilities,' the school assigns rookie Commanders instead. A combination of students with only theoretical training and a rookie Commander? It looks dangerously fragile.

Even if students survive the deadly tests, those who fail are 'reset.' In this context, a reset involves memory erasure and even a facial reconstruction. You might think, 'Why not just keep trying until they pass?' However, students are granted only three chances. After that, they are hauled off to the M.M.R laboratory to serve as experimental subjects. If this is what they call a school, it seems they are in dire need of a 'Teacher Protection Agency' like the one seen in recent dramas.

In such an environment, Marciana tries everything to protect the students. In the story event 'SCHOOL OF LOCK,' an extra Nikke named 'Tricera' appeared as a student in Marciana's Class P. A third-year student, Tricera, panicked after learning the truth about Mimir High School and attempted to end their life by planting explosives on the surface elevator. Fortunately, through the persuasion and intervention of Marciana and the protagonist, Tricera returned to the practical exam and made it back to the classroom in one piece for the new semester.

It would have been lovely if it ended there, but for every student who passes, there is one who fails. The story event concluded with Marciana, the homeroom teacher, tearfully erasing the names of the failed students from the attendance log based on the exam results. It was a heart-wrenching scene to witness Marciana weeping while crossing out names, despite having saved Tricera.

A teacher who grew alongside the students

Marciana's struggle to protect students in this hellish place continued. In the story event 'JUVENILE DAYS,' Marciana solved 'Ein's' troubles, and in 'COLORLESS,' Marciana fulfilled the duties of a teacher by requesting the Commander's help when Class P students, including 'Zwei,' headed to the surface. However, it is only natural that Marciana's trust in the school hit rock bottom, regardless of being a teacher.

Suddenly, an official directive arrived from the school, ordering a graduation trip to an island on the surface with graduating seniors 'Tia' and 'Naga.' Having been part of a school that routinely changed faces, erased memories, and sent students to their deaths, Marciana was naturally suspicious. Yet, no matter how many times the document was reviewed, it appeared to be a standard graduation trip. Still, Marciana remained wary while heading to the surface with Tia and Naga. They were then caught in a vortex and crash-landed on an island where the Old Tales and the Commander's party had arrived.

The boat they arrived in was destroyed, and they had landed on an island that wasn't their intended destination, leaving Marciana, as the guardian, on edge. Naturally, upon spotting a group of strangers, Marciana immediately aimed a weapon at them. The problem was that the opposition consisted of Pilgrims like 'Cinderella,' 'Grave,' 'Little Mermaid,' and 'Mori'—warriors rarely matched in strength on the surface. Unsurprisingly, the Old Tales also readied their weapons, and Marciana grew even more tense upon seeing the over-technology never before seen in the Ark.Just before shots were fired, the Commander fortunately appeared to mediate the situation.

Once Marciana lowered the guard after learning they were a special unit under the Commander, Marciana was swept up in the atmosphere and changed into a swimsuit. Apparently, Tia and Naga had prepared it, and it was so daring that Marciana wore a penguin costume over it. Marciana is truly a good teacher to wear what the students have prepared. Even after changing, Marciana continued to treat the situation as an 'exam' and remained on high alert.

As Cinderella comforted a clearly stressed Marciana and the teacher was teased by the Commander and Rapi, the entire island began to shake. A massive Rapture, 'Land Eater,' had been dwelling beneath the island. The sudden appearance of the Rapture caused Marciana to lose composure and become obsessed with destroying the Land Eater. This was, of course, to protect Naga and Tia, but it had the opposite effect on them.

After briefly calming an agitated Marciana and gathering opinions, Marciana stated that the feelings of Tia and Naga were not important. Hearing this, Naga did not hide the discomfort, saying, 'I don't know if the teacher's protection is for us or for the teacher.' When a tremor occurred shortly after, Naga even pushed away Marciana's hand, signaling that their relationship was beginning to fracture.

Marciana acted so aggressively only because the goal was to protect the students. Defining the role of a teacher as someone who must safeguard students at all costs within Mimir High School was Marciana's mission. This stemmed from the helpless and devastating feelings Marciana felt as a teacher whenever a student could not be saved.

Fortunately, Tia and Naga were mature enough to understand Marciana's actions. After Marciana apologized for prioritizing worry over the students' feelings, they quickly resolved the incident and enjoyed their graduation trip.

After safely finishing the graduation trip and returning to the Ark, Tia and Naga finally graduated from Mimir High School. On their way out, the two paused at the school entrance to look back at the staff office, bidding farewell to the teacher who was not visible. Marciana, watching from the office, wanted to go out and see Tia and Naga off but refrained, judging that it might only delay their departure.

Now that Tia and Naga have left the school, they will join different squads and enter active duty. Marciana, the teacher who helped them in times of danger, is no longer there. In this bleak world, it might be tough for students who have just left the school. Nevertheless, perhaps we will see these two Nikkes grow even further based on what they learned from their precious teacher. Let us look forward to the future stories of Tia, Naga, and Marciana.