Another day at Hellsing quickly came to an end, and Alex barely managed to leave the basement that served as Alucard's resting place. Even the loss of three million souls hadn't greatly affected Alucard's condition, except that she was only slightly tired.
Another change was that after sleeping in her coffin, Alucard had taken the form of a sixteen-year-old girl. And even these factors had no effect on Alucard's personality—she remained the same woman with an overly obsessive and sadistic character. In the end, Alex left the basement with clear bite marks on his neck and nail scratches on his back.
As he climbed the stairs, Alex could hear Alucard's distinct laughter behind him after he had finally managed to escape her grasp after several long hours. Leaving the basement, Alex rubbed his neck lightly and checked the time. Seeing that it was almost midnight, he headed to the kitchen to brew some tea.
Entering the kitchen, Alex began thinking about what else he needed to do in London before returning to America, since his work here was not yet finished. He still had to complete the final preparations to set up the trap for Chuck.
But first and foremost, Alex understood that the story Chuck had written for himself had to reach a certain point so that he, as the hero, could appear at the very end and save everyone. Thinking about how much work he still had ahead of him, Alex could only sigh heavily.
One careless step, and the situation could escalate very quickly. Instead of preparing a trap, he would have to forcibly drag Chuck out of his hole to kill him. Alex understood creatures like Chuck very well—they knew how to play on emotions and always struck in a way that brought people even more despair.
"Oh, why are these bastards all cowards without exception… Nyan-Nyan, why did you make them so cowardly? Or are they so afraid of you that they think the easiest way to escape you is to hide and parasitize universes?" Alex asked, looking up at the ceiling while brewing tea.
"Who knows, darling… Try guessing yourself. If they behaved more openly, you'd have to deal not only with them, but also with the chained dogs of your older brother," Nyan-Nyan's cheerful voice sounded in Alex's head.
"You mean the Lords of Order? I'm more surprised I haven't met any of them. Or is Michael deliberately keeping them away from me?" Alex said, stroking his chin.
"How would I know what your brothers are up to… I'm not even interested in those secondary rejects. In any case, if any of those rejects crawl out and ruin everything, I'll just erase them," Nyan-Nyan said in a lazy tone.
"Should I remind you about the pact between Order and Chaos, and that you cannot leave Chaos? And without Yog, who is the Gate, you definitely won't be able to exit Chaos," Alex said, taking a small sip of tea.
"Do I look like a woman who cares about such formalities? I can do whatever I want. I stayed in Chaos because I was already bored with everything and nothing brought me pleasure anymore. And why do you assume I can't leave Chaos without permission from that little Yog? It seems you forgot, darling. About the fruit of our love…" Nyan-Nyan said with a light laugh in her voice.
Hearing Nyan-Nyan's words echoing in his head, Alex choked on his tea. He remembered that Nyaruko, the daughter born from his power and Nyan-Nyan's power, was only half a being of Chaos and could enter and exit Chaos at any time, even bringing anyone she wanted with her.
Sighing, Alex realized that if Nyan-Nyan wanted to leave Chaos, she wouldn't even need to make any effort—she could simply ask her daughter, and she would leave Chaos without any problems. The thought that Nyan-Nyan could leave Chaos at any moment only gave Alex a headache.
He already had to deal with her avatars, which she had created out of boredom. And he understood perfectly well how powerful Nyan-Nyan was and what could happen if she truly became bored.
If Nyan-Nyan's avatars parasitized different universes, sucking all the life out of them, then Nyan-Nyan herself was a being of such a level that her mere presence could destroy an entire universe and all its timelines—and that would only be the influence of her appearance. The last thing Alex wanted was for Nyan-Nyan to cause some massive problems across the multiverse that he would then have to deal with.
"Darling, you do realize I can hear all your thoughts. The way you think about me breaks my heart. Boo hoo," Nyan-Nyan said, pretending to cry dramatically.
"Don't overdo it. I might have believed you if I didn't know exactly who you are," Alex said in a lazy tone, taking another sip of tea.
"Fine, I tried. Don't worry, darling. I'm not going to destroy anything. But that doesn't change the fact that I suddenly feel like going for a walk with our daughters," Nyan-Nyan said cheerfully.
"I almost believed you. Wherever you go, you'll get bored very quickly. And why did you suddenly get such a desire?" Alex asked, finishing his tea.
"Guess, darling. Don't you know that every woman should have her own secrets?" Nyan-Nyan said with a playful laugh in her voice.
"Alright. Just don't teach the kids anything bad," Alex said with a heavy sigh, leaving the kitchen.
"I don't know what you're talking about, darling. I am pure innocence. I swear on the name of Papazoth that I won't teach our daughters anything bad," Nyan-Nyan said cheerfully, not taking Alex's words seriously.
Hearing Nyan-Nyan's words, Alex didn't believe her for a second. The only thing that brought him any peace was that although his daughters behaved like little gremlins, they weren't stupid enough to not understand what they could and couldn't do. Sighing, Alex simply shook his head, trying to shake off the oncoming headache. At that moment he decided to focus on more important things.
And as if understanding that her attempt to deceive him had failed, a distinct tongue-click sounded in Alex's head, followed by Nyan-Nyan's last words that she wasn't finished with that bony bitch who had stretched her bony hands in his direction. Hearing this, Alex almost groaned from the headache—he definitely didn't want Nyan-Nyan and Lady Death to start fighting each other.
Sighing to himself, Alex hoped he wouldn't have to do anything and that all such problems would resolve without his involvement. In the near future, he really didn't want to deal with either the Lords of Order or beings of Chaos—he just wanted to continue his routine work: saving universes, killing evil idiots, and receiving dangerous weapons for his collection as payment.
Lost in thoughts about various work-related matters, Alex didn't even notice how he reached Integra's room. Shaking his head to clear his mind, Alex pushed the door open and entered just as Integra was changing.
Seeing Alex enter her room, Integra glanced at the clock on the nightstand beside the bed, noting that he had arrived exactly at the appointed time. But what she really noticed was that his face looked very tired. She clearly remembered that when he left, he had his usual smile.
"What happened?" Integra asked, continuing to change into her sleepwear.
"Just a headache caused by very ancient cosmic women… But I'll just pretend I know nothing and keep living," Alex said, climbing onto the bed.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear everything that came after the words about the headache. Now is not the time when I want to talk about such things," Integra said calmly, glancing over her shoulder at Alex.
"And that's right. The multiverse is already a dangerous enough place, and thinking about all its dangers is quite the headache. So lie down… We still have some things to do tomorrow," Alex said, patting the spot next to him.
"Why are you so busy if you yourself talked about resting?" Integra asked, lying down on the bed beside Alex and turning off the lamp on the nightstand.
"I need to talk to Anderson… And take care of some small things. I also need to implement the Guild's operating system into Hellsing. That way you'll have access to a much larger amount of resources and knowledge. It's unknown how long my work here will last, but I need to secure the manor and do a lot of other work," Alex said, thinking for a moment about what he still had to do.
Integra looked at Alex thoughtfully and nodded slightly, giving her consent. She understood that Alex wasn't trying to take Hellsing away from her—he simply wanted to make it more protected. And knowing how the system in Alex's Guild worked, Integra was confident that no one would be able to steal any data from Hellsing.
Sighing, Integra closed her eyes, thinking about the future. She understood that because of his work, Alex would sooner or later have to leave this world to return home, and then head off to another job. At that moment, Integra was thinking about what would happen to Hellsing. She couldn't abandon her homeland, which many generations of her family had protected, and she couldn't refuse Hellsing or her duty to the Crown.
She simply couldn't drop everything and move to another world. Unlike Alucard and Seras, she was tied to her country—she had a duty to her nation and a duty to her family. Sinking into her thoughts, Integra felt a warm hand on her stomach and opened her eyes. She turned her head and saw rainbow-colored eyes looking at her in the darkness.
"If you're thinking about Hellsing and your country, you don't need to worry too much—all these problems can be solved very simply," Alex said with a light smile, embracing Integra.
"How exactly are you going to solve this? I'm not going to abandon Hellsing and my country. My duty to the Crown will remain as long as this country exists, as long as Hellsing exists," Integra said, looking straight into Alex's eyes and placing her palm over his hand.
"Moving doesn't mean you'll never be able to return to this world. We'll simply turn this Hellsing into a branch, while the main one will be in Orario. We just need to find a competent manager, which isn't difficult. I can even bring the real Van Helsing if necessary. In the vast multiverse, there are many competent workers who can be hired. And they don't have to be human," Alex said, chuckling lightly.
"I need to think about this… I don't want to leave Hellsing and my country in the hands of someone I don't know and don't trust. Knowing your abilities, you can make it so that I can return at any moment if there's a Round Table meeting. But to hand Hellsing over to another person, I need to think and decide for myself whether I can trust a stranger," Integra said calmly, still looking into Alex's eyes.
"Instead of racking your own brain over this issue, discuss it with those who can give you advice. I wanted to give you this phone earlier, but I somehow forgot. Seras and Alucard already received theirs. So here's my advice in this situation—discuss this issue with the other girls. You're not the only one managing the organization," Alex said, taking out a phone specially prepared for Integra.
Integra looked at the phone being offered to her, then at Alex, took it from his hands, and placed it on the nightstand beside her. She considered Alex's advice truly suitable for the current situation. After all, she was still getting used to the fact that she had become part of a very large and very specific family that included not only different races, but even goddesses.
From the memories Alex had shared with her about his family, Integra knew one woman whose opinion she could listen to—and that woman was Brunhilde. Integra thought that someone like Brunhilde's opinion would help her find the right solution herself. Having decided on tomorrow's tasks, Integra finally closed her eyes and began to fall asleep, placing her palm over Alex's hand that rested on her stomach.
Morning gradually arrived. Integra woke up to the sound of the alarm clock and calmly slipped out of Alex's embrace, turning it off. Getting out of bed, she took clean clothes and headed to the bathroom to wash up and get ready. After all, she had a large amount of work that had fallen on her, and she also needed to start thinking about what to do with Hellsing.
Tying up her hair, Integra approached the sink and began washing her face and brushing her teeth, looking at her reflection in the mirror. Looking at herself in the mirror, Integra realized she had allowed herself too much rest over the past couple of days.
Even though London had remained intact and no civilians had died during the war against Millennium, the amount of work at Hellsing had not decreased—it had only increased because Walter was no longer there.
Continuing to wash her face, Integra heard the sound of the door opening and turned her head, toothbrush still in her mouth. Alex entered the bathroom looking like someone who hadn't slept at all, with messy hair. Alex walked up to Integra, quickly kissed her on the cheek, and began washing his face while standing next to her.
While washing, Alex moved so slowly it was as if a sloth spirit had possessed him and he was trying to drive it out and finally wake up. Integra watched Alex's slow movements for a moment, then continued washing. After finishing, Integra changed into her usual clothes and left the room together with Alex.
On the way to the kitchen for breakfast, Alex finally woke up completely. Full of energy now, he began preparing breakfast for four people. Once breakfast was ready, Alex set the plates on the table and sat down opposite Integra. But before they could start eating, Seras ran into the kitchen with a panicked expression on her face.
"Please help, I don't understand how to become normal again!" Seras cried as she burst into the kitchen.
Before Alex could react, Seras started shaking him. Alex and Integra looked at Seras, who now looked like a ten-year-old girl, with strong panic on her face. At that moment Seras was in a complete panic because she had turned into a child and didn't know how to return to her previous age.
It had all started when she saw Alucard in her sixteen-year-old form. The second reason was that she also knew Alex could change his age and become younger. So Seras had thought about becoming younger herself and ended up turning into her ten-year-old form.
At first it had been very interesting to become a child again, but soon she realized she couldn't return to her previous appearance no matter how hard she tried. After a dozen different attempts, Seras had started to panic and ran to Alex for help. Now she was shaking him, begging for help to become an adult twenty-year-old girl again.
Alex and Integra stared at the ten-year-old Seras, who was almost crying while clutching Alex's arm with a pleading look. Right after Seras, Alessa walked into the kitchen looking as if nothing had happened. She sat down in her place and began eating her breakfast, paying no attention to the fact that one of her mothers now looked like a ten-year-old girl.
Alex carefully placed his palm over Seras's hands and asked what was going on. Seras quickly wiped her tears and began explaining how she had become like this and what had caused it. After hearing Seras's full explanation, Alex smiled slightly while Integra exhaled through her nose and returned to her breakfast. Integra decided not to interfere, considering that Seras had foolishly turned herself into a child again and didn't know how to return to her previous state.
Integra thought this would be a valuable lesson for Seras—think first, then act. Alex, meanwhile, was barely holding back his laughter as he looked at Seras's teary eyes. Seeing the corners of Alex's mouth twitching as if he was about to laugh, Seras felt anger instead of panic and started hitting Alex's knee with her small fists.
"Stop laughing! I don't know how to return to my previous state. I asked Alucard for help, but she said I'm an adult and should figure out how to use my powers myself," Seras said, continuing to hit Alex's knee with her fists.
"First, calm down and take a deep breath," Alex said, trying to calm Seras.
Seras stopped hitting Alex's knee and took a deep breath as he had said. Closing her eyes, she filled her lungs with air and then exhaled to collect her thoughts. After exhaling, Seras looked down and almost got upset again.
Looking at her chest, which was no longer there, Seras could only feel sadness, forgetting that her body was currently only ten years old. Seras raised her hands to her chest, realizing that everything was gone.
"If you've stopped realizing that your chest is missing, then just focus on returning to your previous form. Rely on your instincts. It's not as hard as it seems," Alex said with amusement, looking at Seras.
Hearing Alex's words, Seras's cheeks turned slightly red. She lowered her hands and looked at him. Deciding to rely on her feelings, Seras closed her eyes and focused on returning to her previous appearance. In the next instant, Seras quickly began changing back to her twenty-year-old form.
Opening her eyes, Seras looked at her hands, which had returned to normal, then looked down and saw that her chest had also returned. Sighing with relief, Seras placed a hand on her chest, checking that everything was as it should be.
Convinced that everything was back to normal, Seras finally felt relieved. Feeling that relief, she sat down on the chair and exhaled heavily. She still had to get used to her new powers. Seras had no problem controlling her abilities related to combat and weapon creation, but changing her appearance had caused her a lot of trouble.
"See, it was simple. You didn't need to panic like that," Alex said, placing his hand on Seras's head, making her smile strainedly.
"This will serve as a lesson for you, Seras. Think first, then act. You should be less impulsive," Integra said, taking a sip of tea and looking at Seras with a calm gaze.
"Yes, I understand, Lady Integra," Seras said in an embarrassed tone.
Seras lowered her head, thinking that Integra's words were correct. Alex sighed and stroked Seras's head, showing that she shouldn't be upset and should just eat breakfast. Seras nodded, feeling the warmth of Alex's hand on her head, and began eating her breakfast.
After finishing breakfast, Integra stood up from the table and headed to her office to start working. Before Integra left, Alex created one of his clones and sent it with her to help with the work. Integra glanced at Alex's clone, then at Alex himself, and nodded slightly, showing she accepted his help.
Alex smiled faintly and continued drinking his coffee. After finishing her breakfast, Alessa stood up from the table and followed Integra, leaving Alex and Seras alone. After finishing his coffee, Alex looked at Seras, who had just finished her breakfast.
"Seras, if you have nothing to do, would you like to go for another walk? I have a couple of things to do in London, and then we can walk around again," Alex said, drawing Seras's attention.
"I don't mind… What do you need to do?" Seras asked thoughtfully, nodding slightly.
"I need to talk to Anderson and hear his answer. Then we can go somewhere," Alex said, stretching lightly.
Seras nodded, understanding what conversation with Anderson he was referring to. But what Seras was really thinking about was another date with Alex. She understood that Alex would soon have to return to America to continue his work, so she wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. Thinking about the upcoming walk, Seras quickly finished her breakfast and drank her coffee so they wouldn't be delayed.
Seeing Seras's enthusiasm, Alex smiled slightly. After finishing her breakfast, Seras jumped down from the chair and stood in front of Alex with a bright smile on her face, revealing her vampire fangs. Her clothes had already changed into casual wear suitable for a walk. Taking Seras by the hand, they headed toward the exit of the manor. Once outside, Alex stretched lightly and lit a cigarette.
"Seras, do you want to make this date more fun?" Alex asked, looking at Seras, who was holding his hand.
"How much more fun?" Seras asked, tilting her head to the side.
Alex smiled, and in the next moment he transformed into his ten-year-old form. Seras looked at Alex, who now looked like a ten-year-old boy with a cigarette in his teeth. The first thing Seras thought was that she was going on a date with a ten-year-old Alex while she herself looked like a ten-year-old girl.
Despite all her love for Alex, Seras was not ready to go on a date with him when he looked ten years old. Wrong thoughts immediately appeared in Seras's head, ending with her in prison. Seras quickly shook her head, driving away all those wrong thoughts and repeating to herself that she was not a pervert. Alex looked at Seras, tilting his head slightly, wondering what was going on in Seras's head that made her face turn so pale.
"Now it's your turn," Alex said, tugging Seras's hand.
"Me? What am I supposed to do?" Seras asked, pointing at herself.
Alex rolled his eyes and pointed at himself—his height and age—then pointed at Seras. Seras stared at Alex in confusion, not understanding what he wanted, until she finally realized what he was asking of her. At that moment Seras felt both relief that she wouldn't have to go on a date with Alex looking like a ten-year-old boy, and anticipation that if she also looked ten years old, they could go on a date like that.
Seras thought it would actually be fun, and immediately focused on taking on her ten-year-old form.
In the next instant, Seras once again looked like a ten-year-old girl, with a bright smile on her face, holding Alex's hand. Taking a step forward, Alex teleported with Seras to an alley near the meeting place with Anderson. Walking beside Alex, Seras looked around, experiencing completely different sensations from such a walk when they were pretending to be ten-year-old children.
"Quite strange sensations after transforming," Seras said, looking at Alex.
"You'll get used to it. At least no goddesses tried to kidnap you," Alex said, shrugging lazily as he continued walking forward, holding Seras's hand.
"Has that happened to you? Goddesses really tried to kidnap you?" Seras asked in surprise, her childlike face showing astonishment as she walked beside Alex.
"Yeah. I don't know why, but my child form causes strange feelings in women. They want to cuddle me and take me home. The last one who wanted to kidnap me was Aphrodite. She was way too persistent in her desire to catch me and take me away," Alex said with a heavy sigh.
"Is that normal behavior for gods…? Everything I know about the gods you've met comes from the memories you shared with me," Seras said in an embarrassed tone.
"I don't even know how to answer that question correctly. Just consider some gods as adults with the mindset of spoiled children. There are interesting personalities among them. But mostly, gods are used to looking at mortals like ants who should worship them," Alex said, stroking his chin.
Seras nodded slightly, showing she partially understood what Alex was talking about. She was still coming to terms with all this new information. But Seras was still interested in hearing about the gods, since it wasn't every day you heard something like this.
Seeing Seras's interest, Alex smiled and decided to tell her a couple of funny stories about gods. Alex and Seras walked along the streets in the form of ten-year-old children and didn't hide what they were talking about at all. Hearing their conversation and seeing how Alex and Seras were behaving, passersby kept turning to look at the two strange children who were talking about anything but childlike topics.
But Alex and Seras's childlike appearance made passersby think they simply had wild imaginations. It looked as if one child was showing off in front of the girl he liked. Some passersby even took photos of Alex and Seras.
But Alex and Seras themselves, who had accidentally become the center of attention, paid no attention to what was happening around them and calmly reached the park, holding hands.
Entering the park, Alex led Seras to the place where Anderson was supposed to be waiting. As they strolled leisurely through the park, Alex and Seras saw Anderson sitting on a bench with a soft smile on his face, feeding the pigeons. Alex raised an eyebrow slightly, not seeing any other Iscariot members nearby.
Seras, however, was surprised to see such an expression on Anderson's face. Every time she had seen him before, he had either been in a rage, threatening to kill her and Alucard every time, and once he had even tried to do so, and she had barely managed to escape when her body was pierced by silver bayonets. But now Seras wasn't afraid of Anderson at all, fully aware that she could kill him. When Alex and Seras approached Anderson, he calmly tossed the remaining feed to the pigeons and looked at Alex.
"Hello, monster. The form of an innocent child doesn't suit either you or her. Your eyes betray your true nature," Anderson said calmly, adjusting his glasses.
"Tell that to the goddesses who tried to kidnap me," Alex said, rolling his eyes and sitting down on the bench with Seras.
"It's not for me, a human, to speak about the affairs of gods," Anderson said, watching the pigeons eat the feed.
"Where did your subordinates go? Shouldn't they be with you?" Alex asked, deciding to change the subject.
"I sent them back to the Vatican. Maxwell's death caused many problems in the Vatican. The Crusade organized by the Vatican failed, and the entire Crusader army fell in this war. And those old bastards are looking for someone to blame. All their faith in the Lord is nothing but falsehood. They tremble for their positions and their power, believing that a place in Heaven is guaranteed for them. Not even suspecting that Heaven is just a cage created by a petty being imitating the Creator," Anderson said calmly, clenching his fists from restrained anger.
"It's always like that, Anderson. No matter which world it is, no matter which race or what stage of civilization it is. Such people have always existed and always will. They cannot be changed, and they cannot be eradicated. Freedom of will is the greatest gift and at the same time the greatest curse," Alex said, playing with Seras's fingers.
"Thanks to you, monster, I realized this truth. But my faith has not changed. My craft is Death… And I will grant it to all the unrighteous of the human race and destroy all monsters, even if it takes all eternity," Anderson said, turning his head toward Alex.
Alex looked into Anderson's eyes and saw the gaze of someone ready to continue doing what needed to be done and go all the way to the end. Alex was glad that his opinion of Anderson turned out to be exactly what he had thought. Seras, sitting beside Alex, was completely confused by the conversation between Alex and Anderson.
So she didn't interfere and simply listened. Anderson stood up from his seat and knelt on one knee in front of Alex, showing his position and what he desired. Anderson had no intention of changing his life after learning the whole truth. Therefore, he was going to remain a weapon in the hands of God for all eternity if it meant saving innocent souls from the hands of monsters.
"Are you truly ready to serve for all eternity, even knowing that it will be a long path with no end in sight?" Alex asked, looking straight into Anderson's eyes.
"My Pledge Is Eternal Service," Anderson said in a hoarse tone, meeting Alex's gaze and showing the seriousness of his intentions.
"So be it. It will be a long path, Anderson. But I'm glad to know that a man like you is ready for such work," Alex said with a light smile on his face.
Anderson nodded and stood up. Alex understood that he now had to bring Anderson up to speed and explain how the Guild functioned and what kind of work he would have to do.
Seras, on the other hand, was completely bewildered by what was happening before her eyes. It was as if she was watching some strange movie that she had become a spectator of against her will. Anderson returned to his seat to listen to everything Alex would tell him.
To be continued...
(I think I still need to arrange a date with Alucard after the audience with the Queen. And maybe a date with Integra. Yes, there definitely needs to be a date, and then a return to America. And now to the important part: what do you, my dears, think about the fact that after Alex returns, there will be a small Cabin in the Woods plot that will lead into the Outlast plot? It's just that there's not much plot left before the end, so what do you think? And while you're thinking, I'm going to go eat. Peace, love, and cotton candy.)
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