"Is everything prepared?" Meredith asked a nearby exorcist who was standing in position with few of his brethren. Including their leader.
Meredith had decided to change the meeting with the Shinto Gods to a more secure location, having considered the latest bunch of incidents. More recently, with the Hellsing manor being now under repairs it hardly seemed like the best place to host an important meeting between factions anymore.
Also there was Mio and Karanak to consider, with Theseus having to make some space for the girl's new familiar (she had bound him as her familiar under everyone's advice so she could summon him whenever she needed to) beneath them. Combined with the other issues he and her subordinates were tending to, she didn't want them to be disturbed by the Shinto diplomats. Them being revealed to be in Hellsing's custody wouldn't go down well either, especially considering the Shinto's history with incompetent Devils in their territory.
As for the new location, that turned out to be somewhere where enemies wouldn't think to look for: a newly found Exorcist base. One which took the form of a church they had remodeled and built in Kuoh city.
On the outside, the church looked like any other western european structure. Inside of the church was similarly european in style, the columns having many design with the sides more look like an upside down U on the sides of the church. A few vases filled with religious designs stood at attention on each side of the church, whilst wooden chairs lined up across the prayer hall's floor with an altar at the end. A choir could be seen at the side of the church altar. A painting of Saint Mary loomed over the church hall for everyone to see and pray under. On the rooftop of the church were a few painting of Jesus Christ and several angels gracing the humans with their presence or blessing.
Right now, Meredith stood with the superhuman, armored juggernauts in front of the altar in the prayer hall. She had a clipboard in her arms that she held close to her chest at a diagonal angle, allowing her to read the upper portions of it's contents still while the towering juggernauts surrounded her like that meme of that blonde girl surrounded by dark skinned males.
One of them bowed to her. "Yes lady Meredith. Everythings is prepared, nothing shall interrupt your meeting with the Shinto Gods."
"Good. And before we do so, is there any report from Hellsing about a future threat or problem?" She questioned another one of the Exorcists. She wanted to see if there had been any other major threats in Kuoh city she was unaware of, or if there was anything she needed to know BEFORE she starts to meet with the Gods. It wouldn't be a good look if what had happened before happened when faction leaders were having a meeting.
One of the juggernauts shook their head, she referred to these warriors as 'their' since their helmets made sure their true genders were unknown. "No my lady there is none so far. No one from Hellsing has reported of any threats in the city."
"There better not be any more surprises because if there is…" Sharpening her eyes, clenching her clipboard Meredith's mood soured. "I swear I will request sir Integra for 'him' to come here and sweep this city down to the tiniest yard from all beings that pose a threat." she promised, having gotten REAL tired of all these hidden threats.
A sentiment of which the Exorcists shared. In fact if that happened Meredith wouldn't need to ask for 'his' help (they all knew whom she was referring to), the Exorcists would go on a crime purging crusade if it came down to it.
Shaking her head, Meredith coerced herself into getting rid of those murderous thoughts since that wasn't the mindset she needed to be in before an important meeting. She gazed at the altar before glancing fown at her watch to check the time, narrowing her eyes at what she saw. "2 minutes until they have arrived..." she whispered under her breath. She then shifted her attention to the rest of the exorcists who were immersed in their work. Hanging her arm holding the clipboard at her side, she began barking out with her voice echoing across the prayer hall. "EVERYONE! GET INTO POSITION! LADY AMATERASU AND HER BROTHERS ARE ARRIVING SOON!" she bellowed.
With her single command, the Exorcists burst into action with practiced ease, lining up on opposite sides.
BAM!
Loud bang sounds accompanied them when they slammed their chainswords into the floor, resulting in each of them becoming completely still like statues. Interestingly they resembled medieval knights guarding the king's throne room.
Soon, a massive magic circle conjured itself into existence before the church's main entrance, swirling around like a wheel for a few second making Meredith pay full attention to the swirling circle before it stopped. Soon the circle light up, three figures coming out of the magic circle moments later. The brightness almost caused Meredith to be blinded by the light if she didn't close them till the brightness died down. The Exorcists didn't seem to have that issue thanks to most of them having their helmets on, although if they were somehow effected they didn't show it.
Before long, Meredith opened her eyes and see three beings floating up at the air with their clothes fluttering.
The first one she quickly identified as Amaterasu, the sun god since she floated in front of the other two. She looked to be a tall, yet VERY well developed woman in her mid to late twenties, with her black hair flowing down her back as free as the sun's rays… despite both these being opposite colors. Her eyes matched her hair, which had a pair of Kuzashi inside of it forming a cross, with a large golden circlet floating behind her head. As for her body, she was currently donning a set of golden colored garments akin to Samurai warriors of Ancient Japan, with a long, large red and gold colored Katana lying on the ground beside her.
For the second person standing to her left, Meredith figured was Susanoo the god of storms. The man had just as tall a height as Amaterasu, with shoulder length black hair that had been smoothed down thanks to the straw hat atop his head. His eyes matched his hair color too, though right now thanks to his fury they seemed reminiscent of lightning storms rather than normal japanese eyes. His attire consisted of a mostly bare upper body, save for a one armed cloth which went over his left shoulder and around his waist, tucked into a pair of large baggy pants, knee guards and straw sandals. On his waist was another Katana, only this one reflected the stormy color scheme which his outfit had been designed for.
And finally there was Tsukuyomi standing by her right. He sported shoulder-length white hair, and while his eyes were closed initially, a quick opening of them revealed to Meredith their blue complexions. Compared to the rest of his companions, this man dressed more like a traditional lord of medieval japan: sporting a massive grey haori with oversized sleeves atop a black shihakusho. Atop his forehead was a golden circlet with a large moon-like object attached to it. Compared to his two companions, again, he hardly looked the type to be a warrior like many of the shinto propoganda like to paint him as.
'Then again…' Meredith thought, narrowing her eyes slightly after lowering her arm once the light had passed. She'd once heard from Walter that some of the supernatural diplomats tend to have flashy entrances to showcase their status and prestige, such as the Devils and now the Shinto. He'd told her to be prepared for this eventuality, and now she could see what he had meant. 'Looks can indeed be deceiving.'
After gazing upon themwhile they hovered down to land upon the ground, Meredith sightly bowed to them with an arm held across her chest, her white glove-covered hand over her heart. It was essentially the practiced bow that she'd seen Walter do when greeting foreign diplomats. "Greetings lady Amaterasu, lord Susanoo and lord Tsukuyomi. I hope there were no troubles on your journey." she greeted them formally.
"It is of no consequence, Lady Meredith." Amatarasu declared just as formally, running her gaze up and down the auburn haired woman's form for a split second before returning to her previous impassive gaze. 'This one looks a little young to be a leader…' she thought to herself, wondering how someone so young was able to be the ruler of a territory or even someone capable of leading in an Organization as bloodthirsty as Hellsing.
Similar sentiments could be seen briefly flashing across the gazes of her companions who regarded the woman before them incredelously. However, this only lasted a couple seconds before they returned to normal, not willing to give away anything that could be used against them on the political battlefield.
Though as Amaterasu glanced at the armored juggernauts surrounding their sides, she alongside her companions briefly tensed from the sheer size and presence that they oozed. Despite them feeling like simple soldiers, their instinctual desire to raise weapons in self-defense flared at the sight of them even while they all remained as still as statues, making them question whether or not they were even alive. Amaterasu had been informed by the few messages between herself and Meredith that there were various matters to be discussed alongside the ones she had brought up regarding reparations for the previous diplomatic meeting.
She now was starting to see that this was indeed the case.
Susanoo went straight to the point when he was sitting on a storm cloud and looking bored right now. "You have called all three of us for a meeting you so kindly requested, Ordinton. What is it that you want to speak to all three of us about? It better be important I would rather not be wasting my time here." He rudely sneered, looking pretty irritated that he was here and not where he truly wished to be.
"Susanoo, behave." Tsukuyomi told Susanoo, having his closed eyes aimed at Susanoo. Though they were indeed closed, one could still get the feeling he was looking at the other God with annoyance, but this didn't last for long as the said God huffed in irritation before Tsukuyomi sighed lightly and turned his head back to Meredith. "Please forgive my brother on his behavior."
"There is none taken lord Tsukuyomi." Meredith assured the moon god, not really taking much offense. Inside her chest she HAD felt a pang of irritation at being addressed that way, but she'd buried it in favor of moving things along. Also, she had long since been made aware of the Storm God's temper, having read up on her mytology during her training under Sir Integra.
While these thoughts ran through her mind, Tsukuyomi continued to speak. "But please, tell us what is the purpose of calling us instead of the other gods in the Shintos?" he questioned her.
"There are multiple reasons for this, Lord Tsukuyomi. Out of the Shinto Pantheon, the majority of the Gods would find it difficult to handle the pressure and revelations about what has happened in your territory. On your soil." Meredith explained her reason to the Shinto Trinity.
The storm god narrowed his eyes upon hearing this, and leaned forwards. Around him, storm clouds started to crackle wth static and electricity. "Does it have to do with those damn abominations? Those fucking devils don't ever do their jobs right, and instead of working on their mistakes they end up leaving their mess to the bloodiest faction. Wonder how long until HE comes and destroys everything in Japan." he spat, growling.
"Susanoo! Watch your manners!" Amaterasu barked at her brother this time, her own power flaring in response to the Storm God's rudeness. "You are speaking to Elizabeth's granddaughter."
Susanoo glared at his sister, anger crackling in his eyes like the lightning that he commanded. "Does it look like I give a fuck, Amaterasu? Just give them the green light and they will reveal their true monster nature."
"That is enough brother." Tsukuyomi calmly spoke to the storm god. He seemed to be more in control of his emotions, not to mention that he got the distinct impression that gods the crimson juggernauts before them had begun radiating a distinct aura. One only he seemed privy to currently that stated their discontent with how Meredith was being insulted. "Let is not get into an argument again and act like mature gods. Father did not raise us to act like barbarians, the Norse specifically, but we must act with dignity." he lectured, opening his pale white eyes to look upon his fuming brother. "Do not tarnish our image in front of her. That is all I'm asking of you."
Susanoo glared at his brother for some time. Almost for a while two brothers had a stare down, one was a calm stream of water while the other was a raging tidal wave.
Soon the anger around Susanoo died down and scoffed at his brother. Turning his head away, the man whispered the following words with bitter spite. "Izanagi was only a father to the both of you, not me."
Having silently watched the situation play out before her, Meredith began to see some similarities between the two gods in front of her. In her eyes, Susanoo was like Theseus while Tsukuyomi was like her. One difference was apparent though, and that was how the moon god displayed more calmness and acted like a mature adult. But she can see Susanoo displeasure with her due to the fact she belonged to the Hellsing organization, and she wouldn't say she couldn't understand why he didn't want to meet with her. She was no fool, Hellsing was viewed as monsters in everyone one's eyes and rightfully so. While this did the job of making people think twice about causing trouble on British Soil, it would make more diplomatic endeavors like this much harder.
Tsukuyomi shifted his attention to Meredith while closing his eyes. "Forgive us for displaying this argument, I can assure you Susanoo meant no harm in what he has said before." he apologized, slightly lowering his head in an atttempt to appease the woman.
Said woman simply held a hand out with a placating smile on her lips. "There is no issue, lord Tsukuyomi. I'm not affected what lord Susanoo has said to me. I am used to such words." That was a lie. It partially affected her but she didn't show it, just kept it inside of her. No matter what she said, she knew that the stubborn Storm God wouldn't take it seriously or perhaps would even ignore her. Plus his distrust of her was well warranted… just not in the way he might expect. "Let us get back to the matters at hand."
"Yes." Amaterasu corrected herself. Adjusting her hair before speaking."(CLEAR THROAT) what have you found that requires our attention, Lady Meredith?"
"... There are multiple matters needing your attention, Lady Amaterasu." Meredith began, taking a breath to soothe her nerves. This was it, the beginning of the meeting which could quickly turn into a minefield for her. Nevertheless, Meredith Ordinton was no quitter so she would march forward even if she didn't think she was ready to. "First, there is the matter of the fallen angels intrusion." Meredith said to the Shinto gods.
The moon god frowned at the mention of another member of the three. "Fallen angels?" He questioned, his tone seemingly even yet one could easily pick up on the dark undertones beneath it
Meredith nodded her head in response. "Yes."
The sun goddess narrowed her eyes, not liking this information that she had received. "What are they doing in our territory? I wasn't notified by Azazel that he would be sending his fallen angels into our territory." She questioned.
Azazel and the Fallen Angels were notoriously known for doing things on their own terms without regard for the rules set in place by other races. She'd lost count of the times Azazel was found peeping on the bathrooms of girls in various factions then promptly chased out by the rightfully pissed off women. Then there was the lengths that guy would be willing to go to acquire data about specific Sacred Gears that took his fancy, as someone who proclaimed himself to be a mad scientist in love with the damn things, Amaterasu could imagine (although she didn't need to since there were real-life examples of this happening over the centuries) the guy would sneak into a Faction's territory without going through the proper procedures just to get at those with interesting Sacred Gears. A lot of the times he would wind up taking them under his wing, although those times usually had exceptional circumstances surrounding them.
Not like she enjoyed defending a criminal like him, but still she had to be objective here.
In terms of criminality though, Azazel might as well be on the lower end of the spectrum compared to Angels and Devils with the latter being on a much HIGHER end.
So while it didn't surprise her that Fallen Angels had decided to copy their leader's antics and invade her pantheon's territory without permission, it nevertheless irked her immensely since the implications of it didn't bode well. Her faction had a LONG history of having their rules violated by these factions after all, the Devils mainly but the Angels and fallen were guilty of this too.
Meredith nodded her head again, holding her Clipboard closer to her chest so she could flip through some papers pinned on it. "That is likely due to how our weekly surveys have found that there's been a growing number of sacred gear users sighted within Kuoh city, which attracted Grigori's attention." she explained.
One of the duties she had been conducting ever since she had taken up office in this town was to have the entire population observed for signs of potential Sacred Gears. Even the ones without much power weren't exempt from being found out and cataloged in terms of strength, awakening chance and likelihood of their powers. This data was updated weekly due to there being a constant stream of people entering and leaving the town, living their lives without the knowledge of what they held in their possession.
As for why Meredith had done this, she knew fine well that if some notable Sacred Gears had the chance to emerge onto the scene it'd cause some storms throughout the political landscape across the supernatural world. Let alone the Devils, other factions would start pulling strings behind the scenes to try and recruit these people to their cause whether they consented to it or not. The Devils were the most notorious for this ever since the invention of the Peerage System, which garnered them the hatred of many other factions despite them remaining cordial with them on the surface.
This way, as long as she knew which and what type of Sacred Gears were sitting under her doorstep she could at least mitigate things and offer protection from those willing to ruin those lives for their own ends. Hellsing prided itself on using it's 'evil' to protect the British Citizens from the supernatural, Alucard not being their only means of doing so albeit he was indeed their most effective asset. Thus, it would damage their reputation and PRIDE if Meredith didn't do anything less than what her mentor did back on their own soil.
This revelation did NOT sit well with the Storm God, whose prior rage spiked again at the mention of how another one of the three factions had been ignoring their laws. "Those damn crows, always butting in to other peoples business when they hear or see if they have sacred gears..." Susanoo made another snark remark while still sitting on a large storm cloud he'd generated.
Meredith internally winced, knowing that this next part would be much harder to bear, but nevertheless she kept going. "One of them attempted to assassinate a potential sacred gear host." she informed, already prepared for the worst.
She was right to do so.
Immediately the Shinto gods tensed up and a surge of godly energy burst through the entire base, the source being these powerful divine entities with each of them starting to radiate their own types of power. From the sheer sun-like heat pouring from Amaterasu's pores, Susasnoo's lightning sparking like the epicentre of a hurricane to the sheer brightness of pale white light emitting from Tsukuyomi's eyes. Their combined energy caused a shockwave to erupt across the prayer hall, blowing Meredith's skirt backwards as she took a few small steps back from the angry deities.
Although as a side note, none of the Exorcists even budged an inch.
Needless to say, they did not like what they were hearing from Meredith's report, with each of them adding this issue onto the long list of grievances that the biblical factions had caused. Their sending of incompetent leaders to their territory combined with repeatedly ignoring their own rules really ruffled their feathers. This would not bode well for their companions back home once word of this got out.
Eventually, they began to calm down upon seeing the way they were behaving didn't resonate well with their image. Once the energies from their forms died down to normal levels, of which they saw how Meredith exhaled in relief, the moon god was first to speak. "Did you or did you not stop them?" he questioned slowly.
This subject was something of a sore spot with not just him, but with all of the Shinto pantheon. After all, in the past Devils would just let these crimes happen against their believers to suit their own ends whether it be for recruitment of them into their slave-like peerages, or for some political bargaining tools for tedious 'requests' for more control over the territory. There had been even speculation amongst the Shinto elite that these beings wanted to annex Kuoh entirely from their control and set up a permanent recruitment area for themselves.
And considering how ruthless Hellsing was, they believed that they would do something similar since they WERE a foreign part of a faction that once ruled over a vast Empire.
"Yes, we managed to prevent it." Meredith answered, and this wiped out much of the tension in the room as, from the corner of her eye, she noticed some minute relaxing of grips on hilts from the Exorcists. "One of our operatives was nearby when the attempt took place, thus he managed to prevent both the assasination AND the host's attempted recruitment by the devils." she explained.
Meredith remembered not being too happy to hear of the Devil's plot when she'd first been reported to about it by Kuroh, who had told her after he'd heard Issei's story about the 'sudden interest' that the ORC had in him when they hadn't displayed any beforehand. Not only were those bastards daring to recruit from under Hellsing's noses, they also were being scheming bastards about it without any care for the affairs of those involved nor their consent.
Even IF Issei turned out to be an unrepentant pervert, he didn't deserve to die like that.
"Tch." The storm god clicked his tongue in anger and annoyance, although the fact that such a travesty being prevented did mitigate his fury somewhat… even if only a little. "Those damn devils just love to steal humans, our worshippers away from us. Manipulating the events into making them a hero in their eyes when in reality they are literally fucking bastards." He snarled before making another remark. "'Trying to change their ways?' Hah! Like I give two shits about that! And don't try to stop me Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi. Both of you know that I'm right on this one! We should've refused the 'request' that those damn Gremory and Siriti dickwads 'asked' to rent our territory!"
Now thoroughly irked by her brother's behavior, Amaterasu aimed a glare with the ferocity of a raging furnace at him. "Be silent, Susanoo. We will speak of this when we get back." The tone of voice she used in this statement pretty much confirmed what kind of conversation that would be, and that there was no way it wasn't going to happen.
Having seen this, Susanoo snarled before putting his head on his knuckles. "The both of you know I'm right."
"Right now, this host is training and living under Hellsing protective custody." Meredith continued, bringing their attention back to her and before Susanoo could launch into another rant (she REALLY started seeing him as another Theseus at this point), Meredith elaborated on the boy's current situation. "He has also been informed of the circumstances and has been quite cooperative with us. Nevertheless if the Devils tried to recruit him once, there's a chance they might do so again. We've extended this protection to his family just in case, and are keeping an eye on them through our own means. We are also keeping watchful eyes on the other Sacred Gear hosts in the town, in case the Devils try anything with them. We at Hellsing are willing to offer you what data we have on these individuals if you so wish." she offered.
"We expect to see this data tomorrow." Amaterasu said to Meredith, wanting to know more of the Sacred Gears that were in their territory. With the increase number of sacred gear wielders in their territory, there needed to be more involvement with their faction because if they don't, other factions (specifically the biblical factions) will hound their territory and claim their Sacred Gears whether it be through legal means or not.
Meredith nodded in understanding, then remembered another detail she nearly missed. "Oh, and as for this host's Sacred Gear we are protecting…" she began, furrowing her brows as she flipped through some more papers. "We've determined that this host, named Issei Hyoudou, is this generation's Red Dragon Emperor." she told them.
"Oh great." Susanoo groaned in frustration and annoyance. "Just what we need, another troublesome issue to deal with. It's bad enough you have the white dragon emperor amongst your factions' ranks, now the red dragon has surfaced. Wonder how long until Japan is completely destroyed."
Now this time, nobody bothered to criticize the Storm God's behavior since it was actually warranted. Throughout history, the Red and White Dragon Emperors have always, ALWAYS been rivals with enough power to destroy entire continents if left unchecked. Wherever they went, destruction and carnage was left in their wake both human and supernatural. As a God, Susano was among many divine beings who'd born witness to (and even sometimes fought against) those two Dragons on countless occasions. So hearing that BOTH of them were now within their territory and within close proximity to one another at that, one could understand the Storm God's reaction.
This was why the auburn haired woman felt she had act in order to provide some sincerity to the Shinto God's worries. "We will deal with that issue when that time comes, Lord Susanoo. I can assure you this." Meredith assured to the God of Storm. "And also, one point of consideration is that he is at least not another pawn against your faction that the Devils can use to exploit. I have been made aware that such things have happened between you and them in the past."
Tsukuyomi nodded his head in displeasure. "Yes, that is true. The first owner of Kuoh town, Cleria Belial..." trailing off, the moon god sighed in sadness and lowered his head while speaking in a sympathetic tone. "She was at least a competent owner. When the Belial family wanted to buy this territory for her to enjoy the human life, Cleria showed herself to be a rare breed among the devil race. She was not only hardworking and competent in administration of the town, but her curiosity led her to being the most respectful of our culture that we've seen among her kind." he remarked, a wistful look entering his eyes.
It was a sentiment shared even by the God of Storms who looked to the side, a glint of grudging respect in his eyes at the mention of one of the few Devils he genuinely respected. "She was at least a decent one." Susanoo muttered under his breath, lowering his head so no one could see his saddened frown.
Meredith furrowed her brows at the mention of this Devil. She too had been a part of the research her mentor had her undertake before coming here, and from what she'd studied about her the auburn haired woman had a measure of respect for her abilities as a governor. The woman actually could be rather stubborn and always adhered to what she thought was right which reminded Meredith of one of her idols: Margaret Thatcher. She frowned when she made the following statement. "From the reports I read about the Belial clan…..she was executed by the combination of both the devils and the exorcist? A forbidden love was what they claimed to justify their actions, I believed."
"Tch!" Susanoo clicked his tongue in displeasure, the mention of the circumstances around her 'demise' sparking his fury yet again. "It was more like those bastard elder Devils just wanted to get rid of her! Forbidden love between an exorcist and a devil? Hah!" He mockingly laughed at the thought which disgusted him so much so one might assume that he'd ingested some poisonous venom. "One can find half devils in practically every country they visit! Sheer hypocrites, the lot of them!"
The sun goddess, knowing that things needed to progress along, decided to once more interject into the conversation. "What my brother 'meant' was that we did not take too kindly to those devils and exorcists intruding on our land and killing Cleria alongside her lover. They even had the audacity of declaring that it wasn't our business to intrude." She narrowed her eyes and her energy was rising. "As such we punished the exorcist and the devils. There was one that attempted to convince us that there was no need for any bloodshed, but his words were not enough to convince us for the crimes he and his companions committed."
"Touji Shidou." Susanoo grinned sadistically at the mention of that name, a sense of dark insidious madness as lightning danced across his irises. "I had fun breaking his bones and beating him within an inch of his life until he was almost unrecognizable." A downright evil chuckle escaped his mouth as he fondly remembered how he easily dealt with the aforementioned human, who had been left on the brink of death.
While her brother lost himself in memories of sweet vengeance, Amaterasu once more interjected. "After that incident, we took back our territory from those despicable traitorous bats. However, the head of Foreign Affairs Serafall managed to convince me otherwise. We settled for an agreement that they would only rent Kuoh city until their sisters graduated, and in exchange, they would protect our people and keep in check for any intruders."
The moon god once again frowned. "Forgive my words, but those Devils didn't follow through on their ends very well, despite the instructions we gave them specifically to follow. Therefore, we viewed them as incomplete leaders."
Meredith understood the hidden meaning behind those words, what Tsukuyomi was intending to mean was that thanks to having seen one incompetent leader after another ruling territory rightfully theirs, he was running low on patience and understanding. Essentially, she had her work cut out for her if she wanted to prove to them her competence and that their trust wasn't misplaced. "I understand the meaning my lord." she declared, nodding her head in agreement. "Then we should move on to another matter of importance relating to this Fallen Angel incident,"
At this, each of the Shinto Trinity regarded Meredith with confusion and suspicion levelled towards her. The auburn haired woman maintained a level gaze in turn that didn't reflect how she felt inside about THIS part of the meeting, however.
"Explain." Amaterasu demanded, her eyes starting to narrow when she sensed something amiss. This woman was of Hellsing, and it didn't make sense for her to be so unsettled about something since it didn't fit the whole narrative that they proclaimed to the other factions. Therefore whatever unnerved even someone like HER wasn't going to be good nor would it be pretty.
Nevertheless, a tired sigh escaped the woman's lips after she flipped throughs some more papers on her clipboard, a dark look starting to form in her eyes. "There was one element that we did not foresee with the Fallen Angels, and that was that another party managed to use the opening in the security around Kuoh to enter without our noticing. According to our evaluations, we deduced that this party is of greater concern than Devils and the Fallen combined." she told them gravely, and then she clicked her fingers.
CLICK!
Upon doing so, a figure emerged from a side entrance to the Prayer hall, loud stomps accompanying them and drawing the trio of deities to them. That someone, apparently one of the crimson juggernauts, strode down to the oconversing individuals with a stride which alerted them to the fact that he was of similar standing to them: a leader, and a strong one at that.
'Whose this…?' Tsukuyomi thought, narrowing his eyes at the approaching juggernaut whose form loomed over their own. In fact, if it weren't for them being able to sense life energy inside of this being then he alongside his companions would have assumed this to be some kind of machine with the way it walked.
Apparently the others lining up both sides of the centre walkway knew this person judging from the minute tensing he'd noticed.
"I greet you three, Lord Susanoo, Lady Amaterasu, and Lord Tsukuyomi." The being declared after stopping next to Meredith. Holding his sword which resembled those of his comrades, the being stabbed it into the ground in front of him and placed his armored palms over it, like a classic european knight. "I am Aymir Vasaphon, Chapter Master of the Exorcists. It is a pleasure to meet exalted ones such as yourselves." the being introduced, his helmet concealing his features from view though the voice changer had been disabled, exposing his masculine voice and identifying him as a male.
Nevertheless, each of the Shinto Trinity had their own surprised and stunned reactions to this person's presence.
Looking back to Meredith, Amaterasu finally asked a question that had been on her mind since this whole meeting began. "What is the meaning of this, mortal? We gave Hellsing permission to rent our territory, yet these individuals…" she began, a threatening tone beginning to form within her words.
"They have been here even before we of Hellsing did, Lady Amaterasu." Meredith evenly replied, gesturing to the larger monstrosity beside her. "Chapter Master Aymir here is the head of an order of exorcists once affiliated with the Church but defected from it due to differences in opinion. He and his order have since sworn loyalty to Hellsing, and are instrumental to the topic we are about to discuss."
"The out with it, mortal. Our patience grows weary the longer this is delayed." Susanoo spat, growling like a wild animal.
Meredith obeyed, immediately proceeding to explain the situation. "These Fallen Angels allowed what Aymir calls a 'Traitor Legion' called the Night Lords to penetrate the town's defences and set up store within the abandoned church with her. This is the 'third party' I was referring to, for everything the Devils have done to cause grievances with you all… are like HEAVEN compared to the atrocities committed by these freaks." Meredith spat, growling just as mad as Susanoo had been this whole time with the level of ferocity darkening her expression to that of Sir Integra and Alucard. The sheer BLOODLUST that started radiating from her form had been enough to even catch Susanoo of all people off guard, evident by the taken aback expression he now sported. "Aymir, can you show them please?"
"Yes, My Lady." Aymir replied, snapping his fingers. At once, one of the closest Exorcists marched up to his side and procured from… somewhere (even Meredith wasn't sure where) a large, black demonic helmet. One she realized must have came from one of the fallen Night Lords though the sight of it unnerved her immensely. She'd not gotten a good look at them when saving Issei that one time, but the helmet's overall appearance did little to soothe her nerves. The thought that they were still out there haunted her nightmares from time to time at that.
Nonetheless, after fiddling with the helmet a screen suddenly started to be projected from a hidden compartment within the helmet itself, one that plastered itself on a nearby wall before the helmet started showing… sights. Sights of civilians being tortured by the Night Lords within their dungeons, the despair the prisoners felt when their loved ones were taken to the amusement of their captors and worse of all…
The formation of the Screaming Gallery.
Even Susanoo turned pale at the sight of the horrors being shown, all the while Aymir snorted with unveiled disgust. "These filthy heretics were once members of the Church like myself and my order, but they have a sadistic sense of pleasure for tormenting those weaker than themselves as you have seen. They like to record their deeds with their hidden recording software, to boast with their brethren about whenever they get the chance." he explained while flicking through the recordings of the Night Lords and their activities, each one worse than the last.
"Vile cretins…!" Amaterasu spat as she watched the recordings, doing what she could to keep her energy contained lest she erupt like what had happened before though her eyes being seconds away from igniting into miniature suns spoke volumes about her current mental state. What was worse was that she also felt horrified at the thought of such beings encroaching on her faction's territory without her knowledge, something which was shared between her two fellow deities. "Why have they not been…?"
Already knowing what the Goddess wanted to ask even before she'd trailed off, Aymir gave the answer anyways. "That is due to their specialty, each Legion is suited for different types of warfare across history, with the Night Lords specializing in hit and run tactics. They are also an elusive Legion, like the monsters in the night they like to portray themselves as, to which they have various means of keeping others from detecting them till they strike at their targets." He explained, recalling the countless campaigns he had heard this Legion having taken part in. "Their main weapon however, is fear itself."
"Fear?" Tsukuyomi questioned, doing his best to keep his food within his stomach especially when he thought about the formation of the Screaming Gallery. That had to have been one of the most sickening sights he had seen in a long time, and he'd seen some cases where the Chinese tortured their victims before on some of his visits to their pantheon. He may not have felt as bad for them when their followers tore them apart in the rape of Nanking during WW2 because of the sights he'd seen.
Aymir nodded. "This is what one of their members described themselves and their combat doctrine as: Surprise is an insubstantial blade, a sword worthless in war. It breaks when troops rally, it snaps when commanders hold the line. But FEAR never fades, fear is a blade that sharpens with use. So let the enemy know we come. Let their fears defeat them as everything falls dark, as the world's sun set… as the city is wreathed in it's final night, let 10 thousand howls promise 10 thousand claws. The Night Lords are coming, and no soul that stands against us shall see another dawn. In essence, they thrive in sowing fear and confusion amongst their enemies, only rarely fighting against foes that can withstand them for their preference is the weak and frightened. The same as predators who hunt juveniles since they're easier to catch." he explained, grimness setting into his tone like the black death spreading across Europe.
His words had the intended effect though, as the the three deities shuddered collectively at the sheer malice behind them. The sheer darkness and malicious intend made them wonder just who on earth could have created such a doctrin, though when they thought of where this Legion came from.
"Sadly this tale does not have as happy an ending as the Sacred Gear host, I'm afraid." Aymir's words brought them back to reality, and once he was sure they had their attention focused on him again he cleared his throat to continue. "By the dawn's rise, the Night Lords kidnapped, tortured and killed a sizeable portion of people, about 6% of the town's population. There were a fraction that Hellsing operatives managed to rescue alongside one brave school teacher whom we promptly recruited into Hellsing's ranks for his efforts. After erasing their memories of the supernatural, Hellsing has put aside resources to help fund the psychological help the victims were going through."
"..."
"..."
"..."
None of the shinto trinity spoke a single word for the longest time. Nothing could describe what the gods are feeling right now as they kept their emotions enact, well except for Susanoo. His face was turning red and his teeth were grinding each other, statics lightning surging around him. He was huffing and puffing with so much anger inside of him he was close into becoming enraged.
Eventually he managed to speak. "So…thats why there has been a recent decrease in our followers." Placing his legs on the ground for the first time since appearing in this meeting, he got off of his storm cloud and took out his sword. "THOSE DAMN CHURCHES! AND THOSE PATHETIC ANGELS! THEM AND THEIR CROW ILK! I KNEW WE SHOULD'VE ERASED THEIR EXISTENCE THE MOMENT THEY STARTED THEIR ACCURSED CRUSADE!"
"ENOUGH SUSANOO!" At this point, even the moon god lost control of his emotions and released his divinity against Susanoo, stopping him from conjuring a storm around Kuoh city.
In response, the storm god did a 90-degree turn and glared at his brother. "Shut it brother! Those fiends have crossed the line for the last time! They made such despicable beings that now cause harm to our followers! Haven't you ever sensed such a sharp decrease in our worshippers? Well, have you?!"
"Yes we have brother, but that doesn't mean-"
"The three factions have humiliated us for many millenium, brother! Millennium! I am tired of those biblical beings acting like their hot shit when they devastated the Earth during their great war! You cannot deny it Tsukuyomi! For countless years, we've suffered from their factions without ever retaliating for those humiliations! They cause so much destruction and chaos even on our land and we do NOTHING! I can think of several incidents from a handful or better yet hundreds of them that we couldn't protect our followers from! Father should've gave me the green light to exterminate those biblical beings!"
"Don't bring up father into this brother." Amaterasu divinity was shining like a sun, narrowing her eyes aimed at her brother. "You know as well as I do if you try to disobey hi-"
"Who gives a shit about father when he abandoned mother?!" Much to her shock evident by her stunned expression, Susanoo interrupted his sister and cut her off when she'd been about to threaten punishment. Something which had usually been enough to wipe out the temper that the Storm God possessed.
Now that his sister had been stunned into disbelieving silence, Susanoo scowled in the direction of the exit to the outside city with a renewed sense of interest. The Storm god them proceeded to do his namesake and storm towards that exit, intending on going to that abandoned church and scorcing it to dust, leaving nothing but smoldering ashes and ruins behind. "I will be saying this! We need more of an aggressive approach throughout the human world, especially when those crows, pigeons and scumbags keep skulking about stealing our worshipers instead of just observing them from our 'fake' high horse! We should be offering safety and sanctuary for those constantly suffering by their hands! People call us 'gods'? Hah, we lost the right to call ourselves that CENTURIES ago! We have been reduced to cowering BUGS, filthy maggots squabbling amongst ourselves over scraps!"
Susanoo lowers his katana down and his eyes glow in power. "No more." He lifted his head and his eyes glow in response to his anger. "I will no longer tolerate them. They made their graves and now its time for them to lay on it."
"You're not wrong."
All of a sudden, Aymir spoke up and broke into the conversation, drawing the angry Storm God's gaze. Even under the crackkling fury being aimed at him, the flat and composed gaze the Chapter Master kept itself stable, like a hard rock against a strong spear. "And what do YOU know of Shinto affairs? You."
"Are a military leader, like yourself."
The Chapter Master effectively cut off the Storm God's words, briegfly gesturing to his statue-like subordinates to relax their grips on their sword hilts of which they did so, fully believing in their leader's ability to handle the situation. "Your faction has indeed lost much of it's former bite, rather recklessly at that. A Nation needs to have it's fangs at their sharpest so they may act on any emergency, against any threat to it's interests. They must ALSO not let anyone push them around, showing others that they are meant to be treated as a people worthy of respect. Constantly capitulating and submitting oneself to foreign powers is not the same as willing cooperation, that will only breed the smell of failure for the flies of disaster to congregate en masse. It is a lesson Hellsing has kept close for multiple a century, you and I are both aware of this fact."
These words succeeded in giving the Storm God pause, as well as silenced much of the protests that the other two deities wanted to say since, well, he had a point. While every supernatural faction loathed and despised the Hellsing Organization specifically, not the UK Faction as a whole, there was a genuine consensus that one couldn't deny and that was that they were good at minimalising supernatural threats to her majesty's Great Britain. They did this through a myriad of tactics, but the most important thing was that they understood just how necessary the need for strong forces was, and not just physically strong forces. But mentally, emotionally and strength of will. There were factions like the Norse, the American Faction which usually kept to itself and thus not many were aware of it's state of affairs, that emulated this behavior as well as those who knew this lesson well.
If one wanted peace, one must prepare for war.
It was a lesson that the small island Nation learned well over multiple invasions of it's soil by foreign powers. Its history could have taught much to the island of Japan who had been invaded by mongols and oher forces as well.
"For now however, Susanoo your claims that your people must re-strengthen themselves are indeed not wrong. What you fail to consider, is that physical strength alone isn't enough. You need intelligence, you must know your enemies, know their doctrines, how they think, what they believe. If you wish to embark on this undertaking, sharpen your fangs and your brain so you know where to land their blows, and if necessary follow through on threats. THAT is the optimal means of restoring your faction's pride, honor, and prestige instead of simply squabbling with your siblings like immature children."
Those wise words from the chapter master almost made him stop his rampage against the church factions since he wasn't acting mature and a proper god. Only one more push would be needed to completely quell it.
A push which the large juggernaut did in the following moments when Aymir added another piece of information. "And if you were to commit genocide against the Church, many innocent people will die. This will cause many foreigners to resent the Japanese people because their god has killed many bystanders who were in his way." He lifts his head and looks at Susanoo. "It will make you be portrayed as an evil god in the eyes of the people…including your own."
For a while, silence dominated the base as the occupants each stayed in their own stand offs with one another, waiting till someone eventually made a move. In the end, the first to break the tension was Susanoo who eventually gave in to Aymir's words. He sheathed his sword and conjured another cloud, not a storm one but a normal one. He sat on it, turning around as a whisp of white smoke surrounded him. "I'm getting too old for this."
Tsukuyomi looked thankful at Aymir before putting his hands together on his sleeves and bowed to the chapter master. "Thank you for giving insight to our brother. I am deeply appreciative of your actions Aymir." he lifted his body afterwards and looked to the ceiling above in melancholy. "I can't say I don't know how Susanoo feels about all this, though. its hard for the shinto gods to not directly interfere with the human affairs, but it affects our brother harder than most. He is tired and sick of always staying up in Takamagahara, only able to watch other creatures threaten our hometown and harm the lives of our worshippers. You could say that although he is a divine entity, he has a warrior's heart. But there is a reason why we no longer interfere with human matters. We Gods do not know how to restrain our powers."
Amaterasu added in her insight. "Times have changed from when we used to walk among mortals. There have been no warriors, no one dying with honor." Trailing off, she turned her head to the side with a look of slight sadness entering her gaze. "Well, except for some Yakuza." she muttered, though neither Aymir nor Meredith could guess why she would be sad about the Yakuza dying. Shaking her head, the elder Goddess shifted her attention back to the auburn girl. "Many principles have been forgotten, people have changed their ways. We Gods do want to take matters concerning their safety into our own hands, but….in the end, our powers would be too great and it runs the risk of exposing the supernatural world to the humans. Think, if the various human countries discovered that they've been essentially used as cannon fodder for supernatural beings like Devils for centuries, the backlash would be enormous. Even our power wouldn't dissuade them from launching their strongest weapons against us, creating a war that would make the Great War look like a petty squabble in comparison."
"I understand the full ramifications and consequences lady Amaterasu." The queen's granddaughter responded, nodding her head. She could understand those consequences very well, her training under Sir Integra giving her a good ideas as to what would happen if any Gods entered human affairs: Crisis. It would always end in a crisis whenever a god appeared and then the next moment, a religious war would be inflicted almost across the whole entire world, causing the world to be devastated. All because one God has decided to appear in front of public.
Yeah, she could clearly imagine it.
Sir Integra's apprentice shook her head and returned her attention to the Shinto gods. "Back to the main topic. With all these events happening in the Shinto territory I fear it would be a matter of time until the rest of the supernatural direct their attention to Kuoh city." Meredith remarked, pausing to then take a deep breath, closing her eyes for a couple seconds before opening them. "Therefore, I propose the following. I would require…..the help of the Shinto gods to create a detecting seal." she proposed to the following to the shinto gods. Asking for their help.
Both Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu looked at one each other, having a silent conversation while Susanoo was still sitting on the cloud, not paying attention to anything around the environment.
As they were pondering on what to do, Meredith still kept her attention focused on the Shinto Gods for this very reason. She would require one of the Trinity or any gods in the Shinto heaven for their help in helping her adjusting the seal. In essence, she did this because these last few incidents showed her that her own talents for magic weren't enough for her to provide adequate security. Not only have various entities been getting through but casualties were created under her watch, which was unacceptable. Even if they had managed to prevent certain atrocities from occurring, they were done mostly through coincidence and dumb luck, take Issei for example. If it hadn't been for Kuroh happening across the barrier at the time, she doubted the brunette would still have his freedom by this point. Thus, Meredith needed to have better security, and what better choices were there than for the Shinto faction to create stronger measures with her?
Normally not many people would dare ask a God for their help for two reasons: one, they would fear their wrath, and two: they were just too prideful to even ask their Patron gods. She sweated a bit while she waited for their answer, remaining silent alongside Aymir while the two sibling gods continued silently discussing.
Eventually Tsukuyomi broke the silent conversation and looked at Meredith with a calculating expression on his face. "Normally we would accept your proposal for better security for Kuoh city, but we can't simply just give you our assistance or any of our Gods in Takamagahara. I would likely find it hard to belief you." He pointed at Meredith, unclothing his sleeves. "The granddaughter of Queen Elizebeth and apprentice of Sir Integra would go so low into asking our help."
Susanoo interjected after being silent for a while. Lifting his head but not creating any electricity or static around him, he began to address the auburn haired woman in a more… composed tone. "What is your end goal, mortal?" he ask Meredith while floating towards her, he speaks as he floats. "All these recent events and attacks happened only when your entire group arrived in our territory. The fallen angels, night lords and don't forget about the storm which one of yours created." He pointed at Meredith. "All these moves and events, all of them could have been triggered by your presence here, Hellsing. Each one weakening your control over our territory." he got close to Meredith and leaned forward, close to her stoic expression, the woman showing no fear of him. "So tell me this, 'Meredith Ordinton': what do you have to say about all these? Has your pride been bruised so badly that you resorted to asking us to help you clean up your mess? or are there any other motives you have hidden inside of your intentions? Speak your words carefully, because if you don't..." he pulls out his katana again and ran it across Meredith's face in a diagonal manner, a faint trail of blood starting to trail downwards from it. "I will not regret scorching you on the ground."
This time, both of his siblings did not stop him. They observed their brother questioning and testing the resolve of the Hellsing organization leader of Japan. They both knew very well how these actions could be seen as unnecessarily cruel, but sometimes it can be efficient and also necessary to judge one's true character. Sometimes lethal force was needed in order to test the person, as a near-death scenario tended to unveil their true intentions and how they are as people.
What do they have to lose? Especially when it comes to one of the most deadliest factions in the world.
Additionally, Susanoo meant every word when he promised death to Meredith and had no regrets for those actions. He even prepared himself mentally and emotionally for the likely outcome of the UK faction sending HIM to destroy his existence. A god did not fear death, especially when their followers' safety was concerned.
To the side, Aymir stood silently and watched the proceedings while keeping an eye on his subordinates. He knew fine well what was happening and could understand things from the Shinto Faction's perspective, although that didn't mean he had to 'warn' some of his brothers via a quick glance. Some of them had surprised him with how quickly they'd come to respect Meredith and her subordinates, some having even requested to spar with a couple of them. Naturally, those subordinates had accepted, leading to regular spars between them.
Meredith was silent. She did not move from her place or said anything back to the storm god. She stared at his eyes even if blood trailed down from her face to her eyes. Eventually after some time she made her following decision.
DRIP!
DRIP!
DRIP!
DRIP!
Susanoo widened his eyes in complete surprise, Amaterasu lifted her head in shock and Tsuyukomi opened his eyes in both shock and disbelief for what he is witnessing right now.
Meredith….was kneeling down before him like a knight would before their lord, or perhaps samurai would be a better description since this was the east being talked about here. Blood trailed down from her face and dripped on the church floor, making dripping noises loud enough to echo across the prayer hall. She was essentially bending her knee to the Shinto trinity.
"I…have everything to lose." She spoke in a tone that was stoic but almost like breaking her voice. "I allowed these events happening on the very soil of Japan, causing any casualties and death of many of your followers. When Sir Integra assigned me into this position I thought I was…..ready for this moment, to prove myself to my teacher. But with all this stuff happening in Kuoh city, its been proven that I was not ready to handle a territory as big as this. I am not a perfect leader nor am I the capable one here."
Susanoo couldn't believe what he was hearing or was in disbelief that Meredith was listing her mistakes and flaws to him.
Still Meredith continued. "I've messed up mostly everything as a leader in this territory, I couldn't make trade routes to the Yokai faction thanks to those mercenaries and assassins who ambushed us, causing mass destruction and much property damage. I failed to hold up you and the rest of the Shinto faction expectations when we thought we could do better than the devils residing here. I couldn't even understand my own subordinates' emotional states. Alas, I am no better than the previous owner of Kuoh city. I understand that you have to right to…not trust the Hellsing organization. but…..Please."
Saying that word summoned another level of disbelief throughout Susanoo's being, the Storm God having no idea what he was witnessing. This student of Hellsing's leader, who'd been made a branch leader….was pleading with them? Doesn't she have any pride inside of her as all leaders do? Saying 'please' was almost impossible for anyone to say due to the shame that it brought them on the political scene. It was she's abandoning her very teaching as a politicians.
"I am willing to cast my pride and status to ask for your help in creating the detection seal. I am not afraid to say these, for any shame is NOTHING compared to the shame of failing. I am willing to accept any punishment you have for me lord Susanoo. I ask of you this….. Help me with creating this seal so I can at least prove myself and my organization as trustworthy in your eyes."
After finishing her speech, Meredith stayed in this position for sometime, not moving an inch and not paying any attention to the Shinto gods. She was willing to cast aside all of her pride she had inside of her, since she'd spent days coming to terms with the knowledge that it had been the cause of the prior problems she'd been forced to deal with.
It would count as a disgrace, unfitting for a blueblood like her to commit such actions, they'd be considered to be shameful in the eyes of most politicians and prideful bastards. A humiliation not anyone can stand or bear but thats how politicians failed to realize the true meaning of being leaders, something she had learned from Sir Integra. Her mentor had long since taught her that sometimes humiliating herself served as a lesson in regards of humility, to not let power get to her head. This reminded her of how to not be overly arrogant like most politicians, a lesson many has failed to learn.
Soon after staying in this position, Meredith heard footsteps coming closer to her. Not after a second she heard the moon god speak. "There is no need for you to humiliate yourself any further. Stand up and let me see your face." he ordered her.
She complied fairly quickly and lifted her head, paying attention to one of the Shinto trinity. Tsukuyomi, who had barged passed the still dumbstruck Susanoo, put his right hand on her face, sliding it down before taking his hand back. The results had been made apparent, when the wound on her face had seemingly vanished out of existence.
After he pulled his hand back he began to speak. "You don't seem to be a capable leader, as you said before… but we are willing to give you a chance. A chance to improve yourself lady Meredith." He put his hands into his sleeves and held them in front of his chest, eyes still closed but nevertheless the moon god had a face of acceptance. "You are still a greenhorn when it comes to governing a territory this big, but thats okay. Leaders make mistakes and we make sure to learn from them. You showed compassion to become a perfect leader."
Amaterasu interjected the conversation. "You are not like those arrogant leaders who refused to point out their flaws and mistakes. You however seem to know what is your mistake and willing to bend your knee to us, asking our help while ignoring your pride and dignity. I can respect that." the sun goddess explained, having nodded her head to Meredith while praising her actions. "We haven't seen these types of action or ways since…. Cleria Belial." the mention of the first ruler of Kuoh saddened the woman, remembering the many pleasurable conversations with her. That woman may as well have been the first and only Devil she could have called a friend.
Susanoo then added his own cents to the discussion as he looked at the woman with much less hostility than before. "Your not bad as what I've seen. I guess your alright." he praised her, though it sounded rather rude at the same time.
"Susanoo!" his brother reprimanded him for his behavior before shifting his attention to Meredth. "I speak for the three of us. We agree with your proposal for creating detection seals that are at least about ultimate level or higher. We'll send a representative to help you with creating the seal."
Meredith nodded her head in acceptance, a low exhale of relief leaving her lips. This could have gone REAL badly or in a direction she didn't want to think about, but it was fortunate that didn't happen. Something she remained intimately aware of, which only heightened her gratitude in that it didn't go down that route. "Thank you for your generosity my lord." she stated.
"But." the moon god wasn't finished speaking, he continued to talk. "If there are any more mistakes or large casualties in our territory, something you or the rest of Hellsing can't handle…" Opening his eyes, he sharpened them while imposing his intent to Meredith. "There is no such thing as a second chance Ordinton." He threatened her. "Do you understand?"
"...I do my lord." She replied, lowering her head in acceptance of this decision. It was understandable, she had a second chance to make things right and she intended on endeavoring to not waste it.
Tsuyukomi closed his eyes and retracted his intent. "I expect you to hold up to that, lady Meredith. We shall take our leave." Once he said that he turns around and heads to the altar, along with his two siblings who mimicked his action.
As they walked a divine magic circle appeared on their way which they entered and submerged into the divine circle before disappearing along with the circle as well.
"..."
Silence dominated the once tense atmosphere as Meredith stared at the place where the shinto gods once stood. After a while of gazing at the spot, Meredith released a sigh and took a seat on a nearby church seat. None of the immobile Exorcists moved a finger during this, mimicking the behavior of statues.
She lowered her head while she spoke barely above a whisper. "God….Is it a curse of being affiliated with Hellsing, the name that has Hell in our logo? Are we cursed to never find any peace and to only suffer? What have we done to anger you to shift your hatred towards us? Have you forsaken us?" he lifted her head up and looked at the golden cross with Jesus crcufication. "I ask of you this, could you give me an answer….or a sign. You made your move in turning a nun into a saint…..Please I beg of you, please answer me." she pleaded with God, a lost look on her face.
She wanted to know if God hated Hellsing due to their reputation and containing the darkest soldiers around under their command, even the no-life King's bloodthirsty apprentice. Was it enough for God himself to curse Hellsing? Was that it or was it fate cursing their existence?
After a minute of silence, she heard Aymir speak to her. "God can't answer most of your questions, lady Meredith." Soon the chapter master sat next to her while also looking at the crucified Jesus. "Because he works in mysterious ways, ways not even his children or even other Gods can understand."
Meredith didn't respond to his words, nor did she pay any attention to the exorcist next to her and instead gazed on the cross. After a few minutes of silence she spoke while not turning her attention to Aymir. "If God works in mysterious ways, then for once can he stop being so goddamn unpredictable and be honest for once? God sounds like a typical politician: big promises, but all talk." Meredith remarked, almost insulting God by comparing him to the politicians of current, modern society.
Aymir, despite being a faithful follower of God, was not affected by Meredith's speech. He understands the pain and frustration she's going through now. Having a dilemma on her head its a miracle she kept it enact. He then spoke. "I cannot answer that question Meredith. I myself do not know most of Gods work, but what I do know is that God sometimes cannot be there for everyone. If he answered everybody all the time, then people will start asking for so many miracles they would sound more like demands."
Meredith hummed in thought as her brain processed his words. Her mouth opened and words started flowing out like a waterfall. "You ask one person and the other ask you, repeating the same thing over and over."
"Exactly." Aymir confirmed Merediths theory. "Not everyone can be satisfied with one thing and not everyone has a pure heart inside of them. Sometimes…even the purest people can have the darkest and blackest hearts inside of them. No one can truly understand one and another. It is how free will operates, you do as you please." Aymir lectured, doing his best to give her an understanding of human nature.
"..."
Meredith stayed silent after listening to Aymir's words. What he was telling her wasn't wrong, and she had plenty of examples she could pick from to further prove his points. The Hero Clan were the best ones (although she did note that they hadn't been popping up on the political scene for a while, probably due to the sheer spankig she'd had Theseus give them. At least those dogs knew when to sit and play dead), since they could never accept someone like Mio who hadn't been a part of the supernatural world in the beginning no matter what her origin story said. To them, any remnant of Satan's bloodline was to be annihilated to prevent anyting like his atrocities from happening again which she could honestly admit was rather hypocritical.
For whatever Satan had done, for all the atrocities he committed… humans did them just fine themselves and on each other just as much as their enemies.
She continued observing the cross in front of her, not saying anything nor did she have anything to remark back at Aymir.
A while of contemplative silence filled the prayer hall, each occupant mired in their own thoughts pertaining to the recent events that had taken place. Speaking of those events, it wasn't long before the chapter master shifted his attention from the cross to Meredith. "Why did you prostate yourself to the Shinto gods Meredith? Why humilaite yourself to the lowest degree like that?" he questioned, breaking the silence. Aymir wanted her opinion why she kneeled down to the Gods. He was curious if she even had any pride inside of her or dignity as a royal blueblood.
Meredith lowers her head in response and spoke in a tiring tone. "I…..can't call myself a proper leader. I….failed to hold Sir Integra's high expectation to handle this type of situation. I thought it was something the other operatives, mostly me can handle but situation is more than a simple territory." she stops while her voice began to break. "I…wanted to be like my teacher. I…..wanted to become a perfect leader, to be strong, confident and firm. I wanted to be like her, handling things like how she handled these types of issues and problems." she admitted.
When she had first been assigned to this job, Meredith could remember being filled with utmost joy and happiness at the prospect. For years, she had been learning under the woman whose organization had taken her in, gave her a purpose and a reason to continue living outside of the trap known as revenge. She knew for a FACT that if she had continued on the path that she had, then in all likelihood she would have ended up the same way as many who attempted similar feats. None of them ended up living long lives, and for those few who did she bet they weren't the same and had to live in constant fear of retaliation. This had been her long-awaited shot to prove herself to her teacher, to return the favor she and Hellsing did her for making her the woman she was today, to repay Theseus for giving her this opportunity.
Thinking back to those times made her want to slap her former self in the face out of sheer frustration at her naivety. Glancing down at the ground beneath her dark heels, Meredith's gaze darkened as memories of her mistakes alongside Hijikata's lecture filled her mind. The auburn haired woman placed her hands atop her lap, clasping them together while she forced these words out like they were battering rams against a massive fortress entrance. "But in the end, that was just me being stupid. Look at me, I'm no better than those dogs called politictians who make false promises, steal and lie to their voters to secure themselves in positions of power." shaking her head and sniffs her nose. "(SNIFF)! I guess….. I'm not suited to be one. I wonder how long I have until Sir Integra calls us back to london. I want to go back home, but I can't disobey or run away from this mission she gave me." she whispered.
As tears began to fill her eyes, she felt a cold and hard hand place itself atop her shoulder chilling her skin with how hard it was. Her head was raised due to her looking to it's owner, and from there she saw Aymir's gaze bearing down on at her. She may not be able to see his expression behind that emotionless yet intimidating helmet, but something about it lulled her into a sense of calmness, ready for her to hear the words that would come next. "You are not perfect. No expects you to be."
Speaking to her in a sympathetic tone, yet the firm hardness that he usually displayed remained in place as he addressed the woman. "It is true, the mistakes you have made have been costly. Monsters ran rampant through your lands, your warrior's trust strains itself with each passing day. It is humbling to see that you have realized your previous notions of grandeur hampered your judgement, very few can claim to have faced such beasts within their minds. I have heard many of my brothers say that the worst monsters to defeat are not ones out across this earth, but the monsters that slumber in your mind. The first step is admitting that they exist, yet the next is like the skies to the earth when you consider the difficulty in overcoming it. Yet you must, not only to adhere to the promise you made to your fellow leaders, but also to your subordinates and to yourself."
"...I don't suppose you have any advice for me?" Meredith coudn't help but ask. She doubted she could have ever asked the Shinto leaders for such advice even with their centuries' worth of experience considering their lack of faith in her. However she had been working with Aymir and his Exorcists for a while now, ever since the incident sharing information and promoting trust exercises between their respective warriors. She remembered how Kuroh couldn't help but praise their swordsmanship during their duels, his warrior spirit clashing against theirs like sparks generated from weapons bend into shape by a blacksmith's hammer. Thus, she felt it alright to ask him what he could use to give her advice on how to be a better leader.
"I could teach you, but that is for you to learn by yourself. Great leadership comes from one's own definition of what it means to command an army or govern a territory." Aymir responded, taking back his hand. "My recommendation? Study some famous generals, Caesar, etc."
Meredith blinked her eyes in confusion about Aymir's recommendation for how she could learn about demonstrating great leadership. "Why do I have to learn about those generals, chapter master?"
"Its quite simple Meredith. You see as a governor, you are doing your job excellent. Your policies are sound, and you have a sufficient grasp of how the world of politics works. But your biggest flaw from what I've seen, is that you need to have a better understanding of your subordinates and earn their loyalty. As the following says: if a King doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow? There is a reason how your family's monarch is still ruling the UK even in this modern age." stopping for a moment, Aymir deliberated internally about something before adding in another fact. "Generals sometimes tend to be better than governors, at least in the eyes of the people."
Merediths' eyes gleamed for a moment, before being inspired by Aymir's lecture. Giving her back the energy she used to have when she was with Sir Integra. Not only that, but she began to see the logic behind those words with each passing moment as her brain's gears started rotating once more. In the eyes of the public if they were to choose between governors or generals to research about, they would largely go with the latter since there was a strong 'fascination' in humanity towards warfare. Warfare may be seen as something simple decided by politicians and world leaders, but if one dug deeper into it they will find that there's a lot more pieces that make up that puzzle, giving it a sense of complexity that pulled people into it. The types of warfare throughout history, tactics used to win specific battles, battlefield conditions, the types of soldiers involved, equipment statistics, she could name many aspects of it.
In the end. A sense of resolution flowed through her as she nodded her head towards Aymir. "I understand father Aymir. I will not fail your expectations." she declared, her gaze now much brighter than when this meeting had first began.
"Hmmmmm." he hums in agreement. "I'm sure you won't Meredith." He gets up from the church bench and heads to the altar. "Now you must be on your way then lady Meredith. You have a long day ahead of you."
"I understand, chapter master Aymir." She nods her head to the legion leader. Getting up from the seat, she turned on her high heels before she began to walk through the church corridor, passing through the two lines of statue-like exorcist soldiers.
She was close to the exit while she remarked to herself mentally. 'Looks like I have a lot of work to do…' instead of her being tired and mentally exhausted however, she smiled at the thought of it for once.