Alex and Seras stayed perched on top of Big Ben almost until midnight, talking about everything that came to mind — from silly little things to the most unexpected topics that just popped up on their own.

Even after learning the truth — that Alex was Death, albeit nominally, having only recently taken on the role and already grown tired of it — it didn’t change how Seras felt about him.

If anything, it was the opposite: this truth made Seras feel much closer to Alex, despite the fact that awkward moments between them happened quite often — moments that made her blush, get angry, and at the same time unable to hold back a smile.

When midnight was nearly upon them, Alex remembered Integra’s instruction. Without a word, he scooped Seras up in his arms and jumped straight off Big Ben. Seras was first surprised and blushed at being suddenly lifted bridal-style, then outright terrified as they began plummeting downward.

Even though Seras had been a vampiress — a proper Draculina — for about a month now, she still panicked at things like this: falling from such a great height, wind whistling in her ears, heart pounding even though it no longer beat, the ground rushing up far too quickly.

When Alex’s feet touched the ground softly, in that same instant Seras attacked him again — screaming while trying to strangle him and bite his head at the same time.

Alex, despite having a very furious Draculina latched onto him, ignored the fact that Seras was attempting to gnaw through his skull. Calmly, he pulled Fenrir out of his inventory and sat down on the motorcycle.

All the way back to Hellsing, Alex felt Seras’s sharp fangs pressing into the top of his head and her arms squeezing around his neck. The only upside in the whole situation for him was that he could feel Seras’s chest pressed against his back while she tried to take revenge for him jumping off Big Ben with her in his arms.

On top of everything, Alex could hear Alucard’s laughter echoing in his head. She kept repeating how much of a coward Seras was for getting scared of something like that. But what amused Alucard even more was that Alex actually found what Seras was doing to him rather pleasant. Alucard even hinted — or rather, said outright — that she could do the exact same thing to him if he’d only come down to the basement to see her.

Just before Alucard could promise something even more interesting, a cold voice cut through Alex’s mind — Integra ordering Alucard to shut up and telling Alex to hurry back to the mansion.

Alex only sighed and gently patted Seras on the back to calm her down and get her to stop chewing on his head. But instead of stroking her back, his hand accidentally landed on her ass and gave it a light squeeze — which made Seras squeak.

Instead of her back, Alex realized he was squeezing something very soft and suspiciously familiar. Slowly squeezing again, he mechanically turned his head toward Seras, whose face had gone so red she looked like a ripe tomato.

Seras stared at Alex with a blazing red face while he continued to hold her ass. Alex slowly released his grip and immediately looked away, pretending nothing had happened. But inwardly he admitted to himself that it had felt nice — and very soft.

Seras kept staring at the back of Alex’s head with her flushed face, still feeling the aftereffects of him squeezing her ass. Alex acted like nothing occurred and once again silently cursed the Goddess of Luck, who loved pulling these little pranks on him.

Despite having multiple wives, Alex still didn’t consider himself a pervert and constantly reminded himself that he only did things like this with women he actually had a relationship with.

The rest of the ride back to the Hellsing estate passed in silence: Seras was still bright red from what Alex had done, while Alex spent the entire remaining journey cursing the Goddess of Luck for her endless petty tricks.

Throughout his entire life Alex had never once seen the Goddess of Luck in person, yet he knew she existed — and precisely because of all his threats, she kept messing with him while staying perfectly hidden.

The situation wasn’t helped by Alucard’s ongoing laughter in his head, as she repeatedly offered that he could touch her anywhere, anytime, if he’d just come down to the basement.

When they finally arrived back at the Hellsing estate, Seras immediately jumped off Alex’s motorcycle and stood in front of him. Alex had barely raised an eyebrow when Seras hugged him tightly and then ran inside the mansion. Alex watched her flee and almost called after her that — technically — they were currently living in the same house.

But he held back the unnecessary comment so as not to embarrass Seras any further; she was already mortified enough. Alex knew what Seras was really like on the inside. She always bottled everything up until one day she finally snapped.

Alex knew some people might call it fate or coincidence that Alucard turned Seras into a vampire. But in reality, Alucard had seen in Seras’s eyes the exact same will to live that she herself had possessed long ago.

The moment Alucard looked at the dying Seras, she recognized in the eyes of that ordinary policewoman the same look she once had. One thing led to another, and in the end Seras became a Draculina.

As if to confirm his thoughts, Alex heard Alucard’s faint, distant laughter in his mind — neither denying nor confirming his conclusion about why she had turned Seras.

Alex didn’t want Seras to change. He wanted her to stay the same sweet, clumsy girl who tripped over her own feet and blushed furiously during awkward moments.

“She shouldn’t have to change,” Alex murmured, lighting a cigarette.

“To my office. Now,” came Integra’s cold voice in his head.

“Yeah, yeah,” Alex replied, stubbing out the cigarette.

Exhaling the last of the smoke, Alex put his hands behind his head, walked into the mansion, and headed up to the floor where Integra’s office was located.

He had half a mind to ask Integra whether she was planning to get some sleep — she hadn’t slept in over twenty-four hours. Stepping into the office, Alex glanced at Integra, who — without looking up — pointed toward the sofa with her finger and continued working on her paperwork.

Alex even suspected that Integra thought if she fell asleep, he would immediately go down to the basement to Alucard — or Alucard would come to him the moment Integra was out. He was partially right in that guess.

Integra simply believed that if Alex and Alucard grew too close, they might simply leave her — contract or no contract. Alex only looked at Integra, who already had dark circles under her eyes, and walked over to the bookshelf to pick up something to read and pass the time.

He understood that if he suggested she go to bed, she would most likely tell him to go to hell — so he said nothing. Alex lay down on the sofa and started reading to lull himself toward sleep. Within half an hour he had covered his face with the book and fallen asleep, not worrying about anything.

Integra kept working, occasionally glancing at the sleeping Alex. Another hour passed, and she slightly lifted her glasses to rub the bridge of her nose and relieve the strain in her eyes.

Adjusting her glasses, Integra looked at the sleeping Alex and felt a faint calm settle in her chest. She decided to close her eyes just for a moment to ease the accumulated exhaustion.

Leaning back slightly in her chair, Integra closed her eyes to rest a little. Ten minutes later she opened them again and looked at Alex, who was still asleep. Making sure he was still there, she closed her eyes once more.

And once again closing her eyes, Integra didn’t notice how fatigue gradually overwhelmed her until she fell asleep without realizing it. Her head dipped slightly forward, and she slept right there in her chair.

The moment Integra fell asleep, Alucard appeared in the office, a faint smile playing on her lips. She passed quietly through the wall and began pacing around Integra’s office, even approaching her sleeping Mistress, who didn’t wake.

Chuckling softly, Alucard stepped away from Integra and moved toward Alex, who was sleeping on the sofa with a book covering his face. Alucard leaned over him, casting a shadow across his body, and with a light gesture lifted the book from his face.

Seeing Alex’s sleeping face once more, Alucard lightly licked her lips — and in the next instant kissed him on the mouth, leaving a clear, vivid red lipstick mark on his lips.

The reason for Alucard’s action in that moment was simple: to show Integra she shouldn’t relax, and to demonstrate that she would still get what she wanted. After kissing Alex, Alucard gently ran her fingers over his lips, smearing the lipstick a little, then stroked his cheeks before carefully placing the book back over his face.

Alucard left the same way she had arrived — silently and unnoticed. But as she departed, a wide smile spread across her face, as though she were delighted at having planted the seeds of future chaos.

Because she had left unmistakable traces of her presence.

Gradually morning arrived, and the sun began to rise.

A light knock came at the office door, and Walter entered, pushing a breakfast cart ahead of him — he knew Integra had worked through the night again. Wheeling the cart into the office, Walter once again experienced shock at what he saw.

There was Alex again, sleeping on the sofa in Integra’s office with a book over his face. But what truly shocked him this time was that Integra herself was asleep — sitting at her desk, head bowed.

Walter could hardly believe his eyes. He had followed Integra for ten years and watched her grow colder and colder, building an iron wall around her heart.

And now she was sleeping in her office with a stranger present. Walter couldn’t fathom how Alex, in just one week, had influenced Integra so deeply that she could fall asleep in his presence.

Walter quietly wheeled the cart to Integra’s desk and stood beside her. Even asleep, Integra remained alert; sensing someone nearby, her eyes snapped open and she saw Walter.

“Good morning, Lady Integra. Your breakfast is ready,” Walter said with his usual calm expression.

“Good morning, Walter,” Integra replied, rubbing the bridge of her nose and noticing that morning had already come.

“Lady Integra, if I may. I believe you should rest. Over the past week you have barely slept. As the head of Hellsing, you must always be in top form,” Walter said, pouring tea into a cup and placing it in front of her.

“I’m fine, Walter. It was only a minute. Don’t exaggerate,” Integra said calmly, lifting the teacup to her lips.

“As you say, Lady Integra,” Walter replied in his steady voice.

“And don’t you dare speak of what you saw. One word — and I will personally rip your tongue out, Walter,” Integra said, fixing him with a cold stare.

“I don’t understand what you mean, Lady Integra. I am merely the butler who brought breakfast to his mistress after she worked all night,” Walter said with his professional smile.

Integra gave a slight nod and set the cup down. Rising from her chair, she walked over to the sofa where Alex slept. She lifted her leg, hooked Alex with her foot, and shoved him off the couch.

Waking up yet again by face-planting into the floor, the first thing Alex saw — once more — was Integra’s legs. Rolling his eyes, he stood up, rubbing his face, and waved casually at Walter, who continued smiling like the perfect butler, as though nothing unusual was happening.

Integra, seeing Alex’s face, only grew angrier and looked ready to kick him in the face. Alex, now sitting on the sofa, looked up at Integra standing over him with a furious expression, as though debating whether to kick him or shoot him.

Alex tilted his head, genuinely confused about what had made Integra so angry.

“Mr. Alexander, I believe you have something on your face,” Walter said, gesturing toward his own face.

Alex wiped the spot Walter indicated and saw a clear smear of dark-red lipstick on his fingers. Pulling out his phone, he saw the lipstick marks smeared across his lips and cheek and immediately looked up at Integra, who was still looming over him.

Alex wanted to ask why she was angry when it wasn’t his fault. But he knew that if he asked, Integra would definitely shoot him in the face. Calmly standing up, he faced her.

Despite Integra always positioning herself as superior in their dynamic, she was noticeably shorter than Alex, who towered over her. Integra stared straight into his eyes, her anger growing stronger.

“Look over there, Superman!” Alex shouted, pointing toward the window.

He pointed with the most convincing face possible, but Integra didn’t glance away for even a second — she simply exhaled cigar smoke directly into his face, as if to snap him out of acting like an idiot.

“Do you seriously think I’m that stupid?” Integra asked, staring at him blankly.

“At least I tried. But wait — there’s more. Secret ninja technique: escape from angry woman,” Alex said, tossing a smoke bomb at his own feet.

The smoke bomb exploded beneath Alex and Integra. Walter immediately stepped back to avoid the cloud. At the same moment Alex dashed past Integra and leapt through the window without breaking it.

Once outside, Alex grabbed the ledge and flipped himself onto the roof of the mansion, intending to hide from Integra until evening when the Wild Geese mercenaries would arrive. Meanwhile the smoke in Integra’s office dissipated as Walter calmly opened the window.

Integra remained standing in the same spot, thin cigar clenched between her teeth. Her face clearly showed how furious she was — her jaw clenched so hard a vein throbbed on her forehead.

She was angry not only because Alucard had appeared the moment she fell asleep, but also because Alex had caused chaos by setting off a smoke bomb in her office and escaping. Then, almost instantly, she calmed down, exhaled a perfect smoke ring, and returned to her usual cool, indifferent expression.

“Lady Integra. He escaped,” Walter said calmly.

“He didn’t escape. He’s hiding on the roof like a coward. He’s only delayed the inevitable,” Integra replied, sitting back down at her desk.

“Shall I ask Mr. Alexander to return?” Walter asked, closing the window after the smoke had cleared.

“No need. Let him hide if that’s what he wants. He’ll come back to me eventually,” Integra said calmly, taking a sip of tea.

At that moment Alex was lying on the roof of the Hellsing estate, simply sighing. He realized Alucard had caused chaos purely for the sake of chaos. Lying there with his hands behind his head, Alex wondered why yet another woman like Nyan-Nyan had appeared in his life. The only positive thing about his relationship with Nyan-Nyan was that she had given him his little princess Nyaruko — even if she did it without his knowledge.

Alex loved his daughter and felt conflicted about Nyan-Nyan. They weren’t enemies, despite what she had done to him during their first meeting — blowing him up along with an entire galaxy.

Thinking about his relationship with Nyan-Nyan, Alex could only sigh. He occasionally heard her voice in his head and sometimes saw Yog, who would come demanding sweets.

But after Yog discovered that she could get even more sweets at Erina, Alice, and Hisako’s restaurant, she stopped visiting Alex and became a very frequent customer at the Nakiri family restaurant in Orario.

Sighing again, Alex looked up at the sun, realizing he would have to hide from Integra on the roof of her own mansion until evening, when the Wild Geese mercenary unit led by Pip Bernadotte would arrive.

To pass the time, Alex put on his headphones and played music. Time crawled painfully slowly for Alex — he was just lying there doing nothing, watching clouds drift overhead.

When evening finally came and the sun began to sink below the horizon, Alex was sitting on the edge of the roof, holding a plate of strawberry cake, headphones blaring music. As he had expected, he had spent the entire day hiding from Integra, hoping to avoid trouble.

Sitting on the edge of the mansion roof, Alex spotted two military-style trucks with canvas covers pulling up, followed by a bus. Realizing who had arrived, a smile spread across his face. Alex smirked, a small dessert fork in his mouth.

The first person he saw, of course, was Pip Bernadotte, who stepped out of the bus first and began ordering his men to unload the equipment crates. Pip Bernadotte was slightly above average height and build, with red hair and green eyes.

His hair was dirty, thick, and tied into a long braid wrapped around his neck. He wore a dark beige T-shirt under a brown military jacket with the sleeves rolled up to the shoulders.

The collar of his jacket was covered in various pins and flags. Seeing Bernadotte in person, Alex nodded to himself, noting the very interesting potential in this man — the potential to lead and to sacrifice.

Alex valued people like that, yet at the same time disliked them because such people usually lost everything and ended up alone. If someone like that didn’t die on their path, their ending was always solitary. But those thoughts didn’t stop Alex from considering inviting Bernadotte into his guild.

While Alex continued sitting on the roof, Walter emerged to greet the mercenaries and invited them inside. Of course, Walter glanced up and saw Alex sitting on the roof edge with a plate of strawberry cake.

Looking away, Walter led the mercenary unit inside. Bernadotte, who knew only partial details about why they had been hired, also glanced up at the roof after noticing Walter’s look.

But he saw nothing — Alex had already vanished. Bernadotte still hadn’t told his men exactly who they would be fighting. Even he thought it was complete nonsense and didn’t believe in monsters.

For him, the only monsters in his life had always been the humans who started the wars in which he and his men fought as cannon fodder to earn money.

And he didn’t even consider himself human anymore for participating in those wars as a mercenary. Following Walter through the estate, the mercenaries carried their gear until he led them to a spacious room where they could wait.

“Lady Integra will be with you shortly. Please wait here,” Walter said, closing the doors.

Once Walter left, Bernadotte waved his hand, signaling his comrades to rest after the journey. The mercenaries set their equipment crates on the floor and waited for their new employer.

But none of them noticed there was one extra person among them. Alex calmly sat among the Wild Geese mercenaries, continuing to eat his strawberry cake as though nothing unusual was happening.

“Captain Bernadotte, what the hell are we even doing here?” one mercenary asked, looking at Bernadotte.

“Did someone in London decide to start a war?” another asked, leaning against the wall right beside Alex without noticing him.

“Since when are we bodyguards? Are we just stroking some fat cat’s ego?” Bernadotte’s second-in-command asked, looking at his captain.

“You guys… I don’t even know how to say this. So I’ll just say it straight. We’ve been hired to kill monsters,” Bernadotte said with a smirk, sitting on a chair.

“Kill monsters? Captain, are you serious?” one mercenary asked in disbelief, standing beside Bernadotte.

Immediately after Bernadotte’s words, loud laughter erupted among the mercenaries, who clearly didn’t believe their captain. Alex, sitting on his chair, only shook his head — until he spotted Seras, who had slipped into the room through the window so quietly that no one noticed.

Being herself, even though she tried to be stealthy, Seras still caught her foot on the window frame and nearly fell. Quickly regaining balance and realizing no one had seen her, Seras let out a relieved sigh, confirming she was unnoticed.

She still didn’t understand why she had been asked to sneak in specifically, but she did it anyway. What she did notice among the mercenaries was Alex, sitting on a chair eating strawberry cake.

Seras’s mouth fell open in shock, but Alex — noticing her — raised a finger to his lips and gave a small smile. Seras mechanically nodded and stood against the wall, hiding in the shadows as Integra had instructed.

“Captain, you were joking when you said we’re going to kill monsters, right?” one mercenary asked with a light laugh.

“It’s true,” came Integra’s cold voice as she entered the room.

When Integra appeared and spoke, all eyes turned to her. She stood calmly with her hands behind her back, her cold blue eyes scanning the mercenaries, assessing them.

“From this moment on, your enemies are vampires. Beings who gain immortality by drinking human blood. For our work you will need to carry garlic and holy water. Drive wooden stakes through hearts, cut off heads, burn bodies, and scatter the ashes at a crossroads. For full information, I recommend reading Stoker’s book,” Integra said calmly, though a mocking smile played on her lips.

“What a load of crap. Vampires don’t exist,” one mercenary said, not believing her.

“You simply don’t know about them. Or rather — you were never told about them. We are the Royal Order of Protestant Knights, Hellsing — founded over a century ago. For a long time we operated in secret, fulfilling our original purpose: fighting vampires… If that still isn’t enough and you still don’t believe — then see for yourselves. This is your opponent — a vampire,” Integra said calmly, never losing her mocking smile, and at the end pointed to the side.

Everyone looked in surprise where Integra pointed. The mercenaries turned and saw Seras standing against the wall with a strained smile on her face.

When Integra pointed at her, Seras finally understood why she had been asked to sneak in — so the mercenaries could see a vampire with their own eyes. Seeing Seras, who looked utterly harmless, the Wild Geese burst into loud laughter, making Seras’s smile even more forced.

Alex, still sitting in his place, only shook his head, the dessert fork in his mouth. Over the past few days he had already confirmed that Seras was far from harmless. If he were still human, Seras would have already bitten through his skull or broken his bones — considering the strength hidden in her seemingly fragile body.

“What the…? Wait a second… You’re really a vampire?” Bernadotte asked, walking up to Seras and looking down at her with a smirk.

“Uh… yeah, pretty much…” Seras said with a strained smile, showing her sharp fangs.

Bernadotte looked at Seras, then laughed again — as did the rest of the mercenaries behind him. No matter how they looked at her, they definitely didn’t see a vampire. Seras first glanced at Alex, who waved reassuringly that everything was fine. Then she looked at Integra.

“They’re laughing at me, aren’t they?” Seras asked, starting to feel irritated that she was being laughed at for the second time.

“Just demonstrate it for them, Police Girl,” Integra said calmly, a faint smile on her lips.

“Yes, ma’am! Time to get serious,” Seras said, saluting.

Alex watched all this from the side, shook his head again, set the plate of strawberry cake aside, folded his hands in silent prayer, and hoped Bernadotte wouldn’t get a concussion.

Bernadotte, seeing Seras’s behavior, laughed even harder, ready to make a snarky comment. But Seras didn’t let him start — she raised her hand toward him and delivered a powerful flick straight to his forehead.

The first flick made blood immediately spurt from Bernadotte’s nose. He staggered back a step, disoriented. Seras didn’t stop at one — she instantly appeared beside him and delivered another flick.

After the second one, Bernadotte flew backward and crashed into the chair he had been sitting on. His men were horrified by what they saw and now stared at Seras like she was a monster.

“She’s a monster! I didn’t even see it coming. She just flicked my forehead and blood poured out like a river… So she really is a vampire?” Bernadotte said in a frightened tone, staring at Seras.

“Indeed. She may be of the lowest rank, but she is a true vampire,” came Alucard’s magnetic feminine voice.

Even though Alucard in her female form was undeniably a very beautiful woman, the way she appeared — passing straight through the wall and looking at them with red eyes and a bloodthirsty smile — filled the mercenaries only with fear.

The Wild Geese unit, led by Bernadotte, immediately began backing away to avoid being near Alucard, whose mere presence terrified them. No one even thought to comment on her beauty — right now she inspired only panic.

One of the mercenaries nearly bumped into the plate of strawberry cake Alex was holding. Alex almost gave himself away when he instinctively wanted to kick the careless mercenary who almost knocked over his cake.

“What a pathetic gathering of cowards. Do you really think these will be of any use, my Mistress? Soon they will have to guard my sleep and the sleep of my chosen one. Yet all I see is an inattentive rabble that didn’t even notice a real monster right in their midst,” Alucard said, grinning widely at Bernadotte’s unit.

Hearing Alucard’s words, all the mercenaries began looking around, trying to understand what she meant — until they noticed one extra person among them. All eyes locked onto Alex, who was sitting on a chair eating strawberry cake. When he became the center of attention, he only tilted his head and put another piece of cake in his mouth.

“What?” Alex asked, genuinely confused why everyone was staring.

“Another vampire!” Bernadotte shouted, pointing at Alex.

“He is not a vampire. But he is also not human,” Integra said calmly, hands still behind her back.

Alex gave Integra a tired look and stood up from his seat. When he rose, the mercenaries immediately parted in all directions to avoid accidentally being near him.

Alex walked over to Bernadotte, who was still sitting on the floor after Seras’s flick. He crouched down in front of him. Bernadotte swallowed hard, staring into Alex’s eyes.

Bernadotte immediately realized that no human could have eyes that rainbow-colored. Alex gave a small smile, put the fork in his mouth, and extended a finger toward Bernadotte. Seeing the gesture, Bernadotte froze — until he felt warmth spreading through his body.

“You’re interesting. Consider it a welcome gift. No need to thank me,” Alex said, standing up and walking away from Bernadotte.

Bernadotte didn’t understand what Alex had done, but his men saw how the wound on Bernadotte’s face healed instantly after Alex’s touch. Ignoring the stunned stares of the mercenaries, Alex walked over to Alucard and Integra.

Integra looked at Alex with a blank stare that clearly said: you stopped hiding. Alucard looked at him with a light smile, as though her plan to sow chaos between Alex and Integra had succeeded.

Alex reacted calmly to their looks, speared another piece of his cake on the fork, and brought it to Alucard’s mouth. Alucard at first didn’t understand, then smiled and leaned toward the fork. But instead of eating it normally, she licked the fork while staring straight into Alex’s eyes.

Alex only rolled his eyes, speared another piece, and ate it himself as though nothing had happened. Integra watched all this with a blank expression, but inside she was seething with irritation. Seeing her anger, Alex handed her the plate of cake and turned to the stunned mercenaries.

“Alright, enough noise. From this moment on, you work for Hellsing. Monsters or whatever else — everything eventually dies. You’ve only ever killed humans before; now you’ll kill vampires. Nothing has changed. You killed for money before, and you’ll keep killing for money. Only now you’ll be paid more. Including guarding the estate. Understood?” Alex said, clapping his hands to get their attention.

“Fine… Since we’ve taken this contract. As long as we’re paid — we’ll kill whoever our new employer points at,” Bernadotte said, still sitting on the floor, leaning on one knee.

“Heh. You’re interesting, Bernadotte. Alright… Walter!” Alex said with a smirk and called out.

“Pardon me, Mr. Alexander. I went to meet your people — they were slightly delayed,” came Walter’s voice from behind.

Integra and Alucard turned to look at the people Alex had mentioned. Alex grinned and fist-bumped everyone as he saw Lehm, Price, Ghost, Soap, Chris, Leon, Jake, and the rest. Alucard watched Alex’s group more closely, and her smile widened when she realized they were genuinely stronger and trained to kill monsters.

Alucard couldn’t help but comment to Integra on what she noticed. Hearing Alucard’s voice in her head, Integra gave the faintest nod.

Still smiling, Alex walked over to his team and bumped fists with everyone in greeting.

“Yo, Boss. Looks like you settled in real quick and became the big man already. Same as always — wherever you go, you end up in charge,” R said with his usual sly grin.

“Fuck off, R. Better keep your mouth shut. They won’t tolerate you here. In just this week people have tried to kill me a couple times and a lot of other shit,” Alex said, rolling his eyes.

“Well that’s your problem. You pay us — we kill. And didn’t you say Dracula was a man? Why is he a woman now?” Jake asked, nodding toward Alucard.

“No idea. Anyway, guys — I already sent all the data to your holographic devices, including your first job here in London. Do it fast and clean. Time is short, and as you know — time doesn’t wait. Your new toys have arrived, so once you’re settled, get to work. Everything else later,” Alex said, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

Alex sent a message to the team’s phones, and notification sounds immediately began chiming. Everyone pulled out their devices and checked the updated intel. While Alex talked to his people, Walter handed Integra a recently arrived letter.

Alucard and Seras watched Alex speaking with his team. Seras remembered Alex mentioning a guy with very specific humor and tried to guess who was who. What interested her most was why one of them was still wearing a mask.

But when she met Ghost’s grim gaze, Seras immediately looked away, slightly frightened. Alucard, meanwhile, observed the newcomers with genuine interest. Unlike the Wild Geese mercenaries, Alex’s people were not intimidated by her presence.

Quite the opposite — she even noticed one of them looking at her with an expression that suggested he was thinking about the fastest and most efficient way to kill her. And that only made her smile widen in delight — enough to terrify any normal person.

Finishing his conversation, Alex approached Integra to explain everything and saw the invitation letter from Enrico Maxwell.

Integra glanced at Alex, slipped the letter into her pocket, and left together with Alucard, leaving Alex to finish her work. Once Integra was gone, Alex told Walter to quickly brief the newcomers and get them settled.

Walter bowed and led everyone away, leaving Alex and Seras standing in the now-empty room. Alex, still holding his plate of cake, looked at Seras. She looked back at him. They both smiled, shrugged, and decided to go for a walk.

To be continued…

(Hooray, we’ve finally reached the beginning of the main events. Things should move faster from here, but you know me. Things aren’t as clear-cut as they might seem. I might skip over some moments I really don’t want to write about, like the villains’ behind-the-scenes conversations. Otherwise, we’re moving toward the conclusion of the Hellsing mini-arc. As for what happens next, I don’t know. It seems we could immediately head to the end of this world, or I could pull another rabbit out of my hat, who knows. I’m going to go get some ice cream.)

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep