25 A Word to Those Uncouth Barbarians

A man cleared his throat, then began speaking loudly enough to be heard all throughout the large amphitheater.

"Due to a high amount of requests, we have decided to host a discussion relating to the current situation of Devils and Vampires working together," Ansel, the general arbitrator of discussion affairs, announced. "To that end, we have requested that Mr. Ioann Maksymovich Ivanov, one of the Exorcists that battled the first discovered duo of Vampires and Devils, be here. Ms. Priska von Ernst was the other, but she is still not in the best shape to be here with us."

"Speaking of which," I whispered to Leonidas, who was next to me near the entrance of the colosseum, "what happened to that harlot?"

"She wasn't that badly hurt, somehow," Leonidas murmured back. "She woke up a few times - how do you think we knew about the situation before you followed suit? - but only for long enough to tell us the general details… which a certain nurse gossiped about, and now it has become a major topic of interest, as seen here. She is still in bed with slowly healing, slightly shattered leg bones."

"So the alchemy department must waste resources on her for even more bone densifying potions," I sniffed.

He shrugged. "Calling it a waste is arguable."

"So, all of you," Ansel continued, interrupting our hushed conversation, "please welcome the aforementioned Exorcist, Ioann."

Walking out and onto one of the podiums set up in the pit of the stadium, I took in the full extent of how the crowd was noticeably larger than usual.

Normally, there would only be two sparsely populated sections that were usually for both sides of whatever argument people had decided to bicker over; today, it was, for the most part, filled. It seemed everyone who could had decided to take part.

However, despite the illusion the crowd and Ansel's introduction may have weaved, my reception was not warm. No one clapped, no one cheered. That was not the purpose of this, and I was no celebrity.

Ansel continued. "We will use him as a sort of centerpiece for our discussion on this day. Whenever questions arise, we ask him - if he is capable of answering them. We can extrapolate on certain topics based on the answers." Someone came up to him and whispered in his ear. "Additionally, I have been informed that anyone in the crowd is welcome to interject as long as they raise their hand. This is due to the large size of the attendance today. And finally, there is no timer or arbitration as strict as usual. We may begin - whoever is willing to propose the first questions may raise their hand and ask."

Today has quite the strange format. I suppose it's fitting, considering that the topic today is especially relevant and concerns everyone in the Church - some changes are necessary to accommodate both the crowd and those circumstances. The uncharacteristic formality of Ansel is especially telling as to the required adaptation. He was always technically 'formal', of course, being an arbitrator - but never so florid in his words.

Four people raised their hands. Three men, one woman.

Unfortunately for the latter, I will not be fielding any questions from those of the female gender.

Ansel did some sort of randomized selection while switching between them - like when halfwitted characters in fairy tales pluck petals off a flower when trying to make a decision, although I suspect he is using the 'eeny, meeny, miny, moe' rhyme instead - and ended up landing on a younger man with chestnut brown hair.

"You wish to be the first?"

"Yes," the man replied.

"And your name?"

"Joshua Sliver."

"Ask away, Joshua."

Joshua looked to be somewhere in his twenties - his hair was, as said, chestnut brown, curly, and looked very light. His facial features were nothing special, either - his cheekbones and jaw were hardly defined, his eyes weren't visible from all the way over here, and his nose was neither flat nor pointy nor wide.

He was very average in most ways.

"How were they working together?" Joshua asked. "I'll go one at a time."

"That's a very vague question," I replied, leaning on the podium. "Clarify."

"Sorry. I meant it as in… uh, did they seem to be very close? Were they good partners, did they seem to be friends, was there a certain definite alliance between them that obligated them to protect each other? What about a professional distance between the two? Stuff like that."

Perfect. I remember that one of Wojchiech's recommendations could suit this question.

"I did not scout the location out long enough to determine all of that," I began. "But I can tell you one thing. I saw a certain… affection between the two. A quite non-platonic one."

Murmurs went through the stands.

"What do you mean?" he asked, sweeping his hand back through his hair.

"The Devil was concerned for the Vampire girl's safety and immediately ran to her after our attack. Before then, they had… quite close interactions."

"Please clarify what you mean about 'close interactions'."

"Do not press me. It is not appropriate to speak of on such hallowed grounds."

"Sorry, sorry," Joshua chuckled, before immediately realizing that he was in the midst of a serious discussion, shutting his nervous giggles up. "So, we all know that the Devils and Vampires recently announced an alliance, and this obviously has to do with it. But how? Do you know what they were doing?"

"I know that they had legions' worth of ghouls under their thumb - entire villages could be devoured and not produce that much! - that they had pre-made barriers and defensive measures set up, and that there would be an occasional bat leaving the premises in the direction of Romania, southwest."

More murmurs went through the crowd.

Sensing how out-of-depth he was, Joshua opted to halt his foolish questions. Ansel took advantage of this.

"Now then, are there any additional comments or questions that branch off from this or contribute to the current discussion? That is the point of this, after all."

People raised their hands one after another.

"The fact that the Underworld and Vampires recently announced a partnership and then started all this obviously isn't a coincidence. And no one can act oblivious - everyone knows the signs of setting up a fort, one in Russia, no less! They know what we've been doing there - could it have been an attempted retaliation for the Devils we displaced? I know I killed one Peerage member before the rest fled while out on expeditionary duty there. To them, our recent acquisition of that land was, at best, an inconvenience, and at worst, an insulting declaration of war. Who knows how that species would take it? Every member of their little race is unreasonable, from what I've seen - they're like aliens. They could view it in a very different way, and a retaliation out of hurt pride seems like the most characteristic response."

"Quite. This is a clear provocation. And what Sir Ioann here mentioned cannot be a coincidence. Has one ever heard of such a vile relationship? A Devil and a Vampire, sullying the image of love itself? Even more of an attempted incitement to thrust such a thing in our face. Sir Ioann, do we have confirmation of their identities?"

"In a way," I answered. "My mentor, after hearing my description, matched it up nearly identically with a certain High-Class Bishop, a servant of the Zepar Pillar. And the features of the female Vampire matched up with the common traits of the House of Karnstein, of the Carmilla Faction."

The bespectacled man scowled at that and responded, this time unprompted. "Zepar, of course. He is relatively unknown, but my studies of supernatural history bring that clan up time and time again. They are involved in the instigation of half the Underworld's wars throughout history. The Underworld announces their Vampiric alliance, binding together two of our mortal enemies, and then there is a confrontation between our Exorcists and one of his servants - and that servant, mind you, is accompanied by a presumably high-ranking Vampire, both of whom seem to be in a despicable, twisted mockery of the loving marriage championed by Christ and exemplified by Adam and Eve. Coincidence?"

"I think not!" another man responded. "This is a sign of disrespect; how can we take this humiliation? To answer, we cannot. We are at threat, we can all see that. There are tensions brewing, and suddenly this happens? It even involves that scoundrel, Zepar, no less! Those of the long teeth and those of the long tails consort amongst each other - in public and in private, it seems - and it is in a particularly significant way."

"Ioann," another man began, having been called on by Ansel. "You mentioned that the Devil said he didn't want to be identified. Does that mean you conversed?"

"Yes, from afar," I answered. "He said various things, one of which being that he became a Devil because being a, quote, 'Church dog' was 'humiliating and unimaginable to those with common sense' - he even had the gall to say that he would do… certain unspeakable things with my formerly presumed dead partner's limp carcass as soon as he was finished with me."

Can anyone prove otherwise?

"Not a very rare occurrence, but still a harrowing one," another man shouted out, trying to be heard over the murmurs of the crowd - which soon quieted down. "As everyone else has said, it's fairly obvious that this is an intentional provocation. I know that the Angels above are the ones to dictate such matters, but I still feel the need to ask, what do we do? It's obvious that they want war, but for what? We're better situated than ever. There's something here that hasn't yet been brought up, something we're missing. Does anyone have a fresh perspective to bring?"

A blonde woman raised her hand. "Everyone knows about the things we've been doing in Russia. Maybe they're trying to do a preemptive strike before we can fully train all of our new Russian recruits?"

"Or," another man added, "it could relate to the ordinary world's upcoming war. I mean, we've all heard about it - the spies have informed us. That leader of Germany, the Adolphus Hiedler guy with the Alphecca Tyrant Longinus? He's heavily involved in both the supernatural and ordinary world. Huge reach, and he wants war. And, to be fair, it'll come - there's no other reasonable outcome. He's already annexing nearby countries - Austria and then those parts of Czechoslovakia. I wouldn't be surprised if the Devils want to use the chaos he'll sow to contest our recent advantage. Just look at our roster and," he motioned to the blonde woman, "as you mentioned, our Russian activities. They could even be working with the guy. I sure would try and orchestrate things to my advantage in their shoes."

"There's another fact to take into consideration. We upped the ante in our contest for the Americas recently, didn't we? Maybe they could be championing war with us in Europe, one with the help of the Vampires, to distract us from that grand prize and take it for themselves. It is a hard thing to admit, but the Devils have a much larger fighting force than we do… unless we include the Heavenly Host."

"We have quite the nuanced scenario on our hands," another woman said, this one dressed in a nun outfit. "There seem to be quite a few motivations and potential factors to consider, here. However, as the gentleman a few turns before me implied with how we seem to be 'missing something', I do not think that engaging in their little game would be falling into any particular trap. God is on our side."

"So, we are all relatively in accordance?" an older man said. "I do wish to try and think around this militaristic bravado before we spiral into an echo chamber. Are there any with some sort of reasoning that war would be an unpreferable outcome? As we say in my homeland's courts," he chuckled, "everything must be beyond a reasonable doubt. Especially the big decisions. So?"

Time to get more involved if old fools like this intend to sabotage me.

"I think not," I interrupted. "Shall we forget the atrocities committed by them? The desperate lives they condemn to eternal hellfire with their contracts, all so they can rise just a bit in social status? Their disrespect shown to the Lord, His Light, and His Angels? I've heard many a story of poor, starving peasants unable to withstand those filth's honeyed lies. Their desperation attracts the hounds of hell, those fiends of yore, and thus, they enter the contract. We know what happens to those who consort with the Devil, no matter their ignorance of such matters!" I slammed my hand on the podium. "This is a chance for us, can't you all see? A perfect opportunity at the perfect time - this is not a matter of political ambitions to me. This is a matter of moral righteousness. None of you can pretend as if you are not Exorcists because creatures of the night upturned your lives."

"I agree," a man added, unprompted. Ansel seemingly didn't care as long as it didn't devolve into a chaotic mess where people try talking over each other. "My mother was taken by a Vampire. My partner was killed by a Devil. All of you have similar stories, no?" he proclaimed. "I've had a distaste for this self-serving talk we've been having so far. Stop discussing all of these pointless things - instead, discuss how this man and his partner were nearly killed by an enemy that eclipsed them in strength. Instead, discuss how millions are either killed or destined for Hell every year because of the Devils and Vampires. Instead, discuss how our Sacred Gear users are being misled and turned to the side of darkness. This is our chance to prevent all that, no? Haven't we already been opposed to each other? Why act reluctant to do the right thing?"

"Not to play Devil's Advocate myself," the old man from before began, "but -"

"I do not wish to hear your prattle, as disrespectful as I may sound," I shook my head. "It may not follow the discussion format, it may not be 'reasonable' to empty-headed fools, but your words are worthless and disrespectful in their own way. You disrespect scripture and His word, you disrespect all those whom the creatures of the night have brutalized, murdered, raped, robbed and condemned - you disrespect me! Are we not all soldiers of Christ? There is nothing to fear, as that woman said! The Lord favors us!"

The crowd got riled up enough at my words that Ansel had to quiet them down.

"That is true," a black-haired, stocky man began after the stadium's order had been restored, "but how can we be sure of winning?"

"Look at history!" I replied, gesturing wildly. "Did we not win the Great War?! Did we not win nearly every skirmish we've ever had with that heathen land!? You needn't even look back too far - two days ago, an Exorcist on his first mission drove off an elden High-Class Bishop! How can we cower in fear to face the enemies of the Lord! Did Lady Gabriel not pulverize Sodom and Gomorrah with her almighty strength?! Did Lord Michael not cast down Lucifer with nothing but his right hand!? We exterminated half of their haughty clans in that ancient war!"

"You fail to recognize something, despite including it in every feat," a woman began. "That was all the work of the Angels. Not us."

"You fail to recognize something in turn, harlot," I replied. "We are the tip of the spear the Lord raises against that vile rampart of sin we call the Underworld - the pigsty where He razed Devilkind's cities and villages and towns in that ancient war. You downplay humanity as much as those arrogant, pompous creatures of the night do. Allow me to make something clear, something that ignorant, pretentious buffoons pretending to be politicians seem to forget."

I cleared my throat.

"We are the last bastion of faith in this world! We are the soldiers of Christ, the everlasting crusaders, the zealots of Christendom! We battle in the dark so the innocent masses can live in the light! No matter the sacrifices necessary, no matter their numbers, no matter their perceived strength, no matter their desperate lamentations to the same Messiah whom they had forsaken and scorned - justice divine doth smite them with its hammer! And we are that mighty bludgeon! We are that cudgel of steadfast faith! The vanguard against the degenerates who bow their heads to the false prophets, abandoning their very race, blackening their souls with demonic essence! No one can devalue our loyalty! No one can sneer at our dedication! If the Devils so wish to act as the harbingers of bloodshed, we must take it in stride and retaliate! Remember our glorious past, and create a glorious future - one where parents need not fear of Vampires snatching away their progeny, one where men of the cloth need not fear the temptation of succubi, one where the world need not fear that scourge of a lineage!"

The stadium went silent, and I continued.

"Do you still wish to cower so? Did Christ not declare to follow in His footsteps? If so, remember when he drove out the evil spirits! Remember when he banished the demons! Remember when he cleansed men of their infernal influence! Remember when he championed justice! Remember that humility poisons pride, chastity defangs lust, temperance bridles gluttony, charity overpowers greed, diligence overcomes sloth, patience outlasts envy, and kindness conquers wrath! For every vile demon who encapsulates each of those Deadly Sins, we have countless Angels and Exorcists who will take up arms at a moment's notice! Even if I entertain the misguided notion that we are too weak to make a difference, what does it matter? Did Christ teach us to falter when there is adversity? Did the martyrs set the example of not making sacrifices? Every facet of our faith demands that we hoist up the whole armor of God so that we may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil, just as the Book of Ephesians says!"

The crowd remained silent.

"So, what say ye? Shall we cower, or shall we uphold our namesake as defenders of the faith? Shall we grovel at the feet of the forces of evil, those malevolent fiends, or shall we stand in opposition to their satanic march? Shall we tremble, shake and quake at the thought of putting ourselves in danger, or shall we make history and become the generation of Exorcists to rout and vanquish the bestial, barbarous hordes of Hell?"

And, after another moment's silence, the crowd exploded in cheers and affirmations.

These souls just might be welcomed to paradise.

And it's all thanks to my use of a voice augmentation spell to make my voice louder and more majestic.

I truly am the Chosen One.

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I like the mix of things in this chapter. There's (I hope) easily digestible 'politics/world building', zealotry, what I think to be decent dialogue, and that grandiose speech. It was enjoyable to write, and I hope it was enjoyable to read.

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