While the two hundred new Hollows of the Praetorian Guard executed maneuvers in the central courtyard, one of them suddenly came to a halt. The sound of his bone boots against the ground ceased, creating a vacuum of silence. His aura, which until then had been a mist of collective discipline, began to condense into a pillar of grey-blue light.
Sirzechs and Grayfia, supervising the inspection of the new Military District, approached. Under the watchful eye of the Ice Queen, the soldier's bone armor fused to his body, and his mask cracked with a dry snap, revealing a face of stern features, a square jaw, and black hair cropped short in a classic military style.
«Notice. Praetorian Class individual has completed Tactical Individuation.» «Race: Homo-Hollow (Avalon Variant)... Success.» «Naming: Dietrich... Confirmed.» «Skill Acquired: [Eye of Judgment / Absolute Command]. Profession: Field Marshal and Director of Security.»
Dietrich opened his eyes—of a frozen grey that rivaled Grayfia's—and struck his fist against his chest, making his armor ring. On his left cheek, a mask fragment shaped like a battle scar remained as a reminder of his nature.
"My Sovereign. Lady Grayfia." His voice was like the impact of metal upon stone. "The Guard is ready for the transition. Disorder is the first step toward ruin, and I will not allow a single shadow to move out of place in Avalon."
Grayfia handed Dietrich a metal clipboard.
"Field Marshal Dietrich, here are the sanitary inspection reports your soldiers must apply across all districts. Security is not merely against swords, but against negligence."
From that moment on, Avalon's dynamics shifted. Dietrich was not just a soldier; he was the armed wing of Grayfia's bureaucracy. Together, they formed a fearsome duo. While Grayfia audited the ministries, Dietrich and his 200 men patrolled the streets, ensuring the Residential Code of Conduct was followed to the letter.
Sirzechs focused on Infrastructure Expansion. With the Military District complete, he manifested the Imperial Aqueduct, a magnificent feat of engineering that brought crystal-clear water from the nearby mountains directly to the fountains and homes of Avalon. The city now possessed an underground sewage system that would make any Roman engineer proud.
However, with progress came the "Paperwork Enemy" in its most aggressive form. Dietrich introduced the Internal Traffic Regulation, requiring even Benedict's bread carts to have identification plates and fixed circulation schedules so as not to obstruct the guard's marches.
"Dietrich and Grayfia together are a logistical nightmare," Sirzechs commented as he signed the thousandth form for a "License for the Circulation of Consumer Goods." "They've turned Avalon into a Swiss watch. If someone sneezes without permission, Dietrich files a report and Grayfia issues a fine."
"It is the beauty of functionality, My Lord," Grayfia replied, without looking up from her accounting. "Dietrich reported that since the implementation of the Military District, response time for any neighborhood dispute has dropped to 45 seconds."
Avalon was now a fortress of marble and iron. The elite of thirty Homo-Hollows, the hundred second-generation citizens in their ministries, and Dietrich's two hundred guards formed a stratified and efficient society. At the border, Alistair smiled as he saw foreign merchants arrive: they were terrified by the precision of Dietrich's guards, but enchanted by the luxury of Sirzechs' infrastructure.
The nation was ready for the next step. But the question hanging in the air was: what would happen when this perfect clockwork met the unpredictable chaos of the outside world?
Note: The following transition sets the stage for the next arc. Treyni, the Dryad Guardian, is acting on her own out of pure curiosity and shock at seeing Jura's ecology altered by a race she cannot identify.
Author's Note:
Avalon is now a Tier-1 Military and Civil power. But perfection attracts attention. Treyni, the Forest Guardian, has noticed that the 'White Mirage' isn't just a dream—it's a bureaucratic empire. How will the Dryad react to being asked for a 'Visitor's Permit' by a Field Marshal?