The Castle in the middle of nowhere.

Two days later, Dauntless reached the border. The ship was fast, but I wasn't that shocked about its speed. After all, the Iowa class, on paper, was two times faster than Victory. In a practical sense, the battleship was even faster since it wasn't dependent on wind power. Even with the spell-assisted flight, the sailship needed some wind to operate, while Dauntless did not need it at all, thanks to its propulsion system. The twins spent most of that time speaking with their mother using the magi-radio. They chatted while Ian tried to measure the radio's effective range and the already-established relay network. I was baffled by the discovery that Ian had translated most of the technology that made the Iowa class a formidable battleship into magitech. Once he and his team could comprehend the idea and inner workings of any of the systems, they were able to build a magic analogue of said system. Once finished, they slapped the 'magi' prefix into the item and moved on. Of course, some systems were far beyond their reach. Building ballistic computers or automated fire control systems was a challenge, even with the help of magic.

Or, at least, so I thought...

"The answer is golems, sir!" The doors swing open on the full throttle, slamming hard into the wall of my office.

"Rather, I think you should rather yell ‘Eureka!’" I rubbed my eyelids. "However, I appreciate that you are not running naked."

"What?" He blinked, suddenly confused.

"Oh, nothing... Or rather a long story. If you are interested, it should be somewhere in the library; look for the scholar Archimedes," I answered, amused. "So? What about golems?"

"We don't need computers, my Lord! We can fuse the golem cores with the living armours, just as we have done with the Titan. The output screens were easy, even holograms are child's play, to be honest, and if we add control to the setup, we don't have to put anyone into the armours," he explained, excited to find a solution to a problem I was unaware existed.

"Calm down..." I sighed. "Ian, we have eight more golem cores, and every one of them was reserved for building a smaller titan to support Avalon's Wrath."

"Oh yeah... I forgot about that." He nodded and rubbed his chin. "Maybe we can try the idea with the pseudo-cores we can build... No, wait!" He stopped paying attention to me, so I half-returned to my work. "If we fuse the ship's core magitech with our pseudo-golem cores magitech, we should be able to..."

He left my office, consumed by his idea, and I sighed. Eva was silently compiling some reports, already used to the various people bursting through the doors now or then. Fortunately, Bjorn made them extra strong, so an occasional blast from crazy inventors, mad scientists, or idea-struck geniuses left them unscathed. However, the wall behind them was much more fragile. It took just three slams like that before I gave up the idea of fixing that wall, replacing it with a solid enchanted stone. I knew that all the structures in any dungeon were self-repairing with time, but the constantly cracked wall in my office was less than appealing.

"My Lord?"

"Yes, Eva?"

"Lord Blair reports that he finished the construction of the primary forts on the western border. He began the construction of the smaller fortlets to increase security."

"I am glad to hear that." I scratched the back of my head with my pen. "But what's the problem then? I know that Blair wouldn't need to brag about something like that."

"He wants more people."

"Uhum... And how exactly am I going to find them?" I exhaled heavily. "It's not like Guardsmen are growing on trees..."

"He wasn't specifically asking for the Guardsmen, my Lord." She stood up and swiftly passed the report. "I think he just wants more settlers."

"Hmmm." I slowly read the paper. "It looks like... You know what? Just send him refugees from Berna. Former slaves don't want to live in the lands they associate only with suffering and pain."

"Wouldn't that create new problems for Lady Elisabeth?"

"Forcing them to stay would create even more problems." I opened my hands powerlessly, and she accepted it as the answer. I leaned back in my chair, looked outside the window, and nodded to myself. "Let's go for a walk, Eva."

"As you wish, my Lord."

•••

The streets of the Middle Castle were busy as usual. We walked down the road, surrounded by the people doing their things. The city was bustling with life, and the atmosphere was light and almost refreshing. The nearby park was full of families, fathers and mothers playing with their children, pushing baby strollers, and indulging themselves in friendly discussions with each other. The occasional Guardsmen patrol was overlooked by many or waved at by excited children. I smiled to myself, seeing the change in my people because now they truly were mine. They were full of hope and resolve to seize the future I promised them. We entered the small square, where the travelling merchants usually set up their stalls. The chatter here was louder as everyone tried their best to advertise their wares. I looked around a few stalls, but I wasn't going to buy anything particular. I found some interestingly shaped glass bottles, a nice set of plates, some good-quality swords, and one stall exclusively selling different tea blends. I took some samples, and we moved on. Eva observed me quietly, trying to understand what I was doing. Spatial storage items became widely available to the general public; they were sold disguised as various daily-use items. It was common to see people using storage rings, pouches, and bags of different sizes and shapes. It became a normal part of life, which made me happy. Not so long ago, most of them had never seen practical magic in daily use, and even the most basic storage item was treated as a holy relic of the bygone era.

I glanced at Eva. "You want to ask something."

"Why are you doing this?" She fixed her straw hat, which someone unintentionally tapped in the crowd at the exit from the market.

"Well... I want to see how the people live. Reading reports isn't good enough; the paper accepts everything written, after all."

"I see."

We stopped near the magi-train station and entered the small coffee shop with a garden overlooking the street. I ordered tea and a slice of strawberry cake while Eva decided to have coffee and cheesecake.

"Tell me, Eva. What else is bothering you?" I asked her after I took a sip of tea. It was good, but I was already spoilt too much by Annika's perfection.

"I don't know..." She sagged a little bit. "When I'm working, everything is fine. But I don't know what to do once I finish for a day."

"It's understandable." I sighed. "Unfortunately, I can't tell you what to do, but I can provide some directions if you want. People naturally look for entertainment to help them relax. Some of them like reading books, others enjoy drawing, and others like talking with others. There are many forms of relaxation or hobbies. I think you should investigate that for yourself."

"It's hard sometimes..." She sighed and finished her cake.

"I'm sorry, Eva. It seems you have only problems since the time I recklessly created you."

She shook her head with a smile. "I'm glad you have created me, Master. Lady Luna told me that all these doubts made me a person, and my struggle proves that I am more than a simple, mindless doll."

I powerlessly looked at the sky and quietly exhaled. On one hand, Luna seemed to accept Eva finally, but on the other, it was evident that she was still passive-aggressive towards her. We finished our order in silence, and after I had paid the bill, we entered the metro-like magi-train system. After a long debate, we changed the initial plans and created a dense, underground network that conveniently connected the various points within the city. Thanks to that, getting anywhere in the city usually took less than ten minutes. We heard the excited conversations around us. As expected, the train was not just a simple novelty but something life-changing. The train tickets were sold in various forms, like day-long tickets, season tickets, and amount of rides tickets so that everyone could choose their preferred option. Even the single-ride tickets, bought directly at the gates before the station entrance, were popular. All forms of tickets were also highly affordable, which promoted trains as the best alternative for moving around Avalon, quickly replacing the communal horse carriages.

We didn't wait long for a magi-train to arrive. For the first time today, I noticed that Eva wasn't looking at me but observing the people around us. We entered the train, which was less overcrowded than I was afraid it would be. I had never seen the final magi-train design before it was completed. With other much more pressing issues, I gave Ian and his team a free pass on many projects. The interior was pleasing and comfortable. It was a strange but highly satisfying mix of the technology of the late XXI century and the Victorian era. It had the familiar layout of probably any metro cart in my old world, but it was not finished with cheap plastic and synthetics but wood and pleasant materials in cheerful colours. The bright but neutral lighting allowed the people to read books during travels, which was a thing. The fledgling newspapers started showing around the Kingdom, and people seemed to enjoy them. That reminded me to prepare myself to regulate that market. While there were no cameras yet, the picture-taking magic was an everyday thing. I promised myself that paparazzi would be in the same category as bards...

The train departed so smoothly that I barely noticed the movement. The tunnels were sturdy and thick, doubling as evacuation bunkers in case of emergency. The fact that I unleashed Avalon's Wrath and HMS Dauntless will inevitably lead to an armaments race at some point shortly. While the shields of Avalon were formidable, they weren't invincible, no matter what some people say. I wanted to prepare myself and the people living in my city for the worst-case scenario. Besides, it's easier to test everything in Avalon. I planned to copy the magi-trains networks eventually and use that system in other dungeon cities and later on in all big cities of Arcadia. We almost reached the next station when I noticed that the train was air-conditioned, and I shook my head in disbelief. Ian and Verni were terrifyingly crafty bastards. When the doors opened, I had to hold back my laughter. So far, the people around us had been wearing casual clothes, but the party that had just entered still wore their adventuring gear. It was extremely amusing to see a Dwarf in full-plate armour, followed by the similarly heavy-armoured Human warrior, a Nekomi wizard, and a Wolfkin priest in their robes casually enter the metro train. They tried their best to clean the gear and not be a burden for anyone else on the train while chatting about their last delve into the Dungeon areas, which quickly changed into a friendly quarrel about where the group was going for a meal. The surreality of the situation made me smile warmly.

We left at the next station and headed towards the exit. The brightly lit hall ended with the staircase we scaled up. It was wide and clean, with railings on the wall and in the middle, dividing the traffic according to their direction. As soon as we reached the top of the stairs, we were approached by two Guardsmen and an Inquisitor who stopped us.

"Excuse us, Sir, Miss. Can you inform us of the reason why you are concealing your true identity?" The brightly smiled Inquisitor asked calmly while the Guardsmen flanked us on both sides.

"To prevent unnecessary scenes, officer," I replied with a smile. "I can guarantee you that the moment I drop my disguise, you will be very unhappy with additional work."

"What about you, miss?" The Elf looked at Eva, unimpressed by my response but maintaining his friendly smile.

"Oh, my real identity is not that important. I just follow the King's order," Eva replied in a way that no one but us could hear.

That took the Inquisitor aback. He gave me a second, incredulous look, and I smiled warmly, lowering my voice. "I'm indeed Theon Avalon. But don't you dare to say anything or betray who I am, or you will discover all the horrors of handling the paperwork of an unexpected large-scale event."

"Yes, sir." He smiled and paled a bit.

"Don't worry. You are just doing your job, and you are doing it great, boys." I nodded with an approving smile. Upon seeing it, they happily straightened. "However, who ordered to check for people in disguise?"

"If you, my Lord, have not issued that order, then I believe it must have come from Queen Luna or Queen Aoi. But the direct order came from Lord General Ban himself. While it's not strictly forbidden to wear a disguise, we were ordered to check such people, Sir," one of the Guardsmen answered with a lowered voice.

"It's a good idea, so you can proceed." I smiled and slightly raised my voice. "Is that everything, officer?"

"Of course, Sir! We bid you both a good afternoon!" he replied with a smile, and they left.

“It's strange that the Inquisitor could not tell our true identities. He was a very high level.”

“That's the point of disguise skill…” I smiled. “However, it's true that my skills are a bit special. They are race-specific, you can say, available only to me as a Dungeon Core. But I'm glad our soldiers can identify disguised individuals. If they could see through my skill, I'm sure they will catch almost everyone else.”

“I will ask Stella to provide the report about the various disguise skills for Inquisitors. They might need it,” she mused, and I simply nodded, occupied by another thought.

"Eva? Were you aware of such an order?" I asked when the trio moved away.

"No, sir. However, I didn't sense any lie."

"Me either..." I closed my eyes and quickly asked the question through the maids to Luna and Aoi. After a moment, I smiled. "It's Aoi's order. She issued it this morning as an emergency countermeasure. It looks like the person responsible for blackmailing the cooks in the Metaka's embassy was someone working there. Every time that person met with those three, they disguised themselves."

"We are investigating that incident? I thought it was Metakan's internal affair." Eva gave me a skeptical look.

"Well, it still is. But it wouldn't hurt to learn from someone else's mistakes, would it?" I put my hands into my pockets and resumed my march towards the Guild's Square. Eva nodded with an approving smile and followed by my side. "The issue with the diplomats is always the same; you simply have to assume that most of them are spies. While we can monitor their affairs and businesses conducted with us, their internal workings and safekeeping are out of our scope. In this case, the Metakans were responsible for allowing such people to be employed in the embassy in the first place. They are also at fault for not periodically checking the loyalty of their staff, but… Perhaps they are unable to do so. Aoi wants to slip an Inquisitor and deal with that problem discreetly, but I will ask Dahlia to visit Cassmira officially. I think the Princess will quickly capitalise on the opportunity..."