A warm wind blew through the opened window, letting in the scent of flowers from the Royal Garden. The sweet smell of early roses and many other flowers made me draw a deep breath. It's been three days since Lavender had asked me to allow her to stay in Avalon, and ultimately, I had agreed. Since then, she had been working without a break alongside Irene and Hestia to salvage as many crops as possible. I couldn't help but admire her resolve, but finally, I had to put a stop to it since she overextended herself too much. After spending some time with her, she finally was able to act more naturally, and during one of the discussions with her, I realized just how invaluable her knowledge was. Her insight into agriculture, sylviculture, and even farm animals far exceeded Ian's. I was astonished by her on many occasions, and very quickly, I realised that I simply liked her.

But unfortunately, my days couldn't be spent on carefree chats and living a slow life. From the very beginning of this war, or even from my first moments in Nilmerthis, I knew that my mission of saving this world wouldn't be an easy one. When I met Amber for the first time, I had no idea how I should even proceed with that grandiose task. I was powerful without any doubt, but my influence was limited only to the area that was occupied by my castle. So, looking back then, I was going nowhere, and I was sure as hell that all my problems wouldn't simply come to me, either. The first and very short-lived idea was to send Amber to post a quest to be fulfilled inside Avalon. When it turned out that adventurers were already waiting to delve into Avalon, I was very happy to hear that. I quickly did everything to bait as many of them as I could so they would stay. In hopes of strengthening them and using them as my emissaries, I wished to start an avalanche that would change and ultimately save the world. However, the constant threats and attacks I faced during that time made me take more direct actions. The army of Avalon was born at first as the means to repel the attacks of the hostile dungeons, and later on, when it was clear that Cridia would attack me, the army was reinforced as a defensive force against my enemies. If I already had an army, the way to save this world was obvious. If I thought about it now, Eriar was most likely thinking about something like that from the beginning. What would be the point of sending out people like Amber, who was very dear to me, only to likely get them killed by the overwhelming forces of my enemies? The Immortal Legions are far better suited for such a role...

The war in Cridia was progressing slowly, without significant setbacks. Like most of the pre-industrial wars, it consisted of long periods of relative calmness and tedious relocation from place to place that culminated in brief moments of battle. Cridia was a big country without a developed road network. Its villages, small towns, and even simple settlements were often cut off from the wider kingdom by the wilderness, which crossing was a perilous endeavour. More often than not, my forces had to waste time reaching the remote settlement only to discover its inhabitants were living separately from the kingdom for so long that even the tax collectors forgot about them. To be honest, that was impressive on its own. Such people had little to no loyalty to the Kingdom of Cridia, but they were also not very welcoming to my rule, which they perceived as just another oppression from a different tyrant.

I couldn't blame them for their resentment and unwillingness to accept me as their King. But the circumstances changed as if the world seemed to take a deep breath and wait for the outcome of this very war. All these remote settlements were given the promise that soon enough, the Kingdom of Avalon would connect them with roads and provide the help they needed. For now, my forces departed without asking for anything after informing them that the Eagles of Avalon would be patrolling the area. They could provide means of communication with the other settlements as well as ask for help if they ever needed it. This simple gesture of goodwill was enough to calm the locals and even made them excited to restore the bonds that seemed to be severed by prolonged isolation. Ultimately, using the Eagles as couriers cost me less than nothing, as I won small but significant favour with the people who had been forced to live in the middle of nowhere for causes long lost to time and reason. I gave them hope, which was a good start.

I took a deep breath, and after closing my eyes, I returned to my work. The incomprehensible amount of reports, analyses, requisition, and acquisition lists, as well as regular reports, were necessary for the functioning of my Kingdom, and were it not for my Noble Slimes and, surprisingly, my Living Armours, I would have to put the computers of the late XXI century to work. The Noble Slimes could process literal mountains of reports and simplify them to a single form that was comprehensible for my wives. The Queens of Avalon needed various information to fulfil their duties and help me with the administration of my growing Kingdom, so it was necessary to give them access to vast amounts of data. The Living Armours' memory capacity was so absurdly huge that it also could have been considered infinite. Their lack of intelligence was not a significant problem as well, since my other denizens simply shared their knowledge as long as they were in Avalon proper. With this, the data processing was swift and without fail, with the full report available to be summoned at any time. For once, however, I was glad I was not purely a Human. As the Dungeon Core, my data processing capabilities matched or surpassed those of supercomputers. Once the information reached Avalon, I was fully aware of it without any effort on my side. However, the vocalized report was not only convenient for all those around me, but it also carried the due gravity and significance.

During the time I discovered the surprising qualities of my Living Armours, I made another discovery. One that carried a far bigger impact on my plans than I could have ever imagined. Out of simple curiosity, I checked what was inside the Living Armour. Unsurprisingly, it turned out that Living Armours were empty inside. That obviously raised another question, namely, what would happen if I used the Living Armour as my armour? As it turned out, the reply was far more exciting than I expected. At first, I miserably failed in my attempt to clad myself in the parts of Sentinel. After the Scion put himself together, he explained that what I was attempting was easier to achieve by giving him a simple command. His entire backside slid open in the series of opening panels and latches that were so futuristic that it was almost out of place. After stepping inside, the armour closed, and I was left speechless, realising that I had full and uncontested control over the armour, along with access to its vast memory and weaponry. My stats were boosted as if I was inside a set of power armour, and I finally understood just how insanely valuable the Living Armours were.

And that was just the beginning...

•••

Verni was left as the lead artisan responsible for building the kingdom's roads. In light of recent events, Ragnar had received a task so secret that even Verni, Ian, and Bjorn were not authorised to know what he was working on. Bjorn was redirected to focus on finishing HMS Victory. Then, Ian was recalled back to Avalon since he was needed due to the arrival of Lady Lavender. They worked on the purification of this season's crops as much as possible without endangering the people. That really left them in a tight spot. However, the amount of people who were eager to work on this project raised their spirits. For now, they were amassing a large amount of stones and dwarven clay, or as King Theon called it, concrete. The untold amounts of materials, tools, and supplies needed, along with all the planning and logistics to complete the process of connecting all the settlements within the Kingdom, were all crucial for their success. They spent days studying maps that were updated daily with new data, reviewing all the details for their infrastructure projects.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

The concepts of how to build the roads themselves were as diverse as the teams tasked with brainstorming the problem. King Theon did not expect them to create something inferior just because they were in a needless hurry, so they took their time. The scripts provided by the King were invaluable sources of inspiration and gave the engineering teams an insight they lacked. Day after day, they iterated the projects and clashed the ideas, slowly but surely reaching a consensus that would change the lives of thousands, if not millions of people forever. The other teams designed entirely new tools and useful magitech machines that would greatly aid the construction process. The last team was responsible for providing fluent logistics for this grand endeavour. From securing the lodgings and food for workers to sending adventurers' parties on scout missions at the already approved locations to check for any unexpected activities or monster presence, they did it all.

Everyone involved already knew that even using magic and the great skills of the restless denizens of Avalon, building the road networks would be the work of a lifetime and for a lifetime...

•••

Ragnar looked at the plans provided by his King and trembled. As a proud artisan, he was more than willing to put his skills to the test and build it. But there was a part of his soul that was mortified by the sheer power of this particular war engine. The beauty of the golem he was tasked to build was simply breathtaking, but the modifications and alternations implemented inside the otherwise simple magic core made this menacing engine of war something more than a simple tool. His team of seasoned blacksmiths had been working in secret for the last week, and the work was moving steadily forward. It would take weeks, if not months, for his army of blacksmiths and worker denizens to finish the work. They would deplete the reserves of all metals to the point that arming the next legion would be nigh impossible. They would also consume the reserves of gold, silver, and the highest grade of gemstones, which Ragnar found rather amusing. All the other rulers would hoard these precious items, but for King Theon, they were just materials. Gold and silver were used to craft the highest grades of the most complicated runes, while gemstones were materials to craft the most efficient mana storages.

Ragnar, however, was not concerned with the forging process but with the ingenious modifications employed by King Theon. Why had no one thought about this before? How was that even possible? He shuddered once more, looking at the towering titan of war made from the Steel of Avalon and clad in armour made of Orichalcum, coated with gold and silver. The Orichalcum, after forging, changed its colour from greenish to a dark, almost navy blue, with a turquoise and azure hue to it. Its dark armour was painted with the blue and white of Avalon, which made it look more like an enormous warrior than a sloppy Siege Golem normally built these days. The incredibly thick and heavy armour made this Golem nigh but impervious to any form of attack that would be directed at it, except for only the most powerful and massive battle spells or weaponry of similar output as its own. However, even such firepower could be not enough to slay this herald of wrath, as it was outfitted with shield runes that would shrug off most of the grand magic and withstand even a furious barrage of airship magi-cannons.

This Siege Golem, as far as Ragnar knew, was armed for the first time in the history of Nilmerthis with the weaponry usually associated with the biggest naval vessels or placed on the mightiest of fortifications. The mighty, twin-linked, oversized magi-cannons replaced its left forearm, and the right one, while at first glance appeared normal, had a wrist-mounted, rotating runic bracelet that allowed it to use seven different combat spells. The claws of the right hand were carefully forged by Ragnar himself and inlaid with runes of power, allowing them to shred through the walls of strongholds and enemy golems like they were made of paper. On both shoulders were mounted multi-barreled magi-bolt launchers that could use various munitions. The tinier weapons systems, which almost blended in with the more massive ones, were hidden in various crevices of the Siege Golem, providing sufficient protection on either side from smaller threats like people or monsters foolish enough to approach this behemoth.

The most satisfying aspect of this Siege Golem, however, was that its greatest weakness had been turned into its strength. Until now, Siege Golems were heavily dependent on their summoners who guided their movements and actions. However, once the summoner was killed, the Golem could only stride forward or indefinitely repeat the last order given by its master. The Golem built by Ragnar was devoid of this weakness because the Golem's Master was seated safely inside the massive hull, driving forth its massive frame as it used the newly discovered properties of the Living Armours. The fusion of the Dungeon's denizen with the Golem would not only allow the use of the thirty-five-metre-tall Siege Golem as effectively as possible but would also prevent it from being captured or stolen. The mana usage of this monstrous weapon was tremendous, however, as it used the mana storage crystals with a capacity of millions of mana points to power up all of its arcana weaponry, defence, and support systems. It needed two Cores to generate enough power to move its massive body without relying on the mana reserves, but it was even possible that a third Core might be needed to do the trick. Due to its size, variety of weaponry, and sheer complication of the magic formulas woven into the magic matrix, a crew of four other people besides the Pilot, as King Theon called the Golem Master, was needed. They all had to possess huge mana reserves, so it was clear that only a selected few would be destined to walk this avatar of Avalon's wrath.

Ragnar raised his head from the plans and schematics and trembled again, this time from satisfaction. As far as the King explained, he was inspired by the work of fiction of his previous world, but here it may come true. Ragnar agreed with his King. It was Ragnar’s hand that had created this Siege Golem that would stride the most perilous battlefields and break open previously unconquerable fortresses and cities. The plan before him had its name crossed out by a single line, with a new name listed to replace the old one. The intricately written name Dauntless Wrath had been unceremoniously changed by King Theon himself to one far better suited for the colossus of war, in the Dwarf's opinion. Ragnar smiled as he looked at the report, saying that Queen Josla had at least ten more Siege Golems at her disposal. He wanted to witness that battle.

Woe to their foes, for when King Theon would unleash Avalon's Wrath, the Battle Titan of Avalon, the first of its kind, all would fall in its wake.