The tavern was lively but there was something unnatural about it. As if the people had naturally divided themselves into two groups that didn't want to interact with each other. There was no apprehension or other form of malice, but rather one of those groups simply decided the other needed space. Besides, the tavern naturally allowed for such an arrangement. The lower floor was occupied by people dancing, singing, and celebrating in other ways. They drank, ate, and had a great time. Upstairs, on a broad overlook that allowed one to see what was happening below, sat more people who just came to talk. They sat in groups of various sizes, small and intimate to larger clutches, but all of them seemed to be more serious or even looked worried about something.

  That something was an unclear and uncertain future.

  They were of all races of Arcadia and across all age groups. Well, excluding children and teens who were all celebrating below. They were people who couldn't exactly find their place in the post-war reality. There were a few Guardsmen, gathered around the largest table. In fact, they had pushed together three other tables to make a horseshoe, of a sort, and they were drinking and eating, but mostly drinking. It wasn't a celebration but they weren't drinking to pass out either. At the nearby table, a group of four Dwarves and two Wolfkin were discussing something. Despite the loud music, their voices were loud enough for others nearby to hear.

  "I'm telling you, Gil, we are going to find ourselves another job." One of the Wolfkin leaned over the table. More precisely, he slumped over it and put his head on his folded arms.

  "I don't know, man..." One of the Dwarves sighed. "There are no signs of our contract being terminated."

  "No signs?" Another Dwarf took a sip of his ale and shook his head in disbelief. "The war is over! What kind of sign do you expect?"

  "Look, we received our pay as normal, so what can I say?" Gil nervously defended himself.

  "What do you guys think about it?!" The other Wolfkin shouted towards the soldiers who gave them a flat look.

  "If you want to talk, just come over here, we won't yell like some animals!" One of the soldiers yelled back.

  "But bring your table with you!" Added another.

  "And your ale!" Added the first one in amusement.

  The Dwarves and Wolfkins looked at each other, considering, but then they stood up and pushed their table to join the soldiers and form a square.

  "So..." The Wolfkin eagerly inquired. "If anyone has any news, it would be you. Have you heard anything about demobilisation?"

  "That's the thing! Nothing!" One of the oldest soldiers took a long sip of his mug.

  "Not even in other units!" Another one added.

  "That's certainly strange." An Elf took an empty seat and placed a large ale barrel on the table.

  Everyone looked at him but he just smiled widely and tapped with his empty pint glass at the top of the keg.

  "Private!" The oldest soldier called to one of his soldiers who started laughing.

  "Yes, Sir!" He stood up, opened the keg, and started pouring beer for everyone around.

  Meanwhile, the Dwarves called for one of the waitresses and ordered. The older soldiers moved closer and sat down with a serious face.

  "Thank you, Sir."

  "Don't mention it." The Elf said with a wave of his hand. "I can do that much for you. Anyway, you said that you didn’t have demobilisation orders?"

  "No." The Guardsmen in the rank of a captain confirmed. "But I know that some units received orders to release their people on a two-month-long vacation."

  'Ahhh... So there it is." The Wolfkin triumphed, but his expression was bitter. "A layoff but under another name."

  "You see that's the trick! They are still being paid." The Sergeant shook his head in disagreement.

  "My brother told me that he received new deployment orders and he doesn't know if he should accept them or not." The Elf took a sip of the excellent beer. "He is afraid that if he refuses, they will find someone else and he might be omitted the next time."

  "Yeah... The Regiments are receiving orders to send their personnel on vacation in rotation. I don't know what the High Command is thinking." The Captain looked in shock at the waitress as she placed a large plate with cold meats in front of him. "I'm sorry, Miss, but we didn't order..."

  "But we did!" The Dwarf waved his hand dismissively and thanked her as she placed another one in front of him. He dropped her a few silver coins and her eyes sparked with joy as he added. "Rest for you."

  "Thank you, Sir!" The woman said and quickly moved to another table.

  "As I said, we had not received any orders." The Captain sighed and helped himself to a slice of ham. "I heard some rumours about new orders for the people stationed in Everlight but I can't confirm anything. It looks like the Command issued separate orders for married and unmarried Guardsmen."

  "Oh?" The Sergeant straightened. "And you didn't tell me about that, Rick?"

  "Because the rumours sounded stupid, that's it." Captain Rick shrugged and took a sip of his beer.

  "So?" The Sergeant looked at the Captain with disapproval while the remaining listeners leaned forward to hear better.

  "Ah, fine. But don't complain that this rumour is stupid later!" Rick put his mug on the table. "So the married soldiers will continue to serve as they were, garrisoned in the cities, you know... Standard stuff. But the unmarried soldiers, supposedly, received orders that they will work in rotation. One week on duty, mostly patrolling outside the cities, and then one week break. Strange, don't you think?"

  "Well..." The Sergeant hesitated with a smile. "But that makes sense to me."

  "Oh, really!?" The Captain gave the other Human an incredulous gaze. "Enlighten me then! How does that make any sense!?"

  "Well... You know that my wife is pregnant." The Sergeant smiled happily and his Captain nodded but without much understanding. "If we receive similar orders, I will return home every day. That's far more comfortable for the family than the prospect of disappearing for days or weeks. On the other hand, you wouldn't really care if your patrol took an entire week followed by a one-week break, right Rick?"

  The Captain rubbed his chin and nodded reluctantly. "I think so?"

  "What about you?" The sergeant looked at the civilians.

  "We make arrows for the army." The Dwarf admitted. "Now that the war is over, we don't really know what to do. What will happen with our contract?"

  "Hmmm..." The Captain scratched the side of his head. "I wouldn't be that concerned... I know that the special forces and the elite Guardsmen battalions are using a new ranged weapon. I have no idea if it will phase out bows and crossbows among soldiers but only the military will get it. It’s not for civilians."

  "Don't worry about it." Said another lonely man who sat at a nearby table. "That weapon is far superior to a bow but serves a completely different role. Nothing can beat specialised arrows."

  "Really?" The Wolfkin turned to the man and then made room at their table.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  The man smiled at them and accepted the invitation. He was a tall and muscular Human with his red hair trimmed short. However, his beard was intricately braided in a Dwarven manner.

  "How do you know?" The Dwarf asked with curiosity.

  "I guess you have to trust me." He laughed briefly, flashing his badge with an Inquisitorial crest, causing the others to chuckle. "The thing is, bows give you a lot of advantages. It's not as simple as saying that the new weapon is better or the bow is better. It would be like comparing a ballista and a catapult. They both are ranged siege weapons but serve totally different purposes."

  "So the demand for arrows won't change?" The Dwarf asked.

  "It will." The Inquisitor shrugged. "But I wouldn't be that concerned, if I were you. While basic arrows will certainly dip in demand, specialised arrows could even gain popularity."

  "Legionnaires are still going to use arrows." Captain Rick pointed out and took a long sip.

  "Yeah."

  ???

  I was shamelessly eavesdropping on the conversation as I drank a cold beer. I had managed to sneak out of my office and wanted to hear what my people were thinking. It looked like they didn't believe me when I told them that I didn't plan to dissolve the army. On the other hand, there was a happy camaraderie between the people of Arcadia. I stood up and tossed the waitress a gold coin before I slowly walked towards the exit. The people on the ground floor cheered and danced, carefree and happy. For them, the most important thing was that the war was over. Despite the crowd downstairs, no one bothered me on my way to the exit. As I closed the doors behind me, the music and noises stayed behind. In front of me was a bustling street that was full of people despite the late hour. Avalon was a nightless city after all. It was a city that never truly slept but perhaps that would change now.

  "You seemed bothered," Zeus said as he came from behind the corner.

  He wore a long, classy green cloak slightly covering his face under a hood. A silver clasp in the shape of a thunderbolt neatly gathered his cloak. It gave him a little bit of privacy, muting his natural aura that forced nearly every Mortal to kneel.

  "Not bothered... Maybe slightly concerned." I shrugged as I put my hands in my pockets. "But that's something unavoidable, I think."

  "Maybe. The people will always be uncertain during times like these." Zeus followed me down the street. "I bet that many of them would be worried if their livelihoods were in danger."

  "I mean... Some businesses will, inevitably, fail if their owners focus exclusively on a single contractor. In this case the army." I rubbed the back of my head.

  The people passing by were chatting cheerfully and only an occasional few wore serious faces. I enjoyed the sight. My Empire... How does that even sound? And yet, even though it sounded silly to me, it was true. I built it. My people were growing it now. They deserved peace and prosperity.

  "They will. But you can't protect them from being short-sighted. I know that you prefer to let the market regulate itself, but Empress Mia is doing a much better job than you in that regard. I suggest you don't mess with her." The last sentence was almost whispered.

  "Are you... Afraid of her?" I gave him an incredulous gaze.

  "Mia is terrifying, why wouldn't I be?! I was raided by the Imperial Revenue Service yesterday!" He groaned. "Because of Hera! She snitched on me!"

  I started laughing.

  "It isn't funny! Calculating taxes is not that easy!" He complained. "I checked them three times, consulted with my head priest, and we were sure they were fine! But noooo! Hera got pissed because I included both our deductions from my tax. It was a mistake! I apologised!"

  "Did you receive a fine or something?" I shook my head in amusement.

  A being who was considered a deity just had a meltdown because of taxes. Quite funny in my opinion.

  "Only a warning this time. But next time, I might even face a trial for tax evasion!" Zeus cringed.

  "My deepest sympathies or something." I patted his shoulder. "What is your plan now?"

  "Fuck it. I'm not doing that shit anymore. I hired an accountant." He answered absolutely seriously.

  "I expected you to try to argue that deities shouldn't pay taxes." I laughed. "I'm glad you realise the inevitability of taxes."

  "That's one answer." He rubbed his head and sighed. "But the other is modeling a good example. I learnt the hard way that if I stop behaving decently, my followers will try to copy me. I can pay taxes, sure thing. I don't need that much money anyway."

  "Hmmm... How much are you paying your priests?" I asked with curiosity.

  "What?" He stopped and looked at me with horror painted on his face.

  "You know what... I'll just ask Mia to send you a consultant. It looks like you really need to establish an organisation before your own temple structures collapse under mismanagement." I waved my hand.

  "This isn't funny, Theon." He said seriously as we entered the metro station.

  "It's not." I agreed with seriousness as we bought tickets for our ride from one of the many vending machines.

  They were quite simple, just insert the necessary amount of coins, push a button and voilà, it prints your chosen ticket. It was something I was incredibly proud of. We were automating many things and, thanks to that, our people could focus on far more creative or enjoyable activities. I chuckled as I saw another vending machine that was selling a locomotive sickness remedy.

  "But I won't complain." Zeus produced a silver coin and inserted it into the coin slot. A moment later, the magi-tech machine printed him a ticket and dispensed him change. He looked at me seriously. "Arcadia is amazing. The people are thriving, growing, and developing at an unprecedented pace. But... Aren't you afraid that they might turn away from you?"

  "They might." I shrugged. "But not all of them and, believe it or not, I already have a contingency plan ready."

  "Seriously?" Zeus glanced at me as we stopped on the platform.

  Other people saw us but no one could recognise us. The spell we were using muted our voices and placed everyone under a near irresistible suggestion that they shouldn't even notice us in the first place.

  "Yeah." I briefly nodded. "This is my Empire, Zeus. If an individual or even a group tries to challenge my right to rule, I will banish them."

  "Hmm... Quite a lenient approach if you ask me. But where are you going to send them?"

  "The no-man's-land of the western plains." I shrugged.

  A magi-train arrived moments later and a few people exited in a hurry. We lazily entered it and took our positions at the standing spots in the middle of the cart. Zeus leaned over the window with his arms crossed in front of him while I grabbed the horizontal bar over our heads. The train's doors closed soundlessly and we quickly accelerated. Around us, a variety of people were traveling to their destinations. Some of them were hurrying to their homes, some of them were still working, and some appeared as if they were heading straight to a party.

  "Hmmm. You think that will be enough? People are spiteful."

  I shrugged. "I could kill the idiots but that might make them into martyrs. Forcing them to create their own country and watch it fail would be far more beneficial and entertaining."

  "What if their country doesn't fail?" Zeus sighed as the train stopped at the next station.

  "Oh please..." I chuckled.

  It was late and the few remaining people left the train cart and no one new entered. We were alone.

  "Right." He nodded as the doors closed with a suddenly ominous click.

  "But let's admit it, such a rebellion wouldn't happen in the near future. Not even in a generation or two." I looked around. "Right now, people are happy."

  "But you plan for another war." Zeus lowered his gaze. "Ibrevell."

  "Recently, I changed my mind." I shrugged.

  "But you sent Jester and, basically, ruined their intelligence network. That looks like preparation for a war, in my opinion."

  "I planned to kill everyone who threatened Irene and attacked her and Hestia," I admitted. "However, recently Irene asked me to leave Ibrevell to her. She wants to destroy it herself. She doesn't want to conquer it by the might of our army. She wants it to cease to exist as an entity level of destruction. While I prefer direct and more immediate actions, I agreed."

  "That’s it?"

  "That's it. I'll leave them to Irene." I agreed with a smile. "In a span of a few months, maybe years, I'm going to normalise our relationship with the south. I will start some minimal interactions with them. I would like to get a few years of peace."

  "That's understandable." Zeus nodded. "But Ibrevell will be a constant threat to that peace."

  "It will." I nodded. "I'm not stupid and I know that, sooner or later, I will wage another war. But using that logic I should conquer the entire world. So... Should I strike preemptively? Just because I know it's inevitable? I'm not some lunatic that wants to rule the entire world."

  Zeus sighed heavily.

  "It's true. That would make you the classic evil guy." He sadly nodded and, after a while, he brightened. "If you let Ibrevell exist as it is, people would have a constant reminder that rebelling against you is a stupid idea. They might end up with someone like the Ibrevellian Elves as their new rulers."

  I just sadly smiled. The train stopped and we left our car available to refill with more usual riders. This metro station was far more crowded than other stations passed earlier but it wasn't a surprise. Avalon Main Square was always crowded. During the day, it was full of people who attended guilds, conducting their business at Triskelion, or just tourists who wanted to see one of many sightseeing spots in the capital of Arcadia. At night, it was full of people who moved from taverns to pubs or even places I could only call clubs. We stopped outside the station, the still cool but fresh night air filled my lungs as I looked at Zeus.

  "People's memory is fleeting," I said as we slowly turned toward the King's Road. It was a wide road that connected the only gate of the Upper Castle and Palace with the rest of Avalon. "Ibrevell can, at least, serve as a grim reminder that freedom is not granted. That is, for as long as it survives Irene's revenge."

  I wish you all a great day and as always I wait for your comments.

  A big thanks to who edited the chapter!

  The map of Aderon is on my Discord :)

  https://discord.gg/G6SVrBeDdG