The Mechanical Era

The sun shines once again on the city of Hoverdam. In the quiet, palace kitchen, chef Benvolio crosses out '25' on the calendar. He then orders his chefs to make the king his black coffee, the way he wants it.

They first roast the coffee beans in an open flame until they turn dark brown and begin to crackle. The roasted beans are then poured into a pestle, where it is grounded to a coarse powder using a mortar. While one chef crushed the powder, another chef filled the coffee pot with cold water and placed it in a fire for it to boil.

Once the coffee powder was ready, Benvolio poured it into the pot and firmly stirred it inside the boiling water. They let the coffee brew for a few minutes, before removing the pot from the fire. They let it settle for 2 minutes, then pour it into the cup. They then place it on the saucer, where the rest of his food is.

The food is then delivered to the dining table, where Kant sits alone in his black suit, patiently waiting. Using his silverware, he quickly eats his breakfast, and drinks his bitter black coffee with ease, containing 200mg of coffee, keeping him awake for the rest of the day till midnight. Once he finishes, he gets up, wipes his mouth, and walks over to his office, where he had the rest of the coffee delivered in the pot, like usual.

He sits down on his swivel chair, expecting a knock on his door in about 3 minutes. While he waits, he takes out a book and starts reading it through. It was a book regarding structures, military structures, and how they used to work. Soon enough, he makes it. Alan bows to Kant, before sitting down on the chair.

"Good morning minister. Do you have the letters I need?" Kant questions. Alan opens up his briefcase and hands over half a dozen envelopes to Kant. He opens them one by one, neatly cutting the entrance using a small sharp knife hidden in his drawer. Kant carefully reads through every one of them, before keeping them back down.

Arrange the meeting with the OSAC group on the 28th. I would like to visit the brick factory on the 27th. I want to make sure that they can produce the quantities needed before moving on ahead with construction."

"If you say so, sir. Is there anything else you would like to ask?"

"Two. First, when do you think a response from the T.I.C. will arrive?"

"I am not sure, sir. However, what I can say is that they might have revived the letter on the 24th. So depending on how fast they can respond, the earliest that we may get one back is on the 27th or 28th."

"Very well. Now, the second question. Can you summon Knight Silverstone and Knight Commander Kristina? There is a matter that we need to discuss?"

"Is it about the new branches, sir?"

"Yes. It is."

"Alright. I will get them." Alan stands up and leaves the room. In the meantime, Kant gets a maid to bring over one more chair for them, so that the 4 of them could have a productive conversation. Once the wooden chairs have been brought over, Kant gets the files from his cabinet to present to the two.

He first grabbed a red file, placed it on the desk, and checked to see if it was the right one. Once he confirms that it is the correct file containing the correct charter, he takes out the blue file residing just behind it and neatly places it on top of each other. Kant then sits down, adjusts his tie, and waits.

Soon enough, there was a knock on the door. Kant consents and Kristina, Silverstone, and Alan walks right into the room. They all bowed in front of him and sits on the chair. Kristina and Silverstone took the two chairs next to each other, while Alan sat on the chair to the left of Kant's desk.

"So... what brings us here, sir?" Silverstone questions first, followed by Kristina, who was a little uncomfortable with Kant.

"Yes, what is it that you want from us?" she asked.

"I have made a decision to reform the current military structure of the kingdom, and it is about time that you two hear about it." The two sat straighter in their chairs upon hearing the news.

"A new branch of government will be formed, named the Hoverdam Armed Forces, with its commander-in-chief being... me. However, considering my other responsibilities, I will need someone to oversee the entire military and advise me on military matters.

Now, considering I am trying to find a good Secretary of Defense, I am temporarily assigning the role to you, Silvester Silverstone. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir, I do," Silverstone replied. As the conversation continued, Kristina's heart starts to beat a little faster, wondering if this is where she gets the boot.

"Good. Now, I want you to take this file, and read it. It will explain every detail of how the new military will operate." Silverstone took the blue file and opened it. There, it details every bit of information he needed; chain of command, branches of service, units, training & education, support services, and so on.

You can read that in your own time. I have the original with me. Do you have any questions?"

"Yes sir. I do. If you are reforming the military, why did you pick me to be the secretary and not Knight Commander Kristina Robin here? Won't she be a better pick?" Silverstone questioned. Kristina listened in carefully, wondering what Kant had to say.

"Knight Kristina will be transferred to a different branch. Think of the new reforms as an attempt to specialize all our skills. Is there anything else?" Silvester thinks for a moment and then nods sideways.

"Nope."

"Good. You and Minister Alan here will be working together to hire the proper staff and start the branch. You are free to go." With that, Silverstone gets up from his chair and leaves his office. This leaves Kristina, Kant, and Alan left. Kristina took a deep breath and asked Kant her question.

"So sir. What about me?"

"You will become the head of the new branch called the 'Demon Extermination Force'. You and your knights have proven to be very efficient in managing to capture and terminate any demon that you all encounter.

Considering that a demonic wave is projected to hit the continent soon, I thought it might be wise to have the knights specialize in that specific task, only." Kant then hands over the red file, which she immediately opens.

"The DEF works about the same way as you all had previously operated, with a few changes. Now, when a request comes in alerting a demon nearby, there is no reward offer from the people. No gold to bribe the knights to go.

Instead, a proper team is assembled to take care of the threat. If they manage to successfully terminate the target, without causing too many losses, they will be guaranteed a reward, funded by the government. The amount of compensation is specified in the charter.

Your job is to oversee the operations, hire the proper staff members, and so on. You are also to report back to me about the situation regarding the demons. Any questions?"

"Will my pay be affected?" Kristina asks, a little worried.

"Not in the slightest. Your current pay is deemed to be acceptable, and your talents are remarkable. It would not be a wise decision to let you go," Kant responded. This put Kristina at ease, feeling that she wasn't going to face the worst of the worst after all.

"Alright, sir. If that is all there is, may I take my leave?"

"Of course. Just remember, you will be working with Minister Alan. So be nice. Alright."

"Of course sir." With that, Kristina leaves the room. Alan, seeing that both of them had left, asked Kant for permission to leave, and then left. Kant was once again all alone in his office. Just before he started to work again, he took a sip of his bitter black coffee, and got back to work.