Chapter 910: A city hall... in four days.
Strax remained silent for a few seconds while Scathach still held her hand gently on his face. The warmth of the fireplace filled the silent hall as snow continued to fall beyond the castle’s enormous windows. The entire atmosphere seemed strangely tranquil compared to the constant chaos that had dominated her life in recent months.
Then he let out a tired sigh before finally speaking:
"If you wanted to have sex this badly, you could have just asked."
Scathach blinked once.
The answer was clearly not what she expected.
She slowly removed her hand from his face, observing his expression with a genuine surprise she rarely showed. For a few seconds she simply stood there, analyzing him as if trying to figure out if it was some kind of hidden joke.
"Was it that easy?"
Strax shrugged with complete nonchalance.
"I’ve reached a point in my life where I don’t care about that sort of thing anymore."
The brutal honesty of the response made Scathach stare at him in silence for a few moments before finally letting out a small, low, nasal laugh.
That really did seem a lot like him.
After continental wars, monstrous entities, monarchs capable of destroying nations, and an entire industrial city growing uncontrollably around his existence, perhaps the concept of complicated relationships had simply ceased to occupy relevant space in his head.
Scathach then slowly crossed her arms below her chest while tilting her head slightly.
"You really got strange after becoming king."
"I was already strange before."
"That’s fair."
She continued observing him for a few more seconds before finally commenting with an almost amused calm:
"Then I’ll come to your room tonight."
Strax nodded without any dramatic hesitation.
"Alright."
The response came so naturally that Scathach ended up being silent again for a few seconds.
Because honestly, part of her probably expected more resistance. More awkwardness. Or at least some kind of complicated emotional tension.
But Strax seemed simply too tired to turn it into an existential problem.
Which, considering the absurd lives they’d both led, was perhaps the healthiest reaction possible.
He then slowly pushed his chair back and stood up from the table while finishing the rest of his coffee. His body still felt somewhat heavy after nine days of sleep, but at least now his mind was finally starting to function at a minimally acceptable pace again.
Scathach watched him partially stretch his shoulders before asking,
"And now?"
Strax ran a hand through his still messy white hair before replying,
"I’m going for a walk."
She raised a slight eyebrow.
"And?"
"And I’m going to give Monica a piece of my mind."
That immediately elicited a small, amused expression from her.
"Good luck."
"She went back to work ahead of schedule."
"Because she’s mentally incapable of resting." "I know."
Scathach walked calmly to begin collecting some cups from the table while continuing to speak:
"But today might be a little complicated."
Strax was already walking towards the exit of the hall when he stopped partially upon hearing that.
"Why?"
She looked at him over her shoulder while holding a tray.
"Today is the inauguration of the town hall."
The silence that followed was extremely specific.
Strax slowly turned his face towards her.
"...Town hall?"
Scathach blinked calmly.
"Yes."
He looked at her for a few seconds.
Then at the window.
Then back at her.
"...We have a town hall now?"
"We do."
"Since when?"
Scathach seemed to think for a few moments before answering:
"Four days, I think."
Strax remained absolutely still.
His brain was clearly trying to keep up with the absurd speed at which Asgard continued to evolve while he slept.
"I slept for nine days and you created a municipal government."
"Technically, Monica did."
"It doesn’t get any better."
Scathach tried to hide a small smile as she arranged the cups on the tray.
"She said that managing a city that size without a proper division of functions was starting to become unfeasible."
Strax slowly closed his eyes.
Sure.
Of course Monica would create a city hall.
Because apparently transforming a destroyed city into an industrial powerhouse wasn’t enough anymore. Now she was literally building a complete bureaucratic structure while he slept like a corpse.
"How many people live in Asgard now?"
Scathach was silent for a moment too long.
That alone was a terrifying answer.
Strax slowly opened one eye.
"...Scathach."
She sighed softly.
"Many."
"How many is many?"
"Monica is still recalculating the population records."
This made him slowly run a hand over his face again.
"That definitely means an absurd number."
"Probably."
Scathach partially set the tray down on the table before continuing:
"The caravans keep arriving daily. Refugees too. In addition, foreign merchants have started bringing their own workers to try and establish permanent businesses within the city." Strax fell into absolute silence.
The feeling was almost surreal.
Months ago, Asgard was practically a frozen ruin forgotten by the continent.
Now it had railroads.
Industrial districts.
Universities.
International markets.
Military centers.
Population expansion.
And apparently a city hall.
He honestly no longer knew exactly when everything had completely spiraled out of control.
Scathach observed the slowly deteriorating expression on his face before calmly commenting:
"You seem more scared now than when you talked about Ouroboros."
"Because Ouroboros at least makes sense."
She let out a low laugh.
"Monica does too."
"That’s the scariest part."
The comment elicited another small, amused smile from her before the atmosphere partially returned to silence.
Outside, the distant sound of a locomotive once again rang through the castle as snow continued to slowly blanket Asgard’s industrial structures.
The city kept growing.
Relentlessly.
Like a machine impossible to slow down.
Strax then took a deep breath before finally starting to walk again towards the exit of the hall.
"Where is this town hall?"
Scathach replied immediately:
"In the old commercial district."
He stopped halfway.
"...The old commercial district?"
"Now it’s the administrative district."
Strax stood still again.
Then slowly turned his face back to her.
"You renamed entire districts while I was sleeping?"
Scathach gave a small, perfectly calm smile.
"Monica created new maps too."
He stared at her in absolute silence for a few seconds.
Then he let out a tired and incredulous laugh. "This city has become a disease."
"A very economically efficient disease."
"That sounds exactly like something Monica would say."
"Because that’s exactly what she said."
Strax just slowly shook his head as he walked back to the main exit of the hall.
Before leaving, however, he ended up looking one last time at Scathach.
She was still holding the tray as she calmly watched him wearing that absurdly indecent outfit as if it were perfectly normal.
"...Are you really going to wear that all day?"
Scathach looked at his own uniform before answering naturally:
"Maybe."
"That should definitely be illegal."
"You didn’t complain that much."
"I literally complained several times."
She gave a small, slow smile.
"But you didn’t tell me to change."
Strax opened his mouth.
He thought for a few seconds.
Then he simply gave up.
"...Point for you."
Scathach watched him leave the hall, a discreet, amused expression remaining on his face.
And for the first time in a long time, despite all the monstrous problems still surrounding Asgard, there was a strangely simple feeling in that castle.
Almost peaceful.
Even if temporary.
...
The old commercial district of Asgard no longer resembled the destroyed city of just a few months ago. The wide streets were now completely reorganized, paved with dark stone and surrounded by newly erected administrative buildings. Smaller railway tracks crossed some avenues for internal freight transport, while civil servants traversed the streets carrying stacks of documents, maps, and commercial records. Guards organized the flow of carts at the main entrances, merchants discussed taxes near the registration centers, and workers still labored on some external structures despite the constant snow.
At the center of it all stood the new Asgard city hall.
The building was absurdly large for a city that, technically, shouldn’t have grown so fast. The construction mixed dark stone, metal structures, and enormous windows reinforced with industrial iron. Asgardian flags fluttered above the administrative towers as employees entered and exited the premises incessantly.
The worst part was that it actually worked.
Inside the building, the activity was even more intense. Crowded corridors filled with scribes, administrators, foreign merchants, and military officers created an organized chaos almost impossible to follow. The constant sound of footsteps, papers being organized, and people discussing reports filled the entire space.
And at the very center of that administrative chaos, Monica remained functioning like a perfectly disciplined machine.
She walked through the corridors holding an absurd stack of documents while three women tried to keep up with her almost inhuman pace. The new assistants clearly weren’t yet used to her work speed. One carried railway maps, another brought population records, and the third desperately tried to organize business reports without dropping anything on the floor.
Monica didn’t even slow down.
"The Northern District report is still incomplete," she said calmly as she crossed a crowded corridor. "Immigration records need to be separated between permanent workers and temporary refugees."
The first assistant quickly tried to write everything down as she walked.
"Yes, ma’am."
"The tax reorganization of trade routes is still wrong. Caravans coming from the west are paying double taxes."
The second assistant’s eyes widened slightly.
"I’ll correct it immediately."
"Not immediately." Monica partially turned her face towards her as she continued walking. "First, reorganize the industrial contracts. Incorrect priorities cause administrative bottlenecks."
"Yes, ma’am."
The third assistant almost tripped trying to keep up.
"And the mining reports?"
Monica answered without even looking at her.
"Sector three received too many resources. Redistribute some of the workforce to railway expansion."
"Understood."
Everything was happening too fast.
Employees crossed the corridors constantly, instinctively avoiding Monica’s path. Some delivered new documents while others simply awaited quick instructions before rushing off again.
The most frightening thing was that Monica seemed to memorize absolutely everything.
Numbers.
Routes.
Names.
Districts.
Costs.
Structural problems.
She mentally organized the entire city as if she were moving pieces on a gigantic chessboard.
One of the assistants finally mustered the courage to ask:
"Mrs. Monica... are you sure you can do all this by yourself?"
Monica didn’t even hesitate.
"No."
The answer came so directly that the three were momentarily silent.
She finally opened the door to a large administrative room while continuing to speak:
"That’s why you were hired."
The main room of the town hall was enormous. Industrial maps covered much of the walls, while organized desks held absurd piles of reports from all the regions near Asgard. There were commercial records, military contracts, railway projects, population statistics, and urban plans scattered practically everywhere available.
The assistants followed her in, still trying to keep up with the continuous flow of information.
Monica finally placed her own stack of documents on the central table before calmly adjusting her glasses.
"From now on, you will assume part of my administrative duties."
The three exchanged immediate glances.
That clearly startled them all.
"Part... of your duties?" one of them asked cautiously.
"Yes."
Monica immediately began separating documents into different piles.
"Inventory coordination, internal commercial distribution, population registration oversight, and secondary contract management."
The second assistant almost panicked.
"That sounds like too much work."
Monica slowly looked up at her.
"Exactly."
The ensuing silence was extremely revealing.
Then Monica calmly returned to the documents.
"If Asgard continues to grow at this rate, centralizing all administration in a single person will begin to generate serious operational failures within a few months."
The three remained quiet, listening.
Because she clearly wasn’t exaggerating.
Even looking only out the window of the town hall, it was already possible to see the absurd size Asgard was reaching. New districts were constantly emerging. More workers arrived daily. Trade routes practically doubled in size every week.
The city was transforming too fast.
Monica then handed part of the reports to each of them.
"You will start by taking on smaller sectors."
The first assistant hesitated for a few seconds before asking:
"And... you?"
Monica was silent for a brief moment.
The question seemed simple.
But the answer was clearly more complicated than it should be.
Then she finally answered calmly:
"I will supervise."
The three accepted this immediately.
Because honestly, no one could imagine Monica completely detached from the city’s workings.
Not even Monica seemed able to imagine it.
She walked to one of the enormous maps fixed to the wall before continuing:
"Asgard has already passed the point where a single central administration can efficiently control everything."
Her finger slowly slid across different regions marked on the map.
"Northern industrial district. Western railway expansion. Central commercial zone. University area. Military sector."
Each region had dozens of small markings indicating problems, construction, or population growth.
"You were chosen because you can organize problems without mentally collapsing."
The third assistant seemed almost offended.
"Was that a compliment?"
"Yes."
"Ah."
Monica returned to the main desk while continuing to sort reports.
The most curious thing was that, despite the absurd pace of work, she actually looked a little better physically now. The eight days off had probably helped more than she cared to admit. The dark circles under her eyes had partially diminished, and her movements were less stiff than before.
Still, she was clearly already beginning to return to her usual obsessive pattern.
One of the assistants observed her for a few seconds before carefully asking:
"Did Lord Strax request this reorganization?"
Monica remained silent for too short a moment.
That answered everything.
The three exchanged discreet glances immediately.
Then the second assistant let out a small, low laugh.
"He told you to rest, didn’t he?"
Monica continued organizing documents calmly.
"He overreacted."
"Madam..." the first assistant spoke cautiously. "You literally passed out sleeping over reports last week."
Monica adjusted her glasses.
"Administrative details."
The three of them stared at her in silence.
Because that definitely didn’t seem like a normal detail.
Monica finally sighed slightly before continuing:
"The creation of the prefecture was partly to solve this."
Now they really paid attention.
Monica then rested one hand on the table as she explained:
"If Asgard continues to depend exclusively on me to function, eventually this will become a structural problem."
That made perfect sense.
And that was probably exactly why she agreed to create her own assistants.
Not because she wanted to rest.
But because even she finally realized that the city was getting too big for one person to manage alone.
Still, admitting this clearly hurt her pride more than it should.
The third assistant flipped through some documents before asking:
"So... this is administrative decentralization?"
Monica nodded calmly.
"Yes."
"And also a way to take time off without the city collapsing?" asked another assistant with a small, careful smile.
Monica remained silent.
For too long.
Then she replied without any emotion:
"Maybe."
That immediately elicited small, discreet laughs from the three of them.
Not out of disrespect.
But because imagining Monica taking a vacation really seemed absurdly improbable.
She completely ignored the reactions as she continued organizing reports.
"The important thing is that you learn quickly. Population growth will continue to increase. Attacks on trade routes will too. We need to maintain economic stability before external problems directly affect urban supplies."
The three immediately returned to serious mode.
Because that was also true.
The city was growing too fast just as the continent was slowly beginning to collapse after the death of the monarchs.
More refugees arrived.
More monsters migrated.
More conflicts arose.
And Asgard became the center of it all.
A gigantic machine growing amidst continental chaos.
Monica then picked up another report before continuing:
"Furthermore, I want you to learn to solve problems without depending on my constant approval."
The three seemed genuinely surprised.
"Madam... are you sure?"
"Yes."
"But what if we make the wrong decisions?"
Monica slowly raised her eyes.
"Then learn."
Silence filled the room for a few seconds.
Because that was definitely not the kind of answer they expected from her.
But perhaps the last few days had really affected something.
Or perhaps Strax was slowly managing to force Monica to accept something extremely difficult for her:
Asgard now functioned without depending exclusively on her.
Even if she still hated to admit it.
Outside the town hall, the constant sound of locomotives continued to crisscross the city while snow slowly fell on Asgard’s industrial districts.
And somewhere in that gigantic administrative chaos, Strax was probably about to discover that Monica had transformed a mandatory week off into a complete overhaul of the city’s governmental structure.
