To Sirzechs Gremory, eternity seemed to have manifested in the form of an endless pile of reports on marble density and grain stock turnover. The reincarnated human, who now bore the title of Sovereign and the power of a God of Destruction, decided that Avalon needed something his mental plot-summary said was vital, but Grayfia's logic considered administrative heresy: a day off. He didn't just want the machines to stop; he wanted his subjects to understand the concept of leisure, of contemplation, and, above all, of education. Sirzechs knew that a Hollow who only worked was a tool, but a Hollow who learned and rested was a citizen. With a theatrical gesture, he tossed his quill onto the desk and declared that the next twenty-four hours would be dedicated to idleness and the intellect, ignoring the look of icy shock emanating from his Housekeeper.
Grayfia Lucifuge took exactly three seconds to process her lord's "order." Their silver eyes, amplified by the ability [Gabriel], scanned the construction schedule for the central library, calculating the catastrophic delay a full day of inactivity would cause. She explained, in a voice that could freeze an erupting volcano, that the Hollows did not possess the biological concept of "fatigue" in the same way humans did, and that stopping production now would be like interrupting the flow of a waterfall. Sirzechs only laughed, standing up and walking to the window overlooking the white marble central plaza. He explained that the rest was not for the body, but for the soul that was beginning to sprout within each bone mask. He wanted Avalon to have culture, and culture required time to do nothing.
The implementation of the "Day Off" in Avalon was, predictably, absolute chaos. The Hollows, accustomed to Grayfia's implacable routine, stood frozen in the middle of the streets, looking at one another with palpable confusion. The baker held his wooden peel, uncertain whether or not to light the oven, while the builders remained static before unfinished walls, as if waiting for a command that never came. Sirzechs realized that leisure was a concept too complex to simply be "ordered." He had to descend to the plaza and, using [Visionary], manifest wooden benches, simplified board games, and stringed musical instruments he remembered from Earth. He sat on a bench himself and began to strum a lute, trying to show that life was not made of productivity alone.
Grayfia, though disgruntled, decided that if there was to be a break in production, it should be utilized for "intellectual optimization." If Sirzechs wanted a pause, she would turn that pause into a classroom. She manifested an immense blackboard in the center of the plaza and summoned all the Hollows who were not "resting" efficiently. What began as a day off quickly transformed into Avalon's first school. Sirzechs watched, entertained, as Grayfia began teaching the fundamentals of writing and magical mathematics. She didn't just teach them to read; she taught the logical structure of the world—how magicules interacted with matter and why order was superior to chaos. The contrast was fascinating: the Crimson Sovereign trying to teach music and relaxation on one side, and the Ice Queen teaching calculus and etiquette on the other.
The impact on the Hollows was profound. The baker, who had spent the morning trying to understand why he shouldn't be baking bread, sat in the front row of Grayfia's "class." He began to draw basic runes in the dust on the ground, trying to connect the symbols with the chemical processes he felt when dealing with the heat of the oven. Other Hollows, who were once mere brute force, showed an unexpected thirst for geographical knowledge, wanting to know what lay beyond the ice borders Grayfia maintained. Sirzechs realized that education was acting as a catalyst for their consciousness much faster than manual labor. The mask of one of the Hollows studying intently began to glow faintly—not with the glow of combat evolution, but with the light of understanding.
The interaction between Sirzechs and Grayfia during that day was a dance of opposing philosophies. Sirzechs insisted they should let the Hollows play with music, while Grayfia argued that music should be studied through the lens of mathematical harmony. In a lighthearted moment, Sirzechs challenged Grayfia to a game of logic he had brought from his memory—Chess. In the middle of the plaza, surrounded by their curious subjects, the two rulers waged an intellectual battle. Grayfia played with mathematical coldness, predicting ten moves ahead, while Sirzechs played with chaotic and creative intuition. The game ended in a technical draw, which seemed to satisfy Grayfia enough that she allowed the "day off" to continue without further bureaucratic interruptions.
By late afternoon, Avalon felt like a different place. It was no longer just a silent construction site. There was the sound of awkward laughter, out-of-tune musical notes, and the murmur of voices trying to pronounce complex words. Sirzechs' enemy—the paperwork—had been temporarily defeated by the curiosity of his people. He realized that the school would not just be a building, but the beating heart of the nation. The Hollows were no longer just created beings; they were becoming individuals with preferences, doubts, and dreams. Grayfia approached Sirzechs as the crimson veins of the streets began to glow with the night light. She admitted, in a whisper almost imperceptible, that the cognitive development of the subjects had exceeded her most optimistic projections by 40% thanks to the introduction of the school.
Sirzechs smiled, feeling the weight of the royal office grow a bit lighter. He remarked that knowledge was the only thing no one could destroy—not even him with his power. Avalon was becoming a utopia not just because of its marble architecture and infinite magic, but because of its people who now knew how to read, count, and, above all, rest. Grayfia reminded him, however, that the day off would end in a few hours and that the report on the new school curricula was already waiting on his desk for a signature. Sirzechs let out a loud laugh, accepting that bureaucracy was the price of creating a perfect world. He looked at his Hollows, now more conscious and united, and knew the foundation of Avalon was complete. They were no longer monsters; they were students of a new era.