The World Dragon's Heir

Going with Pops' plan, Dominic dropped the bundle of spears off at the Inn, which was already starting to fill with customers in for the festival and in need of a celebratory beverage.

"I've got spears for the farmers and anyone living outside of town. One per household until you run out of either farmers or spears. I don't know the exact number of households, but it should be close." Dominic explained before the Innkeeper could say anything.

"We're the military supply stop today?" The older man joked.

"It's easier than making old General Alator chase everyone down. You know that everyone is going to be by for a drink today anyhow. Especially if they have an excuse to stop by." Dominic retorted.

"Good point, Your Grace. If you are taking the Princess out for the day, don't forget to swing by in the afternoon. We're making candies, and they're almost ready. My daughter will have the stand set up out front." The Innkeeper suggested.

"We will be sure to stop by."

Dominic left the Inn and returned to the house, where he found that not only was Alexis not ready to head out, the house itself was basically empty, as everyone was taking advantage of the free schedule to practice unarmed combat in the backyard.

He shouldn't have worried so much.

Jasmine was watching from the sidelines, sitting in the grass, with goats grazing all around her. For a moment Dominic wondered how she had made peace with the animals, then she tried to stand up, and the largest of the female goats headbutted her back to the ground.

"I get no respect around here." She complained when she noticed that Dominic could see her.

"One day, we will figure it out." Dominic replied with a shrug.

He would have herded the goats away, but they had been let out to graze and keep the grass at a manageable height, which he didn't want to interrupt.

As long as she was sitting, the goats didn't give her a hard time, Dominic noticed. The did go after the others who were training. With all the punching and kicking, that made everyone a valid target for the playful animals, except for Dominic.

"Are you going to train with them?" Jasmine asked from her seat in the grass.

"Nah, they look like they've got all the help that they need. Besides, I'm better at fighting from a distance. Speaking of which, I've got something for you. I made a few extra pistols last time I was in the workshop, and this one is for you.

I know that the farrier's forge isn't the most dangerous place in the world, but you are outside most of the day in the fields, and if something dangerous is getting close to the walls, a pistol shot will draw attention much faster than shouting." He explained.

Jasmine gave an evil chuckle while glaring at the goats with the pistol in her hand, and Dominic bonked her on the head.

"Don't antagonize them even more. The trick is to make them like you and respect your authority, not to thin our herd.

Besides, if you did, you would have to deal with the blink cat."

A cat who was currently napping on the wall of the garden, keeping an eye on its horned charges. The blink cat might technically be a wild magical beast, but it was excellent at its job.

Alexis' voice called his attention to the training. "Dominic, stop staring at my backside and come over here. I need an extra assistant for the training. The ladies are practicing how to take down an armed assailant without blowing their cover, and you're closer to the level of combatant that they're likely to see from the average Noble."

"Why do I feel like that wasn't a compliment?" Dominic whispered to Jasmine as he got to his feet.

Alexis tossed him a wooden sword, and Dominic tested the weight in his hands.

"Alright, what do you need me to do?" He asked.

"Just keep the ladies from restraining you. That's all. Remember that it's training and don't injure anyone, but other than that, fight as you normally would." She suggested.

That was easy enough. But he also had [Monstrous Strength] and [Agility] enhancements attuned to his spellbook, which was nearing level thirteen. The maids were all working without the spells, he assumed.

That might not be true of the mages, but they were all acolytes, and hadn't had time to improve physical enhancement spell gems to a significant level yet.

So, Dominic settled into a crouch, and flicked a stabbing attack at the first of the veiled maids to approach melee range.

She parried with a weapon hidden in her sleeve, and then retreated as two others approached, going for Dominic's arms.

He was faster than they were, and those were also forced to retreat, but their teamwork was relentless, closing the space around him until using the sword was pointless.

Unfortunately for them, this was the type of fighting that Dominic actually understood.

He grabbed one by the front of her vest and tossed her into the crowd, then shifted into the open space that their collapse had made, giving himself a few more swings with the sword before the maids closed in again.

Dominic went for the leg sweep the next time, but that was a favourite of the Royal Guards, and the maids were already well versed in how to block and dodge that. It didn't buy Dominic any extra time, and they weren't going to let him grab them for a toss again.

What they didn't expect was for him to duck and grab one maid by the legs to spin her like a chain flail at the others while he laughed.

"That's just dirty fighting. Our dignified Duke, using people as living weapons. If he were an Ogre, I wouldn't be surprised, but I certainly wouldn't expect it of a Noble, even if their strength gems did allow them to do it." Colonel Wilkes laughed.

"And that's why he's the one they need to pin, and not one of you. They're getting too used to your fighting style, and they need to know how to deal with amateurs using improvised attacks." Alexis whispered back.

"I can still hear you." Dominic called as he tossed the maid in their general direction.

The woman landed on her feet with surprising agility and rejoined the effort to pin him.

"Next time, we will put candy in your pockets, so they have more motivation." Wilkes replied, laughing at the spectacle of a dozen women trying to catch a man who had all the agility and dirty tricks of an alley cat.