CHAPTER 272: PROPERLY DELEGATED

Dominic rolled over as the morning sun hit his face, then shifted so that he was still blocking it from Alexis’ face.

His whole upper body was covered in slowly fading love bites and claw marks, but Dominic noticed that the rate of natural healing was distinctly faster than it had been even a week ago.

The change was unlikely to be due to age, one week older wouldn’t make much difference. But it might be due to his increased magical affinity, as he had been practicing so much.

Dragons were innately magical creatures, and most of their power lay in their magical abilities.

So, the more magic that he awakened, the more of his draconic bloodline he would have access to. Dominic didn’t know what that would mean for him in the future, but for now, just being able to heal from an evening of strenuous exercise and minor injuries in a few hours sleep was enough of a benefit.

Movement in the corner of the room caught his attention, and Dominic watched one of the maids setting out breakfast for them.

As well as the amusement shining in her eyes.

Unlike some Nobles, they didn’t require a maid to be on duty all night, waiting on their call.

The master bedroom had bell pulls, and they could ring to wake someone up if it was urgent, but most nights they wouldn’t need anything of the sort. The kitchen staff was already up in the small hours of the morning to get the day’s work underway, and that was the most likely group of staff that they might need.

"My Lord, you have guests waiting downstairs. I have set out clothing for you on the dressing table in the shower." She informed him in a soft voice.

"Thank you. Please come stand over here." Dominic replied, with a gesture at a spot between him and the window.

The maid looked confused, but complied as Dominic got out of bed.

"Perfect. Now, if you move, the light will hit her face, and it won’t be my fault."

The maid’s soft giggle followed Dominic into the shower, where he quickly prepared for the day and headed back to grab a bit of breakfast before starting his workday.

The guests were one of the farmers with tattoos from his neck to his knuckles, and the more practical of the Techno Wizards. Both bowed politely when Dominic came down the stairs, then got right to business.

"My Lord, Pops informed us that you might be willing to pay for road improvements. I have reserved a tractor for the day, and the attachments are ready." The farmer informed him.

"That man is a treasure. He always knows what I need. Yes, I was planning to ask for exactly that. I want the roads improved from here to each of the Barony Manors, so that cargo can move over stone roads and not get bogged down during the rainy season." Dominic agreed.

The Techno Wizard nodded. "We can do that in one day. With the steam tractors to level and pack everything, all it needs is ten centimetres of stone to make a decent surface.

When that stone cracks it will break into large bricks, and we will have a rough cobblestone road. Not the smoothest surface, but still sturdy enough that the wagons won’t get bogged down in the mud."

The farmer nodded. "I worked on an Imperial Road Crew for a while, and I can make a proper road. My magic might not be as good as the Elder, but driving the tractor while keeping an earth transformation spell active is easy enough."

Dominic nodded. "So, each of you will take half the road?"

The Techno Wizard shook his head. "No, I will do the gravel underlay, as that needs to be thicker, and he will transform the top layer of dirt into stone. Don’t worry, we will make roads that will last a generation."

Dominic chuckled. Some of the stone roads, like the River Highway that ran through Kinewen and into Axbridge, were centuries old, and simply had their upper stones repaired once a generation as wagon wheels rutted them.

So, he reached into his storage and handed each of the men a few gold coins, the daily rate for a skilled magician.

Both smiled. "Thank you for your Generosity, Your Grace. We won’t let you down."

Then the farmer motioned east out the door. "You should know, there is a caravan coming from Cygnia as well. Not Merchant Guild, not Army. Most likely, someone got word that there is a Lord who isn’t overrun with refugees and might have food.

The Hunters had a bad feeling about them, so the new Guards are all expecting trouble."

Dominic sighed. "I should have expected that today wouldn’t go so easily. Alright, I will go and meet them. Where is the Sheriff right now?"

The farmer shrugged. "Likely at the Inn having breakfast. He’s another terrible cook if it’s not biscuits and beans, so he often drops in for breakfast and dinner."

Dominic smirked as he heard the kitchen staff laughing.

"Perhaps it’s not sword handling but basic cooking classes that we should be teaching the men of Wistover. I will go find the Sheriff, and we will sort everything out before they trouble any of the farms."

The trio parted ways when they left the manor, as the Inn was on the other side of town from the Smithy, where the equipment was parked. But the farmer had been right, the Sheriff was at the Inn for breakfast, sitting on the patio so he could watch the convoy approaching the outlying farms.

If they started trouble, he could be there in two minutes on horseback.

"Nate. How’s breakfast?"

"Lord Dominic, nearly done my coffee. Should we go greet the caravan before someone gets run through with a spear? They’re already breaking off to pilfer fields. Fortunately, they were still far enough out that they were not in the freshly worked ones." Sheriff Nate agreed, his grey eyes narrowed in annoyance.