The World Dragon's Heir

Chapter 612: Distinct Style

“And how would you go about terrifying them? You can’t attack the Royal Infrastructure team in front of the King.” Trionne reminded him.

Dominic winked at her, then shrugged his shirt over his head.

With a pulse of magic and a moment’s focus, claws extended from his hands, and wings from his back, while the light from his eyes flooded the room to the point that he could actually see the change in the light colour.

“Well, that is certainly one way to terrify them enough that they never want to cross you again.” Trionne laughed, while the other Advisors made protective gestures in front of themselves.

Dominic retracted the draconic features, and put his shirt back on, while Trionne seemed to be contemplating something important.

“You know, you could have your shirts made with a flap in the back, so it would open over your wings if you extended them. I take it that you don’t usually transform for better mobility?”

Dominic shrugged. “Usually, it’s involuntary. I haven’t actually tested the wings much. Most of the time when they extend, I’m sleeping.”

The Witch’s laugh made it clear that she knew why his wings were extending in his sleep. He was guarding his treasures unconsciously, and someone had gotten too close to either his belongings or his wife.

The Dragon King had been the same way, he got all growly when someone got too friendly with his beloved.

“Alright, keep your wings away, and we can go see how they’re doing. The Princess surely has already given them an earful about the entire situation and failed to change their minds about either the design or the location.” Trionne finally relented.

The others stepped aside with a relieved sigh, and Dominic shrugged.

“I suspect that everyone but Trionne was voluntold to be here. If I actually wanted to leave, she is the only one who could have stopped me from simply jumping out the window.”

The men looked shocked, they hadn’t even considered that.

“I’ve got a physical enhancement and a Monstrous Strength Spell Gem in my spell book. At level seventeen, that’s nearly three times a human’s base strength added from the spells.

If I wanted to, I could jump through the window over your heads. It’s open for ventilation.”

The Advisors looked a bit embarrassed. “It’s easy to forget that magitech and spell gems make superhuman feats of strength a relatively common accomplishment.”

“It’s not like anyone actually keeps the spells active all the time. It would just be annoying most of the time, but I do use it when I need to run somewhere.

Not that I have to do that as often anymore, now that I’ve got a good mechanical horse of my own.”

“Oh, that reminds me, how is the arena coming?”

Dominic shrugged. “I have no idea. I asked the team to work on it, but I haven’t been out to check on them. Give it a day or two and they should have the arena ready.”

He kept walking as they talked, and found that the Kings were all in front of the new building, with Alexis and the Princes standing behind them.

The Royals mostly looked very proud of themselves, while Alexis and Prince Alex both looked annoyed.

They were the two with the most military experience in the field, and not on a defensive front, as was the case with Crown Prince Claudius. From a defensive standpoint, the Crown Prince was not happy with the design, but the manor could be upgraded to compensate.

But from an offensive standpoint, that building was too close to the walls, and too high. Even if they raised the walls, an infiltrator or magical attack that set blaze to the new building would force a section of the wall to be abandoned, and that was a massive security breach.

Fortunately for Dominic, they hadn’t built anything near the Manor walls.

If they needed to expand and improve the defences, they could simply build an outer perimeter wall away from the existing compound, and make that the primary defensive position for the guards.

If the existing wall was a fallback position, it was less of an issue for security, as the structure could be scuttled when the outer wall was breached, instead of being a defensive flaw during the initial assault.

That was a new project for Dave, Dominic decided. Letting the Trolls make the decision on the new outer wall would also give them a chance to make little changes like giving the goats extra grazing grounds in between the walls.

Dave always wanted more goats.

It would be good for the Manor’s food supply, and in an emergency, they could use the gap between the walls to house townspeople.

It might not be as sturdy as the existing wall, where the lower levels had earthworks behind them to prevent ramming attempts. But it would be solid enough for most situations.

Dominic made his way to the new building, which was marked as the “Six Nations Financial Alliance and Embassy”.

“Embassy?” Dominic asked.

“After a rather impassioned speech by the younger generation, we decided that it would be more appropriate for the Ambassadors to be moved from the guest quarters of the Manor into their own home on the grounds.

Staying in the Manor itself might give the impression of collusion, and not protection.

That simply wouldn’t do, so they will stay here.

The building will also house the vault, the guards for the Ambassadors, and their guests during their time in Wistover.

Of course, that won’t mean you’re excluded from hosting duties. I am certain that most of the visitors will be eager to meet with the Duke and Duchess of Wistover.” The King explained.

Then, Dominic noticed that there were far more people here than he remembered.

Someone had called for yet another construction team, specifically to erect this building. The team included a few powerful mages, as well as the usual engineers and workers. That was needed for the construction of the defensive magical arrays, which would have been made by the Sect Leader if this was a mage tower.

“Could it not have been made to match?” Dominic asked helplessly.

“That was suggested. However, after consultation, it was decided not to use the local style, so that the Embassy building was clearly distinct from the Manor itself.

It will be an adjustment, I am certain. However, the building will be fully funded and staffed by the Alliance members, without draining the resources of the Duchy.”

That was not the reason for Dominic’s objection.