Walking into my own town was weird. The guards at the gate recognized us quickly. They seemed to be in awe. I suppose we did have a good reputation. As we walked towards the castle people were watching us and whispering. They seemed excited, which was a good sign.

  Overall the town looked decent. At least the areas we passed. The buildings were solid and the people looked healthy. Actually, how was the medical system in the Dominion? Magic could provide excellent healthcare but I had no idea what a healer charged. Or a priest. Maybe I could convince Thessia to open a clinic or something.

  While I was lost in thought we arrived at the castle. While the hill was not the biggest it still overlooked the entire town. Sturdy stone walls protected the buildings inside. I could even see some magic reinforcing them. There was no moat but the hill itself would make it harder to charge the walls. A cobblestone road led to the gate.

  “It’s Lady Amaya!” I heard a shout. Myla, a black cat beastkin we had recruited in Lucy’s village, charged out of the gate towards us.

  “Welcome home, my ladies!” She said while bowing. She wore a maid uniform, although with an unfamiliar symbol on her chest. It was a small purple kitten.

  “What is this? Is it because of my crest? Why is it a kitten, not a cat?” I wondered.

  “Oh, this shows that I am still in training! Hopefully we can become full maid knights now that you are back, my lady! Iris has said we are doing well! She has recruited a lot of new people too!” Myla said.

  “Neat. I guess we will have a lot to talk about! Hopefully we can stay here for a while and focus on improving the town.” I said.

  “Do we have a great chef?” Lucy asked, her tails wagging.

  Myla noticed the third one, her eyes widened. “My lady, you have grown in power! That is awesome!”

  “Hehe. Yes it is, now about that chef…” Lucy replied.

  “Sandra has hired someone. A lot of the maids are also training their culinary skills.” She replied.

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  “That is nice. So, what can you tell us about our castle?” I asked, while looking around.

  “The keep is rather spacious. While it is fortified the inside is rather luxurious. There is a wing for staff, housing about 25 people. The family wing has ten large rooms. There is also a guest wing with 8 rooms. The keep has a library, an armory, a large cellar with a lot of storage, a kitchen, a formal dining room, a private dining room, a lounge, a few offices...”

  “Ok, it’s big.” I concluded. “What about the other buildings?”

  “Ah. There is a stable for horses and other animals. We also have a place for a few carriages. The barracks are rather spacious and can accommodate about 200 soldiers and 50 officers. The courtyard is used for practice. We have other storage facilities as well. There is more open space in the back and Iris has proposed to build a different facility for the maid knight order.” Myla reported.

  “Right now the maid knights stay at the barracks?” I asked.

  “Yes, except for the ones on maid duty, they stay inside the keep.” Myla replied. “We train as knights and maids after all!”

  “Is there a place for trees? Do we have a garden? And where is Thessia rooted?” I asked.

  “Thessia is down in the village. Her tree is the centre of a small temple that she grew.” Myla reported. “We don’t have a real garden inside the castle but there might be some space. I don’t think Iris’ project will take up all the space behind the keep but you will have to ask her.”

  “Settling the dryads is important. We should focus on that first. Let’s find Iris.” I said.

  “Thank you, my lady. We are all looking forward to having our trees again.” Ash replied.

  “Um, why do you have so many dryads with you, my lady?” Myla asked.

  “They are all maid knights! They will help defend this city.” I replied.

  Myla’s eyes widened, then she looked at Ash and saluted. “Ma’am.”

  “Oh? Is saluting normal? I do not think Lily has ever asked us for such a thing.” Ash wondered.

  Lily, hearing her name, walked towards us. Myla straightened and immediately saluted her superior.

  “Iris was in the military. I suppose she sees such things as more important than I do. We might have to discuss how we are structuring the maid knights and their duties. We want to include a spy unit as well.” Lily replied.

  While the majority of our group stayed in the courtyard, Myla led Lily and myself to Iris. Lucy decided to find her parents, who were staying at the keep.

  Iris immediately stood up when we entered her office. “My lady, you're back! Have you been successful? Has Beira been dealt with? Where is Lady Lucy?”

  “Lucy is meeting her parents. We are fine. Beira… that is a long story but she is dealt with, for now. It’s time to build our county, our own forces and make sure we are prepared for the future!” I declared.

  “That is good to hear. I have recruited soldiers and possible recruits for the maid knights. I also have a proposal for additional construction…” Iris started, I held up my hand to stop her.

  “Myla told us some of that already. But first we have a dryad grove to settle! They are all maid knights as well! Oh, and speaking of construction, I have plans for a train, so we need to build a train stop. I want to install a gate to hell,... This town will be glorious!” I said with a big smile.

  “Train? Grove? Portal to hell?” Iris asked, looking overwhelmed.

  “Ah, let me explain some of my plans…” I replied.