He was wrong.
When Dominic woke up on the thin mattress spread out on the floor in the living room, he was freezing. Nobody else seemed to be cold, and Wiz's mother had the window open in the kitchen as she cooked breakfast for everyone, so it had to be an issue of perception.
"I really need to get used to sleeping somewhere other than over the forge." Dominic mumbled as he got to his feet and brushed his hands through his blonde hair. It was getting rather long now, and he should probably cut it soon.
"I'm sure you'll adapt quick enough once you're away from the city for a bit. But there should be food. Wiz's mom is a fantastic cook." Bella assured him.
Wiz nodded in agreement, and smoothed his tunic shirt before gliding into the kitchen with surprising grace for his size.
While they ate, Wiz outlined the plan for the day.
"There have been numerous attacks near the tree line coming from Cygnia City, but on the other sides of town, the attacks have been mostly in the forest. I have a theory that is because the Goblins are avoiding camping near the main road, and can only catch the convoys when they get close. It's not perfect, but I think that if we go along here, we should find some smaller groups that will be easier to clear out.
There is a guard patrol going to the same region today, so we will stay near them and pick up what we can for kills. Three of us isn't really enough, no matter how high our individual damage output is, so staying near the patrol is for our safety." The big Crusader explained.
"I won't disagree with that. My first trip out was with two dozen students, and it was a disaster. Even a few more competent people around can make a big difference." Dominic agreed.
Bella gave him a suspicious look. "Two dozen students? That wouldn't be the students who went out with the Duke's son and the Princess, would it?"
Dominic sighed. "I didn't realize that the fiasco was public knowledge."
Bella shook her head. "Not quite public knowledge. My friend in the city is obsessed with the Royal Family, and when she heard that the youngest Princess had brought a young male friend with her to the dinner, she immediately started looking into it so she could plan on how to have it be her next time."
Wiz laughed. "And what did she say when she found out that she would have to go out into the wilderness with the Paladin Princess and risk her life twice? I know who Bella is talking about, and she's definitely not the type."
Dominic looked at the big Crusader. "Seriously, does everyone know?"
Wiz shrugged. "Bella told me the story last night. I just had to connect the dots when I found out it was you."
Then he got to his feet and carefully equipped a ragged set of plate armour over a rough leather base, while Dominic patiently waited to finish equipping the workwear of a seasoned warrior.
It looked sturdy enough, but very crude, and poorly made. Dominic wouldn't say anything, but the next time Wiz asked for that to be repaired, he would try to improve it at least a little bit.
Not out of some sense of chivalry. Simply because that crude workmanship was painful to look at.
The shield was likewise very crude, and Dominic realized why. They were both common grade magical items that had been obtained from killing the Goblins. The crude appearance and poor workmanship was a common theme to all items gained from the goblins, even though the actual defence that it provided was still better than most nonmagical items.
When he got back to Cygnia City, Dominic hoped that he would be able to get another forge rune out of Pops, one for defence, so that he could create magical items without the need for the secret dragon fire trick that he had just learned from the voices in his head.
Come to think of it, he should really be more freaked out about that.
Hearing voices in your head was not normal. Hearing voices that gave you accurate magical crafting advice went way beyond not normal. In fact, the more he thought about it, the less plausible it seemed.
And now the voices were laughing at him.
Well, it wasn't like it was the first time that he had heard the voices. They had just been silent for a while now. Since he entered Cygnia City, come to think of it.
"We should get going, or we're not going to catch up to the guard patrol." He suggested, hoping to change the topic away from his dinner with the Princesses.
"You're right, we need to go. Just know that this topic is not over, we need to know everything." Bella informed him as she checked her gear for the day. She had chosen cloth pants and shirt with a leather jacket, none of which were going to be great for armour value, as they weren't magical in any way, but they gave her great mobility to shoot.
They were definitely going to need some more close combat fighters.
Wiz led them out to the road and then stopped with a smile on his face, looking back toward the city.
"What's up Wiz?" Bella asked.
"Garrison Commander Asher is in the group today." He replied, without looking back.
How he knew that, Dominic didn't know, but seconds later, he saw the banner of the guard patrol over the fences, with an additional banner that must be the mark of the garrison Commander. Wiz had simply seen them first because he could see over the fences and hedgerows.
The column marched right up to them without slowing, but Dominic didn't miss the smile on the Commander's face when he saw Wiz waiting for him, or the curious looks the other guards were giving the trio.
They fell in beside the column, and the Commander raised his voice to give an order.
"These young adventurers will be joining us on our hunt today. Include them in one of our teams when we split to hunt for the Goblins. I've got the feeling that today is the day." He announced.
Dominic ignored the fact that the Commander hadn't even questioned what their skill set might be, and looked at the soldier beside him, who whispered an answer as he marched along in the line.
"The Commander already knows both of them well enough.
He believes that someone is guiding the Goblins. The attacks don't make sense as Goblin tactics. If there really is a champion of some sort among the Goblins, he intends to be the one to find proof of it and stamp out the threat before it gets worse." The guard quietly informed Dominic, with a determined look that said he agreed with the sentiment.
"I think he's right. I just don't know if we're going to find it here, or if the answer is in some other village's territory." Dominic whispered back, earning himself a smile from the guard.
"We will see. But I heard that whoever finds it will get a special reward from the Royal Family. Maybe even a promotion to officer, or a titled acreage."
The guard's eyes shone with eagerness at that. Becoming a Baronet through acts of valour was rare, but it was one of the few ways that anyone could ascend into the nobility. Even if the farm barely earned a living, or the baronet leased it out to sharecroppers, they would ascend into a new tier of society.
The Commander raised his voice again as they got near the trees.
"We're in luck, gentlemen. Fresh footprints. Who is taking the Crusader and his friends into their team?" He called.
"Team one could use the ranged firepower. No worries, Commander, we will take good care of your Wiz." The man beside Dominic called back, while the rest of his team tried not to chuckle at the Commander's look of sheepish annoyance.
Dominic didn't quite understand who he thought that he was fooling. Even he could tell that the Commander was trying to recruit the big Crusader.