Perfect Excuses: Diluc x Jean

VI

Ragnvindr.

"Moreover, transportation of goods for the Adventurers' Guild from the city to Dragonspine will be completed by tomorrow. It would've been complete by the end of the week if we didn't start taking the path in Springvale." The Cavalry Captain informed the king.

As legit as it sounded, the king still managed to notice a slight abnormality in his statement.

"Springvale? I don't recall having a road there leading to Dragonspine. When did you find this route?" Diluc pointed out. They were currently reporting their activities the past few days just so the king could keep track if his knights really are doing their assigned jobs. It's not an official meeting, since it was just the Cavalry Captain, the Alchemist, and the Reconnaissance Captain present inside the king's study room.

The king sat at the end of the table, scouring through the documents that Albedo gave him. As he did, he listened to what his knights had to say.

"Oh, Lady Gunnhildr showed us this route not too long ago." The Alchemist stated. The mention of her name alone was enough to make one of Diluc's eyes twitch. Everyone felt that his mood changed but thankfully, Kaeya butted in to explain.

"It's a tight path in the forest and a little steep for the horses but it's nothing they can't handle. It saves a lot of travel time–" At this point, Diluc wasn't even skimming through the documents anymore.

"It didn't occur to you that she might be leading you to an ambush?" The tone of the king's voice suggests that the three captains are going to have to choose their words wisely until the meeting ends. Or else, they're never going to hear the end of it.

Their beloved King Ragnvindr's sermons were something that they hate to hear. Mostly because it hurts their pride so much. These kinds of sermons were the ones they think they did a good job but their king somehow still finds mistakes in what they did. The worst part is that he's right most of the time.

In his early days of reign, the hardest pill to swallow was listening to a twenty-one year old king. Knights who have been serving the kingdom for decades found it hard. Kaeya, who has been calling his brother an eyesore, found it hard to address him 'your majesty'. Even now, Kaeya is still suppressing the urge to stick his tongue out whenever his brother is scolding the knights so hard that veins are popping out.

"I was skeptical of her majesty's suggestion, so I thoroughly surveyed the area for any traps or ambushes." Eula spoke up in an attempt to soothe the king's mind, "There are no signs of hostile activity in the surrounding area so we decided to take–"

"And you think a single inspection is enough to ensure that it's safe?" The tone in his voice didn't change in the slightest.

"I'd understand if you scout the area once and travel right after but you started regularly taking that path, correct?" To their dismay, he only seemed to be uttering his words more firmly.

"Y-Yes, your majesty–"

"If I remember correctly, you said that it's a tight path in the forest which means it can easily be used to set up an ambush. If you use that path at any time, how are you sure that there won't be a dozen enemies jumping out in every bush, hm?" His red eyes met theirs, one by one, expecting them to counter his stand. Unfortunately, they couldn't come up with a convincing answer.

"Taking a longer path isn't going to kill any of you. Continue to use open and clear paths especially when you're delivering cargo."

"In the meantime, never ever take orders or suggestions from Lady Gunnhildr. Anyone caught doing so will be reported to me and be punished accordingly."