𝔽𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣 ℂ𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕟 || 𝕂𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕤𝕒𝕥𝕠 𝔸𝕪𝕒𝕥𝕠

1. Once Upon A Crime

Kamisato Ayato, the distinguished king of Inazuma, sat in his office feeling rather defeated. He stared at the resignation letter that was left on his desk but moments ago. He'd already looked through it at least twice, yet he still found himself scanning it another time. As he reached the last sentence once again, he set the piece of parchment down and leaned back.

As he closed his eyes and laid his head onto the velvet lined chair, his mind swarmed with worry. Takeshi, his royal advisor, resigned due to him reaching the age of retirement. As much as Ayato wanted to, he couldn't stop Takeshi from leaving. It simply wouldn't have been respectful to someone who had served as both his and his father's advisor.

Ayato's eyes fluttered open, and he slowly stood up from his ornate chair. He walked towards the large window behind his desk. He drew back the tasseled curtains even further and leaned against the warm glass panes. He gazed out upon a view that many envied. His office overlooked the renowned royal gardens, yet he wished he had more time to appreciate such a sight.

Suddenly, a knock on the door summoned Ayato from his thoughts. He sighed softly before turning back towards his desk. With a simple nod, he gave the guard permission to open the polished mahogany doors of his office.

As the doors opened, an indigo haired lady walked in, a bundle of papers nestled between her arms. Ayato sat back down on his chair and held out a hand, signaling for the woman to take the seat on the other side of his desk.

"Your Majesty," said the lady. She bowed before finally sitting down and setting a set of files onto the desk.

"General Kujou, our usual meeting is in the afternoon, is it not? Has anything urgent come up?" Inquired Ayato, his eyes wandering to the stack of files.

"Forgive my intrusion, Your Majesty, but the reports of treasure hoarder attacks have increased quite drastically." The general turned the papers toward Ayato. "They're also... rather peculiar."

Ayato's brow furrowed as he read each report. In the past, treasure hoarders and rogue bandits would rob merchants who were travelling between cities. However, such attacks used to be few and far between. The more severe ones were excruciatingly rare. Yet, during the past months, the number and severity of robberies have increased, causing much more work for the royal knights and the king himself.

After a few minutes of silent examination, Ayato set down the files.

"We'll need to increase security. Have more knights patrol the roads, especially the ones in the north, as that seems to be where the attacks seem to be most frequent." He glanced back down at his desk for a few seconds before diverting his attention back to the general. "And have you had any progress on finding one of their hideouts?"

General Kujou Sara shifted uncomfortably in her seat at his words, which unfortunately did not go unnoticed by Ayato.

"So?"

"We've tracked one of their camps," she said slowly "but it's very hard to reach. I haven't been able to formulate a secure plan of attack."

At this, Ayato pursed his lips. He considered the general one of the best strategists in the kingdom, alongside himself of course. The fact that General Kujou Sara was unable to create a good enough strategy was highly concerning.

"Do you have a sketch of the layout with you?" He asked, a frown etched on his face.

Hearing his words, the general pulled out a blueprint from a different file she previously held in her lap. She set it down gently on the desk and turned it towards the king. Ayato leaned closer towards the print and squinted in concentration. After a few minutes, he lifted his head back up.