Chapter 149
Father and Son Conversation
Chapter 149 Father-Son Conversation
A year later, the father and son met again.
The old king looked his youngest son up and down. When he left the capital, the boy was still young, and his face was clearly showing his immaturity.
And now...
“My child, you’ve grown up.” The old king reached out his wrinkled hand, seemingly wanting to touch Raven’s cheek, but ultimately couldn’t bring himself to do so. He sighed and said, “It is your father who has wronged you.”
Raven was silent for a moment, then said, "Don't worry, Father, I guess you could say this is a blessing in disguise!"
“If I had gone to the fiefdom as you arranged, I would probably be under house arrest by my elder brother now, and I would probably never see you again in this lifetime.”
“Your eldest brother…” The old king wanted to say it was not that bad, but when he thought of how his eldest son could even imprison his own father in this castle, he shut his mouth and let out a sigh.
"How are things on your end?" the old king asked.
It is a shame that he taught his eldest son military strategy and his second son how to govern the country, but he never taught his youngest son how to govern his fiefdom.
The old king had hoped that his youngest son could live a free and easy life, but he never imagined that his eldest and second sons would end up in this situation.
Raven recounted to the old king one by one the events that had occurred to him over the past year, including getting lost, leading his people to cut wood and mine to build their homes, using the power of Pokémon, and developing trade and an army...
The old king listened silently to his youngest son's story, a worried expression occasionally appearing on his face.
Although he had already learned the general outline from the letter, listening to Raven's calm narration, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness in his heart as a father.
What an arduous road must have passed behind that calm tone?
only……
"My child, you are still too young!" the old king couldn't help but say. "Do you know the current situation of your elder brothers?"
Raven shook his head.
"Your second brother has already occupied the northern part of the kingdom and has an army of 200,000. Not only that, he has also been aided by the True Dragon. That magical beast is no ordinary magical beast. It is powerful and the flames it breathes can burn tens of thousands of troops."
"Your eldest brother occupies the southern part of the kingdom, and his army is no less than that of the second brother. It is said that he has the assistance of the Ideal Dragon, a magical beast that can unleash blue lightning to shatter everything around it."
"Your father doesn't want you to get involved in this war. I just want you to live a peaceful and stable life..." the old king said.
Hearing these words, Raven fell into deep thought.
As expected, the eldest and second princes have already gained the approval of Rehiram and Zekrom.
“Father,” Raven said earnestly, “what if I said I was capable of competing with my eldest and second brothers?”
The old king was slightly taken aback.
On what grounds? On the grounds that he had fewer than three thousand subjects? He instinctively felt it was impossible.
However, the next second, he saw his youngest son take out several round berries from his person.
The cones were inlaid with silver metal rings, suggesting they had undergone some kind of special processing.
Immediately afterwards, beams of light emerged from the sphere.
The next second, enormous figures appeared from the light.
Kyurem, Dragonite, Serperior, and Flamewaker.
Upon seeing this, the old king's pupils contracted.
"This, this is?!"
“Just like you and Victini, Father,” Raven said slowly, “I have also made many magical beast companions in the past year.”
“Dragonite, Serperior, and Flamebug.” “And this one, its name is Kyurem, a dragon born at the same time as Zekrom and Reshiram. Its strength is no less than either of them. If it goes all out, Kyurem can freeze half a kingdom in an instant.”
"If I could use the power of the Kyurem to stop my eldest or second eldest brother and defeat them before the war breaks out, would that end the war?" Raven asked.
In this way, the land of Unova will never again be ravaged by war, and those humans and Pokémon who should have died in the war will be able to survive and return to their homelands.
"Freezing half the kingdom?!"
The old king looked shocked. Just how powerful must that be?!
After a brief moment of shock upon hearing his son's words, the old king quickly understood the meaning behind Raven's words.
He wanted to defeat either side before the war began, stop the fighting, and save the soldiers and monsters who were supposed to die in the war!
but……
The old king closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
"Raven..."
"You are too kind and too naive."
"War is never a one-person affair."
“Sometimes, some sacrifices are unavoidable. There are too many people behind your eldest and second brothers, and they have carried too much on their shoulders. At this point, there is no way to stop.”
"Soldiers, knights, nobles, lords, and even commoners—the supporters have already taken sides. Soldiers are waiting to step onto the battlefield to make a name for themselves and gain fame. Nobles who have taken sides are waiting to share the spoils of war. Even commoners will join the army for fame and fortune..."
“What if I conquer them with my superior strength?” Raven asked.
"This will only bring you more resistance... Those loyal knights will turn against you to protect their master, and even if they die, it will be an honorable sacrifice for them."
"As for those nobles, your actions are undermining their interests. They will not allow this to happen and will try every means to fight against you."
Hearing this, Raven felt somewhat unwilling.
Was he just supposed to stand by and watch the war break out?
Or, make another choice: kill all those who refuse to submit, until everyone is willing to bow down and submit.
But Raven couldn't do that.
Looking at his expression, the old king sighed:
"This is the general trend..." Over this period of time, the old king has seen through many things, and perhaps war is the inevitable trend for this land.
Only through the baptism of war can humans and monsters truly appreciate the value of peace. Only then can this land be unified, and humans and monsters will join hands to step into a better future.
"Do you know how to govern a country well?" the old king asked again when Raven remained silent.
Raven looked up, somewhat bewildered. After all, before his transmigration, he was just an ordinary person. He had only managed to get to where he was today by relying on his instincts and his experience playing strategy games like Civilization VI.
"Governing a single territory is relatively easy, but a country may have dozens of territories. Can you manage to govern every single one of them on your own?"
The old king looked at his youngest son and slowly said:
"You don't have enough manpower, nor do you have trustworthy ministers to advise you. Even if you conquer a territory, problems will arise due to neglect of management. Perhaps this is just a small matter, but if millions of small matters accumulate, a new round of war will break out."
Raven fell into deep thought; he knew the old king was right.
It seems that a war between the eldest and second princes is inevitable.
What he should do now is to develop his own power as much as possible and wait for the right opportunity.
Moreover, the war has not yet broken out, and there is still time for everything.
(End of this chapter)