Chapter 508: Mavis: Son, mom needs you!
《Astronomy: Recently, meteor showers have frequently appeared near Vistarion! 》
Geography: Desertification in the Empire Continues to Intensify, Where Did It Fall Short of Its Action?
"Food: Mysterious woman won the 'big eater competition' by eating 100 bowls of ramen. After seeing her figure, everyone exclaimed "No wonder!""
"Technology: Mechanical dolls repeatedly go on the streets to act like hooligans. Who will guarantee our privacy security?"
"Military: The war princess goes on an overseas expedition, and the empire expands again!"
"Entertainment: The novel "I Became the Thirteenth Shield of the Empire" is selling like hot cakes, and the author turns out to be him!"
…
"Are all the news headlines in your empire so strange?"
Preshito put down the newspaper, took a sip of black tea, rubbed his eyebrows and said, not sure if this action was because he felt the eyes were irritated or because he was deceived by the title and his blood pressure rose.
"I think it's very interesting!" Mavis' eyes sparkled. "Look, Auguste ! Isn't this title very attractive?"
"Uh... yes!"
Auguste hesitated for two seconds, muttering to himself, "What's so attractive about it?" At the same time, he secretly decided, "Let them take all the news in this way from now on."
There are no televisions or mobile phones in this world, and newspapers undertake a large proportion of media propaganda tasks. Since the Albares Empire has a vast territory, accounting for almost 70% of the entire Araquitacia, even if the empire divides newspapers according to region and type, each newspaper still has a lot of news to report.
What Preshito, Melty and Auguste are reading now is a comprehensive newspaper published by Vistarion, which contains important news from various channels near the royal capital in recent days.
Seeing that Mavis was still behaving like a child in front of his son, Preshito was speechless: "I don't understand it at all. What's so attractive about this kind of news..."
"You're from a previous generation, so of course you don't understand! Nowadays, only headlines that attract attention can sell well!"
You are getting old... You are obviously from the same generation as me!!
"Attracting attention?? Well... I don't think it will become popular anyway!"
Preshito shook his head and expressed his opinion, then pointed to a piece of news and said, "Forget it. Whether the newspaper is popular or not has nothing to do with us. I think this is what we should pay most attention to!"
The two looked in the direction he was pointing, and what Preshito was pointing at was apparently the "Military" column.
The specific content is: Timalia, one of the Twelve Shields, led brave soldiers to expedition to the overseas archipelago and incorporated more than 20 islands into the territory of the Albares Empire; more than a dozen islands agreed to the empire's garrison, which was equivalent to breaking open the door of Ishgar's defense.
"Are you really going to go to war with Ishgar?"
"This is a decision made by the Shield. His Majesty the Emperor has not yet made a decision. We will ultimately listen to the Emperor."
Auguste said calmly, "If his final decision is 'no', then the war will end in vain just like it did four years ago; if the final decision is 'yes', then war is inevitable."
Although both people present knew his identity, he was still used to calling Jellal "Your Majesty the Emperor" instead of "Father", even in front of his mother.
"Can't we avoid fighting?"
Mavis took advantage of her status and acted coquettishly towards her son. Her eyes were red and a few crystal tears flowed in her eye sockets.
Auguste: “…”
What should I do? I am so panicked!!
This is my mother’s first request to me, as a son I must agree to it, right? ! !
But if my father decides to go to war, what should I do? Who should I listen to?
For a moment, the forehead and palms of this 80-year-old man began to sweat, and he was as at a loss as an 8-year-old child.
"Let's discuss it with... with His Majesty the Emperor..."
Mavis immediately jumped down from her seat, walked up to Auguste, held his old face with her soft hands, and when their eyes met, she said in a reproachful and shy tone: "In front of Mom, you can actually call him 'Dad'..."
Auguste suddenly felt as if something had grabbed his heart. His lips opened slightly, but he couldn't utter a word.
Preshito: "..."
You are amazing, Mavis!
I didn't expect you to be such a good actor!!
In fact, there wasn't much acting involved in Mavis's performance. Instead, she added a lot of her own true feelings into it.
Although she had formulated a plan for 'motherly diplomacy' long ago, which included raising and responding to various topics, when the time came to use it, she did not act or lie as planned.
After all, she still didn't want to be too hypocritical to her children.
"but!"
Mavis' tone suddenly changed, and she said angrily, "After spending decades with his own child but not noticing his existence, can such a person still be considered a qualified 'father'?"
(Not counted!!
Preshito shouted in his heart, but he didn't dare to show it, otherwise the atmosphere would be interrupted.)
"Now mom asks you, but when mom and dad have different decisions, who should you listen to?"
"This..." August seemed a little hesitant.
Mavis' question is almost equivalent to "If mom and dad fall into the water at the same time, which one would you save first?" It is extremely dangerous, and things can become very serious if the answer is not right.
(Of course you should listen to your mother!! What are you still hesitating about?!! Brat!!
Preshito roared inwardly, but remained expressionless on his face, and drank a sip of red tea to calm his emotions.)
"Even if we put aside family status and other things, between killing and saving people, destroying the world and saving the world, if you think about it, you will know which side you should choose, right?"
Mavis burst into tears, "As a mother, I really don't want to see my child become the executioner who starts a war!"
Auguste was shocked and his face was moved. He couldn't help but clench his fists: " But...but...Father needs me..."
(He changed his words, which means he was shaken and has a chance!!
Preshito's eyes lit up, and his heart beat faster.)
Before she could finish her sentence, Mavis suddenly lunged forward, opened her arms, and then hugged Auguste tightly, saying softly, "Mom needs you too!"
Mother’s embrace…so warm…
Auguste was immersed in Mavis' arms, unable to extricate herself.
Mavis had slender arms and a thin body, but Auguste felt that she was the most powerful person in the world, and he couldn't break free even if he tried his best.
"Because I used incomplete super magic, my body stopped developing a long time ago, so I never thought that I could become a 'mother', and I didn't even realize your existence when I died."
"Do you know how shocked I was when I learned of your existence from Preshito?"
"At that moment, my brain seemed to stop thinking, and my first reaction was disbelief, because you didn't exist in my memory at all. Even before I saw you, I didn't dare to really believe that I could be someone's 'mother'."
"After I confirmed your existence, I was terrified because if either Jellal or I had known about your existence, you would probably not have been born into this world."
"I feel guilty towards you as well. We are a pair of failed parents. We didn't fulfill our responsibilities and you have been lacking the love and care that ordinary people have from their parents since you were a child."
"But Auguste, I want to thank you even more!"
"You may not know that I was also an orphan since I was a child. I created Fairy Tail because I longed to have a family. The companions in the guild are indeed like family to each other, but you are different from them!"
"You are my only blood relative in this world!!"
August: “!!”
