"Your Highness Lucien, the tent has been set up!"
Outside the carriage, a knight bowed and reported.
Lucien nodded, lifting the blanket where Dratini was curled up, and stepped down into the snow.
The caravan had chosen to establish a temporary camp at the edge of the forest by the river.
As Lucien descended, he saw life stirring through the weary group.
Some were clearing snow from the ground, others pitching tents, tending to the sick, or lighting fires for warmth. The knights patrolled with drawn weapons, keeping vigilant for danger beyond the treeline.
The sight eased the weight in Lucien's chest. For the first time since the storm, he allowed himself a breath of relief.
He made his way to his own tent. It was not large, barely twenty square meters inside, but its golden royal sigils marked it clearly as belonging to the prince. Compared to the threadbare shelters of the common folk, it was a palace.
Within, warmth greeted him. A maid had already brewed hot tea, and Lucien accepted a cup. The first sip spread heat through his chilled body, driving away the lingering cold.
He gently lifted Dratini from the blanket and set the half-full cup before her. "Drink. It'll warm you."
"Wooo…"
The little dragon opened her gemlike eyes, peered at him for a long moment, then lowered her head. Carefully, she drank from the rim, her small body trembling as the heat spread through her veins.
A delighted cry escaped her throat.
"Wooo~!"
Lucien couldn't help smiling. "Good. Rest a little longer."
Obedient as ever, Dratini slipped back into her blanket, curling up contentedly.
At his side, Butler Elif stood with a parchment in hand, his expression thoughtful. The way his young lord cared for this so-called "monster" reminded him of the old king and his bond with Victini.
"Report on our remaining supplies, Elif," Lucien ordered.
"Yes, Your Highness." Elif stepped forward and spread the list before him.
Each item was meticulously recorded.
Lucien read carefully:
Black bread, white bread
Ham, bacon, pickled fish
Beef jerky, almonds, figs
Wine, beer, mead
Oats, cheese, wheat, spices, and salt
As he expected, these were provisions meant to endure, dry, preserved, long-lasting. Enough, if rationed carefully, to carry the camp through the harsh winter.
He continued scanning the ledger. Beyond food, the old king had prepared generously: daily necessities, tools, crop seeds, and medicinal herbs.
Soap. Combs. Thick garments. Everything a new lord might need to establish life in an unfamiliar land.
The supply list continued with tools: farming implements such as shovels, hammers, axes, and sickles. Together with the farmers among the caravan, it was clear the old king had prepared for his son to one day cultivate crops and feed himself.
As for seeds…
Lucien was astonished by their variety.
Cabbage, carrots, flax, oats, onions, rye, wheat, and more.
The preserved food stocks would eventually run out. When that time came, these seeds would be their lifeline. For now, it was vital to keep them safe until spring.
"How are the crop seeds being stored?" Lucien asked.
Elif bowed slightly. "I checked them myself, Your Highness. All are well preserved."
"Good." Relief loosened Lucien's shoulders.
His gaze drifted back to the food inventory: jerky, ham, pickled fish, bacon.
A thorny question arose.
In the Pokémon world, the source of meat had always been… ambiguous.
At first, the anime hinted at ordinary animals existing alongside Pokémon. Later, canon blurred the line, showing humans consuming certain Pokémon-derived foods: Sweet Bamboo, Slowpoke Tails, Magikarp, and Basculin.
But Lucien's stomach tightened. The very idea unsettled him.
To him, Pokémon were companions, even family. To eat an intelligent, sentient being like them felt wrong.
He rifled through the original prince's memories for an answer.
There it was.
Ordinary animals did exist in this age, chickens, cows, sheep, fish. Humans raised them for meat, eggs, and milk.
But unlike Pokémon, their productivity was meager.
A common dairy cow yielded perhaps five litres of milk in a day. A single Miltank, by contrast, could produce twenty liters of milk far richer and more nutritious than any cow's.
In front of Pokémon, ordinary animals had no advantages. At best, they were food consumed by both humans and Pokémon alike.
Their strength and stamina paled compared to Pokémon.
According to the prince's inherited memories, only a few such animals existed in this world: chickens, cows, sheep. But there were no tigers, no bears, no dangerous predators.
'At least that's good news,' Lucien thought wryly.
Elif's expression, however, was dark.
"What is it?" Lucien asked.
The butler exhaled slowly. "While you rested in the carriage, I took count. We now have seventy-eight people left."
From more than five hundred who had departed from Eindook… down to this.
Sadness weighed in Elif's eyes.
Lucien knew the truth. He pulled up his system panel, cross-checking it against his memories.
The roster displayed their occupations: butlers, maids, knights, farmers, pharmacists, doctors, carpenters, blacksmiths, gardeners, barbers, cooks, commoners, slaves.
Of those, twenty were free civilians. Thirty-five were slaves.
And two enslaved Bouffalant.
Lucien had observed the pair on the journey. Gentle by nature, perhaps long accustomed to shackles, they behaved like tame cattle, docile, with no spark of aggression left.
But more pressing was the suffering among his people. Many were ill: frostbite, fevers, even broken bones.
Elif's voice lowered. "Your Highness Lucien, what should we do?"
Lucien's temples throbbed. He rubbed his brow.
'What else can I do?'
"Have the doctor examine them. There are herbs in the stores, we'll use them."
Elif hesitated. "But those were prepared for you, Your Highness…"
Lucien shook his head. His gaze fell back to the panel, where new words glimmered across the display:
[Lord's Name: Lucien]
[Territory: Small (Unnamed)]
[People (Humans): 78] (click to view details)
[Minions (Pokémon): 3] (click to view details)
[Public Sentiment: 2 (Precarious)]
[Satisfaction: 0]
[Technology: None (Spend Satisfaction to unlock)]
So it was official. This land was now his.
For a territory to grow, population was the foundation. And he could not stand by while his people wasted away.
Lucien's gaze hardened. "Once they recover, there is much they must do. We'll need every hand."
They would be here for a long time.
This valley would serve as his testing ground for his people, for his system, and for himself as lord.
'Get well soon,' Lucien thought as he looked out over the camp. 'Because soon enough… we begin building.'