Tyranny of Steel

Two weeks came and passed, as Itami and her family lived in the palace of the Kaiser. Though Berengar went out of his way to make his guests comfortable, Itami still stubbornly refused to believe his intentions were genuine. Thus, she continued to sulk about, and wait for the dreaded day which she had to publically announce her surrender to the reich. 

Eventually, the Japanese Empress boarded onto a plane, alongside the Kaiser. The destination was Tokyo Bay, where the Sixth Carrier Strike Group was located. After some shuffling about, Berengar and Itami boarded the SMS Berengar, which was no longer a Linde-class Battleship, but one of the newest designs. 

Itami was given her own private quarters where she was dressed in the traditional garb of the empress of Japan, which the Reich had provided for her. A team of professionals who made her appear as beautiful as humanly possible did her makeup and hair until she was practically a living goddess.

As for Berengar, he was garbed in his black and gold imperial Regalia, with all the medals he had awarded himself for his various feats in battle over the past few years. Standing next to him on the deck of the SMS Berengar were several high-ranking officials in the German empire, including Generalfeldmarshall Adelbrand von Salzburg, and Chancellor Otto von Graz, who was by now getting close to the age of retirement. 

Itami walked onto the deck in her most gorgeous appearance yet, and in doing so stunned every man present, including Berengar. Her snow white hair was tied up into double-buns, while still flowing down the back of her neck. The ends of her bangs and hair were cut blunt for the occasion, which accompanied her heart-shaped face perfectly. 

Itami had a stoic expression on her face as she walked towards the center of the ship where Berengar stood opposing to her. The two monarchs nodded silently before both signing the peace treaty. Once it was over, Itami got on her knees and kowtowed to Berengar as a sign of submission.

Though the event was short, it was filmed and photograph extensively to be used in propaganda materials. Within a week, fliers would be pouring into the Japanese mainland, showing the capitulation of the Japanese Empress to her German master. 

Once the cameras were no longer present, Itami rose to her feet and scowled before making a bitter remark to the man who had defeated her at every turn. 

"You must be extremely happy with yourself having a beautiful Japanese woman like myself bow to you so submissively..."

Despite the obvious malice laced into her words, Berengar smiled and countered Itami's remark with his own shameless statement.

"I'm not going to lie. It has been a fantasy of mine for as long as I can remember. It is a shame you exude such masculine energy. It kind of ruined the whole thing for me. Now, if there was a more proper feminine Japanese woman like your sister or mother submitting to me, then perhaps I would be more thrilled at the prospect. But we can't get everything we want in life." 

Itami simply scoffed when she heard this comment. She had no words for Berengar's shamelessness. However, in the next moment, he said something that surprised her.

"So now that we have gotten that ugly business over with, how about we hit the mess hall and get something for lunch?" 

The Japanese Empress's sanguine eyes warily examined Berengar to see if he had any hidden intent. However, to her surprise, for the first time since she had actually met the man, he appeared to be rather carefree. Naturally, she could not help but inquire why that was the case.

"You're smiling? Over the past few weeks since you first kidnapped me, I don't believe I have ever seen you smile in this manner. What gives?" 

Ignoring the kidnapping remark, Berengar instead gazed off towards the Island of Japan where the sound of bombs detonating echoed in the distance. Germany had just conducted its last air raid over the skies of Japan, where they bombed the entire Japanese Infrastructure into oblivion. He took a deep breath before exhaling with a rather excited smile on his face. After doing so, Berengar explained to Itami just why he was so happy. 

"I can finally rest easy knowing that the war has come to an end. You smell that? It's the scent of victory. From this day forward, I will build a new golden age for my people, a second Pax Germania, one that will last for centuries to come.

All of my life's ambitions have finally been fulfilled. The only thing that is left in my story is to continue to build and expand my empire into the world's supreme power. One that under my guidance shall endure the test of time. Oh sure, Shiba still needs to be dethroned, but my troops will no longer be actively engaging in the front lines. Now, how about that meal?"

Berengar had already begun to walk off by the end of his brief speech, one that left Itami completely stunned into silence. It was only now that she realized that she knew very little about who Berengar von Kufstein actually was, or what his life's ambitions were. 

He was a man with two lifetimes like herself, and yet she had been so angry with him for ruining her plans, that she had never stopped to ask just who the hell was he? Whether she realized it or not, Itami began to chase after the man where he led her to the mess hall. The two of them sat down at their own table, where the rest of the crew gave them a wide berth. 

There were whispers among the German sailors about the Japanese Empress, and the role she had played in all of Japan's actions. If the media was to be believed, which most Germans found to be trustworthy, then Itami had been a victim of Shiba's ambitions, a mere puppet of the madman who now stubbornly refused to surrender. Thus, these sailors had no animosity in their hearts to the albino beauty who supposedly bravely took a stand against Shiba which resulted in her captivity. 

Itami did not pay attention to any of this, instead sat in silence as Berengar returned from the line with a pair of brats and beers for them to consume at their leisure. Whether Itami wanted to admit it or not, ever since her visit to the food stall in the streets of the Old District, she had become addicted to the taste of bratwurst. 

The duo remained utterly silent for some time, before Itami posed one of the many questions which she currently had regarding Berengar's identity. 

"May I ask a personal question?"

Berengar looked up from his half eaten brat, and swallowed what remained in his mouth before nodding his head in approval.

"Knock yourself out, nobody here can speak Japanese, anyway...."

Itami shuffled in silence with a rather anxious look on her previous face for several seconds before finally spitting out her question.

"You are like me, right? Someone who reincarnated from another world?" 

Berengar's gaze suddenly turned serious as he nodded his head in silence before taking another bite from his dog. After doing so, Itami exhaled deeply before asking another question. 

"So... Who were you in that past life? Were you German then too? Or have you simply created your Empire as a result of your circumstances?"

Berengar took a sip from his beer before responding to this question in a way Itami did not expect. 

"That life no longer holds any meaning to me. However, since you are curious, I will give you a brief summary. The world I came from was similar to the one we find ourselves in now, with some minor differences in history prior to my actions which have forever left their mark on this world. I came from the distant future, and lived a meaningless life, before dying tragically in some foreign land, which I should have never been to in the first place. 

When I reincarnated into this world, I was a sickly fool, who was on the verge of death. Contrary to what you might believe, things were not easy for me. Nobody took me seriously, and my own brother was constantly plotting my demise. Worst yet, I quickly made enemies with men far more powerful than myself. 

The only thing that kept me alive during those days was Linde's watchful eye, who was able to detect and eliminate any covert threats to my existence. If not for her, I would have died a second time before I could have accomplished anything significant." 

This turn of events surprised Itami. She had not expected Berengar to give up on his past life so easily. Lord knows that her own past haunted her to this day, and she was quick to inquire about this for the sake of her own mental health.

"So you have no regrets from your past life? You left nobody behind?"

Berengar scoffed as he took one final bite from his brat before answering Itami's question with a bit of disdain in his tone. 

"My only regret from that world is that I was unable to give my parents the grandchildren they always wanted. Aside from them, I had nobody else in my life. No friends, no wife, no children, absolutely nothing. Nobody besides my parents gave a damn that I died so miserably. I can guarantee you that."

Itami was utterly baffled that the man she had fought for so many years had such a pitiful backstory. She couldn't help but connect dots that didn't exist within her own mind as she voiced this conclusion aloud.

"So that's why you built an Empire? You felt that you lived a meaningless existence and tried to make up for it in this life!"

However, Berengar's response was entirely out of Itami's expectations. The man broke out into a fit of laughter, as if what Itami had said was the funniest joke in the world. This response naturally caused everyone in the mess hall to look over at him with a hint of curiosity in their eyes. Once Berengar had settled down, he completely shattered Itami's expectations. 

"Not at all! You know, when I first entered this world, I was wholly content with living a peaceful life in my family's holdings, spending my days ensuring that the barony became prosperous, and perhaps marrying a nice girl to have a small family with. 

But for some reason, people just kept trying to kill me. First, it was my brother, who had conspired with my liege, and the Bishop of Innsbruck to have me killed. Then, after surviving their attempts, the Papacy tried to have me condemned as a heretic, so I responded by creating the German Reformation, which ultimately led to the destruction of the Catholic Church.

Before I knew it, I had an army which kept growing in size, and had gained the territory to support it. I kept rising through the ranks of nobility with each major victory until I ended up as the Emperor of all Germans.

I did not plan to become the Kaiser of the world's greatest Empire; I was forced into it as a means of ensuring my own survival. With each passing victory, my ambitions grew and eventually I ended up with everything you see today. 

When it comes to my colonization efforts, that started simply because I had a craving for potato pancakes and chocolate. Literally, for no other reason."

Itami gazed at Berengar as if she were looking at an entirely different person than the one she thought she knew. She could not fathom any of this to be true. Was this man seriously saying that he became the world's most powerful emperor not by his own ambition, but as a response to actions that were completely out of his control?

If the nobility and the papacy had just left Berengar alone, what would this world be like? The Japanese Empress had a sudden urge to curse out whoever the idiot was who first decided to fuck with Berengar. 

There were so many more questions in Itami's mind now that she had learned about Berengar's origins. She thought that her questions would confirm what she already knew to be true about this man and his personality, instead she now felt as if her entire existence in this world had become a complete and utter joke. Naturally, she had many more questions, which she intended to ask now that she had some alone time with Berengar.

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