Tyranny of Steel

Field Marshal Heimerich von Graz stood across from the Kaiser in the Imperial Palace. The two men were currently within Berengar's study discussing a matter of great importance, one that was of the utmost secrecy. Heimerich was the older brother of the Empress Adela, and had served as the Field Marshal of Berengar's Royal Guard for several years. 

What was initially a small unit of elite troops designed to protect Berengar from threats had expanded over the years into an Army of its own. By now, an entire corps existed within the ranks of the Reichsgarde, also known as the Imperial Guard. While the Imperial German Army was the Nation's premier land based defense force whose loyalty was to the German Empire, the Reichsgarde existed as the personal armed force of the Kaiser and, by extension, the von Kufstein dynasty. 

Those who joined the ranks of the Reichsgarde were the elite among the elite when it came to German Soldiers. They had to meet many physical requirements, such as a height of at least six feet tall, as well as 20/20 vision. These men were fiercely loyal to the Kaiser, and were not afraid to follow any order given, no matter how cruel and inhumane it may be. 

Heimerich was the leader of the Reichsgarde, second only to the Kaiser in terms of authority. He had been busy these last few years leading the unit in its operations around the globe, mostly in Colonial conflicts. With the war of Iberia entering a new stage, Berengar felt it was best to deploy the Reichsgarde to the region to thoroughly put down the resistance against his rule. Thus, he had a stoic expression on his face as he began to speak to his younger cousin.

"Field Marshal, I have summoned you here today because, as you may be aware, the rebellion in Iberia has gotten out of hand. Adelbrand has failed to quell the unrest, and because of that, I have decided to deploy you to the Iberian theatre so that you may undertake the necessary actions to put an end to this insanity.

What I'm about to order you to do will be an act of extreme cruelty, tens of thousands of innocent people will die, but this endeavor needs to be undertaken to prove to the Papacy and the Catholic church as a whole that resistance against my rule will not be tolerated."

Heimerich nodded his head in the affirmative to the words the Kaiser had spoken before uttering his agreement to the orders.

"Just tell me what it is I need to do, and my men will do as they are told. You do not have to question the loyalty of the Reichsgarde. The orders of the Kaiser are absolute!"

Berengar smiled cruelly when he heard these words before nodding his head thrice. After doing so, he issued his orders to the young Field Marshal.

"As you already know, the use of chemical weapons in South Africa has proven to be an efficient means of annihilating the enemy. As we speak, our facilities are manufacturing a vast stockpile of such weapons. It will be a matter of months before we have enough stored to conduct the operation I have in mind. However, your orders are to use these chemical weapons to gas the city of Madrid into submission. 

Once the city's inhabitants are dead, and the gas has cleared, you are to take it and use the city as a base of operations for your men as they sweep through the Iberian Peninsula and wipe out any resistance left standing.

Make no mistake, our propaganda network will use this attack as a threat against those who still choose to rebel. Resist, and your city shall be annihilated. That is the message that will be delivered. The Catholics have gone too far this time, and it is time we put an end to their petty rebellion."

Heimerich immediately saluted the Kaiser in the fashion that was so common among the German Military, before uttering his acceptance of the orders he was given.

"Yes, my Kaiser!"

Berengar returned the Salute before issuing further orders to the man.

"While we wait for the chemical weapons to be manufactured, you are to go into the areas of Iberia that have the most heavy fighting, and wipe out the villages that show the most resistance. I would like to see how long the people of Iberia continue to support the rebels when they pay for it with the price of their lives."

Heimerich nodded his head once more before responding to these orders.

"I swear, I will do everything in my power to eliminate the rebellion. From the Pyrenees to the Atlantic, I shall use any means necessary to crush the Catholic resistance!"

Berengar smiled and nodded his head before patting the man on the shoulder. 

"I have the utmost faith in you, my dear cousin. If Adelbrand gives you any trouble, simply inform him you are the representative of the Kaiser's will, and it is not his place to impede you onslaught. It has become clear to me that the man's regard for the lives of civilians has dragged this war on longer than it should have naturally transpired. The Catholics will either come to accept my rule, or they shall be eliminated. There is no third option. Now go and prepare yourself for the journey. I have other matters to attend to."

Heimerich saluted the Kaiser once more before leaving his office. As he walked out of the room, he came across his younger sister, Adela, who stood in the doorway. He smiled and greeted the woman as he passed her by.

"Your Majesty, it is good to see you... It has been a while since our last encounter."

Adela immediately puffed up her cheeks into a pout as she scolded her older brother for being so formal.

"Heimerich, I'm your sister. You don't have to speak such pleasantries with me. Why is it you are always so polite around me?"

Heimerich was slightly surprised when he heard this from his sister before responding to it.

"My sincere apologies, your majesty, but you are the Empress, much like how I have to show respect to the Kaiser despite being my cousin, I, too, must show you the respect you are entitled to. If you will excuse me, I have important matters to attend to. We will have to reacquaint ourselves at a later date."

Adela frowned when she saw her own brother being so polite. If it was her other brother Gerhard, she knew he would not be so formal with her. Then again, Gerhard always was a bit of a siscon. The man had even tried to prevent her betrothal to Berengar once upon a time. Heimerich was not like his brother. He was far more ambitious, and knew who to bow to, and who to step upon. 

After seeing her brother off, Adela visited Berengar in his office where the man was hard at work, signing his approval on various documents. She gazed upon the man and his actions for some time before announcing her presence.

"Berengar, do you have a minute?"

Berengar looked up and saw his precious little wife standing in front of him. He immediately smiled upon seeing her, before placing his pen down.

"Adela, my darling, what can I do for you?"

The woman sighed before sitting down in front of Berengar. After doing so, she outlined her reasoning for visiting. 

"It's about Kristoffer. The teachers in his class say that our son is a very gifted boy. Maybe not quite as much as Hans, but he appears to be well ahead of the rest of the students. They are talking about advancing him ahead of his peers by a few grades, much like Hans has done."

Berengar looked slightly surprised when he heard this. He tried his best to spend as much time with his children as possible, but with his schedule, and the amount of kids he had, it was difficult. He was unaware that Kristoffer was mentally gifted, like his elder half-brother.

Obviously, it would not be to the same extent, but it would appear that intelligence ran in the family. Perhaps it was his own DNA, and not Linde's, as he had initially suspected because of Hans and Helga's exceptional intelligence. Though the nature of this gift slightly confused Berengar, as his father was not a brilliant man, and prior to his reincarnation, the Berengar of this world was a dullard. 

The Kaiser could not wrap his head around it, but decided not to care. He was not a biologist and therefore did not have the means to extensively study his genes and determine whether hyper intelligence was a part of his bloodline, or Linde's. All he knew was that he had two gifted potential heirs, and thus he smiled before nodding his head in approval of the teachers' suggestions..

"Well, if his teachers say it would be best, then I see no reason to hold the boy back. They have my permission to advance him by a few grades."

Adela wore a pretty smile before leaning over the desk and kissing Berengar on the cheek. She blushed slightly as she withdrew her lips and absconded from the room while leaving behind a single phrase.

"You're the best!"

After saying that, Adela swiftly disappeared, leaving Berengar with a smile on his face as he got back to work.