Tyranny of Steel

The day had finally come. Over a month had gone by since Berengar had begun preparations for his invasion of meso-America. At the moment, he was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, where his wives dried off his soaked body with various towels. The young emperor dipped his fingers into the greasy pomade and slicked back his hair into the elegant style he had become known for over the years.

After taking his time perfectly styling his golden locks, he reached into a nearby drawer and fetched an eyepatch. This brown leather eyepatch contained an iron cross embedded within its center. A symbol of authority and bravery in the act of war. It was one of the many designs Berengar kept to conceal his hideous wound.

After stretching the leather band over his head so that the iron cross was seated perfectly over his damaged pupil, he dressed himself in a combat uniform. This uniform started with nylon-polyester blend undergarments, where he then place a pair of feldgrau trousers over them. He continued by securing his boot socks, followed by a pair of embellished brown leather cavalry boots in the style used by his hussars.

After dressing in the lower portion of his uniform. Berengar stretched a feldgrau undershirt over his chiseled body, where he quickly adorned a feldgrau concealable plate carrier above his vitals. This plate carrier contained ceramic composite plates that were rated to stop just about any projectile this world could throw at him.

After donning this piece of life saving armor over his torso, he put on a feldgrau hussar tunic, where he placed his Order of Merit, and his Grand Cross of the iron cross around his collar. After doing this, he pinned his star of the grand cross of the iron cross onto his chest before fastening his brown leather Sam Browne belt around his waist and shoulder.

This belt contained both a 1422 Service Revolver and a Hussar's sword, which would be his primary weapons in the upcoming conflict that he was certain would result when he discovered the mighty Aztec Empire. Finally, after all of this was finished, he grabbed hold of a 1422 Stahlhelm, which was modeled after the 1916 Stahlhelm used by German Soldiers in the Great War of his past life.

This helmet was designed to distinguish his royal guard from their regular army counterparts, and offered superior protection to the standard steel pickelhaube. Berengar held this helmet tightly to his hip as he turned around and faced his loving brides and sister.

All except for Honoria had concerned expressions on their faces. Truthfully, they did not know where Berengar was going, or what he was going to encounter, as he had not been specific to them. However, they were aware, as with every time he left the fatherland in pursuit of conquest and glory, that danger would be present. Ultimately, Linde was the one to first voice her concern for his wellbeing.

"Come back to me in one piece, okay? I swear if you die out there on the other side of the world, I will follow you to the grave and leave our children to be raised by Adela!"

When Adela heard this, she gave a questioning gaze to her old rival. Must this bitch really be so melodramatic? However, Berengar merely smiled and wiped the tears from Linde's eyes, and nodded his head before responding.

"I understand. I will be home shortly. You do not need to worry so much. Take care of our children while I'm away..."

After saying this, he kissed his wife on the lips before saying his proper farewells to his other wives. After all was said and done, he grabbed hold of Honoria's hand and led her to the railway where the two of them boarded the Royal Train together and headed towards the docks in Trieste. The two of them sat in the rail car together for some time, gazing out at the German Landscape. Ultimately, it was Honoria who broke the rather awkward silence that prevailed in the room.

"It's amazing what you have accomplished in so little time. Sometimes I wonder whether you are actually human..."

When Berengar heard this, he chuckled before responding to Honoria's comments.

"I assure you, I am very much human..."

Honoria's response to this claim was to observe Berengar in silence for a few moments as he drank his coffee. Ultimately, she replied with a smug smile and a jest.

"I'm not so convinced..."

To this, Berengar merely shrugged his shoulders before changing the subject.

"So, are you and your girls ready? I won't lie to you. If my information is correct, then we may very well be fighting an Empire filled with millions of savages. We have at most what? A thousand men on this journey? This will be a long and bloody campaign."

Honoria merely scoffed when she heard this. She finally had enough of his cryptic answers to just how he knew this stuff. Eventually she sighed before asking that had been on her mind for some time.

"Alright, that's it! Be honest with me. How do you know all of this?"

Berengar wore a bitter smile as he mulled over whether he should reveal the truth to the girl. While Yasmin had been loving, and did not care for his origins, he was not so certain with the other women in his life. Ultimately, he sighed before revealing his biggest secret to the Byzantine Princess.

"Would you believe me if I told you I have memories from the future?"

Honoria's first response was to scoff once more. Such a fantasy was preposterous, thus she simply crossed her arms and pouted as she scolded Berengar for not being honest with her.

"Fine, don't tell me! See if I care!"

Berengar merely chuckled when he heard this before commenting about her behavior.

"You're the one who wanted to know the truth. If you don't believe me, that is up to you..."

Honoria tilted her head and did not look at her husband for several moments, dwelling upon his answer in silence for some time. Eventually, she could no longer contain her curiosity and broke the silence with a single question.

"How is that even possible?"

Berengar's brow raised when he heard this question, and a smug smile appeared on his lips as he lectured the girl about his past.

"Your guess is as a good as mine. Truthfully, I do not know how I gained such memories, but I will tell you what I do know. Years ago, when I was still but an heir to the Barony of Kufstein, my brother poisoned me, and in doing so, he nearly killed me.

Hell, perhaps Lambert did kill me, for I drifted into a deep sleep where I dreamed about another life in the distant future where I was born to an impoverished family and worked my way to the position of an engineering officer in the world's most powerful army. The last thing I remember is dying from an enemy attack on some foreign battlefield.

When I finally awoke, this dream was as clear as day, and there had been a fundamental shift in my personality. My indolent, carefree, and dimwitted self had been replaced with the ambition, cunning, and knowledge of Julian. However, many of the aspects of my original self were still present, if not dormant. It is only now, after years of contemplation, that I have come to realize, perhaps, my original personality is not as dead as I once thought."

Honoria gazed at Berengar with a curious expression as he calmly drank his coffee and spun his tale. She could not fathom that what he was saying was actually reality, and only a single question escaped her lips.

"You're serious?"

In response to this, Berengar lay down his coffee mug and wore a bitter smile as he nodded his head in affirmation.

"Quite..."

After several moments of awkward silence, Honoria finally revealed the thoughts on her mind.

"So you're not Berengar? I'm so confused!"

The young emperor chuckled lightly before responding to this question.

"I am Berengar, at least the only Berengar you have ever known. I like to think that I am a new and improved Berengar. One could say that all the faults that existed within both of my past selves were extinguished in their deaths, and in their place, a superior amalgamation formed. Believe me when I say that if you knew my former self, his personality would disgust you. A drunken fool, that one. It's no wonder Lambert tried to kill me..."

Honoria struggled to come to terms with what she was hearing and immediately ordered a cup of coffee from the staff. Her hands were shaking as she slowly sipped from the substance. Eventually, she found the question she most desired in the labyrinth that was her current state of mind and asked it.

"So... you know all of this information about engineering, and the new world because?"

A smug expression formed on Berengar's face as he answered this question with complete honesty.

"Because in my past life, all the information in the world was readily available to practically everyone. At least in the west. It was just that most people were too lazy or foolish to give a damn about it. I spent my childhood reading troves of information and experimenting with what I learned. It was a way to stave off boredom.

After all, I had no friends to hang out with. I also had a superior memory, so most of everything I learned stayed within my mind. I never would have thought that I'd die and be reincarnated into the medieval period, where I could use everything I had learned to create a vast Empire.

It's quite entertaining to think about, if everyone reincarnates when they die and enter foreign worlds, how useless would the overwhelming majority of people be? Are all the great men in history like me? Or were they natives to the world they were born in?

If not, then why have I reincarnated when nobody else has? These are the questions I entertain myself with when I'm alone. The truth of the matter is I have only ever come across one clue to my resurrection, and it has proven rather difficult to chase."

Honoria was stupefied by her husband's remarks, and needed some time to dwell on them. Thus, they spent the rest of the train ride to Trieste in silence. Never in a million years would Honoria have suspected that this was the source of Berengar's mysterious knowledge.

She could hardly believe it, but the man seemed adamant that this was the truth, and either he was insane or there was some greater force lingering in the shadows, controlling his destiny. Either way, neither of them had any answers as to how Berengar came into this world. Thus, they did not dwell on it for too long.