Tyranny of Steel

Berengar awoke the next morning with a fierce internal debate in his heart. As of this moment, the war in India had entered its next stage. However, when a divine being invades your dreams and summons you to her domain, you typically do not reject her call.

Since the beginning of Berengar's rise to power, he had established the means for his military to act independently, without his oversight. Now was the time to test these preparations. However, currently the man was seated across from his foremost lover, who looked almost identical to the appearance which Freyja had shown to him the night before.

There was a hint of a concern on Berengar's face, and Linde was quick to notice. After all, she was well accustomed to her man's behavior, so much so that the slightest fluctuation in his expression was instantly detected, almost as if it was instinctual. Without a second of hesitation, the redheaded beauty was quick to inquire about just what was troubling her man.

"So... You want to talk about it?"

Berengar instantly looked up from his cup of coffee, and his plate filled with breakfast, and gazed into the loving eyes of his favorite wife. There was genuine concern on her face, which Berengar could not help but feel thankful for. With a heavy sigh, he began to spin his tale of woe.

"Nothing gets past you, does it? Very well, last night I had a rather peculiar dream. In this dream, the goddess Freyja appeared to me, and told me to visit her during the autumn solstice within the black forest. She had something important to say to me.

However, the proxy war in India has recently started heating up, and because of that, I feel like I am needed here in Kufstein. I can't seem to make up my mind about what to do. Besides, the thing that bothers me most is she attempted to charm me during my sleep."

Linde's face frowned ever so slightly when she heard the last part of her husband's words. A goddess was trying to steal her man away from her? Absolutely unacceptable! She did not mind sharing Berengar with the world's most beautiful princesses, but an ancient goddess known for her beauty and fertility. That was simply out of the question.

Despite these concerns, Linde was also aware of some details regarding the ancient Germanic deities. After all, she had been searching for their whereabouts for some time now. If one of these divine beings had reached out to Berengar and voluntarily revealed their hidden location, it was an immense opportunity for the man. Thus, after thinking about the situation carefully, Linde sighed before giving her husband her thoughts on the matter.

"If the gods are reaching out to you now after all this time, it must be something important. I suggest that you follow this path, and meet with Freyja at the time and location she has given you. However, if that bitch so much as touches a hair on your head, I will never forgive her!"

This fierce response startled Berengar as he chuckled to cope with the intense fear he was feeling at this moment. Linde was a terrifying woman when she wanted to be. Berengar was incredibly lucky that she was so supportive of his harem. One might even call her the glue that kept them together as one giant family.

The thing Berengar feared most in this world was that one day, his loving wife would turn bitter and filled with envy. When that happened, there would surely be hell to pay. For Linde to suddenly refer to a woman who attempted to seduce her man as a bitch that was unworthy of her forgiveness, it meant that she felt threatened by the Goddess.

Thus, Berengar immediately tried to calm the woman down, who was practically trembling in rage at the idea of Freyja seducing her man.

"Relax sweetheart, Freyja tried her best to seduce me during our time together, but she got no response from me. I have no intentions of sleeping with her. After all, you are far more beautiful."

Linde flushed in embarassment when she heard her man say she was more beautiful than the Germanic goddess of beauty and fertility. She was instantly curious what her rival looked like and was quick to ask about it.

"Oh really? How did she appear to you?"

Berengar chuckled and sipped from his coffee, completely unaware that his next words were about to trigger his wife beyond his comprehension.

"Actually, she looked almost exactly like you, the primary differenced being that her skin was marred with tattoos, such a shame that she would defame your beauty in such a way; thinking that it would appeal to me."

Linde was already aware from her previous discussions with Berengar about his past encounters with supernatural beings that they could take the form of whomever they pleased. For her rival to seduce her man with her own appearance, the insult was too great. So much so that Linde had unknowingly cracked the ceramic cup that was in her hand out of sheer rage.

Berengar immediately became concerned as the coffee mug shattered, sprinting to his woman's side, and checking to see if she had been cut by any of the ceramic shards. Luckily there was not a scratch on Linde's perfect hands, and thus he could only kiss them gently and thank the gods that she was alright. An act of which immediately pulled the redheaded beauty out of her state of fury. </>

Though she was no longer consumed by rage, there was still a hint of bitterness in the woman's tone as she made a vow that even Berengar found to be frightening.

"If I ever lay eyes on that bitch, I'm going to make her pay for what she has done!"

There was complete and utter silence when Berengar heard these words, partially because he did not know how to calm down the enraged beauty from her state of wrath, and partially because he was terrified to think about what would happen if Freyja and Linde ever met in person.

After several moments of awkward silence, Berengar finally spoke up, and in doing so, had sealed his fate.

"Well, as you previously suggested, it would be unwise to ignore a goddess's summons. So these next few days, I will be preparing for my journey to the Black Forest. I promise you, nothing will happen between me and Frejya. You have my word!"

Berengar's word was worth more than most kingdom treasuries. He had seldom made promises to Linde regarding other women, and for the most part, the redheaded beauty was tolerant of his polygamous tendencies.

However, the man could see how upset his woman was over Freyja's advances, so much so that he was convinced if he were to ever make a move on the Goddess, his wife would never forgive him, and no woman, not even a divine being was worth such a terrible fate.

Soon enough, Linde finally managed to gain control over her emotions. There was a stoic expression on her flawless face as she nodded her head in silence three times. She trusted her man to keep his word, even in the face of a goddess. Still, she would not sleep easy these next few days, knowing that the love of her life was about to enter a divine temptress's domain.

With this journey determined, Berengar shifted the topic to something that was arguably less troublesome. He sighed heavily as he poured his wife another cup of coffee before explaining his thoughts.

"As for the proxy war in India, I trust you to ensure that my Generals don't do anything foolish while I'm away. The plan is simple enough, and as long as the Anangpur Infantry does their part, victory is assured. Are you aware of the current situation?"

Linde gracefully sipped from her new glass of coffee while pondering over what she knew of the strategies that the German and Anangpur Armies would employ within the Indian subcontinent.

"Your plan is essentially to ferry the Anangpur Infantry into battle by having them ride on top of our tanks and IFVs, which will provide direct fire support and a means of cover. While you do this, you also intend to make use of the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine to collect intelligence on the enemy forces and blockade their ports so they can't receive aid from their allies in Japan.

It's a bold strategy, one that will undoubtedly result in a quick victory. However, it will also invoke the ire of the Japanese Empress, but since we have damning evidence of the Bengal Army's wrongdoings in Devagiri, that should be enough to shut the bitch up regarding the matter."

Berengar simply smiled when he heard his wife's assessment and was quick to praise her.

"I'm glad to hear you agree with my strategy. Since you are already aware of how we will wage this war, just make sure my generals don't do anything foolish. Okay?"

Linde merely smirked in response to this and nodded her head.

"Of course, you just focus on enjoying your journey. Just leave everything to me."

---

𝘕𝘦𝘸 novel chapters are published 𝙤𝙣 𝚏reew𝑒𝗯𝒏ovel.c𝒐m.