Tyranny of Steel

It had been months since Yi Min-Ah had returned to the Japanese mainland, and during this time she had shut herself away in order to properly grieve her family, or so Itami thought. In reality the girl had been skulking about, listening into the Japanese Empress's conversations, while never making contact with her.

She secretly reported this news to German agents embedded in Japan who would convey it back to the Reich. Of course Itami knew none of this, and instead was operating under the policy of giving the woman time to properly settle her emotions.

However, the war in Borneo had lasted for a little over a week at this point, and during this time, Itami's losses were substantial. She had not expected such fierce resistance in the region, nor was she able to navigate her fleet to the Majapahit Empire's capital in a bid to end the war swiftly. 

Thus, as the bodies continued to pile, Itami had no choice but to force aconversation with Min-Ah and learn what the woman had seen and heard during her time in the Reich. Currently Min-Ah was lying in her villa's bed, when she heard a knock on her door. She had mistaken the interruption for one of her servants, thus it came as a monumental surprise when she opened the door to reveal Itami's sublime figure.

The albino beauty stood in the doorway. Over the past few weeks, she had been styling her snow white hair a bit differently than normal. Though it was still long and straight, she wore double buns on the side much like her younger sister. The ends of her hair and bangs were cut with squared ends, giving her a rather unique appearance. 

This change in hairstyle had only increased the young woman's beauty, to the point where even Min-Ah was having a hard time taking her eyes off of Itami. For the first time in a long time, Itami wore a pleasant smile as she motioned towards the room and asked permission to enter.

"Is it alright if I come in? I would like to have a chat with you about something important."

In truth, Min-Ah did not know how to respond. Every inch of her soul wanted nothing more than to lash out at Itami and claim her life at this very moment. However, she forced herself to remain calm, and mustered all strength to wear a false smile on her face, before leading Itami into her bedroom and preparing some tea.

"Of course, your majesty, what did you wish to talk about?"

Itami's brow raised slightly when she heard the way Itami referred to her. Such a western title was not what she was accustomed to. However, she suspected that this was the result of the psychological torture the girl had endured and decided to let it slide as she posed the immediate question on her mind.

"I need to know. Did you meet with him? Did you meet with Berengar von Kufstein?"

Min-Ah eyes drifted aside, as she noticed the tea was ready, and was quick to avoid the subject. Naturally Itami noticed this, and thus her voice grew a bit more firm as she asked the question again.

"Min-Ah, I need to know who he is, and what he is capable of. I'm already struggling to conquer a proxy he has funded. Something he had no difficulty of achieving against my own. If you had the chance to meet with him before your capture, I need to know what you think of him."

Memories resurfaced within Min-Ah's mind about the one time she had seen the Kaiser in the flesh. The man was confident, charming, and, above all else, handsome. However, what stuck out the most to her was the redheaded beauty by his side. Aside from perhaps Itami herself, Min-Ah had never seen such a beautiful woman before, one who made her feel deeply envious.

Naturally, Itami noticed the look in the woman's eyes as she recalled these memories, and called out to her once more. 

"Min-Ah!"

It was at this moment, the Joseon Princess snapped back to reality, where she sighed heavily before pouring the tea. It was only after she had concluded this task did she kneel down at the table and report what little she knew about the man in question.

"I only interacted with him once, but it was enough for him to tell that I was up to no good. You see, after entering the Reich, I was effectively quarantined to a small area of the capital city called Little Kyoto. It is where the Germans keep the Japanese defectors. 

During this time, I was forced to seek employment, and thus I worked at a small restaurant as a hostess. One night the Kaiser came in with his wife-"

Min-Ah seemed to lose track of her thoughts as she reflected on the overwhelming beauty of Linde, and sighed lightly, as if she were a schoolgirl with a crush. Itami mistook this for an attraction to Berengar and immediately complained.

"I know he is attractive, Min-Ah, but keep your mind on track!"

Min-Ah once more snapped back to reality and was quick to clear any confusion Itami might have. 

"I'm not thinking about him! Although he was rather dreamy... No, I'm talking about his wife! Flawless alabaster skin, long legs, thick thighs, a perfect hourglass body with curves in all the right places. And her breasts! I dare say they are every bit as perfect as your own.

Her golden-red hair which flowed like locks of fire, and her stunning face. Her eyes were as blue as the azure sky. In all my years, I have never seen such a breathtaking woman, and the way she smiled, it's enough to melt even the most stubbornly heterosexual woman's heart! Oh Itami, she was marvellous!" 

Itami could only glare at her subordinate, who looked like a love-stricken schoolgirl, and shuddered at just how stunning this woman was to make the Joseon Princess play for the other team. Min-Ah continued talking about the dinner date Berengar and Linde had for some time, before Itami snapped at her.

"Min-Ah! I want to know about Berengar, not his wife! You're telling me, all he did was have dinner at your restaurant and he immediately pegged you for a spy? There was nothing else? No other interaction? Just this?"

Min-Ah quickly gulped down some of her tea before responding with a nod of her head. She was quick to give voice to her thoughts regarding the matter as well.

"I think... I think it was his wife who noticed me. Although she never directly looked over at me, I could tell that she always kept my figure in the corner of her eye. Then there were rumors I overheard while listening to some of the guards who spoke outside my cell. Rumors that the leader of German Imperial Intelligence was one of the Kaiser's wives. 

If that redheaded beauty was the one these guards were speaking about, then it wouldn't surprise me if she had pegged me for a spy the moment I immigrated to the Reich, and decided to use dinner with her husband as an excuse to verify my intentions. I don't know for sure, we never spoke. Nor did I say anything to the Kaiser beyond my employment as a hostess."

Itami was beyond frustrated with how inept Min-Ah had been during her time in the Reich. She had paid a monumental price for the woman's return, and the only information Min-Ah had about Berengar was how beautiful his wife was, and unverified rumors about her being the leader of German Imperial Intelligence. 

There were simply no words in Itami's mind about how to deal with this situation. She could only inquire about the Reich's technological capabilities and infer some information from them, thus she was quick to change the subject. 

"Enough about the Kaiser and his beautiful wife. I want to know about what you saw while living in the Reich, you know, before your capture."

Min-Ah sipped from her tea slowly before giving Itami her honest opinion with a single phrase.

"If I were to tell you that you were out of your depth, would you believe me?"

This had completely and utterly shocked Itami, who was quick to voice her disagreement. 

"What do you mean? Just how advanced were they!?!"

The Joseon Princess looked around the room and sighed heavily before responding. 

"In my honest opinion, even with your divine mirror, it would take you another five to ten years to catch up to the Reich. Maybe more. I can't exactly explain all the technological wonders I witnessed during my time in Germany, because I myself don't understand them. Just know that you are lagging behind, and the gap is getting larger with each passing year. 

The good news is, the Germans have an overseas Empire to manage, one that even I don't know how large it is. This means the amount of forces they will be able to dedicate to their war with you will be limited. So maybe, just maybe, you might have a fighting chance..."

Itami later left the room stunned at this news, and severely disappointed in herself. She had nearly tanked her economy to get Min-Ah back, and what she gained in return was an abysmal amount of intelligence.

She had hoped that Min-Ah would be able to provide her with an insight into Berengar's character, but in the end, all Itami learned was that even with her most recent advancements in technology, the Germans were still far ahead of her.

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