Tyranny of Steel

Berengar woke up bright and early, as he always did. As the ruler of the single most powerful nation in the world, he had no chance to sleep in, even if he wanted to. Thus, at the crack of dawn, he rose from his bed and climbed into the shower before getting dressed in his imperial regalia. 

It was not every day that Berengar wore the highly decorated military dress uniform. However, today was no ordinary day. The Memorial Day festival had arrived, much in thanks to Adela's efforts. Thus, Berengar would have to make another public appearance, something he found himself enjoying less and less as the years passed by.

He would absolutely choose to be a hermit if he had the option, but hiding from the public when you were the head of state was never a good sign. Thus, after perfectly grooming himself, Berengar gazed into the mirror, where he saw his handsome features.

Age had begun to catch up with the man, which until now he had not taken notice of. No longer was there the youthful and exuberant face of a young man who had his whole life ahead of him. Instead, there were various signs of aging, whether it be the slight wrinkles above his brow, of the lines beneath his eyes. 

However, he did, in fact, age well, especially when one considered that his job was perhaps the single most stressful occupation in the history of mankind. His good looks had not faded and perhaps had even been enhanced by the signs of age which now marked his face. 

When winter finally reared its ugly head, Berengar would be thirty-six years old, no longer what one would consider being young. Despite this, his physique was flawless. After all, he worked tirelessly to maintain his physicality and ensured that he stayed away from the traps of an unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle. 

It was hard to believe that fifteen years had passed since he was first reincarnated into this world, as it all seemed to have gone by so quickly. He had accomplished more than any man in history during these fifteen years, except for perhaps Alexander, and still had so much more to do. 

After closely examining his aging appearance for some time, Berengar sighed heavily, before leaving his bathroom and entering his study. A pile of documents was neatly stacked on his desk. No matter how much paperwork he filled out, at the start of the next day, just as many papers would be sitting in the same exact spot. 

It was an endless cycle of sweat and toil, and though most men envied Berengar for his position, the truth was if they had to do the overwhelming workload that he had to endure each day, they would quickly find themselves wishing for their previous meagre existence. Few men were cut out for the life of a ruler, and even less were any good at it. 

It would still be many hours before Berengar had to make a public appearance, and thus, after sipping on his cup of coffee, which had already been prepared for him by his kitchen staff, he began to read each and every document. Those which would be signed into law he would write his signature upon, those which he felt were against the interests of his dynasty or the German state were vetoed, and thus tossed aside for recycling. 

Many hours passed before the clock struck noon, which woke Berengar from his studious stupor. Realizing that it was now time to present himself to the people and make a speech, he stood up from his seat, dusted himself off, and exited the room. 

Berengar continued through the palace, where he rendezvoused with his wives, Linde, and Adela, along with his sister Henrietta, at the bottom of the staircase which leads to the entryway of the palace.

Linde had spent the last month undergoing detox, and looked as beautiful as ever. She no longer had puffy eyes or a sickly tone. Instead, it was as if a burst of renewed energy had rejuvenated the woman to her pre-depressive state.  After hugging and kissing each of the three women, Berengar placed a hand on Linde's shoulder and complimented her appearance.

"You look absolutely ravishing. It's hard to believe you are the same woman as that depressed drunk who spent all her time in my bar..." 

Linde flushed in embarrassment while thinking about how poor her behavior had been during the initial month following her eldest son's deployment. After getting her act together, and focusing on her health, she had made a full recovery, and was now back at work, monitoring the war with Japan, which to the German people seemed so disconnected from their peaceful and prosperous daily lives. 

Berengar led Linde, Adela, and Henrietta to the car which was waiting for them, before travelling to the venue for today's festival, which was about to begin. After arriving at the location, Berengar sat down in a special booth where his family was already waiting for him. 

The moment he sat down, a military parade began. Where soldiers wore their black and gold dress uniforms as they proudly marched through the street, in the attire that they had worn nearly a decade ago. 

The black and gold, steel pickelhaube's shone underneath the light of the sun as the German soldiers marched. Drums and trumpets were played by the military bands, while men on horseback rode through the street. 

The German Military was an industrial behemoth, so much so that Berengar had shipped less than 1/3rd of his entire armed forces to fight the war with Japan. There were more troops guarding the fatherland and the colonies than there were actively engaging in combat against the Empire of Japan.

Many of those men were marching through the streets of all major German cities, dressed in uniforms that resembled a past era, while wielding weapons of the same age. Finally, after the parade was completed, Berengar took the stage, where a podium sat with a microphone. Cameras were stationed on every corner to broadcast the Kaiser's speech to the entire German nation. With a stoic expression on his face, Berengar began to speak. 

"It is difficult to believe that fifteen years have passed since I first took up arms in pursuit of a dream. In fact, the events of those days seem like a lifetime ago, and yet, at the same time, it was as if they had occurred only yesterday.

What was this dream, you might ask? A united Germany, where the German people are their own masters. In these fifteen years, I have fought and struggled to create and build this Empire from practically nothing. 

However, I was not alone in my efforts to do so. In fact, during this time, millions of young men have followed me into battle. And though I am no longer in a position to stand on the front lines, I continue to do my duty to defeat our enemies.

Though I stand here and speak to you all today about my ambitions that have led to the creation of this great Empire, I must humbly admit that today is not about me. No, today is about something much more important than any single man. Today is a day that is dedicated to those brave men who have sacrificed everything to build and maintain this nation, which we call home. 

Today, we remember those who have fallen in defense of our great nation. And it is with a heavy heart that I must remind you all the price that has been paid, and must continue to be paid for the prosperity that we all are fortunate enough to possess. 

The price of freedom is steep, and it is paid with the lives of the brave and the bold who are willing to take up arms to defend folk and family. So, as we all celebrate today, I want you all to remember those who have died to ensure that our nation can continue to thrive and prosper. Thank you all for coming today, and I hope you enjoy the festivities that my wife Adela has prepared for all of you."

With that said, Berengar saluted the troops who stood at attention below the stage, who returned his gesture. After doing so, he departed from the scene and joined in the public feasts that were occurring in every town and city across the reich. 

Berengar had spared no expense, ensuring that the finest German cuisine and alcohol were freely available to every citizen of the Reich. Then, after the feast had ended, he took to the Grand Kufstein Arena, where he rather patiently watched a soccer tournament unfold. 

While the crowd went crazy for the game, Berengar was personally disinterested in any sport other than those which involved mutual combat. Still, for the sake of ceremony, he sat and watched, as did the rest of the Reich, either in person or on their television sets. 

After the game was over, Berengar returned to his palace with his family, where he spent the rest of the night enjoying his time with them. Wishing that his eldest son was home to partake in the festivities. 

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