Tyranny of Steel

A week had passed since the fateful night where Berengar convinced Hasan to purge his Kingdom of the faction of religious fanatics who intended to overthrow his legitimate and secular government in favor of a theocratic Caliphate.

During this time, Berengar comforted Adela over the overwhelming stress and anxiety she felt during the purge. As a show of thanks to Berengar's support, Hasan had given Berengar a beachside Villa off the coast of Gibraltar. This beachside house was delivered in perpetuity to the von Kufstein Dynasty as a show of friendship.

While Hasan was busy purging the remaining opposition forces within his Kingdom, Berengar watched Adela play on the beach while sipping on a glass filled with fortified wine. For the first time since Berengar had transmigrated to this world, he was finally able to see a pretty girl in a bikini. That's right, knowing that he would be traveling to Iberia, Berengar purposely had a bikini made for Adela.

Because Berengar had yet to develop the process for creating nylon and other synthetic materials, Berengar could only resort to using natural fibers like Hemp. Hemp was breathable and dried quickly; as such, it was a good substitute for nylon when making swimwear. In fact, he was wearing modern-style swim trunks fashioned from the material.

The fresh air of the Mediterranean combined with the fun of the beach had begun to lift Adela's spirit after the brutal slaughter she had witnessed.. Considering that a large chunk of the beach was reserved for Berengar and his Dynasty's private use, there was not another person visible for several hundred meters.

Adela's bikini was sapphire in color like her eyes, and she was pretty embarrassed while wearing such little clothing. However, Berengar had assured her it was only natural to wear light clothing on a beach, and considering she did not know any better; she decided to trust him. Which speaking from a modern perspective, this was the truth.

Besides, even if she could not admit it, it was exciting to be alone with Berengar and catch his fancy without any other girls interfering for once. As such, she began to construct a sandcastle on the beach while Berengar watched her with joy.

It was not until some time later that Berengar's fun was interrupted by a messenger on Horseback. He had ridden from Granada to give Berengar a letter. As Berengar opened the letter and read its contents, his smile began to fade, and he nodded at the rider before sending him back to his master. Berengar quickly approached Adela informing her of the business at hand.

"Looks like our little vacation is over. Now is the time to return to Granda and discuss the terms of our newfound alliance with the Sultan."

Upon Hearing this, Adela's eye began to show panic, and Berengar understood why, after witnessing such a horrific scene, Adela had no desire to go back to Granada; the very thought of it could induce panic attacks. As such, he hugged the girl who was beginning to breathe heavily and stroked her golden hair.

"It is fine, you can stay here and enjoy the beach, but I have to go. I will make sure some of my guards stay behind to protect you."

Despite Berengar's kindness, Adela shook her head and steeled her resolve. She responded to Berengar with a look of great determination in her eyes.

"I will not be your burden! You asked me to come with you to ensure that your diplomatic efforts succeed. Even though I can't do much, I can still make sure you remain calm if things get heated. So despite my misgivings, I will accompany you; after all, I am your wife!"

Berengar's jaw nearly fell agape as he heard this; all he could think of in his mind was one simple phrase.

"This girl is too cute!"

With that, he picked Adela up and carried her princess style back to the manor, where they began to separate so that they could change into the appropriate attire. After doing so, they stepped out of the Castle and entered the carriage prepared for them by the Sultan.

After traveling for a few days, they finally arrived in Granada, where Adela had difficulty stepping out of the carriage and into the Castle. Berengar grasped onto her shaking hand as he led her into the Castle; thankfully, any sign of the massacre that had previously taken place here was thoroughly cleaned up, as if it had never happened, allowing Adela to breathe easily.

After traversing through the Castle into the Sultan's great hall Berengar and Adela stood before the Sultan of Granada, who stood up from his seat and approached Berengar while smiling. Hasan grabbed ahold of Berengar and hugged him as if he were a long-lost brother; after a few seconds, he let go of his grasp and began to speak to Berengar about what had happened over the last week.

"My friend! It is great to see you; I can assure you that the fanatics who oppose my rule have been eliminated, there is no threat to my power left within my Emirate, and it is all thanks to your advice. If I did not have you to guide me, I would have been killed on that dreadful night. I hope the villa was to your liking?"

In response to this, Berengar smiled and clasped the man's shoulder as he nodded his head with a smile on his face.

"It was wonderful; you have a beautiful country, I and I look forward to spending much of my future at the Villa you have provided my family and me!"

Hasan smiled and nodded as he spoke to Berengar.

"Excellent! Excellent! I knew you would enjoy it; again, I am so sorry you had to witness that barbaric display. I assure you, I am taking every precaution to appoint loyal and competent subjects as you have advised. Now we can discuss matters of State without the interference of those fanatics!"

Berengar walked by Hasan's side, and Adela followed behind the two men as they chatted. Berengar fully announced his plans for the future of their two States.

"I will be frank with you, Hasan; within a year, I intend to become fully independent of the Holy Roman Empire, establishing the Kingdom of Austria. The Emperor plots against me, and I can no longer remain loyal to a man who would try to sabotage my people's wealth and happiness over religious differences.

More than anything, I need an ally, someone dependable, someone like-minded, and someone with the potential to grow alongside me. I suggest comprehensive trade agreements between our two kingdoms to expand our wealth further, but more importantly, a powerful military alliance between our two States.

I can supply you with arms, armor, and munitions at a discounted price and even provide you with military advisors for five years so that your troops can become fully equipped with the knowledge and resources to defeat your enemies.

In return, all that I ask is that if I ever come into a situation where I am incapable of defending my borders by myself, that you aid me. In return for this, I promise to do the same for you, my friend."

When Hasan heard this, he was pretty shocked. Berengar was making quite a large request of the Sultan. However, the Sultan also knew that Berengar's armies were among the best in Europe. As such, he was interested in the offer and thus voiced his concerns on the matter.

"When you say you will provide me with arms, armor, and munitions, I assume you are not referring to the ones that your army utilizes."

Berengar began to chuckle as he heard this and responded honestly.

"You would be correct; I won't lie to you; I intend to maintain the stranglehold I have over advanced military technology. However, what I can do is provide you with the arms, armor, munitions, and tactics I have sold to the Byzantines."

Hasan's interest grew further when he heard this. What Berengar had offered him was a far better deal than what Berengar gave the Hussites. While Berengar officially had no ties to the Hussites, Hasan was not foolish enough to believe Berengar was innocent of what he proclaimed himself regarding the war in Bohemia.

The fact that Berengar was willing to provide the same level of assistance to Hasan that he offered to the Byzantines proved that the young Duke was sincere about the alliance with Granada. After all, the Byzantines had begun to make significant advances into Egypt and Lybia throughout the last year, mainly due to Berengar's equipment.

After hearing this, Hasan sighed and voiced his concerns over the arrangement.

"Normally, an alliance like this is sealed with marriage..."

Before Berengar could allow Hasan to finish the statement, he interjected.

"Don't even think about it. I already have three women; if I add another one, I am almost certain at least one of my girls will kill me in my sleep!"

Hasan began to chuckle at this response and gazed over at Adela, who was pouting silently to Berengar's words. There was no denying it; the fury in her eyes showed that two other girls were already her limit as the main wife. Adela outright refused to allow Berengar to take in some Moorish whore as yet another bride to be.

Seeing the terrifying look on Adela's cute little face, Hasan clasped Berengar's shoulder and sighed.

"You have my sympathies, my friend; I too know what it is like to have one of your wives make an attempt on your life. Fine, forget what I said; since I owe you my life, this request of a comprehensive alliance between our two realms is a small thing to ask. We will draft a mutually beneficial treaty for our people, and I will be more than happy to sign it! It is just a shame..."

Berengar was smiling throughout Hasan's response, but when he heard that last part, it made him instinctively curious, and as such, Berengar asked the question on his mind.

"What is?"

Hasan chuckled as he heard this before replying.

"My little sister is quite beautiful and in need of a husband. Oh well, I guess it is not meant to be..."

Hearing this, Berengar nearly cursed under his breath, but he felt the murderous gaze of Adela watching over his every move and thus sighed instead.

"You are right; it is not meant to be..."

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