Steel Empire
Conrad's Arrival

The trading caravan where Elma, Conrad, and other agents were hiding in it eventually stopped at the city walls of Kufstein. Conrad stared out from the back of the carriage and into the magnificent city walls. Although not as tall as conventional castle walls, they were much thicker and designed in a way he had never seen before.

Despite the grandeur of Kufstein's mighty city walls, Conrad was by no means an architect or even knowledgeable in tactics. As such, the boys did not have an overwhelming inspiration for their brilliant designs. Instead, he looked at the short wall mockingly, believing that they would be easy to climb with the stairs.

Of course, this was not the case, as the wide moat surrounding the wall, made it almost impossible to do so while exposing would-be attackers to shoot from every angle. Despite this fact, Conrad was very unaware of such a thing, and therefore, looked at the mighty Berengar city wall with disdain.

However, one of the merchants traveling with the caravan quickly exclaimed upon seeing the wall

"Well, you better remember that these walls are stronger than they seem. All my life, I've never seen or heard of such a large army being pushed back so quickly by defenders."

he had been present in Kufstein during the Theodoric invasion. Seeing what was left of the man's army would never leave his memory behind, and therefore, he decided to voice his thoughts on the matter after noticing the expression on Conrad's face.

Conrad was unaware of what had happened during the war for Tyrol, and therefore, was completely unaware of the fate of the late Viscount Theodoric. Instead, he only thought the ordinary merchant was exaggerating. So he rejected the man's claim completely. 

Upon arriving at the gate, the city garrison inspected each caravan to see if they were carrying dangerous materials or enemy agents. Upon reaching the wagon containing Conrad, Elma handed a document to the City Guards, where they immediately waved. Very surprisingly the other caravans, who were caught up in the inspection process.

Conrad was not surprised because he knew that Elma was working for Berengar and definitely had some way to enter the city directly. However, when he finally entered the city walls and reached the inhabited territory, the boy became dumbfounded by what he saw.

Spacious tenement houses, grand palaces, the construction of grand projects, all of these were sights Conrad had not expected upon entering the city, which was no more than an ordinary city but a year ago. 

After taking a look, Conrad was finally taken to the Castle where Bernegar currently lives. As he got off the train, he was immediately greeted by Berengar, Count Otto, and Count Audegar of Vorarlberg, who had arrived in Kufstein not long before Conrad himself. These three men were leaders of some districts that were not at all occupied by the Bavarians.

After getting off the carriage, Berengar immediately greeted Conrad with respect not previously given to the boy.

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry for the accommodation you experienced while traveling to my land, but I hope you can understand the need for confidentiality."

Given Conrad was the last remaining heir of the late Duke Wilmar, Berengar should at least show a respectful attitude, especially if he wanted to win Conrad over to his side, and appoint him as Regent. 

Although Conrad was upset because of the condition he had experienced in the past few days, he was grateful to be alive. So he cleaned himself up before approaching Berengar and the other Count while making demands.

"I need to take a shower and bring me a change of clothes while you do it, something that suits the man with my position! We'll talk after I make myself neat."

Berengar smiled and nodded before allowing the boy to access his Castle. He struggled to hold back his laughter when the twelve-year-old declared himself a man. Fortunately Berengar had a solid poker face and simply complied with the boy's request.

"Of course, Your Highness, you will find my most fitting accommodation."

So Conrad was taken to the bathroom where he cleaned himself of the dirt that had accumulated on his body for the past few days before changing into a set of luxurious clothes suitable for a Duke who had been long prepared Berengar for Conrad from his textile factory. After doing so, they met in the Dining Room, where Berengar brought out his best meal to treat the boy.

"Your Majesty, I assume you know that the Bavarians have taken Vienna, your brothers have all been executed, and your sister has been taken away by Dietger to be married off to her sons. You are your father's last remaining heir. This means you are now officially Duke of Austria and potentially the last heir to the German Empire, given that your late mother was the King's only daughter."

Conrad was too busy filling his face with delicious food served to him as if he had not eaten for days, which is far from the case. However, all he managed to eat was bread and beer during his trip, and as such, he was happy to finally have meat in front of him. Although the boy did not reply to Count Otto, the man did not hesitate to continue his thoughts.

"Given you are still a minor, you will need the Regent to act on your behalf, and I recommend Count Berengar for that position. He has proven to be an outstanding battlefield commander and an efficient statesman. With him helping you with your responsibilities, we will make sure to recover the land stolen from us by those cowardly Bavarians!"

Hearing this, Conrad immediately looked up from his plate and stared at the nobles in front of him for a while before a devious plot formed in his head. Now that he was the Duke, he could make any demands he wanted. Therefore, he quickly established his condition. 

"You're saying I'm Duke now, is that true?"

Count Otto nodded his head silently in agreement. So an evil grin curled up on Conrad's lips as he declared his demands.

"Good! If that is the case, you will break Adela's engagement to Berengar and betroth her to me! It would be better for a woman like Adela to marry someone with my prestige than a lowly Count like Berengar!"

Hearing this ludicrous ultimatum, Otto clenched his fists and teeth furiously, noticing how he appeared. Berengar patted the man comfortably on the shoulder; however, what happened next shocked everyone present for the meeting, instead of looking angry, Berengar put a pleasant smile on his face and began to negotiate with the boy, even though he was a true force within the room. 

"Conrad, it's best to give up on your obsession with my fiancee and find someone more suited to your position. You are now the Duke of Austria, and if you decide to make a claim, potentially one day you can become King of Germany, you must marry a princess, not a lowly noble like you mentioned earlier about the status that Adela has." 

Conrad was shocked when he heard this; it was true that he wanted Adela to be his bride so badly, but what Berengar said had resonated with her, as well, he was now a Duke and could potentially one day become King; he really had to marry a princess from another Kingdom, and let Adela and Berengar remain in their lowly positions.

Moreover, even if Berengar became his Regent, one day he would be old enough to not need him anymore, and at that time, he could use his authority to force Berengar to give his wife for entertainment. Or so Conrad thought, in fact, Berengar had a plan to get rid of the boy before that day came true. However, Conrad did not know this, and with this thought in his head, he immediately agreed to Berengar's suggestion.

“Alright, I'll do what you suggest; you can forget my previous request. As for my Regent, I guess Berengar has shown that he can fulfill such a position. So I will consider it as an option for now. I will announce who I have decided to become my Regent after getting used to the current situation that is happening on my land."

While Conrad was displaying such a friendly tone, in his mind, he was secretly thinking to himself.

'Even if I had to make you my Regent, one day your fiancee would be mine! Just wait, Berengar; I'll show you who really deserves to be with such a woman.'

Berengar could easily guess what the foolish boy was thinking, and when Conrad was planning to steal Adela from him, Berengar thought in his mind.

'Great chance, son, you'll die before you're even sixteen. Enjoy the few years left as my doll...'

Therefore, the two nobles conspired against each other, smiling as if they were the greatest of friends and allies. The sight that made the other three nobles present goosebumps, who could easily guess what Berengar and Conrad were thinking behind their friendly faces.