Steel Empire
A Battalion

It had been more than a week since Linde first arrived, and as far as Lambert knew, he still had not tried to kill Berengar. In fact, aside from the first night where she teased Berengar* at dinner, she didn't try to seduce him afterwards. Worse, he actively hindered his attempt to do so by deliberately provoking Berengar when the young master spent time with his fiancee. Lambert could not begin to understand the thought process of the crazy woman he called his lover.

Lambert was by no means a slow child; he began to realize that something was wrong; after all, Linde had not abused him since the second day of his visit. During that time, she was extremely unstable and forced him out of her room while insulting her appearance. Although she did not enjoy the treatment she received from Linde, the fact that she was no longer involved in such brutality meant one thing, she had completely lost interest in her toys, but why? Why did the girl who sad*s savor her pain until a week ago; change her attitude completely overnight. Unless something happens on the night of his arrival?

The more she thought about the strange behavior of her beautiful fiance, the more she realized that something was going on with her; she simply could not find what. He had no choice but to politely interrogate her when the two were alone. There was still a deep internal fear of the young girl who had caused many scars on Lambert's body and heart.

Currently, Lambert was sitting opposite his older brother at the dinner table, who was chatting with his 12-year-old fiance about the delicacy that was on the table in front of them. The family was eating on top of German Pancakes; Lambert had no idea where this culinary discovery came from. Nevertheless, he actually enjoyed the food that had just appeared on their table.

Suddenly Lambert could hear the loud voice of his father asking Berengar; the contents were what shocked Lambert.

"So Berengar, my son. I hear you've equipped your militia with hand cannons? Do you believe this to believe in wise choices?"

Berengar nodded his head at his father's words as he snacked on a piece of breakfast sausage.

"Of course, father, learning archery or swordsmanship takes a long time to gain the necessary proficiency to be useful on the battlefield. A hand cannon is a simple weapon that can be used effectively by a peasant army as a line of defense. Their effective range is quite poor, so they are better suited for defensive positions."

Berengar deliberately did not correct his father about the original nature or efficiency of the rifle. If he did, his weapons would definitely be confiscated, and his technology leaked to his enemies, Berengar stressed their defensive capabilities, but did not attack.

Sieghard still had many questions about the weapon used by Berengar's militia, it was not a hand cannon and ordinary artillery, but he trusted the words of his son, Berengar's son, as when he heard that the weapons were used to defend, he lost interest in rifles; they were best suited to local militias. However, cannons, on the other hand, he had heard incredible things about and needed to know if they could be used efficiently in the field.

"What about the cannons they use? I hear they have the uncanny ability to shoot multiple balls at once?"

Berengar had already prepared an answer for his father; given that the cannons at that time were mostly static weapons used in sieges, the, he decided to lie about the mobility of his 12 pounder cannons and highlighted that they were just the opposite.

“A very defensive weapon, have you seen my design size? They were too large and too heavy to be used effectively in the field or even during sieges. They are best suited to be installed on the walls of castles and used as a means to defend our homes from any potential threat."

At first, Lambert was worried about such advanced weapons falling into the hands of Berngar and his petting commoners. However, when he heard his brother say that they were entirely defensive in nature, he had no desire to report such a useless product to his crime partner, Prince Lothar of Tyrol. The Count needed a weapon of war, not a weapon of defense. Lambert had no idea that this was all Berengar's tactic to keep his revolutionary design secret. The chances of Lambert or Sieghard having the desire to test the weapon itself are almost zero.

Eventually, the Baron lost interest in the topic because he heard that its use was solely to defend their territory; it seemed that Berengar was completely satisfied with his position as the heir of the Baron and did not have any higher ambitions than that. Something Sieghard, little nobles like them, could agree on had nowhere to get involved in big family affairs.

The Baron decided he would abandon the peasant militia Berengar had founded as defenders of his family's territory should he be called to war again for the rest of his life; after all, according to his son, they were practically useless offensively.

Only Berengar realized how efficient his troops were on the battlefield, during sieges, engaged in guerrilla warfare, and especially defense. However, he would never tell anyone about their effective capacity to do so; only when his army was truly needed, was it really needed, Berengar would display an incredible force of steel and dart into this feudal world.

After finishing breakfast, the family disbanded, and Lambert found time to approach Linde about her recent behavior, something she deeply regrets. Berengar had given him orders to maintain his relationship with Lambert; he would continue to harass, punish, and demean her, even though he could not sleep with her, nor did he want her. When Lambert approached the young* teaser and grabbed his wrist, he instinctively slapped him in the face; her flawless sky blue eyes contained the flames of a woman's fury as she scolded her toy for touching her perfect skin without her consent. The sound of slaps could be heard throughout the courtyard, briefly attracting the attention of the servants working nearby.

"How dare you touch me without my permission. Who do you think you are?"

"Sorry, madam, I don't mean to offend; I just want to inquire about your progress with Berengar."

Linde remained calm. However, he was furious that this little dog*n wanted to kill*h his master. Nevertheless, he had to put aside his feelings and play the role; after all, Berengar had assigned him to spy on Lambert and his Father; he even promised a reward if he managed to do so.

"I haven't found the ability to be alone with him; he's very alert to my actions and is always around other people when I approach him. He's far more cunning than you praise."

Lambert felt his heart ache. Does this jal*ng really praise his damned brother? He never did anything like that for her! This was outrageous, but he could not deny the fact that recently his brother had become extremely cunning. It wouldn't surprise him if Berengar realized his plan to use Linde to kill him*h. Eventually, Lambert decided to ask Linde about his plan; after all, he was the one who insisted on getting rid of his own brother.

"So, what exactly are your plans to deal with him?"

Linde looked at Lambert as if he was a pathetic fool before giving him a response.

"I will continue to approach him as I used to and step up my seduction efforts, but if he continues to avoid being alone with me, we will eventually just have to face the potential reality that your brother is too cunning to be caught in the honeypot. "

A strong frown appeared on Lambert's face as he heard Linde praise Berengar once more. It seemed like she was beginning to admire her prey for avoiding her feminine wiles for so long. Lambert began to wonder if there was anything wrong with Berengar's head, how could a hot-blooded man in his youth fail to be seduced by the goddess-like Linde? He begins to suspect Berengar is a lolicon based on how he acts against Adela. If that was the case, it would explain how his brother did not show any outside interest towards Linde as time went on. Only on that first night was there some sort of ***** in Berengar's gaze towards the immaculate young lady.

As Lambert was deep in thought, he released the iron grip on his shoulder and an evil smile from Linde as he whispered in his ear.

"More importantly, I think you went rogue after being undisciplined for so long. Looks like I'll have to teach you the right lesson for your sins."

Soon Lambert's expression sank as all the doubts he had about Linde's behavior were recently erased at the time. How could he be so foolish as to believe that the sadistic dominatrix had changed her colors so easily? It only became clear now that he was testing it all week ago. To see if he would behave differently in his cage. The boy begins to question every decision he has made since he returned home as he is dragged to Linde's residence to be severely punished for his actions.

...

Meanwhile, Berengar continued to drill peasant militias in the fields, which were increasing in number every day; the magnificent weapons Berengar displayed had attracted the attention of the general public. Those who had survived the battlefield earlier as peasant levies could see the knight's age coming to an end as they watched the volley followed by an organized bayonet attack that Berengar had ordered to his troops when they stabbed their bayonet into the straw doll. .

The commander looked at his troops respectfully; with each day, they advanced closer to the true army. Ludwig had worked overtime to produce enough weapons to meet the demands of the ever-increasing militia. On the last day alone, they received 50 recruits, making their number to 300 companies. This was practically half the size of his father's army during the war. After all, As a Baron, Sieghard could summon his followers to mobilize their own troops so that he could add their troops to his army.

Without a doubt, he now possessed a strength the size of a small battalion. Despite being mostly infantry, there was still a total of three cannons, 1 for every 100 infantry. Although the small team of men usually operated the cannon, so at the moment, the ratio was not exact, but it was about to happen. He looked at his troops as if they were his own favorite son, knowing that as long as he did, they would stand beside him even to the death. By the time the King has died and the Kingdom of Germany descends into absolute warfare, he will have an army capable of defending his borders from any threat.

After all, the chances of Berengar marching into the war drums themselves were minuscule. Sieghard had a passion for such things, and when his subordinates called him to take up arms, he would definitely lead the attack. The question in Berengar's mind was whether he could convince his father to appoint him as regent back then. If his plan succeeds, he will wield absolute power in his family's territory for a long period of time, and he can get many more important reforms underway. If his father returns from the conflict alive, he will be welcomed in a land that is completely transformed.

For the time being, Berengar had many tasks that included but were not limited to gathering soldiers, installing irrigation systems throughout the fields, selling steel piles to the Count of Steiermark, he said, investing profits into the mining industry, as well as earning profits, the support of the local nobility and their rightful descendants. An ambitious person like him never had time to rest...