Steel Empire
Trapped

For weeks since Arethas' visit, he traveled across the Mediterranean and returned to Constantinople. At some point, the man was hit in the Adriatic sea due to an ongoing storm and thus had just returned with the first shipment of weapons. 

At this time, Arethas was once again in the Palace of Constantinople, informing Emperor Vetranis of his deeds. The two gathered in a courtyard outside the palace walls, where they walked around the beautiful gardens throughout the area.

Unbeknownst to the two men, Princess Honoria was nearby playing with her pet eagle. He was trapped inside the palace from a young age, like a bird in his cage. His only companion during this time was his pet eagle, which he named Heraclius after the great Emperor. Right now, he was stroking the feathers on the head of the majestic bird while the creature was perched on his arm. 

A beautiful smile spread across the young beautiful face as she played with her pet; she started praising the bird.

"Oh Heraclius, you have been a good friend to me all this time. Nonetheless, our time together is getting closer to an unfair end. Because I fear I will not be able to take you with me to France where I will be sold to the Crown Prince as if I were just cattle. Only you care enough to listen to my complaints..."

The bird was not stupid at all; it could tell the beautiful girl who was its master was very troubled about something important; thus, it had her head bent to her own head in an attempt to comfort her.

While Honoria was playing with her eagle, she overheard a conversation being held nearby; with nothing else going on she decided to eavesdrop out of curiosity. After all, whatever topic his father and one of his greatest generals were talking about would definitely stem his overwhelming boredom. 

Emperor Vetranis smiled as he asked Arethas the question he had long wanted to hear.

"So tell me, good Aretha, have you bought weapons from the West?"

With a joyful smile, Arethas nodded his head and confidently declared his success.

"I have managed to do so, although it is not the same weapon Berengar's forces used when they destroyed the Bavarian invaders. They were still far more advanced than anything in the known world!"

The Emperor smiled as he nodded in agreement before discussing the matter at hand.

"Good! I'm going to assign some people to reverse engineer these great weapons. However, it may take a long time to complete, so until then, I want you to buy this Arkebus as much as you can get. . The war in Egypt depends on it!"

Arethas quickly lowered his head to respect and respond to the Emperor's request.

"I'll do it at the first opportunity!"

Honoria, who was listening nearby, started to frown, she originally thought this conversation would be interesting, but it was just a discussion about the mere arms trade. How impressive is this weapon? Just as he was about to get up from his seat and walk away, he heard the topic turn to something more interesting.

The Emperor scratched his beard before asking the question in his mind.

"Tell Arethas the truth, is what they say about Count Berengar true? Is he the true power behind the Duchy of Austria?"

Arethas sighed heavily before expressing his opinion on the matter.

"No doubt, despite only being twenty-one this year, Berengar had risen from the position of lowly son of Baron to a power behind the Duchy of Austria. The current Duke was nothing more than a boy whose entire existence could be described as a Berengar puppet. From the last conversation I had with Berengar, I got a hunch that he intended to immediately usurp the position and establish himself as Duke of Austria."

The emperor responded to Arethas' claim with a slight nod of his head before declaring his approval.

"Truly a talented young man, it is a pity that he has made enemies from most of Europe, the Catholic Church has declared him heretical to his reformist ideology, in a manner very similar to Jan Hus, the Pope said, the situation in Bohemia had become turbulent, and now Austria was following in its footsteps under the direction of Berengar. I fear Catholics will try to execute him. Do you think Berengar has the power to resist such attempts?"

Arethas thought about this for a while before finally giving his response.

"If he continues to expand his military power like he did? Yes, even if the Pope calls for a new crusade against him and his followers, he will destroy any army that enters his land. The weapons he sells to us are terrifying, and supposedly the firearms issued to all his infantry are even more impressive.

No wonder he defeated the Bavarian army in less than a month. I would not be surprised if Berengar used the Pope's response to his actions as an excuse to annex his neighbors and create a new Kingdom located in central Europe.

Given a few years to consolidate the power he had gained over Austria, he would soon have an entirely unrivalled army, and I assure you his ambition does not end with Austria. Mark my words, one day Berengar will be King."

Hearing these words, Honoria gasped; after doing so, she quickly covered her mouth for fear that she was found by her father. He did not expect the famous Strategos of Ionia to praise foreigners from the West so highly. Especially since until now, he had never heard of this Count Berengar. However, Arethas' words quickly filled Honoria's young mind with the image of the young Prince of Tyrol as a heroic conqueror on par with the likes of Trajan or Caesar. 

Honoria had never met Berengar; she had no idea what he looked like, nor did she know his last name. Yet just from this conversation, Berengar's image formed in Honoria's head, and a lasting impression was built.

Finally, he found a strong and ambitious man to pursue. Even if she was already engaged to the French Crown Prince, she had no intention of marrying such a man and would rather chase after someone like Count Berengar whom she had just heard of.

If only he had a way to contact her, then Honoria started sulking when she realized that her thoughts now about pursuing Berengar were impossible. As long as he was trapped in the palace, he would never be able to meet the man and see if he met the hype.

Therefore, he quickly sat down on a nearby bench and once again began to talk to Heraclius, his pet eagle. The young beauty sighed heavily as she did so.

"Oh Heraclius, what should I do? There was no way for me to contact Berengar this, but if I did not contact him, I would be forced to marry the twins, Aubry. Can my life get any worse?"

Heraclius looked at Honoria with a curious look before flying into the air and flying away. The bird became hungry and therefore went hunting. Leaving Honoria alone as she thought about the problems she was facing. Therefore, Honoria pouted as she revealed the thoughts in her mind.

"Stupid bastard!"

As for Aretha and the Emperor, they continued to stroll through the park and discuss various topics; they had long since passed from Honoria's hearing. So he could no longer eavesdrop on their conversation.

Vetranis did not know that his daughter had heard his conversation with Arethas and therefore liked this Berengar of the West. Because if he did, he would definitely try to end such attraction before it turned into madness. The last thing he needs is a scandal about his mischievous daughter running away with some Duke from the West.

Instead, his conversation with Arethas shifted from the topic of Berengar to a war with the Egyptians; with the new weapons obtained from Berengar, his troops had to be trained in their use, and the, Arethas had told the Emperor about the spear and shot strategies Berengar had suggested in brief.

Thus, the men had to devise new tactics for their troops to defeat the Mamluke Sultanate. With this, they hope to reclaim the long-lost North African territory and put it into their mighty Empire.