Steel Empire
Collecting Evidence Part 4

A few days had passed and Berengar was currently sitting at his desk in his room; around him were three men, Linde his lover and slave, Ingbert, formerly a close ally of his brother, now a traitor, now a traitor, and Arnulf von Thiersee, who was an important follower of his father. These three men could provide evidence that Berengar needed to justify the cruel acts he had planned for his brother. A Tyrant can do as he pleases, but to engage in atrocities and be praised by his people will require evidence of wrongdoing and well-placed propaganda. He did not want to be known as the other kinlayer. Instead, he wants to be known as one who is willing to go to great lengths to ensure that justice is served against the wrongdoers, even if one of the wrongdoers is his own flesh and blood.

He was currently listening to Arnulf discuss his requirements to give the ledger to Berengar with an indifferent expression on his face.

"I want a position on your Board when you take your position as Regent and certain assurances that Lambert will be dealt with accordingly. I don't want to see leniency on his behalf because he's your brother."

Berengar tapped his finger on his desk three times as he listened to the demands God had placed on him. After sighing heavily, he began to give his counter offer.

“I assure you that there is no love lost between my brother and me. When he is charged and found guilty, he will be given the appropriate punishment for his crime. As for the position of Advisor, I am a person who values merit; if you can prove yourself to be the most suitable candidate for the position you want, I have no problem choosing you to fulfill it. However, if someone better shows up in time, know that I have no qualms about getting you out of that position."

Arnulf looked at Berengar's icy sapphire eyes and felt intimidated by the pressure he received. Sure enough, Berengar was not an easy person to negotiate with. However, he honestly could not think of a valid answer to Berengar's counter. Therefore, he agreed to the request of the two and returned with a better offer.

"Okay, but I want compensation."

Berengar maintained an indifferent expression as he glared at Arnulf; there was no doubt in his voice as he asked about the details of such a thing.

"In what form?"

Arnulf swallowed the answer; he did not explicitly state he wanted money, he only wanted compensation, and Berengar immediately caught him. Clearly, the young master was extremely astute in diplomatic affairs.

The man looked at Berengar's armor lying in the corner of his room with envy in his eyes. Even though it was only half a plate, it was truly outstanding in design, and he desperately wanted a set of his own. A good armor was precious in this period of time, and if he were to march to fight alongside Sieghard, he wanted better protection than the set he currently had.

"Your factory produces such steel plates in large quantities, really?"

Berengar mocked Arnulf's request; he thought too much of Arnulf and assumed the man wanted his army to be equipped with extraordinary technology; it was a request Berengar would never allow to come to fruition.

"My factories are currently busy producing the equipment necessary to arm my troops; I don't have enough production tools to equip yours."

"You misunderstood what I meant, my lord. All I wanted was a set of plate armor for myself. Can this be arranged?"

Berengar was astonished when he heard this request; it was a much more reasonable offer than what he had originally anticipated as Arnulf's mind. Of course, a complete set of plate armor was an outrageous cost, but it was due to the limited ability of this era to produce steel in sufficiently high quantities to make such a thing. Not to mention the intensive labor required for personal installation of armor. However, Berengar had more steel than he knew what to do at the moment. By using advanced manufacturing processes such as travel hammers in its factory, the labor will be much less, and thus, it is much cheaper to produce a full set of plate protectors.

After careful consideration, Berengar agreed to the terms Arnulf had declared; therefore, he rose from his chair and extended his hand to the Lord before him.

"Then, if that's it, I'm sure we've reached an agreement .."

The two men shook hands, signaling the beginning of a new alliance united against their common enemy. After agreeing to the terms, Arnulf handed the ledger to Berengar for safekeeping, and Berengar promised Arnulf that he would get his armor set in a reasonable time. The style of armor he would create for the man was the style of the famous Maximillian set, which was used by German Knights and Men during Berengar's 16th-century previous life.

After the two finished their negotiations, Berengar shifted his focus to Ingbert, who patiently waited for his turn to speak. When Berengar gestured for Ingbert to voice his concern, the man knelt before him.

"My Lord, I confess to conspiring against you with your brother in the past and openly asking for forgiveness. I offer my written and oral testimony of the evil deeds that I have witnessed Lambert engage in as my sincere apology for my actions."

The actions of the young knight slightly made Berengar amused. He never really cared about Ingbert, but somehow Linde managed to gain his support in the fight against Lambert. After all, he had severely punished her the night before for hugging her; even if it was an act, he could not let his slave touch another man. Although he did not hold a grudge against Ingbert for the scene, as such, he gestured for Ingbert to rise as Berengar gave his decision.

"Wake up Ser Ingbert. I'll forgive you on condition that you stay true to your words and help me take down my sister."

Ingbert rose from a kneeling position with a wide smile on his face; he did not do this for Berengar but for Linde, who desperately needed his help. Or so he thought, the reality was that aside from one encounter with Lambert in the hallway, he had never touched her before, he had never touched her before, nor will it ever be again because the boy was so traumatized by Berengar's threat.

With this new evidence and letters from Lambert's previous experiments over his life, Berengar now has everything he needs to indict his brother with attempted brother murder and treason. With this evidence in his hands, he could be justified in executing his brother while he held the seat of power in Kufstein. Now all he needs to do is wait for his father to go to war leaving him in Barony's control.

Of course, first of all, he had to face the threat of the inquisition crashing his neck, but to him, the church and their efforts to intimidate him into obedience were just children's games. If the church wants to provoke a tyrant then he gladly plays that role. Berengar would soon show his enemies what happened when they conspired against the Steel Empire