Steel Empire
Strength Enhancement

In the middle of the night, under the lack of illumination of the new moon, a group of dark-clothed individuals set out from the town of Kitzbuhel and begin to engage in a sinister plot to burn down the local barn. With this act of sabotage, the inhabitants of Kitzbuhel would be deprived of stored food and forced to buy food from their neighbors to survive. This was not only an act of revenge from Berengar to Baron Guntrum, but also a way to force Guntrum to the negotiating table so that his shipment could be returned.

Thus, people slipped in the darkness of the night around the barn, which was guarded by the city guard unit. However, the men seemed to be half asleep at the moment and had difficulty staying awake. This was because they had gone to the tavern earlier that night and drank wine mixed with tranquilizers, which local tavern workers provided for them. The entire staff of the tavern was either directly or indirectly involved with Berengar's spy network.

The saboteurs waited another fifteen minutes before the men were completely unconscious. After that, they lit some torches that they carried and threw them into the barn. Soon, most of the city's food stores were on fire, and the perpetrators had fled into the night, never to be caught.

In the morning Baron Guntrum von Kitzbuhel was furious; he was not sure how, but this could only be the action of the Regent of the neighboring Barony, who else had the excuse and was aware to engage in such vile behavior. Currently, he sits down with his advisory board, each of which has different views on how to go further. His chancellor was the first to express his concern among a group of elderly men.

"This is definitely an act of getting us to the negotiating table; I say we are obedient before things get out of hand. We must return the shipment and allow the merchant to pass through our land on the condition that Kufstein compensate us for the loss of the food store. This is the only sensible act!"

Marshal Guntrum had a completely different opinion; he spat on the ground in disgust with the Chancellor's opinion on the matter.

"All we need to do is retaliate for this despicable act in the form of goods. If we can burn their barns, they'll be in just as bad a situation as we are. Then they'll think twice before provoking us further."

Quickly the council chamber broke into a quarrel as no adviser to Baron Guntrum could agree on a solution. Finally Baron smacked his fist into the table and made his decision known.

"We will retaliate against this act of sabotage with one of our own. Not only will we burn his granary, but we will sabotage the steel mills he is proud of. That way, we'll hurt his trade far worse than just seizing steel and textile shipments!"

Although many of his advisers realized that this might lead to a declaration of war directly, they could no longer influence their Barons any further. Thus, his decision was made, and his saboteur was assigned. They would sneak into Kufstein at night and engage in their criminal acts.

...

It was now late at night, and once again, a group of black-clothed and masked individuals were useless. However, the shoes were on the other foot this time as these people quickly crossed the Border and drove towards Kufstein under the darkness. However, unfortunately for them, Berengar expects retaliatory measures and has placed his troops in the shadows in the task of hunting down and eliminating would-be saboteurs. By the time they set foot in Kufstein, their actions had already been closely watched by Berengar's killer.

The City Guards guarded the Industrial district tightly, and as such, the saboteurs could not find a way to enter it unnoticed. Before long, the leader of the group exclaimed with defeat.

"This is impossible! Why would he lock this place up like a fortress?"

"Because His Majesty Berengar has many secrets to hide, like this"

The last thing the would-be saboteur saw was a dazzling flash of light as they heard the thunder of weapons echoing in the night; even before they could react, it was a glint of light, their bodies are torn to shreds by the revolving flintlock pistols of the assassins who have surrounded the saboteurs without their knowledge. This prototype weapon was issued to Berengar's spies and assassins and was based on Collier's revolving flintlock pistol from a previous life. Soon the City guards were alerted and rushed to the sound of gunfire with their Muskets loaded and ready for battle. Once there, however, they saw the bodies of the saboteurs filled with shotgun balls, with no sign of the culprit.

Half an hour later, Berengar enjoyed a schnitzel and spaetzle with a nice cold beer at the dining table where he ate alone despite it being past midnight. His family were all asleep, although if they woke up, it didn't matter. Berengar was already used to eating with only Linde accompanying him. However, he was currently absent. Unfortunately, Lambert's actions have destroyed his family, and he hasn't seen Henrietta for weeks. However, according to his servant, he was still alive and eating the food he brought. As for his mother, Gisela, he had secluded himself with Sieghard where they continued to read the Bible Berengar had given him to find answers to God's plan, and subsequently, Lambert's sinful actions.

At this moment, Linde approached with an excited expression, although when she saw Berengar was having a midnight snack, which happened to be her favorite meal, she pouted like a child.

"You could have told me that you were eating; I would have joined you!"

Berengar chuckled as he finished eating and wiped his mouth with a napkin before finishing the rest of his beer down his throat. Afterwards, she teased Linde with her answer.

"It's too late now."

This caused him to frown even further, though eventually, he remembered his reason for looking him out and giving him the good news.

"As you might expect, Guntrum sends people to sabotage barns and factories; your hands kill them before they cause trouble."

Berengar smiled wickedly as he grabbed Linde and pressed her into his embrace before kissing her passionately.

"Good, everything went according to plan; as long as the violence continued to escalate, sooner or later, he would give me a valid Cassus Belli for me to declare war on him. Hopefully, I won't have to wait long ... "

With that said, she dragged her scheming lover back to her room and enjoyed the rest of her time training her.