It had been over a week since Linde first arrived, and as far as Lambert knew she still had not made an attempt at Berengar's life. In fact, aside from the first night where she flirted with Berengar at dinner, she had made no effort to seduce him afterward. Worse yet, she had actively impeded her attempts to do so by deliberately provoking Berengar when the young lord spent time with his fiancee. Lambert could not begin to comprehend the thought process of that crazy bitch he called his mistress.
Lambert was not a slow kid by any means; he was beginning to piece together that something was not right; after all, Linde had not abused him since the second day of her visit. During that time, she was extremely unstable and forced him out of her room while insulting his appearance. Though he did not enjoy the treatment he received from Linde, the fact that she no longer engaged in such brutality meant one thing, she had completely lost interest in her toy, but why? Why would the girl who sadistically took pleasure in his pain until just a week ago; change her attitude completely overnight. Unless something happened the night of her arrival?
The more he thought about his beautiful fiancee's odd behavior, the more he realized that something was going on with her; he just could not quite find out what. He would have no choice but to politely interrogate her when the two were alone. There was still a deep internal fear of the young maiden who had caused many scars upon Lambert's body and heart.
Currently, Lambert was sitting across from his older brother at the dining table, who chatted with his 12-year-old fiancee about the delicacy sitting on the table before them. The family was dining upon German Pancakes; Lambert had no idea where these culinary inventions were coming from. Nevertheless, he thoroughly enjoyed the food that had recently appeared on their tables.
Suddenly Lambert could hear his father's stern voice question Berengar; the contents of the which shocked Lambert.
"So Berengar, my son. I hear you have equipped your militia with hand cannons? Do you believe this to believe a wise choice?"
Berengar nodded his head at his father's words as he snacked on a piece of breakfast sausage.
"Of course, father, learning archery or the sword takes an extended period of time to gain the proficiency necessary to be useful on the battlefield. Hand cannons are simple weapons that the peasant forces can effectively use as a line of defense. Their effective range is quite poor, so they're better suited to defensive positions."
Berengar had intentionally not corrected his father about the true nature or efficiency of the muskets. If he had done so, his weapons undoubtedly would be confiscated, and the technology leaked to his enemies as such, Berengar emphasized their defensive ability, but not offense.
Sieghard still had many questions about the weapons used by Berengar's militia, they were not ordinary hand cannons and artillery, but he trusted his son's word, as such when he heard they were defensive in use, he lost interest in the muskets; they were best suited to a local militia after all. However, the cannons, on the other hand, he had heard remarkable things about and needed to know if they could be used efficiently in the field.
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"What about those cannons they're using? I heard they have the remarkable ability to fire many balls at once?"
Berengar had already prepared an answer for his father; seeing as cannons of the time were mainly static weapons used in sieges, he decided to lie about the mobility of his 12 pounder cannons and highlight that they were exactly the opposite.
"A strictly defensive weapon, have you seen the size of my designs? They are far too large and far too heavy to be used effectively on the field or even during a siege. They're best suited to be mounted on the Castle's walls and used as a means of defending our home from any potential threat."
At first, Lambert was concerned about such sophisticated weapons falling into the hands of Berngar and his peasant rabble. Still, when he heard his brother say they were entirely defensive in nature he had no desire to report such useless products to his partner in crime, Count Lothar of Tyrol. The Count needed weapons of war, not weapons of defense. Little did Lambert know that this was all a ploy by Berengar to keep his revolutionary designs as confidential as possible. The likelihood of Lambert or Sieghard having the desire to test the weapons themselves was virtually zero.
Eventually, the Baron lost interest in the topic as he heard their use was solely for defending their territory; it appears Berengar was truly content with his position as a Baron's heir and had no loftier ambitions than that. Something in which Sieghard could agree with, minor noblemen like themselves had no place getting involved in the affairs of the great families.
The Baron decided he would leave the peasant militia Berengar had founded as defenders of his family's territory should he ever be called to war again in his lifetime; after all, according to his son, they were practically useless in an offensive manner.
Only Berengar was aware of how efficient his forces would become on the field of battle, during a siege, engaging in guerilla warfare, and especially defense. Yet, he would never inform anyone of their effective capacity to do so; only when his forces were truly needed would Berengar display the overwhelming power of steel and shot to this feudal world.
After finishing breakfast, the family dispersed, and Lambert found time to approach Linde about her recent behavior, something he would utterly regret doing. Berengar had already given her orders to maintain her relationship with Lambert; she would continue to abuse, punish, and degrade him, though she could not sleep with him, nor did she desire to. When Lambert approached the young temptress and grabbed ahold of her wrist, she instinctively slapped him in the face; her flawless sky blue eyes contained the fire of a woman's rage as she scolded her toy for touching her perfect skin without her approval. The sound of the slap could be heard throughout the courtyard, which briefly drew the attention of the servants working nearby.
"How dare you touch me without my permission. Who do you think you are?"
Linde was furious, and it was not just a facade; only her master could touch her without her consent. Though she no longer held her previous sadistic personality, she was still ordered to abuse the boy, and as such, she would do as her master had commanded. The violent slap left a red handprint on Lambert's face. Now, this was the mistress he knew and lusted after. The truth is that Lambert despised Linde's personality, but he could not help but forgive her many transgressions, for, in his eyes, she was the incarnation of physical perfection. Some men would do anything to please a beautiful woman, and Lambert was one of them. As such, he kneeled before her and apologized.
"I'm sorry, mistress, I did not mean to offend; I just wanted to inquire about your progress with Berengar."
Linde kept a calm facade. However, she was internally furious that this little punk wanted to assassinate her master. Nevertheless, she had to put her feelings aside and play the part; after all, Berengar had tasked her with spying on Lambert and her Father; he even promised her a reward if she did so successfully.
"I have not found the ability to be alone with him; he is very wary of my actions and is always around others when I approach him. He's far more cunning than you give him credit for."
Lambert felt his heart stinging. Did this bitch seriously compliment his accursed brother? She had never done such a thing for him! This was outrageous, but he could not deny the fact that recently his brother had become quite cunning. It would not surprise him if Berengar had become aware of his plot to use Linde to assassinate him. Eventually, Lambert decided to ask Linde for her plans; after all, she was the one who insisted on getting rid of his brother herself.
"So, what exactly is your plan to deal with him?"
Linde looked at Lambert as if he was a pitiful fool before giving her a response.
"I will keep approaching him as I have been and improve my attempts at seduction, but if he keeps avoiding being alone with me, we will eventually just have to face the potential reality that your brother is too crafty to be caught in a honeypot."
A strong frown appeared across Lambert's face as he heard Linde compliment Berengar once more. It seemed she had begun to admire her prey for avoiding her womanly wiles for so long. Lambert began to wonder if there was something wrong with Berengar's head, how could a hot-blooded male in the prime of his youth possibly fail to be seduced by a goddess-like Linde? He started to suspect Berengar was a lolicon based upon how he acted towards Adela. If that were the case, it would explain how his brother showed no outward interest towards Linde as the days went on. Only on that first night was there any semblance of lust in Berengar's gaze towards the immaculate young woman.
As Lambert was deep in thought, he fled an iron grip on his shoulder and a wicked smile from Linde as she whispered in his ear.
"More importantly, it seems to me that you have gotten unruly after going undisciplined for so long. It appears I will have to teach you a proper lesson for your sins."
Immediately Lambert's expressions sank as all the doubts he had about Linde's recent behavior were washed away at that moment. How could he be so foolish as to believe the sadistic dominatrix had changed her colors so easily? It only became apparent now that she was testing him throughout the last week. To see if he would behave differently on his home turf. The young boy began to question every decision he had made since he returned home as he was dragged off to Linde's quarters to be punished severely for his actions.
...
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Meanwhile, Berengar continued drilling the peasant militia in the fields, which was increasing in numbers by the day; the magnificent weapons Berengar displayed had attracted the attention of the common population. Those who had survived the battlefield previously as peasant levies could see the age of knights coming to an end as they witnessed the volley fire being followed by an organized bayonet charge which Berengar had commanded his troops to enact as they stabbed their bayonets into the straw dummies.
The commander gazed at his troops respectfully; with each day, they were progressing closer to a true army. Ludwig had worked overtime to produce enough arms to keep up with the growing demands of the militia. In the last day alone, they received 50 recruits, making their numbers stand at a firm 300. This was practically half the size of his father's army during a time of war. After all, As a Baron, Sieghard could call upon his vassals to mobilize troops of their own so that he may add their forces to his army.
Without a doubt, he now had a force the size of a small battalion. Though mostly infantry, there were still a total of three cannons, 1 for every 100 infantry. Albeit a small team of men typically operated cannons, so currently, the ratio was not exact, but it would be soon enough. He looked upon his forces as if they were his own beloved sons, knowing that as long as he did so they would stand by him even unto death. By the time the King had passed and the Kingdom of Germany descended into absolute warfare, he would have an army capable of defending his borders from any threat.
After all, the likelihood of Berengar marching to the drums of war himself was slim. Sieghard had a passion for such things, and when his liege called upon him to take up arms, he would surely lead the charge. The question on Berengar's mind was whether or not he could convince his father to appoint him as regent by then. If his plans succeeded, he would wield absolute power in his family's territory for an extended period of time, and he could get many of his more important reformations underway. If his father returned from the conflict alive, he would be welcomed to a completely transformed land.
For now, Berengar had many tasks at hand which included but were not limited to raising an army, installing his irrigation system across the fields, selling the steel stockpile to the Count of Steiermark, investing the profits into the mining industry, as well as gaining the support of the local nobility and their entitled offspring. Truly an ambitious man like himself never had time to rest...