Tyranny Of Steel Chapter 1255 A Speech To The Reichstag



After bidding farewell to his parents and one of his closest friends in merely a few brief years, Berengar plunged into a phase of deep depression. He lounged on the couch, guzzled beer, and stared at the television. At this point, the Reich had surged ahead far past the boundaries of the realm he had abandoned long ago. 

Innovations once confined to science fiction were now materializing into everyday reality. This rapid progress made it tough for Berengar to adapt to the flood of novel aspects in daily existence. His kids with Brynhildr shot up rapidly, as the other offspring and grandchildren frequently dropped by to see Berengar along with his wives. 

To be completely frank, Berengar now yearned for his younger days in a manner he never imagined possible. Back when he was youthful, he commanded armies to crush kingdoms and empires in glorious victories. These days, he was merely an elderly fellow parked on his backside, glued to the TV. It felt like his existence had lost all direction. He merely endured each passing day until the moment he entered the tomb. 

In the meantime, his son occupied the throne of the globe's mightiest and vastest Empire, diligently managing the Reich's ongoing advancements. Plenty of tasks demanded attention, yet the bulk of them weren't Hans's to handle. 

Therefore, on this particular day, the reigning Kaiser chose to snag some time away to check on his father. Hans entered the living room and discovered his dad in a somber mood. It came as no surprise—his dear ones were starting to depart this world. Though Berengar understood what lay ahead in the afterlife, the prospect of enduring many more decades apart from them was unbearable. 

Spotting his father's condition, Hans realized action was essential, so he strode over, yanked the elder from his chair, and handed him a task beyond mindless TV gazing. 

"Get up, old man, and get fucking dressed. We're going to Kufstein..." 

Berengar had no clue why his boy insisted on hauling him to the grand city he himself had founded, and he promptly demanded details in a grumpy tone. 

"For what purpose?" 

Hans let out a heavy sigh prior to sharing his perspective. 

"I need you to give a speech to the Reichstag about the recent conversion of our people to the pagan religion which is practiced in Iceland. You're the one who started this, so you need to make people aware that it is okay to practice the faith of our ancestors. Even the church will have to back down from their outrage if you come forward and speak up on behalf of the pagans!"

Berengar merely sighed while grabbing his beer bottle and downing its entirety in a massive gulp. Afterward, he tossed it into the bin before ascending the villa's stairs to ready himself for the address. 

Nearly half an hour later, Berengar came down the stairs and trailed Hans to the waiting vehicle nearby, set to ferry them to Kufstein. By the middle of the afternoon, Berengar returned to Kufstein for the first occasion since Eckhard's burial. Grief over his loyal companion had blinded him to the city's transformations back then. Yet now, surveying the surroundings, he grasped that Kufstein stood as a true futuristic metropolis. 

Fresh, streamlined skyscrapers had sprung up all over, harmonizing seamlessly with the classic structures erected in his era. Streets gleamed with pristine upkeep, and electric cars buzzed everywhere—a sight barely emerging at his death in his prior incarnation. 

A maglev dominated the city's heart, propelling ultra-fast trains throughout the Reich at velocities Berengar once deemed unattainable. These magnetic levitation tracks spanned the whole Empire, stretching from distant Frankia in the west to remote Rusland in the east. 

The police patrolled in rugged armored rides, clad in cutting-edge body armor from top manufacturers. Powered exoskeletons lurked under their gear, boosting strength and speed—tech currently trialed by the armed forces too. 

Residents stuck to modest attire, while the German Youth Corps thrived citywide, tackling charity and civic duties in their iconic outfits, subtly updated over time. 

Though Kufstein had evolved into a hyper-modern hub, it evaded the typical urban plagues. Homelessness had nearly vanished, alongside crime, courtesy of vigilant policing and a culture that properly molded its young. 

Yet, one striking change Berengar observed stood out above all: polygamy had grown far rarer than in previous times. In the old days, men paraded through the streets with numerous wives and hordes of children from each. Today, a polygamous pair surfaced only once per hundred monogamous ones. Such men tended to be extraordinarily rich and handsome.

Having navigated the city streets and spotted the numerous transformations, Berengar left his car and got guided into the Reichstag. He mounted the podium there for the first time in ages. Nearly all officials from his ruling days had vanished, supplanted by youths of the new era.

Still, awe and veneration filled their eyes upon seeing the Great Kaiser of the German Reich stride into the Reichstag after so many years. At his side lingered the present Kaiser, eager for his father to deliver the address he had meticulously prepared himself.

Berengar knew the speech by heart yet tweaked it inwardly, unleashing his famed oratory flair. He sought to grip the audience worldwide, for the broadcast spanned the globe.

"For those of you who don't remember me, my name is Berengar von Kufstein. It has been many years since I stepped down as Kaiser, in favor of my eldest son, Hans. And until now, I have never had a need to step forward and speak publicly about matters of State."

However, as an educated man, I have been keeping up with the times, which is easier than ever now thanks to the internet. And I have discovered a disturbing trend among the German people that is happening as we speak."

The staunchest conservatives in the German parliament bobbed their heads, aligning with Berengar's stance, braced for his demand to wipe out the pagan scourge. But his subsequent declaration stunned them—as it did everyone else.

"I'm talking, of course, about the increasingly hostile behavior towards those Germans who follow the religion of our ancestors. I know there are many of you who may be shocked to hear me voice my support for these pagans. But, in many ways, I look back to the founding of our Empire, and how the Catholic Church tried so hard to stamp out the German Reformation.

The result, of course, was disastrous for the Catholics. Whose faith is now a footnote in the history of Europe. I believe that if the Reich continues to oppress these Germans, who choose to follow a religion that is native to our culture and our lands? Then it will inevitably lead to not only a schism within the church, but to civil unrest.

Which is why I have decided to come here today and try to convince you all that it does not matter which God a man may worship, only that he has German blood running through his veins! We are one people, bound by blood and soil. And because of that, we should not let something as petty as religious beliefs stand between us.

So you would do well to remember to respect your fellow Germans. Especially in these times, where the teachings of the bible are becoming less and less certain. That is all that I wanted to say. Thank you all for listening to the ramblings of an old man."

Upon finishing, Berengar left the podium and withdrew to his hidden mountain retreat. Yet his utterance alone quelled the clashes between the German Church and the Pagan revival.

This owed much to Berengar's stature as the German nation's founder, whom all revered. The German Church also hailed him as a living saint, so his declaration carried vast sway among devotees. All the more after he drew parallels to the Catholics, now utterly condemned in historical tomes.