Despite the fact that they were each other's most hated opponents at this point in time, more than a few spectators noticed the similarities between the 98th Emperor of the Britannian Empire, and the 1st Chancellor of the Gross Europa Reich.

Both leaders came to power during a time of crisis for their nations, though it must be pointed out that the Emblem of Blood was merely a dispute over the Britannian throne rather than a struggle to maintain the sovereignty of a nation. The use of violence to purge remaining opposition to their newly acquired authority, of which Chancellor Krueger's newly establish Internal Security Division displayed a zeal in routing out traitors that surpassed that of the Britannian Office of Secret Intelligence.

And more importantly, the adoption of military force to achieve the national aspirations of their respective natures.

While Emperor Charles directed Imperial forces against the few nations that had refused to align themselves with any of the 3 superpowers during the Great War, Chancellor Krueger ordered the newly established Wehrmacht to undergo a series of changes that would not only enable it to maintain the security of the new Europe, but would also allow it to possess the capability of bringing the horror of war to Imperial shores.

It was perhaps this reason why the Empire continued to enjoy less than stellar relations with the Reich following the war. For even with the loss of some of its territory, the nation led by Chancellor Krueger was far more powerful than it had ever been.

But regardless of his hatred towards the primary obstruction towards the dream of achieving Pax Britannia, the Emperor nevertheless knew that there were times when the art of diplomacy was far more efficient in achieving his nation's aspirations than the destructive force of open conflict.

And considering the stalemate that had developed in the Middle Eastern Federation thanks to the arrival of European 'advisors', as well as armaments, to help improve the effectiveness of their undeclared allies, it was clear that a more diplomatic solution would be far less costly compared to losses the Empire would incur if they decided to resume their efforts to take the rest of the Arabian Peninsula by force.

(Excerpt from The Continued War Between the Dragon and the Lion: European and Britannian Relations During the Post War Period).

Though I held nothing but hated contempt for the man who tried to turn my beloved nation into yet another playground for his children to try and prove themselves worthy of his favour, I had to admit that his latest move left me feeling more than a touch curious.

Thanks to Landa's impeccable, if largely secretive diplomatic abilities, which served me well when I had to deny any direct involvement in the more clandestine operations to secure the Reich's security, he managed to get his hands on a particularly sensitive document, which apparently had been passed to him by his Britannian counterpart.

And once it had gone through the normal screening process to ensure that it was not some clever assassination tool, or even a manufactured ruse, it had been hand delivered to me by my clandestine Austrian diplomat. And I must say that the contents had been quite interesting.

Even if Karina continued to disagree with me on this particular point.

"I don't see why you're even taking this seriously. After all these years following the end of the Great War, the polygamous bastard finally decides to hold a private conference with you? I say you act like you never got the letter, and continue to concentrate on our efforts at getting back at the damn Imperials".

Though I agreed in principle with my fellow German, I nevertheless felt it necessary to point out the reasons why I would agree to talk with the man.

"And what's making you think that I would order a halt to our continued military expansion? Our next generation of weapons are superior to what the Empire is currently fielding, the only problem that remains is that we don't have enough of them to secure more than a localized victory. But if the old man is calling to discuss things in private, what he has to say could very well cause us to change our priorities".

Receiving a disgusted snort from the blond leader of the ISD, I couldn't but smirk as I proceeded to appeal to her more violent side in order to convince her to my point of view.

"Think of it this way. If he's set up this meeting in order to offer some concessions to stop our continued efforts to aid local resistance movements, then it's clear that his nation is in a much weaker position than we thought. Which means that we might be able to accomplish one of our goals much sooner than anticipated. And I don't know about you, but I for one am sick and tired of having to share our national territory with a bunch of outdated inbreds who think they can revert Europe back to the way things were before Bonaparte kicked them out".

Allowing a sneer to cross my face as I thought of the leaders of the so called Euro-Britannian Empire, I was greatly satisfied to see that my argument had managed to convince Karina that I was in the right.

"Mmm, I suppose you have a point. Though I confess that even though it's idiotic from a tactical stand point, I would have preferred to have as many Imperial troops facing on the front lines as possible. Or did your upcoming meeting make you forget how much destruction my new little toy is capable of"?

Snorting in amusement at the idea that I could forget just how much destructive power would be in her hands after Speer finished making the necessary modifications to the Brumhilde, I nevertheless found myself admiring Karina's inability to fully restrain her bloodlust, if only because my current position afforded me little opportunity to personally indulge in in similar activities.

Yes I held the power of life and death over the nearly 800 million people who resided in the Reich's current borders, as well as the fact that I could expect foreign resistance movements to follow my 'suggestions' when it came to how they should fight their oppressors, but at times I wished for the freedom I had once possessed as a frontline solider.

But sadly, the needs of the nation ensured that I wouldn't be able to personally destroy the cannon fodder of my adversaries before they were forced to suffer the consequences for their numerous crimes against my nation.

"Hardly. Though do try and remember that I have final say in whether or not you get to deploy your little toy on the front lines".

It was a largely empty threat, but thankfully Karina chose not to make a big deal of it.

"Party pooper. Anyways, before you start your meeting with the white haired bastard, I do have one more thing to discuss with you before I leave. It concerns our continued relations with the Kyoto Group".

Raising an eyebrow in surprise at this information, I motioned Karina to continue, for I was intrigued as to what could have caused my fellow German to view anything having to do with the Pacific nation important enough to bring to my attention.

"Despite the fact that the decision to do so was not unanimous amongst their members, the Japanese leaders who are responsible for supplying the Area's resistance movements have finally agreed to accept our offers of military support. I of course informed my contact to tell them that the finer details of the agreement would have to be approved by you, so their anxiously waiting to hear how much aid we would be willing to ship them".

Idly making a mental note to discover, and quietly remove those who had rebuffed the Reich's efforts in supplying the continued insurgency in the Empire's most volatile Asian territory, the Siberian territories didn't count since Pendragon chose to rule them through their Euro-Britannian puppets, I briefly considered how much aid I was willing to part with.

"Considering the high numbers of knightmares that the Imperial garrison possesses, not to mention the fact that the Witch of Britannia has decided to do what her half wit of a brother could not, I think I can find it within myself to part with a 3 companies of Hummels. Which of course will be followed with another 5 in the following months if they can give us proof that our resources aren't going to waste. I trust Landa knows to include that as our price for continued support"?

Receiving an amused nod from the now departing Karina, I took a moment to compose my thoughts before making my way to do something that I had never thought I would ever consider.

Negotiating with the man who transformed me into the monster that I am today.

….

Though it had been some time since he had been forced into this position, a result of his previous decision to allow his second son to adopt the more tedious aspects of ruling a global spanning empire, Charles Di Britannia nevertheless felt confident in his ability to successfully negotiate with a fellow head of state.

Even if the Chancellor of Europe was far different in temperament from his more spineless predecessors.

With the sole exception of President Winston Churchill, whose ability to adopt a more aggressive stance against Empire had been grievously weakened by the corrupt and ineffective nature of the rest of the European government, most leaders he had previously met had proven to be either self centered fools who cared little for anything but their own comforts, or naïve fools who, like his more peaceful offspring, believed that peaceful resolutions could achieve anything.

But though never having met the man in person, the Emperor knew that Krueger suffered no such delusions, or vices that he could easily exploit. And in this he felt a small, but no less real kinship with the young German.

Forced from a previously peaceful life due to the violent actions of those who sought power at the expense of those deemed weaker than themselves.

Claiming power from those who believed that they could do what they want without consequence.

And transforming a previously inept nation into a fine instrument that could carry out the aspirations of a leader who had been forged in the smoke and blood of a destructive conflict.

But despite the small feelings of admiration he felt for the ruler of the Reich, the Emperor nevertheless possessed a heavy dose of anger towards the efforts of the man who stood in the way of obtaining the remaining thought elevators that rested in European territory.

The Siberian elevator had briefly been under his control before the European counteroffensive forced them to abandon it before they could do more than analyze it. Plans were still being made in order to insert a covert team to get it running, but even the use of Geass Agents had proven insignificant of moving meaningful levels of men and material past the heavily fortified border.

The one situated in London had always been the one that laid the farthest out of reach due to the strength of the European naval forces, now greatly enhanced due to having the support of a political leadership who knew first hand the cost of depriving their armed forces of the necessary resources to defend themselves. And thus the Directorate had consoled itself with the belief that they would inevitably get it once Britannia managed to finally gin the strength to make its dreams of global conquest a reality.

And the one that bordered the southern shores of the Caspian Sea, the continued resistance of the Middle Eastern Federation was slowing down his attempts to claim it.

Only the African elevator, while within 100 miles of the heavily patrolled zone that separated the Reich's African territories and the lands conquered by the Empire, was under Britannian control, and was easily within range of being destroyed by a resumption of hostilities if the Reich's efforts to improve existing infrastructure surpassed the Empire's.

With only 1 out of the 3 European elevators under his control, and the slow progress that was being made in reaching the Middle Eastern one, the Emperor was confronted with the very real possibility that the Ragnarok connection may not be achieved in his life time.

So it was with thought in mind that he subjected himself to the arduous task of creating the conditions that would allow him to resume his work at a slower pace. For while the methods of smuggling in the necessary men and equipment into uncontrolled territory was far slower than it would have been if the empire directly controlled the land around the elevator, a negotiated peace, with a wide demilitarized zone, would nevertheless allow them to move forward.

So it was with thought in mind that Charles Di Britannia, 98th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, steeled himself to talk with the man who stood in the way of his, and his brother's dream.

…

Though her colleagues had a tendency to dismiss her opinions due to her age, although her mentor Kirihara was more than willing to hear her out before coming to a decision, Kaguya Sumeragi was perhaps the wisest member of the Six Houses of Kyoto due to her willingness to embrace a more modern viewpoint.

Yes she was as proud a Japanese nationalist as any of the other leaders, and would continue to fight to her dying breath until the Empire was forced out of her country, but she was concerned that the latest decision by the council would simply result in trading one tyrant for another.

For while Friedrich Krueger was the most dangerous and powerful opponent of the Britannian Empire, the methods he had used to achieve his position were abhorrent to her.

As the heir to one of the remaining ruling families of Japan, Kaguya had seen her share of violence for the sake of advancing one clan's position over others, and as one of the leaders responsible for trying to reclaim Japan's rightful independence, she had signed off on more than her fair share of assassination orders and battles that would result in the regrettable suffering for those who were truly innocent. But that paled in comparison to what was happening in the New Europe.

Thousands of Europeans had been executed for daring to challenge the seized authority of the new Chancellor, with hundreds of thousands more being exiled to the frozen prison camps of the north.

Children much younger than her were being robbed of their childhoods as the Reich's leaders indoctrinated them into being loyal killers for the Savior of Europe.

And munitions and personnel were being shipped to support the resistance movements that had no problem targeting Britannian civilians as well as military personnel

It was for these reasons that had caused her to vote against the numerous offers made by the European government to aid the Japanese in their quest for freedom. For she suspected that once the Reich succeeded in establishing a foot hold in her country, it would be difficult to get them to leave.

And since she had heard rumors of what had happened to the few African resistance movements that wished to establish a sovereign nation free from either Britannian or European control, she believed that her decision was a prudent one.

Thankfully her mentor Kirihara had also agreed with her refusal to accept the Reich's offer of aid, albeit for reasons that he had refused to disclose to her, and had managed to ensure that the council's vote to do so was always in her favor.

But unfortunately, even the veteran politician had begun to question his previous decision once the Empire's counter insurgency campaign changed under the command of the new Viceroy.

She applauded the masked revolutionary's actions, especially since for the first time she could sense a growing feeling of hope in her downtrodden people, but Clovis's assassination had resulted in the appointment of a new leader who possessed not only the drive, but also the ability to smother the remaining embers of resistance that had been smouldering since the beginning of the occupation.

With numerous resistance cells being crushed by the 2nd Princess of the Empire, with her latest victory in Saitma rumored to have been defeated the masked man himself, it had become clear that Kyoto needed to expand its ability to arm those who still possessed the courage to stand up against their Britannian oppressors.

And since the Federation continued to show a reluctance to provide more than low level support, and even that was at dubious quality at best, the more conservative leaders of the 6 Houses of Kyoto had decide to accept the aid of the man who might very well turn out to be just as bad as the Emperor.

For while Britannia's most powerful enemy was currently interested in reducing the Empire to a state of smouldering ruins, that was no guarantee that the Reich's leader wouldn't decide to adopt the same expansionist policy as Charles Di Britannia if his country managed to develop the means to stage a successful invasion of the Britannian Homeland.

For tyrants, regardless if they inherited their power from a familial predecessor, or seized it in a bloody coup, were never satisfied with what they already possessed.

…

Though he was fully aware that his current actions would be regarded as treason if they were ever discovered, the 2nd Prince of the Empire was more than confident that he would go undiscovered.

While it was true that the OSI was firmly controlled by his father, and thus would not hesitate to execute him as the Emperor cared little for rank or position when it came to displays of weakness or treason, the blonde Prime Minister nevertheless had some influence with its more gifted members, which did much to allow him to keep abreast of his father's secrets.

It wasn't enough to penetrate the security that surrounded some of the Emperor's more confusing secrets, and was insufficient in hacking into carefully coded communications so he could listen in without anyone being the wiser, but it was more than capable of secretly placing a hidden device to record the conversation between those the Emperor did not want to be seen interacting with.

And considering the identity of the individual that his father had been secretly in conference with, Schneizel had to admit that there was a reasonable excuse for his father not wanting to make this conversation public.

"I must admit that I was somewhat hesitant in conversing with you your majesty. For one thing, your government has adopted a rather anti-European attitude since the end of the Great War. A conflict that you started and lost I might add. And secondly, I don't see any reason why I should waste my time talking with the man who has no qualms ordering the deaths of innocent civilians just in a misguided effort to terrorize his enemies into submission".

"Then you are a greater fool than your predecessors. For unlike you, they at least possessed the ability to recognize that the art of diplomacy can achieve greater awards than those that can be claimed on the battlefield".

"Considering the fact that previous attempts to destabilize Europe through diplomatic means ended up creating a nation that currently stands as your economic and military equal, you'll have forgive me if I fail to follow the example of my so called predecessors".

{Chuckles} "I suppose you have a point. Unlike the majority of European leaders Britannian has dealt with in the past, you are the first one since Bonaparte who possesses the strength of will to continue fighting despite starting from a position of weakness. And unlike that cursed Frenchman, you actually survived long enough to reap the benefits of your country's transformation. But I have not asked for this meeting so we can simply trade insults. Rather, I wish to discover whether it is possible for us to reach a temporary understanding".

"You mean besides the current understanding we have in which we both desire the complete annihilation of our most powerful rivals? That depends. What kind of understanding did you have in mind"?

"One in which we limit the current number of conflicts in which we are currently engaged in. Or did you think that I was unaware of how much aid you have been giving to not only the Middle Eastern Federation, but also the various terrorist cells that exist in the Areas that border your nation".

"Considering that the Middle Eastern Federation is still an independent nation, despite your attempts to turn it into another one of your colonies, I have violated no international laws by offering the limited amount of support that I have. Not to mention allowing a small number of individuals to resign from either the Wehrmacht or ISD in order to volunteer their services in the MEF forces. As for the so called terrorist cells in Africa or Siberia, its amazing how many secret supply depots have been left over from the Great War. Not to mention the fact that those Euro Brits seem more concerned with their western frontier rather than their southern".

"Regardless, I am confident that we can come to a temporary understanding if we both agree to the price. Like say for instance, in exchange for a decrease in terrorist activities in Africa, Britannia will reduce the transport of men and munitions to the lands currently controlled by Euro Britannia. Of course I recognize that their stockpiles are probably sufficient to continue their insurgency for another month or two, but without regular resupply, I'm certain that the garrison will be more than able to handle them with minimum difficulty".

"Perhaps. And what would be your price for a temporary halt to your war with the Middle Eastern Federation. Obviously I won't agree to anything that compromises the defensive integrity of my southern flank, but I suppose having the new border based on the current frontline wouldn't be so terrible".

"That would be fine. Though I do not wish to hear you whine about this decision when my forces capture more land mere hours before the truce goes into effect".

"I suppose I can accept that, provided you don't do the same if the MEF recapture some of their sovereign territory".

"Agreed. The third exchange I propose would be a resumption of direct trade between our nations. I know that despite your efforts to overcome your Sakuradite deficiency, the Reich still falls short of its goals. Which is why I suggest in exchange for each ton of Sakuradite that is shipped to the Reich, the Empire will receive 400 tons of petroleum products, 100 tons of refined steel, and 50 tons of aluminum. I know the price is rather unfair, but I'm sure the Empire can survive a few months of an unequal trade agreement".

"Hmm. Considering what the Empire did to the last nation that tried to use economic blackmail to enhance its global status, I seriously doubt that. However, provided you can keep the Japanese insurgency from interrupting the shipments, as well as agreeing to allow European vessels to ship these resources, then I suppose I can agree to these terms. Now, was there anything else you wished to discuss before you used your son's death for the latest piece of overdone propaganda? Or can we bring this meeting to an end while we are still relatively congenial to each other"?.

Turning the recording off, the 2nd Prince of the Empire had to reluctantly concede that he had misjudged his father's ability when it came to the art of diplomacy. Although it was still far below the skill set he himself possessed.

For if it had been him that was bargaining, he was certain that Britannia would have been able to achieve its objectives without having to concede anything if importance, no matter how temporary, to its rival.

Regardless, Schneziel had to admit, albeit grudgingly, that his father had nevertheless managed to buy time in order for the Empire to better consolidate its already impressive grip.

The Euro Britannian's would surely complain once they learned that the Homeland was going to have difficulties in meeting even half their usual quotas for the next few months. And the Middle Eastern Federation would probably use the temporary ceasefire to strengthen itself to the point where greater resources where needed to conqueror it.

But, the African colonies would be able to be finally pacified, at least as long as the colonial authorities showed the same sort of efficiency that Cornelia was about to unleash upon Japan. The MEF would find it much more difficult to defend themselves now that there was time enough to both improve damaged infrastructure that would speed up the massing of men and material.

And should his father fail to adequately utilize this time for the Empire's advantage, for he was certain that Krueger would take advantage of this brief period of reduced hostilities, well, that just meant that there was more evidence that the Empire needed a more in touch ruler at its head.

A role in which he was more than capable of fulfilling when the time came.

…

Annnnnnnd I believe this is a good place to leave it lol.

Apologises for the wait. Couple of months ago, had nearly 1/3 of it done, but then, looked back on it, and was greatly displeased with it XD. But after a revision that has taken some time, along with reading some material, pleased with the final outcome XD.

FINALLY got to the conversation between Charles and Friedrich, even if its through a recording over heard by the 2nd Prince lol.

AND, got to see the Japanese perspective a little bit on how they view the new Europe. Think I did a good job of portraying Kaguya's hesitance in working with a nation like the Reich. And will build on this in later chapters.

Anyways, if you have questions, AS WELL AS REVIEWS, feel free to post them in the review section XD. Will proceed to answer them that way so everyone can see my reasoning.

Until then…Heil Europa. =).