The way her voice had sent something primal surging through my veins. The alcohol. The look in her eyes. The way I had...
I sighed, running a hand down my face.
"...f*ck, thats precisely why I quit drinking back In IRL"
I cursed under my breath because when I got drunk, well I could no longer control myself.
I was still processing the sheer gravity of my situation when Lucilia shifted beside me, letting out the softest groan.
Her fingers twitched against my chest before she buried her face deeper into the pillow, clearly still half asleep.
Slow. Careful. I began peeling myself away from her. One inch at a time. Her warmth left my side as I finally freed myself from her embrace. I exhaled.
Alright, now just...
The moment I stood up from the bed, my vision blurred, my knees buckled, and.
THUNK!
I kissed the f*cking floor with my g*ddamn face.
"...G*ds damn it..."
I groaned, face down against the cold hardwood. My entire equilibrium was f*cked.
How? Just how much did I drink to end up in this state?!
I gritted my teeth, pushing myself up on shaky arms, only to feel something watching me. I turned my head to the side and immediately locked eyes with Lupa.
The Iron Fenrir was lying near the foot of the bed, staring at me with those judgmental, unimpressed, soul piercing eyes of hers.
I scowled.
"Yeah, yeah, f*ck off."
She snorted. Loudly. I huffed, lifting one hand and flipping her the middle finger. Her nostrils flared. Another snort. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she looked offended.
Ignoring her wounded pride, I dragged myself off the floor and finally managed to get on my feet.
I stumbled toward the dresser, slipping on a pair of boxers, a short sleeved T-shirt, and some slippers.
Water. I need water.
Beelining straight to the bathroom, I turned the tap on full blast and dunked my head under.
Ice-cold relief. Blessed. F*cking. Relief.
Then, I cupped my hands, bringing the freezing water to my lips, and drank like a starving animal.
Gulp after gulp. I didn't stop until my stomach felt like it would burst.
Finally, I pulled away, wiping my mouth on the back of my arm. I exhaled sharply, my breath fogging up the mirror.
And then… I looked at myself.
Loose, disheveled white hair wit ha string of black. Dark circles under my bloodshot eyes. Lipstick marks everywhere. For a second, I considered grooming up.
…Ah, f*ck it.
I turned off the tap and walked back out. Stepping out of the bathroom, I grabbed the laurel crown lying on the ground among my and Lucilias clothes and shoved it onto my head crookedly. Whatever. Good enough.
Then, I snatched a pack of cigarettes from the bedside table, tucking one between my lips before reaching for my lighter.
Click. Flick.
A small orange glow illuminated the darkened room as the end of the cigarette burned to life.
I took a deep drag. Let the smoke settle in my lungs. Held it. Then exhaled slowly, the nicotine hitting my system like a gentle slap to the face.
With a grunt, I pushed open the door and stepped out into the hallway.
And immediately met the scrutinous gazes of the two Death Squad troopers standing guard outside my room.
They didn't say a word at first. Just stared. Hard. Zero Five cocked his armored head slightly.
"...Imperator, you look like s*it."
I took another drag.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
Zero Seven, standing next to him, let out a low, amused hum.
"Didn't think you could actually get wasted Imperator."
I exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, narrowing my eyes.
"Didn't think you could actually talk, yet here we are."
Zero Five snorted, shaking his head.
"Heh. Imperator. First the drinking contest, then the dancing, and now you walking out looking like you just survived a battlefield that wasn't even a battlefield? Yeah, I'm never letting this one go."
I shot him a glare as I walked past, making my way toward the study room.
"Go f*ck yourself, Five."
"Hah! You already did that for me last night, Imperator."
I flipped him the middle finger over my shoulder and kept walking towards the study room.
The moment I pushed open the doors, the thick stench of cigars, tobacco, and pipe smoke smacked me in the face.
Inside, my ministers sat around the grand table, smoking to their hearts' content, the air so heavy with nicotine it could probably be cut with a knife.
They had been fully relaxed, discussing and puffing away like they were in some noble's private lounge.
But the instant they heard the doors swing open, every single one of them rose from their seats like their asses had been electrified.
Then they saw me. I waved my cigarette holding hand impatiently, muttering.
"Sit down."
They obeyed immediately. But the shock on their faces was hilarious.
I could see the calculations running in their heads. Their fearsome, untouchable Imperator now looked like a homeless hobo who just crawled straight out of a dumpster.
My white hair was a tangled mess. My laurel crown sat crookedly. The top buttons of my shirt were undone. I reeked of alcohol, cigars, sweat, and bad decisions.
But I didn't give a single f*ck.
I walked straight to my seat at the head of the table, plopped down, threw my crossed legs onto the table, and took another long, slow drag from my cigarette before exhaling toward the ceiling.
"Alright. Let's begin."
I reached forward, pulling open a drawer in the table and dragging out thick stacks of documents. I tossed them onto the polished wood with a loud thud, the papers scattering slightly.
"First order of business."
I grabbed the top document and flicked it toward the Minister of the Air Force.
"The captured biplane fighters, I want all 360 of them converted into CAS (Close Air Support) aircraft."
The Minister of the Air Force caught the document mid air, quickly skimming through it. He nodded.
"The first 50 biplanes will be used to fill up our First Fighter Wing."
He exhaled a plume of smoke, his voice smooth.
"That'll give us a full fighter capable air wing."
"Good."
I flicked some ash from my cigarette into a nearby tray.
"And Id also like to form the second fighter wing which Is purely for pilot training purposes, the rest can begin conversions"
I nodded.
"Approved. Get it done."
Next document.
I slapped it in front of the Minister of Industry.
"You've already received the medium panzer and APC designs?"
He nodded quickly, adjusting his glasses.
"Yes, Imperator. The factory conversion process has already begun. We're working on repurposing several industrial sites to begin mass production."
"How soon?"
I blew out another puff of smoke.
He hesitated, flipping through a few more pages.
"We should have the first prototypes rolling off the assembly lines within a month. But to fully equip our armored cohorts? That'll take at least a year."
I nodded.
"Good, dont rush It I want first all of the panzer II to be converted once done you can allocate the freed factories to the production of vampire Is"
The Minister of Industry nodded.
"Understood Imperator, just regarding the raw materials."
I rolled my jaw.
"Dont worry we will have them soon, Ivan will keep his word, they need the money as much as we need their resources"
"Yes, Imperator."
Next. I grabbed a thick file detailing military restructuring.
I tossed it toward the Minister of War, who caught it with ease.
"Teutonica's soldiers will be integrated into our Infantry Legions."
He nodded slowly.
"We're estimating around 38,000 soldiers from Teutonica that are still capable of fighting. Most of them will fill the gaps in our Infantry Legions allowing us to bring them to full strength of ten cohorts one thousand man each"
"And their officers?"
I asked, narrowing my eyes.
The Minister of War smirked, tapping the page.
"They will be retrained. Or removed."
I grinned.
"Good. Make sure the diehards are quietly handled."
"Already in progress."
I leaned forward, placing my elbows on the table.
"We're reorganizing military ranks. I want a streamlined chain of command. No more outdated bullsh*t, for enlisted, junior private, private, senior private, ncos ranks are as follows, corporal, centurion, senior centurion staff centurion, centurion major, for officers leutenant, senior leutenant, captain, major, lieutenant colonel, colonel, brigadier legatus, legatus major, legatus leutenant, and finally legatus"
The Minister of War exhaled, nodding.
"Legion structures remain the same, but we'll be reinforcing artillery support. Each Infantry Legion, Paratrooper Cohort, and Panzer Cohort will now have dedicated Artillery Support Centuries."
"And Panzer maintenance centuries?"
"Already being implemented, Imperator. Panzers break down fast. Each Panzer cohort will now have a dedicated maintenance century attached."
I nodded.
"Good. Final order of business."
I grabbed the last document, a massive blueprint. I unrolled it across the table. The ministers leaned forward, eyes widening.