Chapter 478 - A New Labor Force (1/2)

While Honoria was back in the Fatherland preparing for the next incursion to the New World. Berengar, along with his soldiers, were still stationed within the temporary Fortress that had been constructed within the coastline of New York.

For the past few weeks, Berengar had been treating Kahwihta over her flu symptoms, and finally, the fever had broken. She, like her kin, had received basic treatment for the illness and, because of this, survived the ordeal.

Unlike what Berengar had expected, the young woman did not blame him or his people for her suffering. Instead, she saw it as a test of her loyalty to her gods. One thing was sure; she was just happy to be alive.

With this in mind, the young native woman rose from beneath the flannel sheets and fur covers that provided her warmth during these troubling times and slowly got dressed in her tribal deerskin clothing. Berengar entered the room as she did so, causing a slightly chilly breeze to enter the otherwise comfy lodging.

Upon seeing the woman climbing out of bed, Berengar smiled; she appeared to be in a much better state than she was previously in. With this in mind, he quickly got to work as he prepared a nice meal for him and his translator to share.

There was much work ahead for the King of Austria, and he intended to use this woman to communicate with the other tribes the moment she was fluent in the German Tongue. However, such a thing could not be rushed; for the time being, he would make sure that Kahwihta was in peak shape before he began using her as a diplomat.

As Berengar continued to cook a healthy meal, the Chieftain's daughter worked on her German; she slowly looked over the educational materials that Berengar had provided; these were copies of the texts in use by the Austrian Education System. They were designed for use by first-time learners of the German language.

Berengar had brought a series of language books with him from the Fatherland to train translators from among the local population effectively. They had proven to be quite effective, as Kahwihta's understanding of the German tongue was increasing by the day.

Eventually, he finished the meal and brought it over to the young woman, where he forced her to take a break from her studies so that she could eat with him. The moment she tasted the dish prepared from a mix of rations, she moaned in pleasure before commenting on it.

”This is superb!”

Berengar chuckled when he heard this before rejecting the compliment.

”This is nothing, just something I threw together from our rations; you should see the delicacies I eat back in the Fatherland!”

Kahwihta failed to understand the entirety of Berengar's comment and immediately looked through her study book while eating to ensure that she could effectively learn what he said. After a few minutes, her eyes widened in shock, and she put down her book, where she pronounced the following phrase in broken German.

”Will you take me to your homeland?”

Berengar had an awkward expression on his face as he heard this; he couldn't very well take the girl with him back to Austria. There were still many dangerous diseases there that she was lacking immunity to. However, he could see that she desperately wanted to see what his homeland looked like, and thus he sighed before making a statement that effectively kicked the can down the road.

”Maybe one day...”

Though he had not answered in the definitive, it was enough to bring a smile to the Native girl's face. As for Berengar, he thought that if she witnessed the splendors of Austria, she might have a heart attack. After all, the pathetic timber fortress they had constructed and the measly rations his soldiers ate already impressed her enough.

How excited would she be when she witnessed the extensive railways that were being constructed across Austria or its grand architecture that existed throughout every city? Perhaps in due time, she would get a taste of what the fatherland offered right here in her own home.

Things were progressing smoothly in this military colony, and as Berengar had expected, there was currently a crisis underway among the Native Tribes of what was once referred to as New York in his past life.