"You'll be staying here for now, Roger."
Hange moved aside a few broken chairs that had been blocking the door, fumbled for a long time with the key, and finally unlocked it, pushing the door open.
As soon as they stepped in, a cloud of dust choked them both half to death, leaving Hange embarrassed.
"..."
Roger didn't know what to say, so he simply covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve to keep the dust out.
"Sorry, this room really has been abandoned for a long while. But the furniture's still new. And there are two beds here, both yours—you can arrange things however you like."
"Why am I staying so far away? There are empty rooms on the east side. I could squeeze in with them."
"Ah, that's the thing." Hange scratched her head awkwardly. "I can't help it. This was the Commander's order. After all, you're not a soldier. If you lived with them, chances are… it'd have an effect."
"What kind of effect?"
"…Like, say, sleeping in late. And they all have to wake early for training. Being disturbed in their sleep—just imagining it feels annoying."
"..."
Roger knew she hadn't said a single word of the real reason.
But he didn't care.
This was just isolation, a convenient way to keep him under watch.
Walking around the room, Roger pressed his palm against the window sill, wiped it, and saw the thick dust collected there. Clearly no one had lived here since construction finished.
"Can I leave, Hange?"
Roger didn't want to stay here. If they didn't trust him, staying would only mean constant restrictions.
Besides, he had important things to do.
"What? Uh… I'll go fetch you some cleaning supplies."
Just as he expected, Hange pretended not to hear and quickly turned to leave.
Roger was left alone in the room.
The door wasn't locked, but opening it revealed plenty of soldiers passing by.
Roger had no idea which of them were Erwin's "eyes." The moment he stepped out, someone would surely record his movements.
So leaving by the door wasn't realistic.
He closed it and turned to the window.
The glass was coated in dust. Roger tapped the frame lightly, shaking loose the grime from its edges, and pulled it wide open.
Standing on the sill, he looked outside.
The same—people.
People everywhere!
He was completely isolated and surrounded.
Like this, forget searching for the Founding Titan—he'd barely be able to go to the bathroom.
"I'll wait for night."
Sitting on the bedframe, Roger drew the dagger hidden in his sleeve.
It was already dulled; his fingertips could feel every nick along the edge.
He had brought this dagger from Marley. Aside from his clothes, it was the only thing he'd carried with him.
Finding a spot hidden from the door and window, he made a small cut on his finger. Blood welled up immediately.
At the same time, steam rose faintly from the wound, Titan power stirring, slowly healing the tiny cut.
"If I can't find a way out tonight, then I'll just have to force one."
Roger thought grimly.
But then, he noticed something at the wound—a thin black line.
It spread out like a vein, branching delicately from the cut.
But lacking strength, it only pushed out two branches before fading and vanishing.
"What is this?"
Curiosity pricked at him.
He stared at his hand, watching the place where the black lines had disappeared.
Was it some kind of toxin?
He wasn't sure. But since it appeared with the Titan power, it likely had a strong connection to it.
Could it be a side effect of the power?
Roger froze. He'd heard of inheritors only having thirteen years to live, but never about black markings spreading across the body.
Driven by curiosity, he cut himself again—this time on the wrist.
The Titan power flared, healing the wound.
Roger waited patiently. Sure enough, as the healing began, the black lines spread faster, until they completely covered his palm.
His eyes widened. His fingers had gone numb—he couldn't feel them at all!
The same thing had happened when fighting the ten-meter Titan—he had lost all five senses and seen bizarre visions. Could it be…
The black markings had been there even then?
"Could it be some kind of curse?!"
Roger clenched his hand experimentally.
He thought he'd be unable to, but surprisingly, his fist closed—and tightly too.
Only, it didn't feel like his own hand doing it. He had no sensation in his fingers, but somehow he'd never noticed before.
Soon, the black lines faded again.
The wound closed completely.
The steam dispersed, as if nothing had ever happened.
Noise came from outside the door—someone approaching.
Roger hid the dagger.
Then—
BOOM!!
The ground trembled. The shaking stopped abruptly after a moment.
The footsteps outside paused.
Roger got off the bed and stood on the floor.
"An earthquake?"
No.
This tremor… he remembered it.
Somehow, it felt familiar.
This was the kind of shock only a Colossal Titan transformation could cause.
But this was Paradis Island—how could there be a Colossal here?
He rushed to the window, but saw nothing from this vantage.
Outside, only people had stopped what they were doing, all turning their gaze toward Shiganshina District.
The sound had come from there—from the outlying city. Roger was inside the second Wall now.
Even through two Walls, the noise had carried this far—that's how massive it had been.
Clutching his dagger, Roger felt dread creeping in.
As expected, another tremor rang out—louder than the first!
"Looks like the Wall has been breached…"
He finally remembered. This was Marley's long-prepared operation to seize the Founding Titan!
As Warrior candidates, they had all heard whispers of it, though most dismissed them as rumors. Roger had never believed.
But now—it was real.
Marley had made its move!
He bolted to the door, throwing it open—only to find Commander Erwin and Hange waiting outside.
The two deafening blasts seemed not to concern them. While others panicked, they remained calm—almost as if they had been waiting for Roger to walk right into their hands.
"Where are you going?"
"Roger Eikam."
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