"Wait for inspection?"
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"Do you not know who I am? I'm Barbato As!"
"Out of my way!"
"Bring me your commander! I want to speak to him face to face!"
Inside Wall Rose, at the river port of the subsidiary city Trost.
The refugees fleeing from fallen Wall Maria were stopped by Garrison soldiers, their transport boats blocked for inspection of dangerous items.
Barbato As, a well-known merchant from Maria, had barely escaped by ship, only to be halted here by these boot-licking guards. Fury boiled in him.
Shuffling down the gangplank, he curled his lip and cursed them openly, demanding to see their commander.
But the order had indeed come from their commander, and as mere soldiers they had no right to let him pass.
Some younger soldiers disliked his arrogance and shoved back. Soon voices were raised, tempers flaring.
The scene edged toward chaos.
Watching from atop the wall were Garrison commander Pixis, Survey Corps commander Erwin, and the former Survey commander, Keith. They witnessed everything, but even so, Pixis could not immediately step in.
This was about whether to reveal the truth—that Titans were humans transformed.
If revealed, panic would be uncontrollable.
If not, then if shifters slipped inside, it might be too late to catch them.
For now, the refugees had to be contained in Trost.
But…
"Commander Erwin, how can we test if they're Titan shifters?" Pixis finally asked.
"…"
Erwin stayed silent.
He didn't know.
"We can't just keep them detained illegally, Erwin." Pixis sighed, swigging from his flask. "If this blows up, it'll be a mess we can't contain."
"Then release the information," Erwin said flatly.
Keith thought he'd lost his mind.
"Erwin, are you serious? If we announce it, the people will panic. There'll be riots!"
"I think they'll gain confidence instead," Erwin said firmly. "Because their enemy won't be 'humanity's predator' anymore, but humans themselves. And no one is better at defeating humans than humanity."
"What? Erwin, you're certain people won't despair, knowing Titans are intelligent?"
"Enough, both of you." Pixis rubbed his temples. "Listen, Erwin. I understand, and I agree with you. But whether to reveal this—we need more caution. For now, let's have my men ask them questions only people inside the walls would know. If they're outsiders, they'll slip."
"That works."
Keith nodded at last.
A compromise was struck.
Orders were given. Soldiers weren't told the true reason, only given categories of questions—names of kings or nobles, wall districts, notable events of the past century.
Though curious, the soldiers obeyed.
To be safe, Pixis and Erwin oversaw the interrogations.
Barbato's shouting was silenced, and the questioning began.
"What is the king's name?"
"Danno Fritz."
"Where is Karanese District?"
"In the east."
"Who is Darius Zackly?"
"Never heard of him."
"You don't know the Commander-in-Chief?"
"Why should I know him? Hey, listen here, you useless trash! We, the people, pay taxes for you, and you waste it picking fights with us? If you've got guts, go yell at Titans! What use are you?!"
"Ma'am, please calm down—"
"I won't calm down! Let me tell you, my son, if he were still alive, he'd be ten times the man you fools are! He was a real hero! If it weren't for that worthless commander of the Survey Corps…"
"…"
The old woman's tirade set the crowd off, everyone shouting, cursing the Garrison.
Chaos spread again.
"Commander, what now…"
"Let her fill out the form and move on. Next." Pixis sighed. Old women like her were the hardest to handle.
"Yes, sir."
She was released, still muttering as her voice faded into the distance.
The questioning continued.
"Where is Keloruba District?"
"…"
"Why aren't you answering?"
The soldier looked up—and froze.
The man before him wore strange robes.
At once the crowd murmured.
"Father Nick."
"The Order of the Walls!"
"Yes, their prophecy came true. We've incurred God's wrath…"
The soldiers grew uneasy.
"Do I still need to answer, Rudis?"
Nick spoke the soldier's name without hesitation, then gave Pixis a slight nod.
"This…"
Rudis remembered how his mother, devout in the Order, once dragged him to Nick for a "baptism." He had scorned it then, and it had failed.
But now, faced with Nick, he recalled the prophecy—that if humanity strayed beyond the walls, defying the Titans, divine punishment would follow.
And now it had.
Not daring to provoke the crowd, Pixis nodded reluctantly.
Nick strolled away, hands clasped, giving Erwin a cold snort as he passed, flanked by two hooded followers.
Erwin eyed them carefully but said nothing.
The next refugee stepped forward.
Rudis: "Where is Lord Kritt's estate?"
A fellow soldier whispered, "Isn't that too obscure? Who'd remember a lord's name?"
Rudis stammered an apology, "Oh, sorry—"
"In Stohess District, east of Mitras."
The refugee answered without hesitation.
Everyone turned toward her, surprised.
Awkwardly, she rocked the child sleeping in her arms.
Erwin's eyes narrowed.
He stepped forward, crouching down.
"Girl, what's your name?"
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