Chapter 132: Eren, What Exactly Are You Hiding?
Outside Ragako Village, dawn.
The ravages of the battle scarred the plains. The morning breeze, heavy with dew, couldn't disperse the smell of blood and smoke. The Survey Corps, escorting their strange "spoils of war," began the journey home. The column was deathly silent.
The soldiers who weren't part of Eren's fervent following watched him, their eyes a complex mix of confusion, disbelief, and a deep, hidden fear. Eren Jaeger walked alone at the side of the column, distant from the others. He had already changed back into his Survey Corps uniform; the strange outfit was gone, but the cold aura around him was worse than any armor.
Erwin, Levi, and Hange rode at the front, their expressions grim as they glanced back at Eren's retreating figure.
"What exactly… is Eren hiding?" Hange's eyes were full of inquiry from behind her goggles, her fingertips tapping.
Levi was expressionless.
Erwin gazed at the distant outline of their garrison, his eyes deep. He felt like things were starting to go off the rails.
…
Temporary Garrison, Medical Tent.
The canvas filtered the light, leaving the interior dim. The acrid smell of antiseptic and blood mixed in the air. Zeke Jaeger's body lay on the autopsy table. Hange Zoë, wearing gloves, was completely focused. The scalpel glided carefully, splitting the skin with no resistance. "Flesh… is destructible."
She then examined Zeke's wounds. "No fatal physical trauma. The fatal blow… was to the gem." "There are only combat abrasions and impact bruises, no lethal attack on the body itself," Hange recorded meticulously, noting every detail. Based on Eren's direct attack on the gem, she made her judgment. "Gem completely shattered, all bodily functions ceased."
She tried to scrape a sample from the shattered gem's core. The dim fragments were abnormally hard, feeling neither like metal nor stone. Under a military microscope, the internal structure of the fragments remained indecipherable, shining with a complex light. It was not any known mineral, nor was it an organic structure.
"Analysis impossible—" Hange's brow furrowed. She tried multiple methods: fire, acid, electricity. The gem fragments only gave a faint shimmer under extreme conditions and then did nothing. A black box. The power that had driven the "Magical Girl" now refused to reveal its secrets.
Hange put down her tools, the fanatical light in her eyes fading, replaced by deep exhaustion. "We don't even know what it is, let alone how it works." This feeling… it was like the helplessness she'd felt when she first encountered Titans. But Titans could be studied, their weaknesses found. This unknown system before her, however, was a chasm.
Erwin and Levi, who had been standing by silently, listened to Hange's preliminary conclusion.
"From Eren's past performance," Erwin said, "we have no effective defense against this power, do we?"
"As of now, no," Hange admitted. "Our understanding of it is almost zero. The only thing we can confirm is that Eren prioritized shattering that gem, and when the gem broke, the target died. This likely means the gem is some kind of core or energy source."
"And," Erwin added, "Eren understands this mechanism… very well."
That sentence made the atmosphere in the tent grow heavy again. Their powerlessness against the unknown only highlighted Eren's importance. He was currently the only individual who could "handle" this type of beyond-standard threat. But this reliance was accompanied by even deeper suspicion.
…
Separate Briefing Tent.
The atmosphere was tense. Eren Jaeger stood in the center. Erwin, Hange, and Levi sat opposite him. It wasn't a harsh interrogation. There was a subtle understanding in the air, born from his past achievements. It was more of a probe, built on a foundation of trust.
"Eren," Erwin spoke first, his voice calm. "We trust in what you've done for Paradis Island. Retaking Trost, capturing the Intelligent Titans—your contributions are beyond question."
Eren watched him silently, his eyes unmoving.
"However," Erwin's tone shifted, "your actions this time have raised many questions. That white creature, the enemy's sudden transformation, and your unhesitating execution. We need an explanation."
Hange took over. "Eren, what was that? A new kind of enemy? Or… some unknown power system? The change in Zeke had similarities to your transformation, but also differences. That gem… and those white creatures, you seem to know a lot about them. Where did you get this information? Or… is it related to the source of your own power? If it's dangerous, you have to tell us, let us know what the danger is! Acting like a mystic all the time… even if there is a danger, we're completely in the dark!"
The questions came one after another. Eren remained silent. His gaze swept over the three of them, finally landing on Erwin. After a long moment, he spoke, his voice hoarse but firm.
"Commander, Captain, Section Commander. Everything I have done is to protect the land beneath our feet, to protect the people within these Walls, and to protect… our comrades. I cannot reveal more. I'm sorry."
"All I can say is this: Do not trust a single word it says. Do not answer any of its questions. The moment you see it, kill it."
"I can only guarantee that I will never betray Paradis Island, I will never betray the Survey Corps, and I will never… harm my comrades. That is all I can say."
The tent was dead silent. Erwin stared at Eren for a long time, sensing the suppressed resolve and the heavy burden he was carrying alone beneath his calm expression. Finally, Erwin nodded. "Alright, Eren. We will trust your judgment… for now. But remember, the Survey Corps is a single body."
Eren said no more, turned, and left. The tent flap fell, separating inside from out.
…
A short while later, Armin was summoned alone. He was slightly nervous facing the three commanders, but his eyes were clear.
"Armin," Erwin looked at him. "You, Eren, and Mikasa grew up together. What is your assessment of the current situation?"
"Eren definitely knows something. About that white creature, about that strange power… I suspect the source of Eren's power is related to that creature. He's so insistent that we don't have contact with it, even to the point of distancing himself from us. And if he wanted to do something, with his current power, none of us could stop him. I think… to get that kind of power, to deal with that white creature, there must be a price. A price we can't even imagine. Eren's actions right now might be because he doesn't want any of us to suffer that price."
He remembered a long time ago, by a campfire during their cadet days, Eren had looked at his 104th comrades with a complex expression and said, "I just want… you all to live, to live long, safe lives."
"Eren's personality," Armin continued, "has become more reserved ever since… he came back from the future. He's chosen to bear everything alone, to solve everything alone. Maybe that's why… he's grown so distant from us."
Erwin's fingertips tapped rhythmically on the table. "If your guess is correct, Armin… then Eren's 'ultimate goal' might be in conflict, to some degree, with the 'ultimate goal' of Paradis Island. His 'personal feelings' to protect his comrades are overriding the 'greater good' of all humanity within the Walls… This approach, from a strategic perspective… is reckless."
He looked at Hange and Levi. "As it stands, forcing Eren to talk is impossible. And, as Armin said, we can't rule out that the 'price' is something we are unwilling to pay. Right now, we have a more important enemy to deal with—Marley."
"Agreed," Levi said.
"And that white creature—Kyubey. What does it want?" Hange mused. "From Eren's reaction, it's definitely not just 'helping' anyone. Zeke's reaction before he died also proves that Marley didn't possess this power before. To them, this must be a new, and very attractive, weapon."
"Yes," Erwin said. "Pieck being able to teleport back to Marley, the fleeting barrier Zeke had before he was killed… all of it validates the potential power of that white creature. If the price for that power is limited, it might be an acceptable risk for us… but Marley, with only one Titan left, will also very likely try to cooperate with Kyubey."
This deduction made everyone's heart sink.
…
The discussion in the tent continued, the atmosphere heavy. Outside the garrison, on top of a distant, broken clock tower, a small white creature sat quietly. Its ruby-red eyes watched everything that was happening.