Erwin frowned slightly. "What's going on? You sound as if I'm about to die."
Zeke froze.
Not yet.
At least not for another five years.
But then the thought hit him—he wasn't with Marley anymore. He'd defected. There would be no Shiganshina, no Beast Titan rampage, no suicide charge.
In this timeline, there was no 'five years later'.
Whether Erwin died of old age, in some battle, or choked on bread really had nothing to do with him anymore.
"…It's nothing." Zeke instantly smoothed his face, let go of Erwin's hand, and pretended calm.
Erwin: "?"
"This guy is strange," a soldier muttered, walking by to report. "But it's thanks to him. Their guns made this operation a success.
It was the first time humans achieved a complete victory against Titans!"
Zeke instinctively slapped a hand over the back of his neck and shuffled three steps back.
Levi narrowed his eyes. "…What are you doing? Think I'll cut you down, huh??"
The gangster tone made Zeke's fur stand on end.
"N-no! I said I have a stiff neck!" He darted behind the nearest horse.
"Tch. Weirdo." Levi clicked his tongue, face sour.
"You're the weirdo!" Zeke barked, both furious and helpless.
Erwin glanced between them, suspicion mounting. Even a fool could see there was history here.
Levi's face was sour but steady.
The blond youth, meanwhile, avoided Levi like a beaten dog avoiding a stick.
Could it be…?
An old acquaintance from the underground? Someone Levi used to bully?
(*At this time, Levi and his crew had just been recruited by Erwin out of the underground gang. The timing fits a little too well.)
Before Erwin could ask, a soldier reported, "Captain, this guy is really strange. He told us all Titans were once humans."
Zeke choked on his spit.
"That's right!" another piped up, remembering. "He also said the earth isn't flat, but a sphere!"
"Oh, oh! And he claimed there are humans living across the sea!"
Erwin's eyes lit up. He leaned forward, intense. "Across the sea? Are there really humans outside the Walls?"
Zeke's stomach dropped.
Damn it, why did I run my mouth!?
Before he could stammer an excuse, the thunder of hooves erupted.
A rider burst into the circle, dismounted in a leap, and tackled Zeke flat on his back.
"The Titans evolved from humans?!"
A wild figure loomed over him, glasses askew, ponytail swinging. They shoved their lenses up with a single finger, eyes gleaming with manic curiosity.
"Is it true?" the stranger demanded, gripping Zeke's collar. "Evidence! What's the link? How do they transform? Tell me everything in detail!"
"Hanji!" Erwin barked, furious. "You nearly trampled me with your horse!"
"Sorry, hahahaha!" the bespectacled lunatic laughed, unrepentant, hugging Zeke like an old friend. "But Erwin, how could I resist?!
This news about Titans—too exciting! Hey, young man, tell me! True or false? Quick!"
Zeke's dead fish eyes went wide.
Another enemy.
Of course.
In his previous life, Hanji and Eren had been rivals. Which meant by proxy—Hanji had been his enemy.
And now, in this life, he was pinned to the dirt by the same Titan-maniac.
Zeke wanted to cry.
Why hadn't he checked the almanac before leaving today?
The plan was simple: "accidentally" encounter the Survey Corps, ride their coattails into the Walls, and blend in.
Instead, he had stumbled into the lion's den.
Erwin.
Levi.
And now Hanji, frothing at the mouth with excitement.
According to the mortality rate of the Survey Corps, these lunatics shouldn't have even survived the last five years! Why were they all still here?
Erwin's hand clenched on his reins, gaze sharp. "Little brother, is it true? Are there really still humans living beyond the sea?"
"…"
Zeke thought long and hard. Then, with all the dignity of a monkey caught in a trap, he lied through his teeth.
"…No."
He forced a chuckle. "I made it up. A bedtime story for the kids."
He jerked his chin at Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie. "Them. I told them those things so they'd sleep."
"…Ah." The soldiers blinked, realization dawning.
"That makes sense. I was wondering how humans could still exist out there. A hundred years ago the Titans nearly wiped us out!"
"Exactly. And 'Titans evolved from humans'? Ridiculous. The scientists already proved a century ago that they only look human, but aren't related at all."
Relief rippled through the ranks. The atmosphere lightened, soldiers laughing nervously at their own gullibility.
Amid the chatter, Zeke sagged in Hanji's grip, utterly drained.
And Erwin, still mounted, quietly studied the young man who had just buried the truth with a joke.
…
Notes on age:
Year 845: Levi is 25–29 (and still looks absurdly boyish despite his age).
Erwin is 30–35.
Zeke is 20