"Military secrets?"
The phrase alone was enough to snap the three young soldiers back into focus. Their whispers died instantly. Even the suspicion clouding their eyes flickered into curiosity.
For a moment, Zeke could breathe. Those two words were a shield—a convenient smokescreen to cover the inconsistencies in his behavior along the march.
But it wouldn't last.
Because the longer they traveled, the more the Warriors noticed. His evasions. His glances at Levi. His fidgeting whenever the Wall grew closer. A single excuse would not be enough.
Sooner or later, he had to feed them something more convincing.
He drew in a breath, lowered his voice, and spoke with careful weight.
"Actually… we already have someone inside the Walls."
The three pairs of eyes widened.
"That man," Zeke continued, "is called Grisha Yeager."
He let the name hang for a beat, then pressed on, layering authority into every syllable.
"Grisha has been living there for thirteen years. He knows the truth about the Walls, the people, and… where the Founding Titan is hidden."
He almost convinced himself in the telling.
The recruits leaned closer, their hostility softening into reluctant belief.
"But wait," Reiner frowned, scratching his head. "Doesn't Grisha live in Shiganshina District? That's the southern gate. Why avoid it if he's there?"
"Think!" Zeke snapped, then softened his tone. "If you shatter the southern gate, what happens if Grisha is crushed in the chaos? He's just a man. Ordinary. He dies, our entire mission collapses."
"Ah—!" Realization struck them all at once, and their young faces paled. They hadn't even thought of that.
"So," Zeke continued smoothly, "we must avoid Shiganshina. Any other gate can be taken down if necessary."
The three of them stiffened.
"Do we still… need to break a gate?" Reiner asked, serious as stone.
"…No." Zeke nearly choked on his own tongue. That throwaway line had been taken far too literally.
"No need to kick down anything."
"Why not?" Bertolt asked, blinking.
"Because," Zeke improvised quickly, "we've already infiltrated the city successfully. What's the meaning of 'lurking'? It means lying low, being invisible. Do you think toppling gates is low-key? No. It's reckless."
Reiner and Bertolt nodded vigorously.
But Annie tilted her head, her stare cutting sharp. "Low-key? You call shooting down an Abnormal Titan in front of everyone low-key?"
Zeke coughed into his hand. "That was… adaptability. Flexibility. If we hadn't intervened, the Survey Corps would've been annihilated. Undercover agents need to adapt to emergencies.
That's the mark of professionals."
"Ohhh." The boys nodded again, their admiration swelling. Annie crossed her arms, unconvinced, but she didn't press further.
Still, Bertolt frowned. "But Captain… why does Grisha have your last name? Yeager?"
Zeke's eyelid twitched.
"Because… he really is my relative," he admitted, hesitating.
The three froze.
"Is he… your father?" Reiner asked bluntly.
Zeke bit his lip. Why must children be this sharp?
They exchanged looks. Bertolt whispered, "Before we left, I heard that your parents were charged with treason and exiled to the island."
Reiner and Annie both nodded.
Zeke cursed inwardly. Of course they'd heard the rumors—his "royal-blood" identity had been the talk of Marley's barracks. There was no dodging it.
He steadied himself and leaned in
"Yes. Grisha is my father. But listen carefully—his 'treason' was nothing but a cover. A pretext designed by His Majesty himself. Only if the king inside the Walls believed my father was a true exile would he accept him. That gave him the perfect chance to blend in and gather intelligence for us."
The recruits' expressions wavered. Doubt lingered.
Zeke pressed the advantage, voice sharp. "Think! Everyone else exiled here is transformed into a Pure Titan. Everyone! So why is my father still human? Why is he living among them while the others wander as monsters? There's only one answer: because it was deliberate. Because he was chosen. Because he is our hidden asset."
The air shifted. Reiner's fists clenched. Bertolt's eyes lit up. Even Annie, though still skeptical, faltered.
Finally, Reiner nodded. "That… makes sense."
Bertolt leaned forward earnestly. "Then all the information about the island, the routes, the Walls—that came from him?"
"Exactly." Zeke let out the smallest sigh of relief. "No one's ever set foot on Paradis before us.
How else would I know the way? All of it came from Grisha."
That sealed it.
Reiner suddenly grabbed his hand, squeezing hard. "Say no more, Captain. We understand.
From this point on… we'll follow your lead."
The other two mirrored him, faces alight with renewed trust.
Zeke managed a smile, though sweat beaded under his collar.
Good. They believe me… for now.