"Yes." Zeke finished whittling the last of the wooden spikes, inspected it carefully, and handed it to Carla.
"Auntie, the crutch is done."
"Thank you." Carla accepted the crude crutch with a smile, though her cheeks flushed slightly.
"Um… Zeke, could you maybe stop calling me aunt? You don't look much younger than me."
"That won't do!" Zeke chuckled.
"By seniority, you really are my aunt. If I stop calling you that, Uncle Grisha will scold me the next time he hears about it!"
Carla blinked. "Grisha would… scold you?"
"Yeah," Zeke said with a rueful grin. "He's great at giving lectures. If something doesn't go his way, he gets mad and storms off. Never shows mercy." He sighed, remembering long hours of forced study under that same stern gaze.
Carla frowned in surprise. "Grisha? Strict? I can hardly imagine it."
"Ha! No one believes me. Dr. Jaeger, so kind to everyone else—turns into a tyrant when it comes to me!" Zeke smiled bitterly.
"I didn't expect that…" Carla tilted her head. "Wait—did he teach you medicine?"
"I guess so." Zeke shrugged. "Half and half. My grandfather was a doctor too. He wanted me to inherit the family trade. But when Father joined the Restorationists, things got messy. He started chasing giant power politics and even sent me to join the Warrior program. Grandfather and Father fought about it so badly they almost broke ties. But in the end, Grandfather couldn't win against that stubborn man."
"I see," Carla murmured softly. "No wonder Grisha was strict. Medicine's not like other fields—it's life and death. You can't afford to be careless."
"Yeah," Zeke muttered, managing a polite smile.
"But don't hold it against him," Carla added warmly. "It just means he had high hopes for you." Then she looked toward Eren, playing in the distance, and sighed. "I wish that boy could take after his father. Study medicine, live quietly. But he has no interest. Grisha doesn't push him either. He just runs wild all day. I honestly don't know what he'll do with his life."
"It doesn't matter," Zeke said, his gaze softening as he watched young Eren. "If he can live an ordinary life, that's the greatest fortune of all."
He smiled faintly, thoughts drifting. Live in ignorance forever, little brother. Never learn how cruel the world really is. Just hold the hand of the girl you love and grow old together.
"That's true," Carla agreed, her voice gentle. "Just being born into this world is already something wonderful."
Gu~
Carla's stomach growled, and she blushed scarlet.
"Hungry?" Zeke grinned. "Yeah, it's morning already."
He stood, intending to buy breakfast from the tavern downstairs. But when he reached for his pocket, his expression froze. Empty. Cleaner than his face.
Awkward awkward
Then another thought hit him—even if he had Marleyan currency, would it even work here?
Paradis had been isolated for over a century. No way the money was the same.
So technically, he wasn't broke. Just… economically incompatible.
Still, the kids had been hungry for hours. The moment they heard the word "breakfast," they swarmed around eagerly.
Eren spoke first. "How can you ask kids for money? We don't have any!"
Zeke: "…"
So pitiful.
"Yeah," said Armin, adjusting his collar.
"Everyone fled in the middle of the night. Some people didn't even grab their clothes, much less their wallets." He sighed. "We're just lucky to be alive."
Zeke had no choice but to turn to the Survey Corps escorting them. "Um, could you lend me some money for breakfast?"
For heroes, even this small request was sacred. The seven Survey soldiers immediately started digging through their pockets.
The result… was tragic.
A handful of coins clinked onto the table—barely enough for one meal, certainly not for ten mouths. The innkeeper's friendly smile twisted into a glare that clearly said, You freeloaders again?
Zeke stared. "No way. You seven Survey soldiers can't even afford a single meal??"
Every soldier blushed.
"Well…" their squad leader Tom scratched his head. "Who brings money on a night mission? We already spent most of what we had booking rooms and hiring a doctor!"
Zeke's brow shot up. "One room?"
Tom nodded, embarrassed. "We're not staying long! Once your family's safe and Wall Maria stabilizes, we'll regroup with the Captain and head back to HQ. No point paying for comfort. And doctors—gods, they're expensive!"
Zeke: "…"
So this is the 'heroic army' of humanity… seven soldiers, four rooms, zero funds.
"If we'd known you were a doctor," Tom added weakly, "we could've saved that money."
"But Zeke doesn't have a medical license," another muttered under his breath.
Fran and Isabel checked their own pockets, finding them emptier than ever. "Being a soldier makes us poorer than when we lived underground," Isabel sighed.
"No, it's fine! I've got a plan," Tom declared suddenly. He strode to the front desk and pointed at Zeke. "Boss! Prepare breakfast for everyone—just follow the customer's request! Put the bill on Captain Keith Shadis's tab!"
Zeke froze. "You're putting it on credit?!"
What kind of broke operation was this?
But the boss's reaction was worse. He slammed his hand on the counter, eyes blazing. "What did you just say? The Survey Corps on credit? Captain Keith pays later? Ha!"
Tom broke into a nervous sweat. "Please, sir—this man helped us defeat the Odd Titans and defend Wall Maria!"
"Ha!" The boss snorted. "Defeat Titans? Don't make me laugh! You people are good for nothing but getting yourselves killed! The taxes we pay feed your corps for free! Out of the three regiments, the Survey Corps wastes the most. Always demanding more money, saying you'll 'uncover the truth'—yet in a hundred years, you've found nothing! No Titans missing, just soldiers!
"And that Captain Keith you mentioned? If he even survived the battle, he'll probably end up Titan food next! How am I supposed to collect payment from a corpse?"
He turned his scorn on Zeke, looking him up and down. "And him? An ordinary man killing Titans? Don't make me laugh. No credit. No money, no food."
The tavern fell silent.
Zeke exhaled slowly, rubbing his temples. Even here, on this tiny island, poverty's the strongest enemy of mankind.