The sky was nearing dawn. Asahi walked out of the Reiss family's chapel.
He couldn't help but sigh, contemplating for a long time. In the end, he still hadn't found a perfect solution.
He had the military might. Overturning the political quagmire inside the Walls was not impossible. However, after overthrowing it, who would take over the government?
Asahi was not good at these games. His temperament had never been suited for politics. As for the Reiss family, having them lead sounded acceptable; it would only be the Royal Family returning to its rightful position. However, similar to the reason above, might does not guarantee suitability.
Almost the entire Reiss family lived relatively normal lives. Even Frieda, the holder of the Founding Titan, lived no differently from a farm girl before inheriting the Titan power. Of course, there was the exception of Rod Reiss, the one who wrongly controlled the government from the shadows. Given the current animosity, Asahi could not trust him.
The Reiss family's decision to submit was less about true obedience and more about Frieda wanting to escape her predetermined fate, with the other family members simply following the prevailing wind. Rod Reiss, though dissatisfied, had to swallow his frustration and comply.
While still lost in thought, Grisha walked out of the chapel. His complexion was not good, but it was somewhat less heavy than before, as if a burden had been lifted.
"How was it? Are you done asking?"
"Yes. And the result... was within expectations."
Grisha gave a bitter smile, raising a hand to push up his glasses.
Although he had bypassed this issue, it still bothered him incessantly. Grisha had asked Frieda, who knew the truth about the previous era, what Eldia was truly like in history. Was Eldia a devil that massacred other races, considering itself divine and superior? Or were they the people who used Titan power to reclaim wastelands and build a prosperous and thriving continent?
Frieda replied that both were true. It was true that Eldia had massacred and annexed other races with Titan power; otherwise, there would be no Vow to Renounce War. It was also true that Eldia used Titan power to develop civilization, but that was Eldian civilization itself.
These two facts were not contradictory.
History, over time, would always be slightly distorted. Through different powers, it was distorted to half-truths. Every faction wanted to claim the moral high ground—Marley did, and the Eldian Restorationists did. Both invoked numerous reasons to rationalize their actions.
Every side was right, and every side was wrong.
"Asahi, what do you plan to do next?"
"Find allies and cultivate a force strong enough to take over the new government. You know, one person can't manage all of this."
"The Survey Corps?"
"Perhaps. I hope they can bring me good news."
Asahi sighed. The current situation was similar to his time in the Empire. The difference was that there, a revolutionary army existed, and the old Empire could be immediately taken over upon collapse. In contrast, the Survey Corps had just suffered massive losses, with only a few dozen members remaining.
"Then tell me why I should follow you?"
A voice suddenly rang out from behind. Who else would dare speak to Asahi with that grumpy tone but Kenny Ackerman?
"Later, you had better keep silent. Otherwise, I'll be forced to tape your mouth shut."
"Hey, hey, can't we trust each other? I've served the Royal Family for years, you know. I swear I won't reveal your infiltration here."
"Anyone can say that."
"Tsk... you stubborn kid."
He pouted and mumbled.
Despite being defeated by him once, Kenny's attitude remained incredibly casual, showing clear annoyance toward him. In his mind, losing was losing, but it didn't mean he had to show submission. At most, he'd die, and he wasn't afraid of that.
The reason Kenny would remain under his control was because of his bloodline, Ackerman. During this time, Frieda would temporarily deceive the government about everything that happened today. To be certain, she said she would temporarily lock the memories of the participating Military Police soldiers. However, Kenny was an outsider who could not be affected by the Founding Titan.
To avoid the possibility of further complications, Asahi became his overseer.
He attached a small device to Kenny's back. This was the spider silk bomb from before. If Kenny attempted to flee, the spider silk bomb would detonate and neutralize him. Once this thing exploded and wrapped around someone, even Asahi would find it difficult to escape quickly.
Everything was temporarily concluded here. To deal with the government inside the Walls, both stealth and radical action needed to be employed. That was not even considering the Marley Empire outside—a heavy burden for the road ahead.
Currently, he and Kenny would return to the Survey Corps' base, while Grisha would return to his family.
...
A new day had arrived.
Today was the day the reconstruction of the Wall Maria area and the Shiganshina District officially began. The military would first use cannons and soldiers to clear the "Titan shell" blocking the breach in Wall Maria. Then they would begin clearing Shiganshina inside. The outer Titan shell blocking the hole would be dealt with later.
Today was set to be an exhausting day for the Garrison Regiment, while the Survey Corps was quite relaxed.
Erwin walked outside, holding a kettle of freshly boiled water, steam still rising from it.
This morning, Keith Shadis had left. The decision from above had been announced: Erwin was officially the new Survey Corps Commander.
A few days later, when the Shiganshina recovery process looked promising, Erwin would have to go to Sina once to report. This perfectly suited his intentions. To rebuild the Survey Corps, he needed funds from officials and nobles to sustain operations, expand the military, equipment, and supplies. With this incident, Erwin thought he could make a big move.
Just as he was lost in thought, Erwin suddenly saw Asahi appear in his line of sight.
"Oh, Asahi..."
He raised his hand, about to greet him, but saw that Asahi's expression was very strange—much more serious than usual. From afar, Asahi signaled to Erwin, seemingly indicating a confidential matter.
Despite harboring many doubts, Erwin followed him.
"What's so serious this morning?"
"I only hope that after you learn the truth, you can still be this relaxed, Erwin."
Erwin's face furrowed slightly. Something serious enough to warrant Asahi's concern certainly wasn't trivial.
"Is there somewhere private? Preferably where no one can eavesdrop."
"Come into my office."
The two entered Erwin's private office within the refugee camp. After locking the door, Asahi turned to speak.
"Erwin, you once told me that you wanted to pursue the truth about this world, right?"
"That's correct."
Erwin answered without hesitation. From the moment he enlisted, that had always been his conviction.
"What if the truth is actually more brutal than anything you've ever imagined?"
He fell silent. Asahi sighed, feeling an inner discomfort.
"I am giving you two choices now. Either you continue living in ignorance, gradually discovering that truth step by step—in which case, this conversation is meaningless and never happened. Or I tell you, but you will not be able to turn back."
"Erwin, can you do it?"