"Please!"
Outside the dining hall, the three of them had called Lillian out. Eren spoke with extreme seriousness, his eyes burning as he stared at Lillian, filled with urgency and desperation.
"Lillian, I saw you during the day—you failed many times before you finally succeeded! That proves we're the same, both with really poor talent! But I want to know… how did you manage to succeed in the end?!"
"..."
Lillian looked at Eren and thought to himself that this kid really was stubborn to the core.
By contrast, Armin and Mikasa standing beside him both looked rather uncomfortable.
After all… when asking someone for help, saying that the other person had poor talent was truly a display of extremely low emotional intelligence.
"Eren…" Armin hurriedly tugged at his sleeve and smiled awkwardly at Lillian to smooth things over. "Um… Eren didn't mean it that way. He just wants to ask you for some experience, that's all."
"What are you talking about, Armin? I did mean it that way!"
"..."
"Eren."
This time even Mikasa spoke.
Eren looked into her eyes and seemed to realize something. Replaying his own words in his mind, his expression immediately changed.
He grew flustered and annoyed at himself.
"I'm sorry, Lillian. I didn't mean it like that! I just… I just really want to succeed! I want to be able to do it too!"
Truly someone with an extremely strong sense of purpose.
Looking at the determination in Eren's eyes, Lillian thought to himself that only someone with this kind of unwavering personality—once he decided on something, never turning back—could perfectly control the "Attack Titan."
"I don't really have any experience to teach you," Lillian said. "It's just that my body wasn't used to it at first. After failing a few times, it gradually got better. I think everyone else is the same. Right, Armin?"
"…Yeah."
Armin nodded.
He didn't want to hurt Eren's feelings, but just as Lillian said, there really wasn't any special trick to it. It wasn't some highly technical skill—just pure practice making perfect.
However, when Eren heard this, it was as if he had been struck by lightning.
His face instantly turned pale.
His lips pressed tightly together.
His whole face filled with disappointment.
"So… that's how it is… then I…"
Lillian looked at him and let out a quiet sigh.
"Eren, have you ever considered… that maybe it's not your problem?"
"…What?" Eren froze, not understanding what Lillian meant.
"I mean—you're already very hardworking. More hardworking than anyone else. If even under those circumstances you keep failing, not succeeding even once… then maybe the problem isn't with you."
"Not my problem?!" Eren asked in confusion. "Then whose problem is it?"
Lillian glanced at the sky outside—it wasn't completely dark yet—and said, "Come with me."
With that, he walked out.
Eren, suddenly grasping at a vague thread of hope, immediately followed after him. Armin and Mikasa exchanged a glance—though they didn't understand what Lillian intended, they could only follow to find out.
The three followed Lillian to the boys' dormitory. He told them to wait outside for a moment, then went in alone. Shortly after, he came back out carrying his waist harness and straps.
"This is…"
"If it's not your problem, then it might be the problem with this thing. Isn't that possible? These are man-made, after all. Who can guarantee they won't break?"
All three of them froze.
None of them had ever thought in this direction.
"That's true!" Armin suddenly said. "If this is broken, then Eren—"
"I'll go test it right now!"
Eren snatched the harness and straps from Lillian's hands and sprinted toward the training field.
"Eren!"
Mikasa and Armin immediately chased after him.
Lillian, on the other hand, walked behind them slowly, muttering to himself as he went.
"Such a small change shouldn't cause any problems…"
That's right.
Lillian could have told Eren the answer from the very beginning.
So why did he wait until Eren came to find him personally?
Because he didn't want to change the plot.
Not even in small ways.
After all… although he now possessed one-third of a Titan's power, he still could not guarantee that he would survive in this world.
And the key to his survival lay in his knowledge of the plot.
Once the plot began to change, could he handle the dangers that would follow?
At least right now, he did not have that confidence.
Therefore, he tried his best to avoid altering the storyline.
For that reason, he had even deliberately avoided interacting with the protagonists.
He did not take the initiative to befriend them.
He did not curry favor with them.
In this way, perhaps the changes to the plot would be fewer.
Of course, having no changes at all was impossible.
With the existence of the "butterfly effect," even the appearance of a single butterfly could create a great storm.
And Lillian—such a living, breathing person—how could he not bring changes to this world?
Still, just now, he had told Eren the real reason for his failure.
On one hand, he genuinely felt sorry for Eren.
On the other hand, even if he hadn't said anything, during the test a few days later, Instructor Keith would eventually be unable to hold back and would reveal it, allowing Eren to pass.
So the result would be the same.
And besides, this was a very small matter.
So Lillian could say it.
But bigger things—like the identities of the warriors.
He knew them clearly.
But should he say anything?
And to whom?
To the royal government? The royal government was a group of people concerned only with consolidating their own rule. If he told them, they would probably execute Lillian immediately.
To Commander Erwin of the Survey Corps?
That might work.
But then how would Lillian explain how he knew these things?
Lie?
Could he fool someone as shrewd as Erwin?
Given Erwin's personality, he might even restrict Lillian's personal freedom.
That was absolutely not the outcome Lillian wanted.
So, before he could be absolutely certain of his own safety, Lillian would never reveal this information.
As he was thinking, he arrived at the training field.
At this moment, Eren had already put on Lillian's harness and straps and was fastening the lines of the device around his waist.
Beside him, Armin was turning the lever.
Slowly, Eren's feet began to leave the ground.
Armin and Mikasa watched in mounting tension, and Eren himself was no less nervous—his body began to sway, though not by a large margin.
A flash of joy crossed his face, yet at that very moment the amplitude of the shaking suddenly increased! He hurriedly restrained his surging excitement and forced himself to regain control. Though clumsy and unpracticed, he managed to hold his balance! More than five full seconds of balance!
"I did it! I succeeded!"
Eren shouted in astonished delight, excitement rising to its absolute peak.
"Mikasa! Armin! Did you see that?! I did it!!"
"Eren…"
Both of them could not help but smile, and at this moment Lillian, who had witnessed the scene from not far away, also gave a faint nod. He did not disturb the three of them, but instead turned around and quietly departed.