It had been three days since the expedition outside the walls ended.
Every soldier, especially the rookies, was grateful to have survived. Once they survived their first encounter, their chances on the battlefield would only improve. Having witnessed the terror of the Titans, at least next time they would not freeze in fear.
None of the new recruits from the 104th squad had died, which made everyone naturally very happy. The higher-ups even gave them a day off to relax.
However, Krista, who had originally planned to go to Wall Sina, was stopped by Hange.
Curious, she followed Hange down into the basement. Inside, she found the senior members of the Survey Corps gathered, and her contemporaries, Ymir and Eren, were also sitting nearby.
"Commander…"
She looked at Erwin in confusion. He nodded slightly. "Krista, please sit."
"…."
Krista sat down, but for some reason, she felt a bad premonition.
"We've called you here to formulate a mission plan," Erwin began.
"What…?"
"Specifically, a capture operation targeting Lillian Kafka."
Krista's face instantly turned pale. She wasn't stupid; when Erwin had previously spoken to her alone, he had already suspected that Lillian might be a Titan.
So, when she followed Hange into the basement this time, she had already realized something. Yet hearing it confirmed by Erwin himself made it hard to accept.
Lillian… a Titan? That's impossible.
She had spent the whole night thinking after that earlier conversation. She tried to remain objective, without favoring Lillian, but even then, she could not come up with any evidence that Lillian was a Titan.
Isn't he just stronger than usual?
"I know this is hard to accept, but—"
"Yes, it really is hard to accept," Krista said, unusually firm, showing no hesitation. She looked the others squarely in the eyes. "If the Commander can't show proof, I will not participate in this operation!"
"…."
Everyone stared at Krista. Even Eren was surprised; he hadn't expected Krista's reaction to be more intense than his own. He had been incredulous when he first heard it and raised questions, but he hadn't been this adamant.
"We do not have direct evidence," Erwin said, placing a piece of candy on the table. "Krista, you said this was given to you by Lillian. According to testimonies from others in the 104th, he has never been seen eating candy."
"What does a piece of candy matter?!"
"It matters," Hange interrupted, taking over. She recounted the note from the flowers the little girl had given during the expedition outside the walls. In conclusion, she said, "We can almost definitively determine that Lillian wrote that note."
"…."
Krista had never known this before. Her mind was in complete turmoil; she could not even speak.
"I understand your feelings for your comrades," Erwin said. "But when it comes to the life and death of humanity, emotions must be set aside. Judging by your current state, you probably cannot carry out this operation. Ymir, it will have to rely on you."
"Ah, no problem," Ymir said, her eyes also betraying complexity. "He should believe me, right?"
"Wait—"
Knock knock!
At that moment, a soldier ran in, panic written across his face, gasping for breath. "Commander! Bad news!…Titans have appeared!"
---
Days seemed to settle down again.
A few days had passed, and Lillian saw reports in the newspapers. This latest expedition outside the walls was a resounding success: they had explored a great deal of territory while keeping casualties very low.
It was clear that Reiner and Bertholdt had not acted, which was within Lillian's expectations. Next, he had to ensure that Annie did not come into contact with them.
Annie had clearly not fully sided with him yet. If she met those two, it could expose something—or even sway her back to their side. Though unlikely, it was a risk he could not take.
As he walked, two familiar Military Police officers spotted him and immediately stopped to salute, leaving Lillian puzzled.
"What are you doing?"
These two officers had been around for years. As Lillian's seniors, they had no reason to salute him, a mere squad captain.
Yet now they grinned and said, "Hehe, Lillian, don't you know? You're definitely going to be the new battalion commander. When that happens, we'll have to follow you."
"Who told you that?"
"The division commander! He said the higher-ups have high hopes for you and recommended you."
"…."
Lillian felt something was off. Did that old man really think this would make him compromise his principles? Hadn't his behavior over the past month already shown what kind of person he was?
"Whatever… I'll wait until the official appointment comes through."
He shrugged and left. The two officers exchanged a glance and nodded slightly.
---
Outside the Military Police headquarters, Lillian stretched.
The past few days had been busy. All his subordinates were out patrolling. The success of the Survey Corps had excited those within the walls; many felt that retaking Wall Maria was just around the corner.
And where excitement rises, trouble often follows. This stretched the Military Police thin, as many were dispatched to maintain order.
"I should go take a look too. Can't slack off now."
Lillian was thinking of heading out when he spotted a familiar figure jogging toward him from a distance.
Seeing her, he felt happy and quickened his pace. "Karen, are you on break again?"
The girl approaching was Karen, who nodded energetically. "Yes! We're on break!"
"That's great."
"Of course~ Lillian-nii, are you working today? I just saw Annie-nee on patrol earlier. She said she has extra duties today."
"Yeah, the city's been a bit chaotic lately, but nothing too serious. Everything should calm down by the afternoon."
"I see… then Lillian-nii, can I come patrol with you?"
"Well…" Lillian initially wanted to refuse, but seeing the bright, hopeful look in her eyes, he nodded. "Alright. But don't run off on your own."
"Okay!"
Karen nodded, secretly clutching something in her left hand in her pocket, feeling a mix of excitement and anticipation.
"Let's go."
Lillian led Karen to a relatively safe patrol point. If it were just him, he would naturally venture into the more dangerous areas. After all, most people couldn't touch him, and even if he accidentally died, it wouldn't matter.
Many passersby recognized Lillian and greeted him warmly. Karen watched with admiration, and after the crowd dispersed, she said, "Lillian-nii, I hope that one day I can be as popular as you."
"You definitely will be."
"Really?!"
"Of course." Lillian ruffled her small head. "You're so cute; how could anyone be more popular than you?"
"Ah…" Karen felt a little disappointed. "I wanted to be respected for being good at my own work…"
"Well, that's the premise, of course."
"Yeah."
As they talked, they saw Annie patrolling ahead. Karen waved excitedly. "Annie-nee!"
"…."
Annie looked over, but as soon as she saw Lillian, she averted her gaze.
Although a few days had passed, she was still angry at Lillian. She hadn't spoken to him once. Agreeing to his viewpoint temporarily didn't mean she was okay with the methods he had used.
"Karen," Annie said, looking at the approaching girl. "Remember not to drink anything Lillian gives you."
"Huh?" Lillian's face went dark. "Hey, why are you telling her that?"
Annie looked up at him, expression cold. "Who knows if you'll try to lecture her with another long-winded argument?"
"…."
Karen looked curiously at the two of them. "Annie-nee, Lillian-nii, what are you talking about?"
"Uh… nothing," Lillian said, not wanting to dwell on it. He asked Annie, "Have you finished patrolling your district? Any trouble?"
"Nope."
"Good. Then you can head back and rest for now. In the afternoon…"
Before Lillian could finish, a Military Police officer came running up. "Lillian! Good news!"
"What is it?"
Lillian turned. The officer's eyes were full of admiration. "Your appointment papers are in. You're the new battalion commander! Commander Nile personally came to give you the appointment!"
"…."
Not only Lillian was surprised; Karen and Annie were also shocked. Lillian was only 17—this was far too young for a battalion commander.
"Alright, I'll head over immediately," Lillian said. Karen followed him.
Annie finished her patrol, spent a few minutes handing over her duties to other officers, and then went back, not being the type to overwork herself.
Lillian and Karen followed the officer back to headquarters. The moment they stepped inside, a strange sensation washed over him.
So quiet…
"Congratulations, Battalion Commander. I look forward to working with you."
The officer smiled. Lillian suddenly froze. A powerful sense of danger swept over him.
"Lillian-nii, what's wrong?" Karen asked curiously.
Lillian glanced at a second-floor window, then suddenly grabbed the officer. The man was startled and shouted, "Hey! Stop!" while trying to run, but he was too slow—Lillian immediately grabbed his neck from behind.
Bang bang bang bang bang!
After the officer shouted, windows on the second, third, and fourth floors of the building were thrown open! Dozens of Military Police lined up, pointing their black rifles directly at Lillian!
An ambush with rifles?!
"Get behind me!" Lillian shouted at Karen, pulling her behind him while using one hand to shove the officer in front of him as a shield.
The next moment, a burst of gunfire erupted!
Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang—!
Dozens of bullets rained down. At such close range, even as Lillian moved back at full speed, the soldier he had used as a shield was instantly riddled like a sieve, and Lillian himself felt several sharp pains across his body.
Thud!
Relying on his physical resilience, Lillian staggered out of the courtyard, ducked behind the wall, and dropped the already shredded soldier to the ground. He turned to look at Karen. "You're—"
Before he could finish, he saw the girl clutching her abdomen. Blood trickled between her fingers, staining the ground.
"Ka—"
A chill ran through Lillian's entire body. Panic swept over him like something inside him had shattered. He reached out to hold Karen, whose face had turned pale as paper, the light in her eyes slowly fading.
"Li… Lillian… nii…" Karen murmured, blood continuously spilling from her mouth, staining her delicate face, her voice faint. Her internal organs had been pierced by the bullets.
Lillian, half-kneeling and holding her, felt completely helpless. His ears rang violently, her voice reaching him as though muffled underwater, growing more distant. He tried to speak, but no sound came out.
"Tha… thank you… for… letting me… be… a soldier… I… I really… like…"
Her words trailed off. Her pupils dilated, her hands gradually losing strength and falling limply to the ground.
"Hey… not so fast…"
Lillian pressed on her wounded abdomen in confusion, his whole body stiff and paralyzed, as if he had suddenly fallen into an endless abyss. "Doctor… is there a doctor… I need a doctor…"
"Lillian? Karen?!"
Annie, having finished handing over her patrol, arrived behind them. She froze in disbelief at the sight. Ten minutes ago they had been talking together… how could this happen?
Her voice pulled Lillian back to reality. The ringing in his ears eased slightly, and he could hear sounds from outside. He also noticed the thudding sounds of soldiers running down from the building.
"Annie…" Lillian looked up at her, his voice hoarse and broken. "Kill them."
"…What? What did you say?" Annie hadn't yet fully processed what had happened. Her gaze fell on the bullet holes in Lillian's body. "You—"
At that moment, the soldiers rushed out, guns raised.
Even when they saw Annie, surprise flickered across their faces, but their fingers still squeezed the triggers.
"Kill them!!"
With Lillian's furious roar, Annie gritted her teeth and slammed her thumb against the iron hook ring on her index finger.
BOOM—!!