Night, within Wall Maria.
Inside the church of a small town.
The church is about a few dozen square ters in size, with the seats inside crushed and used as firewood, and a campfire lit inside the church.
A few people are seated around the fire, naly Su Xiao, Ani, Reiner, and Bertholdt.
In the corner of the church, Eren and Ymir weakly lean against the wall. Eren has regained his senses, but his injuries prevent him from transforming into a Giant or even standing up. At this mont, Eren is glaring at the four with hatred.
Eren had tried shouting angrily before, but under Su Xiao’s ’patient persuasion’, he chose to stay silent, lest he risk being kicked to death if he continued.
Compared to Eren, Ymir is much calr, leaning against the wall with a sowhat dejected appearance.
Their treatnt isn’t the worst; the most tragic is the naive Historia.
Historia doesn’t possess the Power of Giant, so she can’t be controlled by limb loss. If her arm were cut off, she would be permanently disabled, so she is tied up and thrown into a corner.
"How long will it take to recover Stamina?"
Su Xiao looked at Ani and Reiner. Although they took turns traveling, Ani’s endurance as the Female Titan wasn’t great, leaving most of the traveling to Reiner.
"At most five hours. We can set out by midnight; moving at night ans less Giant interference, allowing for faster progress."
Reiner’s ti estimate satisfied Su Xiao. They needed to leave the Inner Walls World quickly; if over a thousand Survey Corps mbers pursued them, the four were unlikely to hold their ground. Su Xiao couldn’t handle over a thousand people using the Human Sea Tactic.
Su Xiao tended to the roasting Wild Boar over the fire, caught earlier during their journey.
The Inner Walls World is unpolluted, and Giants don’t prey on Wild Beasts, so the ecological environnt here is excellent.
The Wild Boar at sizzled and dripped oil as it roasted, turning crispy brown, with the aroma of searing fat filling the air.
This natural Wild Boar at only needed so salt; other spices would mask the flavor of the at itself. Farm-raised pigs need spices to cover the at’s gaminess.
Ani secretly swallowed her saliva; after enduring hardship within the walls for several years, her pretty blue eyes showed a glint of anticipation at the sight of at.
"Bai Ye, when will it be ready? I’m starving."
Reiner waited impatiently, not hiding his anticipation, as he hadn’t had at in a long ti either.
"It’s ready to eat."
With a turn of his hand, Su Xiao produced an exquisite knife.
He divided the crispy, juicy Wild Boar at among the three, then sliced a piece of the crisp skin for himself using the knife.
The Wild Boar at had a crisp texture that filled his mouth with flavor as he chewed.
Ani received the juiciest piece of tenderloin. Though she ate with elegance, her pace in devouring the food was not slow.
"Hey! You guys are too cruel. It’s bad enough not sharing food, but do you have to eat it so deliciously in front of ?"
Ymir scoffed lightly and turned her head away from the four, the hunger in her stomach tornting her, an action mirrored by Eren.
Aside from ensuring they had water to survive, neither received any food. Helping the enemy recover Stamina was utterly foolish.
Reiner, in the midst of enjoying the al, paused, hesitated, then stood up and walked towards Ymir.
"Has your conscience suddenly erged? I knew it. Even though you’re not much to look at, you wouldn’t..."
Ymir’s words trailed off because Reiner wasn’t paying attention to her. Instead, he helped up the naive girl Historia and pulled down the white cloth from her mouth.
"Historia, have so."
Reiner tore off a piece of at and offered it to Historia’s mouth. She hesitated for two seconds but ate it.
Seeing this scene made Reiner smile, a very gentle smile.
Before long, Historia had eaten a large piece of at and looked at Reiner with so lingering fear.
"Tha... thank you."
Historia thanked him in a small voice.
"Speaking of which, from the ti the Giants appeared yesterday until now, we’ve been on the run.
I’m so tired, but at least the hole in the wall was sealed. I should rest well. After doing so much, the benefits from joining the Survey Corps should be quite good, and a promotion or sothing shouldn’t be a problem, right?"
Reiner sat cross-legged in front of Historia and began to mutter to himself.
Eren, Ymir, Historia, and even Ani were dumbfounded; they didn’t understand what Reiner was talking about.
Sealing the wall? Joining the Survey Corps? Promotion?
The wall was destroyed by Reiner and the others, yet despite the current situation, he still wanted to join the Survey Corps?
Bertholdt sat by the campfire, hugging his legs, and gave Reiner a helpless look.
"Reiner!"
Su Xiao called out; Reiner’s current ntal state was very off.
"What is it, Bai Ye? Right."
Reiner seed to suddenly think of sothing, slapped his thighs with both hands, and continued:
"You are a mber of the Survey Corps, right? When I join, make sure to take care of . As a soldier, my performance has been outstanding. Yes, outstanding."
Eren and Ymir felt a chill run down their spines, while Historia cautiously moved back a bit.
"I say, Reiner, what nonsense are you spouting."
Ymir looked at Reiner, dumbfounded.
"Hm? What do you an, shouldn’t I be promoted?"
Reiner chuckled lightly, his deanor relaxed, as if he were still a mber of the Training Squad, rely chatting idly with his comrades.
"Reiner!"
Su Xiao’s tone carried a hint of displeasure.
"What’s up, Bai Ye, why are you standing up, tomorrow... "
"You’re not a soldier at all, you’re a warrior! A Marley Warrior!"
Su Xiao’s words dealt a massive blow to Reiner.
Reiner’s mind gradually recalled all sorts of things within the walls, his pupils began to shrink, his shoulders trembled incessantly.
A few seconds later, Reiner regained his composure.
"So... that’s how it is."
Reiner raised his trembling hands, pressing them against his face.
"Huh~? What’s that an."
Eren’s gaze remained filled with hatred, but looking at Reiner, his eyes showed a slight difference from before.
"I think I understand what’s going on."
Ymir looked at Reiner with a determined expression.
"If I’m not mistaken, his long ti living within the walls has completely integrated him into the Training Squad.
He was once a warrior dedicated to destroying the walls, but because he pretended to be a soldier for so long, now he can’t tell if he’s a soldier or a warrior.
No, it could also be the overwhelming guilt in his heart, projecting another self in his mind, one of Reiner as a soldier, responsible for defending the walls, the other as a warrior, dedicated to breaking the walls.
And this conflicting thought process has led his spirit to begin splitting, even altering his own mories. This self-narration isn’t the first ti, as you can see from Bertholdt’s speechless expression.
Amazing, to be able to go to this extent, well... "
The more Ymir spoke, the more excited she beca, but she didn’t notice the increasingly twisted expression under Reiner’s hands.
"Shut your mouth."
Reiner’s voice was low and a bit terrifying.
Seeing the perpetual tremble in Reiner’s pupils, Ymir imdiately shut up.
"Sorry, I got carried away with my own excitent."
Ymir was perceptive; had she dared to continue, Reiner might have torn her apart.
But the sarcastic smile on Ymir’s face showed that her apology lacked sincerity.
"Interesting, if we return to Marley... "
Ymir examined Reiner with interest, a mischievous smile playing on her lips, carrying a unique charm.
"Shut up, or I’ll cut off your tongue."
Su Xiao’s voice wasn’t loud as he glanced sideways at Ymir. Ymir imdiately lowered her head and fell silent, her sarcastic smile disappearing. She understood well that this man was fundantally different from Reiner, as this man’s calm exterior was a hundred tis more dangerous than Reiner.
Su Xiao glanced at Reiner, whose shoulder trembled incessantly; this guy’s ntal state was becoming increasingly unstable.
Now the relationships within the team were very complex.
’Bertholdt’ held affection for ’Ani’.
’Reiner’ likewise harbored affection for ’Historia’.
’Ymir’ too had a thing for ’Historia’~.
Reiner was a ntal patient, and generally, ntal patients were not to be ssed with.
Bertholdt lacked assertiveness, colloquially known as a soft eggplant.
Despite Ani’s strong exterior, she was internally fragile, as seen when she cried in front of Su Xiao, revealing her inner vulnerability.
Historia was a naive sweetheart, easy to handle, just tie her up.
Ymir was a blabbermouth with a scheming nature; if she dared spout off again, Su Xiao wouldn’t mind cutting out her tongue.
The group had Eren, the straightforward one, the easiest to manage; just beat him if he doesn’t listen.
Su Xiao suddenly felt a bit of a headache; these people’s relationships were no longer as simple as a love triangle.
They had to leave the area of Wall Maria as soon as possible, or with these youths and their differing personalities, it’s hard to predict what might happen. It would be troubleso if, in a fit of rage, he ended up killing a couple of them.
Besides, Su Xiao absolutely had to go to Eren’s basent, as it was very likely to hold considerable benefits.
Su Xiao flipped the ’confiscated’ key in his hand, anticipation welling up inside him.
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