Soon after the exchange, Velira and the others took their leave. Alayne slipped away to change, while Velira and Shaula busied themselves with preparations.
That left only Mira and Eren in the dim confines of the tent.
Here, closer to the heart of camp, the noise of soldiers was dulled. The constant bustle was still there, but faint—just a murmur in the background compared to the chaos on the outer edge.
Mira sat cross-legged, shoulders slouched, eyes fixed somewhere on the ground. Her voice came out low, thoughtful.
"The pill… The kingdom's advanced so much, and yet here we are. Still stuck on the outer layers, doing our own thing… like it doesn't matter."
Eren studied her quietly, the thought gnawing at the back of his mind—Should I tell her about the System?
But almost as quickly as it surfaced, he smothered it.
