"Historia, come with me! Let's leave this place, okay?" Ymir lowered her voice and shook the still half-asleep Historia.
Woken from her dreams, Historia was still dazed, her small face flushed red with confusion, a trace of crystal-clear drool at the corner of her mouth. She rubbed her eyes and said,
"Yu, Ymir, what are you talking about? Leave—leave to where?"
Ymir clenched her teeth. This silly girl in front of her still didn't know what was happening right now. How was she supposed to explain it?
"All personnel, prepare to move out! The main force of the Survey Corps has already arrived at Wall Rose. We must rendezvous with Commander Erwin as soon as possible!" Nanaba shouted loudly, waking everyone who was still asleep.
Ymir glanced at Reiner out of the corner of her eye, only to feel a surge of irritation rising in her chest.
The morning sun slowly climbed upward, but it clearly wasn't ready yet to properly spread its light and warmth.
And so, the new recruits set off in this dim hour, fully equipped.
...
A drop of dew fell from the treetop, landing on Yago's forehead and splashing into eight petals. The cool sensation instantly made Yago shudder.
He reached up to wipe his forehead and gazed at the distant wall.
"Who exactly are you people?" The questioning voice from behind made Yago turn around. "Squad Leader Mike, you don't trust us?"
The Survey Corps squad leader Mike Zacharias, both legs shattered, stared coldly at Yago, who was wearing the same Wings of Freedom uniform as himself.
"Heh. You think I should trust you? Or do you think I'd trust her!?" Mike said bluntly, his gaze shifting to Annie beside Yago. Facing Mike, humanity's second-strongest soldier and a Survey Corps squad leader, Yago felt there was no need to hide Annie's identity.
Mike, who had long since received intelligence from Erwin, naturally knew Annie's identity as the Female Titan.
Mike didn't stop there and continued to question them: "Recruit Yago, do you think I would trust an enemy who previously slaughtered our Survey Corps comrades and now suddenly claims it was all a misunderstanding? And you—Yago Norman—you too—are you also an enemy?"
Yago gave a bitter smile. Squad Leader Mike's questioning left him truly speechless. Annie's wrongdoing was indeed impossible to erase. But Yago was willing to bear it together with Annie.
"Squad Leader Mike, whether you believe us or not right now, we'll prove it. Otherwise, why would we save you from the Beast Titan?" Yago still tried to explain, but all he got in return was a cold snort from Mike.
There was nothing more Yago could say. No matter how much he explained, Squad Leader Mike wouldn't lower his guard against him and Annie.
Yago could only pull Annie aside. The two sat together, both carrying heavy thoughts. Yago thought of Annie's memories, and the things within those memories—those days of becoming a warrior. At the same time, he worried about how to explain everything to the Survey Corps, how to make the people on the island believe them.
What Annie thought about even more was Yago. And her father.
"Damn it! Worst case, I'll just run away with Annie!" The more he thought, the more annoyed Yago became, and he couldn't help cursing inwardly.
Turning his head, he noticed that Annie had taken out a small notebook at some point. A piece of paper was tucked inside. Yago leaned closer, watching as Annie slowly unfolded the paper.
Yago froze, his feelings complicated. "Annie… you still kept this drawing?"
In Annie's hands, on that slightly yellowed notebook paper, although some pencil marks had grown faint with time, the girl on the paper was still instantly recognizable—perfect profile, a slightly immature face, a high-bridged nose. It was clearly a younger Annie. This was the drawing Yago had once given Annie for the first time in class. (See Chapter 12 for details.)
On the back of the paper, that exaggerated chibi version of Yago was still bowing deeply, saying,
"Please forgive foolish Yago, beautiful Lady Annie!"
Yago's heart was filled with mixed emotions. He had never expected that Annie would keep this drawing all this time.
Annie looked at the drawing in her hands and gently curved her lips into a faint smile. At that moment, the thoughts in Yago's mind were almost impossible to suppress.
Yago truly wanted to forget all this mess, take Annie far away, and fly off together. What did the grudges between Eldians and Marleyans have to do with them?!
After struggling for a long time, Yago let out a long sigh. He couldn't help reaching out and pulling Annie into an embrace. Annie let him hold her, allowing herself to be wrapped in his arms. Looking at Annie's face so close to his own, Yago suddenly remembered that those who inherit Titan powers only have thirteen years to live. His heart couldn't help but twitch.
"Annie, I'll always stay by your side." Pressing close to Annie's cheek, Yago said softly but firmly.
"Mmm." Annie replied, her cheeks slightly flushed.
...
Standing atop the fifty-meter-high Wall Rose, the breeze stirred Eren's hair. His emerald-green eyes stared blankly at the vast, boundless land beyond the wall.
For a moment, Eren felt dazed. The last time he had stood on Wall Rose, he had witnessed with his own eyes the Colossal Titan destroying the wall, the Titans invading, countless people losing their lives.
"Eren! How did you end up here?" Armin's voice pulled Eren back to reality. Looking around, he saw many Survey Corps soldiers bustling about on the wall, transporting supplies and checking equipment.
"Is it really necessary? I…" Eren's eyes were complicated. Who could truly see what lay beneath the surface?
Armin said, "There's no other way. We can only take measures to control things for now. As for the specifics, the commander and the captain must have already arranged everything."
"Eren, the only thing you need to be careful about right now is yourself. If they really are enemies, Eren, your situation will be extremely dangerous!" Armin warned seriously.
Eren fell silent, but he was prepared.
At this moment, Mikasa also walked over with two canteens of water and some bread. Hearing Armin's words, Mikasa immediately retorted, "With me here, Eren won't suffer even the slightest harm!"
Eren: "..."
Armin: "..."
...
Elsewhere, the Survey Corps command post was set up several thousand meters away from Eren's position.
Levi stood with his arms crossed, a hint of disdain on his face.
"So, you managed to shake off those clingy Wallists?" Annoyed as he was, courtesy still had to be maintained.
Erwin nodded. "We used the excuse that a large number of civilians needed emotional stability and had the Wallists separated from our Survey Corps forces."
"Hange, how are the preparations?" Erwin suddenly turned and asked. The research-obsessed maniac looked somewhat uninterested, but still reported honestly, "Four elite squads are already in position. The cables have been reinforced as well. If that Female Titan appears again, we'll definitely capture her alive!"
"And you, Levi?" Hearing Erwin's question, Levi's expression darkened a bit. "Levi Squad will handle the final cleanup."
"Report, Commander! The Survey Corps temporary north–south squads are leading the new recruits and will arrive shortly!" A Survey Corps soldier hurriedly reported.
Erwin suddenly closed the operation plan, his voice calm.
"Very good. Everyone, make your preparations!"
"Yes!"