The graduation banquet was still underway.
Lillian tucked the papers away. When he returned, he happened to see Eren in the middle of his impassioned speech.
"I didn't go through this training to live comfortably in the interior. I trained to fight Titans."
"We can't win anyway!"
The voice of protest drew everyone's attention. Lillian stood off to the side watching — and he knew that speaker represented how most of the trainees felt.
"You all know it, don't you? Twenty percent of our population was devoured by Titans. That alone gives us our answer… humanity cannot defeat Titans."
These hopeless words were, in truth, what many of them genuinely believed. Given the current level of society's technology and productivity, fighting Titans seemed like a fantasy. If there were no intelligent Titans sabotaging things, perhaps humanity inside the walls might one day achieve a technological breakthrough — but the chances were slim. After all, a feudal system has little incentive to encourage rapid scientific progress. Those in power would rather maintain control forever.
From a dialectical perspective, the Warrior trio — as "invaders" — did not only bring death. They also brought crisis and pressure. It was precisely because of that external threat that humanity within the walls was forced to push its own limits.
Marley could see this too, but they had no choice.
As the technology of mainland nations advanced, both Pure Titans and intelligent Titans were no longer enough to guarantee Marley's dominance. Worse, Marley's prior invasions had united other countries against them, pushing the empire into crisis.
So, to preserve their power and secure victory in future wars, Marley had to target the island — specifically, to seize the Founding Titan.
The Founding Titan's power, the "Coordinate," could command ordinary Titans. If Marley controlled it, they could turn Eldians into Pure Titans and deploy them like obedient soldiers in special operations.
If Titans could move in coordinated formations like a military unit, their destructive power would be terrifying. In theory, with that ability, unifying the entire continent might even be possible.
That was why Marley sent four intelligent Titans to the island — only for one of them to be eaten by Ymir before they even reached the walls.
Their mission was far from smooth. Even with Titan powers, they faced major problems — for instance, they had no idea where the Founding Titan was. All they could do was infiltrate, hide, and try to draw it out by breaching the walls.
Amid the defeatist atmosphere in the hall, Eren spoke his true feelings without hesitation:
"Just because we might lose, does that mean we give up? Yes, humanity has been losing so far — because we know too little about Titans. Throwing bodies at them means nothing. We may have lost battles, but the information we gained makes us stronger next time! If we quit now, then what meaning do the sacrifices of hundreds of thousands have?! Don't joke around — I will drive every last Titan out of existence and step beyond these narrow walls! That is my dream! Humanity has not lost yet!"
After his fiery speech, Eren realized that most people were staring at him blankly. His words stirred little reaction. Even though he was in tears, others could not share his feelings.
Lillian watched Eren run out crying. He understood why.
Being misunderstood is painful. But Eren wasn't just crying for that.
He wasn't stupid — he knew that sheer willpower alone couldn't defeat Titans. No matter how strong your spirit, a Titan can still crush you to death in the real world.
Deep down, Eren understood that victory required unity. Yet what he saw around him were pessimists and defeatists. So even while he declared victory aloud, his heart was full of disappointment and anguish.
Still, Lillian didn't think Eren's words were completely right either.
"Didn't expect that guy to be such a good speaker," Ymir remarked. Krista looked moved. "I thought what Eren said was really powerful… what about you, Lillian?"
"Me? It was… alright."
Ymir immediately smirked. "Sounds like the shorty's got a different opinion."
"I wouldn't say different," Lillian replied. "Just that those words affect people differently depending on their experiences."
Eren saw his mother eaten alive by a Titan — that trauma became his primary driving force.
But what about everyone else?
Most trainees weren't from Shiganshina District. They hadn't lived through that hell, and many had never even seen a Titan up close. Their first reaction was simply fear.
In other words — if Eren's mother had never been killed, and he had grown up safely inside Wall Rose, would his determination to eradicate Titans really be this strong?
Perhaps he would still have determination — but never to the point of burning himself out the way he is now.
"Not everyone has the resolve to burn themselves up," Lillian said, glancing at the two of them. "Oh, right," he added, "I'm joining the Military Police."
---
"They're here! The Survey Corps' main force!"
Under a bright, clear sky, people lined both sides of the streets inside Wall Rose, cheering as a mounted column gradually approached from the distance.
Erwin led the Survey Corps as they set out for another expedition beyond the walls. Because of what happened at Wall Maria five years ago, public enthusiasm for the Survey Corps was now at an all-time high.
They carried enormous expectations.
In the past, the Survey Corps had been despised. Every time they returned from outside the walls, they brought back nothing but bad news — and the mutilated remains of comrades. To most people, they looked like tax money being thrown away on pointless suicide.
Only after Keith stepped down and Erwin became commander did things improve somewhat. His "long-range scouting formation" greatly reduced casualties, which softened public opposition — though many still looked down on them.
But all of that changed the moment the Colossal Titan appeared five years ago.
A century of peace ended in an instant. The Colossal Titan kicked open what humans believed was an impregnable gate, and countless Titans flooded in. Wall Maria became hell on earth overnight.
Humanity was forced to remember the terror of domination and the shame of confinement.
From that point on, the Survey Corps became the most celebrated branch of the military. People placed their hopes in them to defeat the Titans — especially those living inside Wall Rose, which had suddenly become the front line after the fall of Wall Maria.
Still, after five quiet years, most people had begun to grow complacent again.
"Commander Erwin! Please wipe out all the Titans!"
"Look! It's Captain Levi! They say he's worth an entire brigade on his own!"
"This time they'll definitely bring back good news!"
"Yes!"
As the Survey Corps rode through the streets, the contrast with the cheering crowd was stark. Every soldier wore a grim expression. They knew that once they left the walls, whether they would return was uncertain — there was nothing to celebrate.
Just as Erwin's group neared the gate, a little girl of seven or eight suddenly ran out from the crowd and stopped in front of Erwin's horse, holding up a bouquet of flowers.
Erwin paused, then reached out to accept them.
The moment he did, his eyes caught a small slip of paper tucked among the blossoms.
His pupils contracted slightly.
On the outside of the note were written the words: "Open this after leaving the walls."
"..."
Erwin calmly held the flowers, then gave the girl a gentle smile. "Thank you."
"You're welcome!" she replied brightly. "Someone gave me a few candies and asked me to give these to you."
Erwin lowered his voice. "What did that person look like?"
The girl shook her head. "I don't know. They were wearing a hat — I couldn't see their face." With that, she turned and ran back into the crowd.
"Erwin, what's going on?" Hange, riding behind him, noticed his expression and asked quietly.
"Let's get outside first," Erwin said.
They continued forward. Soon the entire Survey Corps passed through the gate and left the walls. As they did, the cheering crowd gradually dispersed.
Outside the walls, Erwin did not immediately give the order to march. Instead, he called over Hange, Levi, and a few of his most trusted officers, quickly explained what had just happened, and then opened the slip of paper.
Scrawled unevenly across it was a single line:
"Do not go too far today. The Colossal Titan will appear again and break the wall of Trost District. But do not stay too close either — if you are too near, it will not appear."
"What is this…?!"
Everyone turned pale at once.
Even Erwin unconsciously clenched the paper in his hand, crumpling it.
Inside the walls, in a narrow, shadowed alley, Lillian removed the cloak he had used as a disguise and casually tossed it aside.
"This way… it should be better, right?"