"You're damn lucky, kid."
Kenny hooked an arm around Lillian's shoulder, wearing an infuriatingly smug grin.
"Everyone else in that incident died—and you're the only one who made it out alive. I know you, too. You were part of that suicide expedition outside the Walls, right? Two hundred and fifty thousand people went out—less than a hundred came back. And you're one of them."
He clicked his tongue.
"Even I'm starting to get jealous of that kind of luck."
"Really? I'm grateful for it too," Lillian replied.
He brushed Kenny's hand aside and sat down on a bench in the corridor, his expression calm.
"Captain Kenny, if you have something to ask, then ask it. There's no need for pointless chatter."
"Haha, good," Kenny nodded approvingly. Then suddenly said, "If all those Military Police died, that'd really work out nicely for you."
"What?"
"I'm not a smart man," Kenny said, his hawk-like eyes locked onto Lillian. "I don't think like clever people do. Whenever something happens, I just look at one thing—who benefits the most. And then I go find that person."
"…"
"You brought back the captain's body. The divisional commander got his head smashed in by falling rubble. A whole bunch of old Military Police died too."
He chuckled darkly.
"Not bad, kid. All the chairs above your head suddenly emptied out."
Then, with a half-smile, he asked, "Hey… you didn't plan all this yourself, did you?"
Lillian looked at him coldly.
"Captain Kenny, if you suspect me, then produce concrete evidence. In this incident, I was a victim. What you're doing now constitutes secondary harm. I have the right to refuse further conversation."
Kenny's grin widened, excitement gleaming in his eyes.
"Nice. I like you. That 'I-don't-give-a-damn-who-you-are' attitude is my favorite. How about it—ever thought of working under me?"
"No."
"Well, that's a shame," Kenny said, turning away. "But don't think the investigation ends here."
"Hopefully the real enemy will be found soon."
"Haha! Hopefully!"
Kenny laughed as he walked away.
Lillian watched his retreating figure, his expression growing colder by the second.
"I planned it myself…?" he murmured, clenching his fists. "You've got some nerve, Kenny."
"This isn't over."
He sat on the bench for an unknown length of time before footsteps approached from the side.
"Lillian."
The voice drew closer. He looked up and saw Annie approaching.
"What is it?"
"…"
Seeing the emptiness in Lillian's eyes, Annie hesitated, momentarily at a loss for words.
"You don't need to worry about your identity being exposed," Lillian said first. "I fabricated a cover story and got you through it. Your transformation lasted less than two seconds. When the building collapsed, the dust mixed with flying debris concealed your silhouette."
"At most, witnesses saw a fleeting outline. Even if someone saw a Titan form, it doesn't matter—no one knows you were there at the time."
That was true.
The massive cloud of dust created by the transformation, combined with the rubble from the collapsing headquarters, formed a complete blind zone. Anyone outside couldn't see clearly.
Even if they caught a glimpse, a second was far too short to register details—especially under shock.
After leaving, Annie blended back in with the arriving Military Police, pretending she had just come with them. No one realized she had been there earlier, and no suspicion fell on her.
Listening to Lillian's hoarse voice, Annie hesitated—for just a moment.
"What's wrong, exactly?"
"...This." Annie finally took it out, pulling a small pendant from her pocket. "It was… in her pocket. She told me before that she wanted to give it to you herself."
Lillian's whole body stiffened as he reached out and took it.
It was an ordinary round pendant, with a small blooming flower engraved inside.
"...Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Of course I'm fine." Lillian lowered his head. "They're all dead—everyone above me. To calm the public and restore order in Stohess… the Stohess District as quickly as possible, the royal government will definitely promote me beyond the usual rules. Among the surviving Military Police in this district, no one has higher prestige than I do. As for ability… ability-wise… if not me, then who?"
Annie remained silent, watching Lillian's hands tremble slightly.
"It's almost certain, isn't it? I'm getting promoted…" He let out a soft laugh. "So tell me—what's there for me not to be fine about?"
Annie pressed her lips together and reached out, wanting to place her hand on his shoulder. Halfway there, she froze, then quietly withdrew it.
"Annie… help me put it on."
Lillian spoke with his head lowered. His right hand was still wrapped in bandages—the bones in it had been shattered and hadn't fully healed yet.
Without a word, Annie took the pendant, walked behind him, and fastened it around his neck.
"...Thank you."
"Why?"
"What?"
"Why did they have to…?"
Annie didn't know how to finish the sentence. In truth, she never imagined the division commander would be so utterly insane—to dare order the execution of other Military Police in broad daylight, right at headquarters.
"...On the surface, it looks like the division commander was afraid I'd block his path. If I became a squad leader, with even more authority, I'd be an even bigger obstacle to him. But this isn't that simple."
Annie walked back around to face Lillian, seeing the redness in his eyes and finding herself at a loss for words.
"Even if he wanted me dead, at most he would've tried the same old trick—using bandits to do the job. He'd never dare set up a firing squad ambush inside headquarters. Even if you gave him ten times the courage, he wouldn't."
"Someone put him up to it?" Annie asked.
Lillian nodded. "Possibly. But I don't know who. That's why this isn't over yet. Anyone involved will pay the price."
"..."
"Be careful for a while," he said, looking at her. "A lot of eyes are on this place now. A Titan appeared inside Wall Sina— the Survey Corps will arrive any day. Those people are sharp. Don't let them notice anything."
He paused, then added, "And Annie… I know I probably can't stop you, but I still hope you'll minimize contact with Reiner and Bertholdt. And don't reveal our cooperation for now. You understand, don't you… that they're different from you?"
Annie said nothing.
She knew very well that if Reiner found out about this, his first reaction would be to kill Lillian.
"They'll probably ask why you didn't show up during the Survey Corps' expedition outside the walls to capture Eren," Lillian continued. "Just say you had an emergency patrol assignment."
His expression grew weary. "That's all for now. If you don't have anything else, you should go back. My position is very sensitive right now—don't interact with me too much. And… thank you for saving me."
"...Don't push yourself," Annie said—words that didn't quite suit her personality—then turned and left.
Watching her disappear into the distance, Lillian thought that no one should suspect her.
Now that the Survey Corps knew a Titan had appeared inside Wall Sina, Erwin's first instinct would definitely be that I was that Titan. And once he investigated, he'd find out about the deep conflict between me and the division commander. That would only further support the theory that "Lillian is the Titan."
Fine… Lillian thought. That way, Annie won't be in the spotlight.
As for me—it doesn't matter.