The woman before him was the same one he had encountered earlier at the banquet hosted by the Stratmann family in Stohess District—the woman who had declared, 'As a matter of pride, living without dignity is worse than death.' Lillian had angered her into leaving that night, so there was no way he'd forgotten.
Diana curled her lips into a cold smile.
"That's right. Diana Spencer."
"Spencer…"
Marlo sucked in a sharp breath. Clearly, he'd heard of the family's infamous reputation.
Diana glanced at him briefly, frowned, then turned her gaze back to Lillian.
"So. You were invited to this banquet too?"
"Yes."
"..."
Disgust flashed openly across Diana's face.
"Then I suppose I should just go back."
"Hey—!" Marlo blurted out, anger flaring, but the words caught in his throat before he could finish.
That was the Spencer family…
How could a mere squad leader like him dare to offend them?
Still—he had to say something. After all, Lillian had brought him here.
Marlo clenched his teeth and forced himself to speak.
"He's the deputy commander of Stohess! Even if you—"
"Deputy commander?" Diana let out a derisive laugh, cutting him off.
"Does he really not know how he got that position?"
…Hm?
Lillian frowned slightly.
Did she know about his connection to President Zachary? That seemed unlikely. How would a woman like her come by that information?
As he was thinking, another voice came from behind them.
"Ann, what are you doing?"
They turned to see a well-dressed middle-aged man approaching. His features resembled Diana's somewhat—clearly a close relative.
"Father, I'm going home," Diana said coolly. "This banquet is boring."
"You haven't even gone inside yet—how do you know?" the man said with a gentle smile.
"Come now. Go in first. Afterward, I still need to take you to visit your uncle."
"..."
Though clearly displeased, Diana didn't argue further. She shot Lillian a cold look and walked toward the entrance.
The middle-aged man then stepped up to Lillian and extended his hand.
"You're Lillian, correct? I'm Charles Spencer. I've heard quite a bit about you."
"Hello."
Lillian shook his hand.
"My daughter has quite the personality," Charles said with a smile. "I hope she hasn't caused you any trouble."
"Not at all."
"That's good to hear. Then shall we go in?"
"Of course."
Lillian didn't know Charles personally, but his impression of the man was favorable.
At the very least, Charles was courteous—nothing like his daughter. Diana's attitude was far more representative of how most nobles within the Walls treated commoners.
They reached the entrance and passed through without issue.
But Marlo was stopped.
"You can't go in," one of the guards said.
"I—"
"What 'I'?" the guard interrupted. "You're just an attendant, aren't you?"
Marlo's face flushed bright red.
That was when Lillian spoke up.
"He's with me."
"…This…"
The Military Police officer froze for a moment, then hesitated and looked toward Charles. Seeing him give a slight nod, the officer stepped aside.
"Go on in."
"..."
Marlo's expression darkened, but there was nothing he could say. Pride meant very little without the strength to back it up—shouting about it only made things worse.
As for Lillian, this small incident alone was enough for him to glimpse the true influence of the Spencer family. With a single subtle gesture, they could make the Military Police of the capital obey without question. That wasn't something a minor noble house could accomplish.
Combined with Marlo's reaction when Charles introduced himself, and Diana's air of the 'world revolves around me', it was clear that this family possessed truly formidable power.
The three of them entered the grand hall.
Compared to the banquet at the Stratmann family, this one was on an entirely different level—far more luxurious and dignified. The exquisite décor gleamed under multiple brilliant chandeliers. Nearly everyone present was a noble; even guild leaders and merchants were few and far between.
"I'll go greet some acquaintances," Charles said with a polite smile. "Make yourselves at home."
"Alright."
As he walked away, Lillian immediately asked Marlo, "Do you know much about the Spencer family?"
"Not in detail, but…" Marlo lowered his voice, speaking with clear awe. "They're extremely powerful. Just below the royal ministers themselves. And their family is the largest arms manufacturer in the capital."
Arms…
Lillian's thoughts stirred. If that's the case, then yes—this family really is formidable.
In the world within the Walls, weapons manufacturing was monopolized by the government. Aside from a few special locations—like shops or taverns—or specific professions such as hunters, ordinary citizens were forbidden from purchasing firearms. Anyone caught by the Military Police faced severe punishment.
And in any world, those who controlled weapons were always the true power brokers.
Someone like that wouldn't show goodwill without reason…
Just as Lillian was thinking this, a server approached.
"Excuse me. President Zachary is waiting for you."
He gestured to the right. Lillian followed his gaze and immediately spotted Zachary seated at a round table in the corner, lifting his glass toward him in greeting.
"Understood."
Lillian nodded and walked over. This time, Marlo had the good sense not to follow.
---
After sitting down, Lillian got straight to the point.
"President Zachary, I was actually planning to come see you myself."
"Oh?" Zackly took a leisurely sip of wine. "Then it seems you've also sensed the undercurrents stirring lately."
"…"
Lillian hadn't expected Zackly to already know his intentions. With no one else nearby, there was no need to speak in riddles.
"They're likely preparing to move. We need to strike first."
"Heh… don't rush." Zachary lifted his gaze toward the crowd in the hall. "These people here represent nearly all the nobles of the capital. Care to guess how many are on our side?"
Lillian answered casually, "One-fifth?"
Zachary shook his head. "That's far too optimistic. Not even one-tenth."
"..."
Then Zachary suddenly said, "If we were to eliminate all the opposition right here—"
Lillian's heart jolted.
But in the next moment, Zachary burst out laughing.
"Just joking."
"Yeah…" Lillian exhaled and steadied himself. That remark had genuinely startled him. Then again, this old man was unhinged enough that such a thing wouldn't have been entirely unthinkable.
"These people are only representatives," Zachary continued. "Kill them, and more will simply take their place. If the system doesn't change, you can never kill them all."
"..."
Changing a system was never simple. It tugged at far too many vested interests. Acting too aggressively would only plunge the interior into civil war—and that would play directly into Marley's hands.
"Lillian," Zachary said, "you didn't fully explain something last time."
"You said both the royal government and Marley want the power of the Founding Titan—but that power can only be used by those of royal blood, yet it was taken by Eren, who isn't royal."
"Yes. But there's another condition," Lillian replied. There was no reason to hide it from Zachary now.
"If a non-royal inherits the power, they can still use it—as long as they make contact with a Titan of royal blood."
"Oh…" Zachary stroked his chin. "Then that means you're planning to capture a royal. But do you have the substance that turns people into Titans?"
Lillian's eyes flickered. "I don't. But the royal family does."
"And which royal family would that be?"
Lillian gave him a name. Zachary raised an eyebrow slightly.
"So it's that family… I never would've guessed. But a few years ago, didn't they suffer a major tragedy?"
"They did," Lillian nodded, his gaze sharpening.
"But their patriarch is still alive, isn't he?"
"..."
I'm sorry, Rod Reiss. For the daughter you never truly loved—and for the people I hold dear—I can only ask you to become a mindless Titan.
---
Meanwhile, compared to the bustle of the banquet, the Garrison Headquarters office felt almost deserted.
Pixis stood with his arms crossed, carefully studying the man before him.
"So, Erwin," he said, "what use do you have for an old man like me now?"
After hearing Erwin's explanation, Pixis locked eyes with him.
"If what you say is true, shouldn't our first move be to make this information public?"
"No," Erwin replied firmly.
"If they learn that we know this secret, our chances of victory drop sharply. Our only advantage right now is that we're acting with knowledge they lack. If they prepare themselves, we can't hope to compete—neither in military strength nor in wealth."
"..."
Indeed. If the nobles were to fully mobilize their private armies, their combined forces might rival even the three major military branches.
But still…
"So the day when humans slaughter one another inside the Walls has finally come…" Pixis let out a sigh.
"If everything you said is true, Erwin, then this war is probably unavoidable."
"Yes," Erwin replied. "Otherwise—whether Eren falls into the hands of the royal government, or we simply keep dragging things out as we are now—one day we'll still end up enslaved by Marley across the sea. Or wiped out entirely. And that day… isn't far off."
"…Erwin, can you really trust what Lillian told you?"
"At the moment, there's no concrete proof," Erwin admitted. "But he promised me that soon, he'll provide definitive evidence that everything he said is true. For now, we have no choice but to believe him."
"I see." Pixis nodded slowly.
"Very well, Erwin. Then I'll wait for that proof. If it truly exists, this old body of mine won't mind joining your plan to save humanity within the Walls."
His expression hardened.
"But if it doesn't exist—then don't blame me, as commander of the Garrison, for arresting and putting both you and Lillian Kafka on trial."
"That's fine," Erwin said calmly. "I've already prepared myself for that."