"We're heading back."
After finishing his conversation with Erwin and the others, Lillian left with Annie and Ymir, without saying much more. The Survey Corps stayed behind to deal with the remaining Titans inside Wall Maria. It would probably take two or three days to clear them all out.
Once that was done, Wall Maria would effectively be reclaimed. Lillian had also deliberately told Erwin not to mention the three of them. When everything was over and they returned, the public only needed to be told that the Survey Corps had retaken the wall.
The group quickly returned to Wall Sina. Lillian sent Annie and Ymir back first, while he himself went into the Inner District to find Kenny.
"Well now, to what do I owe this honor?"
Kenny greeted him.
When Kenny saw Lillian, a trace of wariness flashed through his eyes, hard to notice but unmistakable. After what had happened, his understanding of Lillian had deepened considerably. They had arrived late that day, and all they saw was a ground littered with corpses… so many that it surpassed the total number Kenny had killed over all these years combined. Compared to that, his nickname, "the Ripper," seemed laughable.
The reason no one had given Lillian a nickname like "Lillian the Slaughterer" wasn't because it didn't fit—it was because no one dared to. They didn't even dare to think of one. That alone spoke volumes about how terrifying his reputation within the military had become.
Outside the military, however, Lillian was still seen by the public as a promising young official—talented, capable, and rising fast. Of course, a small number of people who lived near the Military Police headquarters had witnessed the battle that night from behind their windows. But precisely because they had seen it, because they understood how brutal Lillian was, they didn't need anyone to warn them. Not a single word dared escape their lips.
"Kenny," Lillian said, taking a seat across from him. "How have things been lately?"
"How else?" Kenny chuckled. "After your little 'display of power,' the military's been obedient as hell. No one dares to discuss you anymore. According to intelligence, not even in private."
"…"
"And the ones who led it all before—Pixis, the Southern Commander—you killed him on the spot. Over ninety percent of his trusted officers were cleaned out as well. You could say his faction has completely fallen apart. The elite soldiers were snatched up by other commanders, the nobles who supported him switched sides… The Southern Military District is a complete mess now. With no backbone left, the whole force naturally collapsed."
"I see."
Lillian was quite satisfied with this outcome—it was exactly what he had wanted. Pixis had been the one in greatest conflict with him. It wasn't personal; it was a matter of power and authority. And that was something that could never be reconciled.
That incident had been led by Pixis himself. If Lillian hadn't utterly crushed him, it would have left future trouble—and it wouldn't have served as a warning to the other military leaders. Now, anyone else who harbored ideas of stirring up trouble would first have to ask themselves whether they had Pixis's level of ability. Even if they did, they wouldn't dare act. And if they didn't, they wouldn't even dare to think about it.
"What about the Military Police?"
"They're in chaos too. After Nile woke up in the hospital, he immediately signed his resignation and applied for early retirement. Probably afraid you'd pursue things further, so he rushed to make his stance clear." Kenny couldn't help laughing. "Pretty pathetic—a corps commander scared into resigning."
"And who's in charge of the Military Police now?"
"A new commander hasn't been decided yet. For now, President Zachary is acting as interim head."
"I see."
After getting a general picture of the situation, Lillian moved on to the main point.
"Kenny, I'll need to leave for a while."
Kenny frowned slightly. "Leave?"
"Yes. There are some things I need to take care of. So while I'm gone, your intelligence should be passed directly to… Annie."
"…"
Kenny looked at him suspiciously. "Where are you going? When will you be back?"
"Somewhere very far away. I can't say when I'll return."
"You're not planning to run away, are you?"
Lillian didn't respond. "If there's any movement within the military, you can seek help from the Survey Corps. They'll be on our side now."
"The Survey Corps, huh. Fine by me." After his initial surprise, Kenny didn't seem to care much. "I'll just wait for the day you take me to that world you talked about."
"That day will come soon."
---
By the time Lillian returned to the Stohess District, it was already afternoon. He gathered everyone in his office and looked around, noticing that Historia wasn't there.
"Where did she go?"
"She went to volunteer at a nearby orphanage," Ymir replied.
Lillian frowned slightly, and Marlo added, "Don't worry. Hitch took people with her."
"That's good." He nodded, then added, "From now on, pay extra attention to Historia's safety. Anyone trying to approach her—man, woman, old or young—keep an eye on them."
"Got it. But with you around, no one would dare do anything, right?" Marlo said. "The military folks don't even dare enter Stohess anymore. Even the gate guards have all been replaced with our people."
"…"
At this point, Marlo still didn't know that Lillian was about to leave. Annie didn't know either. In the room, only Ymir and Carly were aware. Carly had now formally become part of Lillian's inner circle, responsible for strategy—and for researching her chemical technologies. The others didn't know much about her, but since she was someone Lillian trusted, they had no reason to reject her.
Of course, there was no need to worry about Carly harboring ulterior motives. She was only involved in planning and advice, with no real authority. Actual power remained in the hands of Historia, Annie, Ymir, Marlo, and the others. With them there, there was no chance for Carly to pull any tricks.
Facing everyone now, Lillian finally revealed the fact that he would be leaving.
---
"Historia-nee, is this how you wear it?"
Inside an orphanage in the Stohess District, Historia was helping a little girl with paper folding.
"Yes." She gently folded the paper in half. "Take the corner, thread it through the middle, then fold it again like this."
"Wow!" The little girl looked at the small paper boat in Historia's hands and beamed. "I learned it! Thank you, Historia-nee!"
"Good girl~ Try making one yourself now." Historia patted her head, her own mood lifting as well.
She stood up, glanced at Hitch leaning against the wall nearby, and walked over.
"Hitch, don't you want to join us?"
"Oh, I'll pass." Hitch shook her head and sighed. "My childlike innocence disappeared ages ago. These days all I think about is eating and sleeping… ah, and buying pretty clothes."
Hearing that, Historia smiled and said, "Then go do your own thing. You don't have to stay here with me. I'll be fine on my own."
"No way!" Hitch immediately became serious, leaving no room for argument. "You absolutely cannot be alone. If something happened to you, the Deputy Commander would skin me alive! No chance."
"You're exaggerating…" Historia said helplessly, half laughing, but Hitch completely denied it.
"I'm really not exaggerating. I'm terrified of him. When he was just a squad leader it was fine, but now he's a Deputy Commander—and even the commander of the Central Guard Corps. It's seriously scary. I wouldn't dare mess with him."
She paused, then added, "But hey… Historia, what do you think of our Deputy Commander?"
"Huh…?" Historia's eyes shifted away. "What do you mean, what do I think…"
"I mean overall—his looks, his insight, everything taken together." Hitch smiled. "I think he's great. He's got excellent conditions all around. If he weren't a Deputy Commander, there'd probably be tons of girls chasing after him. You might not know this, but when he first arrived, a lot of female soldiers had a crush on him—they just never said it out loud. But then he got promoted way too fast, straight from squad leader to Deputy Commander. After that, everyone felt it was completely unrealistic, like they'd never have a chance, so they all gave up."
"I see…" Listening to Hitch, Historia felt strangely unsettled. Then she suddenly asked, "Then Hitch, you too…?"
"Huh?! No, no, no, absolutely not!" Hitch waved her hands frantically, looking both embarrassed and helpless. "I mean, I admit the Deputy Commander is great, but he's not my type. So I'll pass. Personally, I prefer someone a bit more… vulnerable."
"More vulnerable?"
"Yeah. The Deputy Commander is too domineering—he makes decisions decisively, never hesitates. Just hypothetically—purely hypothetically—if I were with him, I'd probably have to listen to him about everything, from work to daily life. I don't really like that. I prefer someone weaker, someone who'll listen to me, haha~"
Hearing Hitch describe Lillian like that, Historia felt a strange mix of irritation and urgency rise inside her. She blurted out,
"That's not true! You've misunderstood him. Lillian isn't someone who's dictatorial or overbearing. He respects other people's thoughts and opinions. He's… he's actually a very gentle person."
"Huh? Gentle? Uh…" Hitch scratched her head, clearly struggling to associate those two words with Lillian. But after a moment, she suddenly seemed to realize something and smiled knowingly.
"I get it."
"W-what do you mean?" Historia felt oddly uncomfortable under Hitch's smile.
"Well, that gentleness you're talking about—maybe he really does have it." Hitch drawled on. "It's just that… he probably only shows that side to people who are important to him. At least, I've never seen it. And you, Historia—if you know him that well, then you must be someone very important to him."
Historia's face instantly turned bright red.
"Hitch, don't say nonsense! I—I'm going home!"
She hurried toward the door. Hitch watched her go, the smile on her face slowly fading until she finally let out a soft sigh.
"Honestly… my idiot roommate Annie—if you don't try harder, you're going to lose your chance."