"What a deep wound! The flesh is almost bitten clean off!" Hange crouched beside Zeke, wincing as she inspected the injury. The blood had already clotted, but the torn skin still looked painful. "Don't move! I'll grab some hemostatic powder—just stay still!"
But Zeke turned his head away calmly. "No need."
Hange blinked. "Huh?"
Zeke's voice was quiet, almost detached. "We'll probably never see each other again… so I want to keep this scar as a souvenir."
"…Excuse me, what?" Hange froze. "You're seriously keeping that? You're missing meat, Zeke!"
He smiled faintly. "It's a gift from my dear little brother. I'll treasure it."
Hange's face twisted. Is this guy… a masochist?
———
Keith slapped Erwin on the shoulder. "Alright then, I'll go take care of Carla and the kids. Poor things—widow and orphans. They need someone to rely on!"
He gave Erwin a meaningful look.
Erwin's expression twitched. "…Fine. I'll escort Zeke back to headquarters."
"You're learning fast, future Commander!" Keith gave him a thumbs-up and strode off toward Carla with enthusiasm that made every nearby soldier cringe.
The younger soldiers sighed. "He's supposed to be our regiment leader, and he's acting like a desperate suitor…"
"Be understanding," one said sympathetically. "The Captain's not young anymore. And rumor has it—Carla was his first love."
"Even so, she just lost her husband and has two kids! There's gotta be some standards…"
That silenced them.
After all—none of them were exactly successful in love either.
The truth was, no one in the Survey Corps had much of a love life. Who in their right mind would date a scout? Half of them didn't make it back from expeditions. You could wake up in love in the morning and get a coffin in the afternoon.
So yes, the Corps had long been mocked as a brigade of single men unwanted even by dogs.
If Keith actually managed to marry Carla, he wouldn't just be finding happiness—
He'd be the light of the entire regiment.
"Thinking about it… if he really marries her, he gets a wife and two kids. Honestly, that's winning big."
"Right! Instant family package!"
The single soldiers sighed in unison, drowning in envy.
———
"Carla! Let me walk you home~" Keith jogged over, nearly tripping in his excitement.
"Home?" Carla repeated bitterly. "Where would that be?"
Shiganshina was gone. Their house destroyed. Their neighbors—dead or missing.
If not for the Survey Corps detaining them as "suspects," she and the children might still be wandering homeless somewhere.
Now that the suspicion had been lifted, there was nothing left—no reason to stay, no place to go.
"Then live near me!" Keith said quickly.
Carla frowned sharply.
"I mean—I already rented a place for you, near my house. Perfect location! Safe! You'll love it!"
"…"
"Don't overthink it," Keith said hastily, scratching his head. "You and Grisha were old friends. Let me at least help with the kids. You can't raise all of them alone."
He glanced over the group—Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Annie, and Bertholdt. Five children in total.
Even for a strong woman, it was too much.
Armin raised his hand nervously. "Um, Captain… you don't have to worry about me. My grandfather's still alive in Trost District. You can just send me back to him."
Keith brightened. "That's great! But Carla," he turned back, eyes still glued to her, "you'll still need help. Four kids aren't easy. At least live somewhere nearby, so if anything happens, I can come running."
Carla's lips tightened. She still couldn't bring herself to accept another man—not when her husband's shadow still lingered so close.
Keith sighed, then, seeing her hesitation, gently grabbed her by the waist. "Don't refuse me. Even if not for me—think of the children! How can you manage alone?"
And with that, he steered her and the kids away.
The soldiers watching whispered behind their hands.
"Shameless. We wanted him to bring glory to the regiment, not this kind of glory!"
"Ahem!" Erwin's cold voice cut through the gossip. "Enough. Don't talk behind the Captain's back. Every decision he makes… has a reason."
Mike, the commander of Team Three, happened to walk by. He gave Erwin a look of pure disbelief. "Oh, please. When did you start defending him? You're just trying to stay in his good graces now that you're his successor."
He rolled his eyes and walked off.
Erwin sighed. "…I really hate my life sometimes."
———
Mike soon rejoined his unit in a narrow alley.
The scene there was tense—Annie and Bertholdt had been restrained, gagged, and forced to their knees. Carla was pressed against the wall, eyes wide, Keith's hand covering her mouth.
She tried to scream, but Keith's warning finger—shh!—made her freeze.
Moments earlier, she'd sensed something off about him. Now she knew why.
From the shadows, more Survey Corps soldiers appeared—an ambush formation, efficient and silent.
Mike stepped forward. Keith straightened immediately, the casual mask gone.
"Move fast," he ordered. "We leave the capital immediately. Where's Hange?"
"Erwin called her over," Mike replied.
Before he could finish, Hange hurried in. "Captain, bad news!"
Keith turned. "What happened?"
"Zeke said he was injected with an anesthetic equivalent to what could knock out ten elephants!" Hange's tone was grim.
Keith blinked. "…What's an elephant?"
Hange explained quickly, "A massive animal—three or four meters tall, weighs about seven tons."
Keith gawked. "There are creatures like that in the world?!"
"Apparently," Hange said seriously. "That's how strong the anesthetic is."
Keith whistled under his breath. "That dosage would kill a human outright!"
"Exactly. Which means Titan physiology is far stronger than we recorded." Hange gritted her teeth. "Our report says 'in human form, their physical endurance is normal.' We'll need to delete that line immediately!"
Zeke had fooled them completely. Without Erwin's precautions, they would have missed this critical discovery.
"When will he wake up?" Keith asked.
Hange shook her head. "Unknown. If the dosage was calculated intentionally, he'll stay under until their entire operation is finished."
Meaning—Zeke would be completely helpless for the duration.
Keith frowned deeply but said nothing. The plan couldn't stop now.
He removed his hand from Carla's mouth.
She glared at him. "What are you doing?!"
"Putting on a show," Keith replied softly. "We need to separate from Erwin's group. Sorry for the rough handling."
Carla looked around—soldiers everywhere. There were more of them here than with Erwin.
Why? Shouldn't all protection be focused on Zeke?
"Why are you splitting the forces?" she demanded.
"They're the bait," Keith said. "We still don't know who's behind the Titan experiments or where the base is. Zeke's presence will draw them out."
Carla's eyes widened. "You're using an unconscious man as bait? If they capture him, he'll be defenseless!"
"I know," Keith said gravely. "But this may be our only chance to uncover the truth."
She wanted to argue further, but Keith had already turned to Annie and Bertholdt, who were tied up and gagged.
"Don't panic. We won't harm you. Your brother entrusted you to us—we'll protect you, even if it costs us our lives."
Carla frowned. "Why are you restraining them? Weren't they cleared of suspicion?"
Keith sighed. "You and the other children—I've verified your backgrounds. But Annie and Bertholdt come from the same place as Zeke. Until we know the full story, we can't take chances."
Carla shook her head. "Zeke wouldn't lie—"
"He already has," Keith cut her off. "We know now the Titanization method isn't through injections. At least, not entirely. But binding and anesthesia do seem to work. That tells us something."
Carla looked at him in confusion, but Keith had already crouched to meet Annie and Bertholdt's eyes.
"Listen, we made a deal with your brother. No matter what happens, we'll protect you. If you truly are Titan Shifters, then someday you'll be vital to humanity's survival outside the walls. Even if it costs us everything—we'll keep you safe."
Annie: "…"
Bertholdt: "…"
They understood now.
Zeke would draw the enemy's eyes—while they were smuggled out of the capital in secret.
The real mission wasn't protection. It was misdirection.
The "bait" had already been chosen.
And they—Annie and Bertholdt—were the pieces quietly being moved to safety.
Still…
Keith's claim that they were humanity's "key to fighting back" sounded like a cruel joke.