"Gale, this is the schedule for next week. Tomorrow night, you must take the lady of the mansion to town." Bob handed Gale a chart with the dates marked.
"Yes, sir." Gale put everything away in his bag, took out a notebook of notes, handed it to old Bob, and said, "Sir, this is the assignment. Please review it and see if there are any mistakes."
Bob nodded, opened the notebook, and glanced at it indifferently. "Perfect. You've almost finished learning the common characters, so you no longer need to attend class."
"It's all thanks to your good teaching, master." Gale never stopped being grateful, and although most of the time it was just an act, he genuinely appreciated everything Bob was doing for him.
It was obvious that the old man favored Gale, and Gale was grateful for it. In a world where he was practically alone, it felt quite good to have someone who appreciated him.
"Not at all. In all my years, you're one of the few children I consider talented." Bob folded the notebook and handed it back. "Do a good job, and I'll ask the superiors to turn you into a commoner. The Reiss surname is very prestigious, and it would be an honor for you to serve the Reiss family."
"I understand that."
"Alright, you may go." Bob nodded once more, proud of how intelligent Gale was.
Gale made a respectful bow and then left with the charts and notes. This was his third month learning to write, and he had finally graduated.
Learning a new language was no easy task.
He had worked very hard, even reading and writing by lantern light during night watch, and had mastered basic common writing in three months.
Standing beneath the eaves and gazing at the meadow, Gale realized that it was already autumn. The wild grass had withered, the leaves had fallen, and the autumn wind felt quite pleasant.
Gale had more dreams involving several important figures.
Curiously, this time he did have contact with Konstantin, who refined his knowledge of gunpowder several times.
He had deliberately controlled the timing. He only dreamed of important figures once a month.
But he had no control over whom he dreamed of, and the time was limited—no more than ten minutes at minimum, and at most two hours if he was lucky.
He cherished this brief opportunity for encounters and had no time to explain to the important people he met whether it was a dream or not. He always took advantage of the moment to ask all the questions he wanted.
For example: how are incendiary bombs and homemade explosives made? How can the power of explosives be increased?
He had been preparing to escape and already had a plan in mind to use fire as cover to get out.
He was certain he would leave before the night Kenny and Lord Reiss arrived at the farm to silence all the workers involved with his lover.
Leaving too early would make him easy to discover, so he planned to run to the refugee camp after the breach of Wall Maria.
He had carefully reviewed the chronology. Although it was hard to find similarities between reality and fiction, the order in which the major events occurred was still clear in his mind.
First, the Armored Titan and the Colossal Titan broke through Wall Maria. Almost at the same time, Eren's father arrived in Reiss territory, murdered the entire family, and left only Lord Reiss alive.
After that, fearing that Eren's father would find Historia, Lord Reiss brought Kenny to the farm. Kenny had planned to attack first and kill everyone, leaving only Lord Reiss as the heir to the ancestral legacy. However, Lord Reiss did not dare to take on that responsibility and begged him to spare Historia's life.
Almost everyone who knew the truth was eliminated, including Historia's mother.
Gale planned to leave that very night. His idea was to start a fire, find a double who would die in his place, blend in with the refugees, change his appearance, and create a new identity.
After the fall of Wall Maria, the identities of refugees could no longer be verified. Anyone could mix into the crowd and obtain new documents.
Then he would have many options. He did not plan to enlist in the army; his goal was to rise within the upper levels of government, gain power and influence, and pave the way for his future nuclear project.
As for Reiner and his group, he did not want to have too much contact with them.
Humans were a weak race compared to titans. With rare exceptions like Levi, most were nothing more than food.
Survival was Gale's priority. Dying in the Scout Regiment was far too easy.
He remembered the events of the original story, watching helplessly and painfully as soldiers fell one after another. Aside from a few who were not destined to die at that moment, the rest were simply cannon fodder.
Even Commander Erwin died—someone who was truly intelligent. That was why Gale did not want to go to such a dangerous place.
He saw himself more as a logistics support officer; he would leave the fighting to someone short, strong, and ruthless like Levi.
That night, he carefully escorted the lady of the mansion to the city.
All the soldiers knew him. He greeted them several times and explained that he would be away for a while.
Wrapped in a cloak, Gale arrived at a narrow alley. In a noisy corner there was a tavern. When he opened the door, the smell of alcohol and smoke enveloped him. Drinkers shouted, and on the stage, scantily clad dancers swayed their hips.
At one table, someone shook dice, throwing chips with a flushed face.
Gale exchanged a glance with the owner of the establishment, handed him a special silver coin, and went out through the back door toward the basement.
The basement was spacious: the city's black market, where contraband was traded.
He had come to collect what he had ordered the previous month; the deposit alone had cost him three gold coins.
"Your goods," said a scarred man, handing him a tightly wrapped package.
Gale lifted the cloth. Inside was a brand-new flintlock pistol and a dozen bullets wrapped in deerskin.
After checking that everything was in order, he handed the remaining five gold coins to the merchant and left without delay.
The next day, he accompanied the woman back to the farm.
Gale wanted to go to the outskirts to test his homemade gunpowder made from wheat.
He had prepared a batch on his own, and that very day he received the flintlock musket to measure its power.
But as he crossed the meadow, he suddenly heard a sharp sound.
Slap!
The woman had struck Historia and looked at her with contempt.
Gale managed to hear her mutter, "If I had the courage to kill you…"
The woman looked at the girl with absolute disgust. The child's nose was bleeding. She put away her book and left the meadow.
Historia remained motionless, staring at her mother's retreating back, completely lost.
That night, the woman asked to leave the farm. She said she had obtained the lord's permission and would move to the city starting that very day.
Gale remembered the scene. That meant the fall of Wall Maria was near. He felt a sense of urgency and accelerated his preparations: he bought maps, planned escape routes, and secured horses.
Everything was set in motion.
He avoided having too much contact with Historia, so as not to leave a deep impression on her and drag her into an unjust fate.
But sometimes, when he saw her alone in the meadow, he felt a faint pain, as if he were seeing himself reflected from a past life. Because of that, he gave her some of his old toys.
They were things he had made himself: a swallow-shaped kite, a spinning top, and a wooden dragonfly.
From time to time, he also brought her sweets, but he never spoke much with her.
Sometimes Historia's older sister visited the farm. She was the heir of the progenitor. Every time she arrived, she played with Historia for a while, but before leaving, she erased her memory.
Finally, eight months after Historia arrived at the farm, in April of the following year, the news spread rapidly through all the towns.
"Breaking news! Wall Maria has been breached by the titans!"
The messenger carried the announcement from city to city, and the hidden currents that had remained dormant for so long finally began to stir…