Attencipation for the scouts' return was high- approval by the population was the highest it had ever been, and the Corps's morale was through the roof. As soon as they were spotted on a nearby forest by Garrison soldiers on duty, information spread like a wildfire and a massive party began on the streets. It was bigger than the one that happened during their send off.
"The scouts have arrived! They have successfully closed the hole in Shiganshina!", the officer exclaimed as he stormed the meeting. Dot Pyxis had just said that it was about time for their return, his timing being perfect. Everyone was excited as it was humanity's greatest victory so far. But the situation within the scouts themselves was far from positive, being extremely bittersweet at best.
Laure stared at Erwin, silent. His words didn't hold any evil behind them, yet she looked at him with a face filled with rage. Yet, she didn't say a word. Connie, Jean and Floch shared a common feeling: dread. Floch opened his mouth.
"You mean what happened today was because of real people that want us all to rot in hell?!", the recruit said with a mix of pain and anger.
"As i said, we have yet to learn more about Grisha's reports, but so far, yes. Everything humanity has gone through for the past five years... has been humanity's own fault", Erwin said as he kept his calm, blank stare. However, for as calm as he seemed on the outside, his inside could barely contain itself. His father was right. He was always right, and he died knowing the truth, one that no one could imagine the repercussions it would cause would it become public knowledge.
The trip back was mostly moments of pure silence except for when titans were spotted. Every few hours someone would try to say something to lighten the mood, but conversation never lasted for long. Although only eleven out of the more than a hundred scouts survived, nearly half of them were returning to inside Wall Rose, their remains being carried on the wagons by the dozen horses that were left. Those the couldn't be brought back were buried over the course of a few hours by the survivors.
The scouts felt trapped in limbo, the journey back home feeling both longer and faster than their departure.
As soon as news reached the capital, Queen Historia Reiss traveled to the Trost District to see the survivors and attend the meeting that was supposed to inform all high ranking officials & commanders about the classified discoveries of the Scout Corps. Out of the returning scouts, only a handful would be joining the meeting: Sasha Braus would be recovering for her wounds in a local hospital; Connie Springer asked to be refrained so he could travel to his home village of Ragako; both Floch Forster and Laure Garnier refrained for no specified reason. Jean Kirstein willingly went to the meeting even when knowing he had all the right to abstain, being one of the so called "second handers".
Over the past few days since the return, Eren Yeager had been reliving his father's memories. He learned about many things that would be shared with the others before and during the meeting. Historia would eventually get to read Ymir's letter to her and misteriously connect to her memories through her imprints on the paper.
After a few hours of discussion, the meeting would come to an end with the final decision being the public disclosure of all information. Erwin Smith would argue supporting this decision alongside Dot Pyxis, claiming the following:
"My father had a sudden death when i was a child. He was a teacher and he told me of his beliefs about life outside of the Walls. When my young self started talking about what he had told me to my friends and colleagues, he disappeared only to show up dead. The truth is that he was executed by the Military Police for knowing too much. We already knew from the captured nobility that the royal family erased the memories of humanity within the walls, and the discoveries inside Grisha Yeager's basement said the same thing. It's not hard to deduce that those who couldn't be manipulated in such a way and couldn't be bought by money and power were also persecuted, like the Ackermann clan. Too many lives were claimed directly and indirectly because of this. Ignorance will eventually lead to our destruction."
Another major discovery during the meeting was Eren's discovery of a loophole within King Fritz's will. The sudden realization made the boy yell and suddenly stand up in the middle of the meeting, catching the attention of everyone inside it. He realized this after remembering his encounter with the smiling titan that killed his mother, revealed through his father's memories as Dina Fritz- Grisha's wife, mother of Zeke Yeager, the Beast Titan, and a royal family member that lived in the continent. However, Eren would keep it all to himself as a means of protecting Historia.
Two days later, a ceremony was held to honor all of the scouts that served during the mission to reach Shiganshina. Dozens of high ranking members from the Military Police, Garrison and the Scouts all gathered to praise & remember the fallen and award the survivors with medals. Outside, the population both cheered the event and reflected about the news. One day earlier, Hange, Levi and Erwin met with a couple journalists who had a hand during the events that led to the military coup. They spoke about the public's reaction to the news, some people simply accepting everything, some people brushing it off, some people acting as if it was all a conspiracy by the military government. One thing was certain, though: chaos didn't happen, a reaction much appreciated by everyone.
Half an hour before the ceremony began, the surviving scouts were together, chatting between each other. Hitch Dreyse, a member of the Military Police who also played her part during the military coup alongside Marlo Freudenberg approached them.
"Hello, wall heroes", she said as she casually walked to them. "I have come to see you all receive your decorations."
Most scouts looked at her with anxiety in their eyes. Marlo would eventually join the Scouts after the coup and die during the charge against the Beast Titan.
"Marlo...", Jean said as he gathered the courage to look her in the eyes. He was interrupted before he could finish.
"Marlo Freudenberg is a hero", Laure said as she moved away from the wall she was resting on. She hadn't said a single word since the team that went to Grisha's basement returned to her and the others, and had been a quiet presence throughout the event so far.
"He served under Laure Squad and died honorably fighting against the Beast Titan that trapped the scouts in Shiganshina. He served humanity until the end with a raging fire in his soul, being as brave as he always was", she calmly said while looking at Hitch deep into her eyes. Everyone looked at Laure, specially Floch. Hitch lowered her head, saddened.
"That's why he never listened to me...", she replied.
"He had something worth dying for" Laure said making Hitch suddenly raise her head. "He dedicated his heart so you would stay safe. Fear never mattered when you were always on his mind. I could see it everything i spoke to him. He gave his life so you would be able to live on... so you could enjoy the freedom you inherited the moment you were born into this world"
Her last sentence caught Eren's attention. Floch lowered his head, saddened but somewhat comfortable with Laure's words. Hitch's eyes began to water as she turned around.
"Thank you, Laure... thank you" She left as Laure went back to silence. Jean looked at his friend, feeling as if something was wrong. He could see Laure was about to burst into tears... yet, she never did.
During the ceremony, Eren froze after holding Historia's hand as she gave him his medal. His eyes expressed pure shock. He would never be the same after that moment.
Laure stood in front of the door, a salute in place. It was another bright day during summer, birds flying through the sky, the sunlight flooding the office she was in. Erwin Smith was sitting on a sofa, several pieces of paper resting on the small desk in front of him. Dhalis Zachary was in his chair, his desk with a bottle of wine and a now-empty glass. A couple weeks had passed since the ceremony, and it was finally time for action.
"Garnier, you should sit down", Erwin said as he looked at the scout. She silently sat in the chair opposed to him. "You know why you are here, don't you?"
"I had my guesses as to why i was needed, Commander, but Premier Zachary's presence here narrows them down quite a lot", Laure replied.
"I am grateful for everything you have done for me so far, Garnier, but i haven't brought you here to ask for another personal favor", the Premier said, his hands resting on his desk while his fingers were crossed. "You know Erwin has spoken a lot about you in the past, but he has been even more talkative recently."
"It is true. Your performance has been outstanding ever since Trost, with recent events showcasing why you are one of the best soldiers we have on our deck. Although the mission to seal the holes in Shiganshina was very problematic, it was thanks to you that the Colossal Titan was brought down without any more casualties. You are here because you are being promoted", Erwin calmly said.
"Promoted, sir?", the surprised scout said.
"Even if you have been around for as much time as your comrades from the Cadet Corps, you have done much more than the majority of them", Dhalis said as he straightened his posture. "Erwin, Hange, Levi alongside many other influent figures such as Nile and others that are no longer with us have spoken about your skills. I, myself, have a lot to praise. We believe you are the perfect choice for what's going to happen."
She looked at them, her curious eyebrows speaking for her.
"You are being promoted to Section Commander. We are creating a temporary unit whose entire purpose is solely the extermination of titans. This unit will include the best of the best from the Military Police and the Garrison operating alongside the Scout Regiment, and you will be in charge of commanding all of them for the cleansing of Wall Maria". Erwin's voice carried a lot of strength. "This is Operation Spring Water."
"... Operation Spring Water, sir?", Laure said while wondering who thought that name was a good choice.
"Yes. I will be overseeing you, but you will have direct command of the entire territory recovery operation. Premier Zachary has sanctioned the plan which is actually using some strategies and suggestions you have made to me in the past."
Laure felt surprised that her suggestions were good enough to be adapted.
"We believe the use of your 'DCK Method'* will prove to be the most efficient way of killing as many titans as possible in the shortest amount of time."
"And how is the operation going to proceed, sir?"
"The Executioners from Hell created from Eren's hardening have killed a large quantity of titans that once surrounded the city of Trost. We are going to use that opportunity to create a supply route to an abandoned castle nearby, where we will set base. From that base, several squads will flow from it heading east, west and south, creating smaller outposts along the way. The plan is to branch out like tree roots or, as the name suggests, springs, creating 'rivers' that will eventually go around the entirety of Wall Maria. We don't have reports of titan sightings near Utopia, so we don't believe we will need to head that much up north. But we will go as far as Karanes and Krolva. You will receive a copy of all the documentation about the operation."
Dhalis stood up, prompting Erwin and Laure to do the same. Laure saluted.
"For the following weeks, you will be meeting many of the soldiers that will act in this operation, together with personally training them with the DCK Method. You are free to suggest any particular soldier you believe would be of use. As i mentioned in the past, i will be overseeing the operation, but i won't be an active part of it mostly because i will be undergoing training and experiments to understand the Colossal Titan's power alongside Hange. Eren hasn't been listed as a summoned soldier, but you are free to go after him if you desire. Be warned that he may be asked to return to deal with internal affairs regarding Grisha's memories or his titan abilites."
Laure made sure to personally speak with all of her friends before operations. She wanted to relay the news to them before anyone else had. Excitement and determination filled every one of them- Wall Maria was finally going to be retaken.
Year 850
First of Winter Month
It's been a while since i've written here, huh? I think the last time was when Operation Spring Water began. Honestly, not much has happened since then. The whole structure behind the operation is pretty solid. Our casualties have been the lowest ever, and that's saying a lot considering we've been doing this for four months now!
My squad has a nickname. Whenever we come across Jean Squad, they always say "there comes the Floor Mops". I gotta be honest, i have kinda grown fond it. I mean, they are not wrong. We are very used to it by now. We have become so good at killing titans that it's funny to think we were all struggling to survive in Trost earlier this year.
Not everything's fun. Titans are still a threat, but every kill is depressing now. I used to feel the most pure rage and hate towards them. But now? They are nothing more than victims in my eyes now. What we learned from Grisha has been a curse. But i don't think about. I am not thinking about it right now. I am focused on my mission, that's what matters. I won't let the deaths of those who fought by my side be in vain. You are all precious to me. We are almost done. We will keep moving forward.
Goodbye, my journal.
*DCK Method: DCK stands for "Distract, Cripple, Kill". It's a titan elimination method suggested by Laure Garnier to Erwin Smith that uses a team of three scouts- one distracts the titan, the other cuts down its legs' tendons and the other one quickly cuts the fallen titan's nape.