A dozen seconds of pure tension lasted before any other voice was heard. Annie's eyes were constantly shifting between Erwin and Laure as she felt all of the several soldiers surrounding her. She already knew her answer long before all of this had happened, yet, something was triggered inside of her. Something she couldn't avoid letting take control over her.
"What is it going to be, Annie?", Erwin asked her, calm. It was to be his last question.
"I will kill anything and anyone...", Annie replied with her stare fixed on Erwin's blue eyes. She suddenly move her thumb upwards, disarming the spike from her ring. She returned to a normal stance, letting go of her defensive state. "... that dares to bring harm to the only family I have."
Erwin let out a soft smile. He extended his right arm towards Annie, waiting for a handshake.
"I'm glad to have you as an ally. I will assure you again, you and your father will finally be free once all of this is over."
Annie's hand reached for Erwin's, but she held it just a few inches away. She looked down before once more looking towards his eyes, finally giving in to the handshake. This prompted all of the soldiers to finally stand down. Annie looked towards Laure, who still stood there besides Erwin.
"Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do", Annie said. Laure just kept looking back at her. "It may work with other people, but not with me. You won't manipulate me."
Laure let out a quick breath from her nose, something between a fast, desperate laugh and a sigh.
"I just want this to end as soon as possible", she said. "That's all."
It didn't take long for them to reach their place for what remained of the night. It was an older building going through some renovations, the work having stopped for a few weeks as the owner had to leave town for an emergency in Orvud.
"This is just for tonight", Erwin said as he brought them to one of the disoccupied apartments in the building. All of the furniture remained, although whoever lived there took all of their personal belongings for the time being. "After tomorrow you'll finally be able to rest in your own place back in Trost."
"Honestly I don't even care anymore", Laure said as she didn't waste any time getting inside, sitting on the couch in the living room, taking off her boots. She then laid down, resting her head on her arm. "I just want to rest."
Erwin looked at Annie, who stood by the entrance alongside him.
"Your father is on the apartment next door. I'll be heading back to the Military Police's headquarters. Don't forget: if things don't go well, you'll stay safe nonetheless. Our allies have ensured that."
"Sure", Annie replied, finally getting inside the apartment.
"Oh, and before I go", Erwin added, prompting her to turn around. "Would you mind giving me that ring of yours? I'll give it back to you."
Annie looked at Erwin, silent, eventually removing her ring and extending her hand.
"Here."
"Thank you", Erwin thanked as he grabbed it and took a look at it. "I will be leaving now."
After returning from the bathroom, Annie sat on an armchair near Laure, looking at her. Her eyes were closed, her mouth slightly open. She didn't appear to be sleeping yet, however, as she was constantly shifting herself on the couch.
"Aren't you going to a bed?", Annie asked as she put one of her legs up, resting her elbow on it. "That doesn't look very comfortable."
"No, this is perfect", Laure replied as she opened her eyes and looked at Annie. "I'm finally back home. I never thought I would be so homesick."
"Yeah", Annie said. "That's good."
She scratched her own head for a second, thinking to herself.
"I'm not that tired, to be honest, even if I do feel weak."
"Well, you should take your time to rest either way", Laure said before yawning. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day, it seems."
"Are you... are you ok?", Annie asked. Her question felt legit. "I mean overall, given the circumstances. You're clearly affected, as anyone would be, but you don't seem lost in despair. You had the same look back in Trost."
"I guess I know how to hide it well", Laure replied. "I feel anxious. I feel sad and I feel very guilty for my anxious. But at the same time, I feel like I'm just... desensitized to it all. We have all been in this soldier lifestyle for years. You get used to it. You know that."
"You're right. It's just that... I don't know, part of me still expects the Laure that I left behind to be here."
Laure didn't say anything. After a few seconds, she looked at the ceiling, staring at it. There was a small spider crawling across it, the orange lighting from the lamps painting it and making it somewhat glow.
"I thought she had died when we finally reached the horizon. I was wrong. She was still alive and well, somewhere."
Annie smiled a bit.
"That's good to know."
"But..."
"Hm?"
"She could not survive yesterday."
"Oh", Annie let out with clear disappointment in her voice. It seemed like she regretted touching the subject.
"That's what I think , at least."
Laure shifted positions on the couch once more, turning herself to the side and adjusting the pillow that rested under her head.
"I really need to rest, Annie", she said as she attempted her best not to be rude.
"I'm sorry, I won't bother you anymore. I just have one last question."
"And what would it be?"
"My father", Annie said as she thought about something. "You look at him... different. Why?"
Laure looked to the floor with the corner of her eyes, avoiding Annie's stare as much as she could.
"He's...", she said with her voice holding her back. "He has the same name as my own father", courage finally gathered as her words came out without any struggle. "It's hard to even look at him without this coming to mind."
Annie looked surprised.
"Is that so? I had no idea. I don't remember you ever telling your father's name."
"It's because I never mentioned my family. I avoided it as much as possible."
"Why? Your relationship with them wasn't good?"
"No, it's not that. The pain was always unbearable for me to handle. My parents were my only friends growing up."
"I see. You don't need to talk about it if you don't want to."
"I spent a long time learning what your father taught you from you. I also just spent the last two days with him, learning a bit about him... and even you. I guess it's fair for you to know. Besides... maybe talking about it would help me a bit."
"Are you sure?", Annie asked with concern.
"Yes, I am."
"Well, I'm not going to hold you back, then", she added. "I admire this attitude."
Laure just looked at her for a moment, a trade of respect between their eyes.
"My mother was called Adrienne. Adrienne Garnier. My father, well, was named Dima. Before they married, his surname was Petrenko. I was always curious about his name as it was different from any other I have ever seen before or since. But well, so is Garnier."
"Did you ever learn about their origins during these past couple of years?", Annie asked. "I can tell you about them."
"I did learn about my mother's", Laure replied. "It's of Emillean origin."
"That's correct. Emille is so down south it makes me wonder how your family even got to Paradis. It would be a long, dangerous journey during the exodus. They really wanted to escape, so it seems."
"Yeah", Laure replied, seemingly not giving it much thought. She continued. "I never learned about my father's, though."
"Did you hear about a nation called Balkania?"
"No, I... can't say I did."
"Well, it was a nation to the southeast of Marley, closer to the Middle East. About thirty years ago, Marley attempted to invade the country, but they managed to hold it back thanks to the massive mountain range surrounding most of the nation. However, the war was destructive enough to trigger an inner civil war that made the place collapse. That surname seems to be pretty common there."
"Heh", Laure chuckled. "What a coincidence both sides of my family come from nations that were targeted by Marley."
"To be honest, everyone is targeted by Marley. They are seen with some hatred for good reason."
"Yeah, well, I can see why Eldia was hated, too. Well, anyways..."
Laure got up, sitting on the couch instead of laying down. She rested her neck on the backrest.
"My mother was a secretary. She worked for a small trading business in Shiganshina. She had to write a lot, and she enjoyed it, so from an early age she planted the idea of writing in my mind. Specially when it came to writing for my grandfather. He was MP and stationed right here in Mitras. Mom escaped the safety of the capital because she hated it, and he couldn't get her to stay, so he quickly accepted defeat. When she met and eventually married my father, they settled in Shiganshina, and grandpa would visit us whenever possible."
"It's a very long trip from Mitras to Shiganshina."
"Indeed. That's why it wasn't so frequent. But we'd stay in contact through letters, trading messages every week. It was pleasant. My grandmother died from this one disease when I was very young, so at least in some way he wouldn't be alone, you know?"
"I get it."
"My father, on the other hand, was a blacksmith. He was from a small village in Wall Rose and eventually moved to the big city to try to grow. After coming back from school I'd usually help him at his shop, so I didn't really have much time alone or to hang out with other kids. I did learn a few metallurgy skills from an early age, though. And they would eventually come in useful."
"That's why your equipment was always slightly different from the others?"
"Yeah. We were not allowed to modify military equipment in any way. Safety regulations and stuff. But I managed to convince Erwin to turn a blind eye to it and, with time and enough showing off, it would eventually become allowed. Specialized gear is pretty standard for the Scout Regiment, now, although many prefer the jack-of-all-trades design of the basic sword. The older Anti-Personnel ODM Gear was easier to customize, but the newer design is set in stone."
"Hm. So you'd spend your days either at school or at the shop?"
"Pretty much, yeah."
"I'm...", Annie said with a hint of pain in her voice. "I'm sorry. For your loss."
"Don't be. It's something that was bound to happen. I... I have come to accept that. Though, it doesn't make me feel any better."
"Do... do you think your parents would be proud of you being a Scout?"
"Hell no. My father was the kind that despised the Scouts. 'A suicidal waste of tax money', he'd call them. My mother, on the other hand, wanted me to stay away from the Military in general. She didn't want me to live a life of any kind of violence."
Laure took a second for herself.
"If anything... they'd be profoundly disappointed."
Laure laughed, making the clearly awkward Annie raise an eyebrow.
"Specially about my long hair. Father would say I was asking for something bad to happen with something this length."
"Your hair really is looking massive, honestly. Why did you decide to let it grow?"
"Curiosity. I kinda got sick of braiding my hair and eventually I had the idea to let it grow. But... well, since we're both awake..."
"Hm? What is it?"
"I've been meaning to cut it a bit. I think I'll start tying my hair and I can't really tie a bun with this size. Say, how good are you at cutting hair?"
The morning came sooner than Laure would have wanted. She managed to rest for a bit, but she knew a lot was to happen in the following days before she could actually take care of herself. It was half past eight when both her and Annie were finally ready to go. Laure found herself staring at her own reflection in the mirror, looking at her hair.
"You know, Annie", she said as she moved her head left to right, "for someone with no experience, you did a good enough job. Better than what I could on my own."
"You're just being too kind", Annie said as she stood by the doorway, legs & arms crossed, laying her back on the wall. "But I do agree that it looks pretty good. Do you have any hair ties?"
"Uh... not really. I haven't tied my hair in years."
Annie then stepped inside the bathroom, standing besides her.
"Here. I always had a couple on my jacket's pockets. Just in case."
Laure took one of the hair ties from Annie, while the blonde instantly used the other one to tie her hair. It didn't take much effort for her distinct hairstyle to be in place, again. Laure struggled for a bit, but she managed to tie a hair bun, even if a bit messy. Her bangs were also pretty messy.
"God, I look like shit", she said. She took a closer look at her face, noticing a cut right on her nose. "Wait a minute... how didn't I see this before?"
"It's a miracle you can even function at all", Annie replied. "I don't blame you for not seeing it before."
"Well, you could have at least commented on it."
"That would be too rude", Annie said, her tone feeling too sarcastic for Laure. "That's no way to talk to a lady."
"Well, whatever. I'll just cover it with a bandage."
As they stepped outside, the morning sun was bright and made sure to make its presence known in Mitras. There were barely any clouds in the sky, the massive blue looking like an ocean. It was even blinding to some extent.
"Holy shit, this is the worst climate ever to be wearing these trench coats", Laure said as she could feel her body beginning to sweat in a matter of seconds. "Anyways, you heard the man last night. If anyone asks you, you're...?"
"Ima Finch, Yarckel's Garrison. Assigned to LOREAL", Annie replied.
"You got that right. Herman should be here soon. I'll be heading to the palace. Hopefully we'll see each other later."
"Yeah. Take care, Laure."
"You too, Annie."
It wasn't a long walk to the Royal Palace. Laure got distracted watching the movemented streets, wondering about the people going on their daily lives, thinking what might be going through the mind of each one of them.
"Hey! Kid!"
A voice came from an alley to her right, catching her off guard.
"Took you long enough."
It was Levi, completely dressed in uniform and waiting for her.
"Captain?", she asked as she got into the alley. "You're here already?"
Silence had just settled in as all of the people present got to their places. Queen Historia sat right besides Premier Zachaly, the two of them taking the middle seats, while Garrison Commander Dot Pyxis and Military Police Commander Nile Dawk sat on the edge seats. There was a large open space between their sitting places and the seats that various members from the military sat at. The muffled chatter from all around had ended as soon as Dhalis hit his gavel on the desk, prompting Erwin to walk to said open space, standing there, all eyes on him.
"Erwin, it is good to finally see you after such a long time. I cannot believe it has been two years already", the Queen said, his voice echoing through the chamber of the building. The place was once used for tribunals in the capital, but for that day, it was supposed to be used for the most important news in the last four years. "We are very happy to have you back here again."
"Your Highness", Erwin said as he looked at Historia. "Premier Zachaly. Commander Pyxis. Commander Dawk. It is a pleasure to finally be back home after such a long mission. I have a lot to share with you all, as much as I imagine you also have to share with me."
"Well, that is indeed true", Zachaly said in his usual, calm tone, the light from the clerestory reflecting off his glassed, making it unable for Erwin to see his eyes. Yet, he was certain the Premier was staring right at him. "As you have probably seen, the island is a bit different from when you were last here. You're most likely aware of the deals we made with Hizuru. They have been helping us with our infrastructure in ways that would take decades for us to do so on our own."
"Indeed, Premier. Ms. Azumabito told me about some of it. Still, it's much more incredible than I could have imagined. Anyways, there's something I wanted to ask you."
"And what would that be?", Zachaly asked, his eyebrow raising in curiosity.
"How is the Scout Regiment doing?"
Zachaly, alongside Historia and Nile, all looked towards Pyxis.
"At first I thought it was a very interesting idea of yours to leave without any of your... more appropriate members staying behind", Pyxis started talking, a cheeky look on his face. "But getting to oversee the Scouts during this time was certainly an interesting experience. The Garrison has been getting very boring, after all, so the change of pace was fun."
"I knew I could trust you to do it for me, Pyxis. I appreciate it."
Pyxis nodded back at Erwin, prompting everyone to focus back to the main deal.
"Erwin, if you could, please", Zachaly said.
Erwin looked around, observing all of the people present there. He started talking.
"We first arrived in the continent at the city of Liberio. It is a very important region in Marley, being the home of the Warrior Unit and one of the biggest harbors in the country. I didn't stay for much long, as soon after my team began traveling around Marley and a few other nations in the Southern Continent. We tried to learn as much as possible from those people, and the results were... underwhelming, to some extent."
Erwin's last sentence caught their attention more than the rest.
"Underwhelming?"
"Yes. Exactly as we thought, we share a lot in common. Except for the more advanced technology, they behave and act exactly like us in many regards. There are different forms of government in the outside world, and there are social issues we do not have here, but be it in the good and in the bad, we are alike."
"I hope you don't mean that 'underwhelming' is necessarily a bad thing", Historia said. "Knowing we share so much in common with them means talking could be much easier than anticipated."
"You are not blamed for thinking as such, Your Highness. However, the most disappointing part had to be the sentiment towards Eldians. Eren's memories and what we were told by the Volunteers is not enough to express the true scale of the situation. Hatred against our people and, specially, our island, is extreme. I quickly came to realize that all of it is Marley's fault, as they have been harvesting the Power of the Titans for the past century, waging war against other nations for profit."
Everyone looked at Erwin, silent. He continued.
"Once we returned to Liberio, I decided that there was only one way to approach this situation. So, I decided to make contact with Willy Tybur, the one most influential man in the world, in an attempt to gain his friendship and work with him to solve the issue."
People started looking at each other, low murmurs slowly filling the air.
"Wait, Erwin", Nile said, suddenly. "You risked some international incident by going after the most important person alive?! How did you even do that?!"
"We stopped him in the woods. I tried to be as friendly as possible while still keeping myself safe."
"YOU SET UP AN AMBUSH FOR WILLY TYBUR?!", Nile jolted up from his seat, his voice echoing through the chamber.
"Nile, calm down", Zachaly said as he looked at the Commander of the Military Police, gesturing for him to sit. "I hope you do realize how reckless that plan was."
"I do. But it was something that had to be done. There is a pro-Eldian movement in the continent and I had my theories that it was created by Willy. He was the only one that could help us. Besides, we knew Marley already had plans of enlisting Willy's help in a journey to get the whole world against us."
"How did you know such a thing?", Pyxis asked as he kept his look locked on Erwin. He didn't answer.
"Obviously, the alliance with Willy worked out. I was as transparent and as honest as I could with him, not hiding anything about us, which was the only way to buy his trust. And, in return, he allowed for me to trust him. We started working on a way to buy the world's support and try to change their perspective of the Eldian people."
Historia had her mouth wide opened.
"Commander, t-that's fantastic! Even if risky, that's one of the best courses of action that could have been taken! Does that mean that we have a deal?"
"No, it does not."
"Huh?"
"From the start... I always knew peace was never an option. The world has suffered because of the Titans for way too long. Long enough for every nation to have a stain in their history because of them, be it because of Eldia or because of Marley. Peace would never last forever and, even in the best case scenario, it wouldn't be more than pushing the problem down to our grandchildren. The cycle would start again."
"Erwin...?", Zachaly's words sounded slightly worried. Erwin had a scary look on his face, his stare facing forward into nothing.
From the outside, Levi and Laure remained on the rooftop of a nearby building, trying to spy through the windows with the aid of a scope. She was visibly anxious, her left leg jumping up and down without a break. Levi observed the movement before looking at her face.
"Kid, you've been through worse already. You don't need to worry right now."
"I know, I know, but...", she replied, rubbing her hand on her face. "If things don't go well, we'll be up against our own."
"Wouldn't be the first time, would it?", Levi said as he prompted her to remind herself of the coup from four years earlier.
"It wouldn't, but I would hardly say those people were on our side."
"Heh, I guess you're right."
Historia had a visible look of shock on her face just like Nile. Zachaly and Pyxis looked at Erwin, silent, without any reaction to his words. They just stared, blankly. The background chatter was much louder, now.
"WHAT THE HELL, ERWIN?!", Nile yelled as he once more stood up in frustration. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?!"
"I did what was necessary", Erwin's response was cold and direct. He didn't think twice before replying. "As I have said already, there was only one option."
"And so you decided to attack them and commit mass murder against very important people and innocent civilians? Without even letting your superiors know about anything?!", Zachaly said, visibly angered. "We gave you LOREAL as support, not as a militia!"
"I hope your plan was actually worth something, considering what you're about to face", Pyxis said. He felt the urge to take a swig from his flask.
"It was a success. Although we suffered some casualties, Willy Tybur is dead, and so is the majority of the Marleyan Military's higher structure. The world lost many of its leaders and the Warhammer Titan is now in our possession. The fear, the disruption and said Titan's gain was well worth the losses. Even if it included Zeke."
"YOU LOST FUCKING ZEKE?!", Nile yelled so loud he actually scared Historia, his hands slamming onto the desk as he almost jumped down to go at Erwin. He was furious. "YOU SET THE WORLD ON A QUEST TO KILL US ALL AND YOU GET RID OF THE ONLY WAY TO USE THE FOUNDING TITAN?!"
Pyxis started laughing. His rather tame laugh eventually evolved into pure hysteria. The background reactions made it sound like a circus.
"Unbelievable, Erwin", Zachaly said as he rested his elbow on the desk, scratching his chin with his hand. "I would never expect such a thing from you. Years of hard work thrown down the drain with the most utterly ridiculous plan we have ever seen. One that pretty much shot us on the foot, since we can't even do anything about it anymore."
"You're wrong."
They looked at Erwin with much curiosity, one that was fueled by the doubts of what other disgrace he could have brought upon them.
"With Zeke's death, Marley has lost yet another Titan. They only have the Armored, Cart and Jaw, now. Besides..."
Erwin stared right into Historia.
"We still have someone of royal blood to trigger the Founding's powers."
"Wait a minute", Zachaly said. "You aren't implying we should sacrifice the Queen, are you?"
Historia couldn't react.
"That's it, Erwin, that's it!", Nile said as he pointed towards him. "Guards! Arrest him! That's enough bullshit! I had it with him!"
A mess started inside the room, loud enough to be heard from the outside. Levi and Laure quickly traded stares as soon as they heard it.
Erwin quickly raised his right hand and, with a swift movement from his thumb, he deployed the blade from the ring he had borrowed from Annie, cutting himself soon after. A massive explosion happened right after, destroying the palace's roof and sending dust all over the air, throwing off everyone inside with its blast.
"Shit! Is everyone okay?!", Historia screamed as she tried to catch her breath in-between coughs, having been flung off her chair.
"Historia! Are you hurt?!", Pyxis asked as he bewilderedly tried to crawl towards her with his fellow colleagues.
"I'm alright! What about the others?!"
They tried to get up. Screams and coughs could be heard from the other side of the room, alongside moans of pain.
"My arm! Shit!", one of the voices said from the back.
"Where the hell is he?!"
"He fucking escaped on us!"
"He's a fucking traitor!"
Zachaly looked at the massive hole on both the wall and the roof of the building.
"Nile, mobilize the police. We need to find and subdue Erwin as soon as possible."
The weather was becoming colder by the minute, as it was expected during that time of the year. The overcast sky blocked sunlight from entering Erwin's office, but he didn't care- his desk was directly in front of the windows, whatever light could enter being just enough for him to be able to see what he was reading & writing. He had dozens of papers all over the place, reports, intelligence, everything he could ever need. Even though nobody had seen a single Pure Titan in almost two entire years, the Scout Commander was working harder than ever. It could be tiring, sure, but he seemingly enjoyed it. Erwin couldn't stop. He always felt like he had to be doing something.
As the door to his office slowly opened, the orange-ish light from the corridor's lamps subtly flowed through its opening, sliding through the gaps of Laure's shadow.
"Laure, it's good to see you", Erwin said after a quick look at whoever entered his work place, before quickly going back to his task at hand. His fingers firmly held a pen, their movements swift as he wrote and wrote and wrote, never stopping.
"Commander", she said as she closed the door. She had a few papers in hand, yet another pack ready to get Erwin busy. "I got that status report from Yelena that you asked."
"Good. Please, leave them here by the cup of tea", he replied, eyes glued down. Laure walked towards him and laid the papers on his desk, fascinated by how focused he was. He almost seemed like a machine.
Erwin gave another quick glance at her a few moments after, once more shifting his eyes downwards at his desk.
"You're wearing pigtails now?", he asked, casually.
"Not really", Laure said as her hand instinctively reached one of the braids, touching it. "I came across the Trost Memorial while on leave a few days ago. I saw the name of a fallen colleague from the 104th and it reminded me that her birthday was supposed to be today. You can say this is a tribute, kind of."
"That's a nice gesture", Erwin replied. "What was her name?"
"Mina Carolina, sir", she answered, her mind flashing back to Mina's usual warm smile. "I don't think you ever met her."
"Such a shame. I am certain she would have been a great soldier."
"I'm not sure about that", Laure replied. She thought back to the times both of them and Thomas were struggling during training. Mina felt as she was destined to fail hard enought to not even be able of getting into the Garrison. "But she was a good girl."
As she felt silence starting to settle in, Laure got ready to leave, but was quickly interrupted by Erwin.
"Have you seen Hange around by any chance?", Erwin asked.
"Uhh... I think I saw her this morning by the old Titan Research Center. She seemed pretty bummed it was going out of commission. You want me to get her for you?"
"No, there's no need. Just checking in if she had told you the news."
"News? About what, sir?"
"Well, this report you just delivered me", Erwin said as Laure looked at the recently delivered papers, "they are very important. Based on what's in them, we may be traveling to the continent soon."
"Wait, traveling to the continent?", Laure answered, surprise, her brows going as high as they could. "Really?"
"Yes. Top Brass thinks we should start approaching the situation in a different manner. Me and Hange were talking about ways of reaching a diplomatic solution. Put a peaceful ending to all of this."
Erwin felt odd as he got no response from Laure. For a few seconds, it was silence, and he could feel she hadn't moved a muscle. He remained focused on his task, though, waiting for a response.
"You're pathetic."
The words caught Erwin by surprise. He stopped writing, even though his eyes were still focused on the sentence he interrupted midway through.
"Hm?", he muttered, not sure of what he had just heard.
"A 'diplomatic solution'? You fucking disgust me."
Erwin raised his vision, locking a stare deep into Laure's eyes. They looked completely different from the ones of the girl that had entered his office just a few minutes prior. They looked somewhat familiar, reminding him of the eyes she had when they reached the beach two years earlier.
"What a pathetic excuse for a Commander you are, Erwin."
Laure's words were cold, yet angry. They were meant to harm.
"Laure, where the hell is this coming fro-"
"Is that how you treat the lives of all of those you killed? You selfishly order men and women into their deaths like nothing more than a bunch of assets, you disregard anyone, military & civilian alike, as long as it helps you achieve what you want, and now you're just going to make all of this loss mean nothing by bowing down to the enemy and letting it put its dick inside your ass?"
Erwin didn't answer for a few moments. Part of him felt in shock from what he was hearing.
"Casualties were always expected."
"That's what you think of them? Just a bunch of casualties?"
Laure chuckled.
"I am sure whatever little remains we found of our comrades is rolling in their burial grounds from what you just fucking said. 'I am so thankful I died in the most horrifying way possible, dreading the fact that I was ever born, just so they could find peace with the monsters who caused all this!'"
Laure chuckled even more.
"Be a fucking man, you useless piece of shit. How many of ours that have been rotting away for years gave their lives fighting for humanity? Do you think they would be happy to know we reached a 'peaceful ending' where we are willing hostages of a world that completely despises us? Living under the threat of people that wouldn't hesitate before exterminating us to the last child, given the chance? Is this what you enlisted for?"
Laure slammed both her hands onto Erwin's desk. The Commander didn't flinch. He just listened to her.
"Your father was murdered because the old government wanted those cocksuckers to be left alone as the Titans they sent slaughtered us one by one. Your closest friends, everyone you ever knew were on the brink of death because of them. You swore your heart to what? A selfish desire of knowing the truth of the world and then fuck all? Is that what you dedicated your life for? Is that what you forced us to dedicate all of our hearts for?"
"No... it is not."
"What the fuck was it for, then?!"
"We dedicate our lives for the people inside the Walls."
"We dedicate our lives for fucking WHO?!"
"We dedicate our lives for humanity!"
"EXACTLY, ERWIN! THAT'S WHAT WE FUCKING DO! THAT'S WHAT OUR FALLEN COMRADES DID! AND THAT'S WHY WE MUST GIVE THEIR DEATHS CLOSURE! THAT'S WHY WE SHOULD FUCKING MURDER EACH AND EVERY SINGLE BASTARD OUTSIDE OF THIS GOD FORSAKEN ISLAND!"
"IS THAT WHAT THIS FUCKING IS, THEN?!", Erwin yelled as he stood up, slamming a fist on his desk, absolutely enraged.
"IT IS! IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT THIS, AND YOU KNOW IT!"
"AND WHAT DO YOU BLOODY SUGGEST, THEN?!"
Laure stepped back for a second, a look of absolute evil taking over her face. She smiled.
"We go to the continent. We learn as much as we can about our enemy's weak spots. We destroy their leaderships and whatever order they have in their lives. And then... we make them have a taste of their own medicine."
Erwin was breathing heavily, raw fury coming out of his nose with each huff.
"They want to use our people as weapons? Fine then. We turn every single Eldian outside these bloody Walls into a Titan. And then... we let those fuckers fade away as they're eaten to death. We leave them rot in fucking hell as their face the fear of being subdued by Titans. The exact same fear we faced for the last hundred years. You want peace? The only peace we could ever get is the one of knowing our enemies have been destroyed. That's what we enlisted for, isn't it?"
"I could have you fucking arrested for this shit!"
"You could! But you won't! And you know why! You know I'm right, and more importantly, you know there's only two ways this story can end! We either defeat the Titans or we let them defeat us. And I didn't enlist to be a loser! And I'm sure you didn't, neither!"
Erwin sat down, burying his face in both of his hands, frustrated. He felt like yelling, screaming until his throat bled, until he passed out from lack of oxygen. He was furious.
"This is what you have always been destined to. It's not anyone else that's going to save us. It's you. That's why you are still alive. You are the one that's going to put a permanent end to this."
Erwin spent a few moments in silence, thinking to himself.
"Get out of my office, Laure."
She chuckled, the most evil, smug smile stamped on her face.
"As you wish, Commander. I have already all I had to. Hopefully I won't need to do so again."
"GET OUT!"
Laure left the room, standing in front of the door for a few moments. She rubbed her hand through her hair, letting out a sigh before leaving.