Chapter 16: Treason

Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

Previously: New secrets about Titans come to light. Eren and Mikasa have a talk about his memory loss. Hange orders Pastor Nick to be tailed. Kenny and Traute kidnap Annie.


Pastor Nick stopped pacing in the empty church when he saw them. "There you are!"

Djel Sannes listened grimly as the pastor talked quickly and incoherently. "Slow down," he said, barely understanding him. "You're not making any sense."

"The Survey Corps, they know about the Walled Titans," he said a little more calmly, still fidgeting.

"What?" Ralph, Sannes's partner, said, bewildered. "What the hell happened?"

"One of them dragged me up to Wall Rose and they tried to get me to talk. They wanted to know who else knew and what more we were hiding. This could be disastrous if they open their big mouths. They must be silenced."

"Who told them about the Walled Titans? If they knew to check, that means someone must have tipped them off," Sannes concluded, mind racing. If they'd tried to damage the Walls to check, it wouldn't have worked. So there was no way for them to know what was hidden in them unless they were told.

"It was those damned Marleyan trespassers they were chasing to get one of their soldiers back. He let something slip." Shame covered Pastor Nick's face. "They couldn't break through the Wall to check so they tricked me into confirming it instead. That damned Hange Zoe..."

"The Corps has always been an annoyance but that problem always took care of itself." The Interior Police didn't need to deal with them. Many radical thinkers were attracted to the Corps and got themselves killed, running off to face Titans, thus leaving the Interior Police to only take care of individuals here and there. "But now they're becoming real a pain in the ass. We'll get to the bottom of this," Sannes said to him. "You need to get out of here. We don't know how far these lunatics will go to get to the bottom of this."

Pastor Nick's face paled. "I'll leave for Mitras at once."

"I always knew those Survey Corps bastards would become more trouble than they're worth one day," Ralph grumbled as they left.

Sannes glanced over his shoulder and continued walking. "Yes," he said, "they've outlived their usefulness."


Hange waited patiently for Erwin's response.

As soon as a messenger came to tell her the commander was awake, she had dropped everything to go see him, telling him the truth of the Titans and Eren's recovered memories concerning the Walled Titans as well as the island. As a precaution, after hearing what her subordinates had to say and the delicate situation they were in, she had snuck into the hospital wearing civilian clothes before stealing a white coat and pretending to be a doctor checking in on Erwin.

An unsettling smile came over the man's face.

"That's not quite the reaction I expected," Hange remarked, somewhat disturbed.

"We've taken a step—no, a giant leap forward."

"I wish I could see it as optimistically as you do," she said gloomily.

"Where's Eren?"

"He's off with his squad, training. I'll be joining them later today."

"And Historia? Have you learned anything about her family? Any clues to why she is capable of triggering Eren's memories?"

"Unfortunately, I don't know why she can make Eren remember his father's memories. I've been looking into the Reiss family and I did learn that five years ago, some bandits attacked the chapel where the Reiss family was praying. They killed almost everyone who was there. Rod Reiss was the only one who made it out. His wife and his children perished."

Erwin raised an eyebrow. "Five years ago. The same year Wall Maria was breached."

"The very same day."

"Odd coincidence."

"I thought so, too. And speaking of Historia, she told Bertolt we caught Annie. Apparently, Ymir somehow stole Titan power from one of their comrades and they will punish her for it. So Historia wants us to offer them a trade. While I do agree that Ymir will be more useful to us than Annie, better to have someone with a Titan power who wants to join our side than someone who will fight us tooth and nail, but—"

"We don't know if they want to do the trade."

"Exactly." Hange inclined her head. "That's what I said. But according to Levi's squad, Bertolt is in love with Annie. And Reiner is, by all accounts, not one to leave his comrades behind. Not his real ones, anyway. So there is a good possibility it'll work. There's also the Beast Titan though, but he is an unknown variable. It's possible they'll take back the power Ymir stole. But a trade will get them their friend back without a hassle. Personally, I'm still debating if it's worth the risk."

Gears seemed to be spinning behind Erwin's eyes and she gave him a minute to take that in before continuing.

"There's something else you should know. I had my subordinates follow Pastor Nick since our little talk on the Wall yesterday. They caught him secretly meeting up with policemen from the capital. My subordinates weren't able to get too close, though. One of the men noticed and they were forced to stay behind. The policemen didn't seem to be the run-of-the-mill MPs. Considering the circumstances, I figured it would be easier to move around in civilian clothes," she said, gesturing to her outfit. "Less likely to catch attention this way than in uniform."

"I can't imagine Pastor Nick telling just anyone about this. As you said, whomever he told must also know about the truth. Now, there are rumors of some secret division within the Military Police. A shadowy group of MPs that supposedly doesn't answer to the same superiors as the rest of the military and are exempt from the law. Nile used to gossip to me about them."

"If that's true, if their command structure isn't like the rest of the military, Zackly isn't the one this secret police would report to. My guess is the Assembly. The king is the only authority higher than the commander-in-chief and the Assembly serves and only answers to him. If these shady MPs are reporting to them, then they know about the Walled Titans. Which means..."

"The king and his advisors must know the truth of the outside world," he finished, making the same connection she did.

"That's a dangerous conclusion."

"But it explains a lot," Erwin said, a strange intensity in his eyes. "Why they're so against the Corps. They can't exactly forbid us outright without raising some suspicion so they use taxes as an excuse. It's why technological development is such an issue. Because as it is, the Corps has an extremely high mortality rate so they're content to let us troublemakers get ourselves eaten. But if serious strides are made in technological advancement, it could make it easier for us to explore and learn everything for ourselves. Then there's the Wallist connection. If the church has backing from the Assembly, it explains why they have so much power and influence. They are actually part of the government and work in a rather creative way to keep people from learning the truth about the Walls."

"The real question is: Why? Why keep everyone in the dark? What could possibly come of it?"

"I don't know."

From the look on his face, Hange knew something was cooking in his head. "What's on your mind, Erwin?"

"Treason."


"What the fuck, Yeager? That was pathetic!" Levi yelled from the sidelines.

Eren spat out a few blades of grass. "Just getting warmed up."

"Take this seriously," Jean said, standing over him. "I know you can fight better than that."

"Shouldn't we be training with my Titan form so I can learn to harden my skin?"

"Like I told you," Levi explained impatiently, "I want to see what you can do. How good of a fighter you are and which areas you need to improve because that is something I can teach you, while hardening is something you can practice on your own. Try listening next time."

"But you already know I'm good at fighting. I beat the Armored Titan in hand-to-hand. Annie was the only one who could have given me trouble, but we've got her locked up now."

"I want to see for myself how well-versed you are in CQC. And for all you know, there could be others like Reiner and his friends out there who're better at fighting than Annie," Levi said, shooting his argument down.

Other Me, now would be a really good time to show up. Eren tried frantically to somehow hail Eren II. It didn't work.

"Jean, switch out with Mikasa," Levi said.

"Thank you!" Connie cried out from where Mikasa had him in a headlock. Off to the side, Historia was sparring with Sasha.

"What's wrong?" Mikasa asked quietly, a knowing look on her face.

Eren was suddenly glad she was in on the secret. "I, um, I kinda forgot how to fight," he told her sheepishly.

Panic flashed across her face. "You lost your memories again?"

"No, no, no." Eren didn't want her thinking he had brain damage. Although he was sure Levi would beg to differ. "More like I remembered the moves in the heat of the moment. I still have my muscle memories, of course, but I don't know the actual moves, you know?"

Mikasa nodded. "Your reflexes should still be intact. Failing against me won't look suspicious. So just do your best. I'll hold back."

"Quit whispering, brats. You can flirt later."

Mikasa took up a fighting pose.

Focused on her, Eren unconsciously took up a fighting pose himself. Then she came at him. This is her holding— He couldn't even waste time thinking, too busy dodging her punches. He surprised himself twice more when his body reacted instinctively and tried to do some cool moves before his brain could think. Unsurprisingly, Mikasa countered him flawlessly and pinned him seconds later.

"Reiner must have been a shit fighter if you beat him with these pathetic skills," Levi said, not impressed.

Eren didn't pay him much attention. He was all too focused on the pretty girl sitting on top of him. Don't get a boner. Don't get a boner. Don't get a boner. He would die of embarrassment and never be able to look her in the eyes ever again. "Uh, Mikasa, if you don't move we're both going to end up in a very awkward situation."

She was confused at first. Suddenly, her face turned the prettiest shade of pink when it hit her. "S-Sorry!"

Eren sat up. "It's okay." Then he got an idea on how to avoid sparing.

"Don't you dare!" Eren II snapped, finally appearing. "I'm not letting you shred any more of my dignity by telling Captain Levi you got a boner so you can get out of sparring. Move over."

"Happy to."

Eren mostly played the part of the backseat driver.


Next, they moved on to the exciting part: trying to get his Titan skin to harden.

Unfortunately, it went nowhere. It was just like when he had tried to find out if his Titan had any abilities during his time with the original Squad Levi. Except now that he'd met and fought the Female Titan, he had really thought crystallizing was something his Titan might be capable of doing since the Female Titan and his Titan were similar physically, especially when compared to the Armored and the Colossal Titans' physiques. Apparently not.

Levi stood before Rogue. "You look like you're trying to take a shit but it won't come out."

"I don't think it's working," Eren commented, bored, as his twin continued trying to harden his skin. "Give it up, dude. You should know your limit and when to stop."

"Take a lunch break," Levi said, walking away. "We'll start again after."

"Let me try this time." But Eren had about as much success as Eren II. That was to say none. Giving up, he handed back the control to Eren II, who wanted to keep trying.

Hange arrived that evening bearing the news of Erwin's awakening.

It was a great relief to Eren and his friends and they exchanged relieved smiles. Hange next confirmed Eren II's father's memories about the Walled Titans and how Pastor Nick had reacted when she confronted him about it. "We should be careful," she said. "They know we're on to the truth."

"Do you think they'll try to silence us?" Connie shifted nervously in his chair.

"I can't say I don't think they're capable of such a thing." Hange glanced at Eren II. "Have you had any more new memories or any success with hardening?"

Eren snorted.

"Immature idiot." Eren II almost rolled his eyes. "The answer to both is no, unfortunately."

"We'll try again tomorrow. Oh, I can't wait!" Hange squealed, wiggling in her spot. "I have so many things I want to do to your body!"

Eren II almost choked on his tea.

"Yeah, maybe Hange can help you with that hardening problem, Eren," Jean said with a straight face while the rest of their friends tried hard not to laugh.

Eren badly wanted to share a retort with his twin to get at Jean, but it would embarrass Mikasa so he kept quiet.

"Shut up, Horse-Face," Eren II grumbled, glaring.

"Hey, by the way, exactly how much do you know about the Walled Titans and Ragako?" Eren asked as the squad split up to do chores.

"I know the gist of it," Eren II replied grimly. "But tell me everything you've learned and spare no details."


Rod Reiss cleared his throat to get their attention. When Kenny and his second-in-commander turned around, he shot the girl in the cot a nervous look.

"What brings yer highness here?" Kenny asked casually, not at all mindful of the blood staining his clothes and his face.

"Perhaps we can talk elsewhere," Rod suggested, wanting to get out the dank underground cell and its stench and into the warm sunlight.

"Nonsense. Ain't nothin to be scared off. We've given her only some water to starve and weaken her body so she can't transform. We even cut off her arms and legs," Kenny explained cheerfully, pointing to the bucket of limbs by the end of the cot. "So yer safe."

Rod suppressed a shiver. Kenny was a rabid dog. But he was a necessary evil. Rod was well aware of his plan to steal the power of the Founding Titan for himself and become king. He was not concerned, though, as the man was an Ackerman. His efforts were an exercise in futility. Until then, Rod would keep his mouth shut and use Kenny to fix the mess caused by that horrid man who had stolen the Founding Titan from Frieda and killed their family. "There's a problem. The Survey Corps has found out about the Walled Titans."

Traute raised an eyebrow. "How's that possible?"

"Seems one of the Marleyans let something slip to tip them off. Regardless, this must be contained."

"The First Interior Squad should be able to handle that." Traute crossed her arms. "Why send us in?"

"This thing is too big and we can't risk a leak. And we've finally found it: the Founding Titan."

That got their attention, especially Kenny's. "Who has it?" Kenny asked. "Eren Yeager?"

"It is. He has the Founding Titan." Rod had not dared to believe it at first. Yet there was no denying it. The Founding Titan's power had been used to control the Pure Titans, making them attack the Titan that had been about to kill the Yeager boy and his friend. Rod couldn't figure out how the boy had done it, but it was undeniably the Founding Titan's power. "His father stole the power from Frieda and passed it on to him." After learning of Eren commanding the Titans, he'd had the boy investigated. Rod's family's killer and Eren's father's, Grisha Yeager's, descriptions had matched. They'd both disappeared at the same time, too.

"So the father attacked Frieda and passed on the power to his son to keep us from finding him," Kenny said, misunderstanding.

Rod didn't feel the need to correct him and share about the Curse of Ymir, which may have been the true cause.

"We'd thought it was the Yeager boy since the Battle of Trost, but it was difficult making any moves with all that attention on him," Traute said, playing with a bloody pair of pliers. "And then Zackly put him under the Corps' custody instead of the Military Police's. No matter, we'll get him now."

"You'll work with the First Interior squad," Rod said with a nod. "I'll have Sannes take the lead. He and his men will find Eren Yeager and my daughter Historia. That's where the Anti-Personnel Squad will come in. You'll ensure their safe delivery to me. The Scouts will attempt to get Eren back so you must protect us. Then I can have Historia eat Eren and return the Founding Titan back where it belongs. And since they know the truth, the squads of Levi and Hange Zoe can't be allowed to live anyway."

"Hope I get a shot at Humanity's Strongest Soldier," Kenny snickered.

Rod wrinkled his nose when he looked at Annie. "Has she said anything useful?"

"She was already starved and isolated before we took her so her revolve was low and she was easy to crack," Traute responded. "We took out the blade they used to cut her brain off from her body so we could interrogate her properly. Clever idea they had with the knife to keep her in check."

"Little mouse tried to hold out at first, but we managed to get some answers after we questioned her at length," Kenny said, smirking.

Rod pointedly avoided looking at the tools of torture on the table.

"It also helped that she had little love for her country." Traute frowned, arms crossed over her chest. "Unfortunately, she's become unresponsive. Just when we were starting to get somewhere, too."

"It's because you took the blade out," Rod said, quickly figuring it out. "My brother once told me he could survive a fatal head injury by moving his consciousness to his spine." He met Kenny's eyes, referring to his attempt on Uri's life. "The blade was cutting her off from her Titan power. Once she regained access to it, she was able to transfer her brain functions to her spine. When the interrogation stopped, she was able to move her consciousness."

"So yer telling me we can't interrogate her cause we took a lunch break and she put herself out of our reach?"

"How long can she keep it up?" Traute asked, a gleam in her eyes. "Can she hear us now?" She appeared to view it as a challenge. "Does she still feel pain? Can we force her out? What if—"

"Forget about her," Rod interrupted impatiently. "She's not going anywhere. Right now, the most important thing is to get Eren and Historia out of the Corps' grasp." He turned to the cot. "This one can be dealt with later."


Ymir reread her letter to Historia and folded it up neatly. She stood from the desk and went to lie on her bed.

She, Reiner, and Bertolt had arrived at the edge of the island in the morning the day after her kidnapping. Ymir had felt a strange mix of emotions upon seeing the ship docked there. She hadn't protested when they forced her to board at gunpoint, only asking for a pen and a piece of paper so she could write a letter to Historia. Reiner had accepted her request and soon after she was put in a tiny room with no windows, he had delivered the stationary and kept an eye on her as she wrote. They had kept her there since, only allowing her to leave to use the facilities.

Many days had passed since then. It was rather difficult to tell exactly how many. Her best estimate based on the meals provided was a week. Ymir had tried to keep herself occupied by thinking about the good memories she'd been given a chance to make, trying not to wonder if they'd decided her fate yet. She succeeded most of the time. Ymir could live with a death sentence. It was not knowing her fate, the waiting around to find out with nothing to distract her, that was the unbearable part. She shook her head, unwilling to fall into that hole again. Instead, she would take the time to cherish the memories she'd made for as long as possible, grateful she was allowed more time to live according to her own wishes, making her own choices.

The door opened to reveal a young woman with long black hair. It was the same woman who brought Ymir her meals. "Hello, I'm Pieck," she introduced herself for the first time. "Follow me, please."

Up on the deck of the ship awaited Reiner, Bertolt, and the man Ymir guessed was the Beast Titan.

"Ah, you must be Ymir. I'm Zeke. A pleasure to meet you. I hope you haven't found your stay too unpleasant."

"Have you decided if I'm going to be sent to Marley?" Ymir went straight to the point, ignoring the pleasantries. She had spent enough time churning it over in her head what they were planning to do with her and just wanted a straight answer.

"Yes, we have," Reiner replied and Ymir braced herself. "We're going to trade you for Annie."

In all honestly, despite knowing how they felt about Annie, Ymir had not seen that coming. Had not truly believed they would risk losing her Titan after they had lost it once already, especially when they had no real proof of Historia's claim. "I didn't think you'd actually listen to Historia's offer," she admitted. "She doesn't exactly speak for the Corps. Or Paradis Island."

"While that may be true, we'll still keep you around," Zeke said, sipping from a mug. The wind carried the scent over. It smelled like coffee. "The Survey Corps is bound to head for Shinganshina at some point to retake Wall Maria. If they do bring Annie with them we'll make an exchange. If not, no harm done. After all, they won't be making it out alive," he said easily.

"You're very confident in yourselves. That's it, huh? That's why you're willing to bring me there and risk losing my Titan again when Historia could have been lying her ass off."

"With War Chief Zeke and Pieck with us, we're guaranteed to win," Reiner said to her.

Ymir mentally noted Pieck likely had a Titan power. Not that Ymir planned to attempt an escape—since they intended to make the trade—but it was good to know just the same. "They have Eren and Captain Levi and Mikasa."

"They still won't stand a chance and we'll get Annie back," Bertolt said, looking determined. "This time, I'll be fighting, too."

"Annie was supposedly captured by the military nine days ago," Zeke said. "If that's true, they've probably tortured her to learn about the outside world. But it will all be for naught when they get to Shinganshina."

Ymir didn't miss the tension in Reiner and Bertolt at the mention of Annie being tortured. Zeke appeared somewhat regretful but not all that bothered. "So that's the other reason why you want to bring me along," she said. "By the time they come to retake Wall Maria, they'll have gotten everything they need out of Annie if they had her and she will be disposable then. If they don't see me there, they'll kill her. Captain Levi doesn't strike me as a forgiving man. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to cut off Annie's head and throw it your way."

"Shut your mouth!" Bertolt snapped at her.

"What? I'm just telling the truth. She killed a lot of soldiers, including some of Levi's subordinates. You think he'll ever forgive or forget that?"

"Well, you are correct," Pieck said, leaning against the railing. "Once they've interrogated her and gotten what they need, she'll be all but useless to keep around. The only benefit left that she could provide them will be as an asset they can trade to get you back. I'm sure if they have her, they'll bring her with them when they come to seal the breached Wall. If it looks like they'll lose, I don't doubt they'll kill Annie out of spite and to at least prevent us from getting the Female Titan back. Not that they're aware her power will get passed to an Eldian baby and it will take time to find that kid. But it'll still be troublesome for us if Annie dies."

"But again, I sincerely doubt they actually have Annie," Zeke said dismissively. "I can't imagine how they could have possibly captured her. From what Reiner and Bertolt told me, Eren can't harden his skin like Annie and even if he could, she's the superior fighter."

"What about Historia? Reiner said she was important to you guys for whatever reason so you want her alive, right?" Ymir knew Historia would never stay back. Clearly the Warriors planned to leave no one other than Eren alive. And they were so sure of themselves that they were willing to bring her along without a guarantee there would even be a trade. Ymir did not want Historia to become one of the casualties.

"We will take her if we get the opportunity," Pieck said. "But she's not our priority."

"Time for you to go back to your cell." Reiner took a step forward.

"Actually, Reiner, I'd like to chat a little more with Ymir." Zeke stared at her. "What can you tell me about Eren Yeager?"

Ymir crossed her arms. "I'm not telling you anything. And even if I wanted to I couldn't." She shrugged. "I didn't know the guy all that well."

"I see."

"These two here," Ymir said, jerking her thumb over to Reiner and Bertolt, "were closer to him. I'm sure it'd have hurt less if I'd been the one to stick the knife in his back."

Soon she was returned to her room, taking one last lungful of clear, fresh air. She didn't know when they'd let her out again. They can't keep me in here too long. The Warriors didn't know exactly when the Corps would go out. They usually took four to five weeks between expeditions. Zeke had said Annie was captured nine days ago. One day later had been the impromptu expedition to get her back. If the Corps kept to schedule, they wouldn't leave for at least three weeks. Plus she added another few days it would take for them to get to Wall Maria. They would probably try to avoid fighting Titans to conserve energy, supplies, and soldiers. And they also couldn't move at night.

Ymir estimated she would spend at least three weeks on the ship before going to Wall Maria. The Corps could take easily a month from today to get to Wall Maria. In fact, they may take even longer. Knowing they would be facing their biggest challenge yet, they may want to take more time to ensure they were thoroughly prepared. So at least six weeks from now. But about five for us. The Warriors were going to want to get to Wall Maria earlier to set up an ambush.

Thinking of Historia, she sighed longingly, eyes closed. Five weeks seemed both too long and too short a time. Ymir badly wanted to see her again. But she also dreaded their reunion. The Warriors planned to annihilate the entire Corps, without whom Paradis Island was screwed. Majority of the Military Police was full of lazy idiots. The Garrison was the largest division but most of them were inexperienced in dealing with either human foes or Titans. If the Corps doesn't win this battle, Paradis is as good as lost.

Her thoughts turned next to Eren. He had so much potential. Could he master hardening as well as using the Founding Titan within such a short time frame, though? Especially since he didn't even know what the power was, where it came from, or the full extent of it. And he wasn't of royal blood, either.

Ymir wondered how she could provide the Corps aid in the battle. She knew the Warriors would find a way to keep her from being useful.


Two MPs stood as a flesh barrier between Erwin and the door. The stairs on the opposite side of the door plunged into darkness, leading to the underground cells, one of which was occupied by Annie Leonhart.

"You're not allowed to see the prisoner, Commander," the impassive woman said.

"I want to question her. Her friends are still out running free. We need information."

"Apologies, Commander," the other MP said, not at all apologetic. "But we have our orders. We're not to allow anyone to see the prisoner."

"Chief Zackly—"

"We're here on order of the Assembly, not Chief Zackly."

"And why does the Assembly not want Leonhart questioned?" Erwin asked.

"We're only following orders," was all she had to say.

Knowing he would get nothing more out of them, Erwin left. It was about what he had expected. Hange had said yesterday that the king's advisers were stonewalling Zackly. They don't want us talking to Annie and learning the truth. It was a little too late for that already. Learning about the Walled Titans and the fact that they were on a piece of land surrounded by water had made Erwin realize just how out of depth they really were. And he had a feeling they had only scratched the surface of the truth.

The current government was too incompetent. If we are to survive what's to come then they must be replaced with more capable leadership. Erwin took a carriage to the main courthouse. One of the perks of being a commander, and a man who was respected and liked by the commander-in-chief, was that he didn't have to wait to make an appointment to see Zackly.

"How are you feeling? I heard you fell into a coma," Zackly said after they exchanged pleasantries.

Erwin took a seat across from the chief. "I'm doing well. I just came from trying to see Annie Leonhart."

Zackly's face showed his displeasure. "Yes, the Assembly has been throwing all their weight into pressuring me to hand her over. Clearly there's something going on here they don't want us finding out. The more they push, the harder I am inclined to push back. And I do." A spark appeared in his eyes. "I can feel it in my bones, Erwin. There's something big here. And it's worth rebelling against them."

His words gave Erwin courage. "I initially planned to get Commander Pixis's support first so I could get yours as well. But hearing you say that I believe I can safely ask for your help in this matter now."

"What are you asking?"

"First, let me share some interesting details that were brought to my attention by one of my squad leaders. Eren Yeager recovered some of his father's memories. One of which led him to conclude that the Walls are made of Colossal-type Titans standing side by side."

It wasn't often one took Darius Zackly by surprise. "What're you saying? That can't be possible," he said, disbelief clear in his voice.

"It is," Erwin continued. "It's been confirmed by Hange Zoe. And there's more. Apparently, we're on something called an island. It's a piece of land surrounded by water." He watched the connections form on Zackly's face as it morphed from dismay to calculating. "You can see where I'm going with all of this, yes?"

"I do," Zackly said in a measured tone.

"Does that mean you will help us?"

"As eager as I am to have a revolution, I'd rather not hang because it was ill-thought-out."

"We will not move forward without a proper plan first. All the key players will be in place before we attempt to overthrow the monarchy." Simply saying such a thing could get Erwin the rope.

"I assume you'll be talking to Pixis after this and get his support?"

"That's correct."

"My people are loyal to me and won't rat you out to the Assembly of King Fritz. Still, just to be safe we should go with a cover story for this meeting. You came here right after trying to see Leonhart so that's a good cover. We can say you wanted to be allowed to see her and I told you the Assembly doesn't want that. Then I went on to scold you for chasing after the Armored and the Colossal Titans without first checking in with me. You were only given the MPs to help boost the Corps' numbers to clear out the Titans that had appeared within Wall Rose. The mission was not to run off after them in an attempt to rescue someone who had kept herself hidden."

"I would have argued they were given to me thus were mine to command however I saw fit," Erwin filled in the rest. "That those lives were worth trying to get a second Titan power and the knowledge she possessed. But you still dressed me down for failing and losing a third of the force." Although the majority of the lives lost during that mission had been MPs so personally Erwin wasn't too bothered by it.

"I should warn you the Assembly does want to have a word with you about that themselves. It won't shock you to know they don't like you and will use this as an excuse to go after you."

"I figured as much." Erwin shrugged. "I will go talk to Pixis soon then. See if you can keep the Assembly off my back for a few days."

"Consider it done. I'll say I let you leave since I'd already given you a verbal lashing. That they're more than welcome to as well. But you should be out of Sina by then and they'll have to summon you back."

"I'm thinking Trost will be a good place to meet Commander Pixis. By the way, did you get a chance to question Annie Leonhart?" Erwin asked.

"No," Zackly bit out irritably. "I very much wanted to question her but I only saw her in her cell once after you first captured her."

"That's too bad," Erwin said, disappointed. "I was hoping you might have learned something, anything, no matter how small."

"I was thinking of all the ways I could get her to spill her secrets when orders from the Assembly came down, ruining my fun. I wonder what it would take to break someone like her. The regeneration would prove to be such a fun challenge..."

Erwin stood and shook Zackly's hand. "Thank you for your time, Chief."

"Good luck, Erwin."


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