Knock, knock, knock.
"Enter."
The door creaked open.
Lillian stepped into a spacious office. Behind a large desk sat a balding man with his hands folded together.
"Commander." Lillian saluted.
Nile Dok, commander of the Military Police.
Lillian knew that Nile and Erwin had been classmates, but chose very different paths after graduation.
Although he led the Military Police — an organization filled with corruption — Nile himself was not entirely rotten. He was more like an ordinary man caught between right and wrong, constantly wavering.
He was neither purely righteous nor purely evil — simply human.
He was the type of person who drifted along with the general tide, complicit on the surface, yet harboring unwillingness and dissatisfaction inside while being too powerless to change anything. Marlo, who had once shared a dorm with Lillian, carried a similar quality.
"Lillian Kafka."
Nile looked at Lillian and asked, "The King has decided to receive you tomorrow. How well have you memorized the script I gave you?"
"I've memorized it completely."
"Run through it once."
"Yes, sir."
Nile took out a manuscript. He read one line of the King's part, and Lillian recited the corresponding response. After quickly going through the whole thing in about two minutes without a single mistake, Nile nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad. Just don't get nervous and slip up tomorrow."
"Understood."
"All right, that's all. You can go—wait." Nile paused, glanced at the gray uniform Lillian was wearing, and frowned slightly. "You can't meet the King dressed like that." He opened a desk drawer, took out some money, and handed it over. "Take this and go buy a proper outfit now."
"Thank you, Commander."
Lillian took the money and left. Watching his back, Nile thought to himself: This kid really isn't shy at all. He doesn't even seem tense around me. Might actually be a good prospect.
Then he shook his head with a sigh. "He's already been beyond the walls. Probably nothing scares him anymore."
Lillian left the office, crossed the corridor, and went upstairs, coincidentally running into a fellow trainee who had just returned from outside.
Annie glanced at him and slightly furrowed her brow.
Unusually, she spoke first. "Why are you here?"
Lillian thought to himself that she probably hadn't even noticed him during last night's march. But that made sense. He had been at the very back, partially blocked by several Military Police officers. She wasn't the type to look around casually anyway.
As for why she was confused, it was obvious. Lillian had not been among the top ten trainees, so normally he had no direct path into the Military Police. Even if he wanted to transfer, he should have had to serve in the Garrison for several years first.
So Annie found this strange.
"Because because, that's just how science works."
After saying that, Lillian continued upstairs. Annie froze for a moment, then her expression instantly turned hostile.
"You're new here too, right? I—"
A female recruit walked over to greet Annie, but before she could finish speaking, she saw Annie's face and immediately swallowed the rest of her words in fear.
"S-sorry!"
The recruit hurried away. Annie watched her retreating figure, then raised a hand to touch her own face, murmuring softly to herself, "Am I really that scary…?"
If any of the 104th trainees had heard this, they would have answered yes without hesitation. Absolutely terrifying.
But only when she was angry. To be fair, even they admitted that when Annie wasn't upset, she was stunningly beautiful: brilliant blonde hair, sapphire-blue eyes, a sharp nose, sculpted features like a statue—an intense, piercing kind of beauty.
Unfortunately, almost no one dared to appreciate it. Ever since the boys who tried to flirt with her were tossed headfirst into the ground, no one dared approach her anymore. As a result, over the past three years, the person she talked to the most ended up being Lillian.
There was no helping it. In hand-to-hand combat class, she clung to him like an unshakeable shadow. Whether he won or lost, she would challenge him again the next time. Over time, they spoke a little more, though it was usually limited to simple responses like "Oh," "Mm," or "Uh."
Back in the dorm, Lillian found Marlo sitting stiffly on his lower bunk. The moment he saw Lillian return, he jumped up.
"What's up, Marlo?" Lillian asked. "Sitting there contemplating life?"
"Lillian… are you a noble?"
"Huh?"
Seeing Marlo's expression, Lillian immediately understood why he was asking and shook his head. "No."
"Then why—"
"Why the Commander called me in, right? It's nothing special. You'll find out tomorrow anyway. But I can tell you now if you want."
Lillian suddenly invited him, "I need to go buy some clothes. Want to come along? I'll explain on the way."
"Sure!"
Marlo agreed instantly, then added, "But I don't have any money."
"Who said you have to pay?"
---
At Survey Corps Headquarters, the new recruits had arrived, and everything grew busy. In one month, an expedition beyond the walls would take place.
The 104th trainees were required to participate, so over the next month they had to undergo intensive training in all aspects to reach the necessary level.
After all, what they learned in the Training Corps was only the basics. It couldn't compare to the Survey Corps. These soldiers understood Titans best and were the most skilled with ODM gear. Under their instruction, the new recruits' combat ability would quickly surpass that of their peers who joined other branches.
In the stables, Eren was cleaning horse manure. When he saw familiar faces arrive, he happily ran over.
"Mikasa! Armin!"
They were thrilled to see him as well. Mikasa, in particular, immediately scanned his entire body with a worried gaze. Seeing no injuries, she relaxed slightly but still spoke rapidly:
"Did anyone do anything excessive to you? Like detailed physical examinations, or causing you psychological distress?"
"Uh… no, nothing like that."
At this moment, the other familiar faces gathered around as well. Eren looked at everyone in surprise and joy.
"Why are you all here?! Could it be that you also…?"
"What other reason would we have to come here?"
Looking around, Eren realized that among the top ten graduates, only Annie was not present. What shocked him even more was that Jean and Marco were here too.
"Everyone…" He was deeply moved, but when he saw Krista and Ymir, he paused. "You're both here… then where's Lillian?"
Because the three of them were usually together, everyone had gotten used to seeing them as a set.
When Lillian's name was mentioned, the group fell silent.
Because of Krista's earlier outburst, no one spoke. They all glanced at her, but the girl herself didn't know how to respond.
Ymir spoke bluntly. "Obviously, he didn't join the Survey Corps."
"Why?" Eren was stunned. "Even Jean joined—why wouldn't Lillian?"
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Jean snapped, glaring at him. "Are you saying I'm a coward by default?!"
"N-no, that's not what I meant—"
Krista suddenly said, "Back when we graduated, Lillian said he wanted to join the Military Police. I thought he was joking, because his rank wasn't in the top ten… but it seems like he really did join."
"Lillian… went to the Military Police?"
Eren's face filled with disbelief, even anger. "That's impossible! He told me himself that what he wanted was freedom—"
"Eren." Krista looked at him, eyes lowering again. "Lillian told me, 'There isn't only one road to freedom. Some things can't be taken by blades and guns.' I don't fully understand what he meant, but I think he has his own reasons."
Mikasa added calmly, "Everyone makes their own choices. Don't overthink it."
"…Damn it."
Eren clenched his fists. He didn't think Lillian was a coward. It was just that Lillian had helped him before, and their earlier conversation made him believe that Lillian shared his desire to eliminate all Titans.
So he had been certain Lillian would join the Survey Corps. Learning that he had chosen the safest branch instead created a huge emotional gap that he couldn't accept right away.
At that moment, a voice called out nearby.
"Hey! New recruits, assemble! Your uniforms have arrived!"