Shirt, suit, leather shoes—the classic "polished villain" set.
Lillian adjusted his collar in front of a bronze mirror. The person staring back at him felt strangely unfamiliar.
This body never quite matched his soul, and since arriving in this world, he rarely looked in mirrors. Now, examining himself closely, he had to admit that this body was quite handsome.
"Hair's getting long."
He ran a hand through his black hair that was nearly covering his eyes, but didn't bother cutting it.
"Lillian!" Marlo rushed in from outside. "The Commander says it's time to go."
"Got it."
Lillian stood up. Marlo looked at him with clear envy.
"You're so lucky—to be received by the King. You'll probably rise through the ranks really fast."
Since Lillian had explained everything while they were buying clothes together yesterday, Marlo already knew what was going on.
"Are you jealous?" Lillian asked. "Weren't you telling me yesterday that you want to climb up and punish all those corrupt bastards? If that's your goal, do you really think getting an audience with the King is a good thing?"
Marlo froze for a moment. "Of course it is," he said. "It's not about the King. The problem is the Military Police leadership. The King must be deceived by them, so I need to climb up and clean out all those parasites for His Majesty."
Lillian patted his shoulder without saying anything.
He almost wanted to say, A half-hearted revolution is meaningless, but decided against it. Inside the Walls, loyalty to the King was deeply ingrained—at least for now, it was unshakeable.
Leaving the dormitory, Commander Nile was already waiting outside. Seeing Lillian, he nodded and walked toward a carriage.
Lillian followed and climbed in. It was his first time riding one—carriages inside the Walls were a luxury only the wealthy could afford.
"Don't speak out of turn later," Nile reminded him. "Just recite the script."
"Understood."
They rode in silence until the carriage stopped.
Stepping out, Lillian saw that they had arrived in the inner district of Wall Sina—the Royal Capital.
They stood in a large square. In the center was a raised platform with an ornate wooden chair. Crowds of civilians had already gathered around it.
"The King hasn't arrived yet. We'll wait," Nile said.
Lillian stared at the chair and wondered how many years would pass before it could be smashed to pieces.
Perhaps humanity inside the Walls would be wiped out before that day. Or perhaps they would slowly evolve into a constitutional monarchy, and the chair would remain forever.
Lost in thought, he didn't snap back to reality until the King finally took his seat.
"Lillian Kafka."
Hearing his name, Lillian collected himself, approached the steps, and climbed onto the platform.
He stopped about two meters from the King and knelt on one knee.
"You… in the operation to reclaim Wall Maria… have shown great bravery…"
The King's voice was calm and measured. He supported his head with one hand, his eyes half-lidded, his dignified features making it difficult for anyone to look at him directly.
As Lillian recited his prepared response, he thought to himself: The nobles probably spent quite some effort finding an old man with this kind of appearance.
After all, in people's minds, a king ought to be imposing, solemn, and cold. And he had to be handsome. That wasn't a joke—across many nations, a good-looking monarch tended to earn more affection from the people. So in order to find a suitable figurehead, those nobles must have gone through considerable trouble.
"…Therefore, you are hereby awarded the Medal of Valor."
When the King finished his final sentence, the crowd burst into cheers. Lillian wasn't even sure what exactly they were cheering for. It seemed that once someone started, everyone else followed, like an infectious wave spreading through the masses—an emotional contagion that made people shout in unison.
An attendant stepped forward carrying a tray with a medal on it.
Lillian took it and pinned it to his chest, then expressed his gratitude to the King, once again emphasizing how proud he was to have participated in the campaign to reclaim Wall Maria.
The King nodded. With that, the spectacle came to an end.
"The King is truly benevolent to even award a Medal of Valor."
"I heard that's usually only given for feats like annihilating major bandit groups."
"Lucky kid. And he was even admitted to the Military Police by special exception."
"Really don't know what those people in the Underground are complaining about. Can't they see how generous the King is?"
As the crowd dispersed in conversation, Lillian stepped down from the platform. He removed the medal from his chest and casually slipped it into his pocket.
Just as he looked up to walk forward, he noticed someone standing a short distance ahead, watching him closely through his spectacles.
"…Commander Zachary. Good day."
Dhalis Zachary—the commander-in-chief of the three branches of the military—held an extraordinary position of authority. He had presided over Eren's trial and ultimately decided to entrust Eren to the Survey Corps, sparing him from dissection.
"Lillian Kafka, correct?" Zachary approached, his white hair gleaming in the sunlight. His features appeared kindly at first glance, yet there was an unmistakable sharpness beneath them.
He glanced briefly at Lillian's chest and smiled faintly. "You took the medal off rather quickly."
Lillian felt a slight stir of caution. "I was worried it might fall off, so I put it away."
Zachary nodded without confirming whether he believed him or not.
"You were only thirteen when you returned from beyond the walls, weren't you? Just a child. Must have been difficult."
"It was precisely because I was so young that the adults around me took special care of me. That's why I was able to come back."
Hearing this, Zachary suddenly laughed heartily, patting Lillian on the shoulder. "Is that so? Those adults were truly noble, then."
He turned to leave, adding over his shoulder, "Do your best. I have high hopes for you."
Lillian watched him depart, brows slightly furrowed.
He knew this old fox wouldn't be easy to fool. Still, could that last remark be interpreted as an attempt at recruitment?
After a moment's thought, he shook his head and continued walking. There was no time to dwell on such things—he needed to move forward at his own pace.
---
At the same time as this performance, the publishing and printing industries were working overtime.
Reporters on site recorded the exchange between the King and Lillian, quickly drafted articles, and rushed them to print. The next day's newspapers would be dominated entirely by this story.
After all, a spectacle meant nothing if no one saw it.
This was also meant for the families of those who died beyond the walls, and for the people of Wall Rose—to ease their resentment and discontent. Thus, by the next morning, the papers were in everyone's hands.
Including the Survey Corps.
In a small room, the core members of the Survey Corps sat around a table. Spread out before them was the newspaper, with Lillian Kafka's name prominently displayed.
"Lillian Kafka."
Erwin spoke first, dropping a bombshell: "I suspect he may be one of the intelligent Titans."
Levi, Hange, and Mike were all present, and they frowned in confusion at Erwin's conclusion.
"The operation to reclaim Wall Maria did not require children to participate," Erwin said. "So why did Lillian go? Wouldn't a thirteen-year-old be terrified of Titans?"
"Perhaps his family was killed by Titans and he wanted revenge," Mike suggested. "Children can act on emotion rather than reason. Maybe he just slipped out impulsively."
"You're not wrong," Erwin admitted. "However, according to later investigations, none of the other survivors recognized Lillian. No one had any memory of him. Of course, that alone isn't proof."
Erwin then placed another document on the table.
It was a statement from former Survey Corps Commander Keith. In it, he described how Lillian possessed abnormal strength—enough to dent a metal bar with a single punch.
"That's not something a child should be capable of," Hange said in astonishment. "No—even most adults couldn't do that without years of training. And according to this, it wasn't even a full-force strike."
Levi suddenly spoke. "But Eren didn't show anything like that."
"Correct," Erwin nodded. "Tests show that Eren's physical abilities in human form are within normal limits. But this assumes that we truly understand 'Titan power.'"
"What do you mean?" Hange asked.
Erwin's gaze grew deeper as he explained clearly: "Recall Eren's first transformation—he had no control and acted purely on instinct, attacking Titans. But in his second transformation, he was able to consciously lift a massive boulder in Titan form and seal the wall."
"So you're saying…"
"If that counts as a form of growth, then could it be possible that some of a Titan's strength eventually carries over into human form? Perhaps Eren simply hasn't reached that stage yet."
The room fell silent.
Everyone fell into deep thought.
If Lillian had heard Erwin's reasoning, he would probably have kneeled in admiration of his deductive imagination. It was a shame he was not in a detective novel.
Still, his logic made sense, so no one could refute him.
"But," Hange still could not understand one point. "If Lillian really is an intelligent Titan, then five years ago, when the wall fell, he could have simply blended in with the refugees and entered Wall Rose. Why then would he go out of his way to join the retaking operation?"
Erwin shook his head.
"I do not know."
This straightforward answer stunned everyone.
Erwin smiled faintly. "If I knew everything, that would be strange." He continued, "So for now, I only suspect that Lillian is a Titan, not conclude it. However, there will soon be a good opportunity to test this."