The Survey Corps arrived in the Stohess District two days later.
Commander Erwin immediately sought out Nile, the commander of the Military Police. Nile was still in his office, buried under paperwork, the heavy dark circles under his eyes making it clear how badly he'd been sleeping.
"Erwin, you're finally here."
Seeing Erwin, Nile felt a genuine sense of relief. Even though he'd never quite liked this old classmate, he knew perfectly well how capable Erwin was—especially when it came to investigation and deduction.
"Nile, these past few days must've been rough," Erwin said as he took a seat across from him.
"You think?" Nile waved the thick stack of documents in his hand. "Look at this—this is just one day's worth. There's no helping it. There weren't many Military Police in Stohess to begin with—less than two hundred total. And now? A full quarter of them are dead!"
He couldn't help but curse. "Damn it—what really pisses me off is that the Titan didn't go after the walls at all, but specifically destroyed Military Police headquarters. Who knows what the hell it was thinking!"
"...Maybe that person really hates the Military Police," Erwin said calmly.
"Hey, Erwin, I didn't call you here to joke around," Nile snapped. "Help me find that bastard already! The higher-ups are breathing down my neck!"
"I'm not joking." Erwin picked up one of the files on the desk and began flipping through it. "If the enemy's goal was to destroy Military Police headquarters, then the motive must be hatred—personal revenge. Is this Lillian's testimony?"
Erwin lifted a sheet of paper bearing Lillian's signature, along with a written statement.
"'Tall build, wearing a cloak, hood pulled over the head.' That's his description of the Titan's human form?"
"Yes." Nile nodded, troubled. "It's way too vague. There are far too many tall men like that. We've been screening people for three or four days already and arrested over forty men who couldn't provide alibis. They can't all be Titans, can they?"
"..."
Erwin didn't comment on that point. Instead, he asked something else. "Nile, I think there's something unusual about this case. The appearance of an intelligent Titan this time was most likely driven by personal grudges or the desire for revenge. From that angle, I need to understand more about the internal situation of the Stohess District Military Police."
He looked up at Nile. "Nile—tell me the truth."
"..."
Nile fell silent at Erwin's words, his expression turning grim, as though what he was about to say was difficult to admit.
But under Erwin's steady gaze, he hesitated only briefly before speaking.
"Erwin… the truth is, this branch is completely rotten." Nile said heavily. "From the division commander down to the rank-and-file Military Police, they're all connected to the local bandits. There's profit-sharing involved. Of course, the biggest cut goes to the division commander, and then he passes some of it down so his subordinates go along with him."
"Don't look at me like that, Erwin. Do you think I wanted things to turn out this way?" Nile let out a bitter laugh. "To be honest, I don't have that much authority. Even as commander, all I can do is make those wolves appear obedient on the surface. Especially the division commander in Stohess—he comes from a noble family in the capital and was assigned here directly after graduation. What could I possibly do about that? The Military Police are rotten from the root up."
Erwin nodded. He already knew what the Military Police were like, but even so, he was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected an entire branch to be tied to bandits—it spoke volumes about how dark things truly were.
"Of course, there are also recruits who join with ideals," Nile said with a self-mocking smile. "They want to eliminate evil, uphold justice, that sort of thing. But people like that don't last a month in the Military Police before getting kicked out and transferred to wall defense on the front lines. If you want to stay, you have no choice but to go along with the filth."
"...Nile, I remember when we graduated from the cadet corps, you said you wanted to join the Military Police to serve the people."
Nile waved his hand dismissively. "What's the point of bringing that up now? Erwin, we're not kids anymore."
Erwin fell silent for a moment, then continued, "But this year's new recruits are a bit different, aren't they?"
Nile looked at him in surprise. "You even keep an eye on Military Police recruits?"
Erwin thought to himself: Only one of them.
"Indeed," Nile said. "This batch… mainly because of Lillian. That kid has methods, ability, and a sense of justice—at least, it seems that way. And of course, luck. Most importantly, luck."
Nile continued, "If it weren't for the fact that he was received by the king and awarded a Medal of Valor, there's no way a brand-new recruit would've become a squad leader."
Erwin nodded. That was true—no matter how capable you were, you wouldn't be promoted straight out of training. How would the others feel about that? Especially in a government institution like this.
In a results-only sales company, if a newcomer outperformed the director in every way, the boss might promote them the very next day. But organizations tied to government systems were completely different. No matter the world, seniority mattered.
Even the supposedly "freest" Survey Corps were no exception. Back then, Erwin's abilities weren't lacking. His long-distance enemy scouting formation drastically reduced casualties—everyone could see its value. But was it immediately adopted corps-wide? No. Keith Shadis rejected it outright. And if Keith hadn't later stepped down voluntarily, would Erwin have ever become commander?
Even if he had, it likely wouldn't have happened until after Keith's death.
"So the veterans definitely weren't happy with him," Nile said. "But Lillian is special too. He never mixes with the old hands—he only stays with his own squad. They're all new recruits, not yet tainted by the Military Police's bad habits. And under Lillian's leadership, they never picked them up at all."
"That made those dozen or so recruits a completely independent force," Nile continued. "The veterans couldn't do anything to them. Lillian protected them, and Lillian himself had the king's Medal of Valor backing him. No one dared provoke him casually."
"I see," Erwin said. "In that case, Lillian must've seriously infringed on their interests. The bandit groups in Stohess that were wiped out recently—the ones reported in the newspapers—that was him, wasn't it?"
Nile nodded, then suddenly seemed to realize something. He frowned slightly.
"Erwin… what exactly are you leading me toward?"
Erwin said nothing.
Nile narrowed his eyes. "You've been subtly steering the conversation toward the conflict between Lillian and the other Military Police this whole time… Are you suspecting that this was Lillian's doing? That he knows the Titan?"
Erwin clasped his hands together, his gaze sharp and piercing.
"Nile. Think bigger. Be bolder. What if Lillian is that Titan?"