Three days later.
Lillian arrived at the Survey Corps headquarters with Krista, Ymir, and Annie.
Holding the discussion on Survey Corps territory had been Lillian's suggestion. In truth, he had no reason to oppose them—if anything, ensuring the island's safety made their strength indispensable. This proposal was his way of openly extending goodwill.
Erwin accepted that goodwill. At the same time, participation in the meeting was strictly limited.
Erwin. Hange. Mike. Levi. Lillian. Krista.
Six people in total. Yes—Krista's presence was specifically requested by Lillian. He wanted her to hear what was about to be said. He wanted her to know.
As for others—like Eren and his group—there was no benefit in them knowing yet. Especially Eren. With his impulsive nature, learning the truth now might provoke something disastrous. For the time being, the number of people involved had to be tightly controlled.
"Let's begin," Erwin said.
All eyes turned to Lillian, waiting for the "truth" he was about to reveal.
"Commander Erwin," Lillian said calmly, "you already had a suspicion, didn't you? The moment you learned Eren could transform into a Titan, a solid idea took shape in your mind."
Erwin remained silent.
In the original course of events, Erwin died before the secrets were fully revealed. But to say he had no suspicions would be a gross underestimation of him.
In fact, even his father—a mere teacher—had been able to infer that history was fabricated. And that was without knowing humans could become Titans. Erwin, armed with far more information, naturally formed an even stronger hypothesis. What he lacked was proof.
"If the enemy were human," Lillian continued, "then why destroy the walls? Wouldn't that lead to humanity's extinction? And what benefit would that bring them?"
As he spoke, Erwin finally voiced the thought he had never shared with anyone.
"…Unless," Erwin said slowly, "there are other humans living outside the walls."
"…"
No one in the room looked particularly shocked. Only Krista appeared truly surprised, struggling to process what she had just heard.
After all, whether in history books or in what adults had taught them, the world beyond the walls was always described as a paradise for Titans, while humanity inside the walls was portrayed as the last remaining spark of civilization.
Yet intelligent people had always vaguely sensed that something about this history was wrong.
Sherlock Holmes once said: "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
The same logic applied here. As long as someone wasn't insane, their actions would always have a motive. The Titans who destroyed the walls had acted with clear coordination—they were not mad beasts, but more like well-trained soldiers.
So what was their motive?
Eliminate every impossible explanation, and what remained was exactly what Erwin had just said: humans still existed outside the walls.
"That's right," Lillian confirmed calmly. "Humans do exist beyond the walls. And compared to them, the population inside the walls is nothing more than a drop in the ocean."
The expressions of everyone present grew heavy. Everyone—except Erwin.
The corners of Erwin's mouth lifted slightly, and a strange light flickered in his eyes.
"Hey, Erwin," Levi said coldly. "What are you smiling about?"
Erwin snapped back to himself and restrained his smile, though he couldn't hide the curiosity burning in his gaze.
"Nothing. Please continue, Lillian."
"Mm…"
Lillian knew exactly why Erwin had smiled. If there were a ranking of curiosity about the outside world within the walls, Erwin would unquestionably place at—or near—the top. Part of it was his personality. The other part was because he carried his father's unfinished life with him.
A large reason Erwin had joined the Survey Corps was to prove that his father had been right. To find the evidence that would vindicate him.
And now, that moment had finally arrived.
Erwin steadied his slightly trembling hands and waited for Lillian to continue.
"Everyone here should understand the concept of a 'world.'"
As he spoke, Lillian picked up a piece of paper and drew a circle on it.
"The world is vast. And the humanity inside the walls actually lives on a massive island."
"An island?" Levi frowned, clearly unfamiliar with the term.
"To understand what an island is, you first need to understand the ocean," Lillian explained. "The ocean refers to vast bodies of water that cover a large portion of the world. They divide the land, and land completely surrounded by water is called an island."
"The ocean…" Hange murmured, staring at Lillian in disbelief. "I've read about it in books. I never thought it actually existed."
"It does."
"So that means," Mike spoke up, "other humans don't live on this island, but on other islands?"
"That's right. And some islands are so large that they're no longer called islands, but 'continents,'" Lillian said. "On those continents, there may be many countries. Each country can easily have millions, tens of millions—hundreds of millions of people."
"…"
The sheer scale of the numbers was staggering.
The total population within the walls barely exceeded one million. Compared to the outside world, that number didn't even amount to a rounding error.
"Then our enemies," Erwin said sharply, "are humans from other nations."
His thoughts moved quickly, each conclusion precise.
"And if history itself is false, then something enormous must have happened to our country in the past. And Lillian… perhaps you, too, are from another nation?"
"Yes."
Although the body Lillian inhabited belonged to an Eldian, his nationality was Marleyan. Calling him a foreigner wasn't wrong.
"I arrived on this island by ship," Lillian continued. "A ship is a means of transportation across the ocean—much like a carriage on land."
As he spoke, Krista looked at him, and a powerful sense of unfamiliarity suddenly washed over her.
She had thought she understood him—at least a little. But as he revealed truths so overwhelming they reshaped the world itself, she realized she still knew almost nothing about him.
Someone who had once felt close now seemed impossibly distant.
Lillian noticed her reaction. He turned to her and smiled gently before continuing.
"The country I come from is called Marley. And that country… is the focus of what I'm about to explain today."
While world-shaking secrets were being unveiled inside that small meeting room, in a quiet corner outside, Reiner and Bertholdt finally encountered someone they had been wanting—and failing—to meet for quite some time.
"Annie… how have you been lately?" Bertholdt asked awkwardly.
She looked no different than before. And yet, for some reason, he sensed that something—something important—had changed.
"Now's not the time for meaningless chatter," Reiner said sternly, staring at Annie.
"Why didn't you show up during the expedition outside the walls? You received my letter, didn't you?"
Annie glanced at him. "I couldn't get leave that day. There was an emergency patrol."
"What a coincidence," Reiner said coldly.
"Hey, Reiner," Bertholdt interjected quickly, trying to smooth things over. "Don't be like that. It's not Annie's fault. If she'd insisted on taking leave, it would've raised suspicion."
"So what?" Reiner snapped.
He looked agitated, his square face tight with anxiety.
"It's been five years. Five years on this island, and we still haven't achieved anything. If we can just take Eren—"
He stopped himself, rubbing his brow.
"And lately, I don't even know what the commanders are planning. That secret operation the other day—none of us new recruits were told anything."
"…"
"I know the commanders probably have their reasons," Reiner continued, voice strained. "But if information isn't shared, how are we supposed to fight the Titans? At this rate, the walls could be breached again. Humanity's on the brink of extinction…"
"Reiner," Annie frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Beside them, Bertholdt looked troubled, clearly used to this by now.
"Damn it!"
Reiner suddenly realized what he had said. He clutched his head with both hands, teeth clenched, his body trembling violently.
"Reiner, it's happening again," Annie said coldly.
Reiner stayed silent.
"It's been getting more frequent lately," Bertholdt said quietly. "I think we really need to return home as soon as possible… and maybe see a psychiatrist."
"What nonsense are you spouting, Bertholdt?!" Reiner snapped, glaring at him.
The struggle in his eyes faded somewhat as he forced himself to calm down.
"I'm fine. But we do need to go back soon. We're running out of time. We have to find an opportunity to take Eren."
He paused, his voice lowering.
"I'm doing this to minimize casualties inside the walls. After all… we've lived among them for years. I don't want to see them wiped out either. If we ensure they no longer possess any threatening power, maybe Marley won't completely annihilate them."
"Can you stop talking?" Annie said flatly. "You're making me nauseous."
"…"
Reiner shot her a cold look. Then, suddenly, suspicion flickered across his face.
"Let me ask you something, Annie," he said.
"A few days ago, the newspaper reported that the Military Police headquarters in Stohess District was destroyed by explosives. That really happened, didn't it?"
Annie's heart skipped slightly.
"Of course," she replied. "What else could it be?"
"No, I just find it a little strange," Reiner said.
"The day after the explosion, the Commander led people out on a secret mission. Was he heading to your side? If that's the case, why would the Survey Corps be needed to deal with something like an explosion investigation? I really don't get it."
---
Woo—! Woo—!
As the ship's horn echoed across the sea, the warship finally came to a halt.
On the deck stood several soldiers and a man.
He was tall, with slightly disheveled long hair. His refined features were framed by a pair of round glasses, which softened the sharpness of his face and gave him an air of quiet elegance.
"So we've finally arrived," he said.
"Yaeger," one of the soldiers said to him, "bring back something useful this time. Don't be like those useless pieces of trash—years have passed and they still haven't produced a single piece of good news."
The man nodded calmly.
Another soldier suddenly seemed to remember something.
"By the way, that little bastard from five years ago—the one who killed a general's child, sneaked onto a ship, and slaughtered everyone aboard. Wonder what happened to him."
"Hah? Probably starved to death by now."
"Or got eaten by a Titan."
"Yeah, makes sense. No way a kid like that could've crossed the plains."
So… is that brat dead?
Zeke Jaeger gazed toward the distant plains, his eyes seeming to pierce through the vast distance and rest upon the towering walls far away.
If he didn't die, then he must be one hell of a guy.
And someone like that… I'd really like to meet.