"Wall Maria?"
"Yeah," Ymir said. "They're planning to begin the operation to retake Wall Maria next week. During this week, they'll be conducting route reconnaissance. Commander Erwin sent someone over, hoping we could assist."
"…"
That made sense. Now that the coup was over and things inside the walls were gradually stabilizing, it was time to get back to real work.
And that "real work" was, of course, reclaiming lost territory.
If this operation succeeded, it would greatly boost public support and provide strong 'political achievements' for the coup itself. It would show the people that the coup had led to real, tangible results—not just handing out food or glowing stones, but actually defeating Titans.
After all, distributing food only treated the symptoms, not the root cause. With productivity still low, hunger was inevitable. But if Wall Maria were reclaimed, the lost farmland would be recovered, and hunger could be eliminated almost overnight. At the very least, as long as people worked hard, they wouldn't starve.
Lillian had actually been thinking about this for a long time as well. It was just that so many chaotic things had happened recently that the matter had been pushed aside.
"If they want our assistance," Lillian said, "then they're probably asking for Titan power support."
"Obviously," Ymir replied. "They've probably set their sights on Annie. With how fast she is, she could lure the Titans away along the route, letting the Survey Corps charge straight through."
She chuckled as she spoke. "Though I doubt they know someone just made Annie cry."
"…"
"Honestly, I'm pretty curious myself," Ymir continued, eyeing him. "With her personality, she's not the type to cry easily. So tell me—what exactly did you do to that innocent girl?"
Lillian sighed and told her about Bertholdt.
After hearing the whole story, Ymir's expression became complicated.
Lillian knew why. Ymir herself had eaten Marcel and turned back into a human. Because of that, she had a strong psychological aversion to the idea of 'inheritance through consumption'—along with deep guilt.
"Ymir," Lillian said, "you're thinking about your own situation again. You know you didn't have a choice back then, right?"
"…Yeah."
Ymir rarely looked so serious. She nodded. "But I saw his memories. That kid named Marcel… those memories…" She pressed a hand to her forehead. "He was just a kid who wanted his family to live safely. That's all."
"…"
After a moment of thought, Lillian asked, "Do you really think that kind of 'safety' was genuine safety?"
Ymir fell silent.
"In my eyes, that wasn't safety," Lillian said. "That was charity. Charity that grants you protection, charity that gives you food… and then one day, if they're in a bad mood, no matter how much you've contributed, they can slaughter you at will."
"Why pursue this kind of livestock-like security? Why?" Lillian continued. "At first, I thought the same way those Warriors did. But I don't anymore. Others are never reliable. Only by relying on yourself—only by yourself—can you obtain peace and safety. Anything given by others is fake."
Ymir frowned slightly. "Lillian, I admit what you're saying makes sense. But if you were given two choices—one is fake peace, and the other is total annihilation after a failed struggle—which would you choose?"
"You already know my answer."
"…Yeah. Honestly, what a stupid question." Ymir laughed at herself. "I've been around you for too long—my brain must be getting worse."
"Ymir, barely surviving like that really isn't meaningful," Lillian said, turning his gaze toward the window. "After I 'died' once, I finally figured it out. In that moment, what I thought about wasn't the safe life I had lived before. What I thought about… were all the moments when I didn't have the courage to do what I truly wanted to do."
"Regret."
"Someone who has already died once—you can kill him again, but you can't defeat him. Because once a person understands what he truly wants and is willing to act on it, he becomes undefeated. He can be destroyed, but he cannot be beaten."
Ymir silently looked at Lillian. He smiled at her.
"Even if it all ends in failure, being able to smile and say 'I don't regret it'—that's enough."
"…Is that so? Shorty, you really are…"
A pretty interesting person.
---
Dungeon, Third Level
This level held the most vicious criminals. Each prisoner had a private cell, shackles on hands and feet, and guards stationed outside every door. Escape was nearly impossible.
Yet in the innermost cell, three female soldiers stood watch. The woman inside was well-dressed and well-groomed, unlike the other prisoners who were disheveled and filthy. Even in prison, she lived with dignity.
Click.
The lock was opened. The woman looked up, and when she saw who it was, a gentle smile appeared on her face.
"What brings you here? If I remember correctly, your name is Annie, right? What a rare guest."
"..."
Annie stared at the beautiful woman before her.
It was none other than Carly Stratmann—the daughter of Elliot Stratmann, head of the Stratmann family, whom Annie and Lillian had investigated together before.
The woman who manufactured Coderoin.
The "death chemist."
Why had she come to see her?
Annie didn't really know herself. After running out of Lillian's office, then out of headquarters, she suddenly realized something—
She had nowhere to go. And there was no one she could confide in.
She didn't have many people she was close to. The familiar faces from the 104th were all in the Survey Corps. The only ones here were Lillian and her roommate Hitch. But Hitch was busy working, and Annie didn't want to disturb her.
That was it. There was no one else.
She wandered along the streets aimlessly, until Carly suddenly came to mind. They had only met once, but Annie had felt that Carly was intelligent and easy to talk to. And so, almost without realizing it, she came here. Yet now that she had arrived, she didn't know what to say.
Glancing at the red wine on the table inside the cell, Annie finally spoke.
"You seem to be doing pretty well in here."
"Yes," Carly smiled. "Thanks to your captain's care. He comes to see me occasionally and talks with me. Ah—no, that's not right. I heard from the girl guarding me that he's now the commander of the Central Guard Corps, and also a deputy commander? That's impressive. He's not even twenty yet, is he?"
"..."
Annie was still angry at Lillian, and just hearing his name made her expression darken.
Carly, being a highly perceptive woman, noticed immediately and smiled faintly.
"Oh? Did he make you angry?" she said. "Come to think of it, when I first met the two of you, I thought you were both adorable."
Annie's face immediately darkened further.
"Black hair and dark eyes, blond hair and blue eyes—both good-looking. You're both so young, yet far more reliable than those veteran soldiers. I remember thinking back then that you two were a perfect match."
"What are you talking about?!"
"Oh dear, sorry, sorry." Seeing Annie's strong reaction, Carly waved her hands apologetically with a smile. "Let's change the subject then. I've heard things have been turned upside down outside lately. Could you tell me about it? I live quite comfortably in here, but I don't know much about what's happening out there."