Xiate nodded slightly at White Fish's words and leaned against his shoulder once more.
To Xiate, wherever White Fish was, that was home.
Beside them, Eren curled his lip, clearly dissatisfied with White Fish's words. What was the difference between curling up inside the walls and being livestock? Humans should be free!
White Fish naturally knew what he was thinking, but for now, he just wanted to slack off and pass the time.
As the boat gradually entered Wall Rose—since they were traveling by water and were among the first to know Wall Maria had been breached—there weren't many fleeing citizens when they arrived.
However, areas for refugees to stay had been demarcated in advance.
He decided to make the best of it. After all, Wall Maria accounted for nearly half the area inside the walls; the loss of so much land would lead to a shortage of crops and other resources on the fringes.
'This is a bit tricky,' he thought, looking at Armin's grandfather, Carla, and Yi Shi. He wasn't sure if they would be sent to reclaim wasteland or forced to participate in that so-called Wall Maria reclamation war.
Feeling a bit of a headache, he rubbed his temples and simply leaned against the wall, slowly closing his eyes as if he had fallen asleep.
As time passed, many refugees fled from Wall Maria into Wall Rose and were placed in various refugee camps. Even so, nearly a hundred thousand people flooded in on the first day. At night, they slept on cloths spread directly on the ground; that was their bed.
The breakfast, lunch, and dinner provided daily consisted of very dry bread, and the quantity wasn't much. Initially, there was enough for everyone to get one, but as the days went by and nearly 150,000 refugees swarmed into the cities of Wall Rose, the internal food reserves began to deplete rapidly. Eventually, they couldn't even provide bread to everyone.
The three of them began to worry about Eren's father, Grisha Jaeger.
But there was still no news of him.
Prices in the cities of Wall Rose rose sharply, leading many locals to complain about why the people from Wall Maria were taking their food. Some even grumbled about why they hadn't just died outside.
White Fish and the others were aware of this. Eren was furious, but Mikasa punched him and dragged him back. However, because of his impulsiveness, their dinner was gone.
White Fish then had to find a way to get some food from the soldiers of the Garrison Regiment.
A few days later, White Fish heard some rumors. It seemed a portion of the Wall Maria refugees would start reclaiming wasteland, while another portion would be called to participate in the Wall Maria reclamation war.
White Fish knew all these plot points, but...
Just as White Fish was preparing to do something, a dark shadow suddenly loomed over him. Beside him, Xiate grabbed White Fish's hand, looking cautious.
White Fish looked up and saw a man with an aura that commanded trust. He had blond hair and eyes that seemed to hide a sharp, eagle-like gaze.
Looking at the wings of freedom emblem of the Survey Corps on the man's uniform, White Fish instantly realized who he was: the Commander of the Survey Corps, one of the three major regiments within the human walls—Erwin Smith!
There were three major regiments within the walls.
The Garrison Regiment, responsible for guarding the walls and preventing Titans from destroying them, had an emblem of two thorny roses.
The Survey Corps, which ventured out to fight Titans and glimpse the world outside the walls, had the wings of freedom as its emblem—a pair of blue and white wings.
The Military Police Brigade, responsible for maintaining order among the citizens within the walls and protecting the royal family and high-ranking officials, had a noble unicorn as its emblem.
But why was he looking for him?
"You are..."
The other party spoke directly and to the point.
"I am the leader of the Survey Corps' elite squad, Erwin Smith. You can just call me Erwin."
Oh, right, he isn't the Commander yet, but it should be soon.
"Then, Captain Erwin, is there something you need?"
White Fish spoke flatly, shielding Xiate behind him while looking at the man in front of him.
Seeing the vigilance and maturity in White Fish that didn't match his age, the corners of Erwin's mouth curled slightly. He gestured to a soldier nearby.
Then, the Survey Corps soldier stepped forward and dropped a cloth bag in front of him. With a clatter of metal, the bag opened to reveal a pile of Omni-Directional Mobility Gear parts. Although incomplete and missing many precision components, White Fish recognized it at a glance—it was the gear he had used before.
'Is he that bored?'
Realizing something, White Fish grumbled inwardly.
Not far away, Eren and the others were drawn to the situation, but they were blocked by another Survey Corps soldier.
Seeing that he'd been caught red-handed, White Fish simply sat back against the wall. Xiate hugged him tightly from the side.
"So, Captain Erwin, what is this?"
Looking at White Fish, who didn't seem to want to admit it, Erwin simply spoke calmly.
"Your movements with the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear are very beautiful. How about I give you an opportunity?"
There was no emotion in Erwin's eyes; they were very cold.
White Fish let out a long sigh.
I'm screwed. If I'd known... but there was no helping it. I can only say I had bad luck and he caught me. He's using the crime of stealing the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear to make me comply. He probably spotted me when I was fleeing with Senior Sister Shi Shi.
White Fish knew very well what level of skill it took to slay Titans while carrying someone through the air with such ease of movement.
If he didn't go, he didn't doubt the man might even throw him into a pack of Titans to force him to show his strength. He knew exactly what kind of person Erwin was—someone who would do anything to uncover the truth outside the walls.
"I say, Captain Erwin, I'm just a kid around ten years old. There's no need for this..."
But Erwin just stared at him calmly, making White Fish feel a bit creeped out. His mouth twitched—yep, he was screwed.
He then stood up, patted the dust off his clothes, and could only look at Erwin with a smile.
"What kind of opportunity..."
"Follow me."
Leaving those words behind, Erwin turned and walked into the distance. White Fish shrugged, signaled to Eren and the others that he was fine, and followed him.
"Wait a minute."
The Survey Corps soldier nearby seemed to want to stop Xiate. White Fish stopped walking, held her hand, and showed no intention of moving, simply looking at Erwin.
Erwin glanced back slightly and said calmly.
"Let her come along too."
As the two followed behind Erwin toward the exit, Eren and the others still didn't know what was happening. They could only watch from behind as they were led away.