Gabi hadn't expected this; a surviving Middle Eastern soldier had taken refuge in her small room.
She didn't know where he had come from; to be honest, he looked like a savage.
His hair was a complete mess, like a bird's nest. His face was covered with scruffy stubble, and it was obvious he hadn't bathed in days, giving off a foul, sour stench.
If it weren't for his mud-stained uniform and wheat-colored skin, which made him recognizable, Gabi would have thought that a savage from the island had snuck into her home.
She had heard that some coalition soldiers had remained on the island in secret after deserting the coalition army out of fear of the Titans.
Only the warships capable of receiving telegrams had withdrawn; some soldiers had landed on the outskirts of Paradis Island, forming guerrilla units. They had lost contact with the main force and were simply carrying out their planned incursion inside the Walls.
There wasn't any particularly good way to deal with these people.
Even if they were told that their country had surrendered, many would still believe it was a lie, thinking that Paradis Island was trying to use false information to influence their judgment.
Paradis Island could only capture these soldiers while guaranteeing its own safety. Gabi had heard that her sister Pieck and her brother Colt were on the search team, working in another dangerous area.
But Gabi's village had already been searched; otherwise, they wouldn't have been allowed to return. Soldiers were stationed throughout the village.
This Middle Eastern soldier must have hidden somewhere inside the house, avoiding the search.
Gabi had carefully inspected the house before entering; the lock showed no signs of being tampered with. She had marked it with a note before leaving.
It was a habit she had picked up during military training: knowing whether the door had been opened.
Did he come in through the window?
Had he hidden under the bed or inside the closet to avoid the search?
Was he too afraid to leave because soldiers were outside, so he had been hiding in the room all this time?
Gabi speculated about the stranger's intentions. It was obvious that he was using Falco as a hostage.
He looked extremely agitated, emaciated, and his lips were badly cracked.
It was obvious that he hadn't eaten in a long time. Gabi remembered that when they left, they had taken everything edible from the house.
After all, it was summer, and food spoiled quickly. They didn't know how long they would be gone; leaving food in the pantry would only result in a pile of mold by the time they returned.
There was no point in investigating how long this person had been hiding in Gabi's house.
Falco opening the door had startled him. He had probably been watching from the shadows, and only when he realized there was no escape did he rush out and take Falco hostage.
A teenager—there was no better hostage.
Gabi raised her hands, keeping her distance from the Middle Eastern soldier.
She was terrified; this man was probably not thinking clearly, and the slightest provocation might make him pull the trigger. Gabi didn't want to lose any more friends or family.
"Please calm down, sir..." Gabi said as gently as possible. "The war is over, so... let Falco go."
Falco was tightly held by the neck, unable to move.
"Soldier, how about taking me hostage instead of that idiot?" Gabi suggested in a trembling voice before adding, "Look, I'm a girl, so I'm definitely easier to control than a boy, and..."
Gabi remembered something and pulled a half-eaten piece of bread from her pocket.
"You must be hungry! Do you want something to eat?"
Fortunately, it worked. The Middle Eastern soldier visibly reacted.
However, he didn't seem to understand the Marleyan language and didn't respond to Gabi's words.
Gabi smiled, placed the bread on the ground on top of a handkerchief, and then stepped back.
She tried to calm the man, and the tactic worked. The soldier stared at the dry, half-eaten bread for a long time without moving.
But then an unexpected situation occurred: the soldiers stationed in the village were drawn by the commotion.
The armed soldiers raised their weapons and aimed them at the Middle Eastern soldier.
Someone shouted a warning in a Middle Eastern language, "Release that boy immediately! Surrender or you will die!"
This only enraged the man even more. Gabi saw the veins on his temple bulge as he held Falco tightly, shouting at the top of his lungs.
The soldiers dispersed the crowd and also escorted Gabi to the outer perimeter.
"Please, don't provoke him!" Gabi pleaded with the tall soldier.
The soldiers ignored Gabi; eliminating threats was their priority.
Gabi's fears came true.
Bang!
The Middle Eastern soldier fired into the air.
The atmosphere became extremely tense. The soldiers cocked their weapons while snipers took positions on higher ground.
The Middle Eastern soldier roared, pressing the barrel of his rifle firmly against Falco's temple.
At that moment, a man dressed in gray civilian clothes stepped out of the crowd and walked straight toward the Middle Eastern soldier.
"No!" Gabi cried out in fear. "Don't provoke him!"
She pushed forward, and the soldier pointed his weapon at the man.
The soldier's hand trembled. He fired, but missed.
The man silently looked at the soldier, his eyes filled not with hatred, but with compassion.
He slowly approached and took the soldier's hand. Only then did Gabi notice that the man's palm was covered with a layer of crystallized glass, leaving a crystalline trail with every step.
The man was Gale, who had controlled the hardened crystals of his War Hammer, freezing the Middle Eastern soldier's hand and sealing the weapon within its casing.
Gale felt a stab of irony. He himself had launched the nuclear bomb, killing hundreds of thousands of people, and now he was standing there, feeling sympathy for this soldier.
The soldier was terrified. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his head and trembling like a frightened animal, calling someone's name.
Gale had a basic understanding of Middle Eastern languages and realized that the soldier was only calling for his "Mom."
Falco collapsed to the ground, coughing. Gale helped him to his feet.
"Go over there. I'm fine now."
"Thank you..." Falco looked at Gale, then ran to the side and hugged Gabi.
Gale knelt down and picked up the piece of bread Gabi had shared.
He patted the soldier on the shoulder and handed him the bread.
Suddenly, the soldier burst into tears like a child, although his eyes were too dry to shed a single tear.
"Who is that?" Gabi and Falco stared at Gale's departing figure.
"He's handsome, isn't he?" a gentle female voice whispered into Historia's ear.
Historia smiled, holding a bottle of water.
"That's just the kind of person he is."
"Who wouldn't like him?"
Historia walked over to Gale and handed him the bottle of water.
The sobbing soldier ate the bread and drank the water.
Gale embraced him and said sincerely, "My friend, the war is over."