"Hange, I'm entrusting the Survey Corps to you. I hope you can lead these Wings of Freedom well."
Wearing a formal military uniform, Erwin handed the folded flag bearing the Wings of Freedom emblem in his arms to Hange. Under the watchful eyes of hundreds of Survey Corps soldiers and representatives from other regiments and factions, Commander Erwin passed the position of Survey Corps commander to Hange Zoe.
Looking at the Wings of Freedom flag in her hands, Hange's expression was complicated. She slightly raised her head and spoke in a low voice that only she and Erwin could hear.
"Erwin, you know it. I'm not suited to be the commander. I'm not cut out for it. Why not let Mike take it instead?"
Erwin smiled and patted her shoulder.
"You won't know if you don't try. Mike and Levi both strongly support you becoming the commander. Your subordinates do too, and so do the soldiers of the Survey Corps. Everyone trusts you very much, Hange."
Hange was stunned when she heard this. She turned her head to look.
Sure enough, most of the Survey Corps soldiers were watching her with anticipation in their eyes. Old comrades like Ness and Mike, as well as her own subordinates, were all smiling as if encouraging her. Even that guy who always wore a dead-fish expression all day had, for once, the corners of his mouth lifted.
At that moment, Hange felt a sense of responsibility rise from within her. An unknown strength seemed to encourage her to straighten her back.
Erwin suddenly let out a powerful shout at just the right moment.
"Everyone! The new commander of the Survey Corps, Hange Zoe, has taken office! She will lead the Survey Corps forward, for the future of humanity and the future of Eldia! Dedicate your hearts!"
Erwin clenched his right fist and forcefully struck it against the left side of his chest.
Immediately, the hundreds of Survey Corps soldiers below were infected by the fervor. One after another, they placed their right fists against their left chests and shouted loudly.
"Dedicate your hearts!"
Including Eren and the others, the Survey Corps soldiers all shouted the declaration of dedicating their hearts for humanity. On the stage, Hange was also extremely moved. Holding the Wings of Freedom flag before her, she joined in shouting the slogan as well.
Amid such passionate fervor, Hange Zoe officially became the fourteenth commander of the Survey Corps.
Representatives from other regiments and factions at the scene also applauded to celebrate for the Survey Corps. On another high platform, Commander-in-Chief Zackly and a group of council representatives watched the scene cheerfully as witnesses.
To be honest, the several hundred Survey Corps soldiers themselves weren't particularly worthy of attention from these powerful figures. More than anything, they were here out of respect for Erwin—or rather, for the Queen.
Yes, Historia, dressed in a magnificent gown, was also cheering for the Survey Corps from the throne at this moment. Her flushed cheeks made Ymir, who stood beside her, stare blankly in fascination.
But where there is joy, there is also worry. Among the crowd, several gazes directed toward Hange were anything but friendly.
Arno, dressed in the uniform of the Military Police, had a cold expression. Looking at the excited Hange and the Survey Corps soldiers shouting their slogans, he unconsciously revealed a trace of mocking laughter.
"Dedicate their hearts for humanity? Don't they understand the situation we Eldians are in?" Arno whispered to Lance beside him.
Lance frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Arno sneered.
"Stop pretending you don't understand. Don't you know what kind of person this Commander Hange is? Don't you know her attitude toward our Imperial Faction? With such a thorn in our side around, how are we supposed to develop?"
Lance fell silent for a moment before speaking helplessly.
"Arno, don't you think what we're doing now has strayed somewhat from our original intention? We wanted to restore the glory of the Eldians—not scheme against our own people."
"If we can't even unite internally, how could we possibly restore the glory of the Eldians? There are always those naive fools who place their hopes on negotiating peace with other countries. Peace talks? What nonsense! Haven't the Eldian Restorationists already told us enough? The humans in the outside world don't even treat us Eldians as people. Why should we negotiate with them?"
Arno questioned Lance relentlessly, leaving Lance speechless.
But Lance still had his bottom line.
"No matter what, we cannot raise our hands against our own people. Arno, that's our line."
Arno curled his lips.
"Of course…"
But the look in his eyes was far from friendly.
Lance noticed the gloomy gaze in Arno's eyes and was about to say something, but the voice that suddenly came from behind them made both of them freeze for a moment.
"Seniors! Are you interested in learning about our Eldian Revival Army?"
The speaker was a young man with a youthful face, wearing a uniform bearing the emblem of a sword of subjugation. A young training soldier from the Training Corps?
The brown-haired training soldier held a stack of leaflets and was distributing them among the soldiers gathered to watch the Survey Corps commander handover ceremony, tirelessly explaining the ideas of what he called the Eldian Revival Army.
Arno and Lance each took a leaflet.
Arno merely glanced over it briefly before crumpling the leaflet into a ball with disdain.
"Nothing but nonsense. All empty talk!"
Lance, however, read it very carefully, and the expression on his face seemed to be contemplating something.
Arno looked at the young training soldier holding the leaflets, his expression somewhat unnatural. What exactly was this suddenly emerging Eldian Revival Army? Had it really been developing this rapidly recently? Arno noticed that quite a few soldiers around him showed interest while reading the leaflets, which made him feel threatened.
"Alex! So you're here? Have you finished handing out all the leaflets?"
A blonde girl wearing the same Training Corps uniform came running over while panting.
Alex quickly waved his arms. When he saw the girl's empty hands, he let out an exclamation.
"Wow, Luise! You've already handed them all out? That fast?"
Luise proudly rubbed her nose.
"Of course! Hurry up. I came here to help you. It's not easy to catch a rest day like today—we have to work hard to promote the Eldian Revival Army!"
Alex nodded vigorously in agreement.
Looking at the two energetic young training soldiers, even the usually rigid Lance couldn't help but reveal a rare smile.
"The young soldiers nowadays are really full of vitality."
Arno said nothing. He tossed away the paper ball in his hand and left without even turning his head.
Within the crowd, someone else had been paying close attention to the movements of Arno and Lance.
Floch, dressed in plain clothes, stood with his arms crossed, leaning against a nearby wall not far from the two. He had been observing their behavior the whole time. Only when Commander Erwin announced that Hange had become the new commander of the Survey Corps did Floch shift his gaze.
Facing Hange and Erwin, Floch silently gave them a respectful salute.
...
(PS: Alex — the boy Yago encountered by chance in Chapter 57. Luise — the girl Mikasa once saved in the Trost District.)