The perspective returns to the main story.
"Soldiers! Do you know what you're doing?! You were once proud Military Police, and it should have been your honor to defend the royal family! But what about now? What you're doing now is completely betraying your honor!
Take a good look at the unicorn emblem on your chests! If you wake up now, it's not too late! Don't let a moment of ignorance destroy the honor of your entire life!"
Beneath the city walls, Commander Randy held a loudspeaker and shouted furiously at the coup-supporting Military Police on the wall.
It had to be said, Randy's words did stir some of the Military Police. Not all of them truly wanted to take part in the coup. The Imperial Faction only made up a little over half of the Military Police forces; many of the others had simply been coerced into joining by their superiors.
On top of the wall, seeing some of his subordinates beginning to waver, a Military Police officer from the Imperial Faction immediately shouted,
"Don't listen to that man's nonsense! Everything we're doing is truly for the sake of the royal family! That brat sitting on the throne is nothing but a puppet propped up by those politicians! What our Eldian Empire needs is a real king! Only a true king can lead us toward a brighter future! And now, let me tell you— the true king who will lead us to that future is Arno! Arno Reiss! He is the real king!"
The voices from the wall couldn't be heard by Randy. He was making his final effort to avoid bloodshed, to prevent an unnecessary war. But if the Military Police remained stubborn, Randy would show no mercy.
...
Inside the royal palace.
Eren gritted his teeth, burning with rage as he emerged from the nape of the Attack Titan. Several coup-supporting Military Police seized the opportunity and rushed forward, binding Eren tightly in an instant like a wrapped dumpling, even stuffing his mouth with a wooden gag.
Why did Eren surrender without resistance?
Beside Arno, two Military Police officers were holding a haggard-looking woman. When Carla saw her son captured, she struggled desperately, tears streaming down her face.
That's right— the Military Police had already captured Eren's mother, Carla. Only his mother could serve as Eren's weakness. The moment he saw them dragging her out, the massive body of the Attack Titan collapsed instantly.
Arno walked up to Eren, took out a small knife, and tapped Eren's head with the back of the blade. Meeting Eren's furious gaze, he smiled.
"So the power passed down through the Reiss family for generations is within you, huh? Heh... becoming king… those old fossils say that as long as we reclaim the power from you, we can restore the glory of the Eldian Empire. Is that really true?"
"You can forget it! Just like my father, you've been blinded by so-called power! If the Founder's power is really that great, then why have the kings of every generation ignored the lives of the millions of our people outside Paradis Island?! Have you ever been to Marley? Do you even know what kind of lives our fellow Eldians are living there?!
And besides, only those with Reiss blood can activate the Founder's power. I will never submit to you! Now release Eren and Mrs. Carla! Don't push me— I don't want to attack my own people!" Historia pointed at Arno and shouted.
Hearing this, Arno turned to face Historia directly, a playful expression on his face.
"Oh? What makes you think we need your submission? Historia, do you really think you're the only one with Reiss blood? The Imperial Faction needs a true king— but that king isn't you. It's me, Arno Reiss!"
"Arno Reiss… Reiss!?" Historia's eyes widened as she stared at him in disbelief. "You—!"
In the brief moment of her shock, Arno suddenly lunged forward. With lightning speed, he rushed in front of Historia. His hands clamped down on her wrists like iron, twisting them violently.
Historia felt a sharp pain shoot through her wrists, and then both hands went numb.
Seeing Arno attack the queen, Keith and the others roared in anger, raising their blades.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of gunshots erupted through the hall like popping beans, accompanied by piercing screams.
More than a dozen instructors collapsed into pools of blood. At the same time, over a dozen coup-supporting Military Police were sent to hell by blades. Instructor Keith managed to stay standing only by relying on a broken half-blade, but his legs, arms, and even his abdomen were bleeding.
The pungent smell of blood deeply stimulated Historia.
"You bastard!"
Golden arcs of electricity burst from her body, but from behind Arno, a Garrison soldier rushed out— Hermann, who had betrayed Lance. In two swift steps, Hermann reached Historia, drew his dagger, and in one clean motion—
Slash!
The hand wearing the ring was severed instantly.
If it had been Yago or Eren or Zeke— trained Titan warriors— even if their human bodies were severely injured, they could still transform through sheer will. But Historia couldn't. Because of her status as queen, neither the council nor Yago and the others had ever considered putting her through such training.
Historia let out a scream. Her face turned deathly pale, completely drained of color. Steam rose faintly from her severed wrist, but the electric arcs around her body had already vanished.
Arno seemed completely indifferent to Hermann's actions.
"Arno Zott. 'Zott' comes from my mother's surname. Though honestly, I despise that name— it's filthy. Historia, in some ways we're similar, and in others, we're not. That bastard Rod Reiss was like an animal, defiling a maid— that's how you were born. At least you were born in the peaceful Reiss manor. As for me..."
As he spoke, Arno suddenly crouched in front of Historia, his expression slightly twisted.
"When I opened my eyes for the first time, all I saw was a filthy underground brothel. Who knows how that bastard Rod ended up with my mother— a toothless old prostitute. Maybe he was drunk off horse piss. And my mother? She was something else. She never treated me as her child. I never had a full meal growing up. And she was a fool— foolish enough to think she could blackmail Rod using me. But I should thank her for not treating me like her child. She took the child of a man she actually loved, pretended it was me, and went to the gates of the Reiss manor. You can probably guess what happened next, right?"
Arno laughed.
"The next day, I saw her and that child's corpses floating in a filthy ditch. As for that lover? He was just another drunken piece of trash. Who knows when he died in some alley. Thank the heavens I survived to this day. Zott, Reiss— both of those names are nothing but filthy garbage to me!"
Enduring the pain, Historia listened as Arno recounted his past, her shock evident. Everyone present was equally stunned— including members of the Imperial Faction. They knew Arno carried Reiss blood, but none of them knew the story behind the name Arno Reiss.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo