Sparrows chirped on the branches, and sunlight filtered through the leaves, creating mottled patterns on the window and casting silhouettes on the floor.
Gale poured a cup of freshly brewed tea and handed it to Dina, who was sitting in front of him.
Steam rose from the coarse porcelain cup. The dried black tea leaves, harvested in early spring and crafted through a laborious process, produced a rich aroma when prepared.
This was the beverage that the nobles of the kingdom usually offered to their guests.
Dina, with a wool shawl draped over her shoulders, sat gracefully at the table. She took her cup and sipped. The tea was smooth and slightly sweet, with a rich natural fragrance that blended perfectly with the flavor of the black tea, giving it a pleasant sweetness.
It was early in the morning. Dina looked out from the second-floor window and saw the bakery bringing out a batch of freshly baked bread.
Some people carried hot roasted sweet potatoes in one hand and hoes in the other, walking toward the fields.
Children played and frolicked in the street, while families opened their doors and windows and went about their business.
Everyone here had radiant smiles on their faces. After all, this was a decoy city that had been reformed under the new government directive, which had been continuously implementing new policies and social benefits since last winter.
Dina had also lived in an Eldian community, but in Marley, it would have been impossible to see something like this.
In Dina's memory, she rarely saw sunlight when she lived in the restricted zone.
The people living in the restricted zone always kept their doors and windows tightly shut and never went out unless absolutely necessary.
If a dispute arose between Marleyans and Eldians, regardless of who was right, the Eldians were most likely to be blamed.
When walking down the street, one had to be extremely cautious. If you had the misfortune of encountering a Marleyan patrol officer, you had to raise your hands immediately and obey their orders.
If an Eldian caused any trouble, even the slightest negligence could lead to exile to Paradis.
The Eldians Dina had seen always lived in fear and trembling, and even so, they often suffered unexpected disasters.
But the Eldians here were different. From their expressions, it was clear that although their material lives were not as prosperous as those living across the sea, their spirits were free.
"What is your decision, Miss Dina?" Gale placed his hands on the table and looked at her.
He still hoped that Dina would cooperate with his work as much as possible, since the power of the Founding Titan, although powerful, had many limitations.
If Dina and Eren failed to share a common objective when using this power, no one knew what kind of mistakes might occur.
So in the past few days, he had not forced Dina to leave the room, but had instead waited for her to gradually accept reality, visiting her briefly each day and chatting with her about things that interested her.
She often asked about life inside the great Walls—what people ate, their entertainment, and traditional festivals.
She seemed uninterested in politics or military affairs, so Gale told her about his past life on the farm, the marketplace, and New Year's Eve.
It wasn't until yesterday that Dina finally took the initiative to express her desire to go out and see the world.
Hange took her on a tour of the special economic zone—not only the market, but also the clinic, the farm, and the newly opened school. After the tour, she said she wanted to see Gale; she knew that child was the one giving orders in this place.
Gale's identity was what puzzled her—how could a child be in charge of everything?
So this morning, the busy Gale arranged a formal meeting with her.
"I am willing to help you," Dina said solemnly, placing her hands over her long dress. "But… I hope you can grant me one request."
"Please, go ahead."
"Please allow me to live within the Walls. I no longer wish to be involved in politics or military matters. I cannot use the Female Titan's power to fight for you. As for other matters, I will do my best to help if it is within my ability."
"Is that all you ask?"
"Yes…" Dina nodded and said, "Right now, I only want to see how the Eldians live in this world."
Gale smiled, stood up, and shook her hand. "Welcome to our team."
For Dina, going to the front lines had been impossible from the beginning; it was best for her to remain quietly in the rear.
It seemed that after experiencing life and death, Dina had reached a profound conclusion: that a simple life was the true essence of happiness. Or perhaps she had lost her courage and faith?
She lacked a warrior's mindset. Dina did not understand that if they did not fight, the peaceful life she desired would never come.
But that didn't matter. This outcome was quite good and beneficial for both sides.
Gale would use her—that was what mattered.
For formalities, Dina and Gale signed an agreement and each pressed their fingerprint onto it.
The two chatted while drinking tea with freshly baked bread.
They did not talk about anything particularly serious, only about what Dina had seen and heard yesterday in Karanes, and some simple aspects of daily life.
Gale told her that if the opportunity arose, he would take her to a farm to learn how to shear sheep and milk cows.
She smiled and said she was very much looking forward to it, as she had never worked on a farm before.
When they ran out of topics, Gale called Hange and asked her to take care of the housing registration procedures for Dina.
…
He sat alone in his office, looking out from the second floor toward the fifty-meter-high wall and the cobblestone street.
Starting today, Dina Fritz would have a new identity and live a peaceful life within those walls.
Gale didn't know whether to feel envy or jealousy. Dina was living the life he had always wanted, in such a simple way. At least for now, nothing could disturb her except experiments involving the power of the Founding Titan.
How far away was he from that kind of life? How much longer would they have to continue like this before they could stop and rest?
Some things seemed endless, but he could only move forward step by step. Even if he could not find freedom here, as long as he kept moving forward, he would find it elsewhere.
...
Several days later.
Karanes Region, Garrison camp.
Ymir cut the palm of her hand with a knife and blood flowed out, but she could not transform into a Titan.
She could feel that power still residing within her, but her Titan's power no longer obeyed her commands. Although steam rose from the wounds on her hands to heal them, she was unable to transform into the Jaw Titan.
"So this is… the power of the Founding Titan…" Ymir exclaimed, looking at Dina, who was holding Eren's hand.
"We've finally done it." Gale let out a sigh of relief.
Since Eren was still a minor, his mind was not firm enough. It took several days of attempts before he could successfully use the power of the Founding Titan to seal Ymir's Titan power.
It was clear that he had recently been immersed in confusion, with too many mixed memories leaving him somewhat disoriented.
There was nothing that could be done. Although he knew that the Marleyans were across the sea, he had never seen them with his own eyes and could not comprehend what would happen if Marley went to war with Paradis Island.
Without a firm objective, it was impossible to unleash the power of the Founding Titan. One who lacks an unshakable will cannot even unleash the power of the Titans. Access to Titan power is a kind of spiritual attraction.
"Now, we should deal with the Armored Titan and the Colossal Titan." Gale officially gave the order to act, and tomorrow he would head to the border to capture two individuals suspected of being Marleyan warriors.