Within Wall Rose, inside the lands designated for refugees.
Spring was the season for sowing. It was already May, and all the fields that needed to be planted had already been sown.
All that remained was to spread fertilizer and pull out weeds daily.
Reiner stood at the end of the line, carrying a bucket in each hand.
At the front of the line was a rotating waterwheel; this was the line to collect water.
There were only a few people ahead of Reiner, and soon it was his turn. He placed the wooden buckets on the ground and, as the waterwheel turned, began collecting water.
He filled both buckets and walked back with steady steps. On both sides, green rice seedlings grew, and dragonflies fluttered over the water, creating small ripples on the surface.
He and Bertolt lived at the edge of the refugee zone, in a small wooden house.
When they first arrived at this place, the area was desolate, and they slept outdoors every day, surviving only by gathering wild fruits to eat.
Fortunately, after some time, a construction team arrived in the refugee area and built water mills at no cost. Under the organization of the soldiers, everyone began building houses and cultivating the fields.
They survived the cold winter thanks to subsidies for the glass greenhouse.
Although they managed to survive, their lives were worlds apart from those in Marley. After breaking through the wall, he hadn't slept well even for a single night.
"When can I go back…?" Reiner muttered those words to himself over and over again.
After Annie left for the capital, she only sent them one letter. She was close to succeeding, but after so long, why hadn't they found the King of the Walls yet?
Reiner truly wanted to seize the power of the Founding Titan and return to his real home.
Lost in thought, he carried the buckets of water to their cabin. He approached the fire, looked up, and pulled the roasted potatoes out from the ashes—one for each of them.
No one spoke; both remained silent, eating their roasted potatoes.
Bertolt was a quiet person, and besides, they had known each other for a long time, so there was nothing to say.
The atmosphere was oppressive, and it had been like this every day since they managed to pass through the walls.
They had placed all their hopes on Annie, trusting that she could quickly find out the location of the King of the Walls and send them a signal.
Once they completed their mission, they would be able to return.
While they waited at the port, someone would come to take them home sooner or later, which would atone for the crime of losing the Jaw Titan, and they would be able to continue living as honorable Marleyans.
"Hey… Reiner…" Bertolt rarely took the initiative to start a conversation. "If… something happens to Annie… and we're left alone, what will we do?"
"Idiot!" Reiner suddenly shouted angrily and asked, "Do you want something to happen to Annie?"
"No… that's not what I meant…" Bertolt held his head, wiping his face with his dusty hands. "It's just… I have a very strange feeling…"
"I've felt very uneasy since I arrived here…"
"What will happen to us? Will we be devoured by Titans like Marcel? Why did the four of us have to come here?"
"What's the point of saying all this now?" Reiner grabbed Bertolt by the shoulders and said, "We can't turn back. Believe me—we'll return!"
Bertolt looked into Reiner's eyes and gradually calmed down. "Thank you, Reiner. I'm glad you're here."
"I'm glad you're here." Reiner thought, finding those words particularly irritating.
Reiner patted Bertolt on the shoulder. "Just wait until Annie contacts us. Annie is very smart—we can definitely do this."
"Yes… We have to trust Annie…"
But then, the door of the house was kicked open.
"They send children to fight an adult war? What is Marley really doing? Is everyone there an idiot?"
It was a man in a military uniform, his head barely reaching halfway up the doorframe, looking at Reiner and Bertolt with a disdainful gaze.
In his eyes, all he saw were two ragged children sitting on the dirty floor, eating two dirty potatoes.
This was the true form of the Armored Titan and the Colossal Titan. In his eyes, these two killers were miserable.
Reiner and Bertolt, mouths slightly open and breathing heavily, stared at the soldier.
Marley...
They had heard that word from people they did not know.
After living inside the walls for a year, they already knew what kind of place it was. Logically speaking, the people inside the walls should know nothing about Marley.
Unless…
"Something happened to Annie…" Bertolt reacted before Reiner.
"Reiner! Hurry, we've been discovered!" Bertolt shouted, struggling to stand and reaching for the sharp knife nearby.
Reiner realized what was happening. He always wore a ring, and it cut into his skin, causing it to bleed.
However, they all felt an electric current run through their bodies, and in the next moment, the power of their Titans could not be activated…
Without that power, they were nothing more than two slightly stronger children.
"Why?! Why?! Why?!" Bertolt repeatedly mutilated himself with the knife, its tip carving numerous wounds into his palms as blood gushed out.
He screamed loudly, his face filled with terror, cold sweat beading on his forehead and back, his limbs trembling.
The soldiers standing at the door simply crossed their arms and watched the scene in silence.
"They're just children with terrible manners. And to think they come from a more civilized place—what a bad joke." Levi, at the front of the soldiers, looked coldly at the two boys.
"To be sure, we even spent the whole day lying in wait and searching their home. We completely overestimated them." Levi allowed the soldiers to enter and arrest the boys.
"It's useless. They won't be able to transform into Titans."
The room fell into darkness as the soldiers surrounded the stone house, covering the windows and doors.
Without saying much, Levi gave the order to arrest Reiner and Bertolt.
Their mouths were gagged with strips of cloth, and they made unintelligible sounds.
"Don't worry, you'll have plenty of opportunities to talk if you want. I'll make sure you confess everything," Levi said calmly.
"Let's go. Take these two war criminals to the capital."
"Yes."
Bertolt and Reiner were tied to a carriage and transported by Levi's squad.
Eren and Dina were in another carriage, which was also part of the procession.
…
In the capital, the central government parliament was buzzing with debate.
"If this kind of thing is made public, it will undoubtedly cause chaos within the Walls. Society has finally become somewhat stable—shouldn't we reconsider?"
"Exactly, not even we know how important this matter truly is."
Many people were not prepared for the publication of Grisha's notes.
Gale, present this time, raised his hand to speak in Parliament: "It seems you do not understand the situation. Whether we are stable or not does not matter. The Marleyan government has already attacked us. Pretending not to see it will not solve the problem."
"Whether people know it or not, the enemy—Marley—exists across the sea, constantly coveting the power of our ancestors and plotting to destroy us."
"This concerns the survival of all of us—even the dogs within the walls."
The Parliament fell silent instantly; no one voiced further opposition.
"Then, let us begin the vote."
"Thirty votes in favor, four abstentions, and two votes against."
"The proposal to publish Grisha Jaeger's notes has been approved!"
Hennes's decisive blow struck everyone like a bolt of lightning.