"Hmm, Dan Heng... quite a vigilant young man."
"Erwin, he reminds me of someone. Care to guess who?"
Inside the Survey Corps' office, Levi shifted his gaze from the Celestial Screen to Commander Erwin, who was buried in paperwork at his desk.
"Armin, I suppose," Erwin replied without looking up. His attention remained fixed on the documents in his hands—a report on Eren Yeager's Titan transformation experiments.
"But he's calmer than Armin in critical moments." Mentioning Dan Heng, Erwin seemed to recall something and paused his writing. "It's not forced composure... but a steadiness carved into his bones through years of experience, as if no grand spectacle could faze him."
"In your words, Dan Heng sounds like an old man who's weathered countless storms." Levi leaned back in his chair, adjusting to a more comfortable position.
Then, a look of exasperation crossed his face. "Not long ago, I told Eren to learn from Dan Heng—to emulate his calmness in battle. But these past few days, it seems he's only picked up March 7th's habits. He's become much more cheerful, sure, but when Sasha stole a potato from him in the cafeteria, he..."
Levi trailed off, clicking his tongue in annoyance.
Erwin lifted his gaze to the window, where the setting sun cast deep silhouettes over the mountains. In the distant forest, a towering Titan bent low as Armin and Mikasa struggled to pull a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy from its nape.
"If he can stay this cheerful... that's fine too."
——
[Though doubted, Serval wasn't angry—instead, she praised Dan Heng for his alertness.]
[Serval explained that she was not only very familiar with Cocolia's methods but also at odds with her. Back in their school days, they were dormmates but eventually parted ways due to certain events. Now, she ran her own mechanics workshop, having cut ties with Cocolia entirely.]
[Her story earned the group's trust, and Stelle recounted their entire ordeal in detail.]
[Serval marveled at their bizarre and winding journey, noting that it was no surprise Bronya had sent them to her—during her time as a researcher, Serval's work in the science division had revolved around studying the Stellaron.]
[Fortunately, she still remembered the findings from back then: the Stellaron was likely located in Belobog's northern region—somewhere in the vast snowfields.]
[However, reaching the northern snowfields required crossing the Silvermane Guards' restricted frontline. Serval proposed leading the group herself, disguising them as her assistants for a "stealthy" approach. Given her familiarity with the Guards, she could help them avoid direct conflict.]
"She and Cocolia were classmates, so doesn't that mean Serval is around the same age as Cocolia?"
"Probably."
"Cocolia's daughter Bronya is about the same age as Seele, so Serval must be..."
"Uh..."
As if stumbling into forbidden territory, Sein—who had just been admiring Serval's beauty—fell silent.
"Serval... by that math, she's almost forty, right?" Stark counted on his fingers, looking shocked. "She doesn't look it at all!"
Her trendy outfit, top-tier figure, and passion for music made Serval on the screen appear like a woman in her twenties—a far cry from the middle-aged women in their world.
"How rude. You shouldn't judge a woman's age by her appearance," Frieren murmured, poking her fingers together sheepishly. "If you went by my looks, I'd still be an innocent—"
"...Lady Frieren."
Fern, who was brushing Frieren's hair, sighed helplessly. "You're a thousand-year-old Archmage. Please stop pretending to be young."
——
[Just as the group prepared to leave, the door suddenly rang—Serval remembered that Gepard had mentioned he'd visit today!]
[She quickly told everyone to hide in the room.]
[Gepard's arrival instantly heightened the tension. He'd come to repair the frontline barrier devices, but thanks to Serval's quick thinking, the group avoided exposure.]
[After Gepard left, Serval had them disguise themselves, then boldly led them into the restricted zone under the guise of "repairing" the energy pipelines.]
[Thanks to Serval's reputation on the frontline, they advanced smoothly at first. But when they encountered Dunn, a Silvermane Guard captain who knew Serval too well, her lies were immediately exposed.]
[A fight became unavoidable, and then... Dunn was knocked out cold by Stelle's bat, instantly enjoying the sleep of a baby.]
[However, before losing consciousness, he managed to trigger the frontline alarm, successfully alerting everyone that Serval was with the wanted criminals.]
"This guard brother truly lived up to his duty and identity!" Inside the New Eridu Security Bureau, Seth watched Dunn's battle with Stelle intently while jotting down the guard's words in a notebook.
Dunn's lines were too good—especially his declaration, "My rock 'n' roll soul is all about upholding a soldier's dignity!" It was so hype that Seth's tail stood on end.
"Senior, Dunn was just doing his job. Was it too harsh for Stelle to...?" Zhu Yuan couldn't help but feel heartache for Dunn, lying unconscious on the ground. These were soldiers holding the line at the front.
"Zhu Yuan, many things aren't about right or wrong, but about differing standpoints. Neither Stelle nor Dunn were in the wrong... the fault lies with this endless winter, this disaster." Qingyi held a steaming teacup, gently blowing on it.
"Just like you and the Rope-Master. You protect the citizens in the city, while Belle uses Bangboo to guide and aid in the Hollows. Neither of you is wrong, but if you were to clash... cough."
"Senior!" Mentioning this topic made Zhu Yuan a little angry—after all, she was the one who'd been kept in the dark. "If they cross the line, I won't hold back either!"
Hearing this, Qingyi's expression shifted subtly before breaking into a slightly mischievous smile.
"Zhu Yuan, I never knew you were such a tsundere."
——
[With the keycard obtained, the group successfully realigned the bridge, reaching the final checkpoint to the frontline. But now, Gepard and his men stood firmly in their way.]
[Seeing Serval leading a group of wanted criminals through the restricted zone, Gepard was furious and immediately began arguing with her. However, Serval stood firmly by Stelle's side this time—no matter what Gepard said, she wouldn't waver.]
[Now, they had no choice but to fight again.]
Zhu Yuan: "Senior, didn't they originally plan to... 'outsmart' them?"
Qingyi wagged a finger: "Ah, Zhu Yuan, you don't get it. Just like in games, the best assassination tactic is a frontal assault that kills all witnesses. In life, the best way to 'outsmart' someone is to catch them off guard and knock them out in one hit."
Zhu Yuan had an epiphany: "Th-This is senior's life experience? I see!"