Swish! Swish! Yago felt an inexplicable sense of irony. The garrison soldiers in front of him were holding blades meant to be aimed at Titans, dozens of muskets, even a heavy grenade cannon—everything was aimed at just one person, a powerless, unconscious Eren.
Eren seemed to be having a very long dream. In the dream, he was eaten by a Titan, enduring pain and despair inside the Titan's stomach.
"Eren, do you crave power?" A faint voice sounded beside his ear.
"Are you in despair? Facing Titans yet being utterly powerless—what a disgraceful way to die. Think about your mother; now she has lost her son....."
The piercing mockery enraged Eren, who had been trapped in despair and unwillingness.
"No! Don't! I don't want this!" Eren reached out his hand and cried out unwillingly.
"I—I shouldn't die here! No! I still have to drive all the Titans out! Drive them all out!"
Eren suddenly opened his eyes.
"Drive them all out!" he said instinctively. Mikasa and Armin both looked at Eren in surprise and delight.
...
At the same time, Eren's awakening threw the surrounding garrison soldiers into panic. The Trost District Garrison detachment commander, Kitz Weilman, wore a grim expression. Seeing Eren awaken, he roared,
"Cadet Eren Yeager, you are surrounded! State your true identity at once—human, or Titan?"
Eren was dumbfounded.
"What are you talking about? What Titan?"
Kitz said, "Do you still want to argue? More than one person saw you crawl out from the back of a Titan's neck. Do you still want to deny it?"
Eren was shocked. Turning into a Titan? Wasn't that something from his dream? How could that be possible.....
Armin shook Eren anxiously. "Eren, explain it clearly! Tell everything you know!"
Mikasa and Yago stood in front of Eren and Armin.
Eren's mind was in complete chaos. On the other side, Kitz kept interrogating him.
"Is the Armored Titan that breached Wall Maria five years ago related to you? You people came inside the walls and even infiltrated the Cadet Corps—what exactly is your purpose?"
Watching Kitz relentlessly question Eren, Yago could no longer endure it.
"Captain Kitz! What's the point of asking so much? Even if Eren can turn into a Titan, I believe everyone present has seen him kill other Titans after transforming. Eren is not our enemy!"
Kitz shouted angrily, "Are you questioning me? I am absolutely not wrong! Cadet Yeager, I advise you to confess quickly. If you conceal anything, the giant grenade cannon will execute you, you monster! We no longer have the time or energy to deal with an unidentified individual like you!"
Standing beside Kitz, the elite garrison squad's Squad Leader, Rico, also agreed.
"They do show signs of resistance. Captain, we should execute them directly—while this guy is still in human form!"
Hearing this, Mikasa immediately drew her blades grimly. "You can try."
Seeing Mikasa about to act, Mitabi, a garrison squad leader who had been with her in the rear guard, said to Kitz,
"Captain, that Ackerman cadet is extremely strong. In the rear guard she protected the civilians very well—worth a hundred elite soldiers. Losing her would be a huge loss."
Armin looked at Mikasa nervously.
"Mikasa, don't act rashly. We can't turn on each other!" At the same time, Armin's mind was racing for a solution.
Yago looked at the many garrison soldiers before him.
"Hey! You people—when it comes down to it, you're just afraid, aren't you? Captain Kitz, didn't you also retreat from the supply depot to behind the wall because you were afraid?"
Hearing this, Kitz's already grim face darkened further.
"What are you saying? You're slandering your superior officer!"
Yago couldn't be bothered to argue and continued on his own.
"I know you're afraid. In that case, let me be responsible for guarding Eren. I stake my honor as a soldier—I, Yago Norman, promise I can absolutely keep Eren Yeager under control. Please give Eren a chance to explain!"
"Captain, Cadet Yago Norman is the top cadet," a garrison soldier reported to Kitz. "In this battle he alone slew over twenty Titans, including two abnormal types!"
Kitz's gaze wavered. He hadn't expected this cadet to possess such formidable strength. If such an outstanding soldier were lost just to kill an unidentified Eren, Kitz wasn't sure how the Cadet Corps would react.
Then the same garrison soldier delivered another bombshell.
"Cadet Norman is the one who rescued Miss Wald. Miss Wald promised she would repay him."
This made Kitz hesitate even more. If Yago died, it wouldn't just offend the Cadet Corps—it would also offend the Wald family. He was only a garrison captain; was it worth it?
Kitz knew his limits well. That was why, before the Titans had even surrounded the supply depot, he had decisively chosen to retreat. He was afraid of death, and even more afraid of trouble.
So when facing Yago, Kitz hesitated. Seeing this, Yago added,
"If anything happens, I'm willing to take full responsibility. If Eren truly is an enemy, I will personally cut off his head. Please trust me!"
"Responsibility? If Wall Rose is breached, how will you take responsibility?" Rico sneered as she undermined him. Indeed, if Wall Rose were breached, Kitz would be unable to bear that responsibility either.
Kitz slowly raised his hand.
"Damn it!" Yago glared at the bespectacled Rico.
At this moment, the previously silent Eren suddenly shouted,
"I get it! The basement! My father said there are answers to everything in the basement! Me turning into a Titan must be because of my father! If we can get to the basement, we'll definitely understand all the secrets!"
Kitz was utterly confused by Eren's strange words.
"What are you talking about? What basement?"
Eren broke free from Armin's support and stood up, his gaze firm.
"I'm going to Shiganshina District! I have to find out! What exactly is going on? What does my father know? Why did he never say anything!"
Kitz said, "What? Are you trying to escape?"
Rico said, "Captain Kitz, please give the order quickly! The shells are fully loaded!"
Kitz clenched his teeth, preparing to raise his hand.
Armin suddenly burst out. "Eren! Don't joke around! How can you get to Shiganshina District by yourself? How long can you even last after turning into a Titan? Don't act recklessly! Leave it to me! I'll persuade the Garrison! As long as we make good use of your Titan power, Eren, anything is possible!"
Eren stared blankly at Armin, whose chest was heaving violently with excitement. He was very surprised—Armin had never seemed so resolute before.
Yago turned and said, "Eren, trust Armin."
Mikasa also nodded silently. Eren looked at Armin.
"Armin, I trust you."
The feeling of being trusted gave Armin strength. He bravely walked to the very front, facing the garrison's muskets and blades.