"Hey! Eren, how big is it exactly?"
"Probably just tall enough to peek over the wall."
"Huh? I thought it could step over the wall in one stride?!"
"That's what I heard too!"
"The villagers say so as well…"
"No, not quite that big."
In the dining hall, everyone crowded around Eren, asking about the Colossal Titan. Most had never seen a Titan before, so curiosity outweighed fear.
Eren answered calmly, though he could not hide a hint of discomfort. Every time he recalled the event, his mind replayed the image of his mother's death, causing him great pain.
Meanwhile, Jean watched the scene with a hint of disdain.
Sure enough, he couldn't hold back and finally spoke to Eren. "So, you say you're going to join the Survey Corps?" It sounded less like a question and more like mockery and sarcasm. Naturally, Eren heard it clearly and shot him an unfriendly glare. "Yeah. And I remember you said you wanted to join the Military Police and live comfortably, didn't you?"
Barbed words clashed head-on. In the corner, Lillian, who was still eating, stood up with his bread and walked outside. He had no interest in listening to the two of them quarrel.
By now, the sky outside had already darkened. Just as Lillian left the room and hadn't gone more than a few steps, a black shadow suddenly pounced toward him.
Instinctively, he reached out to push it away, but suddenly thought of something. His expression changed slightly, and he quickly withdrew his hand.
Thump!
The shadow crashed into Lillian. He himself was fine, but the attacker fell to the ground. It didn't matter, though, because she had achieved her goal—she was now devouring the bread she had snatched.
"Hey, I say…"
Lillian squatted down, looking at the sweet-potato girl Sasha who was wolfimg the bread down, and said helplessly, "I already ate half of that bread."
"Mmm, mmm, mmm mmm!"
Sasha ignored him completely and just kept eating. In only a few seconds, she swallowed the remaining half. Then she looked up at Lillian pitifully. "Is there any more?"
"..."
"Um…"
At that moment, a soft voice sounded from the side. Lillian turned his head to look, but Sasha was even faster—she dashed forward in one leap and snatched the bread from the newcomer's hand in a single bite.
"Ah!"
The long-haired girl had never expected Sasha to be like a wild beast. She immediately fell back onto the ground. Seeing this, Lillian walked over and pulled her up.
"Thank you," the girl said timidly. In her lake-water eyes there was a hint of shyness. Her figure was very slender, like the stem of a lotus that would snap at the slightest bend—yet in truth it possessed a gentle firmness capable of supporting a blossom.
No one would ever imagine that this girl, who looked so frail, would one day ascend the throne and shoulder the fate of an entire nation.
"It's nothing," Lillian said.
"I'm Krista Lenz," the girl said. After hesitating for a moment, she looked at Lillian uncertainly. "You are… Lillian Kafka, right?"
"Mm."
Lillian nodded. There was a reason Krista had been voted the most popular goddess among the 104th trainees. It wasn't that she was breathtakingly beautiful, but that she was exceptionally considerate and thoughtful—so much so that she could remember the names of classmates she had never even interacted with.
"Hey, what are you two doing? Meeting secretly so late at night?" a teasing voice called out.
Krista immediately flushed red and turned to glare in embarrassment. "Ymir! What nonsense are you saying!"
"Heh heh~"
Tall and dark-skinned, Ymir walked over. She glanced at Sasha, who had already eaten her fill and fallen asleep from exhaustion, then at the water bottle still in Krista's hand, and more or less guessed what had happened.
She turned to Lillian with a slight curl of her lips. "Sorry, Krista. That's my fault. You definitely wouldn't go on a date with a little shorty, right?"
"..."
The corner of Lillian's eye twitched twice. Beside him, Krista said anxiously, "Ymir!"
"Hahaha, alright, alright, I'm just joking." Ymir laughed a couple of times and said to Lillian, "You're not mad, are you? A man being this narrow-minded isn't very nice, you know. And ignoring your height, you're actually pretty cute."
"Then I suppose I should thank you."
"No need for that~"
As she spoke, Ymir bent down and lifted the sleeping Sasha. "Let's go back, Krista. If the instructor sees us outside with him at night, who knows what he'll start imagining."
"Ymir!"
Krista grabbed her to stop her from continuing, then turned back to apologize to Lillian. After that, she dragged Ymir quickly toward the girls' dormitory.
"Ymir…" Lillian watched the woman's back. "Worthy of the title 'Jaw Titan.' Even without transforming, she's still that sharp-tongued."
He turned around and went back to his own dormitory.
---
Lying on his bed, he continued recalling the plot of the AOT. Since it had been a long time since he last watched it, some details were now vague. But he still roughly remembered the main turning points. As long as he avoided certain dangerous nodes, he could at least guarantee surviving for a while.
But… was merely surviving for a while really what he should be pursuing?
Lillian rolled over, opened his eyes, and stared at the wall in front of him. He raised a finger and tapped lightly on it.
At the very center, the most crucial point, was to ensure that he could stay alive. There was nothing shameful about that—every living being had this instinct. Of course, some people could sacrifice themselves for others, but only if they felt it was worth it and wouldn't regret it.
And right now, Lillian couldn't think of any person or cause for which he would willingly give up his life. If such a day ever came, then he would change his creed.
But for now, he still intended to live for himself. And so, an unavoidable threat stood before him—
The Warriors.
Lillian's finger silently traced their names on the wall.
Reiner.
Bertholdt.
Annie.
These three were warriors from Marley, and at present, the greatest threats to Lillian's safety.
"How should I deal with them…"