The conversation, which had lasted a full two hours, finally came to an end.
Lillian had revealed the majority of the truth to the Survey Corps: the hatred between Marley and Eldia, the origins of the Titans, and his own identity.
It went without saying how deeply Erwin and the others were shaken by the true nature of the world.
Their enemy wasn't just a handful of intelligent Titans—it was an entire nation, even an entire world.
And all this time, the beings they had been fighting were, in fact, their own compatriots—people suffering under Marley's rule.
Even Erwin, the one most capable of adapting to drastic change, remained silent for a long time after hearing everything.
Then he let out an expression of relief—one that lasted less than a second before being replaced by gravity and anxiety.
For him, learning the truth finally brought closure to his father's lingering spirit. It proved that his father had been right.
But the truth was also unbearably cruel.
So cruel that there was no time to rejoice in having learned it—only the immediate necessity to throw themselves into even more work.
The threat of the Titans alone had already been overwhelming. Now, knowing that an entire world stood behind them was pressure enough to crush anyone whose resolve wavered.
This was also why, in the original course of events, when the people inside the walls eventually learned the truth, many chose to deny it—or, after accepting it, gave up entirely.
When the disparity in strength between two sides becomes too vast, it's only natural for the weaker side to lose the will to fight.
It was like humanity's so-called invincible fleet in The 'Three Body Problem', wiped out instantly by a single "droplet probe," proving the brutal truth: you are bugs.
Among the bugs, only a handful choose to keep fighting.
Thankfully, the people inside the walls had not yet fallen into total despair. In fact, after hearing Lillian's description of Marley, Erwin immediately raised a critical question:
"If the gap in national power is truly that large," Erwin asked, "why haven't they simply conquered us outright?"
He struck directly at the core of the issue.
In response, Lillian explained the matter of the 145th King—how the Founding Titan possessed the power to alter memories, as well as control Pure Titans. He also revealed that the walls themselves were made of Titans, and that this was the true foundation of the island's deterrence—the very thing Marley feared.
Of course, there were things Lillian deliberately did not say.
For example: that Krista's family was the true royal bloodline. And the identities of Reiner and Bertholdt.
As for the former, it was partly for Krista's safety in the short term. Lillian had once believed that informing the Survey Corps would result in her being heavily protected—but after thinking it through, he realized that approach was deeply flawed.
The problem was simple:
Erwin was also a "devil."
For the sake of a righteous goal, even if it caused him pain, he would never hesitate to act.
If Erwin learned that Eren—a non-royal—could only use the Coordinate's power by coming into contact with royal blood, Krista might very well end up having her freedom restricted.
Even if there was only a one-percent chance of that happening, Lillian would never place her in such danger.
And while the Survey Corps currently lacked Titan spinal-fluid syringes, there was no guarantee they always would. What if one day Kenny handed his over to his nephew Levi?
That possibility alone was enough to make the situation dangerous.
As for Reiner and Bertholdt, Lillian chose silence for Annie's sake.
If those two were exposed, Annie—who came from the same region—would inevitably fall under suspicion as well. Once suspicion existed, uncovering evidence would become much easier. Given Erwin's personality, it wasn't impossible that he would secretly carry out an arrest operation against Annie without Lillian's knowledge.
That kind of development would spiral completely out of control—and was something Lillian absolutely refused to allow.
After all, Annie had only reached a temporary compromise with him. Push her too hard, and she would be driven straight back into Marley's arms.
So in the end, what Lillian truly needed to do was simple:
Grow stronger.
Whether it was personal combat ability or political influence, neither could afford delay.
Because… soon—very soon—crises would come one after another.
After the meeting, Lillian naturally prepared to leave.
Though he hadn't revealed Reiner and Bertholdt's identities, he had pointed out that the enemy existed among the 104th Training Corps, confirming Erwin's suspicions.
Near the end of the conversation, Hange had shown great interest in Lillian—specifically, in his body. She was deeply curious how someone could possess physical abilities several times stronger than a normal human.
Lillian's answer was simple: he was born that way.
He refused Hange's request to "study" him, and it was time for him to go.
After all, he was now an acting deputy commander—not some bloated predecessor who spent every day indulging in pleasure. With the recent turmoil, work had piled up endlessly. The fact that he had been able to spend hours here already bordered on extravagance.
Which meant… parting with Krista and Ymir.
To be honest, he wanted to keep them by his side. That would be the safest option.
He was only human, after all. He had selfish desires. He wanted the people he cared about to stay somewhere secure.
But… that was never going to happen.
Erwin would never allow it, for one. And for another, the two of them probably didn't want to join the Military Police anyway. Doing so would mark them as deserters.
So Lillian respected their wishes and never brought it up.
At the entrance to the Survey Corps headquarters, the three of them stood together.
Ymir knew Krista had participated in the meeting. Though she didn't know the details, she could guess some of it. After all, she herself came from Marley—if Lillian spoke of the "truth," it would inevitably involve Marley.
Still, since Krista didn't say anything, Ymir wouldn't ask.
"I'm heading out," Lillian said, looking at them
.
"Take care of yourselves."
"..."
Krista suddenly seemed awkward and restrained. Ymir noticed it and felt puzzled, but Lillian understood immediately.
After revealing so many secrets at once, he had inevitably created a sense of distance between himself and her.
There was no avoiding that.
In truth, he still had far more secrets he hadn't spoken of—like the fact that his soul came from another world, or that he could revive even after death.
Could he say those things?
Lillian thought about it. If he did, ninety-nine point nine percent of people would think he was insane—or a monster.
He was confident Krista belonged to the remaining fraction.
But even so… why burden her with more confusion and worry?
Some things were better borne alone.
"Lillian…" Krista suddenly said, her eyes shimmering with tears.
"You… you've been through so much."
This caught Lillian off guard. He didn't understand why she was crying.
"Is it really that bad…? What's wrong?"
"You shorty—how did you even manage to make my Krista cry?" Ymir pulled Krista into a hug. "Idiot. You're the one who's really been through hell," she said, glancing at Lillian. "This guy definitely doesn't know, does he?"
Huh?
Now Lillian was completely confused—truthfully, he really didn't understand.
When Krista said he had suffered, she was referring to what he'd just told them about being imprisoned in a training camp back in Marley—but she couldn't explain that in front of Ymir.
Meanwhile, when Ymir spoke of Krista's suffering, she meant the abuse Krista had endured as a child—something Lillian naturally had no idea Krista had ever told Ymir about.
So at this moment, standing between the two of them, Lillian didn't know what to say. After thinking for a bit, all he could manage was:
"Whatever kind of suffering it was… it's all in the past now. We should be looking at the present—and the future. Right?"
"…Yeah."
Krista rubbed at her eyes. Her gaze drifted downward from Lillian's face, and she asked softly,
"Lillian… there's something I want to ask you."
"What is it?"
"Your pendant… was it a gift from someone?"
Lillian paused slightly, then looked down and instinctively reached up to touch it.
"This… yeah. It was given to me by someone very important… a friend."
"…."
Ymir glanced at Krista, who clearly wanted to say more but hesitated. Ymir decided to ask instead.
"I've never seen you wear that before. Let me guess—it was a girl, right?" she teased. "Didn't expect it, shorty. You sure moved fast after joining the Military Police."
Krista looked at Lillian nervously as well—but instead of a shy or happy smile, what she saw was pain in his eyes, and bitterness at the corner of his mouth.
"Yeah…" Lillian said quietly. "It was a girl."
"I-I see…" Krista forced a small smile. "Then she must—"
"She's dead."
Both girls froze, staring at him in shock.
"Never mind… let's not talk about it," Lillian said, forcing a smile. "I'll tell you another time."
"Oh…"
They exchanged a glance, both thinking the same thing: whatever Lillian had gone through in the Military Police—they knew absolutely nothing about it.
"Then, when we get some leave, we'll come visit you!" Krista said. "And then—"
"Lillian, it's time to go."
Annie's voice cut her off. She was already waiting by the carriage.
Ymir glanced at Annie's icy, expressionless face and clicked her tongue. "Tch. You two really got assigned to the same district, huh? What a coincidence."
"…Sharp-tongued woman, say a little less," Lillian replied. "Well then—see you."
"Mm, goodbye!" Krista waved at him, her movements stiff and awkward. It seemed she wasn't used to saying goodbye—after all, in the past, whenever she parted from someone, she was usually running away.
Lillian nodded, waved back, and climbed into the carriage.
As they watched it disappear down the road, Krista turned to Ymir and said,
"Ymir… let's go apologize to the Commander and the senior officers. We'll accept whatever punishment they give us."
"Yeah, yeah," Ymir said unhappily. "Seriously. We weren't even wrong. That shorty isn't a Titan."
"Yeah, Ymir… this really is such a relief…"