"Huh?"
Erwin blinked, feeling a wave of tension drain from his shoulders for nothing.
"This," Zeke explained calmly, "is the result of the Ackerman family experiments — they will never become Titans, yet they can inherit and wield the power of a Titan while remaining human."
"Hmm…"
The crowd murmured in thought. When put that way, it actually made sense. Who said the outcome of a Titan experiment had to be transformation?
Perhaps never turning into a Titan was one result of success.
"Yeah, that checks out," someone muttered. "If he turned into a Titan, he'd probably be the shortest one ever."
"Heh, right? A three-meter Titan with a bad temper."
Levi's eye twitched dangerously.
He was not amused.
"So, in other words," said President Zachary, "we can't verify whether Levi actually possesses Titan power—since he can't transform?"
"Correct," Zeke replied simply.
"Then how do we know you're telling the truth?" Zachary pressed. "We can't just take a naturally talented human and claim he's a Titan hybrid, can we? Some people are just gifted."
Zeke smiled faintly. "A Titan's strength surpasses a human's by a hundred—sometimes a thousand—fold. The strength inherited by an Ackerman is nearly a hundred times that of an ordinary soldier. You can test it… if you're brave enough."
The moment he said it, Levi looked up sharply.
For a split second, a murderous light flashed in his eyes—cold and lethal enough to freeze the air.
The Military Police Brigade holding him stiffened instantly.
"Levi…" one thought miserably.
"What kind of monster am I holding? Mom… I want to go home."
Zeke swallowed hard. Levi's glare made even the Beast Titan nervous.
"Well," Zeke continued after clearing his throat, "if we use a seasoned, battle-trained Ackerman as a test, the results might be… biased. Luckily, we also have a young Ackerman here—untested, untrained, and not even an adult yet. And she's already awakened her bloodline. You'll be able to sense her power with just a simple demonstration."
"Ah?"
Mikasa froze, eyes widening in alarm as every gaze turned toward her.
Levi's expression darkened instantly. "You damned monkey. You're dragging a child into this just to prove a point?!"
Zeke smirked. "Then why don't you do the demonstration?"
Levi stared. "…And how exactly am I supposed to 'demonstrate'?"
"Easy. Kill everyone here."
"Go to hell!"
Levi sprang up, his boot flying toward Zeke's smug face.
The two Military Police Brigade restraining him had forced him to kneel, yet somehow Levi still managed to leap up and kick Zeke clean off his feet.
The onlookers gasped.
That kind of explosive power—while bound—was terrifying.
The Military Police Brigade scrambled to shackle him to a pillar, chains clanging loudly.
"Subdue the Levi before he wipes us all out!" one yelled, near tears.
Levi just sighed.
This trial was supposed to judge Zeke, and somehow he ended up in chains.
"Is this the child—the untrained Ackerman?" Zachary asked, turning toward the witness stand.
The girl he pointed at had jet-black hair, pale skin, and distinctly Eastern features. When Zeke said her name, she covered her mouth in surprise, blinking rapidly.
Could such a small, timid-looking child really possess Titan-like power?
"She's called Mikasa Ackerman," Erwin explained. "An orphan from the mountains of the Shiganshina District. Her parents were killed by bandits a year ago. She's since been adopted by Dr. Grisha Yeager."
"Adopted by a doctor, hm…"
Zachary, the military head, eyed Mikasa thoughtfully, his expression unreadable.
Erwin quickly continued, "Dr. Grisha adopted her just one year ago. And according to Zeke's statement, the Ackerman clan was wiped out at least twenty years ago. Therefore, any Ackerman abilities she possesses couldn't possibly have come from Dr. Grisha's experiments."
"Oh, I see." Zachary nodded to his men, who immediately moved toward the witness stand.
"Don't do this!" Carla Yeager called out in panic. "She's just a child!"
But the Military Police Brigade ignored her pleas, roughly pulling Mikasa forward
The small girl in her red scarf stumbled onto the trial platform. Standing amid ten burly officers, she looked like a fragile white rabbit cornered by wolves—shivering, silent, and pitifully small.
"She looks completely normal…" murmured someone in the audience. "She's the same age as my daughter…"
Even Zachary hesitated. For all his authority, bullying a little girl in front of an entire assembly of humanity didn't exactly look dignified.
I am frightfully curious what you made of that, dear souls. Do leave a comment… one reads every single one. I shan't pretend otherwise. Indeed