"Just as the building was about to collapse, I jumped down and cut the flesh from the Titan's nape—that's the Titan's weak point. You know that too, right? After all, it's common knowledge drilled into us from the moment we learn to read."
Lianye shrugged, looking entirely like he did not care whether they believed him or not.
"Ahaha... that's true. Still, you were very brave. If it were me, I probably wouldn't even have the courage to face a Titan." Bertholdt rubbed the back of his head and gave an awkward smile.
He, Reiner, and Annie had only infiltrated the Inside Wall Area during the fall of Wall of Maria two years ago, so it was difficult for them to share the same common knowledge as those from within the walls.
After a brief hesitation, Bertholdt deliberately went along with Lianye's explanation, which made Lianye somewhat suspicious.
The other man's heartbeat briefly fell into disorder, and the corners of his eyes contracted slightly. If there had been a lie detector, its needle would surely have swung at that moment, determining that this seemingly honest and simple-minded big guy was lying.
However, the heightened senses granted by the Pride Stalker could capture the subtle fluctuations of a prey's—human body's—heartbeat and pupil movements with exceptional clarity. Even without a lie detector, the effect was more or less the same.
In other words, the hunter's instincts told Lianye that Bertholdt was lying.
—This was not merely nonsense. Didn't plenty of movies describe it that way? A battle-hardened warrior could keenly sense whether someone was lying.
Please bookmark, send flowers, and give tips, QAQ. Hope this can make it onto the new book rankings.
A Little Less Sincerity, A Little More Strategy
"Whether it was bravery or not aside—wasn't it only natural?"
Lianye glanced at Reiner and Bertholdt, then calmly sat down on his bed.
"They are the prey. We are the hunters... aren't we?"
"...!!"
Sure enough, the overly arrogant yet supremely confident tone made Reiner and Bertholdt's hearts tremble. It somehow made those words sound perfectly natural.
Just as Lianye had begun to suspect something unusual about the two of them, Reiner and Bertholdt also realized that the person before them was not someone to be taken lightly.
"I couldn't do it," Bertholdt changed the subject. "Reiner and I both came from a small mountain village deep in the mountains southeast of Wall of Maria. After Shiganshina District fell, Titans invaded the Inside Wall Area. News naturally traveled slower than the Titans did."
Bertholdt's voice trembled uncontrollably, as though he were recalling the terror of that day. "It was one morning. The livestock began to stir, and the ground started shaking. When I realized it was the footsteps of some kind of creature, I hurriedly opened the window, and then I saw... Titans. I can't remember what happened after that, because everyone was in chaos..."
"Hey! Why are you suddenly bringing that up?" Reiner barked, cutting off Bertholdt's muttering.
"Ah, sorry. It isn't anything interesting. After that, I no longer dared to recall my fear of Titans. In order to join the Military Police Brigade and serve safely in the interior, I enlisted in the Training Corps."
"Wanting to cherish your own life is only human. There's nothing worth criticizing about that."
Lianye smiled. As for himself, once he became proficient with the ODM Gear, he might simply leave without a care.
"As for me... I want to return to the homeland I can never return to again. That is my only goal now. I have to go back—no matter what, I have to go back."
Perhaps influenced by Bertholdt, Reiner also voiced what was in his heart.
...His heartbeat was strong and steady, proving that what Reiner had said truly came from the heart.
Neither of their statements seemed false. Under the observation of Lianye, the "human lie detector," neither of them revealed any more flaws.
If this was a disguise they had crafted after adjusting themselves, then the two of them truly had some skill. Deceiving oneself first—along with one's body and micro-reactions—was not something an ordinary person could accomplish.
At this rate, Attack on Titan might as well be renamed Attack on the Best Actors, since so many people were showing off their acting skills.
Before you continue