Treating the tools humanity relied on to hunt Titans as merchandise for people to toy with was something only those fat-headed nobles could have come up with. They had always lived peacefully in the interior behind the first wall, never facing the threat of Titans themselves, so Titans and the weapons used against them during critical times naturally had nothing to do with them.
Although that fact made people want to curse and ask whether those idiots had been kicked in the head by a donkey, if they insisted on being that stupid, there was nothing anyone else could do about it. After all, the pig brains were growing in someone else's heads.
"Let's go back. Training is over."
"How can we just go back like this?"
Some people still wanted to resist. They had been ambushed while asleep and had no way to fight back then, but after calming down and thinking it over, they felt there was still something they could do.
"The ODM Gear has all been taken away, and they've scattered the horses too. What can we do?"
Marco had a point. Faced with that reality, they could only yield and make the rational decision. "If we hurry back to the Training Corps barracks, maybe Commander Keith can help us."
"That's true. With something like this happening, the expedition can't continue normally. Even that demon instructor can't possibly make things difficult for you because of it—I have nothing more to say."
Lianye shrugged. Their decision not to resist was wise. It might have been cowardly, but against a band of bandits armed with guns, no one could possibly demand that they throw their lives away.
"So, you should all go back first."
Lianye gave the order. Since it was the leader's decision, even Eren, who had plenty of objections, could no longer argue. This was the wisest course of action, at least for them.
"What about you, Lianye?" Armin did not turn and leave with the dejected crowd. He had caught a hint of something unusual in Lianye's words. That was why Armin's mind worked so quickly.
"Since they used carts to haul away everyone's ODM Gear, they definitely can't move very fast through rough forest terrain. And the roads the carts traveled should be broad, obvious paths, so finding their whereabouts shouldn't be difficult, right?"
Lianye did not answer Armin directly, instead using speculation as his reply. But his meaning had already been made perfectly clear to Armin.
—He would save Krista.
End of Chapter
Counterattack
"Then I'm going too!"
The moment Eren heard Lianye's plan, he immediately made his stance known. He did not want to leave so cowardly and dejectedly.
If they did not even dare resist a band of bandits carrying muskets, how could they ever talk about fighting humanity's greatest nightmare in this world—the Titans?
—In truth, the greatest requirement for skillfully using ODM Gear was not abundant stamina, flawless technique, explosive leg strength, or anything like that. It was a powerful mental fortitude that would not waver even when truly facing a Titan.
In that regard, among the members of this Expeditionary Team, only Lianye and Eren currently had mental strength that barely qualified.
The other Expeditionary Team had more qualified people: Mikasa, Annie, Reiner, Bertholdt, Ymir, and so on.
Jean truly did not have the courage to face Titans, but he frankly admitted that he was not brave enough, which made it hard for anyone to dislike him.
Besides, Jean's original plan had been to work hard in the Training Corps, then join the Military Police Brigade in the interior with excellent results and escape this constantly perilous way of life. He did not need companions, nor did he need courage. The Military Police Brigade in the interior was nothing like the Survey Corps, which had to face the nightmare of fighting Titans at any time.
A comfortable life was Jean's ultimate pursuit. As long as he was doing well, that was what truly mattered. With that mindset, he naturally could not gamble with his life on an adventure.
Even so, after hearing Lianye state his completely different attitude, Jean made a decision that did not fit his image at all. "Then I'll go too. Even I don't want to just stand here and watch without being able to do anything!"
After an intense struggle within themselves, every member of the Expeditionary Team overcame the fear in their hearts and decided to do something.
Keeping quiet and waiting for the bandits to unload the goods before releasing Krista would have been far too passive. Besides, whether the bandits' words could be trusted was another matter.
"..." Lianye remained silent.
Before you continue