Late that night, a strange rustling sounded, and Yago immediately opened his eyes. Titan power had given him strength unlike anything he had ever possessed.
Yago quietly unzipped his sleeping bag. By the moonlight, he could make out two furtive figures whispering to each other.
"Don't get greedy! There are only two of us. We can't handle this many recruits! We each take one set of Omni-Directional Mobility Gear and leave it at that! Just a little extra income."
"We got lucky, running into these sleeping recruits. But the others must have had an even easier time than us. They've got eight or nine flintlocks! And there are only a dozen or so recruits in that group."
Yago's gaze hardened. Their conversation made it obvious that these were thieves who smuggled weapons, just like the two he had encountered before. From what they were saying, they apparently had accomplices! Those accomplices seemed to be targeting another group of cadets, and the cadets nearby were probably Mark, Eren, and the others.
Mikasa's instincts had actually been right. Was this her bond with Eren at work?
"All right! I'll take this one!" One thief reached for the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear beside the soundly sleeping Thomas.
No. I can't let them just take the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear! Yago made up his mind and rolled out of his sleeping bag under cover of darkness. Despite his caution, he still alerted one of the thieves.
"Who's there! Shit!" The thief instinctively drew the flintlock from behind his waist, but Yago was faster. He lashed out with a kick at the thief's wrist. Bang! The loud gunshot woke every cadet.
Yago's kick snapped the thief's wrist, leaving it bent at a grotesque angle. The thief howled in pain, unable to fight.
The other thief reacted too. Beside him, Thomas had only just opened his eyes and was still utterly confused. The thief snatched a blade from Mark's Omni-Directional Mobility Gear and slashed at Yago. But Yago dodged quickly, then used the momentum to apply a technique Annie had taught him. He seized the thief's arm, hooked his leg, and slammed him down with a shoulder throw.
The throw left the thief dazed, and Yago took the opportunity to pin both his hands.
"Let him go, you little brats! Or I'll blow this guy's head off!" An angry shout came from behind Yago. Frowning, he turned to look. The thief whose wrist he had broken stood there, his face deathly pale, holding another flintlock in his uninjured left hand. Its muzzle was aimed at Bertholdt, who had just gotten up.
Bertholdt looked terrified and instinctively turned to Reiner. Reiner was just as bewildered, and deeply anxious. At this rate, their identities could easily be exposed!
"Reiner!" Bertholdt cried out in panic. What should I do? If I do nothing, I might really die! But if I use that power, all our identities will be exposed, and everything will be over!
Yago's expression darkened too. Damn it. I miscalculated. I didn't expect him to have another gun.
The thief beneath Yago shouted as well. "Let me go! Or your friend is done for!"
Yago gritted his teeth and punched the ground, then said through clenched teeth, "Fine! I'll let him go!" He released his grip, and the thief immediately scrambled free and ran to his accomplice.
Holding Bertholdt hostage, they began backing away. All the cadets were awake now, and a few of the quicker ones had already put on their Omni-Directional Mobility Gear. Their gazes were hostile, but they were also wary of the flintlock in the thief's hand.
Yago kept following the two thieves. Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly spotted Annie in a tree, though he had no idea when she had climbed up there. They exchanged a glance, seemingly understanding each other.
Both thieves were drenched in sweat. Being stared down by so many young cadets was unnerving, and all they could do was bark at them to stay back, putting on a fierce front. In his panic, Bertholdt met Yago's eyes. Somehow, he seemed to hear a voice saying, Don't worry!
As the thieves passed beneath a large tree, Yago suddenly shouted, "Bertholdt! Duck!"
Bertholdt dropped into a crouch without the slightest hesitation. While the two thieves stood bewildered, Yago hurled a stone with all his strength. He had secretly scooped it into his hand when he punched the ground earlier.
The stone struck the armed thief squarely in the forehead. He cried out and collapsed. Seeing things go wrong, the other thief immediately snatched the gun from his accomplice's hand.
But a hiss of high-pressure gas came from the tree, followed by a flash of cold steel. Annie ruthlessly drew her blade and slashed. The thief's hand fell along with the gun, but she was still a fraction too late.
The gun had already fired. A lead bullet hurtled toward Yago, too fast for him to react. Even he couldn't dodge it. A small spray of blood bloomed.
Yago's pupils contracted, his heart still pounding. The lead bullet had skimmed his neck, grazing the skin.
Although Yago somehow knew that this lead bullet posed no threat to him, his secret titan power might have been exposed.
"Yago!" Annie lost her composure for once, panic showing on her face. She knocked both thieves down with a kick and hurried over to check on him. Only after seeing that he was all right did she calm down. Her cheeks also flushed slightly, as though she was embarrassed by her outburst.
Bertholdt came up beside Yago, looking guilty. "I'm sorry, Yago. You only ended up in danger because of me. I'm really sorry."
Yago waved it off. "It's fine! We're all friends. How could I stand by and let a comrade die?"
Seeing everyone gather around him, Yago quickly said, "I'm fine. More importantly, listen up! These two thieves have accomplices! They're targeting Marco's class. We need to go help Mark and the others right away!"
At that, Mikasa immediately lost her composure. "Eren!" She drew her blades and was about to leave, but Yago managed to stop her in time. Still, she was anything but calm, her face filled with anxiety.
Thomas hesitated. "Shouldn't we report this to the instructor? This counts as an emergency, doesn't it?"
Yago shook his head. "No. There might not be time. Every minute we waste could put Mark's Class in more danger. The instructor told us to treat this training exercise as real combat. In battle, we must never abandon our comrades!"
Reiner loudly agreed. "Well said, Yago! I shouldn't abandon my comrades! Count me in!" Make no mistake, this absolutely wasn't because of Christa.
Annie silently stepped behind Yago, making her position clear. As it turned out, the cadets were very united. Everyone decided to go to the aid of Mark's Class.
They left three cadets behind to guard the prisoners and seek support from the Garrison Regiment.
Yago said, "All right, split into groups of three and stay close to each other. If anything happens, send up a signal flare immediately. Understood?"
"Understood!"
"Good! Squad 2, move out!" Yago urged his horse forward and charged into the forest with Mikasa and Annie. The remaining cadets formed their own groups and scattered into the forest.
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