Times Had Changed
Paradis Island, the Capital.
The Capital was bustling with activity today, with many citizens arriving early to secure a spot in front of the Royal Palace, as it was the day the Queen was awarding medals to heroes returning from Overseas.
News of the Survey Corps' great victory in the Paradis Island Marley Capital, liberating millions of Eldia compatriots, had already spread throughout Paradis Island, and the Parliament was also giving this encouraging news extensive publicity.
The main reason was that the Imperialists's previous propaganda about the oppression of the Eldians in the world cast a shadow over the hearts of many Eldians on Paradis Island. At this time, a huge victory from outside the island was naturally the best boost to Eldians morale, igniting their confidence.
The Survey Corps' reputation has risen to a whole new level. In the eyes of countless New Recruits in the Training Corps, the Survey Corps has become even more dazzling than the Military Police Brigade. The Survey Corps has now become synonymous with the future of Paradis Island.
"Dedicate Your Hearts to the future of the Eldians!" This single sentence inspired countless New Recruits to join the Survey Corps, making the once-lofty Military Police Brigade an awkward presence in comparison.
Since the Military Police Brigade are still operating under the slogan of protecting the Royal Family, this holds no appeal for the currently overly enthusiastic New Recruits. Some New Recruits would rather join the Garrison Regiment than become guard dogs in the Military Police Brigade.
The people whose moods have fluctuated the most in the past two years have to be the Squad Leader of the Survey Corps who are in charge of recruiting New Recruits. As Veteran Soldier, they have experienced the lowest point of the Survey Corps, when the Survey Corps was almost like a rat in the street, hated and cursed by everyone.
Back then, the Survey Corps was lucky to recruit anyone at all during each recruitment drive; how could you possibly be picky?
But things are different now. Nowadays, members of the Training Corps Survey Corps are highly sought after by New Recruits, and countless New Recruits want to join the Survey Corps.
For a time, the Survey Corps' recruiting Squad Leader were overwhelmed with choices. When the Military Police Brigade recruiters passed by, the Survey Corps Squad Leader would sarcastically shout, "Hey! The top ten from the Training Corps get priority!"
That feeling was incredibly satisfying! Things are so different now! I finally felt so triumphant!
Similarly, it wasn't just the Survey Corps that gained fame in this victory; the Eldia Revival Army also entered the public eye on Paradis Island for the first time, as the extremely similar names made it hard not to associate them with the island's Restorationists.
As the people expected, the Restoration Army and the Restorationists were one and the same, which caused quite a stir. The Restorationists's ideology of Eldia National Restoration was more popular with the people than the Imperialists's ideology of restoring the Eldia Empire.
The emergence of the Restoration Army further enhanced the reputation of the Restorationists, and even many members within the Imperialists wavered or defected to join the Restorationists.
Historia was somewhat unhappy wearing her Queen attire. The exquisite crown on her head, though dazzling and magnificent, was rubbing against her hair, making Historia very uncomfortable. But that wasn't what bothered Historia the most.
The main reason Historia was unhappy was that she was dragged back to Queen before she could have enough fun outside the island.
When awarding the medal to Yago, Historia outwardly smiled, but in reality, she subtly took advantage of the moment when Yago bowed his head and bent over, a wicked smile appearing on Historia's face. She then flicked Yago's head hard on the forehead.
This almost brought tears to Yago's eyes. This girl was wearing Ring on her hand, and the gemstone on that Ring was incredibly hard!
Yago resisted the urge to rub his head. When he blinked again, Historia had immediately regained her dignified and composed demeanor, but the smug smile of revenge in her eyes was quite obvious.
Historia remembered clearly in her notebook that when she suggested spending a few days in Marley, Yago was the first to object and immediately arranged for the group to return to Paradis Island, which angered Her Majesty the Queen.
Hissing and hissing, Yago felt more and more that Historia had entered the legendary rebellious phase. You can't mess with a rebellious Queen, I'm scared.
When the medal-awarding Ritual concluded, the crowd erupted in deafening cheers, cheers for their Survey Corps heroes and for the Y heroes who fought for the future of Eldia.
"Alex! Look, look! That must be Senior Yago Norman! This is amazing! We finally met him!!" A blonde girl excitedly shook the arm of the boy next to her.
Alex was equally excited. "That's right! Louise! Senior Yago was the founder and leader of our Restorationists! We must follow in his footsteps! Join the Survey Corps! Fight for the restoration of the Eldians!"
Hearing Alex's words, Louise looked a little insecure. "But Alex, I only rank twelfth among my classmates. Can I still join the Survey Corps?" (Survey Corps: Yes, yes, yes!! Of course you can! Ahahaha!)
Alex scratched his head. "Well, I'm not entirely sure either, but if we work hard and get into the top ten of our class, we'll definitely be able to join the Survey Corps!"
"Um!!"
As the two young people were excited about their ideals, a figure quietly walked past them.
Arno gave the two young men a cold glance. He couldn't believe that the Survey Corps would one day have entry requirements? Wasn't that place open to anyone who wasn't disabled?
Shaking his head, Arno walked alone in one direction. Halfway there, Arno stopped and looked up at Historia on the stage. Arno also noticed the unhappy look on Historia's face.
However, Historia's displeasure at not having had enough fun was interpreted completely differently by Arno. "Aren't you content to be just a pretty face? Historia, do you want to be a true Queen? The Eldians need a true king, even if it requires some sacrifices. Only by welcoming back a true king can the glory of the Eldia Empire be restored."
Arno muttered to himself, then Arno gaze shifted to Yago, who stood tall on the stage. "Yago Norman? The leader of the Restorationists?"
On stage, the pain in his head gradually subsided, and Yago's expression returned to normal. But suddenly, Yago felt a chill run down his spine; he seemed to sense a pair of cold, sinister eyes watching him.
But when Yago frowned and scanned the crowd, that cold gaze seemed to vanish.