Finale: Prelude
On Paradis Island, within the Capital, the Eldians' celebration began when news of the victory reached them, though it didn't seem as frenzied as expected.
"To Eldia! To Yago Norman!" This toast echoed through many taverns. The drinkers, holding their glasses, felt a sense of satisfaction while also mourning the brave Soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the Eldia Restoration and the young Commander.
At the gate of a small manor on the outskirts of the Capital, another group of solemn-faced government officials emerged. This was the fourth group of government officials to visit Yago's mother, Lucia, today. After news of Yago's sacrifice reached Paradis Island, representatives from the Parliament, the military, the Merchant Association, the Eldia Revivalists, and even spontaneous citizens came here to mourn the young Commander and to comfort a mother who had lost her son.
With her light blue eyes, Annie watched silently as the government officials got into the cars leaving the manor. Her face remained cold and expressionless. Perhaps these people wanted to comfort Aunt Lucia, but did they know that every time they came here, they were hurting Aunt Lucia's heart even more?
A large, warm hand gently rested on Annie's shoulder. Mr. Leonhardt had been feeling a pang of pain these past few days, seeing his daughter so distraught. He didn't know how to comfort her. No one could have imagined that child, Yago, would...
"Annie, let's go visit Lucia. Ever since you returned to Paradis Island, Lucia has been wanting to see you."
Hearing her father's words, Annie suddenly stood up, clearly agitated. She grabbed her father's arm tightly, her face pale, and said, "No! No! I can't go! I'll be so sorry to Aunt Lucia! I promised I'd stay by Yago's side! I, I, I, no!"
A somewhat distraught Annie gritted her teeth, suddenly released her father, and rushed straight out of the manor. Watching his daughter's disheveled figure, Mr. Leonhardt sighed heavily, his hand gripping his cane tightening unconsciously. Crack! Under the immense force, a crack appeared in the head of the solid wood cane.
While countless Eldians cheered for victory and mourned their sacrifices, the government officials and Parliament in the Capital were extremely busy digesting the fruits of victory. Everything was exactly as Yago had predicted. With the Rumbling intimidation displayed to the world and the scheming and machinations during the war, the Eldia Empire, or rather the Paradisian United Kingdom, had successfully made its mark on the world stage.
Regarding territory, Yago and Marshal Marley, the supreme commander of the Magath, reached an agreement that the nine Nanbu provinces of the Marley Empire would be incorporated into the Paradisian United Kingdom. In exchange, the Paradisian United Kingdom would support and assist the Marley Empire in incorporating the Middle East into its territory.
Indeed, the Middle East has been partitioned. After the capital and most of the land were captured by the Far East, the Middle Eastern Union was essentially defunct. Now that the war is over, neither the "victorious" countries of Marley nor the "defeated" countries of the Far East would be happy to see the re-emergence of a once-powerful military superpower.
Moreover, the Middle East is so rich in land and mineral resources that it makes countless countries envious. Under a tacit understanding, neither the Far East nor Marley mentioned the restoration of the Middle Eastern Union when they signed the ceasefire agreement.
The Far East side was well aware of its own capabilities, as the newly appointed military leadership was keenly aware. In the Armistice Agreement, the Far East voluntarily relinquished most of its occupied territories, but it was determined to acquire the nine Middle East provinces bordering the Far East.
Logically, a defeated nation should not have such power. However, the Far East was not a "defeated nation" in the literal sense. The reason for the Far East ceasefire was more due to political turmoil at the highest levels and consideration of the limits of military expansion capabilities, rather than the Far East losing the ability to continue the war.
In fact, if the Far East had stubbornly chosen to continue the war, it's uncertain who would have won it now.
The Far East has the most power, so everyone chose to turn a blind eye to the Far East's forced occupation of nine provinces in the Middle East. However, Marley's eyes were set on the remaining twenty-six provinces in the Middle East, but it would not be so easy for Marley to take over these twenty-six provinces smoothly.
Because the most important transportation hub in the Middle East, the Hera Province, is now home to hundreds of thousands of Colossal Titan standing silently. Without Hera Province, Marley cannot connect the remaining twenty-five provinces in the Middle East. However, facing hundreds of thousands of Colossal Titan, Marley, which is now on the verge of collapse, would only be indulging in wishful thinking if it wanted to take it by force.
Furthermore, the Far East wouldn't stand by and watch Marley seize the opportunity to regain its power, so Far East secretly supported the Eldians and Marley in their rivalry in the Middle East. Yes, the Far East and the Eldians, now known as the Paradisian United Nations, had long been in cahoots.
Well, it might sound harsh, but that's the truth. Otherwise, the Far East wouldn't have chosen to make a truce when faced with an army of hundreds of thousands of the Rumbling Colossal Titan, and the Rumbling army wouldn't have chosen to continue advancing after destroying the Far East's defenses in Hera Province.
Under pressure from both the Far East and the Paradisian United Kingdom, Marley naturally chose to agree to the Paradisian United Kingdom's proposal, exchanging the vast but not wealthy southern provinces of the Marley Empire for control of twenty-six provinces in the Middle East. As for the wishes of the people in the Middle East? Sorry, no one would consider that.
Now everyone's happy, but is that really the case?
Shortly after the Armistice Agreement was signed, the Paradisian United Kingdom took the lead in proposing the establishment of a world United Nations. The Far East and the Marley Empire followed suit and expressed their support. In a very short time, the three parties quickly established the preliminary framework of the United Nations, with its headquarters located in the Sayes Province in the Middle East.
At the first United Nations United Nations Assembly, Erwin Smith, the representative of the Paradisian United Kingdom to the United Nations, proposed the establishment of permanent members of the Security Council as an important force for maintaining UN order and world stability. This proposal was agreed upon by the majority of the representatives present. As a result, after the election, the Far East Union, the Marley Empire, the Paradisian United Kingdom, the European Lancy, and the Asian Republic officially became the five permanent members of the Security Council.
The world situation gradually stabilized, but beneath the seemingly calm surface, the undercurrents were still surging.
(Officially beginning the final stages of filling in the gaps!)