The Curtain Rises

"Christa, come with me! Let's get away from here, okay?" Ymir whispered, shaking the still sleepy-eyed Christa.

Christa, still a little groggy from being woken up, her face flushed and a trace of tears on her lips, rubbed her eyes and asked, "Ymir, what are you talking about? Where are we going?"

Ymir gritted her teeth. The silly girl in front of her had no idea what was going on. What was she supposed to say?

"Everyone, prepare to depart! The main force of the Survey Corps has arrived at Wall Rose. We must rendezvous with Commander Erwin as soon as possible!" Nanaba shouted, waking everyone who was still fast asleep.

Ymir glanced at Reiner secretly, feeling a surge of irritation rising within her.

The morning sun gradually rose, but it was clearly not yet ready to spread its light and heat.

The New Recruits then packed up and set off in the dim light.

A drop of dew fell from the treetop, landing on Yago's forehead and breaking into eight pieces. The cool sensation made Yago shiver instantly.

Yago reached up and wiped his forehead, then gazed at the distant city walls.

"Who exactly are you people?" The question from behind made Yago turn around. "Section Commander Mike, don't you trust us?"

Mike Zacharias, the Survey Corps Section Commander with both legs broken, stared coldly at Yago was wearing the same Wings of Freedom uniform as him.

"Heh, do you think I should believe you? Or do you think I'll believe her?!" Mike said bluntly, glancing at Annie who was standing beside Yago. Facing Mike, the second strongest human Soldiers and Section Commander the Survey Corps, Yago felt there was no need to hide Annie's identity.

Having already obtained Erwin's information, Mike naturally knew Annie's identity as the Female Titan.

Mike didn't stop there; instead, he continued to question, "New Recruits Yago, do you think I'd believe an enemy who slaughtered our Survey Corps comrades before but now claims it was a misunderstanding? And you, Yago Norman, are you an enemy too?"

Yago gave a bitter smile. Section Commander Mike's questioning left Yago speechless. Annie's mistake could not be covered up, but Yago was willing to share the burden with Annie.

"Section Commander Mike, whether you believe it now or not, we will prove it. Otherwise, why would we have saved you from the Beast Titan?" Yago tried to explain, but all he got in return was a cold snort from Section Commander Mike.

Yago couldn't explain anything more; no matter how much he said, Section Commander Mike wouldn't let his guard down around him and Annie.

Yago could only pull Annie aside, and the two sat together, both preoccupied with their own thoughts. Yago thought about Annie's memories and the things within them, Yago experiences as a warrior, and how to explain things to the Survey Corps and how to convince the people on the island.

Annie's thoughts were mostly on Yago, his father.

"Damn it! I might as well just elope with Annie!" Yago cursed under his breath, increasingly annoyed.

Turning around, Yago noticed that Annie had somehow pulled out a small notebook with a piece of paper tucked inside. Yago moved closer to Annie, watching as Annie slowly unfolded the paper.

Yago was stunned, his heart filled with mixed emotions. "Annie, you still keep this painting?"

In Annie's hand, on the slightly yellowed notebook paper, although some pencil marks were blurred, the girl on the paper was still easily recognizable: a perfect profile, a somewhat childlike face, and a high, straight nose—it was none other than a younger version of Annie. This drawing was the one Yago had given Annie in class for the first time. (See Chapter 12 for details)

Behind the paper, the exaggerated chibi version of Yago is still bowing and saying, "Please forgive the foolish Yago, beautiful Lady Annie!"

Yago was filled with mixed emotions; he hadn't expected that Annie would keep that painting all this time.

Annie looked at the painting in her hand and a faint smile appeared on her face. Suddenly, Yago's thoughts were about to burst forth.

Yago really wanted to ignore all this mess and run away with Annie. What did the feud between the Eldians and the Marleyan have to do with them?!

After struggling for a long time, Yago sighed and couldn't help but reach out and hug Annie. Annie let Yago hug her back. Looking at Annie's face so close to his, Yago suddenly remembered that the inheritor of the power of the Titan Power only had thirteen years of lifespan, and his heart couldn't help but clench.

"Annie, I will always be by your side." Yago whispered but firmly, his face close to Annie's.

"Mmm," Annie replied, her face slightly flushed.

Standing on the fifty-meter-high Wall Rose, a gentle breeze ruffled Eren's hair as he stared blankly at the vast Eren, boundless land Wall Rose.

For a moment, Eren felt somewhat dazed. The last time he stood on Wall Rose, he witnessed the Colossal Titan destroy Wall Rose, the Titan invasion, and the loss of countless lives.

"Eren! What are you doing here?" Armin's voice pulled Eren back to reality. Looking around, he saw many Survey Corps Soldiers bustling about on the city wall, moving supplies and checking equipment.

"Is it really necessary? I..." Eren's eyes were filled with complex emotions; who could truly see what lay beneath the surface?

Armin: "There's no other way. We can only take measures to control the situation. The Commander and the Captain should have already arranged the specifics."

"Eren, the only person you need to be careful of now is yourself. If they really are the enemy, Eren, your situation will be very dangerous!" Armin earnestly advised.

Eren remained silent, but he was prepared.

Mikasa arrived at their side with two cans of water and bread. Hearing Armin's words, Mikasa immediately retorted, "With Eren here, he won't get hurt in the slightest!"

Eren; "..."

Armin: "..."

On the other side, the Survey Corps Command Headquarters was located several kilometers away from Eren and his group.

Levi crossed his arms, a hint of disdain on his face. "So, you've shaken off the clingy Wallist Church?" He was annoyed, but he still had to save face.

Erwin nodded. "We used the reason that a large number of people needed to be calmed down to allow the Wallist Church to leave our Survey Corps forces."

"Hange, how's the preparation going?" Erwin suddenly turned and asked. Although the research fanatic seemed somewhat uninterested, he still obediently reported, "Four Elite Squad are in ambush, and the steel cables have been reinforced. If that Female Titan reappears, we'll definitely capture her alive!"

"Levi, what about you?" Hearing Erwin's question, Levi's face darkened. "Levi Squad will be in charge of the final cleanup for the class meeting."

"Reporting, Commander! The temporary South-North Squad of the Survey Corps are about to arrive with the New Recruits!" a Scout hurriedly reported.

Erwin suddenly closed the Battle Plan and calmly said, "Very good, get ready!"

"Yes!"