Many cadets and Garrison soldiers in the distance looked toward Chen Si and Eren with complicated expressions.
Chen Si rubbed the back of his head. What a pain. That coward Kitz was bound to pick a fight in a moment. With Eren here, he'd probably come after me too.
Chen Si was in a somewhat better position, since he had saved everyone at the Supply Station. Though his lightning was shocking, it did not seem to provoke as much revulsion as Eren turning into a Titan.
When Eren had emerged from the nape, the gazes surrounding him had been filled with fear and murderous intent. Such attitudes could not be changed overnight. People's suspicion and distrust could often destroy someone more thoroughly than Titans could.
Before long, several Garrison soldiers with two roses emblazoned on the backs of their uniforms blocked their path, muskets in hand, and demanded that Eren and Chen Si come with them.
Mikasa immediately insisted on going along, and Armin joined them as well. The Garrison soldiers did not think four people could cause much trouble, so they agreed.
The moment they entered the Garrison barracks, the massive iron gate slammed shut. Dozens of Garrison soldiers suddenly raised their guns at the four of them, while dozens more maneuvering troops stood ready with long blades.
Chen Si glanced around and spotted a massive howitzer on a raised platform. Well, damn. Useless at everything except fighting their own.
Chen Si did not dare let his guard down and remained ready to act at any moment. Though he was absolutely certain he would be fine, he still had to keep Mikasa and Armin safe. He glanced at Eren. He should wake up soon.
"Eren, you're too weak." A voice that seemed to come from ancient times echoed in Eren's mind, sounding both familiar and strange.
"Eren, even a few dozen feeble humans can kill you. What use are you? Do you want Titans to charge inside the walls and tear your mother apart? Do you want your closest friends to be killed before your eyes, one by one?
"Think about it. Your mother, holding your corpse, being devoured by a Titan in agony. Is that what you want, Eren?" Voices both sacred and ruthless kept pouring into Eren's mind.
"No... don't! Not that... please, no!"
"I can't die here! I have to save my friends!"
"I'm going to drive out every last Titan! I'll kill them all!"
"Kill them all!" Eren jolted awake, still muttering the words.
"Eren!" Standing beside Chen Si at the front with a blade in each hand, Mikasa turned back in delight.
"Eren..." Armin stared in horror at the newly awakened Eren, whose lips still held an eerie curve.
"Eren, are you conscious now? Can you move? Hurry and tell them everything you know! They'll understand us!" Armin cried in panic, tears clinging to the corners of his eyes.
"Well, young master, you're finally awake. Any later, and there'd be no one left to collect our bodies," Chen Si teased, glancing at Eren.
"Armin... Chen Si... what's going on?" Eren looked around, completely bewildered.
"D-did you hear that? He said he was going to kill us!" a soldier nearby said, sweat covering his forehead.
"I heard him! He said he'd put us in his mouth and chew us to pieces!"
"See that Chen Si next to Eren Yeager? I heard he has Titan powers too. He must be a Titan!"
"But he saved some of us back then..."
"A Titan's a Titan. How could any of them be good?"
"Kill him!"
The crowd seethed with anger.
Chen Si listened for a while as these cattle mindlessly echoed one another. He even spotted a few faces from the Supply Station shouting along.
They really have a death wish. A faint trace of murderous intent had already begun to surface in Chen Si's eyes.
Why is everyone pointing weapons meant for Titans at us? Why? Eren could not make sense of it.
Eren's sudden awakening sent an uproar through the soldiers present. Everyone was terrified. The hands of the Garrison soldiers holding guns around them trembled slightly, afraid Eren would suddenly turn into a Titan and swat them.
At that moment, Kitz Woermann, the commander of the Trost District Garrison, barked sternly, his face dark:
"Cadet Yeager, and Armin Arnold, Mikasa Ackerman, and Si Chen with him, your actions now constitute rebellion-blatant treason!
"Whether you live or die will be decided entirely by our superiors. If you attempt to deceive us or make any rash moves, the howitzer will bombard you directly!
"On behalf of our superiors, I will ask you plainly: what are you really? A human! Or a Titan!"
"I don't understand your question!" Eren shouted.
"Planning to play dumb to the bitter end, you monster? Try transforming again if you dare! It would take only an instant to blow you to pieces! We won't give you a chance to reveal your true form!" Though utterly terrified, Kitz forced himself to appear composed as he shouted at Chen Si and the others.
"Hey, are you a dumbass? Can't you see he has two eyes and a nose? He's shorter than you-how could he be a Titan? Does he have to drop his pants and stick it next to your mouth before you'll realize he's human?" Chen Si sneered.
Another uproar swept through the crowd. Everyone stared at Chen Si in disbelief.
"Utterly vulgar." Rico snorted behind Kitz, her opinion of Chen Si dropping considerably.
"What's a dumbass?"
"According to the graduates of the 104th Cadet Corps, it means someone even stupider than an idiot."
"What? Is Chen Si trying to get himself killed, insulting Commander Kitz like that?"
"Hmph. Does this Titan still think he's the top graduate? Once his identity as a Titan is confirmed, he'll be stripped of that title."
The crowd broke into chatter again.
"Hey, Chen Si," Armin said, extremely nervous.
"How dare you! Cadet Si Chen, don't think being the top graduate gives you the right to treat everyone with contempt! Don't think I don't know that the lightning you released in battle was exactly like the lightning when the Colossal Titan appeared! You aren't free of suspicion of being a Titan either!" Kitz shouted sternly.
The crowd began murmuring again.
"Is Chen Si a Titan?"
"Whatever he is, Chen Si saved us!"
"Hey, think before you speak. If I hadn't fought through blood on the front lines, would livestock like you still be lounging around in your pigsty?
"I drove back the Colossal Titan single-handedly. Want to find out how many people witnessed it? I also saved dozens of soldiers at the Supply Station. And you're calling someone like me a rebel?" Chen Si shot back sharply.
"W-well..." Cold sweat poured from Kitz as he struggled to find a rebuttal. Even his superiors knew about Chen Si's battle with the Colossal Titan.
"Commander Kitz! Top Graduate Chen Si saved my life. Please don't make things difficult for him!" A Garrison soldier stepped forward.
"That's right, Commander! Chen Si saved us. He's no traitor!" Another Garrison soldier stepped forward.