"Weren't we allies of Paradis Island? Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?!" Tōjin Yamashinobu roared at the assembled members of his family, his eyes bulging with rage.
The Oriental Clan's retainers prostrated themselves in terror. "Family Head! We don't know!"
"Where is Kiyomi?" Tōjin Yamashinobu asked next.
"She left for Paradis Island last week with a warship and a reconnaissance plane. It seemed she intended to rescue the Eldian royal family," one retainer said.
"This Eren Yeager is a madman. He won't even spare their only ally!" Tōjin Yamashinobu said.
"Family Head, the Founding Titan's power is unfathomable. Do you think Eren Yeager might have known all along that we planned to use Eldia as a shield...?" one retainer speculated.
"Impossible! We're not Eldia people. How could he possibly see what I'm thinking? Unless, back then..." Tōjin Yamashinobu's pupils suddenly contracted as he spoke.
He abruptly remembered that Eren seemed to have been present on Chen Si's one and only visit to Hizuru. Had Eren overheard their plotting back then?
Rumble! The Titans of the Rumbling had reached the outskirts of the capital, bringing a surging sea of fire with them. More than half of Hizuru had already become a hell on earth.
Tōjin Yamashinobu looked out the window at his shattered homeland. The beautiful cherry blossoms that had once graced the outskirts of the capital had become ruins blanketed in magma. He closed his eyes tightly, tears streaming down his face. He knew he had chosen the wrong direction, bet on the wrong path. Tōjin Kiyomi had been right to stand firmly with Eldia.
"Kiyomi, you really were better suited to be the family head than I was," Tōjin Yamashinobu said with a sigh.
**"All members of the Oriental Clan, hear my command! Today, you