Long live freedom!

Bai Yu walked past the three of them and hugged Xiate, who had been standing in the same spot all this time. Her eyes were lowered, and he had no idea what she was thinking.

"Brother, what if I asked you to take me with you?"

Bai Yu froze for a moment, then quickly recovered and smiled at Xiate.

"Then I'd take you with me."

"It really will be dangerous."

"Yeah. Didn't we already talk about that?"

"I want to join the Survey Corps too."

"Sure."

"I don't want to wait three years."

"As long as you can hold a blade."

"But I'm not old enough..."

Bai Yu looked at Erwin beside him.

"Captain Erwin."

Erwin, who had been listening to their conversation, looked at the little girl before him and spoke with a slight frown.

"You'll die."

"No, I won't. Bai Yu will be with me."

Xiate raised her head and looked at the man before her, who was old enough to be called an uncle.

But Erwin only looked at Bai Yu.

"Have you thought this through?"

"She's being stubborn."

"Don't blame me if anything happens to her."

"Hmph. Xiate's really capable."

"Is that so..."

Erwin looked at Xiate and knelt on one knee. He tried to rest his right hand on her shoulder, but she stepped back to avoid it.

That only made Erwin pause briefly. Looking at her pressed close to Bai Yu, he couldn't help feeling a little foolish, but he spoke anyway.

"Then you can join the Training Corps early. I'll put in a request with them. In three years, if you manage to make it to the end and still haven't changed your mind, come join our Survey Corps."

Xiate looked at Bai Yu behind her. Just then, Erwin spoke again.

"Bai Yu, you won't be assigned to a squad. You'll report directly to me, so you'll have plenty of freedom. You can also visit the Training Corps' training grounds. However, you'll have to participate in every expedition beyond the walls. After all, from this moment on, you're a member of the Survey Corps."

Bai Yu looked a little puzzled.

"Aren't you a captain, Erwin? Doesn't this need the commander's approval or something?"

The rather stern-looking middle-aged man beside them spoke up.

"The previous commander has already requested to step down. Erwin will become commander in a few days."

"Oh, I see..."

"Let's go. You don't have anything left to pack, do you?"

Bai Yu only glanced into the distance, toward the refugee settlement, before looking away and spreading his hands.

"Nope. Just don't forget what you promised."

"Right. Then let's head to the Survey Corps' headquarters."

With that, Erwin jumped down from the wall first, and the others followed.

Inside the carriage, Erwin looked at Bai Yu. With no other Survey Corps soldiers around, he finally asked the question that had been on his mind.

"Where did you learn to use Omni-Directional Mobility Gear?"

Bai Yu had known he would ask.

"Natural talent."

"Natural talent?"

"I like learning in my dreams, after all. Well, what I mean is, my brain can keep running simulations and feed the results back to my body. It's an ability I was born with."

Erwin immediately fell into thought.

Seeing Erwin go quiet, Bai Yu quipped.

"Have you ever seen another ten-year-old as strong as me? What else could it be but talent?"

Looking at the boy before him, Erwin knew his background. He had been adopted when he was one or two and had lived in Shiganshina District ever since. Still, his explanation sounded rather absurd.

"Why worry about all that? As long as it works."

Bai Yu's words made Erwin look up, only to see him stroking Xiate's head and yawning, apparently getting sleepy.

"Wake me when we get there."

With that, he closed his eyes, still holding Xiate, and his breathing gradually steadied.

Erwin narrowed his eyes slightly.

But he said nothing more. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, then he shook his head slightly.

Before long, Bai Yu felt the rocking stop.

"We're here."

Erwin reminded him.

"Mm, that fast?"

Bai Yu rubbed his eyes as though he hadn't quite woken up, then gave Xiate beside him a pat and climbed out of the carriage.

The sun shone fiercely overhead, and white fish drifted past one after another.

Two Wings of Freedom flags stood at the gate before them-the emblem of the Survey Corps.

They followed Erwin to a dormitory room equipped with all the basic necessities. It was a fairly decent room for two.

Erwin looked at Xiate following behind Bai Yu and asked.

"Do you want to stay with Bai Yu, or should I arrange another..."

Before he could finish, Xiate interrupted him.

"I want to stay with my brother."

Erwin merely nodded. He had no intention of interfering in their relationship, though he could make out a thing or two about it. He set the key in his hand on the table.

"This room is yours now. Xiate, once the Training Corps starts in a few days, I'll arrange for you to go there. Whether you can stick it out will be up to you. As for Bai Yu, although your combat skills are impressive, you'll still need some time to adjust. There are also things about the corps you need to learn. I'll find someone to show you around. We'll have another expedition beyond the walls in two months. You'll come with us then."

But Bai Yu raised his hand.

"I don't really need anyone to show me around."

Erwin merely glanced at him and, surprisingly, didn't argue. Instead, he said.

"Then you're free to do as you please. I'll give you your Survey Corps certificate tomorrow. You also need to come to the assembly at three this afternoon so everyone can meet you. Otherwise, when there's nothing to do, we won't keep much of an eye on you."

"I can do anything?"

"As long as it's not illegal."

"What if I sleep for a month?"

"That's fine too."

"I get that much freedom?"

Bai Yu was dumbfounded.

"As long as you put your abilities to use during the Expedition Beyond the Walls and don't die."

Despite the threatening edge to those words, Bai Yu actually felt relieved.

Perfect! This was the freedom he'd always dreamed of!

Long live the Survey Corps!

This meant he could slack off whenever there wasn't an expedition beyond the walls. The expeditions didn't last that long, either, and as far as he was concerned, they weren't all that frequent-generally once every month or two.

With this much freedom, wasn't this at least as good as joining the Garrison Regiment?

Was this a blessing in disguise?

Bai Yu couldn't help wondering.

Meanwhile, Erwin had already headed for the door. Before closing it, he glanced back at them once more, then shut the door.

Bai Yu had wanted to lie down on the bed, but then he remembered all the blood that had splashed onto him while he was killing Titans. Although it had already evaporated, the thought still bothered him.

So he sat down in a chair, looking as though he had everything he could ever want in life.

"How is this the Survey Corps? This is practically paradise."

Of course, that was only true for him.