Under Ming's gaze, Armin finally lowered his head as though giving up on himself and scratched his hair.
"I don't know either."
Ming nodded before looking away.
"Annie is an enemy. She should have died, and you know that."
"I know."
"But Bai Yu needed her ability back then to retake Wall Maria quickly. Once Wall Maria was retaken, her ability was no longer strictly necessary. Now, Bai Yu is honoring the agreement he made with her."
"An agreement? What agreement?"
Ming calmly took a sip of his drink.
"She gives all her power to Bai Yu, and Bai Yu shields her from the consequences she should face. If she breaks that agreement..."
Ming stopped there and glanced at Armin.
"At the very least, I won't let her live."
Armin froze for a moment.
"W-why?"
"Moya had drinks with me."
"M-Moya?"
Ming nodded gently.
"Yeah. She was an older woman in the Garrison Regiment. After Wall Maria was breached, she stayed behind to cover the fleeing civilians. Then she died."
"I see..."
"Do you think Bai Yu is wrong?"
Rather than continuing that topic, Ming directly voiced what was on Armin's mind.
"Yeah..."
"No action is inherently wrong. It just depends on whose perspective you take. For Bai Yu, without doing this, there would be no basis for trusting Annie."
"That's more or less how I see it."
Ming nodded gently.
"Thank you."
Armin spoke up suddenly.
But Ming didn't answer. He had finished the drink in his hand, so he screwed the cap back on, picked up another bottle from the ground, and slowly opened it.
"Thank you for telling me so much, Ming. You really are kind."
Armin smiled as he spoke. He knew Ming had said all this specifically for his sake. Normally, Ming barely spoke at