Time in Attack on Titan was strange. The inheritors of the Attack Titan could pass memories to one another, and those memories could even cross time and space. Eren, in particular, could use the Founding Titan's power to control Titans beyond the constraints of time.
Bai Yu couldn't quite wrap his head around it.
Was that Spinal Worm some kind of higher-dimensional life-form? That was just ridiculous.
But one thing was certain: he was the one who decided what happened in the present he inhabited. So Bai Yu merely grumbled about it a little and didn't dwell on it too much.
It wasn't like the future Eren would unleash the Rumbling on him, right? There really was no need for that.
That was what he thought.
Once Erwin finished speaking, Bai Yu left. Erwin could handle all this anyway. He was an old fox through and through, perfectly suited to all this scheming and intrigue. Bai Yu could simply leave it to him. All he needed to do was reveal the information so Erwin wouldn't act on faulty intelligence.
The next day, Bai Yu brought Ming and Xiate to the Training Corps. Looking at Eren and the others below, whom he hadn't seen for several days, he couldn't help giving a rather ill-intentioned smile.
The moment everyone saw Bai Yu, their bodies involuntarily trembled. Clearly, they had missed him very much.
Bai Yu spoke up as well, launching straight into teaching them hand-to-hand combat upon his return.
"Kali, come up here and help me demonstrate."
After all, Kali was now a prospective member of the Support Squad. Naturally, she deserved some "special attention."
Now that the truth about the outside world had come to light, Erwin still intended to organize Survey Corps expeditions beyond the walls, but their objective was no longer the same. Their goal now was to retake Wall Maria, so there had been no expeditions lately.
These days, Bai Yu occasionally remarked that Erwin had become a slacker with no dreams left.
Erwin merely smiled in response.
Erwin smiled more often now, and his demeanor was slightly different from before. Both Bai Yu and Levi felt it was a welcome change.
Through methods unknown to Bai Yu, Erwin had secured a factory in the west for the Survey Corps, rapidly advancing their improvements to the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear.
As for Bai Yu, he now held a book titled Basic Principles of Missiles. It wasn't particularly thick.
Bai Yu was truly beginning to understand what it meant to say that knowledge was power.
The Military Police certainly wouldn't willingly hand over Thunder Spears, weapons effective against both Titans and humans. But without Thunder Spears, they couldn't break through the Armored Titan's defenses. What could they do? What else? Make their own.
And so, Bai Yu had become a scholar devoted to reading inside the System Training Space. His grades had actually been quite good in his previous life. He had even attended a Project 211 university, but after entering the workforce, he had ended up as nothing more than a useful tool...
Having to make his own weapons too-what the hell was this?
Still, there was nothing he could do but read. Fortunately, he could conduct experiments in the system's training ground. Even if something exploded, he only had to reset the training ground. He wouldn't wind up dead.
To everyone else, however, Bai Yu simply seemed to be sleeping more frequently.
He also had to train the recruits of the 104th Cadet Corps and work with Ming and Xiate, recently placing particular emphasis on techniques for fighting humans and firearms skills. Both were somewhat puzzled, though Ming seemed to have guessed something.
Time flew by, and before long, Erwin ordered some of the Survey Corps soldiers to assemble.
The Levi Squad, Bai Yu's squad, Hange's squad, and Mike Zacharias were among them. Supposedly, before Levi and Bai Yu arrived, Mike had been the strongest soldier in the Survey Corps. Now, that was less certain.
There weren't many people present, only around fourteen in total, all of them trusted individuals. Erwin swept his gaze over everyone below, then nodded to Levi beside him.
Levi held a stack of papers that briefly outlined the truth about the walls and distributed them to everyone below. Bai Yu leaned by the door, his eyes slightly closed as he monitored their surroundings to keep anyone from eavesdropping and leaking the information.
As they read the shocking information on the pages, they exchanged glances, each seeing the astonishment in the others' eyes.
Erwin spoke then.
"This is the truth we discovered during our last expedition beyond the walls. The Survey Corps was founded to carve out freedom for humanity. No, I should now say, for us Eldians. Your mission now is to overthrow the Royal Government!"
Even after he said it, some still struggled to accept it. Hange's assistant, Moblit Berner, couldn't help speaking up.
"Is... is all of this true?"
"The Colossal Titan and Armored Titan that suddenly appeared and vanished three years ago are the best proof."
That silenced Moblit. Everyone was still digesting this sudden revelation.
That was only natural. They had abruptly been told that humans existed outside the walls and wanted to wipe them out, that humans could turn into Titans, and that they had to overthrow the Royal Government. It was understandable that they needed time to process it.
Before long, however, determination filled their eyes.
Looking at Erwin before them, the others clenched their right hands into fists and firmly placed them over their hearts, one after another.
"We trust you, Commander."
Ming and Xiate simply said calmly,
"We follow Bai Yu."
Erwin smiled.
He, too, struck his right fist firmly against his heart.
"Dedicate your hearts!"
Things settled down afterward. Erwin said there was no need to rush yet, and Bai Yu returned to a fairly ordinary daily routine.
"Eren, what was that move? Balance! Watch your balance!"
As he spoke, he gave Eren's leg a light kick, sending him straight to the ground.
"Go over there, add two bricks, and hold a horse stance."
"Sasha! You eat so much, so put some strength into those hands! Otherwise, I'm cutting your dinner in half!"
The red-haired girl's expression instantly turned serious at Bai Yu's words, and she knocked Jean down with a single punch.
He turned to look at Mikasa next. Hmm, not bad.
"What are you looking at me for? Is there something on my face? Eren! Go add two more bricks!"
"Why do I have to add bricks when Mikasa's the one who messed up?"
Mikasa couldn't hold back either.
"Bai Yu!"
"Eren, two more!"
"Mikasa! Stop! Don't say anything else!"
Looking at Eren's utterly hopeless expression, Bai Yu spoke again.
"What are you shouting so loudly for? Armin, go keep Eren company!"
"Huh? Why me?"
"Add two bricks."
"Yes, sir!"
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