At the induction ceremony for the 104th Training Corps.
A bald instructor with a fierce gaze and a stern expression stood on the platform, relentlessly lecturing the recruits.
As Arthur watched the bald instructor, his figure overlapped with Arthur's memory of the Survey Corps Commander named Keith. One had hair and the other was bald, but his features and tone were unmistakable.
Arthur had never expected Keith to transfer from the Survey Corps to the Training Corps, much less become their head instructor by sheer coincidence.
"The induction ceremony for the 104th Training Corps officially begins now. Just my rotten luck, getting assigned to teach you worthless livestock." Keith stood on the platform, hurling vicious insults at the hundreds of recruits below.
The recruits were furious at being called livestock and trash over and over, but none dared show it. Everyone knew that anyone who expressed dissatisfaction would be singled out for punishment.
"To be honest, I don't want to see any of you worthless scum. Right now, you're nothing more than food for Titans, livestock waiting to be slaughtered. No, you're even worse than livestock. At least livestock can provide food. You're just a bunch of useless mouths!"
"Over these three years, I'll put you through hellish training and teach you worthless scum the methods and skills you need to fight Titans without dying."
"If you're still here in three years, I want to see whether you're still the same useless trash you are now, or warriors who dare face Titans head-on! Your determination will decide that."
Keith's voice was so loud that it rang clearly across the training grounds even without a loudspeaker.
Keith looked terrifying, and the recruits could only imagine the countless hardships awaiting them if this was merely the beginning.
Many of the less mentally resilient recruits already had trembling legs. They regretted being stupid enough to join the Training Corps and end up under this demon of an instructor.
After finishing his speech, Keith stepped down from the platform and began moving through the rows, picking lucky recruits to intimidate.
"Hey! You there! Yes, you! Who are you?!" Instructor Keith strode up to Armin in the front row and shouted.
Cold sweat streamed down Armin's face as the demonic instructor singled him out, but he hurried to answer.
"I'm Armin Arnold, from Shiganshina District!"
"Are you a little girl?! Speak up! You think you can be a soldier with a voice like that?!" Keith roared.
"Sir! I'm Armin Arnold, from Shiganshina District!!" Armin shouted again, louder this time.
"Is that so? What a stupid name. Did your parents give it to you?" Keith continued intimidating him.
"My grandfather did!!" Armin answered.
"Then, Arnold! What did you come here for?!" Keith brought his face close to Armin's ear and asked in an icy voice.
"I want to contribute to humanity's victory!!" Armin dared not meet Keith's eyes and hastily shouted his answer.
"Well, isn't that wonderful! Then we'll make you Titan bait! Third row, about-face!!" Keith grabbed Armin's head and turned him around.
By now, Armin's face was drenched in cold sweat. He had never expected Keith's presence to be so overwhelming.
"And who are you?!" Keith singled out a blond boy next and demanded loudly.
"Sir! I'm from Trost District! My name is Thomas Wagner!!" The blond boy startled when he was called on, then shouted his reply.
"What did you enlist for?!"
"Sir, I'm here to contribute to humanity too!!" Thomas answered.
"Then you can become Titan bait, just like that boy! Fourth row, about-face!" Keith spat another venomous remark.
"Next!"
"I'm Mina Carolina, from Karanes!!" This time, he had picked a girl with twin ponytails, who nervously shouted her answer.
"Wrong! You were born in a pigsty! You're worse than livestock!" Keith leaned close to Mina and roared.
"Sir! I'm worse than livestock!" Mina replied in terror, fighting back tears.
"Next!"
"Sir, what's the point of all this intimidation?" A middle-aged instructor and a younger instructor watched from the edge of the grounds. Puzzled by Keith's relentless intimidation of the recruits, the younger instructor asked his senior.
"I see." The young instructor nodded in understanding.
"And who are you?!" Keith next singled out a brown-haired boy with a somewhat long face.
"Jean Kirstein, from Trost District!" the boy named Jean answered calmly.
"What did you come here for?" It was the same old question.
"To join the Military Police Brigade and live in the interior!" Jean declared his goal with some pride.
But the moment Keith heard that answer, his gaze turned cold, and he sneered.
"Is that so? So you want to go to the interior." Keith smiled and patted Jean's shoulder, then suddenly caught him off guard with a headbutt.
Thud!
Jean fell to the ground, clutching his red, swollen forehead.
"Who told you to sit down?! Get up! You think someone like you deserves to go to the interior? To join the Military Police Brigade?!" Keith sneered.
Jean dared not say another word and hurriedly stood back up.
Keith then went looking for his next victim, a tall boy with a bowl cut.
"Who are you?!"
"Marco Bott, from the southern district of Wall Rose!!" the boy named Marco answered confidently.
"What are you doing here?!" Keith asked, as always.
"I want to join the Military Police Brigade and dedicate my body to His Majesty the King!" Marco stated his ambition.
"Is that so? Sounds good! Keep working toward that goal." Keith smiled and patted Marco's shoulder, then suddenly leaned close to his ear to deliver one final blow. "But the king won't need your body, boy."
"Who are you?!"
"My name is Connie Springer, from Ragako Village in the southern district of Wall Rose." The boy named Connie suddenly did something astonishing: unable to tell left from right, he struck his fist against the right side of his chest.
Keith's face darkened when he saw Connie salute on the wrong side. He grabbed Connie by the head and lifted him high, leaving his entire body dangling in the air.
"You've got it backward, Connie Springer! Haven't you learned how to salute?! This salute represents dedicating your heart to your country! Is your heart on the right side, boy?!"
Just as Connie struggled to answer, the crisp sound of someone biting into food rang out, jarringly loud on the quiet training grounds.
Everyone looked toward the sound in shock and discovered a red-haired girl holding a sweet potato and munching on it.
"Pfft!" Arthur finally failed to hold back his laughter. What a bunch of characters-one had his heart on the right, and another ate during a lecture. Truly remarkable.
Keith shot Arthur a dark look, then strode toward the red-haired girl, who continued eating her sweet potato as if nothing were wrong.
The recruits beside the red-haired girl looked at her with either shock or sympathy. After all, Keith had already set his sights on her.
"Hey... you there... what are you doing?" Keith asked the red-haired girl with utter calm. His tone was quiet, but everyone knew the bald instructor was holding back an explosion.
Yet, to everyone's renewed astonishment, the red-haired girl acted as though she had not heard Keith and took another huge bite.
Keith was dumbfounded. He had never imagined this girl would be bold enough to provoke him like this.
"I'm talking to you!! Who the hell are you?!!" Keith could no longer hold back and let out a thunderous roar.
"!" The red-haired girl visibly startled and almost choked on the food in her mouth. After struggling to swallow it, she hurriedly saluted, still holding her sweet potato.
"Sasha Blouse, from Dauper Village in the southern district of Wall Rose!"
"The southern district of Wall Rose sure produces some remarkable people." Arthur was rather surprised to hear that this girl came from southern Wall Rose too.
"Sasha Blouse! What is that thing in your right hand?" Keith's face was dark, and he was so angry that even his voice trembled.
"A steamed sweet potato. Haven't you seen one before, sir?" Sasha asked, looking at the instructor in confusion.
"Where did you get it?" Keith asked, doing his best to suppress the urge to headbutt her.
"There happened to be some freshly steamed sweet potatoes in the kitchen, so I took one when I saw them," Sasha said with perfect seriousness.
"So you stole it too? Why? Why are you eating a sweet potato now? Explain yourself!" Keith lost his composure. He had never expected this girl named Sasha to be so brazen.
"It won't taste good once it gets cold, so I'm eating it now," Sasha answered.
"No, I'm asking why you're eating a sweet potato on an occasion like this!" Keith demanded through gritted teeth.
"Are you asking why people eat sweet potatoes?" Sasha stunned everyone once again.
Arthur was utterly shocked. He had never imagined Sasha could be so dense as to say something that astonishing. Honestly, he was beginning to question whether joining the Training Corps with Eren had been the right decision.
Everything suddenly fell silent.
Looking at the instructor's dark expression, Sasha seemed to think of something. She suddenly broke the sweet potato in her hand into two halves and offered one to Keith.
"You can have half," Sasha said reluctantly.
"H-half?" Keith looked at Sasha uncertainly, his brain almost short-circuiting.
"Is that not enough?" Sasha's mind failed to follow, and she sounded deeply aggrieved.
"You! Start running right now! Run until you drop dead! No dinner for you!!" Keith roared furiously.
"No dinner?!" Sasha's attention had somehow landed entirely on dinner.
Sasha soon began running around the field.
Keith took several breaths, trying his best to calm down, then looked at Arthur. He had clearly heard Arthur laughing earlier.
"Hey! Who are..." Keith walked up to Arthur and was about to launch into his usual routine when he saw Arthur's face and froze.
He had never expected the child before him to be the one who had looked after Carla.
"My name is Arthur Ackerman, from Shiganshina District. What can I do for you, sir?" Arthur said, not the least bit intimidated by Keith.
"What did you come here for?" Keith's tone noticeably softened, surprising everyone. None of them understood why he was treating Arthur so kindly.
"I joined the Training Corps to protect the people I cherish!" Arthur answered.
Mikasa, Eren, and Armin all paused at Arthur's words, then smiled faintly.
Mikasa, in particular, touched the scarf Arthur had given her around her neck, a sweet smile spreading across her face.
"To protect the people you cherish?" Keith pondered Arthur's words carefully and nodded.
"All right, today's induction ceremony is over! Your real training begins tomorrow!" Keith returned to the platform and shouted, then turned and left.
Since the bald instructor had dismissed them right after questioning Arthur, and had treated him so differently, many recruits began wondering whether the two had some connection.
"Arthur, do you know that instructor?" Eren, who had never met Keith, asked in confusion.
"I've met him a few times." Arthur nodded without hiding anything.
"Oh, that explains it." Understanding dawned on Eren.