As usual.
All the cadets gathered on the training grounds, waiting for Instructor Keith to announce their next training objective.
"Today, we'll be conducting a loaded march. I'll shuffle you all into groups, and your objective will be to reach the location I designate. Is that clear?" Keith bellowed from the platform.
"Yes, sir!" everyone shouted.
Then Keith began assigning the groups.
"Group one: Arthur Ackerman will be the leader. Members: Mina, Jean, Marco, Ymir, and Armin."
"Group two: Eren Yeager will be the leader. Members: Thomas, Christa, Sasha, and Connie."
"Group three: Reiner Braun will be the leader. Members: Mikasa Ackerman, Annie, and Bertolt."
"Group four, leader..."
"Each group will depart in order, starting with group one, with half an hour between departures. Is that clear?!" Keith shouted once everyone had been assigned.
"Yes, sir!"
Everyone shouted in unison.
"Mikasa, Eren, I'll head out first. Be careful along the way," Arthur said, bidding the two farewell.
"Mm, you too, Arthur." Although Mikasa hated being separated from Arthur, she knew it was necessary.
After exchanging brief farewells and well wishes, everyone agreed to meet at the destination. Arthur then led the members of group one toward their objective on horseback.
Half an hour later, Eren's second group set off, followed by Reiner's third group, then the fourth, and so on...
Arthur and the others, who had departed first, traveled swiftly and reached the first campsite after just two hours. Dusk was approaching, and the long journey beneath the blazing sun had left Mina and Armin struggling, though Arthur was unaffected.
Arthur therefore decided to camp there, letting everyone rest and recover while seeing whether they could meet up with group two. Marching at night was dangerous anyway.
After all, Instructor Keith hadn't given them any specific time limit. He had only said they needed to reach the destination.
Arthur called for everyone to set up camp. Armin and the others quickly pitched their tents, while Arthur used the flint he had brought to light a campfire, keeping the mountain wildlife from attacking their camp.
The smoke rising from the fire could also guide the second and third groups.
As an extra precaution, Arthur set up a few noise-making traps before finally sitting down to eat their packed rations with Armin and the others.
"I wonder when Eren and the others will catch up with us." Jean took a bite of his compressed biscuit and struggled to wash it down with water before grumbling.
"We traveled pretty fast, and we had a half-hour head start on group two. If Eren's moving slowly, it might take them a long time to catch up," Armin reasoned.
"My Christa's in their group. I'm a little worried." Ymir's attention was entirely on Christa.
"If I had to guess, they've probably only reached here." Arthur took out the map and pointed to a river that his group had reached in just half an hour.
"Huh? Then there's no way they'll catch up with us. Looks like we'll only meet at the finish." Jean glanced at the considerable distance between the two locations.
"Jean, it's fine. The instructor didn't give us a time limit for this assignment, so there's no need to rush." Marco, ever the nice guy, reassured him.
"But knowing that bald idiot, he'll probably score us based on how long each group takes to arrive," Ymir added, rubbing salt in the wound.
Everyone nodded at Ymir's words.
After all, it was hardly the first time Keith had gone off script.
"All right, get some rest once you've finished eating. I'll take the first watch tonight. Armin, Jean, and Marco can take turns during the second half," Arthur said after finishing his compressed biscuit.
"Okay." Everyone nodded in agreement.
After finishing their rations, everyone except Arthur went into their tents to rest.
Arthur dutifully fed wood into the campfire to keep it from going out.
By now, night had fallen completely.
Apart from the light at Arthur's campsite, the surrounding woods were pitch-black, looking eerie and menacing.
"I wonder how far Mikasa and the others have gotten." Arthur took out the map and began estimating where Reiner's group should be.
Rustle... Just then, Arthur heard a bush shift with a rustling sound. Yet there was hardly any wind, which meant only one thing: something had made the bush move.
"Who's there?!" Arthur pulled a blade from its sheath, attached it to the grip, and shouted.
No one answered. Arthur watched the bush intently, but a moment later, a pheasant darted out.
"Cluck, cluck, cluck!" Startled by Arthur, the pheasant tried to flee back into the bushes. But Arthur wasn't about to let this meal dropped into his lap escape. He hurled the blade, which traced a graceful arc through the air like a throwing knife before piercing the pheasant.
"Cluck..." The pheasant died as soon as the blade struck it.
"Didn't expect dinner to come knocking." Arthur walked over, pulled out the blade, wiped off the blood, and slid it back into its sheath. Then he picked up the pheasant and started to turn away.
But Arthur's keen senses suddenly caught the sound of heavy breathing.
There really is someone here! Arthur's expression changed sharply. He knew it couldn't be Eren, Reiner, or their companions; none of them would hide in the bushes for such a tasteless prank. He swiftly drew his blade, fitted it to the grip, and thrust it into the bush.
The blade struck something, and a scream rang out a moment later.
"So there is someone!" Arthur frowned, reached into the bush, and hauled the person out.
He dragged out a brown-haired man wearing a mask over his lower face. Blood flowed from the wound Arthur had inflicted on his right arm.
"Who are you?!" Arthur pinned the man to the ground. The mask alone told him this man was up to no good, and the dagger tucked at his waist only reinforced that suspicion.
"..." The man said nothing, merely gritting his teeth and glaring at Arthur.
"Not talking, huh?" Arthur slapped him across the face. The blow left the man seeing stars and nearly knocked him unconscious.
He had never imagined this underage cadet could hit so hard.
"Arthur, what's wrong?!" The commotion woke the others, none of whom had been sleeping deeply. They hurriedly got dressed and ran out.
As soon as they emerged, they saw Arthur pinning someone down.
"Who's this?" Jean looked at the stranger, then turned to Arthur for an explanation.
"I don't know. I caught him lurking near our camp just now, and he's wearing a mask," Arthur answered.
"What?!" They were shocked, then relieved that Arthur had been so alert. If this man really meant them harm, the consequences didn't bear thinking about.
"What the hell were you doing sneaking around our camp?!" Jean demanded angrily.
"Could he be one of the instructor's men?" Armin suggested.
"No. Instructor Keith never said anyone else would be involved in this assignment. I think he's a bandit." Arthur shook his head. He knew Keith wouldn't arrange something like this.
After all, a misunderstanding could easily lead to casualties.
"A bandit?!" They were even more shocked.
"Yes, and he can't be alone. He's probably just a lookout. He must have accomplices," Arthur said.
"How did you know?!" The bandit on the ground stared at Arthur in shock. He hadn't said a word, so how could this boy piece everything together so neatly? It was terrifying.
"Heh. I was just making things up to see if you'd bite." Arthur gave a cold laugh.
"You!" The bandit hadn't expected Arthur's claims to be a bluff. Hadn't he just confirmed the boy's suspicions himself?
"So you really are a bandit, and you've got accomplices!" Jean stormed forward and punched him without another word.
"Tell me how many of you there are and what you're after." Arthur held the blade against the man's neck, radiating murderous intent. He hadn't expected anyone to be foolish enough to target them.
"I'm not telling you. Hahaha!" The bandit refused to talk, acting like some brave warrior ready to die for his cause.
"Fine! Let's see how tough you really are!" Arthur laughed in fury, pulled the dagger from the man's waist, and plunged it into his thigh, avoiding the artery.
"Aaargh!" The bandit screamed, only for Arthur to silence him with another slap.
"Are you going to talk?!" Arthur slowly twisted the dagger's hilt, intensifying the pain.
"..." The bandit still gritted his teeth and held out.
Jean, Armin, Ymir, Mina, and Marco watched in astonishment. They hadn't expected Arthur to be so ruthless.
Mina's face turned deathly pale, and she looked away, unable to watch the bloody scene.
"What the hell are you?" Ymir broke into a cold sweat. She realized she couldn't figure Arthur out at all.
"Still holding out, huh?"
Arthur seized his fingers and broke them one by one.
"Aaargh! I'll talk! I'll talk!" The excruciating pain of his fingers breaking finally shattered the bandit's resolve, and he begged for mercy.
"How many? What are you after?"
"Twelve, including me. We came to steal your Omni-Directional Mobility Gear and sell it on the black market!" Fighting through the pain, the bandit spilled everything.
"Where are the others?" Armin asked.
"They've targeted the others and already started moving. My boss told me to stay here and watch you."
"What weapons do you have? I'm warning you, lie to me and you won't get out of here alive," Arthur warned.
"We have a few guns. Everyone else only has blades." Desperate to survive, the bandit answered immediately.
"Guns?!" Everyone's expression changed. If those bandits actually opened fire, things would go horribly wrong.
They could put concerns about Mikasa's group aside for now, but if the targets were Eren's group, they would be in serious trouble.
"Armin, Marco, Mina, stay here and guard him. Jean, Ymir, come with me. We're heading to Eren immediately!" Arthur decided on the spot.
"Right!" With the situation so urgent, they quickly agreed.
Arthur, Jean, and Ymir soon mounted their horses and galloped toward where Eren and the others should be according to the map.