Byakuya figured it was about time to leave, so he said goodbye to Historia.
"Bye, big bro Byakuya! Bye, big sis Eto!" Historia called out to them, a little reluctant to part ways.
She had no friends here — the kids her age always bullied her, and even her own mother treated her with hatred and disdain for reasons she didn't understand.
Whenever she tried to get close to her mother, she was scolded, beaten, and met with eyes full of loathing...
The truth was, Historia's mother was an extremely opportunistic woman. She had once hoped to climb the social ladder by secretly bearing Rod's child — Historia. But instead of rising to nobility, she ended up trapped on a ranch, living as a lowly servant, constantly living in fear.
As a result, she grew to resent Historia deeply.Even at the moment of her death at the hands of Kenny Ackerman, her mother bitterly regretted giving birth to her.
Still, to her slight credit, she never exposed Historia's connection to Rod, even at the end — a final sliver of conscience that ultimately protected Historia's life.Otherwise, Kenny would have killed her too, leaving Rod with no leverage.
Because of all that, Historia was extremely reluctant to say goodbye to the two people who had not only protected her, but also treated her kindly.
After Byakuya and Eto left, Frieda stayed behind to continue keeping Historia company.
As her half-sister, Frieda cared deeply for her.Normally, she had to keep her distance due to political pressures...But now, things were different.
Meanwhile, Byakuya and Eto made their way directly to Rod.
"...Do you two still need something from me?" Rod's voice trembled slightly as he faced them.
He couldn't hide his fear — especially after witnessing the sheer power of the green-haired girl, Eto.Even if Frieda transformed into the Founding Titan, she wouldn't stand a chance.
"I just want to ask you one thing" Byakuya said, cutting straight to the point."Now that you're the real power behind the throne, what are you planning to do about the massive flood of refugees inside Wall Rose after the fall of Wall Maria?"
"That's, of course..."Rod started to say something that sounded politically correct—
But Byakuya immediately interrupted:"Spare me the fake politeness."
"..."Rod fell silent, visibly uneasy.
After a moment, he finally answered honestly:"With the loss of so much territory after Wall Maria fell, we can't possibly support that many refugees..."
He was telling the truth this time.
In the original history, after the fall of Wall Maria, the royal government launched the so-called "Operation to Retake Wall Maria."
Officially, it was a reclamation operation.In reality, it was a culling — a way to purge the masses of refugees and the unemployed.
The noble families who ruled the interior — collectively known as the Royal Authority — sanctioned the plan.The king sitting on the throne was nothing but a puppet; Rod Reiss controlled things from the shadows.
If they had truly wanted to, they could have supported the refugees by having the nobles foot the bill.But Rod didn't want to offend the nobility.
After all, those nobles were descendants of the outsiders the 145th Fritz King brought to Paradis Island — foreign bloodlines immune to the Founding Titan's memory-altering powers.
To keep them quiet, the king had made them nobles and showered them with luxuries — a historical blunder Rod had no real control over.
Ultimately, the retaking operation wiped out nearly 20% of the human population inside the Walls.People like Armin's father were among the casualties.
With an average of 30 human lives spent to barely take down one Titan, the operation ended in bloody failure.They couldn't even retake Wall Maria.
There were simply too many Pure Titans and Abnormals wandering the island —drawn by instinct to devour humans in the hope of becoming intelligent Titans themselves.
"Which means... you were planning to 'clear out' a part of the refugees, weren't you?"Byakuya's words pierced through Rod like a knife.
Rod didn't dare deny it — but he couldn't admit it either.
"Pacify the refugees first. Then launch the operation to retake Wall Maria" Byakuya said casually.
"...What?"Rod almost thought he'd misheard him.Byakuya was suggesting they lead the offensive?
But all Rod could think of was using refugees as cannon fodder —and even then, it wouldn't be enough to reclaim the Wall.
Without Titan powers, Eldians stood no chance against the monsters outside.
Still... wasn't this the perfect way to thin out the refugee population?...
"But I don't want just any bodies thrown into the fight" Byakuya continued calmly."I want the best from the Garrison Regiment, the Military Police, and the Survey Corps."
"...With all due respect, even our best soldiers won't stand a chance against the Titans..."Rod said, sweating.
"That's fine,"Byakuya smiled faintly."Because she and I will be joining the battle."
He motioned toward Eto, who simply grinned.
The real plan was to use the soldiers as bait — drawing the Titans to them, and then slaughtering them more efficiently.
"...Alright,"Rod nodded.
At this point, he had no real choice but to obey.
"Oh, and one more thing."Byakuya's tone turned even lighter, as if casually mentioning the weather.
"After the operation, the nobles will cede part of their wealth to aid the surviving refugees — helping them rebuild their lives."
"But if that happens..."Rod hesitated, thinking of the nobles' dangerous secrets.
But Byakuya's face stayed calm:"There are no 'ifs.'Even if the nobles spill the truth about Eldia's past, it doesn't matter.I couldn't care less about the 'Will of the First King.'"
Rod's eyes widened.This man... knew everything.