Days passed one by one.
Lillian and his two squads carried out whatever tasks they could, completing their duties properly, and gradually earned a favorable reputation among the civilians. Many people in the Stohess District came to recognize them, and Lillian—so distinctive at a glance—was especially well liked.
In just under half a month, the contribution they made to public security far exceeded what previous Military Police units had accomplished in several months, or even half a year. They apprehended thirteen or fourteen murderers alone, not to mention countless thieves and pickpockets. However, no large-scale bandit groups appeared again.
On one hand, after the last gang had been wiped out, the others seemed to have caught wind of it and gone into hiding. That made them extremely difficult for Lillian to track down. Even with intelligence provided by Klaus from the underground of the capital, it still wasn't enough.
More importantly, after the previous incident, the vice-commander had issued a new order: any officer of squad-leader rank or above must report in advance before carrying out dangerous operations, or it would be treated as disobeying military orders.
Clearly, this order was aimed directly at Lillian.
Though displeased, there was nothing he could do. His status as a "hero" only prevented the vice-commander from acting against him openly—but if he disobeyed orders and gave the man an excuse, that protection would mean nothing.
But this also meant that if they discovered another gang and reported it beforehand, it would likely be deliberately delayed, with someone secretly tipping the criminals off. This sort of thing happened everywhere. All it took was an excuse like "wait for further coordination" or "assemble more personnel," and by the time they arrived, the place would be long deserted.
"By the way, the Survey Corps are heading outside the Walls next week. I heard they're bringing that monster with them. Who knows whether it'll actually be useful."
In the Military Police mess hall, recruits chatted as they ate.
"Hard to say. Besides, it's not even clear whether that monster is really on humanity's side."
"Yeah. I really don't know what Chief Commander Zachary was thinking, handing him over to the Survey Corps."
"I still think he should be dissected…"
The "monster" they were talking about was, of course, Eren. Even now, most people still viewed him with hostility. The psychological shadow Titans had cast over humanity was simply too deep. Even though Eren had sealed the wall, he still wasn't accepted.
Lillian said nothing.
He had no intention of openly opposing such opinions. To be honest, they weren't particularly harmful and would gradually change over time anyway. If he argued too forcefully, it would only rapidly erode his own authority—hardly worth it.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps sounded from outside.
Bang bang bang!
Everyone turned to look as Baker burst in, drenched in sweat. He ran straight to Lillian, panting heavily.
"B-bad news! Captain—another bandit gang has struck again!"
"What?!"
"Where?!"
"Let's go catch them!"
The recruits immediately dropped their bowls, voices rising with excitement. Their previous success had boosted their confidence, and their string of victories under Lillian's leadership only made them eager to take on another major case.
Lillian frowned slightly as he glanced at Baker.
"Where did this information come from?"
"Someone reported it!" Baker replied, a little flustered under Lillian's gaze. "Someone reported it… said… bandits…"
"That's enough. Come with me to the vice-commander's office."
Lillian cut him off, stood up immediately, and headed outside. Baker hurried after him, and the two soon arrived at the vice-commander's office. The man was reading documents when they entered and looked up to ask what the matter was.
"vice-commander," Lillian said, "Baker received a report that another bandit group has appeared in the Stohess District."
"Oh?" The vice-commander's expression changed slightly as he turned to Baker. "Is the information reliable?"
"It is!" Baker said loudly. "A nearby resident came to report it personally. They said they saw a group of people carrying knives heading up into the hills."
"..."
The vice-commander pondered for a moment, then looked at Lillian.
"Lillian, you have experience. Can you handle this with your squad?"
"I'll take people over immediately."
"Mm. Be careful."
Lillian and Baker turned and left the office. As they walked, Lillian instructed him, "Go notify everyone to gear up fully and assemble at the entrance."
"Yes!"
Baker turned and ran toward the mess hall. Lillian watched his retreating back, then glanced once more at the now-closed office door. A thought stirred in his mind.
So… is this where it begins?
---
At headquarters' entrance, both squads—twelve people in total—were already assembled. Excitement outweighed tension on their faces; it felt like another chance to earn merit. Even if the credit didn't end up going to them, they were still happy.
Seeing this, Lillian spoke up to remind them, "This isn't like last time. This bandit group will definitely be more cautious and more dangerous. So without my orders, no one is to act on their own. Understood?"
"Understood!"
"Move out."
---
Ten days earlier.
Krista stepped curiously into the area outside the commander's office. Seeing Erwin sitting upright behind his desk, she looked puzzle.
"Commander, did you need me for something?"
"Krista, please sit."
"Oh…"
She sat down in the chair opposite him, feeling a little nervous.
"Commander… is it because my training performance hasn't been good? I—"
"No," Erwin said, looking at her with approval. "You've performed very well. In fact, the instructors have all praised your focus and diligence."
"Oh… it's nothing," Krista replied shyly.
"Don't feel pressured. Relax," Erwin said. "I asked you here because I want to talk to you about Lillian Kafka."
"Lillian?"
"Yes."
Erwin looked directly into Krista's eyes and spoke plainly.
"Before we begin, I want to propose a hypothesis. I'd like you to think and answer my questions based on that premise."
"A hypothesis?"
"The hypothesis is this: Lillian Kafka is an intelligent Titan hiding within the Walls."
Bang!
Krista shot to her feet instantly, staring at Erwin in disbelief.
"Commander—what are you saying?! How could Lillian possibly be a Titan?!"
"Calm down," Erwin said evenly. "This is only a hypothesis. Krista, whether it proves true or not, your testimony will be an important reference. Naturally, we also hope the hypothesis is false. But at present, he does carry significant suspicion."
"That's impossible… Commander, you must be mistaken!"
Krista argued stubbornly. Even though Erwin was the Survey Corps' most respected commander, she could not tolerate such words about Lillian.
"Krista, this isn't the time to act on emotion," Erwin said calmly, showing no irritation at her reaction. "I know you're very close to him. Precisely because of that, if you believe he isn't a Titan, then you should cooperate actively and help us rule out the suspicion. Isn't that right?"
"…I understand."
Krista sat back down, looking at Erwin with complicated eyes.
"Commander, go ahead. I'll tell you everything I know."
"Very good."
Erwin nodded and immediately began asking questions.
"In your memory, were there times when Lillian seemed strange? Aside from you and Ymir, did he have other friends he frequently talked to? Did he ever mention the reason for his abnormal strength? Did he talk about things beyond the Walls?"
Erwin asked a long series of questions, and Krista answered each one to the best of her knowledge.
She explained that Lillian had been withdrawn from the beginning, always acting alone with few friends. She mentioned the snow mountain training incident, where he was bitten on the arm by a wolf while saving her—after which the three of them gradually grew close. As for his strength, Ymir had asked him about it, and he'd said it was something he was born with. Regarding life beyond the Walls… Krista said she didn't know. She only learned from the newspapers that he'd participated in the operation to retake Wall Maria. He had never mentioned it himself before.
Erwin asked a few more questions, all of which Krista answered.
Afterward, Erwin nodded.
"That's enough. Your testimony has been very helpful. Thank you for your cooperation. You may return."
"Commander… then is Lillian actually—" Krista couldn't read anything from Erwin's calm expression and could only ask directly.
"I'm sorry," Erwin said. "With the information we currently have, we still can't make a definitive judgment."
"…"
Krista was silent for a moment, then spoke with some excitement.
"Anyway, I believe he absolutely isn't a Titan! If he were, why would he have saved me back then? Titans are supposed to exterminate humans, aren't they?"
Erwin said nothing.
Krista bit her thin lip and saluted respectfully before turning to leave. In her haste, she accidentally knocked over the chair behind her.
She quickly bent down to pick it up, and as she did, something fell from her pocket onto the floor.
Erwin's pupils constricted sharply the moment he saw it.
It was a piece of candy.
"Krista."
He spoke suddenly, stepping out from behind his desk. He walked over, picked up the candy from the floor, and looked directly into the girl's eyes.
"This… where did this come from?"
Krista looked at the candy in Erwin's hand, her face coloring slightly, unsure why he was asking.
"Th-This… Lillian gave it to me before. I… I never ate it…"
She hesitated as she spoke, noticing the seriousness in Erwin's expression.
"Commander, is there something strange about the candy?" she asked.
"…"
Erwin remained silent. He turned to his desk, opened a drawer, and took out a few pieces of candy.
Krista was surprised to see that they were exactly the same as hers. Does Commander Erwin like candy too? she wondered, slightly confused.
But Erwin's thoughts were far away, drifting back to a month ago.
Before they had left the Walls, a little girl had handed him a note tucked into some flowers… saying someone had given her candy. Later, Erwin had specifically found the girl and taken her to a candy shop to verify the exact type of candy.
"Krista, before you leave, I need to ask one final question," Erwin finally said.
"Does Lillian usually like candy?"