CHAPTER ONE

The year 743.

Mankind was facing the danger of extinction at the hands of the Titans that had suddenly appeared at the center stage of history. Where had they come from, and what was their purpose? Some said that they were natural disasters, while others insisted that they were divine retribution. Either way, mankind had been reduced to simple, clueless prey whose total population had plummeted to 500,000.

Humanity had moved to living inside the walled cities because there was no other way to resist the Titans. In other words, humanity avoided the worst of all outcomes, extinction, by deciding to become a species of caged birds. Mankind had been given 720,000 square kilometers to live in. While the soil was hardly fertile, there was at least enough space to live a modest existence. Encircling the area was the key wall of the walled cities─Wall Maria. The firm wall stood fifty meters tall and stretched for a total of 3,200 kilometers, perfectly isolating the interior from invading Titans.

Wall Maria was not the only wall. Waiting a hundred kilometers farther in was a second wall, Wall Rose, and past that was Wall Sheena, the last line of defense. These three protective walls allowed humanity to regain peace, though it was a temporary one.

Even now, a little over thirty years after the Titans appeared, Titans and humans still stood as predators and prey. The Titans’ behavior remained full of mysteries. Little was known about them other than the fact that they preyed on humans. The worst part of it all was that they did not know the Titans’ weakness. Humanity had yet to win a battle against the Titans, and it was now common knowledge that the Titans were immortal. Only having gleaned that much in more than a quarter-century was quite shabby, but it was no surprise as people had not been aggressive in surveying or investigating the Titans.

No need to take back the outside world.

Live happily while you can.

An unwritten code, that mankind was fated to live as caged birds, had spread among the people.

***

Shiganshina District was located at the southernmost edge of Wall Maria. It was a strangely built town, jutting out from the wall like a growth. Its structure seemed unthinkable if one took into consideration the fact that Titans roamed around the area outside of the wall, but in fact, it was built this way out of logical defensive reasons. While the Garrison was skilled at its job, patrolling all of Wall Maria with about ten thousand troops was not a realistic option. From this reality came the idea of drawing the Titans in. Having a town protrude from the wall and settling people there would naturally cause the Titans to gather toward their human prey. Attracting the Titans to a limited area made patrolling Wall Maria easier and allowed the Garrison to focus its strength. In other words, the residents of Shiganshina District were bait, and the Titans were like fish that swarmed to them.

This groundbreaking idea, however, wouldn’t work unless people actually lived in the town. Shiganshina District’s residents lived there knowing the risks because the royal government offered them tax benefits. This was enough to cause a stream of people to fill the town regardless of the risks.

The workshop Angel belonged to stood on the outskirts of Shiganshina District. It had been contracted to develop and manufacture the arms provided to soldiers, and a hundred craftsmen spent their days and nights sweating there.

Three years had already passed since Angel first asked to join the workshop’s ranks. He had stood out from the beginning, and he was now both its face and heart. He was nicknamed the master inventor. This, among other things, led to Angel receiving extraordinary treatment despite his young age. Not only did he have a private development lab inside the workshop, he was even allowed to have an assistant.

Still, Angel was not able to fully exercise his talents. The workshop’s products were order-made, so there was no way for him to develop equipment according to his own inspiration.

“They should just leave it up to me,” Angel sighed, idly scratching his head. “Can’t I be allowed to be a little more, uh, flexible?”

While Angel valiantly struggled to express his originality through small twists he’d add to his highly restricted orders, his inability to venture out on his own was a constant source of stress. Delivering a product that deviated just slightly from the order, even if it improved on performance, resulted in him being told to make it over again. His customers looked for arms that fit their initial description, nothing more.

“Ah, welcome back!”

The moment Angel opened the door to his lab, he found himself facing a girl in work clothes.

Corina Ilmari, a craftswoman at the workshop and Angel’s assistant. She was eccentric, having come to the workshop simply because she thought herself good with her hands, but she was also a realist who knew that she’d never go hungry doing corps-related work. As an apprentice, she mostly assisted Angel, but she had also made a special place for herself as the male-dominated workshop’s mascot. Even craftsmen, who were notoriously unforgiving when dealing with other men, broke into smiles when talking to a fifteen-year-old girl.

I understand how they feel, though.

Angel glanced at Corina. Instead of tools, she held a broom as she bustled about and diligently cleaned the lab. She must have been trying to do something about the cluttered lab while its master was out.

In addition to furniture, such as bookshelves, tables, and a bed, the thirty-square-meter lab also contained equipment needed for development, but the place looked as if a storm had passed through it. Junk that Angel called “inventions” was scattered across the floor, and any furniture functioned as little more than trashcans. While it was known as a development lab, it was also Angel’s private room, resulting in a truly chaotic space.

“You look gloomy. Did something happen?” Corina turned her curious, black eyes toward Angel, then suddenly looked startled. “Don’t tell me that Solm…”

Angel shook his head before Corina could express her condolences over the loss of a dear friend.

“He wouldn’t get himself killed that easily.”

“Well, I guess that’s true.”

“Right?”

“He doesn’t seem like the kind of person who’d die. Like you, Angel.”

“That’s a hell of a way to agree.”

Angel put his hand on his forehead and groaned.

“Those Survey Corps guys are definitely no joke. Even so, they were in terrible shape…”

“They were?”

“It started raining soldier heads.”

“Excuse me?” Corina yelped as she blinked.

“The Titans threw their leftovers to us from outside the Wall.”

Angel sighed then explained what he had just seen, sprinkling in gestures.

“So thanks to them, there’s brains all over. All the corps are out right now on cleaning duty.”

The rain would help somewhat, but cleaning bits of one’s fallen comrades would cause mental anguish to even the most hardened of soldiers. Just thinking about it was enough to turn one’s stomach.

“I was right not to go.”

“Yup. Still, I think it was good that I was there.”

“Why?”

“I was able to really feel how terrifying the Titans are. More motivation to develop arms, right?”

“Maybe, but I still don’t want to have to see that…”

“You don’t deserve to be called a craftswoman, then.”

Corina let out a frustrated groan.

“Speaking of which, I heard the cannons firing. Were they aimed at Titans?”

“Maria said they were warning shots.”

“How did it go?”

“Dunno.” Angel shrugged. “And that’s why we’ve never been able to make a proper weapon.”

“Oh. So is that why you look so gloomy?” Corina clapped her hands together with a satisfied expression.

“I’ve never seen a Titan before in my life. I don’t know how the weapons are being used, and they won’t even give me reports, either.”

“You aren’t getting any feedback.”

“Right? If they want to defeat the Titans, they ought to be sharing more information with me.”

“Maybe they’re not interested in defeating them?”

“It’s possible.”

It was common knowledge that Titans did not die. Even children knew. It was possible that someone had determined that there was no point in spending resources on trying to kill these immortal Titans. That would explain why they didn’t aggressively pursue the development of weapons that could do so.

“If we really investigated their behavior, we should be able to find a weakness or two.”

“The whole premise seems to be that they can’t be defeated. Overturning it might be hard.”

“That’s why we should’ve studied them earlier.”

If they could at least understand the nature of their enemies, they would no longer have to be irrationally afraid. But Angel was just a craftsman. Any suggestions he made would be quickly shot down.

That, or they’d call me a political criminal and throw me in prison.

He wasn’t even in the position to make a suggestion to the authorities.

As Angel wearily looked overhead, his eyes rested on a plant decorating the room. While he noticed in part because he did not normally have any, it was also just too imposing to ignore. It looked as if it had burst right up through the floor.

“Is that…bamboo?”

The erect rod marked with regular nodes was reminiscent of one, but it was not green like normal bamboo. Its silvery-white color gave it a decidedly metallic appearance. Its leaves were the same color and resembled thin knives.

“What’s this?” Angel asked, pointing to the bamboo.

“It’s Iron Bamboo,” Corina casually replied. “Someone from the Corps brought it here earlier. They want you to see if you can use it as raw material.”

“See if I can use it? Isn’t it bamboo?”

Angel approached the Iron Bamboo and flicked its stem lightly. It returned a surprisingly metallic sound. It seemed close to the sound given off by bamboo charcoal.

“Has this been processed?” As he touched the Iron Bamboo once again, he felt the trademark coolness of metal.

“It grows naturally in the mountains, apparently.”

“I thought ore had to be mined. Since when does it grow out of the ground?”

“I don’t know what you’re asking me for,” Corina mumbled.

No metal would ever grow. Still…

Some species of plants absorbed and stored metals found in the soil. It was possible that Iron Bamboo did so as it grew, accumulating them over many months and years.

I need to do some research at least.

It was true that large amounts of ore slept underground in the mountainous region. Investigating the soil where the Iron Bamboo grew would yield some sort of clue.

“All right, why don’t we test it out.”

Angel grabbed a dust-covered short sword resting on a shelf. It was one of the standard weapons issued to soldiers.

“Okay, let’s see what makes you special.”

Angel pulled the blade from its sheath and slashed at the Iron Bamboo with enough force to halve a piece of firewood. A shrill, metallic noise reverberated throughout the room, and a numbing shock ran through the blade.

“That’s amazing! You didn’t even scratch it!!”

Corina’s eyes shone with fascination as she looked closely at the Iron Bamboo. There was a faint streak on its stem, but it was otherwise unchanged. Angel had swung with the intention of slicing it cleanly in two, but the Iron Bamboo was far harder than he’d imagined.

“I see. This does seem like an interesting material to work with.”

Angel tossed the chipped blade to the ground.

***

Angel was in the middle of searching for ways to process Iron Bamboo when he was summoned by the workshop chief.

“What a pain…”

Angel let out a deep sigh as he stood in front of the door to the chief’s office. Being called by the chief meant one of two things: he was either about to scold you, or force an annoying, difficult job on you. No matter what, it wasn’t good.

Angel mumbled hopelessly, scratched his head, and prepared himself for the worst as he opened the door. Unlike Angel’s development lab, the chief’s room was tidy and neat from corner to corner. Not a single speck of dust was visible on the floor, let alone pieces of junk. Weapons and equipment developed at the workshop neatly lined the room’s walls, displaying just how well-organized the workshop chief was.

A table and sofa for visitors dominated the center of the room, and there sat a portly man in work clothes. Caspar Christian, the workshop chief, the only man Angel feared in the workshop, was in his mid-forties and had an intimidating face, a stout body, and healthy, tanned skin. He’d earned fame as a swordsmith, but he would not seem out of place in the Survey Corps. As it was most days, his head was unnecessarily shiny.

“Seems like those cannons you made turned out real good.”

Caspar rubbed his shaved head as he began to speak in his dreadful, intimidating voice.

I wonder why it doesn’t feel like praise.

Angel couldn’t decide if it was because he wasn’t used to being lauded or if Caspar’s appearance was the problem.

“What was good about them? They couldn’t drive the Titans back.”

“You were there?”

“My best friend Solm was on the expedition. It’s natural that I’d be there for his return, no?”

“I see.” Caspar crossed his log-like arms across his chest and nodded, perhaps in assent. “To cut to the chase, looks like the cannons didn’t hit the Titans directly.”

“What?”

“Seems they weren’t quite accurate enough, but the higher-ups are still happy. They want ya to keep up the good work.”

“They’re happy with defective products? Are you sure this isn’t some kind of incredibly backhanded insult?”

“’Course it isn’t.”

Though Caspar denied it, Angel still found himself unconvinced.

Settling for good enough won’t help lead us to the next stage.

Taking verbal abuse would have been easier than this.

“Even if the shells don’t hit the Titans spot on, they still do indirect damage, right?”

While Caspar looked content, Angel couldn’t bring himself to feel happy. If the cannons had functioned perfectly and their capabilities been fully realized, then maybe the tragedy at the gate wouldn’t have occurred.

No ifs or buts…

Still, it would have been possible to avoid that scene.

Being unable to improve the cannons or to confirm their results meant being left with nothing but frustration.

“You seem unhappy, but you should be proud.”

“Easy for you to say…”

“They say the Survey Corps was being chased by ten Titans. Only one of ’em managed to get near Wall Maria.”

“Ten?!”

“That means your cannons scattered the majority of them. I’d say that’s good enough,” Caspar grinned. “And you could say the Survey Corps returned safely ’cause they intercepted the Titans with those cannons, eh? I bet they feel safer, too.”

“You’re placing me on quite the pedestal, but did you call me in here to talk about cannons?”

“Just an aside. I wanted to talk to you about something else.”

“I thought so. First the carrot, then the stick?”

As Angel smiled bitterly, the door to the chief’s office opened.

“Did you call for me, chief?”

The unconcerned face that appeared belonged to Xenophon Harkimo, a workshop big shot in his mid-thirties known by his disheveled head of hair, stained work clothes, and metal-framed glasses. He was the former “master inventor” and Angel’s senior at the workshop, though in its results-based world, Angel stood above him.

Not this guy.

Xenophon’s body smelled faintly of chemicals, likely because of some sort of shady experiment he had just been conducting. He was probably concocting a new type of gunpowder. Xenophon’s specialty was developing and manufacturing explosives, and the shells and gunpowder used in the cannons were Xenophon’s handiwork.

Why’s he here?

Angel glanced at Xenophon, who did not even show signs of returning a look.

He’s probably thinking the same thing, though.

That, or he still held a grudge after his place as master inventor had been taken from him. In any case, the title was nothing more than a moniker applied by those around them. It wasn’t as if Angel had stolen it from Xenophon.

“You’ve heard about the factory city, right?” Caspar suddenly said.

“The city the royal government is building in secret?” Xenophon looked pensive as he stroked the stubble on his chin.

Angel had heard the rumors, too. The town was like an open secret among the craftsmen, but he had never heard more than what Xenophon had just said. There may have been a gag order by the royal government, as he didn’t even know where the city was being built.

“If it’s a factory city, it must have something to do with us, huh?”

“Eventually, all workshops will move their operations there. The plan is to make it exactly what its name suggests. The facilities there will make what we have now pale in comparison, which should let us make new, ground-breaking equipment.”

“I see. I bet we’d be able to process Iron Bamboo there, too,” Xenophon mumbled in a chant-like monotone and pushed his glasses up.

“That may be an interesting material to work with, but there’s supposed to be something even better in the factory city.”

“Supposed to be? You don’t have it with you?”

“No,” Caspar quickly replied, then continued. “I couldn’t have any ready for today, but I did get permission to go on-site. Go see it for yourself.”

“When did they complete the city?!” Xenophon jumped at that bit, apparently interested.

“It won’t be fully operational for a while, but taking a look couldn’t hurt.”

“We’re the ones who’re going to have to do the work. I don’t see why we have to make the trip in secret.”

“It’s a dangerous world out there. You can never be too sure.”

“Is that the only reason?”

“The only one.”

“Can’t you come up with a better one? Lie if you have to,” Angel groaned, putting his hand to his forehead.

“The factory city’ll serve a bigger purpose than you can even imagine. That’s why we have to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.”

“Like Titans?”

“The Titans might be absolute monsters, but there’s nothing to be scared of as long as you don’t go outside, is there?”

“So you’re saying we should be scared of humans.” Xenophon nodded multiple times, as if in agreement. “Humans can be cunning. Like a certain someone,” he said, glaring at Angel.

“Even our impregnable walls can’t protect us from attacks that come from the inside.”

“Ah, so it’s a counterterrorism measure. Okay. You know what they say, nothing scarier than an armed nutcase,” Angel said, glancing sideways at Xenophon.

“The factory city will be a practical armory. If anti-establishment forces captured it, our country itself could be overthrown.”

“Like those weirdoes that have been worshipping the Titans recently.”

“In any case, the details about the factory city are being kept a secret, even to those who will be involved, in order to protect it from idiots like that.”

“But we’re fine?”

“You’re our two stars. It’s not a problem.”

“You’re not sending me into some sort of trouble, are you…”

Angel had a bad and nearly certain feeling that trouble was exactly what he was going to get. Caspar was the one bringing this up, proof that a messy job was waiting.

“So, how do we get to the factory city?”

“You’ll have navigators. Just follow them.”

“Wouldn’t a map suffice?”

“Slow to catch on, aren’t you? They’re obviously not letting you go alone.”

“Why not?”

“Like I just mentioned, there are some dangerous people out there. The men with you are there to protect any secrets and to keep you safe.”

“And they can shut our mouths, if the need arises?”

“That’s the idea.”

“Of all the times to agree with me…”

Caspar laughed heartily as Angel’s shoulders sagged. “Anyway. Go see for yourselves. And if you can develop a new weapon while you’re there, all the better!”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“Well, I’m not the one doing the work.”

Angel laughed bitterly.

***

“How are you going to use the Iron Bamboo?” Xenophon began speaking to Angel as soon as they left the chief’s office. “Even for you, processing that stuff should be hard.”

“Harvesting it must have been tough, too.”

Simply pruning it ruined multiple knives, so cutting down a stem must have been nearly impossible. Before they could start thinking about how to use it, they first needed tools and facilities to process Iron Bamboo.

“Why don’t we forget about processing it and just sell it to the Corps raw? It’d probably be way more useful to them than the blades they carry.”

“Like a bamboo sword?” asked Xenophon.

“It’d affect our reputation as craftsmen, though.”

“The situation might change once we’re in the factory city.”

Xenophon’s eyes gleamed in apparent excitement. His breathing grew wild, and words were pouring from his mouth. “You’re interested in the factory city, too, aren’t you?”

“I am a craftsman, after all.”

Angel’s excitement was natural. Not only did he have Iron Bamboo, a new material, to work with, the factory city was about to become operational. He normally had a contentious relationship with Xenophon, but this was enough to put that aside for now. Xenophon may have been a thorn in his side, and it was true that they didn’t get along, but the man was truly skilled as a craftsman. Angel could at least trust him on that point.

“Should we start by looking at ways to use it as a weapon?”

“Something that hard is just asking to be used as one.”

“Very true.”

“It may even be able to injure the Titans.”

Unlike human skin, Titan skin was difficult to penetrate. Just as Angel’s short sword had no effect on the Iron Bamboo, blades could barely touch Titan skin. Even if they did injure a Titan, the monsters possessed extraordinary recuperative powers and healed within minutes. This was one of the reasons Titans were said to be unkillable.

But I don’t know if I really buy that.

Unless they were using magic, healing a wound in moments was impossible.

That, or they truly are monsters…

Either way, Angel couldn’t dispel his doubts until he saw the Titans for himself.

“It seems like Iron Bamboo leaves could be worth using, too.”

“If we can even cook that goose.”

“And that’s going to be up to us.”

“Let’s at least try to come up with something better than bamboo swords.” Angel looked to the sky. “Why don’t we make it our homework for until we head to the factory city? We have such an interesting material on our hands.”

Xenophon threw a hand up and walked off mumbling, “Development geek.”

Angel chuckled, then began to amble, considering different ideas for the Iron Bamboo.

***

With the first cockcrow, the violet eastern sky gradually began to grow white, signaling that dawn had come. Before long, the morning sun would come out into view. The air outside was cold enough to make one’s flesh and bones feel frozen over and to turn every breath steaming white. A cloak wasn’t enough to stave off shivers.

“I understand that the factory city is a secret, but do we really have to leave this early in the morning?”

Angel stretched out as he yawned. He had been too excited to sleep, going the entire night without much rest. The shockingly cold air helped dispel some of his drowsiness, but it still took all his focus to keep from dozing off.

On the other hand, Xenophon, his companion, was the very image of excitement, though his eyes were bloodshot. Perhaps it was not so much that he, too, hadn’t gotten enough sleep, but rather that he’d simply given up on getting any shut-eye at all.

“The city’s construction may be an open secret, but I guess they can’t just put it out in public.”

“Do people already know about the factory city?” Corina remarked insouciantly. She had been allowed to come on the trip as Angel’s assistant.

“No matter how much you try to control information, you can’t sew people’s mouths shut. The anti-establishment groups probably know about it, at least.”

“Politicians might have leaked the information, too. It seems like something you could use as a bargaining chip.”

“It’s a money tree. People must be making all kinds of moves we don’t know about.”

“It’s of no concern to craftsmen like us, though.”

Angel shrugged his shoulders. Even if something political was happening within the royal government, it wasn’t something he, Angel, could do anything about. He didn’t have any interest in politics, either. A craftsman’s job was to develop the best arms possible.

We’re completely prepared. It’s up to whatever ideas we have, now.

Their backpacks were full of all the tools needed to manufacture arms, and they had also brought Iron Bamboo with them as material to work with. They had somehow managed to prune the Iron Bamboo and cut it into one-meter-long pieces. It was the bare minimum of preparation, yet it had taken more labor and ruined tools to complete these minimal steps than to create one of the cannons now sitting on the Wall.

I can’t come back with nothing better than a bamboo sword.

If that were to happen, it would mean more than just a scolding from Caspar. Then again, even if they did manage to create a revolutionary new weapon, whether it would be used or not would be up to how the government officials felt. The political situation would come into play, too. There was even the ridiculous yet real possibility that their creation would be passed on because it was too effective.

I bet it’d be inconvenient for some people if we started defeating Titans…

An external enemy was needed in order to maintain the walled cities. It went without saying that the Titans were being used by some as political leverage.

So in the end, we’re still the ones on the short end of the stick.

As Angel sighed and scratched his head, he noticed Corina looking at him.

“Something wrong?”

“Your collar is twisted.”

Corina reached out and fixed his turned collar.

“You should pay more attention to your appearance.”

“Stop sounding like Maria…”

“I think she would be much stricter than I’m being.”

Corina grinned, then nodded, satisfied with Angel’s appearance.

“What a waste of a master inventor.”

“Shut up,” Angel scowled.

It seemed to be just moments before sunrise. The east sky was growing brighter.

“It looks like our ride is here,” Corina said, pointing down the dim avenue. When Angel’s eyes followed her gesture, he saw a wagon and four mounted soldiers approaching.

“Must be our famous navigators.”

They knew that soldiers were supposed to be leading them to the factory city, but the security was so heavy it seemed as though the troops were there to guard VIPs.

“Were you waiting long?”

An unexpected man held the reins of the wagon on the driver’s seat.

“Solm? When’d you quit your job to work as a coachman?”

“I’d consider it if the money was good, but I’m happy with where I am for the time being.”

Solm stopped the coach in front of Angel and the others, then pointed at the cart.

“I can’t make any guarantees about how comfortable the ride will be, but I promise you’ll get there safely.”

The cart had a canopy top, so it was protected from the elements, but it had no suspension, which meant they would be feeling every bump on the road. In other words, they were in for a rough ride.

“I should probably take something for travel sickness,” Angel sighed as he threw his backpack into the cart.

***

Shiganshina District was connected to other towns by unpaved roads. Most building stones had been reserved for repairing and reinforcing Wall Maria and were not available for paving any roads. To begin with, the main mode of transportation was by horse, so it inconvenienced few people.

There were a number of major roads among the highways, and the artery that connected the Shiganshina and Trost Districts was vital to transportation and trade. Trost District was the town on the southernmost tip of Wall Rose, built in the same way as Shiganshina District. It would act as the front line of defense if Wall Maria were breached. For now, though, it was located well inside the Walls, so it was not as constantly aware of the Titans as Shiganshina District.

“Let me quickly explain today’s itinerary,” Solm announced as he drove the coach forward. “We’ll start by heading toward Trost District. It’ll take five or six hours. We’ll get lunch once we arrive.”

“If we have any appetite left, of course,” Angel mumbled, fighting his nausea. It had only been thirty minutes since they left Shiganshina District, but he was on the verge of being bested by travel sickness. His inner ears seemed to be thrown for a loop, and his vision was shaking violently. He had done a good job of not vomiting, but there was no telling how much longer he could stand this. Xenophon and Corina were even sicker than Angel, and moans came from both of their green faces. Talking about lunch was no different from torture.

“Either way, we’ll squeeze in a break in Trost District, then we’ll head to the factory city.”

“How long will it take?”

“A few hours, I suppose.”

“Great…” Angel sighed deeply. “But why are you our navigator?”

“It’s part of my job as your guard. It’s not like I was assigned to just be your driver.”

“I never thought the day would come when you’d be protecting me.”

“Well, someone else was supposed to take command… Basically, I’m here in place of a team leader that died during the last expedition.”

“A team leader? Do you mean Heath?”

“You know about him?”

“We never met, but a little.”

The image of his flattened head and flying brains was still fresh in Angel’s mind, but he had no intention of talking about it. The travel sickness already had him in an awful mood, and there was no need to make things even less pleasant.

In order to suppress his nausea, Angel somewhat forcefully changed the subject.

“By the way, have you decided when your wedding will be?”

“That’s abrupt.”

“You’ve been talking about it for a while, haven’t you?”

“I have?”

“Hey, you better not play too many games with Maria. You’ll make her cry.”

“I know,” Solm said flatly. “Have you heard the rumor that they might dissolve the Survey Corps?”

“When don’t you hear that rumor?”

Solm responded to Angel’s point with a bitter laugh. “The situation’s a little different this time. It’s honestly a critical moment for the Survey Corps.”

“You seem popular enough with the townspeople, don’t you?”

“The Survey Corps’ job isn’t to be popular.” Solm shrugged, then added, “The political situation is changing.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean the conservative faction is starting to gain more power.”

“Oh, the shut-ins?”

“The royal government isn’t a monolith. The reformers and the conservatives are constantly fighting each other.”

“And the conservatives have the momentum right now.”

In other words, there were many inside the royal government who argued that humanity should give up on the land it lost to the Titans and live a modest existence inside the Walls. If the conservatives gained influence, it followed that the Survey Corps, who ventured outside the walls, was in danger of being dissolved. Furthermore, the Survey Corps had produced very few results since their inception. The conservatives would naturally try to make an example out of the Survey Corps, and the only way to counter them would be to produce results impressive enough to shut them up.

The factory city seems like it might end up taking a different role, too.

As there were rumors that a mint would be built in the factory city, the place would probably continue to be a secret, but it seemed likely that the city’s scale would shrink as well.

“I bet we’d see a lot of changes if you could just bring back a Titan head.”

“I’d like to if we could, but…”

“You can’t kill the Titans?”

But as long as the Titans were organisms, they had to have weaknesses, and killing them had to be within the realm of possibility.

If I could just investigate the Titans, I’d be able to prove it.

Receiving permission to investigate them wasn’t something he could expect, though. The situation would turn around completely if they discovered that the Titans could be killed. It would be an inconvenient state of affairs for those who feared change, especially the conservatives.

“As a member of the Survey Corps, I want to be able to have a legacy.”

“So that’s why you can’t commit to getting married.”

“That’s why I’m expecting a lot from you.”

“Me?”

“Once the factory city becomes operational, you should be able to produce new and unprecedented weapons. The facilities to make them don’t exist anywhere else.”

“I don’t want you getting your hopes up too much.”

Solm and Maria’s futures, in particular, were too heavy a burden to bear. All Angel could do was develop arms and provide them to soldiers. It was Solm’s job to use those and leave a legacy.

New weapons, huh.

Angel took the Iron Bamboo in his hand and fell into thought.

While he had yet to be visited by any inspirations, he had a groundless faith that the Iron Bamboo would lead to some sort of amazing invention. That proved its hidden potential.

“But what I need right now…” Angel said as he lied down, “is some sleep.” He braced to fight the nausea assaulting him.

***

The temperature dropped as soon as they entered the other side of Wall Rose. The elevation there was much higher than the area around Wall Maria. The closer to Wall Sheena one got, the higher the elevation became, and the area beyond Wall Sheena was a thousand feet in altitude. While it depended on the season, the temperature was as much as five degrees colder.

As the coach drew closer to Wall Sheena, it left the artery and entered a side road, doggedly making its way north. Even off the artery, they were heading toward Wall Sheena.

“Are we still far from the factory city?” Corina faintly let out, raising her hand. While her face was still pale, it wasn’t the sickened green it’d been immediately after departing. Her body must have been adjusting to the swaying carriage. The same could be said for Angel and Xenophon, but the main reason their travel sickness had improved was that the carriage was now moving slower. This, of course, had been by request, and it meant they were running far behind schedule.

Five hours had passed since they left Trost District, but they had yet to see a single building that suggested the factory city’s presence. Even if they had wanted to check the area, the sun had already completely set. The two soldiers who led the convoy lit the forest path with torches, but these only provided an unreliable light that outlined their surroundings. All that could be made out were coniferous trees: cypress, pine, and cedar. They were far from towns and villages, and there was zero pedestrian traffic on their path.

“We’ll get there in two hours if we hurry. But at this pace, it’ll take double that.”

Solm skillfully maneuvered the reins as he forged ahead on the narrow path that now nearly resembled an animal trail.

“So we either put up with nausea or face the alternative. What a pair of crummy options,” Xenophon said with a disgusted face.

Angel felt no different. “I’d rather not vomit myself dry…”

“Then you’ll just have to be patient,” Solm answered bluntly. He added, “We can’t go fast when it’s this dark out. I doubt we’ll be able to tour the factory city, either. Going at this speed is the best option, don’t you think?”

Solm’s proposal was convincing enough to silence the complainers.

“In that case, I trust myself to our coachman. I’m getting some sleep.”

Right as Angel made to roll back down, a shot rang out and the horses neighed. The coach came to a sudden stop, and Angel and the other passengers fell forward on the cart while their stacked luggage tumbled off.

“What happened?” Angel, regaining his posture, called out towards the driver’s seat and Solm.

“Keep your head down. You’ll get yourself shot.”

Solm grabbed the flare gun on his hip, pointed it above his head, and pulled the trigger. The released signal shot straight up into the air and was swallowed by the darkness.

For a moment, they were surrounded by silence.

Then, the White Star exploded in the sky above with a flash of light that filled their dark world.

Huh? What just happened?!

Angel tried to get a glance of what was in front of the wagon, staying as low as he could.

That’s…

He was able to see the bodies of two cavalrymen on the ground around ten meters ahead of him. They were the carriage’s front guards. Both of their chests were stained red, and while it was possible they were still alive, they showed no signs of moving. There appeared to have been no struggle, suggesting an ambush.

“I think they’re dead,” submitted Xenophon.

“Yeah,” Angel replied, his face stiff. He was sad to see them go, but he didn’t have the luxury to be mourning their deaths. For all he knew, he was only moments away from joining them. Inevitably he was growing tense.

“Look. Someone’s there.”

Xenophon pointed ahead with his chin. Angel followed the gesture to see a group of nearly a dozen mounted figures around fifty meters ahead of the two bodies.

“Are those…enemies?”

They could have been bandits, or perhaps they were anti-establishment forces. Clearly they were not some trade caravan. As if to drive the point home, they all held short swords, while a number of them also had guns, probably the ones that did the soldiers in.

“Are we going to be all right?” Corina seemed uneasy as she leaned in close to Angel with a worried expression.

I want to tell her not to be scared, but…

Angel felt worried about the situation, too. Though he was hardly in any mental state to say something to comfort her, he forced a smile and placed a hand on Corina’s head.

“Just leave this to the professionals. It’ll work out.”

“We are hugely outnumbered, though,” Xenophon pointed out the harsh reality, then darted around gathering thumb-sized vials that had been scattered across the cart.

“What are you doing, at a time like this?”

“Precisely because it’s a time like this,” Xenophon said with a straight face, but Angel could not figure out his intention.

He didn’t know what was inside the vials, nor did he care to know, but it had to be some sort of chemicals harmful to humans.

“Isn’t there anyone stationed around here that can help us?” Angel called to Solm.

“The signal flare should have caught their eye, but this is going to be all over by the time they get here.”

“So we can’t count on any backup…”

In other words, they had to gird themselves and handle this on their own. Still, it wasn’t easy to adopt such a mindset, especially in a milieu as unfamiliar as combat.

“Humans are scarier than Titans. Just like I told you, right?”

Carefully cradling the vials, Xenophon looked outside from near the driver’s seat.

“I think they’re anti-establishment forces. Regular citizens don’t carry guns.”

“It might be those Titan lovers, no?”

“If you’re going to worship the Titans, then you’d be in Shiganshina District. I don’t see why they’d be this far in the interior.”

“There’s only one thing they want. To─”

“Enough,” Solm said, interrupting and putting an end to Angel and Xenophon’s conversation.

“We’re going to force our way through! Get low, it’s going to get rough!!”

As soon as Solm yelled, he whipped the horse. It let out a powerful neigh and rushed the carriage forward.

This is awful…

The carriage shook in every direction as if an earthquake had just struck. While they had been told to get down, they wouldn’t have been able to stay upright had they wished to. They’d naturally taken cover on the floor, but Corina’s petite body bobbed up and down together with the shaking cart.

Just as Angel caught Corina, who was bouncing like a ball, more shots sounded and a number of them tore holes in the canopy.

At this rate we’ll all be turned into beehives.

They had to do something soon but were helpless to act from inside the wagon. The coach sped down the wooded path as if it were charging, but their enemies were doing the same. While the canopy made it difficult to get an accurate grasp of the situation, the ferocious, beastly cries and galloping were gaining on them like a wave.

Moments later, the battle began. It seemed to have turned into a melee, as they could keenly tell that both sides were jostling and shoving one another.

“We’re in a bad spot.”

“What’s going to happen to us…”

The shrill, metallic sound of clashing blades could be heard from all around, and with them came scream after scream. It instinctively made them want to cover their ears, but they were too busy coping with the shaking cart.

Suddenly, something tore through the canopy. Wind rushed in through the tear, flipped the canopy, then violently stripped it off the wagon. The moment their field of vision opened up, their situation became clear. The carriage was surrounded by enemies carrying short swords, and there was no visible escape path.

What about our guards? Where are our allies?!

Angel scanned the area for help. The guards were fighting hard to repel the enemy but were swamped.

A menacing blade closed in on Angel.

“Aah…”

The murderous intent he could see deep within his foe’s eyes made Angel tremble the moment he saw them. While he may have encountered malice from time to time during his everyday life, it was the first time he had ever looked into eyes ready to kill. But as Angel cowered, the assailant mercilessly swung his short sword down toward him.

“A-Ack!”

Letting out a pathetic cry, Angel bent his body backward as far as it would go. The glinting blade passed through the air before him. If he had swayed even a moment later, his head would surely have been split open.

“I was under the impression that we’d been promised safety,” Xenophon objected sarcastically, tossing one of the vials he held toward a foe. The man swiftly avoided it, but before it could hit the ground, the vial exploded with a sound like a firecracker, emitting what looked like bolts of lightning. It was not enough to draw blood, a modest fireworks that merely burnt anyone who came in direct contact, but it did have its element of surprise. One rider’s horse bucked, tossing him to the ground.

“You brought stun grenades?”

“Of course not. I just put those together a minute ago.”

“You made them?!”

“Precisely at a time like this, didn’t I tell you?” Xenophon shot back as he opened his vials and began mixing the chemicals inside. Now that the canopy had been lost, though, the wind conspired with the rough ride to make his job nearly impossible. The enemies they needed to defeat loomed right in front of them too, hardly a suitable environment for such work. Unsurprisingly, the chemicals inside the vials were swept away before Xenophon could mix them.

With that option gone, Xenophon grabbed a wrench, but it made for a rather skimpy argument. Indeed, the tool flew into the air after just one incoming strike. Left unarmed, Xenophon emitted a ridiculous scream.

A weapon… I need a weapon…

It was a bad joke; a professional weaponsmith, even capable of making cannons, unarmed. It wasn’t beyond Angel, as it hadn’t been for Xenophon, to combine some of the scattered materials to create armaments, but the situation was just too unfriendly for that. He needed a weapon, but it was no use if it couldn’t be wielded right away.

No other choice…

It would only be a matter of time before they were killed unless they did something. As Angel put his hand to the floor in order to pick himself up and prepare for the enemy’s attacks, he felt something at his fingertips. They had brought the steel rod-like object with them as material.

“Iron Bamboo…”

The moment he took it in his hands, Angel had a flash of inspiration.

If I used this…

While the Iron Bamboo was barely-prepped raw material, it was still harder than any weapon Angel had ever come across. It was easy to tell from its extraordinary hardness that it could be used on its own as a weapon. Angel handed one to Xenophon.

“It’s just a bamboo sword, but you can use this, can’t you?”

“So a mere pruning does processing make.”

As soon as Xenophon took the Iron Bamboo, he began swinging it around. His bent posture made his lack of experience clear for all to see, but unlike with his wrench, he was not going to be disarmed the next time he clashed weapons.

“Now we are talking! This will do!!”

“Yeah, seems like it.”

Angel, too, swung the Iron Bamboo, keeping up. He had no knowledge of quarterstaff fighting and it was his first battle, but the pole’s meter-long length offered an advantage. Though a blade of the same length would be heavy and unwieldy, the Iron Bamboo was exceedingly light, and their enemies were mounted, too. Unlike Angel, who could use both arms, they needed to keep one hand on the reins. While he may have never learned how to, he’d still be able to put up a fight.

Angel raised the Iron Bamboo above his head, then made a roughly diagonal slash. Its tip landed squarely on an enemy’s shoulder, pulverizing bone. The man somersaulted off of his horse.

The strike signaled the beginning of the counteroffensive. Their enemies faltered, and the soldiers used the opportunity to rush straight into them. The tide of the battle turned in moments as they struck down one foe after the other.

“Giddyap!”

The carriage accelerated as Solm whipped his horse. In the distance, they could see what looked like a signal flare from incoming backup.