"Hey, Eren, why did I get beaten so badly? Why are you just standing there? Sit down, Eren." Yago stared at Eren gloomily. Under that gaze, Eren felt his scalp prickle.
"Why! How could you just stand by and watch me die? That's too much!" There were still faint bruises on Yago's face as he shook Eren by the arm.
Eren: "Th-this… I'm really sorry…."
Yago: "Is sorry useful? I think next time, Eren, you should spar with Annie. Even though she hits hard, her fighting skills really are good."
"Th-this…" Eren was actually tempted. Mikasa suddenly leaned in. "Yago, what do you mean? Are you saying I'm not as good as Annie?"
Her calm tone made Yago's body stiffen.
"How could that be? With Mikasa's help, Eren's fighting will of course be no problem~"
How could he forget Mikasa was still here. Yago also knew that Mikasa's bottom line was Eren. To be honest, Yago wasn't sure whether Eren really was just a dense blockhead—Mikasa's favoritism was so obvious, yet this kid showed not the slightest reaction. Didn't he see Jean over there already jealous to the point his eyes were red?
Yago almost felt it wasn't worth it for Mikasa. Mikasa said,
"Eren, you say it—do you want Annie to guide you, or me to guide you?" Even if Eren was slow, he knew what to say now.
"O-of course Mikasa. Annie is too violent."
"Hmph." With a soft snort, Eren turned his head and saw Annie carrying dinner, quietly walking past.
"Uh, feels like trouble's coming."
For many days after that, it was all hand-to-hand combat training. Under Annie's torment, Yago's fighting technique improved in a straight line upward. He learned especially fast—so fast that Yago felt as if he had learned it before, with no bottleneck at all.
"Sigh, Yago, why do we have to learn hand-to-hand combat anyway? It's not much use against Titans." Eren climbed up from the ground, a bit dispirited. Under Mikasa's guidance, and with the techniques Yago had learned from Annie, Eren's strength had also increased quite a bit, but he was still confused.
Yago: "Who knows? Maybe humans can also turn into Titans. A Titan that can fight would definitely be stronger than an ordinary Titan."
Annie, standing to the side, looked slightly unnatural when she heard that.
"I'm just joking—why isn't anyone laughing?" Yago asked awkwardly.
Eren: "It's pretty ironic. Everyone trains so desperately, all to get inside the inner territory, desperately learning how to deal with Titans, yet in the end it's all so we can stay far away from Titans."
Yago: "Huh, since when could Eren say something so philosophical?"
...
Another month passed. Morning theory classes shifted from history, to lectures on the royal government's laws, and now to introductions about Titan behavior.
"Thanks to the contributions of countless soldiers of the Survey Corps, we already understand the habits of most Titans. Titans—we divide them into Ordinary Titans and Abnormal Titans." The bespectacled instructor introduced Titans to the trainees below in a very serious manner.
"Ordinary Titans range in height from three to eighteen meters. Most move relatively slowly. However, never underestimate any Titan because of its size! Even an elite soldier who makes the slightest mistake can be devoured by a three-meter-class Titan!" The instructor warned the recruits. Over the past hundred years, countless Survey Corps soldiers had used their lives to bring back precious intelligence.
"Abnormal Titans are exceptions among Titans. They generally look different from other Titans, with slightly deformed bodies. Most are between ten and fifteen meters tall. Their speed is much faster than ordinary Titans, their combat power extremely formidable. Their jumping ability and running speed exceed that of ordinary horses. Encountering an Abnormal is extremely dangerous. At present, almost no elite soldier can face an Abnormal alone—of course, there are exceptions!" The instructor suddenly spoke with a hint of admiration.
"Captain Levi, the strongest human soldier. In a frontal one-on-one situation, he can kill an Abnormal Titan without taking any damage—unparalleled strength!"
The instructor seemed to have once been a Survey Corps soldier himself; whenever he mentioned Captain Levi, his face was full of fervor.
"The strongest human soldier? That one-meter-sixteen short guy? He's that amazing?"
Yago thought of Levi, whom he had once seen in the Survey Corps. At the time, he only thought Levi always wore a sour expression. Who would have thought you can't judge by appearances.
"Additionally, Titans have no interest in any species other than humans, and Titans have no excretory organs. To this day, we still don't know how Titans obtain energy to survive. Nighttime is the Titans' rest period. Ordinary Titans generally fall into sleep at night, unless there is strong stimulation…."
Yago rubbed his chin, thinking.
"Titans don't eat anything except humans and don't move at night. Could it be that their energy comes from absorbing sunlight during the day? That vague memory—photosynthesis? Seems like that's what it's called."
"At present, Titans are known to have only one weak point, and it's right here!" The instructor pointed to the Titan diagram on the blackboard.
"The nape of the neck. This is the Titan's only weak point. Attacking other parts of a Titan is useless. Even if you cut off a Titan's limbs, they can quickly regenerate. Only by removing the flesh at the nape can you truly kill a Titan. Based on this, humanity has also developed specialized weapons to deal with Titans—the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment. You'll be exposed to it very soon."
"Any other questions?" The instructor scanned the recruits below. Yago, rarely so attentive in class, immediately raised his hand. "Instructor, I want to ask—do Titans have intelligence?"
The instructor pushed up his glasses.
"A very good question. We unanimously believe that Titans do not have intelligence. Even Abnormals are merely stronger than ordinary Titans. At present, there is no evidence to indicate that Titans possess intelligence."
Yago asked again, "Then what about the Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan that appeared in Shiganshina District? Do they count as Abnormals?"
Instructor: "That… I'm not very sure. Past history has never mentioned Titans of such great size. But I believe that with the efforts of the Survey Corps, one day we humans will learn all the secrets and drive out all the Titans!"
Yago said nothing more. In truth, there was still one question in his heart. The Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan were very likely humans who transformed, very likely intelligent—just like him. But in the end, Yago didn't ask it. Something like that probably wouldn't be believed by anyone. Yet Yago had almost already concluded that, besides himself, there must be others who could transform into Titans. He just didn't know whether they were enemies or allies.
As for the Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan, Yago had almost certainly decided they were enemies. He lowered his head and looked at his own palm. There were still many people he needed to protect. This Titan power would become his final trump card for protecting his family.
...
This chapter has been posted for review. Thank you