Taking in a sharp breath, Yago held his waist. The piercing pain almost made him cry out, yet the culprit, Annie, wore an utterly innocent expression.
Yago could only silently swallow the bitter result—who told him to run his mouth just now.
But on the other side, aside from Annie, the resentful gaze Armin cast over made Yago feel even more uncomfortable. Clearly, deep down, Armin really didn't want to cross-dress.
A bit of Yago's mischievous streak surfaced—he really did want to see Armin in women's clothes. To be honest, Armin looked cuter than most girls.
But using companions as bait was something Yago couldn't really accept. Logically speaking, Captain Levi's bait plan truly was the last resort, yet Yago happened to have a better plan in mind.
"Captain, I need to talk to you," Yago said as he walked over to Levi. Levi's cold eyes glanced at him. After a moment of silence, Levi turned to Petra and said, "Recall Jurgen and the others. Prepare to move."
"What is it?" After sending the others away, Levi brought Yago alone into a very clean, very simple room and asked bluntly.
Yago glanced around and smiled.
"Captain, you trust me that much? You know I also possess Titan power. Aren't you afraid I'll transform here, kill you all, and then take Eren away?"
Levi calmly walked to the table. A set of Vertical Maneuvering Equipment lay on it.
The table was spotless, and the equipment had been polished to a shine. Clang! Levi drew a blade and said coldly,
"Before that happens, you'll be cut into pieces by me."
"Captain, that's confidence. Still, please believe us. I've said before, this place is also my hometown. I will protect it. And we have a common enemy—those who truly covet Eren," Yago said, his gaze burning.
"Yago, you're very different. The first time I saw you outside the walls, I suggested to Erwin that we eliminate unnecessary trouble. But Erwin said you were saved by Vige. Vige was a senior worthy of respect from every member of the Survey Corps, so…" For once, Levi's eyes weren't so cold, instead carrying a trace of emotion.
Back then, when Levi was brought from the underground city into the Survey Corps by Erwin, he and his two companions initially struggled to adapt to military rules and life. At that time, Vige, already a veteran, took great care of those new recruits.
At the mention of Vige, the smile on Yago's face stiffened slightly. Toward Uncle Vige, Yago had always carried guilt in his heart.
After a moment of silence, Yago said, "Uncle Vige gave me a second life. I'll complete his mission in his stead."
For once, Yago saw the almost never-smiling Captain Levi slowly curl his lips. Though it was only the faintest hint of a smile, it was still astonishing. No one knew what the captain was smiling at—perhaps the resolve of the younger generation.
...
Twisting dry a towel soaked in clean well water, Historia carefully wiped the face of Ymir, who lay on the bed.
Creak. Hearing the door open, Historia turned her head.
"Yago? What brings you here?" Historia was a little surprised.
"Nothing much. Historia. I just came to check on you. Ymir… she's a Titan too?" Yago shook his head to show he was fine, then glanced again at Ymir lying on the bed.
"Yes. But Ymir isn't a bad person. She just wanted to protect me, protect everyone—just like Eren. At the time, someone brought firearms and wanted to attack us. Ymir was also seriously injured," Historia explained on Ymir's behalf.
Yago said, "Looks like Ymir really likes Historia. Back at the training corps too—she told you to stay away from me the first time she met you, even said I was a bad person."
Reminded of those memories by Yago's words, Historia smiled faintly. She looked at Ymir.
"Ymir is really a big fool sometimes. She could've chosen to live safely and peacefully. Why did she insist on protecting someone like me, a burden who only drags everyone down?"
Yago said, "Historia isn't a burden. Remember? During the snow mountain training, if you hadn't led Daz, he might've died there. And during the Battle to Retake Trost, weren't you brave as well?"
Yago's words made Historia feel a little embarrassed.
"Historia, could you tell me about your past?"
Historia hesitated, then looked at the unconscious Ymir. Though she had once promised Ymir to live for herself, those memories of the past were scars she never wanted to face.
Yago sensed his question might have been too intrusive and hurriedly apologized, but Historia shook her head.
"It's okay. Recovering my true name means I should face the past. Ymir said changing one's name is a coward's surrender."
Then, the tragic story of a noble's illegitimate daughter flowed from Historia's lips.
Who could have imagined that so much had happened to the lovely Historia, the Historia many called a little angel.
From as far back as she could remember, she had never seen her father. She lived on a farm with her mother, yet her mother despised her utterly, denying her even the last trace of maternal love.
She grew up stumbling along like this, until one day she finally saw her father—only to be cruelly forced to kneel before him. A priest from the Church of the Walls said that both she and her mother deserved to die, and just like that, her mother's throat was slit right in front of her.
Even at the moment of death, her mother looked at her with venomous eyes, as if all of this were her fault. Just as she herself was about to be killed, they made an offer: if she was willing to change her name and join the military in the future, she would be spared. And after that came everything that followed.
Yago fell silent. The other listeners outside the door also fell silent. Eren's head even began to ache as fragments of inexplicable images surfaced in his mind.
It was hard to imagine that Historia, raised in such an environment, could still grow into someone so gentle and kind.
Tears welled up in Historia's bright eyes—clearly, her mood was terrible as well.
Yago sighed and walked to Historia's side. Without realizing it, he reached out and patted her head. No ulterior motive—just sympathy for this pitiful child.
"Cough… cough, take… your… hand… off! D-don't touch my Historia, you detestable… guy."
A weak voice came from the bed. Yago and Historia turned their heads at the same time, only to see that Ymir, who had been unconscious, was now awake, though she looked very weak.
"That's wonderful! Ymir, you're awake!" Historia's tears hadn't dried yet, but seeing Ymir awaken filled her with joy.
Yago smiled and left the room. Time like this should be left to Historia and Ymir.
(T/N: Omg I'm so dumb. I forgot that History used a pseudonym in the army, I really messed up.)