"Hey, are you sure you're not messing with us? Who would give an organization such a… strange name?"
Jean paused for a moment, at a loss for how to describe it.
"What are you all doing, crowding around here?"
Connie walked over after finishing feeding his horse.
Jean briefly explained the situation to him.
"What? Maiden's Shoulder Strap?" Connie's mouth fell open in shock as soon as he heard it.
"That sounds like the work of some perverted creep. It must be some evil organization that steals girls' underwear! Could it be that they found out I hide bread inside my bra?!" Sasha said with a terrified expression. As she spoke, she nervously looked around and hurriedly clutched her chest.
Jean and Connie both had dark lines on their faces.
"Yes, that's right. This organization has committed countless crimes within Wall Sina. Their leader is an utterly unforgivable devil! Assaulting young women, slaughtering civilians—there's nothing he wouldn't do! My mother… she… uh…"
Polino said through gritted teeth, his voice filled with hatred. When he mentioned his mother, his voice suddenly choked up, and he couldn't continue.
The others quickly understood what he meant. For a moment, everyone felt sympathy for Polino. Although he had behaved terribly in the past, compared to such a monstrous villain, he now seemed like a harmless lamb.
"What a despicable bastard. An organization like that must never be allowed to continue!" Jean said angrily after hearing the story.
"The organization itself isn't the main issue anymore. The Central Military Police Brigade commander personally wiped them out. But it's said that their leader has already escaped to Wall Rose," Polino said after calming himself slightly.
"What?!"
Hearing that such a demon had entered Wall Rose, everyone instantly became uneasy. The nearby soldiers who had been watching quickly dispersed, cautiously scanning their surroundings for anyone suspicious.
Krista frowned as well. Even with her gentle, angelic personality, hearing about such crimes filled her with anger.
"So… what can I do for you?" Krista asked in confusion.
"Hey, you're not planning to ask a small girl like Krista to hunt down a criminal for you, are you?" Jean said, clearly displeased.
"Don't tell me you want Historia to lure him out?" Sasha blurted.
"What?!"
The crowd erupted in shock once again.
As everyone began condemning the idea, Polino quickly tried to explain.
"Of course not! I was worried that because of the things I did in the past, none of you would be willing to help me. That's why I placed my hopes on Krista. I just want her to pass along a message to Chief Chen Si. I hope he can help capture that devil. Only the Chief has the strength to do it." Polino lowered his head, dejected.
"Please!"
Polino was about to kneel again, but Historia stopped him.
"I promise you, I'll tell Chen Si. But if he helps you, it must never put him in danger," Krista said seriously.
"By the way, aren't you a noble? Doesn't anyone help you?" Jean asked suspiciously.
"I… after my parents died, none of my relatives cared enough to help me. Only a few nobles tried to capture him out of concern for noble reputation, but they all failed. Now I'm just a waiter taken in by my uncle's tavern."
Polino clenched his fists, speaking in a low voice.
His pride had already been completely crushed during the past three years. The honor of being a noble meant nothing anymore. The only thing keeping him alive was hatred.
After hearing his story, everyone finally understood. Although noble life was distant from them, they could still guess that most nobles inside the walls were selfish and self-serving.
Listening to Polino, Krista suddenly thought about her own childhood. Even though her father was a great noble, she had never felt any love from family or relatives.
Krista decided she would help Polino—for his sake, and for the people of Wall Rose.
"Ah-choo! Damn! Who's talking about how handsome I am?"
Walking along the Wall Rose ramparts, Chen Si suddenly sneezed and grumbled.
"The wind is strong up here. Don't catch a cold," Mikasa said with concern, reaching to remove her scarf to wrap around him.
Chen Si held her hand and looked into her eyes as he slowly stepped closer. His lips moved closer and closer to her face, as if about to touch it.
Seeing this, Mikasa unconsciously closed her eyes.
"My catching a cold would only make my body feel a little uncomfortable. But if you caught a cold… then I'd feel miserable. Not just physically, but in my heart too," Chen Si said in a deliberately low, husky voice.
"What's wrong, Mikasa? Did sand get in your eyes?" Chen Si asked knowingly.
"No. It didn't," Mikasa replied coldly, showing a rare hint of temper.
She felt both embarrassed and annoyed. She didn't know why she had suddenly closed her eyes, almost as if she had been expecting something. Now she just felt strangely empty inside.
Chen Si immediately understood she was upset from being teased. Smiling slightly, he suddenly wrapped his arms around her legs, lifting her up in a princess carry and spinning around several times.
"Ah—what are you doing?! Hey! Brother, put me down!" Mikasa cried out as the spinning threw off her usually calm voice.
Chen Si raised an eyebrow. That tone sounded strangely familiar.
"Hahaha, youth really is wonderful," a voice laughed nearby.
Commander Pixis slowly walked over, stroking his beard with a smile.
"Commander, do you want me to help you become young again too?" Chen Si said, waving at him.
After Chen Si put her down, Mikasa's face was flushed red. She fixed her hair and adjusted her scarf to hide her reddened cheeks.
"If you were a beautiful woman, I might consider it," Pixis replied seriously.
"Alright, let's talk about business. This time you killed one of my soldiers. Even though it wasn't your fault, you were still somewhat impulsive. If I put you into my elite unit, there will probably be quite a bit of resistance," Pixis said, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
"This isn't Chen Si's fault. It's mine. I didn't understand my own situation and put Chen Si, Mikasa, and Armin in danger," Eren said, clenching his fists and lowering his head in guilt.
"Hmm, good. Taking responsibility is what makes a good soldier," Pixis said with satisfaction.
"Then, trainee Yeager… are you willing to shoulder your share of the responsibility?"
Pixis's aura suddenly turned cold. His gaze sharpened like a blade as he looked down at Eren.
"I am willing!" Eren shouted firmly.