Looking at the people with whom he had once shared such deep feelings caused Gale a suffocating sensation. He wanted to save them all; he wished for them to experience the true happiness of being free.
Everyone deserved a better path—one that Gale would do everything in his power to win. That was why he would do whatever was necessary to achieve it, even if, in this future, he became the very demon to the outside world.
Gale was willing to pay that price; after all, he had no one.
"What a small child…" Hange looked at Gale with curiosity as she touched her chin and asked, "How old are you, and what's your name?"
"My name is Gale, and I'll turn eleven in five months."
"Your name is Gale… What's your last name? Don't you have a surname?"
Of course, Gale would not announce his surname; that would very likely reveal information he wanted to keep hidden. For that very reason, he shook his head and spoke honestly. "I don't have one. Before coming to this refuge, I was a slave."
"All right, that doesn't matter right now. Tell me—what do you know?"
"Before I answer, I hope you can release Hannes. He's only acting as a spokesperson for the water wheel; he doesn't actually know anything."
"What do we do, Erwin?" Hange turned to seek her commander's answer; she was not in a position to issue orders.
"Let him go." Erwin nodded when he saw the calm look in Gale's eyes and said in a serious tone, "The results of the interrogation are clear to me. Hannes was only trying to cover for the real creator and lied in every one of his answers—but the lie fell apart when the child arrived."
"Petra, I'll trouble you—could you take this alcoholic soldier out?" Hange untied Hannes and then paid him no further attention.
"Yes, Captain Hange."
Petra and Erd Gin lifted Hannes from the bench—he wouldn't stop protesting—and then escorted him out of the tent.
Only four people remained inside the tent: Gale, Erwin, Levi, and Hange.
"I was thinking about this before coming here." Erwin calmly studied Gale's face and said evenly, "If Hannes is someone's spokesperson, what are the reasons?"
"The most logical one I thought of was his identity as a Garrison soldier."
"First of all, the motive for seeking out Hannes was probably based on his identity as a member of the Garrison Regiment—it would be convenient for propaganda. Therefore, we can determine that this person does not belong to the regiment nor work for the government."
"Second, that person, for some reason, cannot appear in public, so they need someone to speak on their behalf."
"There are many reasons—being a criminal, a disabled person, or someone who is being hunted… It could be the latter, or that Hannes was simply a miser who stole the design from a craftsman, but that hypothesis was refuted in the interrogation just now."
"Your appearance was timely. All those answers were confirmed the moment Hannes learned a child was here. That confirms to me that you know the truth of the matter, don't you, Gale?" Erwin sat behind the wooden table, his hands clasped together.
"Commander Erwin…" Gale took a deep breath and focused his senses. "I'll get straight to the point. The artist who drew the design for the water wheel is standing right in front of you—speaking to you."
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Captain Levi, who had been drinking water, stopped and looked at Gale as if he were an even bigger idiot than Hannes, the alcoholic soldier.
Levi admitted that he had been a little distracted, but when he heard Gale say something so shocking, his attention snapped back immediately.
The boy's face held a calm that did not match his age; it lay there with an air of seriousness. Perhaps that was a talent, Levi thought as he watched him.
"Are you serious?" Hange's mouth fell open.
"Excuse me—do you have paper and a pen?" Gale intended to prove it with actions.
"Yes, we do…" Hange looked at Erwin. "Commander, what do we do? Do we let him try?"
"If it's… a child…" Erwin murmured to himself, then replied, "Fine. Go get paper and a pen—let's see if he's telling the truth."
Gale took the paper and pen from Hange, and at the same time lifted his shirt to pull out the set square, ruler, and compass tucked beneath his trousers.
"He looks very serious…" Hange's expression changed slightly as she gave up her seat.
Gale sat at the wooden table and began to draw the blueprints of the water wheel line by line with paper and pen.
He was the one who had drawn the original plan, and he remembered every detail with great clarity.
Hange grew interested and leaned in to watch him draw.
She saw a very skillful drafting technique; Gale barely needed to think, and with just a few strokes, he sketched the basic shape of the water wheel.
After a few minutes, Hange and Erwin whispered a few words to each other.
Erwin nodded and said, "That's enough. You can stop now."
"Do you believe me now, Commander?" Gale looked up.
"Whether or not you designed the blueprints of the water wheel is another matter, but it seems you are capable of drawing a plan on your own. That means you are—or are very closely connected to—the creator of this invention." Erwin did not confirm anything with his words; only that he would listen to Gale and uncover the whole truth.
"Then who are you really? I don't believe a slave anywhere within the walls knows how to read or write. Most of my soldiers only know how to count—that's all. Who taught you everything you know?" Hange asked, fascinated.
It was then that Gale stopped lying. For the first time, he nodded and said, "These plans don't belong to me. All of them were taught to me by my father, who visits me in my dreams."
"Tell me, Commander Erwin—do I have your word, and the word of those present, that what I tell you will not leave this place?" The coldness of the question made Erwin feel that something much darker surrounded Gale, and so he nodded.
"You have my word."
"Erwin…" Levi raised his voice. He knew that knowledge was strictly guarded by the Church, so whatever Gale was about to reveal could not be promised to remain here.
The situation of the Scout Regiment was complicated, and getting involved in troubles other than Titans was something Erwin had always made clear.
"You have my word." Erwin, without any fear, nodded at Gale's question and said, "I swear it."
Hange was also surprised by her commander's determination, so she stepped outside the tent and ordered everyone to move away.
Only then did Gale calmly gather his hair. His fingers trembled for just an instant before he spoke. "My full name is Elion Hawthorne…"
Everyone recognized that surname, but they remained silent for what Gale was about to confess.
"My turbulent journey began a year ago." Gale lifted his head, revealing his bright green eyes, and said, "My father died, leaving me more than a fortune—he left me a promise. I wanted to go outside, to see the Titans with my own eyes, to study them… and to prove to him that all my inventions, the ones he criticized so harshly for being dangerous, could serve humanity."
Hange tilted her head, intrigued, and asked, "What's the reason for lying to us about it?"
"I have to be careful…" Gale smiled ironically and said, "Before arriving here, I was hunted. My own relatives wanted my father's money, his company, and properties. That's why they sent assassins to kill me and all my followers. Unfortunately for them, I survived… but I knew I couldn't return. I had no one left."
Silence weighed heavily over the tent.
"I hid for months within Wall Sina." After a pause, Gale continued, "I could have died in the slums, or become a criminal… but I ended up worse. I was sold as a slave."
At this point, Gale did not confess a few things; he knew that if he didn't, they wouldn't believe him.
Hange adjusted her glasses.
"A slave?"
"On a special farm." Gale clenched his fists, remembering the people who had once extended a hand to him—those he also fought for—and murmured angrily, "Yes. For the Reiss Territory."
Erwin's expression changed slightly, but Levi did react.
"Reiss?" Levi murmured, hesitating.
Gale nodded and confessed, "I worked there under coercion. I couldn't escape. But I observed a lot while hiding my identity… I heard too much. They thought I was just another worthless servant. But thanks to that, I discovered things that no one outside that place should know."
After many minutes of silence and an empty stare, Gale took a deep breath, wiped his sweaty hands, and said, "What I'm about to say may sound insane, but it's the truth… The Reiss family is the true royal family within the walls. The king of the capital is nothing more than a decorative figure—a puppet."
The air turned icy.
"Boy…" Levi's voice grew cold as he said, "For less than that, you're executed for treason—even if you come from a noble family."
Gale did not avert his gaze and replied, "If you want to kill me for telling the truth, do it, Captain. I already lost everything once."
Levi clicked his tongue. "Tch… you've got guts."
After hearing no further interruptions, Gale continued. "The farm where I worked was burned down afterward. They left no witnesses. The Central Military Police cleaned everything up. Most of the people I knew there were killed. The one who led that operation… if I'm not mistaken… his name is Kenny Ackerman."
The name fell like a cold gunshot on one person in the room.
"What did you say?" Levi slammed the table as he stood and demanded, "Kenny is in the Central Military Police?"
"Levi." Erwin placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "Calm down."
Levi took a deep breath and sat back down, clenching his teeth.
Erwin stared at Gale and said, "Continue."
Gale did not lower his gaze. He understood Levi's reaction; after all, he knew Levi's past with Kenny and the impact he had had on him.
"I know the Scout Regiment has little political influence. That's precisely why I came here, Commander. I have nowhere else to go. I'll tell you everything I know—about the Titans, about the walls… and about the secrets the Reiss family is hiding."
Erwin remained silent for a few seconds. Beneath his calm face, a dangerous current began to stir.
"Speak, Gale Hawthorne."
Because for the first time since his childhood, Erwin felt that the exit from the labyrinth he had been searching for all his life… had just appeared right in front of him.