Hange was still engaged in a detailed discussion with Gale, carefully examining the weapon blueprints, whose structure was terrifyingly ingenious.
"The Scout Regiment is now a key target, but that doesn't make us indispensable right now," Hange said as she discussed the situation she and her comrades were in with Gale. "If we take any further major actions, the central government will probably launch a military offensive against us immediately. If the situation within the walls weren't so tense right now, they probably would have already done so if they had discovered what we did and knew what we know."
"Captain Hange, didn't you say the situation wasn't that serious yet?" Gale didn't understand—had something truly important changed in this world?
"It's not that serious. I think I exaggerated," Hange replied. "If we behave ourselves, the government won't take action against us. But knowing everything you told us, how are we supposed to behave the way they want?"
"It's only a matter of time before a conflict breaks out. Erwin asked me to take you to the capital to discuss what to do next. Although he wasn't clear about it, I could see that he was completely disappointed with the government and the nobles."
"It doesn't matter. As long as we can build the factory, we'll win. Now that we've lost the King of the Walls, we can achieve an overwhelming victory." Gale was steering Hange's thoughts toward where he wanted them to go, of course, to set his plan in motion.
"It's not that simple." Hange rubbed her forehead and said, "Due to the damage to the walls, the Scout Regiment has the fewest members among the three main branches."
"We're qualified as soldiers, but we don't have enough people to use as laborers and craftsmen. If the Scout Regiment takes any major action, the Military Police will act immediately."
"As for independent workers and craftsmen, can't we use them?" Gale had expected something like this to happen. After all, this wasn't an era where things had settled down.
It hadn't been long since Wall Sina had been breached by the Titans, so nothing outside was simple.
"They don't need much—just enough to eat and to buy materials. With the reputation Hannes is gaining, it's easy to recruit people."
"Have you even thought about what would happen if information leaks?"
"Nothing will leak. I'll have that tightly controlled."
"I originally planned to build the forge first and then try to contact you, but I didn't expect you to come see me ahead of time." Gale looked a little embarrassed, but he was only pretending, and Hange knew it.
"Then… what about public support? How do we obtain it after overthrowing the government? Have you thought about that too?" Hange asked, almost trembling.
"Yes." Gale nodded calmly and said, "The illegitimate daughter of the Reiss family is not dead. She has been exiled among the refugees. As long as we can find her and support her as the new, legitimate queen, we can accomplish great things."
"Besides… people aren't that sensitive to power. What they care about most is who can feed them. As long as we expose the ugly faces of the nobles and the government and improve people's lives shortly afterward, we'll naturally gain their support."
"We'll fuel their fear, deliver results, and when we defeat the central government with these weapons, we'll make everyone's lives far more prosperous. We'll give them hope—results." Gale had thought of everything and didn't mind sharing it.
He wanted Hange to know that he wasn't just a child, but a child who, in everyone's eyes, was already considered a man.
"You're terrifying…" Hange hugged him, feeling a chill run down her spine. "To be honest, if you were my enemy, I'd definitely have insomnia."
"No. My enemies are the Titans and those who want to see us die."
"That's fine." Hange shook Gale's hand and said, "Let's do it your way. The Scout Regiment will take care of finding the illegitimate daughter of the Reiss family! We'll also try to provide food for the workers and materials for the initial construction of the factory!"
"I'll write to Erwin and ask him to give us more time."
"I understand." Gale nodded and said, "Then let's start racing against time."