Three nights later, at a vineyard on the outskirts of the capital.
Carriages bearing emblems arrived one after another, and stout nobles stepped down accompanied by their ladies.
Tonight, a banquet would be held at the vineyard to celebrate a count's fiftieth birthday.
All prominent figures of the capital received invitations, including members of parliament, leaders of various chambers of commerce and unions, and important military personnel.
With the Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan absent for six months, the nobles gradually forgot the crisis of the previous year and began indulging in excess once again, hosting banquets from time to time.
Unfortunately, the new government did not have particularly effective methods to deal with this problem.
Although the coup six months ago eliminated the powerful nobles of the royal government, it was difficult to take action against a considerable number of the old nobility.
The coup last year succeeded because it was launched swiftly enough, the AK-47s were powerful enough, and high-ranking officials were taken hostage with precision and speed, coercing the old political system in the blink of an eye.
But an army is not a one-man army. Pixis was the commander of the Garrison, but under his command were other officers, many of whom came from noble families.
Pixis's direct troops accounted for only one-fifth of the total garrison in the capital. The remaining four-fifths were divided among the nobles, not to mention that there were as many as 40,000 garrison soldiers in Wall Rose.
Even a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake. The command of local garrison troops was basically in the hands of the nobility.
Over the past century, the corruption of the nobility had allowed their roots to grow deeply within the military. Everywhere there were their relatives and friends, or soldiers who had received favors from them.
If the new government were determined to completely eliminate the aristocratic system, the nobles of the capital and Wall Rose would not agree, and internal conflicts might erupt.
Forcing the aristocracy to accept a coup had already been difficult enough.
In the turbulent times of last year, when even getting enough to eat was a challenge, no one wanted to contribute to instability.
After witnessing the power of the AK-47, the nobles behaved relatively well for a time.
But beneath the apparent calm of the new government, many latent tensions still lurked.
The death of General Darius Zackly, the remnants of King Reiss's underground faction, and the nobles seeking to regain control of the political landscape…
After the arrival of spring, all of them gradually began to take action.
The AK-47 was no longer a new weapon, and its manufacturing method had leaked. If both you and I possess an AK-47, it loses its original deterrent power.
The nobles became bolder, and many councilors secretly accepted bribes.
Gale would put an end to this situation tonight, starting in the capital, and gradually eradicate the aristocratic system.
The year 846 had already passed. In the year 850, Zeke would lead the Cart Titan and a portion of the Marleyans to land on Paradis Island. Before that, the problems of the Armored Titan, the Female Titan, and the Colossal Titan had to be resolved, and the territory of Wall Maria had to be reclaimed.
To gain greater control over the narrative and make Erwin and Pixis aware of the crisis, the Female Titan served as the best warning—making them understand that the people within the walls had no time to waste and that the necessary bloodshed was inevitable.
…
With a rumble, Historia's carriage arrived at the vineyard.
Dozens of armed soldiers guarded the carriage, and Petra and other experienced soldiers were also part of the procession.
At Gale's request, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa attended as Historia's friends. However, Gale was not in that carriage. He had left the Hawthorne Chamber of Commerce and attended the banquet as a member of parliament, along with Hannes.
Annie Leonhart and the girls were also in the carriage, supposedly to gain "experience" and observe how servants worked in formal settings.
Several carriages departed from Gale's Chamber of Commerce, one of which carried a new type of explosive.
Its name was nitroglycerin, an extremely powerful explosive.
Untreated nitroglycerin is a highly unstable and sensitive explosive that can detonate with the slightest movement. However, its chemical properties can be stabilized simply by absorbing it with silica gel.
The explosives in the vehicle could not be detonated by conventional means; mercuric fulminate was required.
This substance had already been produced during the development of the AK-47 bullet.
Mercuric fulminate was placed in a small tube and then fitted with a gunpowder fuse to form a detonator.
This could be used for detonation.
It is important to note that, as a detonator, it must never get wet.
During the fertilizer production period, Gale had secretly begun producing nitroglycerin, a substance that even Hange had never seen before, as he had only conducted very small-scale detonation experiments.
Aside from Gale, no one knew what was inside that carriage.
Shortly after Historia's carriage arrived at the mansion, the carriage of the Hawthorne Merchants' Guild also arrived.
The mansion was bustling with activity. Piles of greased firewood burned on the ground, and the playful flames licked at cured lambs and suckling pigs, their golden fat dripping and filling the air with the aroma of spices.
On the table were croissants and juicy purple grapes for anyone to take.
On the waiter's silver tray were glasses filled with deep red wine. The nobles, dressed in elegant attire, took their glasses and stood by the bonfire, chatting.
Hannes went to deal with the nobles as a "senator," while Annie and the young girls were taken to the kitchen by their instructor to help.
Everything seemed harmonious, peaceful, and prosperous.
Ian gave instructions to the workers to unload the crates of TNT and place them in the fields outside the estate, where hay had been piled up.
These workers were the first batch from last year's weapons factory and foundry, and they belonged to his personal faction.
The workers had no idea what they were transporting, and the rest of the people in the mansion were absorbed in the banquet, paying no attention to what was happening outside.
Not long after, Gale entered the mansion.
Eren met his gaze. Gale smiled and stepped forward to greet them. He deliberately led the group toward the stables.
Amid the noise, he wrapped an arm around Eren's shoulder and whispered, "Take that guy to the fields later. Make sure he's there when the fire starts. Once the fire begins, run immediately."
Eren nodded, his gaze sharpening.
Ian entered the kitchen. "Annie, come out for a moment."
"Alright." Annie was quite obedient and followed him.
"Have you been getting used to things these past few days?"
"Yes."
"You are the best among these children. It has been decided that you will be sent to serve the princess. I'm here to inform you."
A faint, almost imperceptible glint appeared in Annie's eyes.
"These are some candies I secretly saved. Here, have some." Gale took out a bag of malt candy from his sleeve, handed it to Annie, and looked at her with a smile.
Annie hesitated for a moment, but still took the bag. "Thank you."
"Aren't you going to eat one?" Gale blinked, took one himself, and chewed it. "It's very sweet."
"Mmm." Annie thought for a moment, then put the candy into her mouth.
"You're welcome." Gale smiled and slowly walked out, counting silently, before taking out another intact malt candy from his sleeve and chewing it.
"One…"
"Two…"
"Three…"
…
After leaving the central area, Annie suddenly coughed up blood and collapsed among the crowd.
The candy… it's that candy…
Annie stared in the direction where Gale had disappeared; the candy she had eaten was highly poisonous.
But why?
She didn't understand; she only knew that if she didn't use her Titan power, she would die.
Steam began to emanate from her body. Petra and the others looked at Annie in shock.
The Survey Corps soldiers guarding Eren knew what it was—the steam was identical to what came out when Eren conducted Titan experiments.
The soldiers raised their weapons and aimed at Annie.
Annie felt surrounded; it was a trap, a premeditated plan.
She stood up, and the ring on her hand cut into her palm.
"Everyone on this island are devils!!!"
A golden lightning flashed, and bone and flesh spread from her small body.
Enormous ribs, like gaping jaws, pierced through the roof and extinguished the bonfire.
In the instant the lightning vanished, the Female Titan was already standing upon the earth.