"Mikasa?"
Hearing that name, Roger suddenly remembered what Eren had once told him—the person Eren wanted to protect.
And that person's name was Mikasa.
So… was this the same Mikasa he was thinking of?
He turned his head and looked at the woman standing in the doorway.
She was wearing the Survey Corps uniform, a red scarf wrapped around her neck. Her eyes were red, as if she'd just been crying, and her hair had been cut short.
Standing at the door, she scanned the people inside, searching. Very quickly, her gaze fell on Roger.
She knew this had to be the one she was looking for, so she said:
"Are you Roger?"
The moment Mikasa spoke his name, Roger understood—she had come for him. And he knew why.
Inevitably, it had to do with Eren.
And for those questions, Eren hadn't left any properly arranged answers in the dreamscape, so Roger really had no idea what he should say now.
After all, Eren had been eaten by Annie—and then Roger had eaten Annie, gaining the Founding Titan and the Female Titan, along with the Attack Titan's power to see the future.
All three were incredibly valuable abilities to Roger. He had no intention of letting them go, so he had chosen the cruel path and devoured both Eren and Annie.
But once he did that, there were bound to be people who cared about them. They had been living human beings.
Roger wasn't some saint, but he knew trouble would come looking for him.
For example, this woman standing before him named "Mikasa."
How should I tell her? Roger wondered.
Just then, Mikasa walked toward him.
She didn't scream or throw a fit. She didn't punch or kick him.
She just quietly looked into Roger's eyes.
From her gaze, Roger saw determination.
It was the same kind of determination he had seen in Eren's eyes. But in the end, she wasn't Eren—just a woman who loved him.
Even at first glance, Roger could tell that clearly.
"You should already know what I'm going to ask, right?"
Mikasa spoke at last, with the stubborn tone of someone who would keep digging until she reached the bottom.
Roger felt a headache coming on, but he still had to answer.
"Before he died, Eren entrusted the Founding Titan's power to me and asked me to use it to help the people inside the Walls. But me? I was only thinking about myself. So if you're unhappy with Eren's decision, then please keep that to yourself.
"As things stand now, even if everyone inside the Walls joined forces, they still wouldn't be my match.
"The only reason I haven't wiped you all out is because I have no interest in you. The one I want to destroy is a nation outside the Walls."
"That's exactly what I wanted to hear!" Mikasa suddenly said. "I asked around and heard that the target you want revenge on is a country called Marley. In that country, there are many people just like us.
"Long ago, Eren told me we have to keep fighting without stopping, to bravely fight for what we want.
"Even though I lost him in the end, I still want to carry out his will.
"If Marley is the reason this world has become so cruel and chaotic, then I want to clear it away with you.
"So please—let me serve under you! I want to join Scorpio!"
Roger had never imagined things would go this way, and for a moment he hesitated.
Scorpio was the mercenary group under his command—his private organization, loyal only to him, willing to do anything for him no matter how harshly others criticized their actions.
Mikasa had been Eren's lover. If he let her join Scorpio, would she really carry out those actions that were purely for his personal benefit?
Roger wasn't sure.
Mikasa thought he was doubting her strength. She let out a quiet sigh and said, "I'll prove to you how strong I am."
From someone else, those words might have sounded arrogant. But this was Mikasa Ackerman.
Under Levi's influence, Roger had once investigated all the people inside the Walls with the surname Ackerman.
Mikasa Ackerman had been part of that investigation too, but at the time he'd never had a good opportunity to bring her under his wing—she was already part of the Survey Corps.
Back then, he'd thought it was a real shame. But that never meant Mikasa was lacking in ability.
Now that she wanted to join his organization, Roger was certainly pleased.
But just as before, there was still that question—would she be truly loyal?
"What I want are loyal people, not just capable ones.
"If you can't think purely from my perspective, then there's no point in keeping you. Scorpio is my personal organization, after all."
Hearing that, Mikasa frowned.
"I just… want to fight…"
She lowered her head in disappointment, turned around, and started to leave.
But at that moment, Roger called out to her.
"Wait," he said. "There's something I want to tell you."
Mikasa looked up at him.
"Inside Eren's body was the power of a Titan—the Attack Titan. That Titan's ability is to see the future, and to send what it sees into the past in the form of memories.
"In the end, he sealed a part of his memories away in a corner of his heart. He didn't want anyone to know them, because if they did, it would become a huge obstacle to eliminating the power of the Titans.
"Do you want to know what those memories were about?"
Roger asked.
Mikasa didn't quite understand yet.
"Please, go on."
She looked at Roger.
Roger looked back at her.
"Those memories were Eren's will. Everything he sealed deep in his heart… was about you. He liked you very much—and he loved you. And he hoped you would stay far away from battles and conflict forever, that you would live a life of happiness and freedom."
At those words, Mikasa froze in shock, and tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.
"He said that meeting you was the greatest blessing of three lifetimes."
Roger said, slowly averting his gaze.
"Is that true?"
Mikasa wiped at the tears at the corners of her eyes with her fingers, but they kept flowing, no matter how she tried to stop them.
"It's true. And before he left, he asked me to protect you, and also…"
As he spoke, Roger walked up to her, adjusted her scarf, then took a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her.
Mikasa couldn't hold back any longer.
She took the handkerchief and, not wanting Roger to see her tears anymore, stubbornly turned her back to him.
"Thank you…"
She whispered, then slowly walked out through the door.
"Goodbye, Mikasa."
Watching her retreating back, Roger suddenly found himself saying those words.
A moment later, he couldn't help wondering what exactly he'd just done.
…
…
Was that you,
Eren?
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