"Eren Yeager?" A strange light flickered in the eyes behind the black-framed glasses. Ebson stood within the ruined manor, yet there was not the slightest trace of heartache on his face—rather, a faint smile curved at his lips.
"It is my failure, sir. Blame my incompetence!" The tall Bill lowered his head to plead guilty, his attitude incomparably respectful. It was hard to imagine why he feared the thin, frail-looking Ebson before him so deeply.
"There's no need to mind it. Heh, Eren Yeager? Perhaps not. That child is still as cunning as ever." Ebson chuckled, then asked again,
"The War Hammer Titan of the Tybur family has come as well?"
Bill nodded. "That's right. It was beyond our expectations. The power of the War Hammer Titan is not with Willy Tybur—it's with a woman."
"A woman? That truly is unexpected. No wonder that fellow Willy was so calm in front of me last time. Heh, I underestimated him."
Ebson walked into the ruins of the manor villa and crouched down, picking up a shattered ink bottle from among the broken bricks and rubble. Gazing at it, he murmured,
"It seems the Tybur family can no longer sit still either. But our plan is nearly complete as well. Heh, Marley, Paradis Island, the Middle Easterners… all just clowns."
He casually flung the ink bottle away, then turned to look at Bill.
"Hand Newt over to the Marleyans. For now, we still have to rely on them. Also, this time I brought back the final test subject. The God Plan has reached its most critical stage. Bill, do not disappoint me again."
Bill's body trembled slightly as he lowered his head in acknowledgment. "Yes, sir."
Before Ebson could say anything more, a guard ran over in panic, panting heavily.
"B-Bad news, sir! Those Eldians—they've all escaped! They even killed our men!"
Ebson's brows twisted into a knot. He looked at Bill with displeasure and said coldly,
"Dispose of them." Those Eldians no longer held any value to Ebson, so when he told Bill to deal with them, Bill naturally understood the meaning behind his words.
Bill quickly acknowledged the order and immediately turned to gather manpower.
....
The grocery store's door was violently kicked open. Wick stared in shock as a crowd surged in—men and women, old and young—but overall, they were mostly elderly, women, and children. The slightly younger youths were nearly all bloodstained, suffering significant injuries. In their hands were pistols and rifles.
What surprised Wick even more was that some of them wore armbands on their arms. Eldians!?
These disheveled Eldians panted heavily inside the grocery store. Some children's eyes were filled with lingering terror. Those with family members huddled together for comfort.
Such a large group, some still holding weapons—Wick did not dare to act rashly and could only stand stiffly in place. His mind raced wildly, yet he still had no idea what to do.
Just as Wick was at a loss, the grocery store door opened once more. Wearing a trench coat, Yago walked in. Wick hurried over and asked nervously,
"Yago, what's going on?"
Yago swept his gaze over the Eldians, then finally asked Wick,
"Wick, is there any way to send them to Paradis Island or out of Marley?"
"What?!" Wick froze in shock.
...
Half an hour later, a fully armed squad of Marleyan soldiers suddenly appeared on the streets of Marley's capital, heading straight for the Liberio Internment Zone.
Inside the grocery store, the injured young Eldians gritted their teeth as they treated one another's wounds. Food and water were distributed to the elderly, women, and children—especially the children, who chewed their bread in large bites as if they had not eaten for days.
"The Eldian Restorationists!? What? Wasn't that organization wiped out by the Marleyans long ago?" Wick was astonished as he listened to Yago's explanation.
Yago nodded with a complicated expression. He had never expected that Ebson had been using Eldians for experiments all along—especially children. Many family members of the Eldian Restorationists had died at his hands.
Yago's encounter with the Eldian Restorationists had been purely accidental. A previous assassination attempt had nearly annihilated all of their prime fighting force. The remaining members, in an effort to rescue their families, had almost all perished in the rescue operation as well.
Yago had happened to run into them while they were fleeing in desperation.
The blind leader, Jack, had explained the whole story before his death. The Restorationists had indeed been nearly wiped out in the past, but with the assistance of a Marleyan noble, they had barely survived. They had trusted that noble deeply.
As the Eldian Restorationists gradually grew stronger under the noble's support, his sinister fangs were finally revealed. Their operations were betrayed, resulting in heavy casualties. The noble had deceived them by claiming to protect their families, when in fact he was using their loved ones for horrific experiments.
It was only because a child had miraculously escaped that Jack and the others learned the truth. The last remaining members of the Eldian Restorationists then decisively mobilized all at once to rescue their families.
When Jack learned that Yago was a compatriot from Paradis Island, he became extremely emotional. Blood flowed from his wounds, his body gradually losing sensation, yet he still tightly grasped Yago's hand, almost pleading:
"Compatriot! P-please, save our families… please, the children… and Serena. It was my fault. I shouldn't have trusted Ebson. I'm sorry, Serena…"
That noble was Ebson. Though Yago did not know who Serena was, he still brought the remaining people to the contact point of the Marleyan Volunteers, hoping they might be able to help.
"Paradis Island? That… yes, I know. The next survey ship heading to Paradis Island is under our Volunteers' control. There shouldn't be a problem. Lord Zeke's plan seems to align with this as well." After some thought, Wick gave a firm answer.
Yago let out a sigh of relief. To be honest, he did not have much sympathy for the Eldian Restorationists. Their goal was to overthrow Marley and restore the Eldian Empire of a hundred years ago—something that did not interest him much.
What moved Yago were the innocent children, their arms covered in needle marks and bruises. It reminded him of his former self. And Jack's dying plea had not been about restoring the Eldian Empire for their compatriots on the island—it had simply been about protecting their families.
After entrusting these Eldians to Wick, Yago tightened his trench coat and left the grocery store, heading straight for the Liberio Internment Zone.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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