"But your injury—" Hange began, eyes filled with worry.
"It's all right," Eren said quietly. "I won't die."
Hange blinked. That was not something a child should say.
Before she could respond, Zeke leaned forward, urgency flashing across his face. "Go," he hissed under his breath. "Go down! Now!"
This was his only chance. Everyone knew Eren was the hostage President Zachary had brought to keep Zeke in check. The whole point of having him there was to prevent Zeke from transforming into a Titan.
But Eren's expression stayed calm, almost serene. "It's okay. I want to stay here—with Nii-san."
The words hit Zeke like an arrow straight to the chest. For a brief second, his heart softened. But now was not the time for sentiment.
"Hurry up and follow them!" Zeke urged. "If you don't leave now, you'll lose your only chance!"
Eren only shook his head.
"Come on, get out of here!" Zeke snapped, frustration rising. "There's nothing entertaining about this trial, kid!"
Eren frowned slightly. "I'm not a kid."
"Now isn't the time to act grown-up! Go!"
"…" Eren just stared at him, stubborn as ever.
Before the argument could continue, President Zachary's voice broke through.
"It seems the stories about the Ackerman clan are true. Such a powerful bloodline really exists in this world…" He paused, eyes narrowing. "But why would such a successful experiment in Titanization be wiped out entirely?"
Too late.
The opportunity for escape was gone.
Zeke exhaled heavily. "Then tell me," he said, his voice laced with irony. "What do you intend to do with my younger brother?"
Around them, the Survey Corps soldiers and the Military Police Brigade withdrew to the edges of the hall. The crowd hushed, expectant.
"Well," Zeke said, raising his head, "this story begins… two thousand years ago."
Eren lowered his gaze.
His heart ached with an emotion he couldn't name.
Two thousand years ago — it already sounded tragic.
"That day," Zeke began dramatically, "a king fell in love with a girl who raised pigs."
Eren's eyes widened. What?
Zachary immediately cut in. "Wait a minute! Didn't Titans appear only a hundred years ago? Why are you starting two thousand years ago?"
"Oh—right!" Zeke coughed and adjusted his tone. "Then let's start from a hundred years ago. A hundred years ago…"
Zachary's brows knit together. "Are you trying to fool me?"
Zeke raised his hands innocently. "No, no, I wouldn't dare to mislead the President. It's just—there are many stories about the Titans. If I were to start from the very beginning, I'd have to begin with their true origin, two thousand years ago. But if you prefer to hear only the part from a hundred years ago, I can certainly begin there."
He smiled politely, as if to say I can tell whatever version you want.
Eren stayed silent.
The audience began to murmur in confusion.
"What's he talking about? Two thousand years ago?"
"Titans only appeared a hundred years ago, didn't they?"
"Then what were they doing for nineteen hundred years?"
Even Zachary looked puzzled. "If Titans really existed two thousand years ago, why did they only start attacking humanity a century ago? What happened during that long gap?"
The Left Minister slammed his palm against the table. "Lies! This boy is full of lies! Everyone knows Titans first appeared a hundred years ago. To claim otherwise is to insult our history! Such deceit in front of His Majesty should be punished by hanging!"
From his seat among the Survey Corps, Erwin finally rose. He had been silent, listening, but now his voice cut through the noise like a blade.
"No one knows what truly happened before humanity hid behind the Walls!" he shouted. "Hasn't anyone ever thought that strange?"
The words landed like thunder.
The entire chamber froze.
The king sat silent.
The Left Minister paled.
Even the soldiers held their breath.
Erwin continued, his voice growing steadier, stronger. "My father was a history teacher. He told me once that all records from before the Walls were… gone. Completely erased. No matter how deeply he searched, he could find nothing — not a single document, not one trace of our history before that time. It was as though someone had taken a blade and cut the past clean away."
He looked up at the throne, eyes burning. "Even stranger — no one questions it. No one even seems curious! Isn't that odd? Whole generations of people, different families, different bloodlines, all living here — and yet none can clearly explain where they came from!"
The room was silent except for the faint rustle of uniforms.
In that moment, something long buried inside Erwin finally stirred — the same defiant spark that had lived in his father's eyes. The secret resentment he had carried since childhood finally found a voice.
Zeke had chosen the perfect stage: a public trial. Only here could forbidden truths be spoken aloud, only here could questions pierce the veil that had smothered them for generations.
Maybe Erwin would die for it.
But that no longer mattered.
"The very fact that no one remembers," he said, "can only mean one thing — someone has tampered with history. The Titans may not have suddenly appeared a hundred years ago. They may have existed far longer!"
Whispers erupted again.
"That… makes sense," Zachary murmured, half to himself.
The Left Minister's face went pale. "Investigator! What are you implying?
Are you accusing His Majesty of falsifying history? Are you rebelling against the crown?"
"I didn't say that," Erwin replied evenly. "I didn't name anyone. I only voiced my father's suspicions." His eyes flicked to the minister. "But tell me, Minister — what exactly did you just say?"
The Left Minister faltered. "I… I said nothing!" He sank back into his chair, defeated.
The king said nothing. His expression was unreadable — calm, remote, perhaps even knowing.
That silence only made the air heavier.
From the exchange between Erwin and the Minister, a single, dangerous thought began to spread through the crowd:
if human history had truly been altered, only the royal family possessed the power to do it.
And yet the king did not deny it.
He simply sat there, unshaken.
That quiet calm was more unsettling than any outburst could have been.
Was he hiding something deeper?
The mystery only thickened.
Zachary cleared his throat and spoke carefully, steering the topic away from the throne. "What the investigator says makes sense.
The sudden appearance of Titans a century ago doesn't necessarily mean they didn't exist before. Let us return to the story."
He looked at Zeke pointedly. "You may begin. Tell us everything you know. As long as your words are true, every human here will listen."
Zeke straightened, expression solemn. He placed his hand on his chest.
"I swear," he said, "in the name of my father, Grisha Yeager — everything I am about to tell you is the true history."
The hall fell into an uneasy silence.
Even the torches seemed to flicker lower, as though the world itself was holding its breath.