Royal Capital, Erwin's office.
The curtains in his office were drawn, the room dimly lit, and the doors and windows tightly shut.
"By the end of July…" Erwin stroked his chin as he looked at the report in his hands and asked, "And what do you plan to do next?"
"We'll build a ship—the first of our future fleet," Gale said as he sat across from Erwin. "We still have very little information about the outside world. In any case, we must establish contact with people beyond in some way."
"And what about Marley's ports and their checkpoints? Do we simply ignore that fact?" Erwin asked, wanting to find an answer.
After hearing that, Gale said, "From those two captured warriors, we learned that Marley only sent warriors with Titan powers to the island because they themselves didn't know how many Titans were outside the walls."
"The Titans, originally meant to confine the people within the walls, ended up becoming an obstacle to their landing. At this moment, I believe it's best not to take any rash actions against that port."
"We'll only send observers. After all, the enemy still has three Titans in their possession."
"So for now, we can only proceed in secret…" Erwin clasped his hands together.
"There's no other choice. The difference in power is too great. We have no chance of winning in a direct confrontation."
"Our nation, besides being weak, lacks diplomacy. If we fail to become truly strong, the countries across the sea will not treat us as human beings." Gale's voice was heavy as he thought about their current shortcomings.
"If we do not demonstrate sufficient strength, Marley's government will never cease its pursuit of us."
"It's easy to understand. If the power of the Titans hadn't gradually lost its effectiveness in warfare, Marley wouldn't be in such a hurry to seize the power of the Founding Titan by force right after winning a battle."
"You're right," Erwin said slowly. "We have no choice but to fight. When will you leave the capital?"
"Tomorrow." Gale knew he had to deal with those nobles who were tarnishing the government's image.
"Then let's proceed with the original plan."
…
Somewhere within Wall Rose, night fell over Count Charles's estate.
The infantry camp was brightly lit. Inside the large newly set-up tent, there was a long table, and Gale sat at it.
On the table lay a wind-up pocket watch, its ticking hands marking the passage of time.
Gale stared at the time on the pocket watch without saying a word.
"It's almost ten, time to sleep. Count Charles, have you forgotten?" Ymir yawned, lying on the table, and laughed mockingly.
Kenny Ackerman crossed his arms. "The count wrote a letter during the day promising to keep the appointment on time."
"However… well, this isn't the capital, so it's understandable that the clocks here are different from those in the capital."
"Should I inform Count Charles again?" Hannes leaned in and whispered into Gale's ear, somewhat worried.
Gale tilted his head slightly, and before he could respond, a soldier handed him a report.
"According to reports, Count Charles has just arrived by carriage, accompanied by garrison soldiers and his servants."
Shrill voices came from outside the tent.
The flap of the tent was lifted, and the butler, dressed in formal attire, pulled aside the curtain.
The obese Count Charles entered, accompanied by his six servants and men dressed in noble attire. Through the opening of the tent, garrison soldiers could be seen outside, each holding a rifle.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Congressman Gale…" Earl Charles said with a forced smile. "Viscount Richard came to see me suddenly and told me that the heavy rains last week had flooded the farmland."
"I was worried about the people and lent grain from the granary to the viscount, which is why I was delayed. I know a congressman's time is valuable, so I came as soon as I saw the viscount off."
A smile appeared on Gale's face as he stood up from his chair and warmly shook the count's hand. "Don't worry, Mr. Charles, please have a seat."
"Ah, by the way, allow me to introduce the senator." The count gestured and said, "This is my eldest son and heir, Giles Charles. I thought it would be useful to introduce him to a member of the government in advance, so I brought him with me."
The count's son had a stern expression. "Father, he's very young. Is there really such an insignificant government position that it would be given to a child? You haven't been deceived, have you?"
The count roared, spittle flying from his mouth. "Congressman Gale carries official government documents openly and honestly. How could he be an impostor? Impersonating a congressman is a capital offense!"
The count's son let out a chuckle, removed his hat, and bowed. "Father, you are right, Your Excellency. I beg your forgiveness for my earlier rudeness."
Father and son played opposite roles—one the bad cop and the other the good cop.
This was not a visit to fulfill a promise; it was a display of strength, or even a threat.
In short, the count was already seated.
The count's servant personally served wine to everyone present, using the same bottle of red wine.
"This is an excellent wine from Richard's winery, don't be shy." The count smiled and drank his glass in one gulp.
Gale did not touch his glass, but instead asked, "Mr. Charles, have you read the proposal I sent you earlier?"
"Oh, Your Excellency! It's not that we don't want to cooperate." The count looked troubled. "We all understand that we must do our part when the people of Marley attack, but as you know, our territory has taken in quite a number of refugees. To be honest, when Viscount Richard asked me for grain, I was worried that my people wouldn't have enough to eat. In fact, I was reluctant to meet you."
"But given the long-standing friendship between the Richard and Charles families, the viscount, knowing my situation, kindly exchanged part of the estate's wine for it. If we had the means, we would certainly be willing to help the government resist foreign enemies, but… as you can see, we truly have nothing to offer…"
"So, Your Excellency, some of the nobles around us have discussed this among themselves." The count signaled for a servant to bring a paper. "This is everything we can offer. We cannot provide anything more."
Gale took the paper and looked at it, maintaining the same smile. He said nothing and dismissed the count's grand procession.
Ymir picked up the paper, looked at it several times, and her expression turned strange.
"Aren't these all names of frontier zones?"
"Charles is the spokesperson of the aristocratic class. It's normal that they are unwilling to give up the meat already in their mouths." Gale took the paper and lit it with the flame of a candle.
"I already knew they wouldn't surrender easily before I arrived, but it still surprised me. Over the years, they've grown too accustomed to being the ones in control and believe that since they have weapons, the government wouldn't dare take action."
"But it doesn't matter." Gale took out a ledger. "This is enough to sentence him to death."
These were the account books of the Charles family. The Hawthorne Chamber of Commerce had been gathering evidence of irregularities since last winter, and they now had proof that the nobles were involved in embezzlement and bribery.
"Ymir, Kenny, I'm sorry to trouble you, but please finish this quickly tonight."
"More overtime?" Ymir complained, like a slave to her work.
"If the Titans do ninety percent of the work, then it'll be quick… This is getting really interesting." Kenny pulled out his revolver from his waist, his eyes gleaming.