"Dina, Dina… she, she also…"
Grisha could not finish his sentence. His voice broke as he began sobbing uncontrollably.
I walked over quietly and stopped beside him. Placing a hand on his shoulder, I cast a Calm Mind spell to steady his emotions. His breathing slowly eased as the magic settled his mind.
"I'm sorry," I said softly.
"No… thank you."
Grisha shook his head and wiped the tears from his face. When he spoke again, his voice was calmer.
"The Owl was the previous holder of the Attack Titan," he said. "He turned me into a Titan and allowed me to eat him so I could inherit the Attack Titan. Before he died, he entrusted me with the mission of the Restoration Faction. If I fail to complete it, I must pass that mission to someone reliable."
"So you chose me to help you?" I asked.
No matter how one looked at it, what Grisha and his people were doing deserved respect. For a nation and its people to survive, there must always be those willing to sacrifice themselves. Without people like them, there would be no hope for the future.
They were heroes.
"Yes," Grisha said with a nod. "With the Power of the Titans, I successfully entered the Walls. I fell in love with Carla and slowly rebuilt the Restoration Faction. But until now, I never found someone who could assist me while also knowing the full truth."
"Then why me?"
"You have nowhere else to go," Grisha replied calmly. "You are intelligent, capable, and far more mentally mature than people your age. Most importantly, I trust you."
He looked directly at me.
"Jax, I am counting on you."
I paused for a moment, surprised by his words.
He was right. I truly had nowhere else to go. Given my situation, joining the Restoration Faction was the best choice available.
"I'm in," I said with a nod.
Grisha let out a long breath of relief.
He walked to his desk, opened a drawer, and revealed a hidden compartment. From inside, he took out a small notebook and a thicker book before returning to his seat.
"First, let me introduce you to the current structure of the Restoration Faction."
He opened the notebook.
"At present, the Restoration Faction has eight hundred and sixty three members. Among them, four hundred and twenty six belong to the Force Group, three hundred and forty five to the Intelligence Group, and ninety one to the Support Group. I serve as the overall leader."
He pointed to several lines written neatly on the page.
"The Force Group is divided into six squadrons, and each squadron contains seven squads. Only the group leader and the six squadron leaders know part of the truth about the world. The rest know nothing."
He turned another page.
"In the Intelligence Group, only the leader and ten squadron leaders know the truth. In the Support Group, only the leader knows."
"Our influence is mainly concentrated inside Wall Rose, though we are slowly expanding into Wall Sina. As for Wall Maria and Shiganshina District, we only maintain small branches there."
Grisha continued explaining.
"In the Shiganshina District and the areas near Wall Maria, there are seventy one members from the Force Group, thirty five from the Intelligence Group, and eleven from the Support Group. The Restoration Faction also holds a certain level of influence within parts of the military and several merchant guilds."
He paused for a moment before adding,
"To be honest, I have already begun investigating the location of the Founding Titan."
Eight hundred people.
It was not an enormous number, but it was far from small. Inside the Walls, where the population exceeded a million, an organization of eight hundred members could already form a small legion.
The Restoration Faction had grown far stronger than I expected.
Yet in the history I knew, the Restoration Faction never appeared again. Most likely, they were eventually wiped out while helping Grisha seize the Founding Titan.
I looked at the man sitting across from me.
At this moment, Grisha finally showed the presence of a true leader.
"Our primary enemy right now is the Central Military Police, who answer directly to the royal government," he continued. "There are about three hundred of them, all elite soldiers equipped with the most advanced firearms available inside the Walls."
He closed the notebook slowly.
"They are extremely difficult to deal with. Whenever my people clash with them, we usually suffer heavy losses."
Then he looked at me again.
"Jax, after hearing all of this, do you still have the confidence to serve as my assistant?"
I smiled.
"Of course."
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Patreon = _Zeph