Uprising(4)

Inside the throne room of the palace, Inner Mitras.

A heated discussion had already been underway for hours.

"Without the Survey Corps, humanity would be prey in the face of titans. Nothing will be solved if we continue to shrink back. To that end, rather than trying to suppress the organization, we should be focusing our full attention on retaking Shiganshina." Erwin said.

If reason was enough to convince the nobles; humanity's situation would not have been so dire in the first place. However, he still had to try. Moreover, the noble's reply to his questions showcased and reminded the others who were present how truly corrupt and self-serving their overlords were.

The Assembly Nobles refused to respond to him and simply whispered to each other.

Erwin continued. "Was it not Eren who stopped the Armored Titan at the inner gates of Trost? All of Wall Rose would have fallen if not for his heroic efforts to hold the enemy back longer enough for us to arrive. If Wall Rose were to fall, humanity would be finished. We already are facing food shortages of an unprecedented level due to the loss of land from Wall Maria's wall. A civil war is certain to ensue within Wall Sheena if Wall Rose falls."

"Hmm, but for all your talk of standing on humanity's side, the actions of your men seem to say otherwise." One of the Assembly Nobles retorted.

"The famous hero, Eren Yeager, turned his blade upon the Military Police sent to arrest him, killing several members. Another one of your men, Levi, similarly defied arrest warrants and killed several members of the military police." Another Assembly Noble turned to Pyxis. "I understand the Garrison and the Survey Corps have grown pretty close. Surely you do not share the same treasonous intents, am I right?"

"I certainly do not. Humans killing other humans is utter madness." The garrison commander responded without the slightest hesitation. 

"Mhm, HAHAHA! My apologies. Of course, there's no way you would support something like that." One of the fat nobles laughed, pleased with how decisively Pyxis had replied. "We have wasted enough time on this. It is decided then, that Erwin Smith is guilty of treason and to be stripped of all his honors and awards. Have him taken to the gallows."

Two MPs held him up, about to escort him out of the room when the doors burst open, revealing a Garrison soldier.

"Sirs! Wall Rose has Fallen! The Armored, Colossal and Beast Titan have appeared at Stohess, breaching it's gates. Evacuees are surging right now into Wall Sheena as we speak!"

The eyes of all the nobles widened in shock and fear. Their worst possible nightmare had come true. 

"We must secure an evacuation route. Deploy all our manpower to support the effort and hold off the Titans. Saving the lives of the civilians is the priority!" Nile waved his hand, taking charge of the situation at once.

If the Survey Corps were around, they would perhaps be able to slow the Titans down to some extent. The inexperienced members of the military police would be little more than fodder, however, that didn't mean the Nile was going to give up. 

"NO! Shut all the gates of Wall Sheena, not a single evacuee must be let in!" One of the Assembly Nobles regained his senses and yelled.

Nile stepped forward, trembling. "B-but sir. The people of Wall Rose … do you mean we should just watch as half of mankind is killed?"

"Letting them in will only lead to civil war. What we are doing now is for the sake of humanity. Go and carry out your orders!"

Meanwhile, Erwin simply watched in amusement as the Assembly nobles huddled closely, discussing how to save their properties and possessions with no heed given to the suffering of the people under their rule. 

Beside him, Nile was arguing with some of his men. His long-time friend had finally found the backbone in him that had been lost for many years, declaring openly that he would not obey the commands given. 

"We should follow the orders given!"

"Commander Nile, what you are doing now is treason!"

"So be it, I'm standing with the inhabitants of Wall Rose. You will have to get through me first." Nile said firmly.

"Then allow me to join you as well."

A group of soldiers with rifles entered the room, led by the commander in chief of the three branches - Darius Zachary.

"W-what is the meaning of these! Zachary!" One of the nobles yelled!

A sense of foreboding had already descended on the nobles as they quickly caught on to what was happening. While they were often blinded by greed, riches, and women; they would not have survived for so long if they did not possess a scheming mind that allowed them to reach where they were today.

 "For the crime of seeking the destruction of humanity, I hereby place you under arrest." The commander-in-chief adjusted his glasses and spoke in a calm voice.

"The people and rural aristocracy won't obey you! There will be fighting and violence everywhere!"

"Really?" Zachary snickered. "The articles of the five major news outlets today will be publishing details of the corruption of the Assembly. I'm sure the public will be very interested in them."

"Y-You!"

"I haven't been commander in chief for so many years just for show. The amount of evidence collected since then … is enough to seal your fate. Especially once we publish the details of your decision to abandon the rest of humanity - for your greedy gains. Take them away!"

=====

Inside the Karanes District, Eren was making his way quickly back to the hospital. 

He had been hiding in the forest near Karanes ever since shaking off his pursuers earlier. However, there was only so long he could survive without basic necessities. 

Eren had decided to sneak to steal some food and gather intelligence; only to find a piece of shocking news.

The Survey Corps had won.

He passed by posters plastered on the walls and bulletin boards in the streets, declaring the corruption of the old government and its crimes. 

Voices of the people discussing the matter could be heard everywhere - Shock, Doubt, Anger. 

More often than not, the discussion generally supported the Survey Corps. The achievements of the Survey Corps in defending Trost and capture of the Female Titan still remained in their minds.

Amidst the sense of relief, Eren found himself even more in awe of the strategic genius of Erwin Smith - He was indeed an irreplaceable asset of Humanity. It was mankind's blessing that such a capable leader was leading them.

Capturing the Female Titan, rescuing him from Reiner's clutches, and now even dealing with the power that had planned to arrest him and overthrow the corrupt nobles - the Survey Corps would be now well positioned to retake Shiganshina without the government standing in their way.

If they did, it would be a great victory for humanity and also allow him to finally complete the quest issued by the system. The rewards he had gotten previously were splendid. Besides, he was also curious about the secrets that lay in the basement of his house. He had a hunch they held the secrets to rescuing humanity - a sentiment Erwin shared.

Just what exactly would have happened if Erwin wasn't around? Eren shuddered at the thought. Hopefully, that would never happen. 

Soon he found the building he was looking for and dashed up the stairs, heading straight for Mikasa's room. 

"...This!"

What greeted him was a messy sight. Strewn bedsheets, broken shards of glass, and spilled food littering the floors. Even the scarf that stuck to Mikasa all the time was left on the bed. 

From the recent incident at the field, he knew full well the emotional value Mikasa attached to that object. There was no way she would ever leave that object unattended.

There was definitely a traitor - Perhaps one amongst the doctors.

It would explain why the Military Police were able to ambush him so accurately just a few days ago, someone must have been keeping tabs on his movements and supplying intelligence all this while.

He picked up a red envelope that lay on the table and unfolded it; reading its contents ...