Allies and Enemies (AoT Reader Insert)

Chapter 24: Wisdom

Many people are afraid of the unknown. Perhaps it is a natural instinct to be afraid of something someone doesn't understand. After all, it is better to run and live another day than stand and perish. That was the very reason why the Walls of Paradis had been erected. People prefer to live their life without ever seeing a Titan. People prefer living boring and mundane lives rather than looking death straight in the eyes. There were more than enough horror stories about Titans to go around, but none of them had ever scared away the likes of Mr. Propaganda.

While Mr. Propaganda wouldn't describe himself as a Titan fanatic specifically, learning the truth of the world has always been something he pursued. Over the many years of his career, he had met all sorts of people. Some were content with slow and mundane lives while others searched for greater things. Mr. Propaganda didn't particularly prefer one group of people over the other though - especially not the other reporters he'd come to know.

Many of the reporters he had become acquainted with were shallow and petty gossip spreaders. They tarnished and abused the use of paper media! He, on the other hand, had a higher moral compass. Mr. Propaganda had dedicated himself to spreading the truth from the day he could lift a pen and now, the truth of the world was right at his fingertips.

There were not a lot of people who've had the chance to meet a Titan Shifter and interview them - not to mention a Titan Shifter from another nation! There were many times when he wished he could meet one. It had always seemed like they knew the answers to the world. At the very least, they seemed to know more about the world than the people within the walls.

"Mind if I ask you to formally introduce yourself, Little Missy?" Mr. Propaganda tapped his fingers along the table.

The Crystal Shifter turned to the older man curiously. "As a matter of fact, I do mind. It's rather dangerous to let others know too much information about oneself. Besides, why bother getting acquainted with the enemy? It's probably better if people like you assume that people like me are just monsters. It's much easier to hate something you don't know."

Mr. Propaganda laughed and shook his head. "I'm not afraid of people like you."

"But you should be." The Shifter deadpanned. "To be a Titan Shifter is to be a murderer. Who would want to get to know someone like that?"

"I see..." Mr. Propaganda cleared his throat. Interviewing the Marleyan was definitely going to be harder than he had initially anticipated. Still, he was determined. "What are Titan Shifters from Marley referred to as, anyway?"

"Warriors. All of us are given red arm bands to signify our importance in the Military."

"So you're all trained military personnel then?"

"All of us can hold our own in hand to hand combat, but we were all trained to get to that point at a young age. Inheriting the powers of a Titan is a great honour where I come from. It isn't something that you usually just... steal from others."

"Interesting... What age did you learn to fight then, Little Missy? Fourteen or fifteen like the soldiers over there?"

"Around the age of five or six actually. Many of my predecessors began their training at an older age though... likely nine or ten. It seemed that brainwashing children to be killers was a lot more effective than training preteens. Take those soldiers over there as an example. They certainly didn't land themselves in jail for starting a tavern brawl to defend their friends."

"No, I suppose not." Mr. Propaganda watched the Crystal Shifter pull at the sleeve of her shoulder before shifting her hand to hold something near her chest. "By the way, Little Missy, why do you fight?"