𝑺𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒇 | A Yeager Story

[18] Are You an Ally or a Foe?

Mina's POV

Ymir has constantly reminded me to be cautious. She said that I should always be aware of how 'Mina Carolina' acts and how my knowledge would affect the choices of the people I have interacted with. For as long as I can remember, I have always been walking around eggshells, even before experiencing the second world.

However, now that I need to take riskier actions, even if I hope for no one to notice, there will always be someone who will exceed my expectations. Once that happens, Ymir would give me the choice of persuading that person not to say anything or to let her do as she wants, either by erasing that person's memory or its overall existence.

To me, it only happened once, and that was when I was experimenting with the limits of my knowledge with a poor farmer whom I met while moving around the walls. It was inhumane for me to do such a thing, so I begged Ymir to erase only his memories about me and not his existence.

One that forced me onto my knees as she horrendously smiled at my embarrassing figure.

So, I vowed to myself that if anyone ever notices my true existence, not as Mina Carolina, I will persuade that person not to mention anything and not to let Ymir choose instead. And today might be the day that I would once again gamble for my existence to live.

"We need to talk." The commander, ever so bluntly, spoke as he hunched over my small frame.

Minutes after the meeting had been adjourned, and just before Mikasa pulled me out of the room, Commander Erwin called for both me and Captain Levi. He said that there was something that he needed to know.

Sensing that it was an order, Captain Levi and I had no choice but to stay seated as I bid the other soldiers good night.

"What is it, commander?" I ask him just when all of the other soldiers have finally left. Captain Levi was also gazing at the commander, his eyes filled with annoyance and a tiny bit of curiosity. However, when I, too, decided to stare at his blue eyes, what greeted me was a cold and icy stare, one that almost made my whole body shiver from anxiety.

This man... I gulped. Did he notice something?

"Tell me, Mina." He starts while crossing his fingers over the table. "Are you an ally or a foe?"

I paled. He knows.

More than anything, in this situation, hesitation is something that would instantly destroy me. So, as quickly and as confidently as I could, I answered. "An ally."

He hums as sweat trickles behind my back. What made him think that I'm an enemy? How the hell did he even notice it? Was I too careless to give out information? But if I hadn't, then I couldn't have saved Eld and Gunther!

The stare-off between the commander and I lasted for a whole minute before Captain Levi decided to intervene, breaking apart the silence we'd made. "What the fuck is going on with the two of you?"

On the inside, I sighed. I wonder that too, Captain Levi.

After gaining enough courage, I asked. "Commander, were my actions too suspicious in your eyes?"

"Yes." He responded as my hand searched for something to grip for dear life. "To put it simply, having a perfect soldier like you is unrealistic."

Unrealistic, he says.

But instead of feeling down deep inside, my respect for this man could only increase. There was nothing I could do but become a lot more truthful from this point on.

Should I tell him?

Is it... already time?

Every night, I made sure to plan properly due to how chaotic the progress of each scenario Ymir had shown me. Also, within those sleepless nights, there would come a time when I would have to think of the worst-case scenario and how I would overcome it. Nevertheless, my expectations underestimated the abilities of humans; hence, this happened.