My Hero

Chapter 41

Premier Zachary Dhalis turned to the Survey Corps. It was finally their turn to speak. "Captain Levi, you were a part of the mission. Tell us what happened."

A glimmer of hope lit up inside of me. The commander paid close attention to the captain's words, as did Eren. For us at that very moment, he was the epitome of a savior.

I'm not sure if he noticed our expectant glances, but he spoke as calmly and unfazed as ever. "Our mission was quite simple—to get rid of a possible threat. After facing the Armored Titan, we had good reason to suspect there was another traitor among us, but there was a big risk involved. If we had acted rashly without a good plan in motion, things might have ended up failing. That was the reason we decided on a secret mission. You see, sometimes it's necessary to trick your enemy; it's actually a very smart battle strategy. We were aware of the possible consequences, but we decided the risk was worth it. I am not excusing our actions in any way, but I believe we were right in what we did."

"I will be the judge of that. Tell us about the mission events."

"Gladly. I was in charge of looking after the youngsters. We split around Kalanes District, and each group began its assigned task. I assisted them and kept a close watch on the person we suspected. Most of the day went by without any developments. I went around to check if all the supply bases were executed properly. I was close to the inner gate when it happened—the distinct sign of someone transforming into a titan. When I arrived at the spot, the survey corps were already fighting against the female titan. Apparently, Eren was in no shape to transform, which meant it was up to me to take care of her—something we discussed prior to the mission. Desi went ahead of me and tried to fight her on her own. She believed this was something she had to do. But she got injured in the process. The female titan attempted an escape, and I went after her. I wasn't present for Desi's transformation; it happened afterwards. I wasn't aware of her ability; no one was."

Premier Zachary Dhalis interrupted the captain. "Do you think she hid it on purpose?"

Captain Levi looked my way, and I held his gaze.

"No, I believe she had no idea."

Did the Captain... lie for my sake?

"Alright, please continue."

"Once she turned into a titan, she went for the female titan and did her best to give us enough openings to attack and tire her out just enough for me to land the decisive blow. Everyone did their best, and we accomplished a clean victory with no casualties. Unfortunately, because of the unforeseen events, we are still far from any further knowledge about the truth behind Titan shifters. But we did gain a lot as well. We have two of them right now, and they are both on our side."

"How are you so certain of that, Captain Levi?"

"You see, Premier, I've fought alongside both of them, and I have enough reasons to trust them. When Eren's ability came to light, his choice was to fight for humanity. Desi did the same. They could have easily repeated the actions of the three other titan shifters, but they didn't. They chose to stay, painfully aware that they would be considered monsters. Because their sense of duty is strong enough."

Premier Zachary Dhalis scratched his beard, deep in thought. "I understand what you mean, Captain Levi, but aren't the odds of them turning against us high enough to consider them a dangerous enemy to humanity? There is no proof they won't decide to turn on us at any given moment."

"That's true, but there is one thing I can guarantee. If that ever happens, I myself will take care of them personally and make sure they pay for such actions."

"If I may interrupt, Premier." Nile Dok raised his hand.

"Yes, do you have anything to say, Commander?"