My Hero

Chapter 45

Eren crawled out of his titan and breathed out a sigh of relief. His eyes literally beamed with pride as he examined the hardened Titan form he was finally able to achieve. It almost seemed like both he and Hanji-san were holding a competition to see who got to stare most lovingly at the result of their hard work.

"I am so proud of you, Eren!" Hanji-san literally strangled him in a tight hug. It sure was nice to see her this excited. I could read the words 'Help me' on Eren's lips, and it made me chuckle.

"Hanji, that's quite enough. After all, we need the boy alive." With a smile, Erwin intervened and rescued the visibly grateful Eren. The commander's next words showed exactly why he deserved his position. "Eren, you are showing great progress, and I can't help but look forward to the day we take Wall Maria back. I believe nothing will be able to stop us, thanks to the effort both you and Desi put into your training. With your hard work and Hanji's guidance, I can't wait for the day of the expedition."

Eren scratched his head nervously. I probably had a dreamy look in my eyes.

"Are you trying to bore them with your long speeches, Erwin?" A voice behind me revealed the arrival of Captain Levi.

"Ah, Levi, so nice of you to join us." The commander welcomed him.

I greeted the captain, and he made his way to Eren. He scanned the hardened titan, completely ignoring the excited Hanji-san, who was rambling away. After a bit, the captain turned to Eren. "So, you finally proved useful."

"Ah, y-yes."

"Can you do it again?"

"Huh?"

"I asked if you could do it again, you damn brat."

"YES, Captain! I will do my best!"

Following Eren's words, Captain Levi did something that almost made me gasp in surprise. He smiled. He actually cracked a smile, and it was so cute in its suddenness that I barely stopped myself from letting out a loud 'Awwww', since I didn't really want to die by the Captain's hands. I noticed the commander studying Captain Levi curiously. Then I realized Hanji-san had grown quiet as well, and when I looked at her, she seemed even more shocked than me. Furthermore, I could swear her eyes were sparkling, even more than when she saw Eren's hardened titan form. I wasn't left with much time to dwell on that information because the captain spoke up.

"Good job, kid. Keep it up."

If Eren wasn't shocked before, he definitely is now.

"Y-yes, y-yes, Captain, S-sir!" Eren somehow managed to spit out the words, stuttering at each one.

Captain Levi noticed that all eyes were on him, and it made him visibly uncomfortable.

"What are you all staring at me for?!"

Ah, there he was—the captain I knew was back.

"Levi, are you sure you're feeling well?" Hanji-san made an attempt to place a hand on the Captain's forehead, which of course resulted in him slapping it away.

"Keep your hands to yourself, shitty four-eyes. Tsk, anyway, I'm done with what I came here for. I was sent by Zachary Dhalis to see if there's any progress."

"Zachary sent you?" The commander asked.

"Yes, like I'm some carrier pigeon..." The captain mumbled in a dissatisfied tone and headed back to his horse.

The whole Zachary Dhalis ordeal made me feel quite uncomfortable. It was like a reality check, and the weight of our situation haunted me once more. I still hadn't made much progress since we started our one-month training, and time was ticking away. I shouldn't be this carefree. Besides, I made a promise to Erwin, and I planned on keeping it.