You... damn cowards.
Just shut up and bet everything on me!
What you need now
isn't a lecture, but training.
I've made my decision.
Eren was left in the Survey Corps custody
and was to take part in an expedition.
The Special-Ops Squad Eve of the Retaliation - Part 2
Trost District
Former Survey Corps HQ
The former Survey Corps HQ.
As an old castle that was renovated to be our base,
it definitely looks extravagant.
But since it's this far away from the walls and the river,
it really wasn't something we needed.
It was used back when we were first formed and our spirits were still high.
I never imagined we'd be keeping you in that old decoration.
Don't get ahead of yourself, recruit.
Excuse me?
You may be a Titan or whatever,
but a pissy brat like you being under Lance Corporal Levi's watch...
This is what you get for yapping away on horseback.
First impressions are crucial.
That recruit was scared stiff.
I think he was just surprised by how stupid you were.
At any rate, everything went as planned.
Say, that's not how you usually talk, is it?
If that's your idea of imitating Lance Corporal Levi,
could you seriously stop it?
Then again, it's not like it was similar in any way.
Are you trying to keep me down, Petra?
You haven't gone through the proper steps to act as my wife.
If only you had bit your tongue off and died...
You're always bragging about your Titan kills too.
Relax.
I bragged for you guys too while I was at it.
These people are the Survey Corps Special-Ops Squad,
a.k.a. The Levi Squad.
Sheesh, you're insufferable.
Petra Ral.
Solo Titan kills: 10
Titan kill assists: 48
Oluo Bozado.
Solo Titan kills: 39
Titan kill assists: 9
They're elites beyond a doubt.
Eld Jinn.
Solo Titan kills: 14
Titan kill assists: 32
Gunther Schultz.
Solo Titan kills: 7
Titan kill assists: 40
They're all elites that were hand-picked by Lance Corporal Levi.
And so...
if I go berserk, they'll be the ones to kill me.
There are weeds everywhere.
This place is a mess.
It's been a while, after all.
The inside's probably covered in dust.
Now that's a problem we can't overlook.
We'll get to work immediately.
The upper floor is clean now.
Which of the rooms should I stay in?
You're to stay in the basement.
The basement again?
Obviously.
You've yet to gain full control over yourself.
If you accidentally transform into a Titan,
we can restrain you as long as you're underground.
That was one of the conditions given to us in exchange for your custody.
It's a rule to be followed.
I'll take a look upstairs.
Eren, you finish up here.
Understood.
I see you're disappointed, Eren.
Pardon me?
Oh, I'll be calling you "Eren".
Just like Lance Corporal Levi.
His word is law here.
Sure. I don't mind that,
but did I really look disappointed?
It's nothing unusual.
He doesn't seem like the completely flawless hero people make him out to be, right?
Lance Corporal Levi is actually...
surprisingly short, high-strung, violent, and hard to approach.
No, the thing I was surprised by was how obedient he is to the decisions of the higher-ups.
Did you believe someone of his strength would have no concern for rank or obedience?
Yes.
I expected him to be somewhat insubordinate.
I can't say for sure,
but he may have been like that before.
I heard that, before he joined the Survey Corps,
he was an infamous rogue in the capital's underground mall.
Then what made him change?
Who knows?
I have no idea how it happened,
but apparently he was brought to the Survey Corps
looking as if he gave in to Commander Erwin.
The Commander?
Hey, Eren!
Yes?!
It's far from clean.
Do it all over again.
An expedition to establish a base for a supply chain in thirty days, huh?
And you want us to bring the newly graduated recruits along.
That's assuming any of them enlist.
Regardless, I'd have to say this seems too rushed.
Eren's current position is only temporary.
We need to prove to Central that he's beneficial to mankind as soon as possible.
Otherwise, the Military Police Brigade might interfere again...
You can't be honest, even with me, Erwin?
You're as sharp as ever, Mike.
I'm still not at your level though.
I'll tell you when the time is right.
I expect we'll be on standby for a few more days,
but I heard there are plans for a large-scale expedition in thirty days.
And we'll be joined by the new recruits who graduated recently.
Are you serious, Eld?
That's rather sudden,
especially since the latest Titan attack has undoubtedly taken its toll on them.
The brats must've all lost their backbone.
Is that true, Lance Corporal?
I'm not in charge of drafting plans.
But remember, this is Erwin.
I'm sure he's thinking much further ahead than us.
Well, the situation itself is unusual.
The route we advanced at the cost of countless sacrifices to recapture Maria
was erased in an instant.
Then suddenly, a completely different hope appeared.
I still find it hard to believe,
but what exactly does it mean to transform into a Titan, Eren?
My memories from that time aren't clear,
but it felt like I had lost myself.
I do know it's triggered by self-injury though.
If I take my hand and...
Huh?
Wait, why do I know this again?
You guys are aware, aren't you?
The reports cover everything we know now.
Well, I doubt she'll stay put either way.
But she might go too far and end up killing you,
Eren.
Huh? Who's "she"?
Good evening, members of the Levi Squad.
How's it feel living in a castle?
You're early.
I just couldn't stay put.
Squad Leader Hange?
Sorry for the wait, Eren.
I'm in charge of investigating two Titans we captured in the city,
and I want your cooperation for tomorrow's experiment.
I came to get permission for that.
An experiment?
What would I...
Well, it's... the most exciting thing ever.
Um...
I can't grant you permission myself.
I don't have any authority over my decisions.
Levi, what are Eren's plans for tomorrow?
Cleaning the garden.
No problem then!
It's decided.
Eren, I look forward to tomorrow.
Right.
But what exactly are we going to do?
Uh, well...
What do you mean by "experiment"...
Hey, stop it. Don't ask.
Oh, I knew it.
You sure looked like you wanted to know.
So you were that curious?
Guess I've got no choice.
I'll have to tell you then.
All about those critters we're keeping.
First off, we performed the same experiment we did on five other Titans in the past.
Good afternoon.
We tried communicating at first.
How're you feeling?
What's your name?
Are you in any pain?
Squad Leader, you're too close!
Good afternoon.
Weather's nice, huh? You hungry?
Whoa. Close one!
Squad Leader, it's dangerous!
Sadly, we concluded yet again that we're unable to communicate with them.
But for me, interacting with Titans is so fulfilling
that it temporarily erases my fatigue.
Long, long ago, in some unknown land, there was a tribe of cannibals.
I don't mean Titans like you.
They were a tribe of humans.
They hid themselves in caves on a mountainside,
attacked travelers on nearby roads, robbed them of their valuables,
killed them, and ate their flesh.
We're in for another one of her naming ceremonies.
Yeah. What were they last time again?
Chicachironi and Albert.
In the end, they continued their gruesome ways for 25 years.
During that time, it's said their victims numbered over 500.
In all likelihood, that's more humans than you two have eaten.
They also tried their hand at various ways to eat.
Like eating the buttocks as steaks.
Or cubing the thighs and making stew with them.
The tougher meat was minced, kneaded, and fried.
Clots of bloods and innards were made into sausages.
That's right. They had a basic grasp of "cooking".
That's how they're different from you guys.
But because of a single mistake, that tribe of cannibals was caught and executed.
That's how they're similar to you two.
You made the mistake of attacking mankind
and now are caught.
Therefore, I'm thinking of naming you guys after the leader of that clan.
You'll be Sawney.
And you'll be Bean.
But don't worry.
I don't plan to execute you guys.
Nice to meet you, Sawney.
Same to you, Bean.
Let's all get along.
And so, the 7-meter-class was named "Bean",
and the 4-meter-class was named "Sawney".
Next, we cut them off from sunlight.
Judging by how Titans become less active at night,
we conjectured that they somehow receive energy from sunlight, so we tested it.
Results showed significant variation between Titans.
You've worked hard, Sawney.
Good night. See you tomorrow.
Unlike how Sawney became sluggish after an hour had passed...
You really like to stay up late, huh, Bean?
All right, I'll stay up with you.
Bean remained active for another three hours.
It was yet another big surprise.
They neither drink nor eat.
They have vocal organs, but they don't breathe.
All they need for sustenance is sunlight.
I'm curious about what'll happen
if we deprive them of it for good, but I can't have them dying.
We accidentally killed the ones we captured before.
In one experiment to cut off their heads, the napes got cut too.
Their names were Chicachironi and Albert.
They had the cutest smiles.
What I did to them was terrible.
I never want to experience that feeling again.
Hange...
But then,
the next stage we moved on to was testing their sense of pain through direct contact!
Squad Leader, you don't need to scream!
How else can I get through this?!
Bean is...
Bean is in so much pain, you know!
Bean, stay strong.
Hang in there!
We needed to confirm whether or not the nape was their only weakness.
It was very taxing work.
Sawney?
Look, I just stabbed your heart.
Doesn't it hurt?
How's it feel?
Compared to Bean, Sawney was more introverted
and didn't react much.
Hmm? What?
What's wrong?
Squad Leader, please stay back!
That was really close, Sawney.
You're really going to die!
Sawney was bad at expressing himself like that.
Taking bites at my head was all he did.
Um, Hange...
How can you stay so cheerful in front of a Titan?
I mean...
Titans are our natural predators, having already driven us to the brink of extinction.
I'm sure you too have been faced with that threat countless times.
That's right.
Titans have killed comrades before my very eyes time and time again.
When I first joined the Survey Corps, hatred was what drove me to fight them.
But then, one day, I realized.
It was when I kicked away the head of a decapitated 3-meter-class.
It was light. Unnaturally so.
The Titan was light.
Something that big shouldn't be able to stand on two legs and walk to begin with.
It's the same with every Titan.
A severed arm weighed nowhere near as much as its appearance suggested.
I heard that when you transformed into a Titan, your body appeared out of thin air.
Here's what I think.
The essence of what we see and what is are two completely different things.
For decades, I tried using hatred as my driving force to fight.
I want to see the Titans from a different viewpoint than my comrades.
It might end up not paying off,
but even so... I'll do it.
Since enlisting in the Survey Corps, I've been constantly surprised.
It's not just Hange.
They're all eccentrics.
This is like a home for weirdos.
That said,
it's a group of people who seek change in the world.
That's the true Survey Corps.
Hange.
If you don't mind, could you tell me more about your experiments?
Huh, really?
Yes.
I think the more I know, the better it'll be for tomorrow's experiments.
You might be right.
Okay, what I said just now was only scratching the surface.
I'll tell you everything in greater detail. It might take a while though.
All right.
For starters, when I first captured a Titan, I made a hypothesis.
So, you know everything from that experiment, right?
What I've said so far should've all been taught when you were in training.
You knew it all, right?
Yes, there was nothing new.
Well then, I'll review it again, adding my personal conjectures as we go along.
- Um, I'd rather... - First, the Titans...
Is Squad Leader Hange here?!
The experiment subjects...
Both of the Titans were killed!
Sawney! Bean!
Tell me...
Tell me this isn't true!
Our valuable experiment subjects...
Was it a soldier?
Yes. The culprit's still on the loose.
Apparently, it all happened before sunrise.
When a guard noticed, they got away with their three-dimensional maneuver device.
So it was a premeditated operation by at least two people?
Sawney!
Look at that.
Squad Leader Hange's going mad.
What's going on...?
Let's go.
The Military Police Brigade will take over here.
Right.
What can you see?
Who do you think the enemy is?
Sorry, forget I asked.
While the search for Sawney and Bean's murderers is carried out,
Mikasa, Armin, and the other recruits of the 104th Training Corps
decide which military faction to enlist in, shouldering their own emotions.