"Knock, knock, knock."
"Come in."
Creaking open the door, Rayan walked into the spacious office. A man with thinning hair sat behind the desk, his hands clasped together.
"Commander," Rayan saluted.
Nile Dawk, Commander of the Military Police, looked up. Rayan knew that he and Survey Corps Commander Erwin were classmates, though they had made different choices after graduation.
Although Nile was the commander of the Military Police, he had not descended into complete hedonism like most of his subordinates. He was more like an ordinary man, wavering between right and wrong. He was the type of person who went along with the widespread corruption but still felt unwilling and powerless inside—similar to Marlowe, who had been in the same dormitory as Rayan before.
"Rayan Kafka."
Nile eyed Rayan for a moment and asked, "The king has decided to see you tomorrow. How well have you memorized the draft I gave you?"
"I've already memorized it."
"Go through it once."
"Yes."
Nile took out a draft. He read the king's lines aloud, and Rayan recited the corresponding responses. In two minutes, they had gone through it. Listening to Rayan's flawless answers, Nile nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad. Just don't be nervous and make any mistakes tomorrow, and everything will be fine."
"Understood."
"Alright, you're dismissed... wait." Nile's voice faltered as his gaze fell on the gray cloth shirt Rayan was wearing. He frowned slightly. "You can't meet the king dressed like this tomorrow." Nile opened the desk drawer, took out some money, and handed it to Rayan. "Take this and buy some clothes now."
"Thank you, Commander."
Rayan took the money and left. Nile watched him walk away, thinking: This kid isn't shy at all, not even nervous when seeing me. He's a good prospect. He shook his head and sighed. He's even been outside the walls. I guess there's nothing this kid is afraid of anymore.
Rayan left the room and walked down the corridor, heading upstairs. He bumped into a classmate coming in from outside.
Annie glanced at him, brow furrowed slightly.
"Why are you here?" she asked.
Rayan realized she probably hadn't seen him last night during their travels. He had been at the back, with several Military Police officers blocking him from view. It was normal that she hadn't noticed, and she wasn't the type to look around.
As for why she asked, the reason was simple. Rayan wasn't in the top ten trainees, so he wouldn't normally be able to enter the Military Police. Even if he wanted to, he'd have to stay in the Garrison Regiment for a few years before applying for a transfer.
"Because of reasons, scientific reasons."
Rayan finished speaking and continued upstairs. Annie paused for a moment, then her gaze turned fierce.
"You're a newcomer too, I..."
A female recruit saw Annie approaching and greeted her, but before she could finish speaking, she noticed Annie's expression and immediately swallowed the rest of her words in fear.
"S-sorry!"
Annie looked at the frightened recruit, touched her face, and muttered softly to herself, "Is it really that scary..."
If the 104th Squad trainees had heard her question, they would have confirmed it without hesitation. Scary! Completely at the level of ferocious!
But that was only when Annie was angry. To be fair, when she wasn't scowling, the trainees all admitted that Annie was very beautiful. Dazzling blonde hair, sapphire eyes, a high nose—her features were as delicate as a sculpture, sharp with beauty.
It was just that not many dared to appreciate it. After the guys who tried to flirt with her had their heads smashed into the ground, no one dared approach her again. This left Rayan as the person she interacted with the most over the past three years.
There was no way around it. During hand-to-hand combat class, she clung to him like a shadow that couldn't be shaken off. Whether Rayan won or lost, she would return the next time to challenge him again. With this constant back-and-forth, they spoke a little more—but it was limited to short interjections like "oh," "hmm," and "uh."
Returning to the dormitory, Rayan saw Marlowe sitting upright on his lower bunk. When Marlowe saw him, he immediately stood up.
"What's wrong, Marlowe? Sitting there contemplating life?"
"Rayan, are you... are you also a noble?"
"Huh?"
Rayan stared at Marlowe's strange question and immediately understood why he'd think that. Shaking his head, he answered, "No."
"Then why..."
"Why did the commander call me in, right? Actually, there's nothing special about it. You'll know tomorrow. But I can tell you now, if you want."
As Rayan spoke, he suddenly extended an invitation. "I'm going to buy some clothes. Want to come along? I can tell you the reason on the way."
"Okay!" Marlowe agreed immediately. "But I don't have any money."
"Who said you had to spend money?"
---
Survey Corps Headquarters.
The new recruits had all arrived, and things were getting busy. Soon, in a month, they would be embarking on an expedition outside the walls. The new recruits of the 104th Squad were required to participate in the operation, so they needed to undergo intensive training in all aspects within the month to reach a sufficient level.
After all, what they learned in the Trainee Corps was basic and couldn't compare to the Survey Corps. These soldiers were the ones who understood titans the most and were the best at using vertical maneuvering equipment. Under their guidance, the combat ability of these new recruits would soon surpass that of their classmates in other corps.
In the stables, Auruo was cleaning horse manure. When he saw his familiar group arriving, he happily ran over.
"Mikasa! Armin!"
He ran toward them, and the two of them, upon hearing his voice, were also very excited. Especially Mikasa, who immediately scanned his body for injuries. When she found none, she breathed a sigh of relief but still asked quickly, "Did Erwin and the others do anything excessive to you? Like detailed physical examinations, or did you suffer any mental distress?!"
"Uh, no."
At this moment, other familiar faces gathered around. Eren was overjoyed to see everyone. "Why are you all here? Could it be that you all..."
"Is there any other reason for us to come here?"
Eren looked at everyone. Only Annie from the top ten wasn't there, but what surprised him even more was that Jean and Marco had come as well!
"Everyone..." His heart swelled with emotion. But when he saw Krista and Ymir, he paused. "You two are both here... Where's Rayan?"
Since the three of them usually stayed together, everyone was used to seeing them as a trio.
Hearing Rayan's name, everyone fell silent.
Because of Krista's earlier outburst, everyone now looked at her in silence. The girl, however, didn't know what to say.
Ymir broke the silence. "It's obvious, he didn't join the Survey Corps."
"Why?" Eren was shocked. "Even Jean... how could Rayan not join?"
"Hey, Eren, you bastard!" Jean snapped, glaring at Eren. "What do you mean 'even me'? Have you decided that I'm the kind of person who's afraid of death?!"
"No, no, it's just..."
"Rayan said he was going to join the Military Police when we graduated," Krista suddenly said. "At the time, I thought he was joking. Because his grades weren't in the top ten... but it seems he really joined."
"Rayan... went to the Military Police?"
Disbelief filled Eren's face, followed by anger. "How is that possible! That guy clearly told me he wanted freedom! He wanted to—"
"Eren," Krista interrupted softly. "Rayan told me, 'There isn't only one path to freedom, and some things can't be seized with swords and guns.' Although I don't fully understand what he meant, I think he must have his own reasons."
"That's right," Mikasa said. "Everyone has their own choices. Eren, don't think too much about it."
"...Damn it."
Eren clenched his fists. It wasn't that he thought Rayan was a coward, but because Rayan had once helped him a lot. Their conversation had made him believe that Rayan, like him, wanted to wipe out all the titans.
So, at that time, Eren thought Rayan would definitely join the Survey Corps. But now, he'd joined the Military Police, the most comfortable option. The contrast was too much for him to handle.
"Hey!" A shout came from the distance. "New recruits, gather around! Your uniforms have arrived."
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Need More Chapters
Every 300 Power Stones
2 Bonus chapter
Every 500 Power Stones
4 Bonus chapter.
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Try Other Fics I Have
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•Anime: I Want Harem
•DxD: I am Kanda Sorata
•Anime: Curse Of Immortality
•Genshin Impact: I have Broken System