The truth and choice

The moon is bright and there weren't many stars in the sky today, away from the pain and tension in the air that remained from what happened earlier, the faint sounds of insects didn't cease. 

Two people walked down the street and Hange Zoe hesitated for a moment before asking, "Takashi, about Ymir, she used to be in your squad and you seem to get along with her, do you know anything?" 

"Ymir, why do you pay special attention to her?" Takashi this time was puzzled. 

Hange didn't talk nonsense and clearly explained the reason, she also shared about Ilze's notes. She had just talked to Historia and Ymir alone for a while, and found that these two people were far from simple. 

"Ymir's people..." Takashi thought about it for a moment and remarked, "I should think about it for a moment, but talking in this place is not safe at all." 　　 

Hange Zoe's face was a little surprised. When she asked Ymir, Takashi just kept silent. Of course, she knew things weren't that simple: "Then I'm right in assuming you know something, right?" 

"I don't know if it's my wishful thinking, but you seem to have suddenly become very cautious. I always felt you were a bit careless about these things." 

Takashi said matter-of-factly, "Things are about to change in an unpredictable way, I hope everyone is on the same path to a better future." 

Takashi also added, "Captain Hange Zoe, I should apologize to you. The things I am going to talk about with the commander are things that very few know, I thought that if I was the only one with the truth I would be determined to do things without hesitation. Now I think otherwise, I will share the opportunity to work together." 

Hange Zoe looked at Takashi and said, "We can't demand so much from you, you have given a lot for the corps and humanity so you shouldn't apologize. Even if you know things that we don't, not everyone is ready to accept the secrets you have been hiding from us." 

"Since I graduated from the training corps, all I've accomplished is loss after loss. However, I am confident that we are very close to our victory." Takashi felt he was about to win a great opportunity. 

"Yes, we are very close to knowing more of the truth about our world." Hange Zoe nodded slightly. 

The two entered a small two-story building as they spoke. 

"Knock! Knock! Knock!" 

"We're here, Erwin." 　　 

"Please come in." 

Hange Zoe knocked on the door and a serene voice echoed behind the door. She gently opened the door, looked at Takashi and said, "Go, maybe you can find someone who understands you completely." 

Takashi nodded and walked into the room, Hange Zoe closed the door and walked straight out. She still had things to do and organize the work for tomorrow's inspection.　

Erwin was standing by the window while sipping a hot drink. After entering, Takashi sat down and Erwin said, "Years ago, I was only one position below the Survey Corps commander. There is one thing that is interesting about convincing those in power to continue to support expeditions outside the wall." 

"No matter how we declare the danger of the titans, the situation of human beings keeps getting worse, but those nobles are all trusting and ignorant, all those civilians who rise to power can only listen to two sentences..."　　 

"Maybe they have a hidden card, that would explain their calmness, it seems as if they are not afraid of the threat posed by the titans and only smile at the sight of our failure." Takashi said with a thoughtful expression. 

Erwin smiled and sat down in front of the young man: "Five years ago was a very delicate, important moment. After the fall of the Maria wall, the high ranking nobles paid more attention in the Survey Corps, I thought that was because they realized the threat posed by the titans." 

"But I was wrong, they simply cared about their funds and didn't really put their hopes in the Survey Corps. You're right, they had hidden cards before and could afford to ignore the threat of the titans." 

Erwin's face was very calm, "Are you interested in hearing my story?" 

Takashi looked at the man and nodded, he was intrigued by what the commander was about to share. 

Erwin told him a very interesting story. It was an off the wall conjecture, a story about a stupid son who accidentally killed his father. 

"One thing is very strange, if the history of human beings in the world inside the walls is only a hundred years, even if the history books were destroyed, it is impossible for people to know nothing about the world outside the walls." 

"There are only a few generations in a hundred years, but no matter how old the elders are, they have no memory about life outside the wall, and no one has heard those stories about the outside world from their parents." 

Erwin's voice was very calm: "There has been a flaw in history, and everyone has forgotten about the world outside the wall. The royals may have the ability to erase the memory of humans. Is it possible for everyone's memories to be erased after staying here for a long time?" 

"What you told Hange Zoe is very correct. They can also manipulate the titans, otherwise, the three walls so high would not be built." 

"What kind of power do you think it would be?" 

After pondering for a moment, Takashi said, "If there is no technology that can create a building over thirty meters, there is only one explanation.... The founding titan and his extraordinary power..." 

"I have to tell you a very interesting story about the Ackerman Clan..." 

Takashi shared with Erwin the story Kenny told him, omitting his name and avoiding pointing out people, but what he did tell him was that the royals had a force that was responsible for silencing the mouths inside the wall. 

The founding titan could not erase the memory of the Ackermans and it was for that reason that they were hunted down, if not for Kenny, no other Ackerman would still be alive. 

"This is something unimaginable.... I didn't think the truth was so well hidden all this time, so why don't they use that power to eliminate the titans outside the wall?" 

"They don't have that power, how to put it in a way, they have lost everything and now they are trying to get it back." Takashi smiled and said, "To win and find out the whole truth, we have to use Eren and Historia, they are the key to complete the puzzle."

"If what you say is true, those powers that are in the service of the royals have been on the move and the attacks the Survey Corps is receiving have increased." 

"It won't be long before they target Eren and History, if we move with that person, we can get what we want and evidently that way we will protect our reality." Takashi looked at Erwin. 

"It's unbelievable that only royalty has the right to announce the truth, it shouldn't be this way." 

"It's time to speed up the plans and give them what they want, once everyone witnesses, we will take that and act for the good of everyone no matter what others think." Takashi's eyes were full of determination. 

"You think similarly to me, the nobles have held power and have done nothing but hide the truth, suppress technology and limit humanity in its growth." Erwin said uncertainly. 

"Yes, the nobles are a plague. Commander Erwin, there is no hope for humanity with those nobles, especially if the outside world continues to grow." 

Takashi finally said, "The enemies from the outside come from a country called Marley, this text comes from their country and according to Ymir's observation, Reiner Braun can read this." 

Seeing the Herring and those letters written on the can, Takashi had received it from Ymir before coming here. She had made up her mind to fight on the side of the people inside the wall. 

"Ymir, she comes outside the wall and knows small fragments of Marley, the goddess Ymir was a kind of figure representing her people, she had the power of the founding titan and Ymir was only a victim of a cult for the benefit of her followers." 

Erwin Smith's eyes lit up, his body trembled slightly, he gently rubbed his fingers over those strange characters as if touching a rare treasure, of course he knew what this physical evidence meant.　 

This time he actually laughed out loud, "Thank you, Takashi, today you answered all the questions that flooded my mind, this is very important at least for me." 　 

"Even knowing all this doesn't mean we won. Don't doubt it, we shouldn't be sure we are right either." At this point, Erwin had understood everything and had to act accordingly." 

"Takashi, do you think we have the right to destroy everything by putting up our targets?" Erwin suddenly asked. 

"There are two paths we can take, the first is to live among this prison that surrounds us and once the power returns to the Royal family it will erase our memories, at least most except for the Ackermans will live among an unknown but safe world." 

"But that is not true freedom, if we really want to live happily and safely, we must seek our own freedom regardless of the consequences or who we must get out of the way." 

Erwin looked at Takashi silently and nodded, at least they believed in their goals no matter who they had to get out of the way....