The world outside the walls was even more desolate than imagined. The soil was completely unworked and truly barren. A dreary landscape that looked like a burnt-out field stretched as far as the eye could see. While some vegetation grew on the rust-colored earth, it could by no means be called fertile, and it would take many years of cultivation to transform it into cropland.
Humans were said to have lived there until the Titans robbed them of their territory, but there was no visual evidence to suggest that. Either the Titans had wreaked havoc on the area, or time had taken its toll─or perhaps, a combination of the two had turned it into a wasteland.
Kuklo looked at the outside world through his peephole, but nothing caught his attention.
We haven’t seen any Titans… Three hours after leaving Shiganshina District, he’d seen only small animals and hadn’t encountered his all-important foes. No surveys had been conducted on the number of Titans in existence. While it was said they numbered in the hundreds or thousands, perhaps there weren’t that many in reality.
Though Kuklo couldn’t help but feel disappointed, a gang of Titans pressing in would pose a problem of its own. The soldiers would have a difficult time dealing with them.
To begin with, the Survey Corps didn’t seem interested in fighting them. The soldiers’ gear hardly suggested any eagerness to take on the Titans: cloaks and hoods to deal with the cold, and not much else. The only weapons they carried were the swords on their waists and carbines. Kuklo saw no signs of the vital Equipment with them, nor anything resembling it inside the carriage.
They must have not been out to slay a Titan. Maybe the idea was to avoid combat for their first expedition in years. Even then, it was no reason not to carry the Equipment. Considering its capabilities and past result, it should have been standard-issue.
If we can’t meet them this time, then…
Kuklo imagined his worst-case scenario as he played with a pistol he’d pilfered from the cargo. It was a possibility he couldn’t rule out, but he couldn’t return empty-handed after taking on this risk and venturing outside the walls. He doubted that his plan to smuggle himself along would work twice. He had to figure out a way to settle things during the course of this expedition. It was also unlikely that Sharle would permit another foray.
A wagon wheel seemed to hit a rock the moment Kuklo sighed, and the carriage hopped. Its suspension cushioned the impact, but Kuklo’s body was hoisted into the air.
It happened as he reacted to keep his posture. He’d had a finger on the gun’s trigger, and he now squeezed it. Just as he realized his folly, the muzzle spewed flames and ejected a shot that punched an air hole in the ceiling.
Oops… Regret would do him no good, though. He had to prepare for what was to come. What do I do?
The carriage came to a sudden halt, and he could tell the march had been interrupted. It was only a matter of time before soldiers came to examine the cargo.
Should I fight them? Upwards of eighty soldiers were taking part in the expedition. Challenging the burly Survey Corps members and defeating them was an unworkable plan. If he did fight back, he’d be beaten down in a matter of moments.
Do I run? But Kuklo was beyond the walls. Even if he managed to steal a warhorse to flee and shook off the soldiers, it would be extremely difficult to return to Sharle alive. Sure, he’d probably encounter a Titan─but the point wasn’t to get captured and eaten.
Under the circumstances, he could only prepare for the worst. If he couldn’t fight or run, he had to meekly reveal himself. Steeling his resolve, Kuklo peeled away the canvas and stepped outside before the soldiers could check the cargo.
No amount of strategizing changed the fact that he was going to get caught. In that case, surrendering honorably gave a better impression, and if he was going to be arrested, he wanted to get to see a Titan no matter what.
Maybe I’ll ask the commander… All too bold of him, but he could at least try.
As Kuklo exited the carriage, he could hear surprised voices coming from the soldiers. The possibility of someone hiding inside the cart must never have entered their minds. A stowaway was unheard of. Other than Kuklo, about the only other people who desired to go outside the walls were the cultists.
The soldiers were only taken aback by the strange interloper for a moment, after which the corps promptly moved to apprehend Kuklo. Four men assigned themselves the task, surrounding him and creeping forward. They were going to use brute force to subdue him.
“I wish to see the commander,” Kuklo declared, but the soldiers’ mouths seemed sewn shut and did not so much as twitch. All the men did was inch closer. Tying up the insolent citizen who’d dare stow away on an expedition seemed to be the only thing on their minds. Understandable, but Kuklo wasn’t ready to oblige. That meant he had only one option.
I must find him myself. He bent forward at an extreme angle, kicked the ground, and leapt forward, relying on his animal agility to slip through the soldiers who threw themselves at him.
They must not have expected him to resist. Their log-like arms coming up empty, the soldiers fell forward and lost sight of their target. While no match in terms of physique or brawn, Kuklo’s movements were explosive enough to draw yelps of surprise from the men.
“I must speak to your leader!” Kuklo cried, dashing off toward the front of the group.
It was a hundred meters or so from the cargo team in the back to the head of the pack. If he kept running, he would eventually find the commander, but the soldiers were not going to sit and watch as he did so. A number of them already blocked his path, while from behind the quartet he’d just sidestepped chased after him.
Slipping through the hands of the corpsmen trying to catch him, he made sport of them, tripping them when he saw an opening. Though he had no chance of winning a fight, the nimble Kuklo had the advantage as long as he stuck to fleeing.
He was, however, up against professional combatants. They wouldn’t let an amateur grief them for long. The soldiers were gradually closing in on him, and before Kuklo knew, one had raised his horsewhip atop his mount.
No sooner than Kuklo thought yikes, a sharp pain ran down his back, but he grit his teeth, braced his legs, and took it. He was only able to bear the faint-inducing blow thanks to having endured worse on a daily basis. That didn’t change the fact that it hurt. He halted, and burly soldiers flanked him.
“Shit…” Kuklo cursed, but he had no strength left to fight back.
A towering man spurred his mount and approached. He looked to be in his early thirties and had deeply chiseled features. He cut quite a manly figure, his aura that of a wild beast in human clothing between the sharp glint in his eyes and the vitality his body exuded.
This must be Carlo Piquer…
The commander of the Survey Corps went by that name. His father, Jorge Piquer, was the former commander and the hero who proved that Titans could be defeated.
Taking off his hood, Carlo turned a pinning gaze on Kuklo and questioned him: “Why did you sneak onto the wagon?”
“I wanted to see a Titan,” Kuklo answered.
“For what reason?”
“I just wanted to see one.”
“Are you a cultist?”
“Don’t compare me to them.”
“But you must have your reasons.” Apparently satisfied, Carlo looked Kuklo over and asked, “What will you do when you see it?”
“Nothing…”
“You’ll do nothing?”
Kuklo nodded in reply.
“So your only purpose is to see a Titan.”
“That’s what I said.”
“I am under no obligation to accede to your demand.” He was right. The conversation was nothing more than a waste of time for both the Survey Corps and its commander.
“What will happen to me?” Kuklo wanted to know.
“We can figure that out if we return safely. You’re going to stay out of our way and not cause any trouble for us until then, though.”
“I’ve kept well out of your way.”
“Aren’t you a glib one,” Carlo snorted. Then he looked upward.
Kuklo found himself doing the same, and his eye met a trail of green smoke signaling across the blue sky. Evidently, what Kuklo had misfired was a flare, the gun having been loaded with a “Green Star.”
“Looks like you went ahead and sent the message yourself.”
A Green Star, used to indicate an anomaly, accurately described their status.
“Tell me… What is your name?”
“I─”
A moment before Kuklo could speak his name, he detected a faint sound.
Again… A chill shot through his spine. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard it. In fact, the memory was still fresh in his mind from when he stood in front of Wall Maria the other day.