Chapitre 37: Dispute (2)
Mina's POV
Hearing those words from the person you've trusted the most might have meant differently for Eren. As for me, however, my eyes began to blur due to how angry I was towards this boy. Doesn't he realize how much mental stress he's giving to his friend just by saying those words? Doesn't he realize how much pressure he's providing and how selfish he sounded?
"But." Even after receiving a slap, Armin tried to defend his statement. It ticked me off, slowly ensuring the madness that continued to seep out of me. "Isn't it the truth? I-If Eren did not hesitate, then you wouldn't have to,"
"What's wrong with hesitation? Didn't I make up for it?" Narrowing my eyes to look at Eren's friend, I continued. "You can't just pin this on Eren, Armin! Instead of watching from afar, you should have supported him!" As blood drips on the floor, I chuckle at how disappointed I am feeling right now.
I always thought that Armin had supported Eren in the past, no matter how messy things had been. This made me realize even more how differently young and adult Armin acts because, in my first world, he always looked dependable in my eyes and was always so caring towards my parents.
Now, I can see how Eren has been pushed to the point of committing mass genocide. Even if they're still young and their naivety hasn't been vanquished, pushing a 15-year-old boy and blaming him indirectly for the deaths of hundreds of citizens is just plain stupidity!
"Stop criticizing him and support him instead!" In a rage, I pulled his collar with my bloodied hand and screamed. "Are you not friends?! And you dare to tell him that he's the one who let her get away? Ha! How amusing, Armin!"
"Mina, put him down!" And just as those words were uttered, an arm was suddenly wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me away from a trembling boy. "Armin's right, so can you just,"
"Calm down?" I laughed just when my gaze landed on the man sitting on the bed. With a defeated tone, I asked, "Why do you always put yourself in that situation? Why do you let others push you to walk this thorny path alone? Why can't you expect them to stand beside you instead?!"
"Mina!" Then, all of a sudden, Mikasa was holding my face between her hands. She probably used a lot of force and practically slapped me, but it was all for naught. I, of all people, could not feel it anyway. "Calm down, you're bleeding."
Bleeding?
I looked down and saw it. The bandages became a mess, and blood was dripping on the floor, staining it with a color that we all were used to seeing. Guess I have to drop by the infirmary and ask for fresh bandages, huh?
With a long and tired sigh, I whispered. "It's okay. I can't feel it anyway."
Slowly, due to surprise, Mikasa eventually removed her hands that were holding my face. "You can't feel pain with this kind of wound?"
"Yeah."
But before they could speak and before she could continue to stare at me with pity, my gaze eventually landed on Eren's figure. It didn't take me even more than a second to open my mouth and speak, quite adamant in wanting to get my message across.
"You should prioritize your recovery, Eren," I mumbled, eyes never leaving his. "And don't blame yourself for the deaths in this operation. Everyone had a job to accomplish, and just because they didn't properly execute it doesn't mean that they should blame it on someone who actually did something useful."
"You deserve more than that, and I just… Don't understand why you don't think like you do."
And after those words were spoken out loud, not caring about how the others were staring at me, I left.
With a destination set in my mind, I briskly walked while making sure to discard the bandages around my hand, ignoring how droplets of my blood were staining the hallway. I should apologize to whoever will clean this up later and prioritize attaining new bandages instead. The other soldiers that passed by also noticed, but with one look at my expression, they all turned away in terror.
"How childish, young Yeager," Ymir whispers next to my ear, and on a rare occasion, I just had to agree.
***
Upon descending once more to the underground dungeon, Moblit greeted me when he saw my figure emerging from the stairs. The hallway was poorly lit, and there was less air to breathe. Nonetheless, he looked healthy even as fatigue was starting to catch up.
"How was it? What did the doctor say?" His nickname as the mother hen didn't disappoint.
So, as gratitude for worrying about my condition, I honestly replied. "He said that most soldiers would pass out after attaining this level of wound. Seeing that I barely had any reaction, he applied some, uh, kind of ointment and afterward bandaged it. He also reminded me not to use my hand for several days."
Which is not possible, considering what will happen tomorrow morning. But he doesn't need to know that.
Moblit then frowned before locking his gaze on my hand. "Hearing the term pass out doesn't seem okay to me, though…"
Our little talk, however, was interrupted when a door was harshly opened, revealing an enraged Hange Zoe. My eyes wandered lower to where her hands were, showing how bloody it was. I lifted an eyebrow, realizing that Annie must have woken up.
"Mina?" Her enraged expression instantly dissipates once our gaze is connected, giving me an emotion filled with trust and faith. I couldn't define what it is, but as someone who can comfort another human being just by standing right in front of them, it's a rare thing to find. "You're here."
I slightly nodded my head as I took a step forward and took out an unused handkerchief. The captain didn't even flinch when I reached out to grab her hand and used my cloth to wipe away the blood. While doing so, I asked, "Is she awake, captain?"
"Yeah, and she's good at keeping her silence." She groans in defeat, an act that tells me that she failed to collect any information. "All she's saying is that she'll only talk once you're here. Why is that?"
Ah.
I avoided her gaze out of guilt and, like Annie, kept my silence.
It's not like I can just tell her about Marley, now, can I? The trust that she has in me will surely break if I tell her about an unknown nation without any proof.
Behind her, Captain Levi also emerged from the door. However, unlike my captain, he's as clean as the neat freak that he is. His eyes immediately connected with mine, scowling upon contact. "I thought I told you to treat your wound. Why the fuck are you here?"
As proof, I lifted my right hand and replied. "Already did, and I'm here to perform my guard duty." Which I probably don't have, but who cares?
"Minaaaa~" The captain, who felt ignored, suddenly grabbed both of my shoulders and began to shake my whole body. "Answer me, why is she so adamant in wanting to see you? Also, how did you even manage to capture her in the first place?"
As dizziness slowly set in, I tried my best to answer her questions. "C-Captain, please stop shaking me. She probably wants to talk to me due to the information I've told her about her being a subject of Ymir."
"Huh?" Then her rocking stopped as my vision slowly began to focus on the door ahead. "You mean the one we got from Ilse Langnar?"
"Yes," I answered while making sure to continue the lie I'd told them. "Seeing that she can transform into a titan, she must know what the abnormal titan was talking about when Ilse Langnar met it. It's a gamble, but I'm glad that she took it."
The captain's eyes suddenly sparkled as her grip on my shoulders only tightened. "That was some quick thinking, Mina. I'm surprised you still remember that report… you're not a veteran, are you?"
I awkwardly laughed, forcing myself to keep my mouth shut.
"Well?" Captain Levi took a step toward us and continued. "Will you question her, or are we gonna stand here looking like dumbasses for the rest of the evening?"
Spoken like a true man, I applaud.
After giving Moblit one last look, I eventually stepped inside the dungeon with the captain in the lead and Captain Levi behind my back. Inside, however, what I expected was to see her tied in bed like how I used to see Eren in a dungeon. In this case, it was different. Annie's arms were tied to the ceiling while her legs were bound to the ground.
Not only that, but she's a mess. Just how long did they torture her for this to happen?
"You look like shit." I greeted her just when I finally stood right in front of her figure. Annie Leonhart, who was known to be a cold and strong girl, is now tied up with her arms dripping with blood due to the slashes made by the captain. I looked up and noticed that her fingernails were still intact, which was one less problem for me. "You told Captain Hange that you wouldn't talk without me?"
"Get out."
"…" I tilted my head and openly showed my confusion. "What?"
Annie slowly lifted her head, showing us the intensity of her stare. "I want to talk to Mina. Alone."
Yep. Taming this girl won't be easy.
*****
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone