"The higher-ups think your performance is outstanding, and there have always been some voices among the populace," Keith said. "Many relatives of those 250,000 people remained within the walls, and to prevent them from causing trouble, they are thinking of putting someone forward."
Rayan's heart skipped a beat.
Keith looked at him, his hawk-like eyes seeming to see through the thoughts of the black-haired, black-eyed boy before him.
"You are a smart kid. You were the first one to discover the problem with Eren's belt. Not bad. So I recommended you to the higher-ups."
"Do they want me to be a spokesperson?"
"That is right," Keith nodded, looking at him with both admiration and suspicion. "You represent the 250,000 people who died outside the walls. The higher-ups want you to live well, to let the relatives of those who died see it, to comfort them."
"...Why me? There were over seventy people who returned in batches, right?"
"Hehe, I can only say you are a lucky kid," Keith chuckled twice. "Of course, it is also because you are young and full of vitality. You look decent. Most importantly, you are not missing any limbs. Among the seventy odd people who returned, there are not many who have all their parts intact like you."
Rayan understood.
He could see why the enormous sacrifice of 250,000 people could not be easily forgotten.
Even if the relatives of the dead did not cause trouble now, it remained a thorn in the monarchy's side. One day, it could stir unrest. And the higher-ups foresaw this, so they wanted to find a survivor and display their happy life to the grieving families, showing the monarchy's attitude.
It had to be said that this was indeed a clever way to maintain stability. As for why they chose him, Rayan thought, all the talk about luck and intact limbs was nonsense. The most important reason was that he was young, easier to brainwash and manipulate.
He sneered inwardly.
"So the higher-ups' intention is for you to go to the Military Police after three years of training," Keith concluded.
"Is that so."
Rayan looked at Keith, the former commander of the Survey Corps, now also colluding with those people.
"But," Keith said suddenly, "you must also produce qualifying results. I do not know how many months your arm will need to heal, but in the remaining time, you must work twice, three times as hard to make up for it." He spoke while looking down at his feet, as if talking to himself with a slight difficulty. "You must be able to command respect."
"Understood."
Rayan had no right to refuse.
However, a ripple arose in his heart, and something began to brew within it.
Watching Rayan's departing figure, Keith could not help but feel that this thin young boy seemed to be hiding something inside.
"Strange kid..." He thought of the spokesperson role the boy had understood almost immediately and felt a trace of doubt. "If he is thirteen, he is really a bit too smart."
Thinking this, Keith suddenly smiled, a hint of self-mockery in his expression.
"Really," he mocked himself, "just a mouthpiece for the higher-ups. Keith, you have really sunk to this level... Heh."
---
"Whoosh"
"Whoosh"
The steam ejected from the vertical maneuvering equipment propelled the trainees through the forest, searching for simulated titans and conducting extermination training.
"Swish"
Rayan slashed his blade across the nape of a wooden titan, the cut reaching about two-thirds of the way through, two or three centimeters shallower than another cut left by Mikasa.
"Huff..."
He landed on a branch of a large tree to rest for a moment. His stamina was arguably the best among everyone. Two hours had passed since the start of the test, and this was his first short break, while others had already rested four or five times.
After all, one-third of a titan's physique was no joke. The stamina and endurance it gave Rayan were enormous assets, allowing him to be very persistent in all senses of the word.
As for exam scores, his performance would earn him an excellent rating, but he definitely would not be in the top ten. In terms of combat talent, he could not compare to Mikasa, Annie, Sasha, and others. In terms of effort, he could not match Eren, Jean, Connie, and others. So his current results were normal.
And this grading was coming to an end, as three years had passed. This year, the 104th Trainee Squad would graduate.
"Shorty, are you slacking off?"
Ymir's voice came from afar, and then her figure quickly swept through the air, landing beside Rayan.
Three years had passed, and she had grown a bit taller than before, but not by much, around 1.73 meters. Rayan, having eaten well during these three years, had also barely reached 1.7 meters, somewhat shedding the shorty title.
Of course, Ymir's words did not reflect this. She was used to calling him that. She looked at Rayan with a mischievous smile.
"At this rate, you will not make the top ten, you know."
"Aren't you the same?" Rayan said. "You are chatting with me here. You will not make the top ten either."
Rayan knew that Ymir's strength was enough to put her in the top ten, but she was deliberately holding back to let Krista get in, lowering her own score.
"Hahaha, that is because I like chatting with you. Are you not flattered?" Ymir said, suddenly pointing a finger at Rayan's eyes, half serious and half casual. "Speaking of which, I always feel like the way you look at me... is kind of weird?"
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Try Other Fics I Have
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