❝𝐈𝐟 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐬𝐨, 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚.❞
Selfishly fascinated with her own strength, Valen Ferreira is willing to do nearly anything and everyth...
"Cheers!" the rest of the table chorused. Valen raised her jug, bumping it against her tablemates'.
The Scout Regiment partied in the mess hall of the Trost barracks, dining to their heart's content on the last night before they parted for the Shiganshina district. Tonight's dinner was the most splendid she'd seen since the coronation ceremony: dinner rolls slathered in butter, flavorful vegetable soup that gave off a splendid aroma, roasted potatoes, and what everyone was fighting over tonight: the juicy slices of meat that shone under the light of the lantern.
While the rest of the dining hall brawled over the main course, Valen happily chewed at the slice of meat on her fork. When she thought about it, she couldn't recall the last time she'd had actual meat. For the past couple of years, she'd only eaten pheasant and some questionable meat alternatives, courtesy of the Cadet Corps kitchen. She might have occasionally had a bite or two when she'd worked as a maid in Stohess–the nobleman had a thing about leftovers. Valen was stabbing her fork through a potato when Hange elbowed her side, drawing a confused look from Valen.
"Tomorrow is the day: your very first expedition," Hange said. The bandaging on her shoulder had been removed around a month ago, about four weeks after she'd taken a hook to the shoulder at the hands of Traute Caven. Either the medics had done a marvelous job of healing her injuries or Hange was blessed by the Wall goddesses herself, because as soon as she was cleared, Hange was back on the ODM course, speeding through the trees like a soaring bird. "So, Valen. How are we feeling?"
Valen lowered her jug, her cider suddenly turning bitter on her tongue at Hange's question. The expedition was not just any expedition. It was the expedition to retake Wall Maria, the expedition in which they'd hopefully find the Jaeger cellar and uncover the mysteries of their world. The mysteries behind her world. Armed with upgraded weaponry and knowledge, victory looked to be in the Scout Regiment's grasp, but the newly developed Thunder Spears sitting in the warehouse still did nothing to put her restless thoughts to rest. "I'm uncertain. Perhaps worried?"
"Hey, looks like you've caught the eyes of the new recruits," Gerber, one of Hange's subordinates, cut in, pointing his fork in the direction of a group sitting two tables away.
Recruits, Valen said inwardly, as if the word was derogatory in itself. Since the coup, the Scout Regiment had been enjoying a surge in popularity, swaths of soldiers from the Garrison and Military Police regiments exchanging their red roses and turquoise horses for blue and white wings. For the first time in ages, the squad leaders no longer complained of too-small squad sizes, and the ODM lockers were more crowded in the mornings before training began. The recruiters, who'd normally come back from recruiting events with rain clouds over their heads, were returning with an air of triumph, joy lighting their features aged from uncompromising misery and years training under the sun. So far, at least seventy of the four hundred or so Cadets of the 105th class had pledged to enlist in the Scout Regiment following graduation.
