Chapter 43: Not Particularly Useful
On the endless grassland, a gentle breeze swept through, causing the entire expanse to rustle like a green ocean.
A wild hare hid among the green grass, its long ears twitching occasionally as it lowered its head to nibble on tender shoots.
Suddenly, the hare's head shot up, scanning its surroundings in panic. Feeling the ground tremble, it fled in haste.
Boom, boom, boom.
A figure over ten meters tall strode past, leaving large footprints trampled into the grass.
Su Xiao sat on the female giant's shoulder, yawning in boredom.
They had been traveling continuously for seven hours. Ani and Reiner took turns carrying the group, with occasional breaks in between.
"Hmm~."
Reiner sat up and stretched, having been so exhausted he could fall asleep even on the female giant's shoulder.
"What time is it?"
Reiner's eyes were bleary, the whites shot through with bloodshot veins.
"Eight in the morning."
"Is there any leftover grilled meat from yesterday? Using the Titan power drains a lot of energy."
Su Xiao handed Reiner a piece of grilled meat and a bottle of water.
"After you eat, you take over. Looks like Ani's pushing herself while you were asleep."
Reiner nodded, listlessly taking a bite of the meat.
"You haven't slept in a day and a night. Don't you need rest?"
"Not yet. I can't afford to rest."
Though Su Xiao was cooperating with them, he didn't fully trust them, and Reiner and the others had weak perception.
"No wonder you're an Empire soldier. I've gotten lazy over the years. Ani, stop."
After eating, Reiner shouted, and the female giant Ani halted.
They smoothly switched places. Fifty seconds later, a weary Ani sat on the shoulder of the Armored Titan Reiner.
"Is rushing like this really meaningful? Will the Survey Corps really chase us?"
Ani looked at Su Xiao in confusion.
"If I kidnapped a very important person from the Marley Empire, then sabotaged the border defenses, and escaped with a few spies from inside the walls, how many troops do you think the Empire would send?"
Su Xiao's description left Ani speechless. This was an irreconcilable feud.
It wouldn't be surprising if not just the Survey Corps, but even the Military Police Brigade was dispatched by the royal family.
"So we need to leave Paradis Island as soon as possible."
Paradis Island was the island everyone knew about. Though it was an island, its area was considerable, which was why the Marley Empire coveted its resources.
Reiner's travel speed was slightly slower than Ani's, but he had more endurance.
About three hours later, a town faintly appeared on the horizon. Eren, strapped to the Armored Titan's shoulder, grew noticeably restless.
"This is... my hometown."
Eren's voice choked up. Though only five years had passed, the city was already in ruins.
Patches of trees were visible among the town's buildings. Most roofs had collapsed from years of disuse, and from a distance, the hole kicked in the wall by Bertholdt was still visible.
"We've finally arrived."
Su Xiao looked down at the town below. With thousands of houses, finding Eren's home by luck was unlikely.
"We've finally made it here... finally..."
Bertholdt stood up and gazed at the town below, guilt in his eyes. This was the place he had breached.
"Bertholdt."
Eren muttered his name, and Bertholdt's body trembled.
"One day, I'll kill you. I swear."
Eren didn't roar; instead, he was eerily calm. His tone frightened Bertholdt.
"If you can... then do it. When I lifted that foot five years ago, I was already prepared to die."
The usually timid Bertholdt spoke with resolve.
"Bai Ye, you took that key to enter my basement, didn't you? I don't know where you got that information, but among all these houses, I don't believe you can find my home."
Eren looked up at Su Xiao with a faint, mocking smile.
The journey had matured Eren somewhat. The betrayal of his comrades and the upheavals within the walls had accelerated his growth.
"I don't need you to point the way."
Su Xiao had no intention of torturing Eren. He had his own methods.
He quickly recalled details from the anime in his mind.
The Colossal Titan kicking down the wall, young Eren running toward home, his mother crushed under the house...
His mother crushed under the house!
Su Xiao's thoughts raced. Eren's mother had been trapped under the house before the Titans even entered the city. The only cause of the collapse was debris from the Colossal Titan's kick.
He scanned the town, spotting four or five large rocks.
"Reiner, head over there. As discussed, if we can't find Eren's house in two hours, we give up."
The Armored Titan Reiner moved toward where Su Xiao pointed, soon reaching a large rock.
The rock was surrounded by overgrown weeds, embedded in a wooden house.
"Not this one. Over there."
Reiner began walking through the town, passing one rock after another, but none matched the scene in Su Xiao's memory.
"The last one."
Su Xiao looked at the rock closest to the wall. It was their final hope.
The Armored Titan took a step, and Su Xiao's gaze subtly shifted to Eren.
Though Eren tried to stay calm, his occasional glances upward betrayed him. The boy was still too inexperienced.
"That's it. No mistake."
Su Xiao was certain.
"You bastard!"
Eren roared, struggling, but his injuries were severe. After a day and night with only a little water, he was at his limit.
The Armored Titan stopped. Su Xiao jumped down and carefully surveyed the terrain.
A collapsed house, a massive boulder crushing the roof, and half a female skeleton in the nearby weeds.
This was Eren's home, where the story began.
"Reiner, lift this roof."
Without much thought, Reiner used his massive hands like an excavator to easily clear the roof and dig deeper.
Soon, the collapsed house was cleared, revealing a dark opening with stairs leading down.
Below was Eren's basement, a key turning point in the original story. Su Xiao couldn't help but feel a flicker of anticipation.
Reiner deactivated his Titan form, carrying Eren to the stairs. Bertholdt carried Ymir, while Ani held Historia. The naive one always got special treatment.
"Is this it? You've mentioned it a lot."
Reiner looked at Eren in his hands.
"Reiner, for the sake of our past as comrades, can I ask you one thing?"
"Go ahead."
"Please gather those bones over there. They're my mother's remains."
Without hesitation, Reiner walked over, took off his shirt to wrap the half-skeleton, and tied the bundle to Eren.
"Don't thank me. What I've done is unforgivable. I've known that for five years."
With that, Reiner quickened his pace to catch up with Su Xiao.
Su Xiao descended the stairs, holding a bright flashlight in his left hand and the key Eren always carried in his right.
Eren's father had told him to keep this key safe. It should be crucial soon.
Su Xiao led the way, with Ani and the others following nervously behind.
He walked casually at the front. The chance of danger in the basement was slim.
The stairs were short, and a wooden door appeared ahead.
Standing before the door, Su Xiao glanced at the key in his hand, then at the old wooden door.
Suddenly, he raised his leg and delivered a side kick. The door shattered with a crack, revealing a study-like basement.
Su Xiao looked at the key again, then tossed it back to Eren behind him. This thing was utterly useless.
The key clattered to the floor.
Eren wore an expression of utter disbelief, staring at the key he had kept close for five years. The door it was meant to open had been kicked open by someone.