Chapter 18

                                    

                                          
It's been a week but Bertholdt still hasn't opened his eyes. I've been keeping an eye on him so far, and had nurse Emma check his condition as well. Everything was normal, there were no internal injuries or bullets left behind. The only thing nurse Emma said was that Bertholdt was still recovering and needed a long rest. Considering that a lot of blood and energy had been drained in order to hold off the enemy, he could rest as long as he wanted as long as his condition was fine. 
"Do you need anything, Reiner?" 
Nurse Emma came in and brought a tray of fruits. I took a red apple and ate it, "this should be enough."
Then she sat beside me, occasionally looking at Bertholdt's condition. Yes, I asked her to move my bed next to Bertholdt's so that I could keep an eye on him all the time. And for a week now, Rod Reiss' messenger hadn't been seen either. 
"I haven't had a chance to hear your story yet. So, what district are you from?"
Nurse Emma's question left me speechless for a long time. She had already told all the past and the bitter truth to a stranger like me, should I tell her all my honesty? Ah, no... It seems like I should still lie. 
"I'm from .., the Emrich district."
"Wow, it's quite close to the Karaness district. Do you have a family? Or a home? And do you go to school?"
"Mm... You better not know too much because I'm sure you'll hate me afterward." I said lightly while swallowed the last bite of my apple. 
"Why is it like that?"
"I don't know. But in short, I went to the military academy and so did my best friend."
Yes, it was too risky to tell my true identity. I knew how much the people of paradise hated Marleyans. If caught alone, I'm sure they could be more ruthless than their own leaders. 
The nurse seemed to think for a moment, before finally smiling brightly. "Ah, I just remembered something."
"What is it?" I asked curiously. 
"I have a friend from the military academy, he's a senior. He can help escort you guys back to the academy safely." He deftly grabbed the pencil and paper on the table and began to write down a few sentences. 
"W-wait! Nurse Emma! That looks dangerous-"
Nurse Emma looked back at me, now sitting on my bed. "Listen Reiner. You're dealing with Rod Reiss dogs now. Did you see what happened to your best friend?"
Now she seemed to grunt, then smiled, "I'll tell you two secrets from paradise. First, all the soldiers have never sided with Rod Reiss. Second, the military academy is not under the auspices of Rod Reiss. So the only way to secure you is to call in reinforcements so that you can return to the academy safely."
What? Didn't I hear wrong? Wait a second.  I already knew that some were not on the king's side and often talked about it from behind, because I had casually asked some soldiers and also eavesdropped on their conversations a few times. But I never thought that all the soldiers were against the king!! This-... Still doesn't sound reasonable!!! 
"What?! How can that be?!" 
Of course I was surprised. Because the military must be fighting for the country and there is a leader who is above and commands them, or even pays for their services. So all this time the soldiers were fighting only for their families and all the knowledge gained and until the death of their comrades did not get a salary from anyone?! 
"Of course it's possible! Academies are only made to protect people, being a soldier is not a job that will earn a salary, but a willingness to help and protect those weaker than us. That's why, all soldiers never favor Rod Reiss or worship him. Rod Reiss also has no authority in ordering the academy to submit under Rod himself." Nurse Emma explained at length.