Chapter 408 - 408: Warrior Families

"Gabi, Gabi, what are you spacing out for? Hand that plank over to Dad."

Hearing her father's familiar voice by her ear, Gabi finally snapped out of her daze. Only after her father called her twice more did she bend down, pick up the wooden plank by her feet, and hand it over.

Gabi's father was holding nails and a hammer, enthusiastically hammering together a table that was nearly finished, while Gabi helped him from the side.

Before long, a wooden table that wasn't particularly refined but looked extremely sturdy was completed. Gabi's father was covered in sawdust, but there was a relaxed expression on his face as he turned to Gabi and said,

"We're finishing early today, Gabi. How about helping Dad deliver the table to Uncle Roch's house this afternoon?"

But after hearing her father's words, Gabi barely reacted. She only gave a dry "oh."

Seeing his daughter become like this, guilt flashed through her father's heart. The once-envied identity of Warrior Candidate had now become a title despised by all Eldians—a running dog of Marley. No matter where they went, they were hated by their own people.

Ever since the Eldian Revival Army liberated the Eldian compatriots of Liberio, the shackles that had oppressed the Eldians for a century were torn apart in an instant. What followed was the resentment and fury Eldians had accumulated after a hundred years of enslavement.

Although, through the efforts of the Revival Army, the Eldians could barely coexist peacefully with the Marleyans in Hope District, the Eldians showed far less kindness toward the families of former Marleyan Warriors.

Back when Marley ruled, the Marleyan government had deliberately divided the Eldians by class. For the Marleyan Warriors who served them, the government didn't mind letting their families live slightly better lives. As a result, nearly every Eldian family in Liberio longed for the status of a Warrior family, and many Eldians envied and resented the comparatively privileged lives they lived.

Now that Marley had been overthrown, that former envy and jealousy had transformed into contempt and hatred, and those emotions only grew more intense over time.

Even though Gabi and the others were still children, human nature was vicious. Even without physical violence, the overwhelming insults and scorn from their fellow Eldians were enough to destroy these Warrior families.

Traitors to the Eldians!

Scum!

Even mentally mature adults would struggle to endure such endless abuse, much less children only a few years old.

Those people—the ones who had envied Warrior families the most during Marley's rule—were now the same people cursing them the fiercest after Marley fell.

Such was human nature.

The Eldian Revival Army clearly had no intention of troubling the Warrior families. To the Revival Army, what was there to care about regarding a bunch of brainwashed children?

But at the same time, the Revival Army had no interest in kindly protecting those Warrior families from public condemnation either. The fact that the soldiers of the Revival Army themselves weren't joining in the insults already counted as mercy.

As a result, the once lively Gabi had become increasingly silent and withdrawn. Her personality grew more and more isolated, and she completely lost the liveliness she once had, becoming dull and lifeless.

Every time they saw their daughter like this, Gabi's parents deeply regretted sending her into the Warrior program in the first place.

Other families suffered similar fates as well: Falco's family, Udo's family, along with the families of Marleyan Warriors like Pieck, Porco, and Reiner.

Of course, human nature had both good and bad sides. There were those who cursed them, but there were also those who sympathized with them. No matter where one went, there would always be kind people. Most of the neighbors who had lived alongside them daily still understood and pitied these Warrior families.

Although Warrior families lived somewhat better lives, it wasn't to some outrageous degree. After all, in the eyes of the Marleyans, no matter what kind of family they came from, Eldians were ultimately descendants of devils.

Because of that, Warrior families generally got along well with their neighbors during ordinary times. In fact, for various reasons, many Warrior families had provided considerable help to those around them.

And now, those neighbors were willing to return the favor to the families that had once helped them.

...

Not long later, Gabi's mother, wearing an apron and wiping sweat from her forehead, called the father and daughter outside to eat.

Gabi's father hesitated for a moment before discussing something with his wife.

"Should we invite Karina over too? Things haven't been easy for her lately."

Karina Braun, Gabi's father's older sister, Gabi's aunt, and also the mother of the Armored Titan Reiner—the Shield of Marley.

Perhaps because her son Reiner had disappeared without a trace, combined with the rejection from their fellow Eldians, Karina seemed like someone who had stepped halfway into an abyss. She looked as though she had aged ten years overnight and lived alone.

If not for Gabi's parents regularly looking after her, this broken woman might have already...

Gabi's mother sighed and nodded in agreement.

Thinking back, they had originally sent their daughter into the Warrior program partly because they had been influenced by Reiner, their sister's child, and tempted by the comfortable life of Warrior families.

So deep down, Gabi's mother still carried a trace of resentment toward Karina.

But every time she saw Karina's pitiful appearance, her heart softened, and that tiny bit of resentment faded.

Gabi's father called out to Gabi twice, but her figure was already nowhere to be seen outside the door.

Helpless, he could only go personally to find his sister Karina.

As for Gabi, she was old enough to know the way home herself.

...

It was nearly noon.

The streets were filled with the aroma of food drifting from every direction, while pedestrians had noticeably decreased. At this hour, everyone should be heading home for lunch.

Of course, many small food stalls were set up along both sides of the street, selling all kinds of snacks and dishes. Since it was mealtime, business at those stalls was exceptionally lively.

After the Eldian Revival Army liberated Hope District, the star-shaped armbands that had constrained the Eldians for a century were naturally removed and destroyed immediately.

Eldians no longer had to wear those disgusting armbands that marked their identity.

And now that Eldians could freely leave the Liberio Internment Zone, who could even tell the difference between Eldians and Marleyans on the streets anymore without the armbands?

What irony.

With the armbands on, they were descendants of devils.

But after removing the armbands, aside from the hidden power within their bloodlines, what difference was there between Marleyans and Eldians?

...

At a small beef noodle stall, a large and a small figure sat together at a table by the roadside. Two empty bowls were already stacked before them as loud slurping sounds rang out while they devoured noodles.

Clack!

Another empty bowl was placed upside down.

The beautiful young woman raised her hand and loudly shouted,

"So good! Another bowl!"

Her fair cheeks were slightly flushed from the steaming hot soup noodles. Her beautiful silver-gray hair was casually tied behind her head.

But the most eye-catching thing was naturally the blue-green military uniform she wore—the standard uniform of the Eldian Revival Army.

With over a hundred thousand soldiers, the Revival Army obviously couldn't continue wearing the uniforms they once used while fighting for Marley.

After discussions among Serena and the other higher-ups, the Revival Army's uniforms were designed by combining elements inspired by the military attire of their compatriots on Paradis Island.

The resulting blue-green uniform looked exceptionally handsome and form-fitting, and the soldiers of the Revival Army wore them with great pride.

Airi wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, still wanting more.

Sitting opposite her was the silver-haired little girl with matching hair—Zofia.

----------------

Fanfic is finished on Patreon (500 chapters in total.)

Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)