Grisha nodded eagerly, unable to hide his urgency to see Eren, Mikasa, and Carla.
With that, Byakuya and Eto led Grisha out of the underground chapel.
As for the Reiss family, they remained below. There was no need to worry about them for now.
If they dared disobey, Byakuya could deal with them at any time.
He had already been to the Reiss estate once — now, with his mastery over the dual kamui, he could warp back from anywhere without warning.
"They're currently sheltering in the Trost District…"
Byakuya gave Grisha precise directions to where Eren and the others were staying.
He didn't plan to escort Grisha personally — such a task would be a waste of his time.
Sure, he could have transported them instantly via kamui's dimension, but he wasn't about to reveal that ability to Grisha.
"Got it!"
Grisha grabbed his medical bag and set out immediately.
Although they were still in the countryside between Wall Rose and Wall Sina, the Reiss estate wasn't entirely secluded—it resembled a small town, with Rod Reiss acting like its feudal lord.
So things like carriages were easy to find.
The people aboveground had no idea what had just gone down beneath the chapel. To them, Grisha was still the respected and kindhearted Dr. Yeager who saved lives.
He had no trouble boarding a carriage bound for Trost District.
Once Grisha left, Byakuya and Eto remained behind for a while.
"That girl… Historia, the one they call the 'queen'—isn't she around here too?" Eto asked.
"Yeah, according to the timeline, she should still be here" Byakuya replied, his memory sharp.
Historia Reiss — Rod's illegitimate daughter — had spent her early life on the Reiss family's ranch, raised among livestock. She never once saw her father and had no idea of her royal lineage.
After the fall of Wall Maria — and only days after Grisha massacred the Reiss family — Rod suddenly appeared and revealed her true identity.
Originally, he wanted Historia and her mother to flee, but Kenny Ackerman showed up unexpectedly. Rod had no choice but to sacrifice Historia's mother to avoid suspicion.
If he'd protected them too much, Kenny would've suspected something — especially about the stolen power of the Founding Titan.
Kenny wasn't Rod's servant, just a partner in a tenuous alliance. He only obeyed Rod because of his loyalty to Rod's brother, Uri, the previous Founding Titan.
After Uri's death, Kenny only stuck around in hopes of gaining titan powers for himself — unaware that only those of royal blood could inherit the Founding Titan's full power.
Case in point: Eren, who inherited both the Attack and Founding Titans from Grisha, couldn't use the latter's coordinate ability — until he made contact with a titan of royal blood: Dina Fritz.
After Historia's mother was eliminated, Rod let her live — but only under a new name, Krista Lenz, and sent her into exile.
She was eventually placed among the 104th Cadet Corps — same class as Eren.
Not out of sentiment—Rod simply needed her alive so she could one day inherit the Founding Titan. Without her, his bloodline would end.
"I want to meet her" Eto said with sudden interest.
"Then let's go."
Byakuya glanced off in the direction of the ranch. It wasn't hard to spot.
They made their way toward the area — until Byakuya noticed something happening near the edge of the pasture.
A group of kids was harassing a blonde girl—throwing small rocks at her.
That girl was none other than Historia.
She had delicate, almost doll-like features, and large expressive eyes clearly inherited from Rod. Despite Rod's mediocre appearance, his daughters were undeniably beautiful.
Both Historia and Frieda had inherited only his best features — especially those striking eyes — paired with their own naturally lovely faces.
Gentle and kind by nature, Historia didn't fight back. She simply crouched down and shielded her head, hoping to minimize the pain.
"These little brats are really asking for it…" Eto muttered.
Without hesitation, she walked forward and casually kicked one of the boys, sending him tumbling face-first into the dirt.
The rest of the kids froze, terrified.
"Bullying a little girl — this is what you're proud of?" Eto said, smiling.
But that smile was far from comforting.
"She's scary! Let's run!"
The kids scattered in panic, abandoning the one who got kicked.
"Wait up, guys!" he yelled, scrambling after them.
Startled by the commotion, Historia slowly turned her head to see what was going on.
There stood a tall, beautiful woman with green hair.
"Those bad kids are gone now. Are you hurt?" Eto asked kindly.
"It still stings a little… but I'm okay" Historia replied, blinking up at her.
…
Back in the underground chapel, after Byakuya and the others had left, the Reiss family remained shaken.
"What do we do now? Are we really going to follow his orders?" the middle-aged woman beside Rod asked. She appeared to be Rod's official wife.
"We don't really have a choice" Rod said grimly.
No one felt like continuing their prayers anymore.
"Let's go up and take a look" Frieda said, leading the family back to the surface.
As the strongest among them, the Reiss family looked to Frieda for protection.
Once they reached the surface, they didn't immediately spot the white-haired youth and the girl in bandages.
But soon enough, Frieda noticed them near the edge of the ranch.
Byakuya and Eto were sitting beside Historia.
Rather than being distressed, Historia looked cheerful — chatting and smiling with the two of them.
At the same moment, Historia noticed Frieda in the distance too.