19. The Thug Prince, a Hero?

Levine stick with Historia all day as she talk with those three 'aristocratic' men of the underground. At least they're aristocrats in this dump. They talk about boring politics and economy and stuff which doesn't really catch Levine's slightest attention. He is even tempted to take a nap from Boredom, but Yami encouraged him to stay awake for the sake of his job.

"Tch, how can you handle talking about this boring stuff all day? Responsibilities aren't fit for the rebellious teen years," Levine muttered as he walk behind Historia into the hallways of the place they'll be staying in. Well, Historia will be staying here while he decided to settle in his beloved abandoned building. That's the only place he love in the wretched place.

"My life is complicated," Historia said which made Levine growl a little.

"Yeah, and I grew up in a beautiful mansion," he said with a monotonic voice. Historia took a side glance at him before stopping on the room that the vegetable business man showed her earlier.

"Sorry..."

"Tch, save it cause I don't need it," he jumped out of the window in the halls which surprised Historia so she ran to it to see him perfectly fine on the bottom of the three-story building. Levine noticed her and clicked his tongue.

"Are you alright?" She asked worryingly.

"Relax. I'm like a cat."

"...nine lives?"

"Tch, I land on my feet, idiot," after that, Levine left to his own building which he left with clean floors and walls, now returned with smashed walls and muddy floors. This angers him, but finding whoever did this will just blow his cover so he wiggled and twitched his fingers to get himself calm, with the help of the silence and darkness of the surrounding.

"Just pray that whoever's the d*#k who did this will be tortured to death and go straight to hell," Yami said, glaring at the mud on the floor. Yeah, he might be like a decent, level-minded Levine, but he also share the same rage with him when it comes to the things that really really really anger Levine.

"Oh that son of a w℅#&$ and b!+*& will really pay a very high price for this and Karma will come to collect their debt," Levine muttered his curse and walked towards a certain part of the floors and squatted down. That area looks like a normal floorboard, but actually, it's a trapdoor that where he keeps his cleaning supplies and other stuff.

"So, what if a group of thugs come again while you're here?" Yami asked as Levine went to the improvised well he made a few years back and scoop up a good amount of water with his bucket.

"I'll just keep anything that distinguishes me as a soldier into my secret trapdoor and just be the normal Lone Wolf every underlyers know. You, of all people should've known that," he said with a glare and stated cleaning.

"Just to be clear, I asked."

They spent a good thirty minutes cleaning and soon afterwards, Levine is very satisfied with the result.

"I've got to admit, this isn't a bad place at all. Just put a nice comfy bed there and a little dining hall and kitchen right of there and done! You have a cozy home like Levi has," Yami said which tick Levine off.

"His house isn't the cozy in any aspects!" Levine growled. Maybe it's just that Levi enjoys seeing him struggle on the ground whenever Hazel invites him to stay there. The usual brotherly teasing.

"Hm-mmm. Anyway. Time to slee--"

"I don't sleep until 3 in the morning," Levine plainly said and jumped up to his favorite spot in the building. The exposed second floor with a pole to lean in.

"Oh yeah. I forgot. So what'll you do?" Yami asked following him to the second floor.

"Probably recollect to pass time with like always," Levine answered, dryly.

"Wow. It will be a big achievement to gain knowledge on how you're not yet enlightened with all that recollecting and thinking," Yami said and was a bit stunned when Levine reached out to him and tried touching his forehead, but only pass through it, "What are you doing?"

"Wondering. What kind of creature are you really, Yami?" He asked, finally asking one of the questions that linger inside his head.

"Me? I'm not sure. All I know is that, whatever you know, I know it too. Whatever you feel, I can also feel it. Whatever your problem, I am here for you to share with. In short, I might also be you," Yami answered and Levine nodded.

"It's not quite the exact answer I am looking for, but it works too," he said and Yami sat beside him. For almost half a year with the survey Corps, Levine changed a lot already and it makes Yami feel more relieved than ever.

---

"Lone Wolf! Lone Wolf!" The screams startled Yami to wake up and fall off the second floor while, Levine manage to remain in his position.

"Aristocrats. Not the best alarm clocks ever," Yami muttered and Levine clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"What is it?" His signature cold voice asked, making the aristocrats back away a little.

"T-The...the Queen!" Levine perked up and jumped down the second floor.

"What happened to Historia?" He asked, glaring deadlier than ever. He can't lose his job for a kidnapped brat.

"You seriously need to see things wider, you know," Yami said, walking towards him.

"She was taken... B-By the thugs of the South edge."

"They took her...in exchange for you!” the three said making Levine growled and took his stuff and maneuvered his way to the South Thugs' territory with his maneuver which he left behind.

'Those thugs will get it.'

Meanwhile, in the South edge, the thugs of the gang called Scarred Eye formed around a circle where Historia is tied on a chair, blindfolded.

"The queen is pretty cute, eh?"

"And fresh too," then they all bursted into laughing. One man attempted to touch her, but another one stopped him by smacking his hand away.

"You can't touch her. That's the orders of the boss," he said and Historia groaned. The rope is tied too tight that it might be burning her skin.

"Levine...help," she muttered and a hoarse voice came booming through the secluded area.

"The Lone Wolf won't be helping you," a buff man said, walking down a pile of debris, "when he can't even help himself."

They cheered and Historia suddenly felt worried. What if they caught and hurt Levine? What will happened now? He's in danger!

"You...You can't beat Levine! He's much stronger!" She said with mock confidence. In reality, she don't really know if Levine can save the both of them from here. If he did come here for her, then he really is in big trouble.

"Oho! Maybe if compared to one person, but with all these!" The whole gang cheered, "He wouldn't stand a chance."

"Maybe all by myself, I can't," they all turned quiet and turned to see Levine standing at the edge of the crowd with his 3DMG strapped around his body, "But I learned that with companions, victory is granted."

As he said that, Military Policemen appeared behind him with their weapons. The thugs' eyes widened with worried expression.

"Hitting two birds with one stone, isn't it, Ivan?" Giovanni asked and looked around the place, seeing criminals all around.

"This is one big meat for us," Ivan said, smirking as Levine glared at the boss of the gang and averted to Historia who is tied up. Something boils inside him and that's when he snarled at the gang leader.

"You son of a b*Tch. Give the queen back, right now," he ordered with his unshaken cold voice, but the leader smirked and smack the ground with his clob. It made a loud echo in the cave-like hideout annoying Levine.

"He he! Like I'll ever do that. This girl is the one who brought you here and I'm pretty thankful to her. And to show that, I do this!" He kicked the chair, letting Historia fall down too, but Levine quickly and and swiftly went to get her. He clicked his tongue and gently put Historia down, before kicking the guy on the chin.

"Argh!"

Levine untied Historia and removed the blindfold off, "Oi! You damn police! Do your job!"

"Tch, a thug like you have no rights ordering us!" Ivan replied and Giovanni held up his arm.

"MPs! Onward!" The clash between the MPs and the Scarred Eye Gang commenced.

"Levine!" Historia exclaims once she finally saw Levine.

"Tch, I heard you're one of the top ten of the graduates. At least try protecting yourself," Levine said and scooped her up, carrying her in a bridal-style.

"LONE WOLF!" someone screamed and threatened to hit him, but he suddenly maneuvered away, "You became a coward after you disappeared! Fight me, Lone Wolf! And stop running!"

The boss said and threw a rock to Levine. He dodged and put Historia down on a safe place.

"You should be safe here," he said, turned around.

"Wait! I want to help!" She said, making Levine glare at her.

"And get yourself hurt? Tch, that'll make me lose my job," Levine said and Historia looked down, "And who'll be making all the effort in making this sh*thole a better place to live in?"

She looked up only to see Levine engaging into battle with the gang leader. She watched him fight with ease, beating the gang, member-by-member while fighting the leader too. She'd seen people fight titans, she'd seen Eren beat up titan and this is just as amazing as that. She admired Levine already, this only made her admire him more.

---

"So that's all of them," Ivan said as he tie the members together. Levine watched from the sidelines as Historia thank the MPs for saving her. She also thanked him earlier, but seeing her getting more attention of the MPs, his fingers started to wiggle.

"Jealous, are we?" Yami asked, making Levine's eyes widened and pulling his hood up.

"What?! No! Why would I be?" Levine said, feeling his cheeks burn up a little. What the heck?! Where did Yami get that idea? That's insane.

"Are you sure?" Yami asked, but Levine did not replied. He took a peek from his hood and saw the MPs looking at him while Historia walks towards him. He was sure he heard them snicker stuff about him.

"They're bunch of jealous bastards," Yami snickered, earning a glare from Levine, but he just looked away and disappeared in a blink of an eye.

"Levine!" Historia called and the man in the question turned to her. She gave him a small smile since she's still a little guilty about exposing Levine's present location to his probable enemy. But right now, Levine doesn't really care anymore. He suddenly had the urge to ruffle Historia's hair, but moved against it.

"Uhh...I wanted to thank you...again. Thanks for coming to save me earlier," she said and Levine clicked his tongue, looking away.

"It's my job, isn't it?" She looked up at him and finally gave out her real smile.

"You're really starting to like being in the Survey Corps, don't you?" She asked and Levine gave her a small nod. There was a little silence between them when Levine finally broke it with the only thing that can save them from silence.

"Let's get going. You still have a job to do," he said and swiped her up her feet and carry her in bridal style, surprising the little blonde. Then they swooped out of the debris, back to where the aristocrats are.

Let's just say, in the rest of the trip, the tension between the two of them loosen up and Levine finally stated recognizing Historia's ability.