All the soldiers inside the room gaped, even Levi. For a moment, no one spoke and they just stared at Andromeda. The vampiress cocked an eyebrow at them and repeated, "Turn me into a soldier and take me with you to the capital." It was a nice plan, Andromeda admitted. Heading straight to the presence of the royal family, knowing them personally, and getting close to them was difficult but not impossible. By being one of the soldiers going to Mitras, she might get to know someone closer to the King. She would start here, by being a Scout.

But Levi wouldn't let her. "I don't know what's in that stupid head of yours, but, no, we don't just make someone a soldier. You must be thankful we didn't report you to the Military Police. Going beyond Wall Rose is considered a crime. You just try to remember which town you're from and let us be. We have no use for someone like you." He turned to Hange. "So, there will be three in your squad--"

"Do not underestimate me, soldier. If you let me in the Scout Regiment, I can promise you that I will be an indispensable asset."

The soldiers looked at each other, clearly not believing her. From one corner of the table, she saw Oluo cross his arms. "Well, I did see her fight. She was good."

"I saw her, too," the boy soldier named Derek seconded.

"How good?" was Levi's question.

Andromeda twirled the ends of her hair with two fingers. Should she be honest? She stopped and thought, and then decided to tell the truth. "I'm better than your entire squad."

A collective gasp from the entire group inside the room.

"You've got a lot of nerve to say that," the Captain was frowning, but Andromeda saw in his eyes that something sparked. "I hope you're not talking bullshit."

"Not the least."

"Okay, then." He turned to his squad, "Eld, Gunther, Oluo, Petra, and Andromeda, you'll beat each other's shit. If Andromeda wins against all of you, I'll see to it that she joins the Scout Regiment." Then he led them all outside to the empty square in front of the stables.

News about the fight traveled fast and soon the square was filled with soldiers. The spectators emptied a circle between them where Andromeda and the Squad Levi would spar. Some of the Scouts whispered at each other, some took bets, and others cheered loudly.

The vampiress stood confident in the middle. Hange went close to her. "Maybe you really are good, Andy, but taking on Levi's whole squad is certainly not a nice idea. They're among the best fighters in the Scout Regiment."

"I know that," Andromeda replied, "and I also know that I will win."

"Have you remembered something? Like, were you a fighter before you lost your memory and got lost outside Wall Rose?"

The vampiress looked at Hange from the corner of her eyes. "Maybe," she lied.

"Who wants to fight her first?" Levi, standing near the crowd, asked his squad members.

Olou volunteered and raised his hand but Andromeda declared, "I will fight them all at once." The audience looked at each other and then focused their gaze on her, looking at the mysterious lady as if her beautiful head had lost its mind. She continued to say, "I believe I could win against them all."

Levi looked into her eyes as he instructed his squad, "Make sure not to kill her."

Andromeda smiled. She hoped she wouldn't kill them. The fighting commenced. The four soldiers surrounded her, trapping her inside their circle. In a quick moment, they were upon her, attacking her from all directions. The vampiress dodged Oluo's hands and stepped behind Petra. Expertly, she karate-chopped her nape and knocked her down. The female soldier instantly lost consciousness.

One down. Three to go.

The audience was in an uproar.

Next, Eld and Gunther tried to grab her arms, but Andromeda was fast enough to kick Eld's sheen and elbow-hit the back of Gunther's head. Gunther lay on the floor, vision blurry and head about to burst, as Eld howled. The soldier wasn't defeated yet. Eld drew his fist and punched Andromeda's beautiful face. The vampiress dodged the attack and delivered an uppercut. The soldier flew toward the onlookers.

Louder cheers echoed in the square.

Andromeda searched the crowd to look at Levi's reaction. To her satisfaction, his eyes were wide and his mouth was a bit open. She flipped her beautiful hair as she faced her last opponent.

"Y-you! Shit! I'm going to defeat you!" Oluo, the fool, took a long piece of wood and hurled it toward Andromeda.

The vampiress faked a yawn and easily kicked the wood back to Oluo to hit his crotch. The soldier cried in pain and fell on the floor.

The audience shouted her name. Andromeda held one side of her skirt and curtsied at them. Of course, she won. She walked past the crowd toward where Levi was standing. She asked him, "Was that enough? Or should I fight with the other squads as well?"

"No need," the Captain replied. He commanded, "Petra, take Andromeda. Her first task is to chop wood with you."

"Y-yes, Captain!" Already awake, the female soldier stood up and escorted Andromeda to the back of the barracks.

As the other soldiers left the square, they tapped Andromeda by the shoulder and welcomed her to the Scout Regiment. The vampiress smiled, she was one step closer to her goal.

Petra and she stopped near the entrance of the woods, where an axe and a tree stump were located. Beside them were short logs that were waiting to be chopped.

Andromeda sat on a clean rock nearby, telling Petra, "I don't have a clue what to do." She brushed off the dust clinging to her blue dress and crossed her legs.

The female soldier took a log and placed it on the stump. "That's alright, let me show you." She heaved and used her strength to cut the log into two using the big, heavy axe. "There."

"Can you do some more?"

"Sure."

As Petra chopped wood, Andromeda twirled the ends of her hair between her fingers. She asked her, "Tell me, why is the Scout Regiment so... unpopular?"

"What? Oh." Too focused on her task, the female soldier almost didn't hear the vampiress' question. She wiped the sweat on her forehead. "They don't see the world like we do. For most of the people, this place is sacred. Staying inside the wall is something one must not question. Living inside its defenses is everything. Only fools dare go beyond it. They do not want us recklessly giving our lives away as titan food."

"And you don't believe that? You think that you must not stay in these walls. That it's okay to sacrifice yourselves for..."

"For the sake of humanity. Andy, we have a dream. We want to claim back our land. We can defeat the titans."

So fragile and weak were these humans, yet it seemed Andromeda saw the strength of their spirit as she looked into Petra's eyes. She had seen the same look in other Scouts. They were willing to sacrifice their short lives for their beliefs.

How utterly foolish.

Now, she must stay with these fools for as long as she needed. She stood up and started walking away. She told the soldier, "I shall head back and rest." Andromeda looked in the direction of the walls, like the Scouts, she, too, hated the feeling of being caged. Could it be that they carried the same fire within?

The vampiress chuckled. No. She shouldn't lump herself with these useless humans.

"A-andy!" She thought Petra called, but she ignored her.

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"Get your damn hands off of me! Release me this instant!" Andromeda tried but failed to escape Levi's grasp. The Captain carried her easily on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She should marvel at his strength but now she was just pissed off.

Very early in the morning, Petra woke her up and told her to put a white bandana on her head and wear a white apron. Their task for today was to clean the whole freaking barracks! Damn, no! She wouldn't take a rag and place her pretty, little fingers near the damn dirt! Ugh! "I'm warning you, soldier! Place me back on the damn floor!"

"Later. We're not there yet." Levi continued carrying her. The other soldiers acted like they were ignoring them as they passed by. They entered a room being cleaned by Squad Levi. There, Levi released her.

Andromeda straightened her skirt and finger-combed her hair. "I'm going back to my room."

"I can't allow that. Yesterday, you already ran away from work. You left all the wood-chopping to Petra. Today, I won't allow your crap. You'll be cleaning like the rest of us."

What in the name of Aurum was this soldier thinking? Making Andromeda clean like a servant? She didn't sign up for this! Never in her life had she lifted one damn finger to work. She squared off her shoulders and looked into Levi's eyes. "I will not allow anyone to force me to do something like this. I joined to be a soldier, not a maid."

The Captain answered, "A soldier needs discipline."

"Doesn't mean I need to clean."

"Just do it."

"And if I won't?"

"Then get out. I don't want to see you anymore."

This... freaking, insufferable human! Damn him! No one could order around and threaten Aurum's future Queen. Filled with hate, Andromeda raised her arm and poised to strike Levi's face. Her eyes caught the slight scar on the Captain's forehead--the one sustained from their fall from the cliff. The vampiress remembered his open wound and the scent of his blood. She remembered its taste and how wonderful she felt when she tasted it, sipped it. Instantly, she closed her fist and put down her hand. She couldn't risk wounding him and inhaling the scent of his blood. She might lose herself.

She crossed her arms, and though she didn't like it, said, "Fine."

"I'll get more brooms," Levi told his squad as he exited the room.

She heard Oluo whistle. "So, even the Monstress is afraid of Captain Levi."

Her head snapped in his direction. No way was she afraid of the human, but more than that, she was curious about her new nickname. "Monstress?"

Eld was the one who answered. "That's what the Scouts are calling you. After what you did. Man, you defeated us all! Within five minutes! You're like a female monster. In a good way. You're frighteningly strong."

Monstress? Not bad. In Aurum, everyone called her Andromeda the Bloodbitch. A conniving, manipulative, evil Princess only moved by the lust for blood.

Monstress, huh?

"Here, Andy." Gunther handed her a rag. "You can clean the chairs with this."

Damn, she thought and groaned but took the piece of cloth. Grimacing, she knelt on the floor and started wiping one side of the chair. Dust flew and reached her nose, making her sneeze and cough. Gosh, how she hated it!

"After that, wash the windows then sweep and scrub the floors." Levi was back, giving them more orders.

"Yes, Captain!" His squad dutifully replied.

Andromeda huffed and proceeded with her work.

The whole day, they cleaned room after room inside the barracks. She wiped chairs and tables, cleaned the windows, and helped change the dirty water in the buckets. When it was time to clean the toilet, she fainted.

Andromeda woke up during supper, feeling tired and hungry. She was hoping to drink some blood but knew that in her current situation, she couldn't. She should settle with human food.

As soon as she entered the dining hall, Hange wounded one arm over her shoulders. "There she is! Everyone, three cheers for Andy! Because of her, we got a very good discount on meat! Tonight, we'll feast!"

"Cheers, Andy!"

"Thank you, Andy!"

The soldiers clapped and smiled at her. She looked for an empty seat and sat beside Squad Levi.

The room was filled with laughter and good chatter, but all of that changed when meat was served. Suddenly, the soldiers turned into savage beasts and fought each other for a bigger piece. Chaos ensued.

Hange gaped and slapped one hand on her forehead, telling Levi, "Remind me never to serve meat again."

The Captain just grunted. His eyes met Andromeda's, but the vampiress simply looked away. She took a potato from the plate and ate it.

Delicious.

Nothing like a nice meal after a hard day's work.