Attack on Titan Episode 70: Deceiver

In their cell, Gabi feigns illness, prompting Falco to shout for a guard. When a Garrison guard approaches, Gabi attacks him with a cloth-wrapped brick. Falco expresses doubt about their escape, but Gabi insists they must leave to avoid being killed.

In Marley, Reiner awakens in a hospital with Pieck and Porco by his bed and asks about Gabi and Falco.

After running all night, Gabi and Falco rest by a river. Falco suggests Gabi remove her armband, but she refuses, believing no ordinary person would understand its meaning. Falco worries soldiers would recognize it and that they might not make it home. Gabi, however, is determined to reach Zeke for answers before she dies. She tells Falco he doesn't have to follow her. He agrees and tears off her armband, causing Gabi to knock him down and demand it back. She feels the armband signifies her as a good Eldian, and without it, she is like the "island devils." She retrieves her armband and tearfully asks Falco why he came with her to the airship.

Before Falco can answer, Kaya approaches, asking where they came from. Gabi claims they ran away from home, reaching for a rock, but Kaya accepts her answer and invites them to eat at her house.

At Kaya's rural home, Gabi notices horses and suggests escaping on one before soldiers arrive. She also expresses reluctance to eat with "devils," but Kaya calls them inside. Falco tells Gabi to let him do the talking.

Falco introduces them to the Braus family as siblings Ben and Mia, offering to work if they can stay for a few days. Artur Braus welcomes them, saying they don't need to bow and can stay as long as they like, inviting them to breakfast.

At the table, Lisa Braus tries to pat Gabi's head, but Gabi pushes her arm away in horror. Though the other children are shocked, Lisa apologizes, assuming Gabi has been through a lot. Falco apologizes and begins eating to ease the tension, encouraging Gabi to eat as well. She reluctantly takes a bite.

At the port, Kiyomi Azumabito congratulates Dhalis Zachary on the military's successful raid on Liberio. She has brought a flying boat, the world's first, powered by Iceburst Stone.

Outside military headquarters, members of the public, including Flegel Reeves, question Hange about rumors of Eren and the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers being detained, and about evacuation orders for Shiganshina District. Hange deflects their questions to the Military Police. Peaure insists all Eldians should have a voice in how Eren is handled, given his victory. Roy reminds Hange of their past push for public involvement during the coup d'état, asking if their views have changed.

Frustrated, Hange states the situation has changed now that their Walls are open and pushes Peaure aside. Flegel says he understands Hange's position and asks them to look him in the eyes and confirm he can trust them. Hange looks over their shoulder and says this is for the Eldian people before entering the gate.

Inside, Hange meets with Scout Regiment members who leaked information about Eren's imprisonment. Floch Forster states they did it because Eren has done nothing wrong and should be freed, viewing him as a savior. Hange, however, does not believe the Rumbling is a guaranteed safety measure.

Floch presses for Eren's release, arguing that their victory will be squandered if they waste time. Hange considers Floch might be right but will not tolerate disobedience and plans to try him and his collaborators for leaking information. The four dissenters are confined.

As they leave, Hange is reminded of Djel Sannes's role in the secretive Interior Police and his warning that someone else would eventually take his place. The thought of being in his position aggravates Hange, who leaves to investigate further.

From her cell, Louise, one of the dissenting Scouts, asks Mikasa if she had ever been in that cell. Mikasa says no. Louise is briefly disappointed but then states she doesn't regret her actions, believing rules won't matter if they win.

When Mikasa remains unmoved, Louise tells her she is the same person Mikasa saved that day. Seeing Mikasa kill a Titan made Louise realize she couldn't protect things without power, and she has wanted to get closer to Mikasa ever since. She asks Mikasa why she joined the Scouts and begins to suggest that if it was for Eren, she should be interested in freeing him, but Mikasa tells her to keep quiet and walks away. Mikasa glances back to see Louise saluting her, which triggers a headache and memories of Eren rescuing her as a child.

Elsewhere, Dot Pyxis meets with Yelena. He mentions an event ten months ago, a celebration for the Trost railway opening, where Floch became her guard and escorted her to her lodgings. Now Floch has been detained for leaking information, and at the same time, Eren began acting independently.

At the Braus Stables, Gabi and Falco clean when Gabi is bitten on the head by a horse. Falco doubts any horse would let her ride it, and she retorts she wasn't trained to. Gabi dislikes staying there, feeling they won't learn anything, but Falco thinks it's better than roaming and believes they can wait for help, as the outside world will eventually attack the island.

Kaya calls them to lunch, noting they are quick learners. Falco asks why so many workers are young, and Kaya explains they are orphans who lost their parents four years ago. Gabi then states Kaya hasn't accepted her guilt and asks if she has forgotten the atrocities committed by the island's people.

Falco tries to stop Gabi, while Kaya asks if that's what they teach in Marley. Startled, Falco asks how she knows, and Kaya says they've been yelling it aloud. Gabi grabs a pitchfork, preparing to attack Kaya, but Falco intervenes. When other farmhands notice the struggle, Kaya covers for them, saying "Mia" is jealous and thinks Kaya is trying to steal her brother.

When Falco asks why she helped them, Kaya takes them to her former village. Four years ago, villagers fled Titans, leaving her mother behind. She shows Gabi and Falco where she sat and listened to her mother being eaten. Kaya knows the outside world calls islanders "devils" but doesn't understand why they are hated. She asks them what her mother did to deserve that.

Gabi begins to explain how Eldians ruled the world and slaughtered people for thousands of years, but Kaya points out her mother was born and raised on the island and did none of that. As Kaya presses about present-day Eldians versus those in the past, Gabi mentions the recent attack on Liberio, but Kaya says her mother died four years ago, so that couldn't be her fault either.

Kaya becomes more distressed as Gabi's fanaticism fails to provide a reason for her mother's death not tied to inherited sin. Falco finally explains that her mother was a victim of reconnaissance-in-force as part of a staging for a larger attack. He says her mother did nothing wrong and apologizes.

As Kaya processes this, Gabi scolds Falco for leaking secrets to the enemy. Kaya thanks him for the information and finds it strange he would apologize for Marley since he was just born there. He asks how she survived the Titan attack, and she explains a girl grabbed a hatchet and attacked the Titan, allowing her to escape.

Kaya tells them her family has been invited to a restaurant where a Marleyan works. She suggests if they come along, they might find a way home. When Gabi asks why she would help them, Kaya says she wants to become a person like that girl.

Back in Marley, the military completes its investigation of the Beast Titan's corpse, finding only partial remains of Zeke, specifically his arms and legs. Realizing he only pretended to be killed, they believe Zeke has sided with Paradis Island and escaped on the airship.

Theo Magath informs the Warriors that in six months, the world plans a global offensive against the island. Colt is aghast they would wait that long to rescue Gabi and Falco, framing it from the perspective of their worth as Warrior candidates. Magath does not chastise Colt but says if Marley attacks alone, they will be driven back as before.

However, Reiner points out that Zeke expects them to wait given their damage, and by then he will have a plan to defend against them, so Marley must launch a surprise attack.