Attack on Titan: The Harsh Mistress of the City, Part 2

Attack on Titan: The Harsh Mistress of the City, Part 2 (進撃の巨人　隔絶都市の女王（下）) is a light novel based on the Attack on Titan manga. It is written by Ryō Kawakami and illustrated by Range Murata.

Plot
Shiganshina has been breached, and humanity has retreated to Wall Rose - for the most part. Quinta District, situated at the western end of Wall Maria, is holding out despite being hemmed in by the Titans on both the exterior and the formerly interior sides.

In this concluding half of the hot-off-the-press side story, Rita Iglehaut, acting commander of the local forces, struggles to turn her isolated hometown into something of a city of its own. Her draconian methods, however, shock the residents, not least Mathias Kramer, her childhood friend.

Chapter Four
Six months after Duccio's death, Quinta District lives under Rita Iglehaut's autocratic rule. She arranges for a five meter Titan to be anchored in the middle of the plaza in front of the district headquarters where her soldiers execute those who break the law by feeding them to it. After Duccio's unexpected demise at Mathias Kramer's hands and the breaking of her mother's leg during a robbery, Rita wants to make it so that no one in Quinta will ever commit acts of violence or disorder again.

Her law is absolute without room for mercy and she refuses to hold herself or her family above it. Because of that, she executes her adoptive father, Henning Iglehaut for providing people with poisons that will allow them to take their own lives rather than face the reality before them.

Meanwhile, in the wide stretch of land between Walls Maria and Rose, Gabriele loses his horse, which had been his means of staying ahead of and avoiding Titans. He approaches Quinta at night in hope of finding shelter. To his surprise, he sees people harvesting the orchids under cover of dark. Though Titans are not normally active at night, it is still a risk.

He is met by Klaus, who explains that taking shifts in the Night Harvest is one of the ways Rita keeps the population under control. Though the food contributes towards the district's survival, they are not at the point of starvation, and the population's fear of the Titans keeps them obedient. Gabriele assumes that the situation inside Quinta is chaotic because of the need for martial law, but Klaus tells him that it is the opposite. It is too ordered.

Gabriele explains that he has been on the run for six months since the Wall fell and Klaus tells him that Rita would be interested in him because he could provide information on the situation outside. Klaus offers Gabriele two suggestions; he can go up to the guards and announce himself so he will be taken to Rita, who will likely press him for information, or he can join the resistance and offer them the same. Gabriele chooses the resistance.

With Klaus' help, Gabriele is taken inside Quinta when the workers of the Night Harvest return to the gate. Once inside, Gabriele is taken to the resistance's headquarters where he meets Mathias, their leader.

After getting information on the outside from Gabriele, Mathias holds a meeting between himself and the four other leaders of the resistance; Klaus, Nikki, Derek, and Amanda. They know that Bernhardt is still alive, but imprisoned, and they plan to rescue him. Though Amanda is part of Rita's military, Rita does not trust anyone too much, and it would be too risky for her to request an assignment that would allow her near Bernhardt. However, she knows that Bernhardt is sent out to work on his own Night Harvest shift by himself on nights when no one else goes.

Mathias and Gabriele go outside the Wall under disguised names as part of a Night Harvest shift the night before Bernhardt is scheduled to go out. Jodi sneaks Mathias a bag carrying vertical maneuvering equipment from Amanda to be given to Bernhardt. Once Bernhardt has it, he can bring himself and his rescuers back over the Wall and into Quinta.

Mathias and Gabriele hide in a crevice during the day so they cannot be reached by Titans and then sneak back out at night to find Bernhardt. However they are attacked by an aberrant Titan that is still active despite the time. Mathias tries jumping in a river to avoid it, so the current will carry him away, but he is grabbed. Fortunately, Bernhardt finds them and despite the fact his wrists are manacled, he uses a pole to spear the Titan in the face, allowing everyone to get away.

They retreat to a ruined building outside the Wall where Mathias explains how they want Bernhardt to kill the captive Titan in the plaza as a symbolic blow to Rita's regime. Its death would inspire people into a mass uprising. Bernhardt agrees.