Ch.125125. London (1)

That’s how the United States gained an excellent opportunity to raise the government’s prestige, and Bahamut succeeded in perfectly imprinting his existence by dispelling conspiracy theories that had spread throughout America.

Perhaps because of this, the Balhut Cult was able to travel to London, where the international organization reconstruction conference was taking place, while receiving information obtained by the United States.

It might have been a gesture of goodwill toward Bahamut, who had greatly enhanced the government’s prestige.

“Initially, the venue for the conference wasn’t London, but Paris. However, since Paris was still in the hands of monsters, it was hosted in London instead.”

“Hmm? If Paris is in monster territory, isn’t it only natural they chose the safer London?”

At first, the French had proposed holding the international organization reconstruction conference in Paris, but since Paris had not yet been recaptured, there was strong opposition to discussing international organization reconstruction in unconquered territory. In the end, they decided to hold the discussions in London, which still retained some historical significance and authority.

In truth, there were cities with even more authority and history than London, but…

“Yes. In fact, the venue was set as London because all other regions are essentially battlefields. Paris, Berlin, Rome—they’re all in monster hands.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

Anna, who was accompanying them as an intelligence agent, simply conveyed the sad news that other European cities besides London were already in monster hands.

Among Europe’s many cities, London wasn’t chosen for its historical significance—it was simply the only city suitable for hosting talks.

‘Perhaps instead of reconstructing international organizations, they should focus on taking care of themselves first.’

Given Europe’s bleak situation, Bahamut wondered if reclaiming the European mainland should take priority over international organization reconstruction conferences.

“What about Washington D.C., where the White House is located? Or New York?”

“Since we couldn’t control other states, we weren’t in a position to lead international organizations. So we conceded to London.”

“I see.”

It might have been better if America, which was in a relatively better situation, had taken the lead, but America had conceded to London due to internal political issues.

While it was true that international organization reconstruction could be discussed in New York or other cities besides Washington D.C., where the White House was located, they had given up hosting the international organization headquarters in their own country solely because the White House couldn’t control other states.

That was the official reason, but looking a bit deeper into the matter:

‘It means isolationist factions are gaining strength.’

It was isolationism, or more accurately, an America First ideology.

Commonly referred to as the Monroe Doctrine, the White House, having lost control over state governments, was facing growing support for the argument that they should focus on domestic issues rather than leading international organization reconstruction or normalizing diplomatic channels.

Indeed, they were genuinely busy with internal matters, and opinions were increasingly emerging from lower levels that this wasn’t the time for America to get involved in European affairs and discuss international organization reconstruction.

In this climate of public opinion, the White House couldn’t boldly declare, “From now on, Washington D.C. is the headquarters of international organizations!” Instead, they merely put their name on the list, taking a wait-and-see approach by conceding the reconstruction hosting to London, with which they shared cultural similarities.

‘They’re doing so much better than us, who are based in just a provincial city. The host’s map is cheating. It’s dirty, so dirty.’

From Bahamut’s perspective, listening to Anna’s explanation, America seemed to be doing incredibly well if they could afford to make such concessions.

The Balhut Cult, with only Gyeongju and Pohang under their control, couldn’t compare to the United States, which still had its capital intact and wielded enormous power with its vast territory.

However, Bahamut had prepared means to make the Balhut Cult known to international organizations, such as Bahamut coins and manufacturing new minerals born from the apocalypse, but…

“It seems it will be difficult for us to get what we want.”

Bahamut judged that these alone wouldn’t be enough to gain recognition from international organizations.

“What is it that you want?”

“Well, what the Balhut Cult wants most.”

“What it wants most…”

Anna seemed curious about Bahamut’s lament and unconsciously asked him a question, but Bahamut only replied that it was what the Balhut Cult wanted.

However, since he didn’t give a clear answer about what that was, Anna fell into contemplation, but…

“I hope you get what you want.”

“Thank you, Anna.”

Realizing she didn’t have the authority to pursue the matter further, Anna withdrew with the conventional wish that the Balhut Cult would achieve its desires.

Seeing Yu-na bow her head in gratitude, Anna smiled bitterly.

‘Still, if they use Bahamut coins or the recently developed Mithril, they could quickly get what they want.’

Anna thought that as long as it wasn’t an unreasonable demand, the Balhut Cult could quickly get what it wanted by using the Bahamut coins they had introduced.

That’s how significant the role of Bahamut coins was in the current Awakened civilization.

‘After all, it’s the most readily available magical weapon.’

It’s easy to predict that it would quickly gain popularity in Europe, where magical weapons are desperately needed.

“So, is this London? It’s incomparable to Gyeongju.”

“It’s the capital. Of course it can’t be compared to Gyeongju, which is a provincial city.”

“Hmm, I’m a bit envious.”

Not long after, they arrived at London’s Heathrow Airport, and Yu-na admired the city of London with great amazement.

Unlike the Balhut Cult, which was based in a provincial city and surprisingly lacked many things, London seemed to have already regained its functions as a metropolis, with its downtown appearing to surpass the Balhut revival.

Since international travel was impossible, there was nothing at Heathrow Airport where the delegation had arrived, but after moving a bit and going outside, they could clearly see with their own eyes that people were swarming everywhere.

“So, the Lord Protector, was it? The Awakened who recaptured London has good skills.”

Therefore, Bahamut genuinely admired the skills of the Lord Protector who had recaptured London, and became interested in his methods.

Although he wasn’t sure if the Lord Protector’s techniques would work on the Korean Peninsula, hadn’t he recaptured the capital?

If they modified and applied those methods, Bahamut thought they could surely use them in the Balhut Cult’s ongoing Ulsan recapture operation.

“The Lord Protector is impressive… Why do you think so?”

“Well, didn’t he recapture the capital? Even by apocalypse standards, he’s running the city so well, his skills must be solid. Wouldn’t he deserve to be called a hero?”

Anna listened to Bahamut and Yu-na’s conversation with a somewhat ambiguous expression and asked why they rated the Lord Protector so highly.

Bahamut replied that if the main figure who recaptured the capital wasn’t highly regarded, who else could be?

Although there were some unsavory rumors, it was an undeniable fact that the Lord Protector had recaptured London, and seeing this scene, there seemed to be no problems with his subsequent governance. Bahamut thought that not only was he capable, but his skills were also definitely solid.

Yes, he thought of him as a hero who appeared in this apocalypse.

“Ah, I just realized that Yu-na and Bahamut are visiting London for the first time.”

“Well, yes?”

“Yes, this is our first time here.”

This was simply due to an information imbalance.

To be frank, even before the apocalypse, news about foreign countries was only known to the general public in broad strokes unless someone with interest specifically looked into it, and internal affairs were rarely well-known.

Just as the Balhut Cult was still treated as a cult despite reforms and reorganization, the external and internal views of the Lord Protector were bound to be distinctly different.

‘Judging by that appearance, the external and internal views of the Lord Protector seem to be different.’

Especially regarding social issues or internal affairs, it was even more difficult for them to become known externally without clear warnings. In this apocalypse, where internet users were limited, the foreign news that could be found in Korea, apart from international organization reconstruction efforts like this one where all countries collaborated, could hardly be called information—it was mostly just personal survival content.

“It seems you don’t know much about the internal situation in the UK.”

“Is there something different from what we know?”

“There are a few things. Including information that’s difficult to discern through foreign internet.”

Noticing this, Anna concluded that the Balhut Cult didn’t know much about UK internal affairs. When Bahamut asked if there was anything different from what they knew, Anna nodded in affirmation.

She answered as if what the Balhut Cult knew wasn’t everything, suggesting there was information difficult to find on the internet.

“I see. Then, can Anna tell us about the UK?”

“Are you asking me to sell you information?”

Bahamut frankly admitted it and brazenly requested Anna to tell them about UK internal affairs.

At his brazen attitude, Anna smiled slightly and asked if that meant he intended to buy the information she knew.

“Didn’t you just say that information obtained through the internet has limitations? If it’s information necessary for this diplomatic activity, by all means.”

Bahamut declared that if it was necessary, he would buy it without hesitation.

In fact, through Bahamut coins, they were earning massive supplies and foreign currency from the United States, so they could certainly afford to purchase information sold by Anna personally.

“Yes. Usually in this situation, I’d like to charge for the information… but since I owe you, I’ll provide it free of charge this time. From America’s perspective, this international organization reconstruction declaration is close to building justification. Or it might be a means to enhance the legitimacy of two Awakened rulers representing two countries. Who knows.”

“When you say two countries, do you mean the UK and France?”

“Yes. Both have low government approval ratings. Both regimes revealed their dark intentions before properly settling into power. Well, the Saint of Orleans has high support in a certain sense.”

It seemed strange that rulers who had recaptured capitals had low approval ratings, but apparently both regimes were viewed with suspicion by citizens.

Bahamut was bewildered by the fact that they were already under suspicion when not even a year had passed since the apocalypse, but he pondered the “dark intentions” Anna mentioned.

“Indeed, I’ve heard that the one called the Saint of Orleans is a… Europeanist. And the Lord Protector is a throne usurper. I heard he failed.”

“Yes, the former is correct. She is an aggressive Europeanist who advocates for a unified Western Europe centered on France. But frankly speaking, that’s essentially saying she’ll sacrifice all regions except Paris and Orleans.”

“…Sacrifice?”

Anna used a term that Europeans would recognize, and Bahamut showed an expression of complete incomprehension.

What exactly did she mean by using such an important-sounding term?

“Oh my. This is a term from that region, so it might be difficult to understand. Simply put, it’s a strategy of sacrificing the provinces for the sake of the center.”

Seeing his reaction, Anna judged that Bahamut, based in Asia, might not understand, so she explained it as a strategy of sacrificing the provinces for the center.

In fact, it wasn’t wrong—it referred to thoroughly and cruelly oppressing the provinces to concentrate power in the center.

“…Concentrating power in one place is a common strategy, so that’s not strange. What about the Lord Protector?”

“The Lord Protector seized an opportunity when the royal family of this country was being slaughtered by monsters. It just so happened that the only royal who could inherit the throne was the crown prince’s young daughter. He must have seen this crisis as an opportunity—a chance for the self-proclaimed Lord Protector to become king of this country.”

Anna said it was a case of harboring dark ambitions because a young queen had inherited the throne.

This was actually too common to comment on.

Throughout history, weren’t there many cases where young kings ascended the throne, were manipulated by powerful ministers, and then either lost their throne and were exiled, or had their throne usurped by their uncles?

“Of course, many citizens love the royal family of this country. The tragic death of a queen who held her position for 70 years and the royal family, and the composure of a new queen who, despite her young age, tries to unite public opinion. Seeing this, survivors from the Labour and Conservative parties gathered under the new Queen. The newly enthroned Queen became their center. And at that time, there were still loyal guards to assist them.”

However, what the Lord Protector didn’t know was that following the tragic death of the elderly queen, forces determined to defend the royal family had gathered.

Since she had reigned for over 70 years, there were bound to be many who followed such a queen. The newly enthroned queen was her great-granddaughter, and there were many righteous people willing to save a queen in crisis.

The Lord Protector could be seen as a case of someone who underestimated a young and powerless queen and paid dearly for it.

“Then, are you saying the palace coup failed?”

“Yes. Many citizens who survived, as well as those loyal to the Queen, were horrified by the Lord Protector’s declaration and stopped his palace coup. However, it was impossible to purge the Lord Protector from London’s political circles. Like it or not, the Lord Protector is a hero of this country and still receives much support from radicals.”

But in the end, the palace coup failed, and the fate of those who failed at palace coups was naturally death.

However, due to the singularity of the apocalypse, London’s political circles couldn’t dare to expel the Lord Protector who had attempted a palace coup, nor was it convenient to purge his followers.

At this point, when strong Awakened were needed, if they lost the Lord Protector and the Awakened he led, they couldn’t imagine the future of the UK. So they had no choice but to offer a compromise to the one who had attempted a palace coup.

“Above all, the Lord Protector is the strongest Awakened in this country. Even if the cabinet wants to punish him somehow, they can’t if he resists with force. Now that he’s declared he’ll repent and act as regent on behalf of the young Queen, it’s difficult to touch him.”

“It sounds like things went wrong from the start.”

The Lord Protector was the strongest in the UK, so who would dare judge him?

Although he had retreated once due to fierce public opposition, the Lord Protector was in a position where he could occupy Parliament and the palace with force at any time and depose the Queen.

“Was he a hero who responded to Britain’s crisis, or a usurper who exploited it? Depending on his choice going forward, America will have to make many decisions too.”

“There’s no need to go into such detail.”

“Just a small gesture of goodwill.”

Anna revealed all the details about the Lord Protector to Bahamut, who sensed something strange about Anna providing so much information, but only for a moment.

As if to confirm Bahamut’s suspicions, Anna quietly smiled and spoke.

“If Bahamut has felt some sympathy for the poor young Queen, that’s good enough.”

“That sounds like you’re telling me to interfere in British affairs.”

“Oh? Did you think so? I’m just a mere agent, so I wouldn’t know.”

It was truly suspicious information sharing.