Ch.155154. Dragon God Association (1)

“In reality, the refugee issue wasn’t just Pohang’s problem.

Refugee problems were erupting across the Korean peninsula, and the fundamental cause was…”

“Sir. The refugees have caused problems again.”

“Is it under our jurisdiction?”

“No. It’s under another faction’s control.”

“Then there’s no problem. We’ve managed them until now, but we no longer have that obligation.”

This was because after the failed expedition, Kim Su-ho of Seoul had essentially fallen from power, leaving South Korea in a completely anarchic state.

The refugee problem that Kim Su-ho had been managing should have been handled by whoever took power in Seoul after him, but despite ousting Kim Su-ho, they couldn’t manage it like he did, causing the refugee situation to explode.

The issue was that factions other than Kim Su-ho were taking the hit, and Kim Su-ho had absolutely no intention of resolving this situation.

But to say the refugee problem was limited to the Korean peninsula…

“Your Majesty. Refugee problems are reportedly occurring in various regions.”

“Uh, M-Mary, what should we do about this?”

“Well. We do have royal guards who follow us. But normally, this is an issue the cabinet should resolve, not us.”

It wasn’t just the Korean peninsula—the whole world was suffering from looters disguised as refugees.

Even Alicia, who had regained her queenly dignity through a contract with Bahamut, received reports that the Lord Protector’s cabinet was in considerable trouble due to the refugee problem.

It could be seen as the aftermath of what was essentially an apocalypse.

“President Arthur. Refugees who have lost their homes are appearing everywhere. They’re showing up across the entire United States and disrupting public order.”

“Take in the relatively peaceful refugees. Deploy heroes to control the violent looters.”

Everyone needed to find their own means to resolve this.

So Baek Seol-hwa didn’t need to consult with Prime Minister Hwang Geun-chul to address the refugee problem.

“The refugees have caused problems again.”

“You must be having a hard time.”

The Balhut Cult headquarters was also aware that looters disguised as refugees were causing problems.

After returning to Gyeongju from joining the international organization delegation, Administrative Minister Lee Su-a reported directly to Prime Minister Hwang Geun-chul about the refugee problems occurring throughout the Korean peninsula.

If this news reached Prime Minister Hwang Geun-chul through administrative official Lee Su-a, it was evidence that an enormous number of refugees were flooding in, beyond what even the Balhut Cult administration could control.

“What’s the situation?”

“Looters calling themselves refugees are heading toward Gyeongju. We’re blocking them with military forces, but similar incidents are happening across Balhut Cult territory.”

Looters-cum-refugees who came to Gyeongju for survival were unfamiliar with the Balhut Cult atmosphere and, based on their experiences during their long refugee life, were running wild as looters disrupting Gyeongju’s public order.

Fitting for an era where only the strong survive, they came out on the streets, looted store goods, trespassed into residences, and ate without paying, generating endless complaints.

The administration didn’t take refugee-related complaints lightly and worked with other government agencies to resolve the situation, but they failed to suppress it early.

“This is troublesome. They’re demanding South Korean law instead of Balhut Cult law… but even under South Korean law, these are criminal acts.”

“They call it the right of civil resistance. I wonder if they don’t know—or perhaps they do know—that even the right of civil resistance doesn’t permit looting, violence, or crime.”

The problem was that these refugees were gathering in one place under the pretext of the right of civil resistance and resisting the Balhut Cult.

Of course, the right of civil resistance is the last means of constitutional protection and the final measure to guarantee basic rights, allowing citizens to physically resist to protect their rights and freedoms.

But those shouting about civil resistance didn’t hesitate to loot stores, assault passing residents, or trespass and occupy homes.

Even under the South Korean law they invoked, these acts were nothing short of criminal, and invoking civil resistance for such actions was unconscionable.

Lee Su-a firmly told the reluctant Hwang Geun-chul that these people’s justifications were completely invalid, with a truly bewildered expression.

“Well. They probably know but are choosing to ignore it. Common sense would dictate that.”

“We must punish them firmly. Otherwise, the public order we’ve barely established will collapse again. The administration can’t focus on this when we’re already busy with the Ulsan war.”

Seeing her reaction, Hwang Geun-chul thought Lee Su-a was angrier than expected, but he didn’t blame her.

While it was true that the easiest way to survive the apocalypse was to take from others, and he felt some sympathy, he strongly recommended that they must be firmly punished since they had committed criminal acts first, as Lee Su-a said.

He argued that public order, which had been damaged by Jo Sun-do’s remnants, would be ruined again, and Hwang Geun-chul’s expression grew serious at those words.

“Is it that bad?”

“The biggest problem is that among these looters, some notorious individuals from online communities have infiltrated. We can quickly catch well-known looters by sharing information with checkpoints, but some skilled looters have successfully breached our surveillance outposts and entered Gyeongju.”

“That’s troublesome. It’s like having A-class villains, in American terms.”

Hwang Geun-chul’s expression grew even more serious at the report that truly notorious looters who had gained fame over the past year were also infiltrating.

Looters themselves were unwelcome, but Hwang Geun-chul knew all too well that famous looters among them were even more unwelcome, and the report suggested that refugees coming to Gyeongju were no different from psychopathic criminal groups who had tasted human blood.

If they ran wild inside the city, casualties would occur instantly, and in America, they were recognized as social evils, called villains.

In fact, this perception wasn’t wrong—considering the severe collateral damage when an Awakened commits a crime, it was natural for Hwang Geun-chul’s expression to harden at the thought of city damage.

“It’s frustrating that the refugee crisis is happening at this timing. Didn’t they say the monsters in the mountains froze to death?”

“Yes. They seem to be taking advantage of that gap. Moreover, with the mountain monster groups disappearing, there are gaps in surveillance.”

Above all, the timing couldn’t be worse.

The cold wave had wiped out the monsters in the mountains, creating gaps in surveillance.

Normally, monitoring main routes would have been sufficient, but with mountain monsters eliminated by the cold wave, it became possible to bypass checkpoints by crossing over mountains.

Many refugees were coming to Gyeongju using this method, and although the Balhut Cult formed a refugee response team using surveillance drones, it was still insufficient.

“The fundamental reason is that military forces guarding Gyeongju were withdrawn due to the Ulsan battle. The royal guards protecting the Dragon Priestess and the Gyeongju Defense Command remain, but they’re inadequate.”

“What about the forces on the Ulsan front?”

“They seem to have some leeway after a recent major victory, but it would be difficult to return many troops to Gyeongju. We should be grateful that we can at least monitor the mountains that refugees are using as bypass routes by recalling the mountain troops who were watching the mountain range.”

Above all, a chronic shortage of troops was plaguing the Balhut Cult.

There were defense forces guarding Gyeongju and royal guards protecting the Dragon Priestess, but these soldiers were deployed to deal with undead coming to the city or to escort the Dragon Priestess, not to maintain public order.

Unfortunately, most of the military led by Jeong Dong-geon was deployed on the Ulsan front, and although there was news that some troops had returned to Gyeongju after a decisive victory, there wasn’t much they could do with such small numbers.

In the current situation, they needed additional forces to respond to refugees or a fundamental solution, but…

“Sigh. It would be extremely awkward to report this to Lord Bahamut. He wouldn’t get involved in this matter anyway.”

“Because it’s a human society problem, not monsters or undead. He doesn’t touch such sensitive social issues unless it’s truly dire.”

If there was a setback, it was that Dragon God Bahamut would find it difficult to intervene in this refugee crisis.

If it had been a fight against monsters, Hwang Geun-chul would have reported this directly to Bahamut, but since it was related to human society rather than monsters, it was difficult for Bahamut to intervene.

Bahamut had declared that he would not interfere in conflicts between humans unless absolutely necessary.

‘It’s not like Lady Yuna is in danger. And if this were a problem for the Dragon Priestess to solve directly… that’s not it either. This is a social problem our cabinet must resolve.’

Moreover, this wasn’t directly related to Dragon Priestess Choi Yu-na or Baek Seol-hwa.

It was truly a social problem occurring throughout the Korean peninsula, and resolving it was the responsibility of the current cabinet, the Dragon God Association, and Prime Minister Hwang Geun-chul.

Hwang Geun-chul felt frustrated by the fact that he couldn’t receive Bahamut’s help, but there was nothing he could do.

“Recently, he’s been cautious even with diplomatic issues involving national sentiment.”

“I actually think it’s fortunate that he’s being cautious. If he had resolved things arbitrarily without understanding the intricacies, it would have been quite troublesome.”

Hwang Geun-chul defended Bahamut, saying that Bahamut was being very considerate, and Lee Su-a understood but still felt disappointed.

Of course, the fact that Bahamut was cautious when dealing with issues involving national sentiment showed he was respected, but…

“I wish he would easily resolve such difficult matters.”

Honestly, both Hwang Geun-chul and Lee Su-a wished Bahamut would intervene and resolve the issue.

After all, from their perspective, it was an extremely troublesome matter.

It was so overwhelming that they wished Bahamut would at least provide some guidelines.

“In any case, do we have means to resolve this?”

“We do have means. Means, that is.”

At least Lee Su-a said there were means to resolve this crisis.

Hwang Geun-chul responded immediately with a welcoming expression, as if truly relieved.

“If there are means, I’ll help you use them to the fullest extent of my authority.”

In a situation where it was difficult to know where to begin, Lee Su-a’s words felt like a lifeline from heaven to Hwang Geun-chul.

Thinking she was indeed an administrative official chosen by the Dragon God, he looked at Lee Su-a with an expectant expression, when suddenly!

“We can deploy National Tax Service agents.”

“Are you trying to kill people?”

Hwang Geun-chul’s expression soured in an instant.

What did she just say?

Is she seriously thinking about killing people?

The moment they deployed the infamous NTS, the problem would be solved, but he couldn’t even imagine how many corpses they’d have to clean up.

“…Is that how it is?”

“No matter how chaotic things are, deploying the NTS in this situation would easily send a hundred people to the afterlife. What am I saying—it would be a thousand deaths.”

The NTS’s infamous reputation was already well-known throughout the cabinet.

Prime Minister Hwang Geun-chul knew that this notoriety was not exaggerated but true, and that many NTS agents were more powerful Awakened than most military Awakened.

Moreover, thanks to Lee Hyeon-a’s skills, they had received magical items developed by Bahamut, second only to Jeong Dong-geon, and NTS agents armed with such powerful magical items had openly demonstrated their infamous reputation as grim reapers to tax evaders.

“But the results are outstanding.”

“W-Well… I can’t deny that.”

However, the results were outstanding.

The moment they were deployed, even if the tax evader was an Awakened, they would become as docile as a lamb and pay their taxes.

Considering that strong force must accompany tax collection in this apocalypse, the NTS’s armed state wasn’t strange at all.

However, they had a record of crippling some tax evaders who resisted during tax collection through excessive suppression.

So Lee Su-a wasn’t lying when she said deploying NTS agents would quickly resolve the situation.

“One strike with this and everything would be resolved. I’m starting to understand my sister’s feelings these days.”

If they deployed these agents and labeled the refugees as tax evaders, the NTS agents would physically collect taxes.

The resulting violent confrontations would be familiar to NTS agents, and they would collect every bit of evaded tax without exception, crushing any resistance in the process.

“Stop thinking before you reach dangerous conclusions. If you also become obsessed with NTS omnipotence, I won’t be able to handle it.”

While Hwang Geun-chul agreed with Lee Su-a, considering the NTS agents’ belligerence and danger, it wasn’t the first option the cabinet prime minister would choose.

Lee Su-a sighed but didn’t blame Hwang Geun-chul for blocking the deployment of NTS agents and instead explained her backup plan.

“The next easiest method is to expel all refugees by establishing a justification. Daegu’s government has already been overthrown by the refugee influx. Using this as justification, we could certainly use force.”

The backup plan was none other than expulsion.

It involved expelling refugees coming to Gyeongju by establishing a justification, and she seemed to have already thought of one, mentioning that Daegu’s interim government had been overthrown by a refugee influx.

Hwang Geun-chul initially listened quietly to Lee Su-a’s explanation, but…

“…What did you just say?”

“So, the use of force…”

“No. What you said in the middle.”

“The government formed by the interim government was seized by refugees. Our intelligence agents that we had established were quite damaged. Thanks to my sister giving Daegu a good thrashing.”

Lee Su-a’s casual remark sent a chill through Hwang Geun-chul’s heart.

The fall of Daegu’s interim government was absolutely not something to be taken lightly, and when Lee Su-a said the government had been seized by refugees, Hwang Geun-chul closed his eyes with a terrifying realization.

He instinctively understood that this refugee crisis wasn’t just about looters but a situation threatening the regime itself.

It wasn’t just a survivor camp—an organization that was properly trying to form a government had collapsed in an instant!

“S-So what about that interim government?”

“It’s a looter government. Did you think the one who seized power was a hero making a patriotic decision? Wake up, Prime Minister.”

And the newly established interim government in Daegu was reportedly a looter government.

Faced with such a terrifying external situation, Hwang Geun-chul wanted to escape reality.

“Ugh! I feel like counter-charging… no, the entire cabinet should resign!”

He felt like declaring the entire cabinet’s resignation right now, taking responsibility for this crisis.

It was simply Hwang Geun-chul’s misfortune to become prime minister in chaotic times rather than peaceful ones, but even if he declared the cabinet’s resignation right now, Yuna wouldn’t accept it.

“What I’m thinking now is using their own strategy against them…”

“Stop it. If they gain more levels through real combat experience, we’re the ones in trouble. Pohang is in a similar state, so you need to make a quick decision.”

Realizing that his neighbor was a robber, Hwang Geun-chul thought of using their strategy against them, but Lee Su-a warned in alarm that if they gained even one more level, it would be difficult to handle.

Hwang Geun-chul felt like crying as the situation grew increasingly dire, but there was nothing he could do.

The current cabinet was the Dragon God Association, and naturally, they were the main actors who needed to resolve this.

“Sigh. If Pohang is in a similar situation, Lady Seol-hwa, who guards the East Sea, must know about this. How should I explain this situation…”

“Sir.”

“What is it? I’m busy right now…”

But before he could worry about this crisis…

“Lady Baek Seol-hwa has arrived at the official residence.”

Hwang Geun-chul froze at the news that Dragon Priestess Seol-hwa had visited the prime minister’s residence.

Why does the Dragon God give him such trials? he wondered, harboring resentment toward Bahamut in the temple.

“…I should take responsibility for all this now and resign the entire cabinet.”

“Wake up from your dream.”

Hwang Geun-chul seriously considered resigning the entire cabinet.