Ch.1616. Bahamut (4)

Hwang Seung-man raised his voice in alarm, but Choi Yu-na calmly brought her finger to her lips.

Making a shushing gesture, she spoke to Hwang Seung-man in a low voice.

“Your voice. There’s no need to raise your voice like that, Mr. Hwang.”

Normally, this would be a reasonable warning since noise could attract zombies.

However, with Bahamut’s arrival, all zombies in the city had disappeared.

Even if they made loud noises now, there were no zombies left to be drawn to them.

“Y-you. You even know my name.”

But Hwang Seung-man wasn’t composed enough to point this out to Yu-na. Instead, he couldn’t hide his shock that she knew his name.

Who could have told this girl his name?

On the surface, it was a conversation between an experienced middle-aged man and a young girl, but Yu-na had taken control of the conversation long ago.

“Yes. Since we had someone from our cult who used to be stationed here. With their help, I heard stories about you, Mr. Hwang.”

“…Hmm.”

When she revealed that those who had left this place had informed on him, Hwang Seung-man felt resentment toward those who had abandoned the Gyeongju branch.

Of course, they had their reasons, and he could understand they might have sold him out to prove their loyalty to their cult.

Either way, the person before him claimed to know a lot about him, which made Hwang Seung-man even more wary of Yu-na.

“Haha. There’s no need to be so obviously cautious, Mr. Hwang. I’ve come to make you an offer. Let me assure you that I have absolutely no intention of fighting with the Gyeongju branch.”

“An offer?”

She said she had no intention of fighting.

Hwang Seung-man felt relief at those words.

If they were to fight, he was certain the Gyeongju branch would lose, so Yu-na’s promise gave him comfort while also raising questions.

Why would she bother making them an offer?

With their current momentum and power, they could have forced the Gyeongju branch to comply.

“Yes, Mr. Hwang. Would you like your Gyeongju branch to create laws and regulations for our Balhut Cult?”

“What? Please say that again.”

It was truly an unexpected proposal.

It was such an unforeseen suggestion that he pretended not to hear and asked her to repeat it.

“Laws and regulations. Isn’t that your specialty? So couldn’t you use that knowledge to create new laws as well?”

“…That’s possible. But.”

In reality, laws were enacted by the legislative branch, so it had nothing to do with him in the judicial branch.

However, as Yu-na pointed out, since he made his living dealing with judicial matters, the logic that he could conceptualize new laws wasn’t entirely wrong.

But that proposal…

“Are you asking us to betray the judicial branch… or more broadly, our homeland, the Republic of Korea?”

The judicial branch of this country… broadly speaking, it essentially meant betraying the Republic of Korea.

Hwang Seung-man interpreted the meaning of creating new laws and regulations as establishing a new country in Gyeongju.

“If that’s what’s necessary.”

However, Yu-na expressed her willingness to do so if necessary.

So he should refuse. The zombie apocalypse situation would soon stabilize…

‘No. Will it really normalize as I think? This apocalyptic disaster?’

…Hwang Seung-man, who had been thinking this, soon wore a dark expression.

It was a cruel thought, but this country and its president had already lost the people’s trust.

‘It’s been a month already. A month has passed, and the government hasn’t given any answers.’

More than a month had passed, and the disaster remained unresolved.

There had been some communication from outside, but it was always filled with platitudes.

If the government had any capacity left, there would have been news of rescues or cities being reclaimed, but such news was still nonexistent.

Did the government of the Republic of Korea even exist anymore?

Numerous questions and agonies tormented Hwang Seung-man’s mind.

“I too initially believed in the government and waited for rescue.”

As if targeting this small gap, the voice of the girl before him seemed to sound sweetly in his ears.

“But no matter how many times I prayed and desperately begged, the hope I wanted never came.”

As if she understood Hwang Seung-man’s anguish well, Yu-na told him that she too had not been much different from him.

Yes, as she said, Hwang Seung-man had also prayed many times and desperately wished for government salvation.

But the Korean government had failed to fulfill his wishes.

“Instead, the largest survivor camp in Gyeongju was overrun by zombie hordes and disappeared.”

Hwang Seung-man had witnessed that horrific scene firsthand.

The news that the camp Yu-na belonged to had fallen to zombie hordes was well-known to Hwang Seung-man.

Her statement that she understood his situation well wasn’t just empty words; it was something she had actually experienced.

“Mr. Hwang. Right now, our god has swept away all the zombies in Gyeongju. But do you think this crisis ends there?”

“It-it’s not over?!”

She was saying the zombie crisis wasn’t over yet.

“The rest of the regions and cities outside Gyeongju are still occupied by zombies.”

“Then, if we escape to the mountains…”

“That’s impossible. There are vicious beings called monsters in the mountains near Gyeongju. I’ve been chased by those monsters myself.”

She said that not only zombies but also vicious beings called monsters existed in the nearby mountains.

Yu-na exaggeratedly shuddered as if frightened by those beings, and her trembling instilled fear in Hwang Seung-man.

If this wasn’t the end, if there was more to come…

Could they withstand it with their current strength?

“It’s too late to keep believing and waiting for the hope called government.”

Yu-na’s assertion wasn’t wrong.

If they continued waiting, the chances of being devoured by another threat were too high.

After hearing Yu-na’s words, Hwang Seung-man’s mind began to agonize endlessly over which path to choose.

“So I promise you and the Gyeongju branch, Mr. Hwang.”

And as if to help Hwang Seung-man make his choice, Yu-na changed her expression from one of empathy for his situation to one full of goodwill and declared:

“My god, Lord Bahamut, will protect you all.”

It was a statement that the dragon who had annihilated the zombie hordes would protect the Gyeongju branch.

Having witnessed the dragon’s power firsthand, Hwang Seung-man asked Yu-na with a feeling like grabbing a broken lifeline:

“Are you saying that dragon will protect us?”

“Yes. In fact, he wanted you all. He wanted you all to complete the laws and regulations we will uphold.”

Learning that the dragon actually wanted them, Hwang Seung-man felt endless joy and comfortable relief.

“…He wanted us?”

“Yes. It’s a direct command from our god.”

She was saying that such a dragon felt a need for them and would step forward to protect them.

However, Hwang Seung-man still had his conscience as the chief judge of a district court in the Republic of Korea.

‘It’s a sweet offer. Too sweet. I’d regret it if I didn’t accept it immediately. But I belong to this country’s judicial branch. The judicial branch… broadly speaking, it would mean betraying the Republic of Korea. Is that okay? Wouldn’t it make me and those who follow me traitors?’

He worried that not only himself but also those who followed him would be labeled as traitors.

Traitors!

The fact that this derogatory term could be directed at him and his followers made him hesitate about the choice before him.

Even if the Korean government had been silent, the thought that the Republic of Korea hadn’t completely disappeared lingered in his mind.

“…If it’s not too presumptuous, before we make our decision, could we meet that dragon directly?”

That was the maximum compromise he could make as the chief judge of a district court in the Republic of Korea.

* * *

In response to Hwang Seung-min’s compromise, Yu-na didn’t answer immediately, saying she would ask Bahamut about the compromise and then respond.

The negotiation was temporarily suspended, and Yu-na immediately took out her Scrying Mirror to contact Bahamut.

“…So, meeting with you is their condition for joining.”

[That’s fine.]

She relayed the condition set by Hwang Seung-man, and Bahamut replied that it was fine.

‘Actually, this isn’t bad. The negotiation succeeded smoothly.’

It wasn’t a bad outcome.

In fact, it could be considered good.

From Bahamut’s perspective, the negotiation had progressed better than expected.

To be frank, this foolish dragon had been anxious that Yu-na and the Balhut Cult might cause a major incident with radical actions.

“I think it’s disrespectful! To dare to stand before a god…!”

[Ahem. I have given permission, so speak no more of it.]

Rather than Bahamut, it was Yu-na who was dissatisfied with Hwang Seung-man’s compromise.

Her complaint was that Bahamut had directly declared he would protect them, yet they dared not accept his goodwill.

Bahamut was startled by Yu-na’s dissatisfaction and sternly admonished her, firmly telling her to voice no more complaints.

“I understand!”

[Good. That’s better.]

Though Yu-na looked dejected at Bahamut’s rebuke, she soon enthusiastically affirmed Bahamut’s opinion.

She thought that if Bahamut had rebuked her so, there must be a reason.

‘By the way, meeting directly… I suppose that means meeting at the temple?’

Bahamut then considered the meeting place if he accepted the compromise.

Meeting inside the city was very difficult due to Bahamut’s size.

That meant they would meet at the temple where Bahamut was…

‘Wait, meeting at the temple?’

Here, a problem arose.

Bahamut immediately took his gaze off the Scrying Mirror and looked around.

No matter how he looked at it, it was the interior of a temple where only a shut-in would live.

[…Wait a moment.]

“What’s wrong, my lord?”

The unattended statues had long been covered in dust, and the ceiling where he resided was full of cobwebs.

It was essentially an abandoned temple, and Bahamut couldn’t deny it, so he stopped Yu-na who was trying to finalize the negotiation.

What he needed now was time!

[Meeting them is not a problem. However, if we meet each faction separately, I anticipate it will consume considerable time.]

“That’s true, isn’t it?”

This foolish dragon named Bahamut had the audacity to make up any nonsense to buy time!

Once again, he buys time with a plausible excuse!

[Therefore, I think it would be better to propose joining to other survivor camps in Gyeongju as well, and to separately gather and organize those who wish to meet me.]

“I see! You’re saying that while recruiting the Gyeongju branch, we should make the same proposal to all survivor camps in Gyeongju!”

[Yes.]

Bahamut’s words themselves weren’t strange.

Indeed, if they met each faction separately, it would consume considerable time.

In this apocalyptic situation, time was as valuable as gold, so Bahamut’s argument was quite persuasive.

‘The temple is too embarrassingly dirty to show right now…!’

But in reality, the issue was that his temple was too dirty to receive visitors.

‘Moreover, the path here is rough, and since it’s a place inaccessible by car, we need roads that cars can travel on!’

The path to this place was rough and in a remote location.

Realizing this, Bahamut clearly felt that he needed time to organize his residence.

[First, let’s set a date for the meeting. Tell the legal experts that I have agreed to their proposal. Say that the exact date will be determined after contacting and negotiating with other factions.]

“I understand, my lord. I will convey that message.”

For now, he would accept Hwang Seung-min’s proposal, and if they negotiated with other factions to coordinate the meeting time, the negotiations would take some time.

‘Phew….’

He had somehow bought time.

The rest would be determined by his magical skills, architectural abilities, and cleaning capabilities.

‘First, cleaning. I need to clean thoroughly and oil everything!’

Since dust had accumulated, cleaning was essential!

‘And as for the road… it’s troublesome, but maybe I’ll solve this with magic.’

It was too late to do everything by hand!

He would use magic to construct a road for people coming here!

‘Ah, and I’ll need to rehearse too. This is essentially my first meeting and negotiation with people, so I can’t show a mediocre appearance!’

And he would rehearse how to converse with people!

‘I must show a firm and impressive appearance to the public!’

This fool thought of nothing else.

How terrible and frightening a thought is that?