Ch.201201. Mutual Defense Treaty (2)

When Fukuoka proposed the Korea-Japan Mutual Defense Treaty, Seorabeol gladly accepted, as they also needed an Awakened at this time. Thus, the Korea-Japan Mutual Defense Treaty was established.

To demonstrate their loyalty as allies, Seorabeol dispatched the Hwarang under Yuna’s command to Fukuoka.

Of course, Yuna herself wasn’t commanding the Hwarang in Fukuoka, but remained in Seorabeol.

“I can’t believe I’m back here… I thought I’d just be doing police work in Seorabeol…”

Jin A-yeon, secretary to Police Commissioner Han Seong-geun, was appointed to command the Hwarang in Yuna’s place.

In fact, Son Sang-hui, Jeong Dong-geon’s adjutant from the military, could have commanded the Hwarang instead of Jin A-yeon, but Son Sang-hui declined the position first.

Her reason was simple.

“The Hwarang worked so hard to pass their tests and qualify. If they were commanded by me, the adjutant, rather than Commander Jeong Dong-geon himself, there might be resistance from the Hwarang.”

“Then, let’s ask Ms. Jin A-yeon.”

She didn’t believe the proud Hwarang would quietly follow her command.

After all, they had barely survived numerous competitions to become the Hwarang, the personal guard of the Dragon Priestess. How could their efforts be acknowledged if a parachute commander suddenly took over?

Their pride wouldn’t allow it, and it could lead to distrust toward Seorabeol.

To command such proud warriors, they needed either an Awakened with achievements the Hwarang would respect or the Dragon Priestess herself. Since Jeong Dong-geon was in charge of the Ulsan front, he couldn’t be used as the Hwarang commander…

“Damn it! It’s always me who gets picked for these annoying jobs!”

So they chose Jin A-yeon, known to be comparable to Jeong Dong-geon, as the commander.

With Jin A-yeon, the Hwarang wouldn’t dare rebel, and even if they did, she could subdue the entire Hwarang by herself, so there would be no problem.

The Hwarang accepted Jin A-yeon as their commander without complaint, as she wasn’t some unknown Awakened but a celebrated hero. They willingly placed themselves under her control, making the personnel selection perfect.

Except for Jin A-yeon’s own dissatisfaction, that is.

“The time for the Hwarang has finally come! At last, we can show our skills.”

“It’s a bit strange that it’s in Japan rather than the Korean Peninsula, but it can’t be helped since it’s a fight for our alliance!”

Thanks to this, the morale of the Hwarang heading to the battlefield was very high.

Considering the Hwarang’s position, this was an official opportunity to showcase the dragon armor they hadn’t been able to use in actual combat, so they were even more eager for battle.

After all, they had war equipment reportedly made by the Dragon God himself, but had only used it for training purposes. Inevitably, frustration had built up, and at the same time, the Hwarang understood this battle as one where victory for the allied forces was guaranteed.

After all, Korea and Japan, who had fought for a long time, had formed an alliance and created a combined force.

Who could possibly predict their defeat?

“We can’t just train our whole lives, can we?”

“That’s right.”

“Let’s show them the power of the dragon armor.”

Above all, the very existence of the dragon armor endlessly boosted their confidence.

Though they weren’t wearing the armor now, the moment they charged onto the battlefield, each Hwarang would transform into a war machine that no one could resist, rampaging across the battlefield.

“Hey, be a little nervous, will you? This is going to be one of humanity’s greatest offensives.”

Jin A-yeon criticized the Hwarang’s endlessly rising confidence with a worried voice, but…

“Haha, but with the Hero of Fukuoka joining us, there’s no problem, right?”

“That story is already months old, you know.”

From the Hwarang’s perspective, even the hero Jin A-yeon had joined them.

Was there really any factor that could lead to defeat in this battle? They had no doubts.

They saw no elements that could lead to defeat, only the word “victory,” so their arrogance was, in a way, natural.

“I never expected even A-yeon to come. Seorabeol really is serious about helping us.”

“Hey, last time I checked, you weren’t the mayor…”

Moreover, even Shiro, the main figure in the Great Kyushu Recapture Operation, was moved by Seorabeol’s loyalty when he learned of Jin A-yeon’s participation, and welcomed her return.

Sending just the Hwarang would have been enough, but they included Jin A-yeon as the Hwarang commander.

Shiro was inwardly convinced that this war would be a victory for the Korea-Japan alliance, welcoming Jin A-yeon’s participation even more than the Hwarang’s.

After all, it was inevitable that the verified hero Jin A-yeon was more welcome than the unproven elite guard Hwarang.

Jin A-yeon asked Shiro where the original mayor had gone.

“My aging father found it difficult to handle the current apocalypse, so he moved to an advisory role. I took over instead.”

“So that’s why I heard about you. It’s been a while, Shiro.”

He simply answered that his father remained as an advisor rather than mayor, and he had ascended to the position.

In reality, during this apocalypse, energetic and vigorous leaders were needed more than conservative politicians, so it could be said that the right mayor had come at the right time.

Of course, this was assuming his words weren’t lies, but considering he was governing Fukuoka without any resistance, Shiro’s statement was likely true.

Jin A-yeon, thinking it wasn’t her business, didn’t probe further.

“Yes, I’m truly glad to have you back.”

“Hey, I’ve just returned officially as a member of Seorabeol. I’m not back as the Hero of Fukuoka.”

When Shiro expressed his delight, she drew a line, saying she had come only as a member of Seorabeol.

After all, though she was once called the Hero of Fukuoka, she was now officially a police officer belonging to Seorabeol, so she couldn’t only consider Fukuoka’s position. Understanding this, Shiro opened his mouth with a bitter smile.

“But just the fact that you’re here is raising the morale of our troops. ‘Hero of Fukuoka’ is still a valid title.”

However, just Jin A-yeon’s presence could be a great help to the Japanese Awakened who remembered her exploits.

After all, she was the hero who saved Fukuoka.

Her achievements wouldn’t disappear in just a few months, and everyone who lived in Fukuoka owed their lives to Jin A-yeon.

‘Just the fact that she has joined will surely clear the doubts of any Awakened who still have them.’

This was why Shiro was so genuinely pleased with Jin A-yeon’s participation.

The presence of a hero in such an important battle could greatly boost the soldiers’ morale.

“Hey, that’s a story from months ago.”

“It’s only been a few months. That title means more to us than you think. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have been able to attend the International Organization Reconstruction Conference, nor could we have even thought about this Great Kyushu Recapture Operation.”

Jin A-yeon said she was embarrassed by such pressure, but Shiro praised her, saying that today’s Fukuoka existed thanks to her.

He said they had come this far thanks to her, and when Shiro himself said so…

“Is that so? Well then, I guess I’ll try to live up to being the hero Fukuoka wants, just for now.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Jin A-yeon agreed to act like a hero just this once.

“In that sense, Shiro, which front will we be responsible for?”

“I’d like you to be our guerrilla unit. I’ve heard that the Hwarang can also serve as a mobile unit, so I’d like you to prioritize rescuing allied forces if they’re in danger.”

The next conversation was about which front the Hwarang would be deployed to, and Shiro asked the Hwarang to serve as a guerrilla unit.

The number of Hwarang dispatched was limited, and with such small numbers, they couldn’t serve as the main force, so it could be said they were given an appropriate role.

Above all, this battle itself was the most important fight for Fukuoka—the recapture of Kyushu—so from Shiro’s perspective, the supporting Hwarang should only play an auxiliary role, and Fukuoka had to take on the main fight.

“That’s what I’ve always done. Well, I’m not sure if our Hwarang can keep up with me.”

From Jin A-yeon’s perspective, it wasn’t particularly difficult and was something she had always done, so there was no problem, but she was concerned about whether the Hwarang could keep up with her.

“We’ll be fine. The question is, can you keep up with us?”

“Ha, you haven’t even broken through level 20 yet. If you can’t keep up with me while wearing that armor, you might have to be dragged back to the Hwarang selection test.”

The Hwarang showed confidence in response to Jin A-yeon, even taunting her.

Jin A-yeon responded as if they had fallen into her trap, saying that if they couldn’t keep up with her, they might be dragged to the Hwarang selection test.

“Ugh, we don’t want that.”

“We’ll do our best, Commander Jin A-yeon.”

The Hwarang all steeled their resolve, as if that was the last thing they wanted.

With the Hwarang’s morale appropriately set, Jin A-yeon turned her gaze from the Hwarang to Shiro and opened her mouth with a hearty smile.

“Well, I’ll try my best, Shiro.”

“I’m counting on you.”

With that, Jin A-yeon and the Hwarang departed first to fulfill their guerrilla role for the allied forces, and Shiro shouted to the army that had completed preparations for departure.

“All forces, move out! Our goal is the Great Kyushu Recapture! This time, let’s show the world the spirit of the Japanese people!”

“Hooray! Long live Fukuoka! Long live Takashima Shiro!”

Thus, the historic expedition began, and Jin A-yeon, watching Fukuoka’s departure from a distance, smiled and declared to the Hwarang:

“Our Hwarang can’t lose to them either.”

“Yes. This is the first international stage to showcase the Hwarang. Let’s give them a performance they won’t forget.”

The Hwarang couldn’t lose to Fukuoka’s momentum.

Above all, this was the first international stage where the Hwarang would be showcased.

They absolutely could not afford to be disgraced.