Ch.224224. The War Begins (4)

The cabinet meeting had come to an end, and Jeong Dong-geon was able to meet privately with Hwang Geun-chul and Park Cheol-gon in the Prime Minister’s office.

The three great heroes representing Seorabeol had gathered in one place, but their expressions were not particularly pleasant.

That was only natural.

“The Cult of Immortality is no longer an issue we can take lightly! This cabinet meeting was nothing short of disastrous!”

Jeong Dong-geon raised his voice as he looked at the Prime Minister and the Chairman gathered in the Prime Minister’s office.

Always serious and tight-lipped, Jeong Dong-geon seemed unable to contain his indignation this time. He raised his voice to vent his frustration, and in response, both the Prime Minister and the Chairman lowered their heads, avoiding his gaze.

Well, whether they liked it or not, the responsibility for the failure of this cabinet meeting fell on Prime Minister Hwang Geun-chul and Chairman Park Cheol-gon.

But their advocacy for Gyeongju’s interests was somewhat understandable.

“But General Jeong Dong-geon, didn’t you also find their logic somewhat convincing?”

“T-that’s…”

“Well, if one approached it with a public-minded perspective, such thoughts should be immediately discarded. But among them, there are likely many who genuinely believe this is for the good of their hometown. After all, establishing Gyeongju as the capital of Seorabeol is quite an attractive proposition.”

Hwang Geun-chul wore a regretful expression as he pointed out that even Jeong Dong-geon had almost been persuaded by their logic.

At this, Jeong Dong-geon seemed to lose his words, apparently aware that he had been momentarily swayed.

As a general of Seorabeol, it was clearly a setback and something that had to be prevented.

But as a citizen of Gyeongju with roots in the city, could he truly say that establishing Gyeongju as the capital of Seorabeol was a bad thing?

“With the war against the Cult of Immortality being urgent now, the logic that the current war isn’t urgent is truly ridiculous. But the moment they succeed in designating the capital, it can become the center of politics, economy, and culture. If they can receive proper investment as a capital, it’s not impossible to recreate Seorabeol, the capital of Silla from a thousand years ago, as they claim.”

“Moreover, the population settling in Gyeongju is increasing, and development projects are steadily progressing…”

A country’s capital is the center of politics, economy, and culture, and once a capital is decided, it’s only natural that the country’s organizational investments would be concentrated there.

Even now, Gyeongju was a major stronghold of Seorabeol, so if it succeeded in being designated as the capital, wouldn’t Gyeongju’s prosperity be assured as long as Seorabeol flourished?

Moreover, the monarch currently serving Seorabeol was not an ordinary human but a divine being called the Dragon God.

With such a divine being in Seorabeol, one could imagine it lasting not just 70 years like the Republic of Korea, but perhaps as long as the Joseon Dynasty.

“It’s tempting, isn’t it? Yes, I’ve imagined it once or twice myself. If I hadn’t had connections to central politics before the apocalypse and if I were an ordinary member rather than the Chairman of Seorabeol, I might have focused on that rather than reclaiming Seoul. It’s that attractive to voters.”

“As a native of Gyeongju, you must understand, General. This is an opportunity that will never come again for Gyeongju. Can you confidently say you’ve never once thought about it? I, too, found myself inwardly sympathizing with their speeches.”

“…”

This is why the two heroes could understand the sentiments of the cabinet members.

It was an opportunity that would never come again, and if not seized now, when would Gyeongju ever prosper?

Currently, due to the apocalypse, there had been tremendous investment and development projects, but if Seorabeol were to leave, and all these projects were canceled, who would take responsibility?

From the perspective of a Gyeongju representative, it was a vested interest worth defending with one’s life.

At the two heroes’ words, Jeong Dong-geon lowered his head dejectedly.

“…As you both say, I fully understand their sentiments. I too have Gyeongju as my hometown, and my love for my hometown is the same as theirs. But they lack responsibility as members of Seorabeol.”

However, no matter how much it was for Gyeongju’s benefit, the disgraceful display at the cabinet meeting was too much.

Jeong Dong-geon was also a native of Gyeongju, but he had never acted out of self-interest solely to protect Gyeongju, always prioritizing broader judgments as the head of the military.

From Jeong Dong-geon’s perspective, the cabinet members’ actions were disgraceful and would only provoke opposition from other cities.

“Well, the current cabinet members are quite different from the National Assembly members we saw before the apocalypse.”

“Different? What do you mean?”

In response to the general’s lament about his political ignorance, Hwang Geun-chul moistened his dry lips with the prepared tea and quietly revealed the truth about the current cabinet.

“The current Seorabeol cabinet consists of only a few elected National Assembly members from the Seorabeol territory, while the majority are former local council members from Gyeongju before the apocalypse. From their perspective, Gyeongju’s interests are synonymous with Seorabeol’s interests.”

“…Wait, then…”

“Yes, most of them had no connection to central politics before the apocalypse. Do you think such people can make broad-minded judgments? They’re not only busy handling the interests before them according to their capabilities… but they’re also busy just taking care of themselves.”

As Jeong Dong-geon thought, there was a qualitative issue with the current cabinet members.

After all, local council members who had no connection to central politics before the apocalypse had suddenly become national-level assembly members, and their political abilities and mindset as representatives had not been properly vetted.

Of course, since they were elected by the people before the apocalypse, one couldn’t say they had no political ability at all, but…

“In the end, we lacked time. Our transformation has only been going on for half a year. The political maturity of the Seorabeol cabinet members hasn’t caught up with the reality of the apocalypse. That’s what I mean.”

“Then what do we do now? Without the cabinet’s help, we can’t issue a mobilization order, can we?”

In conclusion, there wasn’t enough time for the assembly to mature into one befitting the apocalypse.

That’s why this situation had arisen, and the military had to face the Cult of Immortality without the cabinet’s help.

Especially since the Cult of Immortality was using overwhelming forces to cause conflicts in various regions, they needed the cabinet’s help to issue a mobilization order throughout Seorabeol.

“Yes, I understand that what we need most for the current war is a large number of troops. The forces stationed in Daegu and Pohang are defending their respective cities, so we can’t withdraw them. We need at least a partial or full mobilization order.”

“Both require the approval of the National Assembly.”

The problem was that the mobilization order required the assembly’s approval.

Without the assembly’s cooperation, it was impossible for Jeong Dong-geon to issue a mobilization order.

“…It seems that for this matter, the Priestess of the Dragon will have to step in directly.”

In the end, the three heroes decided to seek help from Choi Yu-na, the Priestess of the Dragon.

While the three heroes respected the assembly, the supreme leader of Seorabeol was clearly Choi Yu-na, the Priestess of the Dragon, and even if there were signs of resistance against her, if the Dragon God intervened, most problems could be quickly resolved.

Although the three heroes might face controversy and criticism for overstepping their authority, from their perspective, the war at hand was more important, so they decided to overcome this obstacle with Yu-na’s help.

Having reached a conclusion, the three heroes acted swiftly, and without exception, they headed to the Dragon’s Temple where Choi Yu-na was.

“…What are you saying?”

Yu-na, who had left most of Seorabeol’s affairs to Prime Minister Hwang Geun-chul or Chairman Park Cheol-gon, didn’t understand how things had turned out.

From Yu-na’s perspective, she thought she had fulfilled her role by politically supporting the formation of a national unity cabinet between the Dragon God Association and the Constitutional Democratic Party, but what she heard in return was not about the formation of a national unity cabinet, but the absurd story that they couldn’t even wage war due to the assembly’s refusal.

Seeing Yu-na’s expression, Prime Minister Hwang Geun-chul knelt on the spot and…

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t fulfill your wishes.”

He bowed his head and sincerely apologized.

Following him, Chairman Park Cheol-gon also knelt and began to apologize.

Seeing the two heroes, Jeong Dong-geon was flustered, but from Hwang Geun-chul and Park Cheol-gon’s perspective, after all the support and help Yu-na had given, their loyalty and ability could be rightfully questioned for not smoothly transitioning to war.

“Let’s hear the reason first.”

“Well…”

As the two heroes knelt and apologized, Yu-na looked at Jeong Dong-geon and said she would hear the situation, and Jeong Dong-geon recounted exactly what he had seen and heard.

Yu-na’s expression wasn’t particularly pleased with the disgraceful behavior in the cabinet, but she seemed to maintain her composure, taking a deep breath before turning her gaze away from the two heroes.

“So what’s the problem?”

“They’re trying to seize the opportunity to become the central hub after a thousand years.”

“From their perspective, it’s a golden opportunity.”

While she understood the situation, it still seemed absurd, as she looked at the two heroes with an expression asking why such a thing had happened.

Hwang Geun-chul assessed it as an action to not miss the opportunity to become the capital, and Park Cheol-gon explained that from the cabinet’s perspective, it was a golden opportunity they were trying to seize.

Up to that point, Yu-na could understand.

“…You know, right? Even if I were to agree with their opinion and grant permission, if Bahamut says it’s not possible, all actions would be in vain.”

However, even if Yu-na, as a native of Gyeongju, were to agree with their logic, if the Dragon God gave an order, Yu-na would not resist and would obediently follow the Dragon God’s words.

In other words, even if they persuaded Yu-na with the logic of being from Gyeongju, if Bahamut stepped in, it would all be a futile demonstration, but…

“Yes, they know that too. In a way, they’re putting on a kind of demonstration for Bahamut… a WWE. It’s a WWE in the sense of ‘We have these hardships, so please, Dragon God, give us a glance and solve it for us.'”

“WWE?”

“It’s a demonstration saying, ‘If you gift Gyeongju with interests comparable to being the capital, we won’t complain anymore.’ In the end, this mess arose because of the reality that there are limited suitable locations for a capital on the Korean Peninsula.”

That was enough for them.

In the end, Bahamut would have been well aware of these complaints, and given Bahamut’s character, they were confident he wouldn’t suppress them immediately but would seek a moderate solution, which is why this happened.

Yu-na pondered Hwang Geun-chul’s explanation, but…

“So, they’re asking for their interests to be guaranteed. But I think what’s been done so far is already a sufficient guarantee.”

“They probably think that’s only natural. When kindness continues, humans start to see it as an obligation.”

“Is that so?”

Wasn’t the greatest prosperity in Gyeongju’s history exactly the interest they wanted?

Yu-na thought so and complained to Hwang Geun-chul, but he told her that for them, this was too obvious to even be recognized or considered.

At those words, Yu-na lowered her head bitterly, and as if to comfort her, Park Cheol-gon spoke up.

“Yes, sadly, humans are naturally greedy creatures. They’re pitiful beings who find it hard to be satisfied even with what they have.”

“My personal thought is… since Gyeongju is my hometown too, I vaguely hope it does well. So I definitely have the desire to grant their request, but…”

When kindness continues, it’s often mistaken for a right.

The cabinet mistook the Balhut Cult’s kindness for a right and was not satisfied, so they demanded more rights.

Yu-na could understand that bitter feeling, and from a personal standpoint, she wanted to grant their requests.

But…

“From the perspective of Seorabeol or the Balhut Cult, there’s no reason to seriously consider their demands.”

“That’s right, isn’t it?”

It was ambiguous to claim, as they did, that this was for the benefit of Seorabeol.

It was hard to take seriously, and there were plenty of other ways to pursue Seorabeol’s interests.

And in this situation, where other rights had already been granted through the transformation, it was difficult to create yet another right solely for Gyeongju.

“But since Bahamut also considers Gyeongju an important stronghold, I think we can give them something to reward their loyalty to Seorabeol, even if it’s not the capital.”

But since they thought that way, Yu-na said she would help reward Gyeongju’s loyalty to Seorabeol, indicating she wouldn’t just let it pass but would seriously consider it.

This meant Bahamut would intervene directly, and the three heroes who reported this fact were surprised by this declaration.

‘Huh? I didn’t expect this.’

‘Isn’t it normal to refuse and pressure them?’

‘Is there a need to take this so seriously?!’

It was surprising because Yu-na was seriously considering something that could have been dismissed as unnecessary complaining.

When kindness is mistaken for a right, one would expect to teach the ill-mannered child a lesson, but instead, she was promising to gift them with interests comparable to being the capital!

If one were to ask if Gyeongju was worth that much, it would only raise questions, and if one were to ask if there were interests comparable to being the capital…

‘The bigger problem is that she can give interests greater than being the capital!’

‘If an ordinary politician said such things, we’d criticize it as bluster or populism, but it’s the Dragon God! If it’s a reward directly given by the Dragon God, it’s definitely not ordinary!’

‘What kind of interests does she plan to gift?’

It was frightening because Bahamut could actually do it.

If an ordinary politician had said such things, they would have thought it was bluster or populism and wouldn’t have expected anything, but Yu-na was the Priestess of the Dragon who served the Dragon God, and such statements from the Priestess of the Dragon were not taken lightly.

Since she said Bahamut would intervene, Bahamut would truly get involved in this matter, and knowing Bahamut as the three heroes did, he might really gift Gyeongju with interests that would satisfy them.

“But it’s still not possible right now. Jeong Dong-geon… no, General, how is the current front against the Cult of Immortality?”

“It’s a situation where neither side will retreat. Both sides are full of the intention to fight. The moment one side achieves a decisive victory, the victorious side will ride the momentum and attempt a great war to annihilate the defeated opponent.”

But indicating it wasn’t possible right now, Yu-na asked about the current war situation, and Jeong Dong-geon immediately explained the current situation, describing it as a situation where a great war was imminent.

An unavoidable war.

At the statement that neither side could back down, Yu-na closed her eyes for a moment.

“Indeed, an unavoidable war… Then, General Jeong Dong-geon.”

“Yes, Lady Yu-na.”

“Please investigate the current situation in South Ulsan in detail. Specifically… check if there are civilians residing in South Ulsan.”

She made a sudden request.

Investigating South Ulsan was something they had always done to understand the movements of the Cult of Immortality, so the investigation itself wasn’t a problem.

But…

“…Pardon? Civilians?”

“Yes, I hope there are no civilians in South Ulsan.”

Why was she suddenly talking about civilians residing in South Ulsan?

Jeong Dong-geon looked at Yu-na with an expression of incomprehension, and in response, Yu-na simply smiled.

It was a familiar smile from Yu-na, who always showed a smiling face, but for some reason, the three heroes felt that today, that smile looked like a murder announcement.