Ch.285285. Reconstruction Begins (2)

“Lord Bahamut. I’ve heard that Seorabeol has entered into another debate over the capital issue.”

The Seorabeol cabinet had begun an endless, uncompromising debate over the capital region issue, and this news quickly reached Bahamut’s ears through Seol-hwa, who had just returned to Seorabeol.

And Bahamut’s response to the cabinet’s situation was remarkably simple.

“I already knew.”

His answer conveyed that he would have been surprised if this hadn’t happened.

He had thought that a mere temporary measure couldn’t establish Gyeongju as the capital region, and while it might have been done to gain support, there would inevitably be opinions among cabinet members that Gyeongju should be Seorabeol’s capital.

At least the Ulsan disaster had prevented the Gyeongju capital theory from rising too rapidly, but…

‘I can understand completely. The rights to a capital are far too important to be resolved with just one academy. I’ll have to take a firm stance on this.’

Conversely, Bahamut judged that he needed to step in personally to direct traffic.

He noticed that because these rights were so important, neither Prime Minister Hwang Geun-chul nor Chairman Park Cheol-gon could take a decisive stance, and he believed that handling such an important matter personally would be the fastest way to end the Gyeongju capital theory.

“Various voices are being raised. But for Seorabeol to complete its pacification of South Korea… Seoul must be the capital.”

“Yes. I know.”

Fortunately, Yu-na had always followed Bahamut’s words without doubt, so there wouldn’t be a major problem.

As long as Yu-na, who effectively ruled Seorabeol and could be considered its lady sovereign, stood with him, there would be no issues. Moreover, Yu-na had even earned the title of war hero.

With both sovereign status and the title of war hero, her influence was impossible to ignore. In fact, when Seol-hwa, the hero of the Incheon Landing Operation, arrived in Seorabeol and resumed governance, even the Third Zone, which had been running wild in the cabinet without fear, temporarily quieted down.

“Well. It’s unrealistic right now. If the council members learn of the current situation, the Seoul capital theory would weaken, and the Gyeongju capital theory would inevitably strengthen.”

Nevertheless, Seoul’s current situation wasn’t good enough to make it the capital right away.

Gangbuk had long been occupied by the Cult of Immortality, and due to the Dark Lord’s descent, it was completely unusable. Bahamut had swept away all the debris with magic, but even Gangnam, which was in relatively better condition, didn’t compare favorably to Gyeongju in its prime.

From blackened asphalt to unrepaired buildings and collapsed highways from excessive combat.

Now, all Seoul citizens were working together to repair roads, transport supplies, and engage in reconstruction, but anyone with insight would recognize that time was needed for Seoul to function properly again.

“At least we’re fortunate that all the garbage cleanup is finished, right? It’s amazing how half a year’s worth of preparation work disappeared in an instant. Hurrah for magic.”

The fortunate part was that the foundational work had already been completed through Bahamut’s magic, and all that remained was to restore Seoul’s prosperity, so the city’s reconstruction might not take as long as expected.

Kim Su-ho, who had just finished his manual labor, entered the headquarters, responding to Bahamut’s concerns.

“It seems you’ve finished transporting supplies? Is there really a need for you to participate personally? Considering your position, Mr. Su-ho, you could focus solely on command.”

Yu-na scolded Kim Su-ho, questioning why he needed to participate in manual labor.

In reality, given Kim Su-ho’s position, focusing on command rather than manual labor would be more efficient, and considering his abilities, he should have been on the front lines confronting the Cult of Immortality rather than carrying supplies.

But the reason Kim Su-ho volunteered for such menial work was…

“Haha. There’s nothing else for me to do, is there? We’re on alert to guard against possible external threats, but the Cult of Immortality is fleeing. Other warlords don’t dare invade Seorabeol. Even North Korea, which was a variable, seems to have fallen victim to its own schemes.”

Kim Su-ho had no opponents to fight.

General Jeong Dong-geon was handling the pacification of South Korea, and the Cult of Immortality remaining in Seoul had all retreated to take over North Korea, leaving Gyeonggi Province.

Even the undead cleanup in Seoul could be handled by his subordinates, and potential warlord invasions or internal security issues were being managed by Jin A-yeon, a former police officer who had organized the Seoul police force. There was truly nothing left for him to do.

So Kim Su-ho had joined the construction crews, using his physical abilities, and had grown into an excellent laborer… though whether this was a good use of his talents was questionable.

It was like using a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken!

“I suppose there’s nothing else to do.”

“Yes. That’s why I’m participating in Seoul’s reconstruction project just like Lord Bahamut. Actually, I was surprised that Lord Bahamut is directly involved in urban planning?”

But the issue was that Bahamut was also actively participating in the New Seoul reconstruction plan.

Kim Su-ho mentioned this fact, thinking to himself that if that was the case, Bahamut’s involvement wasn’t any stranger than his own.

“Is that so? From my perspective, it feels similar to when I was managing Seorabeol. And since Seoul will be Seorabeol’s capital…”

“The temple is the issue, isn’t it?”

“Yes. I need a site to build the temple where I’ll live.”

But he considered it necessary work.

Since Seoul had been decided as Seorabeol’s capital, Bahamut, the god of the Balhut Cult and Seorabeol’s true ruler, needed to be in Seoul as well.

This meant that Bahamut’s temple had to be built in Seoul, and selecting a site for its construction was essential.

“Have you selected a location?”

“Since virtually all of Gangbuk has been destroyed, selecting a site was easy. I’m thinking of establishing it at the former Gyeongbokgung Palace and Gwanghwamun. It’s a place with history and tradition.”

“Well, all the cultural properties there were destroyed because of the Dark Lord anyway.”

The fortunate aspect was that everything in Seoul’s Gangbuk had been destroyed in the fight against the Cult of Immortality.

This meant that the cultural heritage remaining in Seoul had been cleanly wiped out, and Bahamut planned to build his temple on the empty site.

In truth, building Bahamut’s temple on top of damaged cultural heritage sites was something that made even Bahamut himself uncomfortable, but…

“We could consider cultural heritage restoration projects, but considering that the former Blue House, where the government cabinet will stay, is nearby, we’re currently prioritizing practicality. We don’t have the luxury to restore cultural properties anyway.”

“That’s true.”

The problem was also the practical difficulty of finding a better site.

Building the temple underground in a mountain was possible again, but from Bahamut’s experience, that wasn’t a good choice.

It was troublesome to create an environment suitable for people to live underground, and above all, it was too confining to live there for a long time.

Since Bahamut’s true form was quite large, the interior space of the temple had no room for personal living space, so it was reasonable to dream of building a more spacious home… no, temple where he could live comfortably.

Hadn’t the Seorabeol cabinet complained about the temple’s location?

This wasn’t personal chatter but purely for practical purposes!

“First of all, we’ve successfully recaptured the National Assembly building without damage, and we’re focusing on restoring its functions.”

“That’s fortunate. At least we can expect the legislative body to recover in the near future.”

With the site for Bahamut’s temple selected, the next concern was where the assembly would reside.

Fortunately, the National Assembly building was in Gangnam, so it wasn’t heavily affected by the recent war, and after the Dark Lord was repelled, they were able to drive out the Cult of Immortality that had occupied it and restore its function.

Although it wasn’t currently housing any representatives, making it difficult to fulfill its role, it would certainly be fully functional by the time representatives from Gyeongju started arriving in Seoul.

“Then shall I announce to the Seorabeol cabinet that I will fulfill my previous promise?”

“Yes, do that. I should make a quick decision before unnecessary emotional conflicts create resentment.”

Thus, Dragon God Bahamut personally declared that Seoul was Seorabeol’s capital, and it was legally recognized that Seoul was Seorabeol’s official capital.

However, beneath this grand declaration, another dissatisfaction was slowly growing.

“I cannot accept this! I cannot accept this! The Dragon God is interfering now?!”

The current Seorabeol was seeing the rise of the Korea First Party, a Third Zone political party that had flowed in from outside, and the Korea First Party used Bahamut’s declaration as justification to loudly protest the Dragon God’s interference in politics.

It wouldn’t have been strange if they were accused of ingratitude, and indeed, within Seorabeol, there were voices criticizing the Korea First Party, saying that the Dragon God had made a difficult decision, so why resist it? But the supporters of the Korea First Party were not Seorabeol residents who supported the Dragon God.

“The moment Seoul becomes the capital, we’ll all be thrown out again!”

“This should be an era of decentralization, not reconstruction! Yes! Think of the Phoenix Revolution! Local regions must pursue their own survival!”

The supporters of the Korea First Party were external forces, a party endorsed by warlords who had just entered the South Korean pacification.

Knowing that their current positions would be in danger the moment Seoul became the capital and Seorabeol declared complete victory, these warlords opposed Bahamut’s declaration, criticizing it as arrogance from a god’s perspective.

At the same time, they labeled Bahamut’s declaration as divine centralism, and they self-proclaimed themselves as the last bastion or fighters of liberal democracy resisting it.

“…Unforgivable. Unforgivable. Unforgivable. Unforgivable. Unforgivable. Unforgivable. Unforgivable. How dare they. Not be grateful for the Dragon God’s mercy.”

And the one who was most outraged by their declaration was none other than Choi Yu-na, the Priestess who followed the Dragon God.

The Dragon’s Priestess, who always smiled and let things pass even when her words were criticized and condemned, now had a face like a wrathful demon, saying it was unforgivable that they were rebelling instead of being grateful for the Dragon God’s mercy, and she was ready to fire a Yu-na death beam at any moment.

Although the target wasn’t in front of her, it didn’t matter.

Couldn’t she just summon the Hwarang right now and capture that ungrateful person?

“Yu-na? Calm down. I’m not particularly angry?”

Seeing that crazed look after so long, Bahamut was startled and tried to calm Yu-na down.

As Bahamut focused on calming her, Yu-na seemed to think that as a Priestess, she couldn’t stay angry if the Dragon God was calming her.

“They truly are ungrateful heretics.”

“T-that might be going too far…”

From the appearance of a wrathful demon, she quickly changed to cutely puffing her cheeks, ending with just complaining that those who didn’t follow Bahamut’s mercy were heretics.

While Bahamut was defending them, saying it wasn’t that bad…

“No. Lord Bahamut took the risk of breaking a political taboo in the Seorabeol cabinet and cut the knot directly, but they’re shouting whatever they want, forgetting that grace. Who do they think has supported Seorabeol all this time, and who do they think has fed them?”

“Well… hmm.”

Of course, it was Bahamut.

From the early days of the Balhut Cult until now, whenever Seorabeol faced a crisis, it was always overcome with Bahamut’s help, and now Seorabeol had such a close relationship with him that it was called the land of the dragon.

Yet they dared to criticize and resist Bahamut’s intervention?

From Yu-na’s perspective, whose identity as the leader of the Balhut Cult was stronger than as Seorabeol’s sovereign, this was nothing short of heresy, and she probably wanted to declare them traitors right now.

“Well. They have their own ideologies they’re pursuing, so I think it’s unavoidable. Let’s laugh and move on. As always, we are neutral!”

Bahamut comforted Yu-na, saying they were always neutral and should laugh it off.

“Neutral. Neutral… is that possible?”

“We have to try.”

Yu-na’s face darkened, but Bahamut faced her and comforted her, saying they should try.

And Kim Su-ho, who was watching this scene, seemed to sympathize internally, smiling bitterly as he spoke.

“Haha. It seems you’re having a hard time.”

“By the way, what are your plans going forward?”

“Well. For now, I plan to maintain neutrality like you all. My adjutant tells me that my political weight is at a level that Seorabeol cannot handle. If I were to run in an election, I could easily win the position of Prime Minister.”

Even Bahamut, who wasn’t heavily involved in the cabinet, couldn’t move easily due to his powerful political influence, but in Kim Su-ho’s case, he had originally earned the title of Seoul’s hero and gained fame as Seoul’s savior and liberator.

In the current Seorabeol, there was no politician or soldier who could surpass Kim Su-ho’s influence, and even if Jeong Dong-geon successfully completed the pacification of South Korea, it was questionable whether he could catch up to Kim Su-ho’s reputation.

Kim Su-ho seemed to know this, as he mentioned that his adjutant had told him he could easily win the position of Prime Minister, and so he declared he would maintain neutrality.

“That’s not wrong.”

“Is that so?”

Bahamut agreed with this statement, judging that maintaining neutrality was the best option for Kim Su-ho.

“But by now, haven’t they approached you? From the Dragon God Association or the Constitutional Democratic Party?”

“Yes. They have approached me, but I haven’t met them directly. I need to be careful about even minor actions. I’ve also heard that it wouldn’t be bad to join directly under the Dragon’s Priestess and demand complete neutrality.”

But the title of Seoul’s hero wasn’t one that could be easily given up.

The Dragon God Association had already claimed that their party was Bahamut’s proxy and demanded loyalty from Kim Su-ho, the Constitutional Democratic Party had tried to recruit him, and the Korea First Party emphasized that the one who recaptured Seoul should rule it.

So he had to be careful about even minor actions, and there was also the option of declaring complete neutrality by becoming a Hwarang.

Once affiliated with the Hwarang, he would be under the protection of the neutral Dragon’s Priestess, making it difficult for each party to openly recruit him.

“Eventually, when Seoul is rebuilt and the cabinet settles in Seoul, I’ll have to seriously consider the matter of your position. Considering the achievements you’ve made, you’ve accumulated accomplishments comparable to Jeong Dong-geon on the list of meritorious subjects.”

“Haha. That’s an honor.”

“It might be more of an honor for Mr. Jeong Dong-geon.”

Bahamut also responded seriously to the issue of Kim Su-ho’s position, saying he would deeply consider it.

Kim Su-ho’s reputation and influence had spread throughout the Korean Peninsula to such an extent that even if he formed an independent force, it would be seen as inevitable, and Seoul’s public sentiment was currently directed toward Kim Su-ho.