Ch.308308. Adjustment (1)

However, despite the terrorist attack on the court, there was no reaction from the political sphere.

After all, since the terror attempt was stopped by a single Hwarang right after it began, by Seorabeol’s standards, it wasn’t even considered terrorism but could be dismissed as a minor misdemeanor.

Of course, hearings could have been held later regarding this issue, and discussions about social conditions could have followed, but the upcoming election was deemed most important.

The day that marked the beginning of the Seorabeol system and captured the attention of all South Korea had arrived, and all media outlets and the Election Commission had begun broadcasting election coverage.

“We begin the vote count broadcast for the 1st Seorabeol National Assembly General Election.”

“Elections are something we’ve always seen, aren’t they? But this one is different. Unlike the democratic nation of the past, this country has now transformed into a monarchy!”

“Isn’t the first legislative election in a monarchy truly a historic moment? It’s a golden opportunity to understand not only who will control the first National Assembly but also what kind of country this will be and how it will operate.”

Citizens across the nation, especially those in Seoul and the metropolitan area, as well as those who survived the apocalypse and established new settlements in reconstructed areas, were all holding their breath watching the results.

For citizens living outside the metropolitan area or Gyeongju, the situation was somewhat confusing.

“Wait, a monarchy returns after decades… and they’re holding parliamentary elections? Not a dictatorship?”

“Can democracy even exist with a monarch?”

“Isn’t this just blatant feudalism?”

The Seorabeol system itself was unfamiliar to former citizens of the Republic of Korea, and many thought monarchy was an outdated system that had disappeared in modern times. However, surprisingly many European countries maintained monarchies, and many advanced nations actually preserved monarchical systems.

“It’s a constitutional monarchy, right? Constitutional monarchies are considered proper democratic nations.”

“That’s… true, I guess?”

Though people knew constitutional monarchies could be legitimate democratic nations, doubts remained unresolved.

While Seorabeol claimed to be a constitutional monarchy, with the absolute existence of the Dragon God Bahamut reigning as monarch, there were inevitable questions about whether true separation of powers was possible.

Frankly, if the Dragon God harbored ill intentions, he could abolish the constitutional monarchy and pursue an absolute monarchy or even absolute royal authority.

But such concerns were…

“What more do you want? Honestly, what did you do during this apocalypse?”

“This is the Dragon God’s system. Those who followed the Dragon God protected Seoul and became the victors. Since we aren’t the winners, we can’t judge the rights of the victors.”

These concerns were refuted with the logic that this was simply the natural right of the victors.

Yes, despite harboring complaints or grievances, they couldn’t claim any achievements during the apocalypse, and Seorabeol was merely exercising the victor’s rights.

To oppose this, one would have to claim Seorabeol wasn’t the victor and actively resist, becoming hostile toward Seorabeol. But the self-proclaimed Freedom Defense Force had already demonstrated what fate awaited those who took such a stance.

The sight of hundreds of armed rioters being subdued by a single Awakened instilled awe even in those who privately harbored discontent with Seorabeol’s rule, ultimately forcing them to accept Seorabeol’s system.

Yes, in this era, Seorabeol’s path was the correct answer.

“The vote count results have been released. The Constitutional Democratic Party will take power as the ruling party.”

The only thing they could do was prove their value as voters through the ballot, and today, the Constitutional Democratic Party was rewarded for that vote.

The election results for the 300 seats were: Constitutional Democratic Party 132 seats, Dragon God Association 118 seats, Korea First Party 24 seats, Seorabeol Innovation Party 18 seats, National Revolution Party 8 seats, Progressive Party 6 seats, and Free Unification Party 2 seats.

No faction secured a majority, but many of Seorabeol’s various factions had entered the parliament as political parties, which could be considered a decent outcome for Seorabeol’s first election.

Of course, among the parties that entered parliament were extremist factions, evidence that Seorabeol’s system remained imperfect, but it was satisfying enough that they had successfully established democratic procedures.

“The winner is… the Constitutional Democratic Party!”

“At last, Seorabeol officially becomes a constitutional monarchy!”

The Constitutional Democratic Party, which advocated traditional liberalism and the principle that “the monarch reigns but does not rule,” successfully appealed to voters with its claim that the people’s will should determine politics.

For citizens more accustomed to democracy than monarchy, choosing a political system that maintained democracy was natural, and thus the victorious Constitutional Democratic Party earned the right to control the legislature and form a cabinet to run Seorabeol’s government.

However, despite the Constitutional Democratic Party’s victory and supporters celebrating with cheers, they couldn’t fully smile.

The fact that the Dragon God Association, which openly advocated for the old system of absolute monarchy, had become the main opposition party with over 100 seats indicated that the political establishment could sense the gradual shift in voter sentiment.

“This is just the beginning. The longer Seorabeol’s system continues, the stronger the Dragon God Association will become.”

“This is a country ruled by a god. More people will want to believe in a god rather than humans.”

“As time passes and generations change, the Dragon God Association will become a party that people accept as natural.”

Some representatives lamented that while the Dragon God Association had lost this time, the Constitutional Democratic Party might lose in the next general election.

After all, Dragon God Bahamut was a real, existing entity who intervened in national policies and exerted tremendous influence worldwide.

He had created a new order called the Sovereign Money and was able to impose it on the world, using the overwhelming wealth generated for Seorabeol.

That immense wealth was being used to rebuild Seoul and formed Seorabeol’s financial foundation. The longer this situation continued, the more support would inevitably grow for the Dragon God Association, which favored absolute monarchy.

“Since our party has become the ruling party, Representative Park Cheol-gon has been elected as Prime Minister. Therefore, I have been elected as the new party leader in his place. Today, I will announce the party platform that the first Constitutional Democratic Party should pursue.”

In the meeting room assigned to the Constitutional Democratic Party in the National Assembly building, the party’s floor leader greeted fellow representatives as the newly elected leader, surrounded by the policy director, strategic planning director, and young first-term representatives.

However, Park Cheol-gon, the former party leader, was absent, as he was now designated as Prime Minister and was seeking collaborators to form the first Seorabeol government cabinet.

“We recognize the Dragon Priestess as the monarch. However, that is merely a symbol guaranteed by the constitution, not an existence above the law.”

This was the aspiration of the young leader who had newly joined the Constitutional Democratic Party to replace Park Cheol-gon, and also the hope of young representatives who still believed democracy remained strong.

While Seorabeol was a monarchy, the Constitutional Democratic Party envisioned a monarch who, like the current Queen of England, would not directly command state affairs, pursuing a constitutional monarchy where parliament led governance.

“We accepted monarchy because of public sentiment, not because of divine politics.”

“Without Dragon God Bahamut, Seorabeol wouldn’t exist. What about that debt?”

“If the great Dragon God changes the constitution, we’re nothing more than comfortable puppets!”

It could be considered bold, and some expressed concerns that if the monarch took the lead, the very meaning of being a representative would disappear.

They insisted that political leadership should always rest with parliament and implored the Dragon Priestess to strictly adhere to the principle of “reign but do not rule.” Despite the young representative’s firm stance, the Dragon God Association merely smiled lightly.

“The world faced an apocalypse, and through this apocalypse, human laws revealed their limitations! One reason is that powerful new beings called the Awakened are threatening human equality! You all know that a single Hwarang subdued hundreds of armed rioters when they attacked the court!”

Yes, the world had changed dramatically.

Humans were no longer equal, with an enormous gap between the Awakened and ordinary people, and even among the Awakened themselves, tremendous disparities were emerging.

In reality, despite Bahamut creating a training ground for those who wished to become Awakened, only a tiny minority reached superhuman status, and even these superhumans began showing gaps according to their talents.

This meant that the equality valued before the apocalypse was gradually breaking down, a fate that would clearly accelerate over time.

Discrimination was inevitable, and to eliminate it from the beginning, it was undeniably easiest and fastest to claim that everyone was equal under the Dragon God or Dragon Priestess.

As the two major parties established themselves in the Seorabeol parliament with their own assertions…

“Congratulations on the successful election, Speaker Hwang Geun-chul and Prime Minister Park Cheol-gon. Your citizens now face another era.”

“Thank you very much for your great help in managing the election.”

“The most important first election has ended safely. It was a perfect opportunity to show the world that Seorabeol’s democracy remains strong.”

Hwang Geun-chul, now the National Assembly Speaker after stepping down as Prime Minister, and Park Cheol-gon, elected as Prime Minister since his party became the ruling party, were meeting directly with Bahamut to exchange words of appreciation for their hard work, as the election had concluded safely.

“The fact that you called us… do you have something you wish us to do?”

“Or perhaps some advice?”

Since Dragon God Bahamut was meeting them directly rather than through the Dragon Priestess, they both judged he had instructions to give, and waited tensely for Bahamut’s next words.

If the Dragon God was addressing them personally, the matter must be serious and would certainly require the power of both the government and parliament. Sensing their anticipation, Bahamut quietly turned his gaze and spoke.

“It would be sufficient for me and the Dragon Priestess to maintain neutrality for the political situation to progress. But from now on, you who must run state affairs will face hardships and adversities. So I called you to offer what little help I can on that path.”

“That’s…”

“Not wrong at all.”

At these words, Hwang Geun-chul’s eyebrows trembled slightly, and Park Cheol-gon nodded heavily.

The end of the election didn’t mean everything was over.

Many parties had entered parliament through this election, and there was a possibility these parties might unite and act as a casting vote. Various political slanders would certainly come.

Since this country was a monarchy, if Bahamut so desired, there was a foundation to pursue reforms without being swayed by public opinion, but…

“I would prefer to emphasize integration and harmony rather than conflict from now on.”

“Integration and…”

“Harmony.”

Since Bahamut himself didn’t want to be heavily involved in Seorabeol’s political affairs, he instructed Hwang Geun-chul and Park Cheol-gon to focus on integration and harmony.

As Dragon God Bahamut had given this instruction, Hwang Geun-chul and Park Cheol-gon slowly bowed their heads toward Bahamut with relieved expressions.

Integration and harmony were indeed the challenge for these parties, and other parties emboldened by this election would likely instigate political strife to make the two major parties fight each other.

However, Seorabeol, just after its founding, had no luxury to focus on such political conflicts, which was what Hwang Geun-chul and Park Cheol-gon were most concerned about… but now they could address it head-on with the justification that the Dragon God himself had ordered it.

It was a fatal word that could, if necessary, brand opposing parties that caused political strife as traitors.

“Democratic politics has always been a history of conflicting opinions and compromise. But under the name of the Dragon God, we will certainly pioneer the first steps toward a common future.”

Prime Minister Park Cheol-gon was grateful for Bahamut’s consideration.

If used well, a supreme sword that could solve everything had fallen into his hands.