Ch.3737. The Trial (3)

A fierce war of words broke out between the defendant and the spectators, and Bahamut tried to continue the trial despite the situation.

“I declare a one-hour recess. Everyone, calm your anger-clouded minds.”

Bahamut declared a temporary recess as the atmosphere became too heated.

After lifting the Silence spell and announcing a break to cool things down, Jo Sun-do seized the opportunity to shout his claims toward the spectators and jury.

“Look at this! Even that dragon can’t judge me! I’m an Awakened! I’ve reached level 19! Is there anyone here who’s reached level 19? Anyone?”

“Order. The defendant will refrain from provoking others. Guards, take them away.”

Jo Sun-do was boasting about his Awakened level, claiming that even Bahamut, the king of Gyeongju, couldn’t judge him. He began mocking the public, especially ordinary people who hadn’t Awakened, revealing his superiority complex.

Seeing Jo Sun-do causing trouble as soon as the Silence was lifted, Bahamut, with a headache, immediately called for order and warned him not to provoke others.

He then ordered the guards to take Jo Sun-do to the waiting room. Jo Sun-do and his followers were escorted out by the cult’s guards, grinning as they headed to the waiting room.

“This is more difficult than I expected.”

Watching the chaos, Yu-na spoke with an uncharacteristically weak voice about the difficulty.

Even Yu-na, who was normally loved by the public for her dignified appearance, seemed at a loss for words at Jo Sun-do’s shamelessness, watching him being dragged away by cult members with a look that said, “What kind of person is this?”

“Hmm. Where does that confidence come from?”

Bahamut seemed to share her sentiment, sighing and asking what could be the source of such confidence.

In response to Bahamut’s question, Yu-na thought about the treatment of Awakened often discussed in Korean online communities and spoke.

“Well, it’s because he’s an Awakened. He seems to believe that the Balhut Cult will either declare him innocent or issue a community service order.”

“Why?”

The reason was quite simple.

Jo Sun-do was an Awakened, and he was powerful.

“Because of his high level.”

It was true that there was no Awakened in the Balhut Cult with a higher level than Jo Sun-do.

Except for Yu-na, even Jeong Dong-geon was about 7 levels lower than Jo Sun-do’s level.

“There aren’t many Awakened in Korea as strong as Jo Sun-do. He seems to be trying to increase his value.”

“So this happened because the value of Awakened is too high.”

The fact that there weren’t many Awakened as strong as Jo Sun-do throughout Korea played a role.

From Jo Sun-do’s perspective, he was gambling that if the Balhut Cult judged him, they would suffer a great loss.

‘Is this a kind of “too big to fail” against the government?’

In a way, it was “too big to fail.”

He was threatening that if he and his followers were judged, the number of Awakened in Gyeongju would drastically decrease, and their quality would drop significantly, so they should be saved even if it meant giving them special treatment.

In other words, he was using their value as hostages to attempt a negotiation with the Balhut Cult.

“Of course, if such a precedent is set, when another Jo Sun-do appears in the future, we won’t be able to punish them severely.”

“Indeed.”

Obviously, if this were accepted without thought, it would set a precedent that could lead to a second Jo Sun-do.

‘This could be dangerous if a verdict is made without careful consideration.’

For the Balhut Cult, being tempted by Jo Sun-do’s value could backfire significantly—it was like dealing with a poisoned chalice.

‘This is infuriating.’

From the beginning, Jo Sun-do wasn’t even repenting for his crimes but was openly declaring himself “too big to fail” and seeking to negotiate with the cult, claiming he was innocent.

For Bahamut, the thought naturally arose: why should such a person be forgiven?

“Well then, let’s resume the trial.”

After an hour’s break.

The trial resumed, and Jo Sun-do and his followers re-entered the courtroom with expressions full of confidence.

Seeing Jo Sun-do enter with such a relaxed expression, the spectators’ faces darkened.

They were seized by anxiety, wondering if the Balhut Cult had forgiven Jo Sun-do.

“Finally, this boring trial is coming to an end. How about a standing ovation! The king of Gyeongju has personally come here!”

Seemingly excited by the spectators’ expressions, Jo Sun-do mockingly addressed the spectators and jury with a playful expression.

Though they wanted to hurl insults and condemnation at Jo Sun-do for his expression, the spectators were instead filled with anxiety.

What if the Balhut Cult issued a not guilty verdict as Jo Sun-do confidently expected?

What if Jo Sun-do was truly innocent?

What if the misery they suffered meant nothing to the Balhut Cult?

With eyes full of anxiety and trembling, the spectators silently watched the trial proceed with gloomy expressions.

“Ha. How boring.”

Seeing the anxious spectators, Jo Sun-do dismissed them as boring, and before he could say more, his defense attorney spoke first.

“Sigh. The defendant Jo Sun-do still claims innocence…”

“Crime? What crime am I guilty of, counselor? I stand proud.”

Unfortunately, Jo Sun-do interrupted his attorney, declaring he had committed no crime and proclaiming his pride to the public.

Naturally, the defense attorney looked at Jo Sun-do incredulously for his disrespectful attitude.

“Be quiet. This behavior in court…!”

“You’re useless. I’ll speak for myself.”

The attorney shouted at Jo Sun-do to stay quiet, clearly agitated.

But Jo Sun-do cut him off again, stepping forward to address the jury and spectators loudly.

“In this Apocalypse disaster, isn’t what I did relatively mild? Don’t you all use internet communities or social media? If you look at what’s posted there, I’m a conscientious person.”

Jo Sun-do claimed that in a zombie apocalypse-stricken Korea, his actions were at a conscientious level.

He argued that countless internet communities and social media proved it.

The jury and spectators were furious at Jo Sun-do’s mocking attitude, but they didn’t deny his words.

“Looting? We can do that as much as needed for our camp to survive. Exploitation? At least we spared their lives, didn’t we? Sexual violence? I just made those useless women useful.”

Indeed, except for Gyeongju, the rest of the regions still hadn’t recaptured their cities.

The criminal acts Jo Sun-do mentioned were common in other cities and regions, and hardly anyone outside Gyeongju condemned them.

Of course, those too weak to access internet communities might condemn this, struggling to survive day by day, but what could they do?

In the current world, powerless claims were merely hollow.

“In other regions, they use the elderly or children as bait or even eat human flesh… I’m quite conscientious in comparison.”

So the claims of the powerful Jo Sun-do were the truth.

As the captured man made his claims, the spectators let out sighs of lamentation, and the jury looked at Jo Sun-do with contemptuous eyes.

“So the defendant claims innocence?”

“That’s right. Not just me, but my followers are useful too, aren’t they?”

After listening quietly to Jo Sun-do’s claims, Bahamut asked if he was claiming innocence.

Jo Sun-do confidently replied that not only he but also his followers were innocent, evaluating them as useful people.

Obviously, he was speaking based on his belief in his own value.

“Kim Su-ho from Seoul told me that Awakened who reach level 20 can obtain a job. They can rise to a level above ordinary Awakened. I’m at level 19, and if the cult invests in me, I’ll become even stronger. Isn’t that good for everyone?”

“The defendant Jo Sun-do is requesting a plea bargain…”

As evidence, he cited information provided by a famous man from Seoul named Kim Su-ho, who said that reaching level 20 allows an Awakened to rise to the next level.

He claimed he was at level 19, just one step away, and if the cult forgave him and invested in him, the cult’s power would increase.

This was because having strong Awakened was the only way to survive this apocalypse.

“Think about it. One powerful Awakened is more practical than those useless people! If you forgive me, I’ll be the cult’s sword and destroy your enemies.”

Jo Sun-do argued that saving him and his followers would benefit the cult more than saving those hopeless victims.

He promised that if forgiven, he would not betray them and would destroy the cult’s enemies as its sword.

Of course, coming from a wolf like Jo Sun-do, it was unlikely he would keep this promise.

To be frank, even this narration was overtly favorable to Jo Sun-do; there was no evidence or logic to convince anyone that keeping Jo Sun-do alive would greatly benefit the cult.

‘Wow, he’s really shameless.’

To be blunt, there was absolutely no guarantee that Jo Sun-do would fulfill the promises he was making.

He was the type of wolf who might take the cult’s support and flee to another city, or betray them for immediate gain.

“Isn’t it tempting? Not just me, but my subordinates are strong Awakened too! Completely different from those useless food-wasters!”

Yet he conveniently omitted the possibility that he might betray or flee from the cult, only spouting words that benefited himself.

“What can those people do if they live? Tell me! Can you kill zombies? Can you kill monsters? Could you resist me, Jo Sun-do, the king of Gyeongju?”

“…Damn it. This is why I didn’t want to do this.”

When Jo Sun-do finished his claims, the courtroom maintained silence, and his defense attorney, feeling ashamed of his behavior, couldn’t even lift his face.

Seeing the defense attorney secretly wiping away tears, feeling pangs of conscience, and spectators crying sorrowfully or with contorted faces, Jo Sun-do smiled.

Seeing the subdued public, Jo Sun-do thought he had won and stared defiantly at Bahamut, the judge.

Yes, he was confident that even the dragon couldn’t judge him.

“…Then I’ll deliver the verdict.”

Jo Sun-do listened to the dragon’s verdict with unfounded confidence.

“Defendant Jo Sun-do. Death penalty.”

“…Huh?”

The verdict was one he hadn’t expected.

“Hey, what are you saying? What the hell are you talking about!! You damn dragon.”

What on earth was he saying?

What? What happened?

So, that dragon dared, dared, dared, DARED!

“I simply sentenced you to death.”

Did he say death penalty?

He couldn’t understand. He didn’t want to understand. Why should he be judged?

Why should he die?

“You’re judging me? Ridiculous! Losing me would be tragic for the cult! Is there anyone stronger than me in your Balhut Cult? I asked if there is!”

“Oh? Did you forget about me, Mr. Jo Sun-do? Would you like to taste my Yunadeath Beam again?”

“…We are Awakened! Awakened are destined for something special, and we deserve special treatment for that uniqueness!”

When he claimed there was no Awakened stronger than him, Yu-na showed her index finger to Jo Sun-do as if she would execute him on the spot, with a fierce expression asking if he wanted to test her.

Seeing her clearly angry, Jo Sun-do backed down a bit and spoke about the specialness of Awakened, claiming he was innocent considering that.

“Indeed. Awakened are valuable beings. I can understand that fully.”

Bahamut nodded and acknowledged this claim.

“So I shall declare in this trial. The special status of Awakened will now come to an end. I, Bahamut, have a method to artificially create Awakened. If Awakening is no longer a privilege, then your claimed privilege becomes meaningless. No, we can’t call them Awakened anymore. From now on, Awakening will become part of everyday life.”

At the same time, he declared that the special status of Awakened would end.

Using Jo Sun-do’s outburst as justification, Bahamut was declaring that he would erase the privileges of Awakened.

“Are you crazy? You dare touch the privileges of Awakened?”

Knowing this fact better than anyone, Jo Sun-do shouted that what Bahamut was trying to do was insane and strongly protested against touching the privileges of Awakened.

“What’s crazy about it?”

But Bahamut looked at him as if puzzled.

“Let me ask you instead. Why should the Balhut Cult—no, why should I spare your life? I’ll give the defendant Jo Sun-do a chance to argue.”

“That’s…!”

From the beginning, Bahamut had no reason to keep Jo Sun-do alive.

Even if there were reasons, there was no way he would employ someone who could become a source of conflict.

From the start, Jo Sun-do himself was too likely to cause trouble and had already indicated he might betray the cult like a wolf for immediate gain.

Jo Sun-do finally realized he had been too arrogant and had acted out against Bahamut, but if he had known this earlier, he wouldn’t have taken his previous attitude.

“I, I am the king of Gyeongju!”

“Yes. A naked king without a single follower. Can a king without subjects be called a real king, Jo Sun-do?”

The last thing he could claim was his hollow title as the king of Gyeongju.

But such a useless claim couldn’t overturn the current verdict.

“…”

For the Balhut Cult, the dragon god’s verdict was absolute.

Jo Sun-do, seeming to realize his impending fate, bowed his head in silence.