128. Alicia (2)
From Bahamut's perspective, this was a golden opportunity to gain a new contractor overseas—and more than that.
'The queen of a nation!? Who could possibly hold back from this! Let's make the contract right noooow!'
The moment he grasped that his counterpart was the queen of a country, his heart was already brimming with ulterior motives. Well, even if she was a puppet in name only, she was still the queen of a nation—and the Queen of the United Kingdom, no less, which carried immense weight even before the apocalypse. Among the Commonwealth nations on Earth, there were still those that revered the queen as their sovereign, and even in this end times, those ties hadn't been severed.
That a girl holding such a position had come seeking a contract with him? 'I can't hold back! No way! I'll make this contract happen no matter what!'
Where in the world was a dragon who could resist this? Bahamut was certain no such creature existed. His eyes had already glazed over, steeling his resolve to seal the deal this time.
'This'll boost my own reputation too.'
In truth, contracting with a queen would elevate Bahamut's own prestige—a clear personal gain. And considering how, before contracting with Yu-na, he'd desperately refused a mere hiker who wanted to make a pact, this was par for the course for him.
From the Balhut Cult's standpoint, though, this contract offered a chance to forge close ties with the UK and wield influence there—not a bad deal at all. The only issue was the utterly depraved mindset of the one making the contract.
'Junior! Junior! Junior! Finally, a new junior for Seol-hwa!'
And there was no one to oppose it this time. In Yu-na's mind, new juniors were always welcome, filled only with anticipation for the birth of another.
'If we can't expand at home, we'll spread our faith overseas!'
Human ambition... never ends!
If the Balhut Cult couldn't thrive domestically anymore, targeting overseas expansion was the obvious answer! Yu-na had been quietly aiming for the cult's global outreach now that domestic proselytizing had grown tough—and perfectly timed, the queen of a nation had volunteered to become a contractor herself.
In other words, if things went smoothly, the cult could make her the center and become this country's state religion—a once-in-a-lifetime chance!
'The UK state religion becoming our Balhut Cult? How could I resist that!? No! I can't!'
As if Yu-na would stand in the way? No chance! She welcomed it wholeheartedly, preparing to greet the new junior with motives as impure as could be. Truly, what a matching pair of depraved dragon and priestess.
"I do not turn away those who seek me with earnest longing. For the grand desire burning in thy heart... that hath brought thee this far. I too must respond in kind with utmost sincerity."
And so, through the combined idiocy of this foolish dragon and foolish priestess, a new contractor was about to be born right here in London.
"Alicia. What is it thou desirest of me?"
"...I need the power to defeat the Protector."
But contracts had their proper order. No matter how wild-eyed Bahamut was over contracting a queen, he never forgot the rituals he'd followed so far. With the gravest expression, more solemn than any before, he asked what she sought from him—and she answered that she wished to overcome the Protector.
"Is that... for thine own sake?"
"My own sake...?"
Was defeating the Protector truly the path for Alicia herself? Her answer was...
"I don't know. I don't know. I don't understand anything anymore!"
She didn't know.
She didn't even properly grasp why she had to fight the Protector.
"Being the last remaining royal and thrust onto the throne! Being told to act like the perfect, composed queen for the people! Being told I have to bear the weight of this nation... None of it was what I wanted...!"
Frankly, ascending so abruptly to the throne left her clueless on how to act. She hadn't been in line for it originally; her grandfather was meant to succeed the deceased queen. Her misfortune lay in having the highest claim among surviving royals—and being the legitimate daughter of the Prince of Wales, securing her legitimacy.
"Why did I have to become queen? Why did my innocent grandfather and father have to die...? I wasn't prepared for any of this...!"
The UK—and the Commonwealth—needed a king to avoid collapse, so she'd been shoved into a role she never imagined. Without preparation or resolve, she'd yielded to Parliament's demand to take the throne and shoulder the nation. Her will hadn't mattered; it was simply the duty of the royal line.
"But in this apocalypse that stole my family, I want to survive! I don't want to die. I don't want to die...!"
Above all, she didn't want to die. In an era where even the most protected royals perished, a child who watched her father die in the apocalypse had an even fiercer survival instinct. Being queen might bring duties, but at least it offered a shot at survival—or so she believed.
"But the Protector covets the throne. To him, I'm just a puppet warming the seat! I can't block him or stop him! Even if I bowed my head and begged for my life right now, he wouldn't accept it! Because as long as I'm alive—the last queen—I'm nothing but an obstacle to him!"
That fragile hope crumbled against the Protector's ambitions. Desperate not to be murdered by him, she'd come here.
The Protector, having staged his palace coup, couldn't stop now. It was either the queen or him—one had to die. No matter how much she groveled first, he wouldn't spare her. Instead, he'd ensure the current royal house met a pathetic, trash-like end no one could pity, she pleaded in terror.
"I... I...!"
"Thy resolve... I have heard it clearly."
Bahamut declared it sufficient for the Alicia who had poured out her raw anguish.
"This place is no temple to finalize contracts, and this unfolding defies my expectations entirely. Yet it matters not. Thy arrival here must be fate. Thou art one who may one day wield vast influence over the entire world."
And once again, he spouted the same empty promise he'd fed Yu-na and Seol-hwa—that she too would become a being of immense global sway...
'Well, she is a queen of a nation. Maybe it's not so empty after all?'
...Apparently not this time. Coldly considering it, unlike Yu-na and Seol-hwa—who'd had no base or power back then—Alicia was already queen, her mere existence granting her tremendous worldwide influence.
Thus...
"Right and wrong are but abstract notions in the end. So I pledge upon my name: if thou provest thy justice and convictions, I shall lend thee my power. Here and now, I vow it."
"Justice and convictions?"
Bahamut declared he'd lend his power if the queen proved her justice and beliefs. The young queen might not grasp the implications, but she understood the Dragon God offered his might.
"Thou mayest yet know nothing of the justice or convictions thou holdest—for thou art young. But to dismiss thy boundless potential in youth would be a profound pity."
Bahamut stated it was too soon for her to realize, yet her potential couldn't be ignored.
"Then let us declare the contract here."
The contract was sealed on the spot. Bahamut bestowed upon Alicia the token of their pact.
You have Awakened.
Alicia became an Awakened in that instant. Ignoring all prerequisites, the contract alone granted her the qualification.
And simultaneously...
"This is... Awakening? I've become an Awakened! I've gained the power to defeat the Protector! Power is surging through me!"
The queen received the power of the Dragon Priestess, proof of her contract with Bahamut. Vast mana swirled around her, and the queen—who'd so desperately longed for awakening—cried out in pure joy at the overwhelming wave of strength.
Yes, with this power, she could topple the Protector! Her self-esteem, once in the pits, rocketed to the stars.
"Indeed. From henceforth, thou art a servant of the dra—"
"I'm going to crush the Protector right now! Wait for me, you lolicon Protector! I'll repay this humiliation and oppression double—with interest!"
So let's use this power immediately to challenge him. Whatever the dragon was saying didn't matter; in the queen's head, the Protector was evil, so destroy him—that was it.
As she tried to leap past the barrier Bahamut had formed and charge out of the room...
"Wait a moment."
Bahamut grabbed the queen barreling toward the exit and sighed. Just as he tried to explain, she couldn't even wait that long— the picture of a typical immature girl.
'They say right after awakening, an immense sense of omnipotence floods the body...'
Of course, he understood the feeling. The gap between awakeners and non-awakeners was vast; if you'd suffered discrimination from it, you'd want to vent that rage immediately—human nature.
"Even with the job and power from our contract, thy level is still 1, is it not? I hear the Protector has surpassed level 20—a Superhuman. Charging in now means certain defeat at his hands."
The problem was Alicia's current level: a measly 1. Could a fresh level 1 newbie beat a level 20+ superhuman who'd even job-changed? No way. Factoring in the level gap, extra stats, and skills from job change, challenging him now would end in instant loss—a classic bad end.
"Eh? Really? Even after struggling to contract with the Dragon God... I'd still lose?"
Alicia seemed to think Bahamut stepping in meant sure victory, so defeat never crossed her mind. After all, considering the Dragon God's majesty in those videos, stomping a worm like the Protector would be effortless! So why lose?
"Unless I stray from the righteous path, I do not intervene in human conflicts. Thy battle with the Protector must be thine alone."
Bahamut flatly refused to fight the Protector himself. That left Alicia to face him solo—and as just said, a newbie like her stood no chance.
'I could pass the contract as her personal matter. But me fighting the Protector directly? That's meddling in internal affairs—slapping the UK cabinet in the face. Can't do that.'
Above all, even if he wanted to help, Bahamut knew direct intervention equated to denying and antagonizing the current UK regime. Even for him, ignoring a nation's cabinet required serious resolve—and risked tanking his goodwill. Mishandled, it could spark conflict between the Balhut Cult and the UK. Thus, the ironclad rule: no meddling in human fights.
Of course, if the Protector turned to heresy, he could intervene with justification... 'But not right now.'
For now, Alicia had to overcome this with her contract-granted power.
"What...? I thought sealing the contract would solve everything... But we're back to square one. Awakening alone won't let me beat the Protector and his followers...!"
Alicia despaired at the words, having banked on escaping the Protector's grasp. Without Bahamut's aid, she'd fight alone—while he already commanded legions of allies. To her, no victory without the dragon.
"No. Now you've gained the power to stand against the Protector. Unlike your powerless days, you can now protect yourself. You just don't realize how huge that difference is yet."
But to the despairing Alicia, Yu-na replied that she now had the strength to defend herself—it was far too early to give up.