16. Bahamut (4)
Hwang Seung-man raised his voice in alarm, but Choi Yu-na merely brought a finger to her lips with a leisurely air. With a soft shh, she spoke to him in a low whisper.
"There's no need to raise your voice like that, Mr. Hwang Seung-man."
Normally, it would have been a natural warning—noise could attract zombies. But now, with Bahamut's descent, every zombie inside the city had vanished. Even if he shouted at the top of his lungs, no undead would come shambling toward the sound.
"Y-You... you even know my name."
Hwang Seung-man wasn't in a position to point that out. Instead, he couldn't hide his bewilderment at this girl who knew his name. Who the hell told her?
On the surface, it was a conversation between a seasoned middle-aged man and a fresh-faced young girl. But the initiative had long since shifted to Choi Yu-na.
"Yes. We had someone from your group in our Balhut Cult before. Thanks to them, I heard all about you, Mr. Hwang Seung-man."
"...Hmm."
Learning that those who had abandoned this place for their own survival had sold him out, Hwang Seung-man inwardly cursed the defectors from Gyeongju Support. They must have had their reasons, of course—proving their loyalty to the cult by betraying him, perhaps. Either way, her words made it clear she knew him well, which only heightened his open wariness of Yu-na.
"Haha, no need to be so guarded. I'm here to make you an offer, Mr. Hwang Seung-man. And let me say upfront: we have no intention of fighting Gyeongju Support."
"An... offer?"
No intention of fighting. Those words brought him a wave of relief. If it came to blows, he was certain Gyeongju Support would lose. Her assurance eased his tension but sparked new questions. Why bother offering anything? With their momentum and power, they could just force us to submit.
"Yes. Mr. Hwang Seung-man, would Gyeongju Support—under your leadership—help craft the laws and regulations for our Balhut Cult?"
"Pardon? Say that again."
It was utterly unexpected. So out of left field that he pretended not to have heard, asking her to repeat it.
"Laws and regulations—that's your specialty, isn't it? Surely you could draw on that expertise to create new ones."
"...It's possible. But."
In truth, lawmaking was the legislature's domain, unrelated to the judiciary where he served. Still, her logic held water; he'd made his career on matters tied to the law, so devising new statutes wasn't impossible. But the proposal itself...
"Are you asking us to betray the judiciary... or, on a larger scale, the Republic of Korea?"
This country's judiciary—or broadly speaking, Korea itself. To Hwang Seung-man, creating new laws meant building a new nation in Gyeongju.
"If that's what's needed."
Yu-na conveyed her resolve to do it if necessary. He had to refuse. The zombie apocalypse would stabilize soon...
No. Will things really normalize as I hope? This apocalypse disaster?
...Hwang Seung-man's face darkened. Cruel as it was, the government and president had already lost the people's trust.
It's been over a month already. A whole month, and no answers from the government.
More than a month into the crisis, and nothing resolved. There had been outside contact, but only boilerplate responses. If the government had any breathing room, there'd be news of rescues or reclaimed cities—but silence reigned. Does the Republic of Korea's government even exist anymore?
A torrent of doubts tormented him.
"I trusted the government at first, too. Waited for rescue."
Her voice slipped in like honey, targeting that crack in his resolve.
"But no matter how much I prayed, how desperately I begged... the hope I wanted never came."
As if reading his anguish, Yu-na shared that she'd been no different. Yes, just as she said—he'd prayed countless times, yearned for salvation from the government. But it never delivered.
"Instead, Gyeongju's largest survivor camp got swept away by a zombie horde."
Hwang Seung-man had witnessed that horror firsthand. He knew the camp Yu-na belonged to had fallen to zombies. Her claim to understand his plight wasn't empty; she'd lived it.
"Mr. Hwang Seung-man, our god has swept away every zombie in Gyeongju for now. But do you think this crisis is truly over?"
"It... it's not over!?"
And she claimed the zombie threat lingered.
"Everywhere outside Gyeongju—every city and region—is still overrun by zombies."
"Then... we flee to the mountains..."
"Impossible. The mountains near Gyeongju are crawling with monstrous horrors. I've been chased by them myself."
Not just zombies, but vicious monsters in the nearby hills. Yu-na shuddered dramatically, and Hwang felt a chill of fear. If this wasn't the end, but merely a prelude... could they survive with their current forces?
"It's far too late to pin our hopes on the government."
Her argument rang true. Waiting longer only invited new threats to devour them. Hwang's mind raced: Which path do I choose?
"So, I promise you and Gyeongju Support this."
As if to guide his choice, Yu-na shifted from empathy to radiant benevolence.
"My god, Bahamut, will protect you all."
The dragon that massacred the zombie horde would safeguard Gyeongju Support. Having seen its power with his own eyes, Hwang clung to her words like a lifeline.
"That dragon... will protect us?"
"Yes. In fact, He wants you—the ones who can help perfect our laws and regulations."
The dragon wanted them. Endless joy and relief washed over Hwang.
"...He wants us?"
"Yes. It's a direct command from our god."
The dragon needed them, would step forward to protect them. Yet Hwang still clung to his conscience as a Republic of Korea district court chief.
Such a sweet offer. Too sweet. I'd regret refusing. But I'm part of this nation's judiciary. Betraying it... betraying Korea. Is that okay? Would it brand me and my followers as traitors?
Not just him, but everyone who followed—traitors all. The fear of that slur made him hesitate. Even if the government was silent, Korea hadn't vanished entirely, had it?
"...If it's not too rude, could we meet that dragon directly before deciding?"
It was the utmost compromise he could offer as a judge.
Yu-na didn't answer Hwang Seung-man's compromise immediately. Instead, she said she'd consult Bahamut and get back to him. The negotiation paused as she pulled out the Mirror of Far Sight and contacted Bahamut.
"...So, contact with You is their condition for joining."
[No problem.]
She relayed the condition, and Bahamut replied without issue.
Not bad at all. A smooth negotiation.
A fine outcome—in fact, better than expected. From Bahamut's perspective, things had gone surprisingly well. Bluntly put, this fool of a dragon had been on edge, worried Yu-na and the Balhut Cult might cause a massive incident with their zeal.
"How rude! To dare approach the presence of a god...!"
[Ahem. I permitted it. Speak no more.]
Curiously, it wasn't Bahamut who bristled at the compromise—it was Yu-na. He'd declared protection Himself, so how dare they reject His grace? Her complaints bubbled up, but Bahamut swiftly rebuked her, ordering silence.
"Understood!"
[Good. That's settled.]
Reprimanded, Yu-na pouted but soon perked up in agreement with Bahamut's will. If He rebuked me, there must be a reason.
Meeting in person... probably means at the temple, right?
Bahamut pondered the venue. Meeting in the city was impossible given his size. That meant the temple where he was...
Wait. The temple?
A problem dawned on him. Tearing his gaze from the Mirror of Far Sight, he surveyed his surroundings.
[Hold on a moment.]
"What's wrong, my lord?"
Neglected statues were caked in dust; his ceiling crawled with cobwebs. It was an abandoned temple through and through—no denying it. Bahamut halted Yu-na mid-negotiation. What he needed now was time!
[Meeting them is fine. But facing each faction one by one would consume considerable time.]
"True enough?"
This fool dragon, bold enough to spout nonsense for time—Bahamut himself! A plausible excuse to buy delay!
[So, extend the offer to Gyeongju's other survivor camps as well. Select those who wish to meet me separately.]
"Brilliant! While recruiting Gyeongju Support, we'll propose to all of Gyeongju City's survivor camps!"
[Indeed.]
Bahamut's words made perfect sense. Meeting factions separately would waste time. In this apocalypse, time was precious—his logic was compelling.
Can't show them the temple like this—it's too embarrassing...!
But really, it was because his temple was a filthy mess, unprepared for guests.
And the path here is treacherous. No roads for cars, either—we'll need access roads!
The route was rugged and remote. Realizing he desperately needed time to spruce up his lair, Bahamut pressed on.
[Let's set a tentative date first. Tell the legal experts I've agreed to their proposal. We'll finalize after negotiating with the other factions.]
"Understood, my lord. I'll relay that."
Accepting Hwang Seung-man's terms provisionally, then coordinating with others would naturally drag things out.
Phew...
Time bought. The rest depended on his magic, construction skills, and cleaning prowess.
First, cleaning. Scrub it spotless and oil the mechanisms!
Dust everywhere—cleaning was priority one!
Roads... annoying, but magic can handle that.
No more manual labor! Magic to pave roads for visitors!
And rehearsals! First face-to-face with people, a negotiation no less—can't look half-assed!
Show the masses a firm, cool demeanor!
This fool's mind was filled with such thoughts. How utterly terrifying and gruesome.