The One Chosen by the Dragon God. (1)
Right here and now, a Dragon Priestess chosen by the dragon had been born.
Baek Seol-hwa, who had successfully transferred to Dragon Priestess, was no longer the pained and wounded child. She had returned to being the strongest awakener in Pohang—the resilient female warrior Son Sang-hee once knew.
Was it because of her contract with the Dragon God? Her hair had turned a sky-blue rarely seen among Koreans or East Asians, and her eyes gleamed a striking blue, but the immense power radiating from her sent shivers through Son Sang-hee's entire body.
"I don't want to lose anything else. Not my true self."
Having regained her eyes, face, and legs through the contract, Baek Seol-hwa vowed never to lose anything more. It must have been agonizing. She had pretended to be composed, blaming herself for everything, but deep down, she had resented the heavens—Why me?
As if releasing that resentment, Baek Seol-hwa slowly opened her eyes and declared to Bahamut.
"I'll advance as far as I can. For you, Dragon God."
She would advance to the very limits possible. With her contract complete, Baek Seol-hwa began suppressing the surging power within her. Pointless mana leakage would only drain her reserves.
Whoa, talent like Yu-na's? Or does everyone get this strong after contracting with me? What the hell. That's kinda scary, not gonna lie.
Of course, from Bahamut's perspective, healing her body had been entirely his own will, but he hadn't anticipated such a dramatic power surge. At first, he thought it was because Seol-hwa had talent similar to Yu-na's, but now he wondered if everyone he contracted with ended up like this. He felt a twinge of dread for future contracts.
She'll be fine, right? She's gotta handle stuff in Pohang like Yu-na does! In the apocalypse, personal strength doubles as political power. If the Pohang locals see how strong their Dragon Priestess is, things'll go smoother down the line.
If her talent and power exceeded even his expectations, Bahamut—the one who contracted with her—could only take pride in it. An exceptional contractor boosted his own reputation, after all. Since Seol-hwa was meant to play a role in Pohang similar to Yu-na's, her flaunting that strength actually made things easier for him.
"Is your body all right?"
He slowly asked the power-restraining Seol-hwa if she was okay. He'd healed her face, eyes, and legs, but he figured there might still be something amiss.
"I'm fine. Better than ever, actually! Nothing for you to worry about, Dragon God!"
"I-Is that so."
Flustered by her humble prostration and apologies for causing concern, Bahamut panicked. It felt like a scene he'd seen before. Hiding his embarrassment, he spoke again.
"More importantly... now that you've regained your light, what are your thoughts?"
"It's an honor to meet you first thing, Dragon God! Hmm! You're cuter than I imagined. Totally satisfied!"
Eh? Cute? Not majestic?
He'd asked how it felt to regain her sight, but her answer was "cute." What an eccentric taste. Most who saw Bahamut's true form felt awe or called him majestic, but "cute" was a first.
Bahamut stared at her in stunned disbelief, while Son Sang-hee looked equally dumbfounded by the "cute" remark. To her, Bahamut's form evoked grandeur or majesty, not cuteness. Where did she even see that?
"I agree a hundred—no, a thousand percent!"
"Ah, no."
But the only one in the room fully endorsing Seol-hwa's opinion was Yu-na. She rushed over, grabbed Seol-hwa's hand, and shook it enthusiastically.
Majestic? Nah, cute. Yu-na too. They are my contractors, but... such peculiar tastes.
What peculiar tastes. Seeing Yu-na agree with Seol-hwa's view, Bahamut couldn't comprehend it, even from his contractors.
"Ah! You must be Yu-na! That makes you my senior! Senior! This junior pays her respects!"
"Hee-hee. I've finally got a cute junior! Let's spread Bahamut's greatness across the world together!"
"Yes! Let's proclaim the Dragon God's majesty to every corner of the earth!"
"What a like-minded junior!"
"You too, Senior!"
Watching Yu-na shake her hand, Seol-hwa called her "Senior," and Yu-na beamed proudly. Thrilled to have a junior at last, Yu-na proposed spreading Bahamut's greatness together, and Seol-hwa upped it to the entire world.
I don't get it. That's scary as hell.
Witnessing the union of two like-minded zealots up close, Bahamut reverted to his usual timid ways. Yu-na's earnest acceptance of Seol-hwa's outlandish global proclamation left even him speechless. Wasn't the scale a bit too grand?
Well, that's never happening in reality!
Logically, it was impossible. But hadn't he seen this fanatic duo dynamic before? This cowardly thick-headed dragon hasn't grown a bit.
"Thank you, Sister Sang-hee! Thanks to you, I get to live a new life. No more hesitation. I'll push forward to the end."
"I'm truly glad."
Finishing with Yu-na, Seol-hwa turned to thank Sang-hee, who had guided her here. Holding her hand with genuine gratitude, Seol-hwa's words made Sang-hee marvel at the miraculous recovery while sincerely expressing her relief.
"I can feel your sincerity, Sister. Thank you so much."
"Uh. Yeah."
Her sincerity had clearly gotten through. Seol-hwa remarked that she felt Sang-hee's true heart.
"Then, my contractor Baek Seol-hwa, you must have heard the rough situation in Pohang before coming here."
With greetings exchanged, Bahamut stepped in like a traffic cop, steering toward the main topic. Addressing his new contractor, he noted she'd likely heard why he'd chosen her.
"Yes. Seo Un-jae briefed me. From now on, as Pohang's mayor, I'm fated to be a puppet for the three major camps, right?"
"No need to spell that out to me. In any case, I intend to guarantee Pohang's autonomy going forward. If the three camps have no intention of opposing the Balhut Cult, I have no desire to meddle in internal affairs. The issue is the path my contractor will take."
Bahamut was caught off-guard by the puppet mention after her strong start but dismissed it, emphasizing Pohang's freedom. He wouldn't interfere unless they opposed the cult—but as her contractor, he bore responsibility for her future path. Her direction would shape his plans for her ahead.
"My path?"
"Indeed. You are now contracted to me, Bahamut. So, I must ask about the conviction you wish to proclaim to the world. With my power, what do you wish to achieve in this world?"
It was the same question he'd asked Yu-na. Bahamut gazed at Seol-hwa seriously, and she pondered his words with equal gravity.
"...I don't know."
"You don't know."
No matter how she thought, that was her answer. This contract hadn't been her choice from the start; she'd been selected as a sacrificial priestess to avert civil war among Pohang's camps. Though she'd steeled herself per Bahamut's words, her future felt utterly uncertain.
"At first, to survive the apocalypse, I just acted cool and brave in front of everyone. Looking back, it might've been guilt for surviving while my parents died."
"...Ugh."
Before meeting Bahamut, she'd realized her actions stemmed from survivor's guilt. To atone for her parents' deaths in her place and to ensure her own survival, she'd bluffed boldly before others. Son Sang-hee averted her eyes. She'd trusted that valiant facade, believing Seol-hwa could lead them through the end times.
I put too much on her. She was just a kid who needed protecting.
Now, Sang-hee bitterly regretted overburdening the girl she'd pinned such hopes on. She wanted to apologize.
"Even after contracting with the Dragon God, I haven't deeply pondered how to live. Before meeting you, I'd already lost the right to choose my life."
She'd had no time for such reflections pre-contract. Having lost everything, deemed useful only as a magic staff wielder, how could she plan her future? Regaining that right abruptly was naturally disorienting.
"So... how should I live now?"
"...Yu-na once told me she wanted to normalize the world. What do you wish to do going forward?"
"Normalize... What do I want to do..."
Bahamut cited Yu-na's past words as an example, pressing for her desires. It was a question she could answer with immediate goals rather than distant dreams.
"I want to send the people around me—the ones I know—to paradise. To prove to the world they weren't meant to shed blood and tears like this."
And her choice was salvation. She wanted to show these weren't people doomed to die or bleed in the apocalypse.
Baek Seol-hwa...
"I desire the descent of paradise upon this land."
"Paradise."
What? That's way bigger scale than Yu-na's!
She wished for a paradise where everyone could be happy. Her sudden grand aspiration left Bahamut hiding his shock, eyes trembling as he stared at her. Wasn't that too big? Paradise?!
"Yes. I don't aim for heaven, but a world where people can live like people. Where everyone can laugh safely and happily, enjoying peaceful daily lives... a peaceful paradise."
"Not so different from Yu-na, then. Ultimately, overcoming this apocalypse."
"Yes."
Her clarification allowed Bahamut to vaguely equate it to Yu-na's goal—overcoming the end times. Seol-hwa nodded solemnly at his solemn words.
Internally triumphant, Bahamut delivered his prepared killer line.
"Yet you know this best: the voices of the powerless are ignored."
"...Yes. I feel it to my bones."
"Then cultivate power no one can ignore. The strong can change the laws, topple the enemies who shattered your daily lives. And in the ruins of fallen cities, new ones will rise—that will be the new paradise you seek."
Reciting Yu-na's lines verbatim, he urged her to build strength and forge her desired paradise with it.
"The new paradise I desire."
"With great power comes responsibility. Should you bear that and pursue paradise's descent, I shall aid you with all my might."
He pledged his full support. Her dream wasn't a pipe dream—it was achievable. Eyes resolute, Seol-hwa spoke.
"Yes. I... Yes. I will establish the new paradise I desire. In Pohang. In this nation."
As Bahamut envisioned, she vowed to bring her paradise to the country. He'd forged another eternally loyal zealot.
Wh-what? Founding paradise? That sounds ominous for some reason!
Only then did the thick-skulled dragon sense things veering strangely—but it was too late. No escape! Our Bahamut showed zero growth, as always.