70. The One Chosen by the Dragon God (2)
Whatever the case, Bahamut's promise had been fulfilled. A new Dragon Priestess had been born to oversee Pohang, and with that as proof, Bahamut had extended his protection to the city as well.
Having concluded their audience with Bahamut, Baek Seol-hwa and Son Sang-hee returned to the Balhut Cult's main temple.
"Well then, Sang-hee unni. Let's head back to Pohang."
"Yes, Seol-hwa-nim."
Donning the shrine maiden robes prepared for the Dragon Priestess at the temple, Baek Seol-hwa set off for Pohang alongside Son Sang-hee.
"She's even more incredible than I imagined."
"Indeed. Contracting with Lord Bahamut must be something truly special."
"What do you mean by that?"
On the way back, Baek Seol-hwa drew reverent gazes from the countless executives affiliated with the Balhut Cult. Park Cheol-gon, in particular, who had known her grotesque state before the contract with Bahamut, was all the more astonished. He openly shared his feelings, declaring that the contract felt even more extraordinary.
After all, the girl who had been a helpless, immobile blind child just moments ago—unable to survive without aid—had suddenly gained eyes, legs, and overwhelming power.
"It seems miracles do exist."
"Hah. In this apocalypse, isn't 'miracle' just a commonplace word now?"
"True enough."
It was a miraculous scene that evoked awe whether one wanted it or not. Sharing his sentiments with Hwang Geun-chul, now his fellow ally, Park Cheol-gon quietly bowed toward Baek Seol-hwa as she departed for Pohang.
"So, that makes me the mayor of Pohang... and a Dragon Priestess serving Lord Bahamut?"
"Yes. In the cult's internal hierarchy, you'd be right below Lady Choi Yu-na."
"Mm! That's a bit scary. I never dreamed I'd rise to a position responsible for everything in Pohang!"
En route to Pohang by road, Baek Seol-hwa asked Son Sang-hee, who was driving, about her new role as mayor. Son Sang-hee relayed the information she knew without reservation, prompting Baek Seol-hwa to admit it was intimidating—she'd never imagined bearing such responsibility.
Son Sang-hee gave a wry smile in response.
"Still, you'll be swayed by the three major Pohang camps. From their perspective, they propped you up as a puppet to avoid civil war."
"Haha. Can't be helped. To them, I'm still just that pitiful blind girl."
Though concerned about being manipulated by the intentions of Pohang's three major camps, Baek Seol-hwa dismissed it as inevitable, downplaying herself as a girl who could do nothing in their eyes.
"So, I need to show them this time. What it truly means to contract with the Dragon God."
"Pardon?"
"Once we arrive, summon the three major Pohang camps for me!"
"Ah. Yes."
She declared she would make it crystal clear to the three camps what contracting with Bahamut entailed. Flustered by the fierce declaration but ever dutiful, Son Sang-hee promptly handled the request. At the mayor's summons, the three major Pohang camps responded without delay.
"Hmm. She arrived in Pohang today, right? And she's meeting us first. The mayor must be in quite a bind. Legs gone, face melted, eyes out, throat ruined. We need to support her properly."
Though puzzled by the sudden summons, Ha Jin-woo—the representative of the three major Pohang camps—told Seo Un-jae that the meeting would be satisfactory, casually referencing their new mayor. Yet his words carried less respect than the treatment of a convenient tool.
Ha Jin-woo blatantly mentioned Baek Seol-hwa's physical state, insisting they provide "support" while implying she'd be their puppet.
"You know I absolutely won't yield, right? Everyone here knows our Marine Division took the biggest losses in this deal."
While Ha Jin-woo found it agreeable, Kim Tae-sik, commander of the 1st Marine Division, was brimming with complaints.
He could acknowledge the Balhut Cult's governance to some extent. After all, they had led the reclamation of Pohang, reducing his forces to mere bystanders. But the postwar negotiations had been a raw deal for him.
Over half our Marine forces were handed to the Balhut Cult.
The cult had made concessions to Pohang but, to secure the victor's rights and maintain superiority, had seized the city's military power. Under the pretext of victor's privilege, they'd taken the troops of Kim Tae-sik—the only one maintaining an army in Pohang—and placed his Marines under cult control.
It was a blatant disregard for a Republic of Korea division commander's authority and power. Kim Tae-sik felt humiliated by the cult's arrogance, but unfortunately, his Marines' reactions differed entirely.
"We're alive! Finally living like humans!"
"Ramen after so long... Thank God we're still breathing...!"
"No more fish-only diet!"
To be blunt, his Marines had only maintained the facade of a military unit; internally, they were half-collapsed. Without reclaiming Pohang as a rear base, they couldn't secure supplies for an army. Post-reclamation, the Balhut Cult was the one providing logistics. Once the cult ensured food, clothing, and shelter, the Marines abandoned their commander for the cult.
Kim Tae-sik grumbled about where the honor of Republic of Korea Marines had gone, but armies move on full bellies. With no government or means to provide basics, only the Balhut Cult guaranteed his men's needs and fair treatment.
Between a commander who couldn't provide and an apocalyptic "government" that could, ordinary Marines naturally chose the latter—especially conscripts prioritizing self-preservation over loyalty to army or commander.
The cult offered merit: security, sustenance, respect.
Damn it. We should've sacrificed more and seized Pohang before the cult arrived!
Kim Tae-sik knew this but clung to faint hope that Korea hadn't fully fallen. Resenting the cult for usurping his military authority, he formed a secret faction within the Marines, gathering the disgruntled.
Some loyal officers, equally stripped of rank, made organizing easy.
"If you've got something to say, spit it out to me. Seo Un-jae."
"I have nothing to say to you, Division Commander Kim Tae-sik."
Building his secret faction swelled his influence, making him a force even Pohang's other camps couldn't ignore—bolstered by grievances over Seo Un-jae's failed negotiations.
Kim Tae-sik prodded Seo Un-jae to speak if he dared; Seo bowed his head, at a disadvantage in the war of legitimacy.
Let those two fight, and I reap the benefits.
Ha Jin-woo, the third party, could have mediated but chose to let the powers weaken, watching from afar. The losses would be theirs, not his.
Perhaps he even hoped Seo Un-jae and Kim Tae-sik would destroy each other, leaving his faction to seize Pohang unchallenged.
"I believe I secured the maximum rights possible for Pohang."
"But we got nothing satisfactory. We lost our rights to Gyeongju, while you secured yours strongly, didn't we?"
"I apologize for that. But don't our three major Pohang camps have merits that earned us treatment from the cult? Even without power, we gained elder status and great respect."
"That's your gain; this is ours."
Seo Un-jae defended his maximal negotiation, but Kim Tae-sik countered it benefited Seo and bystander Ha Jin-woo most.
Seo apologized, claiming he'd ensured elder treatment at minimum. But people fixate on losses first, not gains.
"Don't change the subject. That deal hurt us. In this apocalypse, fists speak louder than words—you know that too, Lord Seo Un-jae."
"Mm."
In the apocalypse, fists were law, faster than words, granting ironclad credibility. Kim Tae-sik had leveraged that for massive gains and popular support in Pohang.
But this meeting threatened his foundation, justifying his aggression.
"Still, when's our puppet girl arriving?"
"The poor kid's body is frail. And now she's our mayor."
"Title only."
Kim Tae-sik's faction endorsed Seo Un-jae's proposal to puppet Baek Seol-hwa for real power. Ha Jin-woo welcomed a Pohang puppet over Gyeongju's, following suit.
They'd heard via Seo of her severe disabilities—common enough in the apocalypse. Her youth worried slightly, but Seo would take the blame; they'd weather brief backlash.
If I can become Pohang's absolute ruler in exchange for lost military power, I can recoup losses from the cult. Maybe even reclaim my command.
Pohang's leader... Tempting.
Don't they know this will all bite back as karma?
Ha Jin-woo and Kim Tae-sik bared their ambitions shamelessly. Pre-apocalypse morals, ethics, face, and honor restrained them; five months in, patience snapped, those ideals trashed.
Only politician Seo Un-jae, mindful of public scorn, clung to conscience amid the end times.
"The mayor is entering."
"Son Sang-hee’s here."
"Hah. At least the girl has some loyalty."
When Son Sang-hee knocked and entered, the two representatives grudgingly praised her conscience. Having joined the cult, they'd expected no further sight of her—yet here she was, upholding loyalty to Baek Seol-hwa.
It's over.
Seo Un-jae foresaw public roasting by Ha Jin-woo and Kim Tae-sik once Baek appeared, bowing his head in resignation. The deal was internal and sealed, but they'd seize this chance to pummel him.
It was scripted theater, but Seo anticipated his camp eclipsed by theirs for a while, awaiting Baek's entrance.
"Eh?"
"Who's that?"
"That's..."
But seeing the entrant, Pohang's three leaders swallowed hard.
How could they not? The Baek Seol-hwa entering under Son Sang-hee's guidance was unrecognizable.
"Her eyes and face were melted, weren't they? Who's that?"
"We heard she had leg issues. Seo Un-jae, did you deceive us?"
"No way. You confirmed it too."
They suspected foul play at first. Stories of melted face and eyes, crippled legs had convinced them to back her as mayor—a puppet.
Kim Tae-sik and Ha Jin-woo glared at Seo, blaming him. But he was innocent; he'd shared all details, even verification. With her in the cult, it was out of his hands—he refused unrelated blame.
"Heh. You all look shocked."
They'd never forget Pohang's strongest Awakener's voice. Baek Seol-hwa entered boldly, smirking brazenly, chest out, confronting the three camps confidently.
Her form differed, but her demeanor was pure survivor camp leader—the Baek Seol-hwa they knew.
"Today, having been elected by Pohang and invested as Dragon Priestess of Lord Bahamut and mayor of Pohang, I am Baek Seol-hwa."
Clad in the same shrine maiden robes as Choi Yu-na, she greeted the three representatives calmly. Her youthful face, sky-blue ponytail, and glowing azure eyes were striking.
"As Dragon Priestess of Lord Bahamut, I will ensure paradise comes to Pohang."
So that's what he meant!
Only then did Seo Un-jae grasp Park Cheol-gon's words. Contracting with a dragon exceeded mortal limits.
Why call Bahamut the Dragon God? Because his power defies human comprehension!
Why did the cult worship him as deity? Even to believers, his might rivaled gods, so they served without hesitation.
Judging the Dragon God by human standards naturally brought retribution.
"Th-that wound was incurable, even by healing magic."
"All this is Lord Bahamut's grace. I have eyes to see the world once more."
Wounds fatal to mortals meant nothing to Bahamut. Fully restored, Pohang's top Awakener shone with rare blue eyes for a Korean, speaking deliberately.
"And no deception will sway me anymore."
Those azure eyes pierced the three representatives sharply.