America (2)
By the time Bahamut's worries were deepening in Gyeongju, Baek Seol-hwa had guided the diplomatic delegation from America to the Balhut Cult's headquarters there, just as he'd commanded.
Seol-hwa herself and a handful of cult soldiers provided escort, but honestly, considering the guard force the diplomats had brought along, they hardly needed it. Their real role was surveillance—insurance against the possibility that these "guests" weren't who they claimed to be from America.
"Heh. I heard East Asia got wrecked by the zombie apocalypse, every country in shambles. But here... not a whiff of zombies."
The Americans had obviously clocked Seol-hwa as a watcher, but they didn't call it out. From the cult's perspective, these were unannounced intruders, and it was natural to doubt if Steven's group was legit. Steven, trying to lighten the tense mood, shot a friendly grin at the quietly observing Seol-hwa and remarked on the zombie-free streets.
"That's right. No zombies inside the city, but there could be wild ones or monsters on the road to Gyeongju and Pohang."
"I see. Is that why you're escorting us?"
"Yes. Ordinary wild zombies wouldn't faze you, but powerful variants can threaten even Awakened."
Seol-hwa politely explained that while the city was clear, the outskirts might not be. Steven, ever the smooth talker, pressed cheekily on why the cult had sent escorts, and she nodded lightly, mentioning the rogue variant zombies prowling outside.
"Powerful variants... Named ones?"
Steven's face hardened at the words, dropping the term "Named." Seol-hwa, clueless about what that meant, blinked in confusion at his sudden shift.
"Named?"
"Ah, on our side, we call powerful monsters—or the commander types leading them—Named."
"Oh, similar to that. We call powerful zombies variant zombies."
She nodded in agreement. The Named she'd and the cult encountered usually packed raw power or commanded zombie hordes. Further evolution could spawn new breeds like spider variants, but no need to mention that now.
"Speaking of, America's apocalypse wasn't zombies, right?"
"Correct. Not zombies—Alien... no, we call it the Gate Apocalypse."
They swapped intel on the Korean Peninsula and America, probing each other's depths through small talk. Trivial chatter, but Seol-hwa and Steven both fished for secrets within it. Naturally, the professionally trained Steven outmatched the ordinary girl.
Hmm. America's end-times are a whole different beast from East Asia. Matches what we gleaned from the internet.
But Seol-hwa had Bahamut observing from a third-party view. Through her, he sized up the delegation's looks and demeanor—and as a bonus...
Mind Scan.
...used magic to probe their true identities. Remote-cast via Seol-hwa, he figured detection-type Awakened sensitive to mana might pick it up, so he kept it to affiliation checks only. He could've risked deeper scans or judgments, but no point—for him, confirming their origins was enough.
Real American diplomatic envoy. Goals... hmm, too vague. Casting time was too short. Could dig deeper if I pushed, but that's greed.
He slipped away undetected, gleaning their info effortlessly. Tempted to pry further, but knowing Steven had a detector at his side, Bahamut deemed more interference greedy and pulled back.
Besides, this spell... it's creepy in itself.
Mind Scan inherently violated privacy. Bahamut had zero interest in Steven's personal life and saw covert peeking as a human rights affront, so he drew a firm line, relaying only the basics to Seol-hwa.
"They're genuine guests from America."
"Of course. Haha, who'd dare impersonate America? We're straight from the White House."
"We had to suspect—you could've been shady con artists trying to fool us. Sorry for doubting you."
With Bahamut's assurance that they were trustworthy, Seol-hwa beamed, apologizing for her suspicions with a sheepish look. But to Steven, it hit like she'd bought their story wholesale after a few words.
He laughed it off with practiced nonchalance, but inwardly, it grated. The cult's doubt was anticipated in their plan—they'd schemed to profit from it. But...
Wait, did she read me?
Watching her confirm their legitimacy and relax so fast, Steven wondered if Seol-hwa had pierced his facade. Pre-apocalypse, mind-reading was sci-fi, but now? Awakened could do it, brainwash even. America's intel net had long tracked mentalist types.
But this girl...
Per our intel, Baek Seol-hwa specializes in temperature manipulation magic. Not a mentalist.
Her abilities were already in US files: powerhouse mage, temperature-focused, no mentalist skills. Still wary, Steven flicked a glance at detector Anna beside him. She casually took his hand, signaling as planned.
No mana detected. She just... believed us purely?
Anna's signal: no spells, no mana precursors. Steven could only conclude she'd trusted them straight-up. Not baseless, though.
Well, intel says 14 in Korean age. Prime time to trust folks blindly.
Her profile was fully profiled—minor, still innocent. Logical: a girl idolizing America, thrilled by their visit. Enough to convince the public or even himself, despite hitches.
She'd visibly startled at "America's here," then stayed friendly. She was excited for this meet, surely.
But why? I pieced together a rationale that satisfies me, yet my gut feels heavy.
No need to get serious with a kid—time to play the gracious adult. But Steven couldn't shake it off lightly. No mana traces per Anna, full intel on cult figures. Deduction fit, yet...
Why was his instinct screaming this wasn't the full truth?
What did I miss?
Endless nagging doubts and suspicions swirled, fraying his focus.
"Mr. Steven? Mr. Steven?"
"Huh? Oh? Yeah?"
"Ahaha, looks like you dozed off for a sec."
Seol-hwa's voice snapped him back. That tiny doubt had hijacked his mind. They'd reached the cult's main hall, yet he'd zoned out the whole way.
"Sorry. Guess I'm beat."
He apologized honestly and followed her lead inside, spotting a girl there.
Intel checks out—the Balhut Cult leader's a kid.
Steven's delegation knew her: Balhut Cult pontiff and Korea's famed Dragon Priestess, Choi Yu-na. Rumors swirled of her terrifying power unifying Gyeongju.
This girl's beyond imagination.
Damn, did the cult run a superhuman project on these kids from birth or what?
And intel was right—she was monstrously strong, incomparable to their American Awakened. Anna's signals confirmed it; Steven could only chuckle bitterly inwardly.
We're talented too. Seen even more gifted ones, felt no huge gap. But her... that bottomless, immeasurable mana! Can't even compare!
America was birthing stars, including naturals like him—young special envoy thanks to his gifts. He'd met stronger, but...
So this is why she rules Gyeongju, birthed a government.
Could even those stack up? He wanted to think Anna exaggerated to jolt his complacency. But no—her face was ashen, eyes fleeing Yu-na, hands trembling under cover.
Steel yourself, Steven stepped forward.
"Guests from the White House. Pleased to meet you."
"Yes. We've been looking forward to this momentous encounter. Balhut Cult pontiff, Choi Yu-na."
"Oh? You know me well."
Yu-na eyed him warily at the White House's intel flex. Steven preferred that human suspicion over unknowable abyss.
"Luck of the draw. Government's intel gathering hasn't rusted yet. America's still kicking strong."
"Yes, we've seen via internet."
He boasted America's intact structure—unlike Korea's vanished government and head of state. Yu-na eased her doubt. She'd already confirmed via Bahamut they were legit White House reps. Her jab was just probing.
"Steven David, appointed White House envoy lead."
"As you know, Balhut Cult pontiff Choi Yu-na. So."
She scanned the delegation once.
"Shall we get to business?"
She led them to the negotiation table.