Chapter 131
The Lord Protector’s shocking speech was indeed a speech, but the irresponsible declaration by the Saintess that followed was so shocking that it threatened to derail the recently established international organization.
While the Lord Protector’s speech could be excused as being driven by a sense of humanity or hatred towards monsters, the Saintess’s subsequent statement was interpreted as a declaration that she intended to use the newly established international organization for her own purposes.
Naturally, the U.S. delegation, upon hearing these unexpected remarks, strongly opposed the proposal, stating that it was unacceptable.
“It seems they had already persuaded some before coming here.”
While President Arthur was engaged in a heated debate with the Lord Protector and the Saintess, Bahamut began to observe the representatives present at the meeting, slowly gauging the atmosphere.
From Bahamut’s perspective, the atmosphere in the meeting hall could be divided into three groups.
The first group, like President Arthur, was furious or enraged by the Lord Protector and the Saintess’s actions, siding with the U.S. in opposition.
Since the U.S. had taken the lead in resisting their actions, President Arthur’s stance was supported by other representatives who also strongly opposed the two, trying to persuade the Saintess, who was still spouting sophistry, with logical arguments.
“That damn woman! She’s impossible to reason with! Sure, the Atlantic interests are important, but we also care about the Pacific interests. We can’t just send troops for the Atlantic alone!”
“No, no, no. Reclaiming Paris, which could become a beacon of hope for humanity, why would you reject that?”
“No, the only ones benefiting from this are you! We’re from the Asia region!”
“Is that a problem?”
However, no matter how much they argued with logic or claimed it was none of their business, it had no effect on the Saintess, who continued to spout sophistry, trying to persuade President Arthur and the opposition.
Instead, President Arthur, being dragged along by the Saintess’s pace, gradually grew tired, but for the sake of his country’s interests, he continued to refute the Saintess’s sophistry.
Seeing this, Bahamut felt pity for them.
‘It’s fortunate that our international influence is weak.’
It was fortunate that the Lord Protector and the Saintess had targeted the U.S., so the Bahamut Cult hadn’t been drawn into the fray yet.
If they could persuade the U.S., the rest would likely follow, and indeed, other countries’ arguments were being dismissed as irrelevant.
But even the U.S. wasn’t foolish enough to follow the Saintess’s sophistry against their own interests, and this was the problem.
‘The second group is neutral.’
While the U.S. and its allies were in opposition, the second group was neutral.
This group, consisting of representatives from Northern Europe, closer to Eastern or Western Europe, remained silent.
They seemed to hope that if Paris were reclaimed, they could benefit from the spillover effects, and while they didn’t actively support the Saintess, they didn’t support the U.S. either.
Some in this group even seemed to want to provoke a fight between the two sides to force consumption.
‘The last group is their collaborators. Those who would benefit from the spillover effects of reclaiming Paris are all on the side of the Saintess of Orleans.’
The last group was the Saintess’s allies.
The Lord Protector, who was the first to declare support, and most of the Western European representatives were on the Saintess’s side.
They were the countries that would benefit the most from the reclaiming of Paris and were well aware of what France would do after reclaiming it.
“What a complete mess.”
It was an absolute mess.
No one cared about the ideals of rebuilding the international organization; they were only here for their own national interests.
Of course, if you think about it, Bahamut was also here for the Bahamut Cult’s interests, and he didn’t think that was bad.
What else would you call someone who works for their country’s interests if not a patriot?
‘But I thought they would at least know where to draw the line.’
However, there are lines that should not be crossed.
Bahamut, who also sympathized with the ideals of the international organization, had come here despite the host’s suspicious behavior.
But what he got in return was the Saintess of Orleans declaring that she would use the international organization’s power to reclaim Paris, and the Lord Protector supporting her.
Both were individuals with immense prestige, but shouldn’t they at least respect the lines that should not be crossed?
“We cannot accept this! If you force this through, we will end this reconstruction meeting!”
“Are you saying that the U.S. would withdraw from such a meaningful gathering? Is the U.S. the enemy of humanity?”
Tired of the Saintess’s sophistry, the U.S. suggested treating the international organization’s reconstruction meeting as if it never happened, but the Saintess seized on this, asking if the U.S. was the enemy of humanity.
President Arthur, who had never expected such a statement, immediately countered the Saintess’s words with a stern expression.
“No, we are not the enemy of humanity. But if you only think of your own interests, why should we follow you?”
“You say we only think of our own interests? What are you talking about? Paris is the center of Europe, and thus the center of humanity. Reclaiming the center of humanity, what interest is there in that? Isn’t it a milestone for humanity to move forward?”
“That’s your interest! We already have the power and means to move forward without reclaiming Paris! All we need is the justification to survive! And the establishment of this international organization is that justification! But you’re destroying that justification!”
President Arthur countered the Saintess’s logic point by point, saying that she was the one destroying it.
“Destroying it? What are you talking about? What’s wrong with this action?”
“This is impossible to reason with!”
A debate is supposed to be between people.
But if you don’t listen to the other side and only insist on your own opinions, what kind of debate is that?
“Is this a debate? It’s like talking to a wall!”
In fact, debating with the Saintess was meaningless.
Since the Saintess of Orleans had no intention of listening to President Arthur’s arguments, no matter how much he refuted her sophistry and presented logical arguments, there was no progress.
“Then why don’t we decide by vote? Isn’t that democracy?”
“Damn it!”
And when the Lord Protector, taking advantage of President Arthur’s exhaustion from the Saintess’s sophistry, suggested with a friendly smile that they decide the matter by vote, President Arthur, sensing something, cursed at the proposal.
“Fine. Let’s vote. It seems like you’ve already made deals behind our backs somewhere!”
‘They were aiming for this from the start. They must have negotiated behind the scenes to secure a majority.’
It was a mess, but in international relations, things rarely go smoothly, so it wasn’t strange.
However, acting as if all backroom deals were already done was crossing a line.
“24 countries. 14 in favor, 8 against, 2 abstentions. The motion is passed.”
And the result of the vote passed with a majority.
“Is the vote over? Then we will remain silent. The U.S. will have no part in this.”
‘Of course, they would be furious after such actions. Is this a fair vote? It’s just Western Europe doing as it pleases.’
Since it was a blatant vote where Western Europe—no, Europe—was doing as it pleased, not only the U.S. but also the representatives from the Asia region had grim expressions.
From now on, they would have to support a fight they didn’t want.
‘They probably have no intention of participating. Given the distance, they could just say they can’t participate, and what could the others do? We also have no intention of participating.’
Of course, it was highly likely that they wouldn’t participate due to the distance.
There was no obligation to participate, and Bahamut also had no intention of participating.
‘Now I understand what Steven meant by European supremacists.’
Only now did Bahamut realize what Steven and Anna’s warnings meant, but it was too late.
The only fortunate thing for the Bahamut Cult was…
“They don’t care about us at all.”
That they didn’t care about the Bahamut Cult at all.
Whether they didn’t consider them a negotiating partner or thought of them as subordinates of the U.S. who would automatically join if the U.S. was persuaded.
Either way, the arrogance of the Lord Protector and the Saintess was beyond belief.
“Well, they probably thought of us as just subordinates brought by the U.S. I knew they wouldn’t pay much attention.”
“How rude.”
“But we can’t really say anything. There’s also the physical distance. They might think it’s fine even if relations sour.”
In fact, the distance might be a factor.
They might have even considered using them as a hypothetical enemy to boost their prestige.
Given the distance between Western Europe and Asia, that possibility was quite high, which was truly frightening.
‘It’s like North Korea Meta.’
Since it was a scent all too familiar in Korea, Bahamut felt like he was going out for lunch.
“It’s frustrating that it’s true.”
And the good news for them was…
“Are you from Korea?”
“And you are?”
“I’m a representative from Fukuoka City, Japan. My name is Takishima Shiro.”
The Japanese representative, who had been effectively sidelined at the international organization’s reconstruction meeting due to the Lord Protector and the Saintess’s actions, had come to cooperate with the Bahamut Cult.
The representative from Fukuoka City, now the former Japanese representative, had first contacted Yuna and Bahamut to exchange introductions.
‘He’s young. Isn’t he too young to be a politician?’
Generally, politicians are middle-aged or elderly, but the man who had just introduced himself was a man in his early 30s.
“Are you the leader of the Bahamut Cult, Choi Yuna?”
The young-looking man confidently offered a handshake to Yuna, who looked at his hand.
“Yes, I’m Choi Yuna. You seem to know me well.”
“Yes, I keep up with news from neighboring countries.”
He smiled and shook her hand, saying he was well-informed about neighboring countries.
“Besides, Ahn Jina is also with you, right?”
“You knew about that.”
Moreover, he had a connection with Jin Ahn, and considering that she was now under the protection of the Bahamut Cult, his friendly demeanor might be…
“I couldn’t help but know. I was also someone who coveted Ahn Jina’s abilities. I was concerned about her whereabouts.”
He must have been truly regretful that Jin Ahn had left Japan.
As a hero who had reclaimed the city, he must have wanted to keep her, but Jin Ahn, being Korean, had left Fukuoka City with her comrades, so he might have felt a bit disappointed.
“Are you here to complain about that?”
“No, we’ve always been interested in the Bahamut Cult. You were the first to reclaim a city.”
Of course, he wasn’t here to talk about that.
He was here as a Japanese representative for Japan’s interests—more precisely, for Fukuoka City’s interests.
“Can we also join your endeavors?”
He was willing to extend a hand to the Bahamut Cult.
He proposed that they also join the Bahamut Cult’s interests.
“Then what do we gain from this?”
“Fukuoka City’s trade routes, transactions, and cooperation.”
The Bahamut Cult could gain various benefits through this, he claimed.
‘He seems to have approached us knowing what we want. We can’t let our guard down.’
For the Bahamut Cult, which wanted to diversify its diplomatic relations, this was an enticing proposal, and Bahamut saw it as a calculated move based on understanding their position.
He must have thoroughly studied the Bahamut Cult’s stance for this negotiation.
“After all, both of us are in a position where we need to reclaim our countries from scratch, right?”
“That’s true.”
And his logic to persuade the Bahamut Cult leadership was also something that resonated with Asia, making it a serious and listenable argument, unlike the shocking speeches of the Lord Protector and the Saintess.
“Let’s put aside the long-standing issues for now. We need to focus on surviving this apocalypse.”
“That… I understand, but our country and yours…”
“Yes, there’s that issue too. Of course, even if I apologize, no one would listen… but let’s put that aside for now, as I said earlier. We can discuss that later. Maybe this apocalypse will give us a chance to become friends again.”
And regarding cooperation, he even suggested putting aside old grudges for now.
Not erasing them completely, but putting them aside and focusing on survival first was a proposal that could be accepted.
And the last thing he said was…
“The last thing is a difficult topic.”
“Haha, I thought so.”
Bahamut said it was a very difficult topic and drew a line.
This topic was a traumatic one for those living in South Korea.
The Japanese representative also seemed to think the last topic was too much, and he smiled regretfully.
—
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