Chapter 29
Of course, to the two politicians who had no understanding of the thoughts of this foolish Dragon, it sounded like a statement close to a lament.
At the same time, it seemed to them that Bahamut had made a noble decision.
“So, what should we do about them?”
The next words that followed made Park Cheol-gon and Han Geun-chul certain of their suspicions.
“The fundamental issue lies in the special nature of the Awakened. As long as the Awakened possess absolute power and rights in this disaster, a fundamental resolution is impossible.”
Park Cheol-gon ultimately asserted that all the issues stemmed from the unique nature of the Awakened, and as long as this special status existed, a fundamental resolution would be impossible.
“Well, even now in Gyeongju, the demand for the Awakened is overflowing, but there’s no supply.”
Han Geun-chul agreed with this, stating that the current situation in Gyeongju had high demand but no supply of the Awakened.
Unless additional Awakened could be gained through zombie hunting, the value of existing Awakened could only continue to rise endlessly.
After considering their advice, Bahamut pondered for a moment.
“So, if the Awakened were no longer special, what would happen then?”
He asked them what they thought would happen if the Awakened lost their unique status.
It was a sudden statement, but it was one possible way to address the current situation.
However, based on what Park Cheol-gon and Han Geun-chul knew, the method of awakening in South Korea was through zombie hunting.
‘Is this a test for us?’
‘It’s not unusual to assess the ability of working officials.’
So, they first thought that this conversation was a kind of trial, testing them.
‘It’s strange to suddenly impose a test in the current situation.’
‘Then, does this mean there is truly a way to solve the Awakened issue?’
However, they found it strange that Bahamut would impose a test in the current situation, and instead guessed that Bahamut might have a way to solve the Awakened issue.
Considering Bahamut’s abilities shown so far, it was most reasonable to believe that he truly had a method to address this difficult problem.
Once they reached this conclusion, they made a quick decision.
“If that’s the case, Do Josoon would lose his reason to rule over Northern Gyeongju.”
“Not because of justification or righteousness. Since he ruled by power, once the special nature disappears, Do Josoon would simply be swallowed by another greater power.”
If the Awakened issue could be resolved, Do Josoon would lose his reason to continue ruling as the leader of Northern Gyeongju.
The reason he could remain as the ruler was due to being an Awakened and being the strongest among the Awakened in Gyeongju.
However, if the distinction between the Awakened and ordinary people disappeared, Do Josoon would lose the legitimacy to rule over Northern Gyeongju.
If only the strong could rule, Do Josoon would inevitably find himself constantly challenged by others, and the moment he was defeated even once, he would lose everything.
“Then it’s simple. From now on, we will work to increase the number of Awakened.”
Thus, if they could erase the special status of the Awakened, Do Josoon’s power would inevitably diminish.
Bahamut’s sudden and shocking statement left Park Cheol-gon and Han Geun-chul speechless.
Right now, there were already complaints about how difficult it was to awaken even a single Awakened, so how did he intend to increase their numbers?
Many thoughts crossed their minds, but first, they needed to verify whether this was a mere slip of the tongue or something more.
“…Forgive me for asking, but is there a method?”
“Yes.”
And Bahamut continued.
“Recently, I learned a method to artificially create Awakened.”
A way to artificially awaken individuals.
If this were made public, it would surely cause a stir not only in Gyeongju but possibly throughout all of South Korea.
“…Indeed. You’ve brought forth a method beyond imagination. I thought it might involve capturing zombies to awaken people.”
“If applied well, this could clearly solve the shortage of Awakened.”
Of course, Park Cheol-gon and Han Geun-chul might have been overreacting.
The shortage of Awakened was an issue that arose only within Gyeongju, where zombies had vanished, but in other cities across South Korea, numerous Awakened were still emerging.
Of course, the harsh reality was that just as many Awakened were dying as new ones emerged.
Regardless, the advantage of safely awakening individuals remained significant.
“I discovered it by chance. Either way, I have a method to artificially increase the Awakened. What do you think?”
“To be frank, if we announce this without proper justification, I believe our Balhut Cult’s Awakened will harbor dissatisfaction.”
“I agree as well.”
However, Park Cheol-gon warned that taking action without proper justification would lead to discontent among the Awakened of the Balhut Cult.
‘What is that supposed to mean? I don’t know; it sounds scary.’
Discontent among the cult’s Awakened!
For Bahamut, it was news as shocking as a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
He had found a new awakening method to solve the shortage of Awakened, so how could they be dissatisfied?
“What’s the reason?”
Bahamut hid his feelings of bewilderment and asked as calmly as possible.
Although he appeared composed, his mind was anything but at ease—this was merely an aside.
“Just as they see themselves as special, being Awakened is a sort of privilege in this era. In other words, the Awakened are the vested interests of this time.”
“Your declaration could be seen as stripping the Awakened of their privileges.”
“I see.”
The vested interests!
With that single phrase, Bahamut instinctively understood.
Asking people to give up the privileges they hold in human society is no small matter.
Even now, they say there is a shortage of Awakened on the frontlines, but it was also a fact that just by being Awakened, they enjoyed many privileges within the Cult.
So, they might oppose such a change to protect those privileges.
‘Of course, there may be no Awakened bold enough to openly defy God Bahamut.’
‘But that dissatisfaction could turn toward us.’
From a realistic perspective, they could not possibly express their discontent to Bahamut, who had saved Gyeongju.
For now, Bahamut himself tried to resolve issues through dialogue and ignored minor matters, but they must not forget that if push came to shove, he could forcibly impose his will with his power.
“Of course, if there are those who oppose, there will surely be those who support Bahamut’s plan as well.
“Ah, but this is only if the policy is implemented without proper justification.”
“If there is a justification that people can understand, even those who oppose will find it difficult to object.”
“Justification, huh. Then, what justification do you have in mind?”
It was a scenario where the policy would be implemented without any justification.
If the policy was implemented with content that many could understand, then those who opposed it would find it difficult to openly object.
Park Cheol-gon and Han Geun-chul explained that rather than announcing a policy recklessly, it was necessary to have a justification that others could accept.
Bahamut nodded at their words and asked them about the justification they had in mind.
“We should use the Zombie Apocalypse disaster itself.”
“This disaster itself can become a strong justification.”
“Hm?”
They suggested that the Apocalypse, which had become almost like everyday life, could serve as the justification.
It was such a straightforward and simple solution that it left Bahamut, who was listening, feeling rather perplexed.
“If you simply command them to follow without any context, there may be internal resentment. Of course, they may submit to absolute power, but that cannot last forever.”
“So the justification we use to persuade them is simple. It is a theme that we can all empathize with—using the Zombie Apocalypse disaster.”
However, the fact remained that it was something everyone could relate to, given its familiarity.
While Gyeongju had achieved peace, other cities were still suffering under the Zombie Apocalypse, and zombies even continued to come to Gyeongju from outside.
“Right now, people feel at ease because they are under the protection of God Bahamut, allowing them to engage in their livelihoods. But what if that protection were no longer there?”
“Even now, crimes are happening, whether known or unknown, inside and outside. Naturally, people would want a means to protect themselves. In such a situation, if God Bahamut announces the Awakened Project policy, the ordinary members of the Balhut Cult would all support God Bahamut.”
The reason peace had no issues was all thanks to Bahamut’s protection.
But what if that protection were to vanish?
What if they encountered danger in areas not under Bahamut’s protection?
Moreover, it was becoming known among the ordinary people that Awakened-related crimes were occurring within Gyeongju, making them more inclined to desire some means to protect themselves.
“But according to what you said, isn’t it possible that the vested Awakened won’t comply?”
However, that reasoning was for persuading the general population.
It wasn’t aimed at convincing the vested Awakened.
“They need their own form of persuasion. Of course, for now, since their sense of exclusivity isn’t too deep, it may be possible to ignore it and proceed, but the more justification, the better.”
“It would be easier to convince them if we present it this way: a practical view, that is, in this Zombie Apocalypse disaster, having more Awakened is crucial.”
Thus, to persuade them, a method to convince the Awakened who were on the front lines was necessary.
That meant making them face the current reality directly.
Gyeongju needed more Awakened, and even now, the shortage of Awakened was causing numerous problems.
“Awakened who respond to security situations, as well as those in the Expedition Team, all feel it. There aren’t enough Awakened.”
“For now, our territory is limited, so it’s manageable, but if we unify Gyeongju and expand our influence, many believe that we’ll soon hit a limit.”
This issue had already been raised in various places.
If they could solve this by creating more Awakened, there might still be some discontent, but it wouldn’t be openly expressed.
“Not to mention, not all Awakened are capable of fighting. In fact, there are those who can’t fight even after awakening.”
“If Awakened who have families can awaken their family members, they might even become strong supporters.”
And that wasn’t the only way to persuade them.
For Awakened who had parents or family they cared for, there was also a persuasive argument for them.
In fact, such Awakened might become the biggest supporters of the policy.
“So, there are those who can be persuaded.”
“Of course, not all Awakened have a sense of superiority, and there are also those who stay cooped up and complain endlessly.”
“So in this disaster, we don’t have the luxury to cater to every dissenting opinion. For stable governance, we must bring in as many supporters as possible and suppress complaints as much as we can.”
As human beings, there will always be some who have grievances with a policy.
However, the Balhut Cult was not in a position to accommodate every complaint and had to bring in as many supporters as possible while suppressing the rest of the dissatisfaction.
“There is no policy that satisfies everyone. Every policy is bound to have likes and dislikes.”
“I’ll try to review it as thoroughly as possible.”
No policy can gain the approval of everyone.
Bahamut thought, “Politics is difficult,” but he decided to think carefully about the direction of the policy.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment