Chapter 41
Yuna’s actions were incredibly swift.
After returning to the cult, Yuna gathered religious representatives to spread the teachings of God Bahamut, and many religious communities responded without hesitation to her summons.
Soon, each religious community selected a representative and sent them to Yuna, who in turn sent these chosen representatives to the Shrine of Bahamut.
Naturally, the chosen religious representatives were granted the honor of facing Bahamut directly in the sacred shrine revered by the Balhut Cult.
“Well… It’s strange for me to ask this after summoning you here, but there’s one thing I’d like to ask you all.”
“What would that be?”
Looking at the selected representatives, Bahamut could sense Yuna’s sincerity and goodwill. Feeling burdened by it, Bahamut decided to ask the selected representatives a question, intending to find a way to send them back.
A question that would be inescapable if they were Christians, hoping it would send them back to Gyeongju!
“The doctrine of your faith is monotheistic, isn’t it? From what I’ve heard, even the Ten Commandments say that there is only one true God?”
What Bahamut first mentioned was the well-known Ten Commandments.
It was one of the most emphasized verses in Christian mythology, which boasts a history of thousands of years.
The ten principles revealed by a great hero who received a revelation from God for his people.
The first verse was, “You shall have no other gods before me,” or in some denominations, “You shall honor the one true God.”
By serving Bahamut as a god, Bahamut asked if that wouldn’t mean breaking the Ten Commandments.
“That is correct. I consider it an honor that God Bahamut is aware of our religious doctrines. However….”
Of course, a priest who had studied theology at a seminary couldn’t be ignorant of the famous Ten Commandments.
The Ten Commandments were crucial verses even in theological education, and even if reciting them wasn’t common in Korea, a properly educated priest would know that his actions contradicted the first verse of the Ten Commandments.
Bahamut openly mentioned this, and the priest nodded in agreement, acknowledging that Bahamut was not wrong.
“However, even after all this, our God has not responded to our prayers.”
“Is that so?”
At the same time, the priest spoke words of disappointment and resentment toward the God who remained silent amidst this tragedy.
Even in this hellish disaster, the God the priest served had not responded to his prayers at all.
No matter how devout one might be, if their faith couldn’t protect their life or the lives of those around them, and their God remained silent, then losing faith was only natural.
In reality, it was not the God the priest believed in that saved this Gyeongju, but the Bahamut before his eyes.
“But only God Bahamut has saved us. Isn’t it natural for one to believe in the Savior who grants salvation right before their eyes, rather than a heavenly God who does nothing?”
So, even though the Ten Commandments existed, there was no reluctance for the priest to serve Bahamut as a divine being.
From the priest’s perspective, it was far easier to accept believing in the Dragon who had saved him and his family, rather than a God who had not responded to anything.
In truth, ever since Bahamut’s descent, Gyeongju had continuously been saved, the tyrannical rule of Do Josoon was toppled, and freedom was brought to the entire region of Gyeongju.
Not believing in the dragon protecting humanity would only make one seem strange or insane.
This reflected the current sentiment in Gyeongju, where it was considered natural that Bahamut was the divine dragon.
“I assure freedom of religion. You can continue to believe in your existing faiths. I can even guarantee them in my name.”
“Thank you sincerely for your consideration. However, we have already made our decision.”
Determining that the situation was turning more complicated than anticipated, Bahamut assured freedom of religion, stating that existing faiths were welcome, and he would even guarantee them in his name.
Unfortunately, this assurance did not resonate with the religious representatives before him.
Would the existing religious influence remain intact, even if it were to be revived now?
Would people truly return to believing in a God who had done nothing but watch during such a hellish catastrophe?
With the Dragon that safeguarded the people of Gyeongju standing right before them?
That’s nonsense.
“God Bahamut is… the God who saved us and Gyeongju.”
The influence of the Balhut Cult, which allowed them to trust and follow the visible divine dragon, would only grow stronger.
Thus, the priest before Bahamut was ready to serve a new God of the new era, in line with the changing times.
In truth, it was hard to blame anyone, as this situation arose from Bahamut himself doing everything he could for the cult members of Gyeongju.
He had backed their currency with his guarantee, delivered justice to the heinous Do Josoon in a satisfying manner, and ensured the freedom and peace of Gyeongju.
He even assured freedom of religion, making one wonder why anyone wouldn’t support the divine dragon.
“Do others feel the same?”
And this sentiment was shared not only by the priest but also by pastors from other regions.
They responded to Bahamut’s words with a solemn nod, and even a Buddhist monk closed his eyes and bowed deeply.
In fact, it was the Buddhist monk who offered the most logical reasoning that Bahamut could accept.
“The path of Buddha we speak of is not limited to a single way called Buddhism. Even Lord Shakyamuni reached enlightenment on the path of Buddha by discovering it himself, and he spoke of many paths to enlightenment. So, I believe that this path could become a new path of enlightenment for myself and others.”
Buddhism teaches the way to escape the suffering of life, a way known as Buddha.
However, the path to Buddha isn’t always achievable through the teachings of Buddhism.
Even the great sage Shakyamuni, who founded Buddhism, attained enlightenment on his own before Buddhism existed, leading to the teachings where anyone could follow the path and become enlightened.
However, Buddhism has always been just one way of attaining enlightenment that Buddha discovered; it never claimed that this path alone is the only way to reach enlightenment or the ultimate truth.
In Buddhism, it is believed that all beings can become enlightened, and thus all humans can eventually attain enlightenment. Good and evil, sentient and non-sentient beings—all are considered merely stages in the process.
“Since there is more than one path, following God Bahamut can also be a path that leads to enlightenment.”
“Hmm.”
In other words, even following Bahamut could be a way for some to attain enlightenment and become enlightened.
Impressed by the monk’s earnest teachings, God Bahamut nodded solemnly.
“Then, let me explain why I have called you here.”
In response to the monk’s teachings, Bahamut had no choice but to explain the reason he had summoned them here.
“I intend to hold religious activities here on weekends from now on.”
“”We heard about it from Yuna.””
“Would you guide those cult members who come here onto the right path, using each of your strengths? As I mentioned earlier, I assure you of freedom of religion, and I guarantee it in my name.”
Upon hearing that religious activities would be held at this shrine, the selected representatives all responded in unison that they had heard it from Choi Yuna.
Then Bahamut suggested that they provide teachings to the cult members who would visit the shrine.
He hoped that, as devoted religious figures, they would not be mistaken for a cult and would guide people onto the right path.
Even as he reiterated that he guaranteed freedom of religion.
“Excuse me, but is that alright with you, God Bahamut? If you declare freedom of religion, wouldn’t that be a problem for the faith of the cult?”
A pastor then asked Bahamut if he was truly alright with this.
If Bahamut were to guarantee freedom of religion, then every religious person in Gyeongju and across all of Korea could continue believing in their existing religions, offering some assurance to those who still held onto their original faiths.
However, from the perspective of the Balhut Cult, it could greatly weaken their religious influence.
“I never considered myself a god in the first place. I have never demanded faith from the cult members, and thus, I have little interest in the cult’s influence over the community.”
“I see.”
But Bahamut himself outright denied his own divinity.
He firmly stated that he was not a god and drew a clear line, saying he had no real interest in the religious influence of the Balhut Cult.
‘I just don’t want to be accused of being a cult leader!’
This thought was exactly his true intention!
Even now, he felt uneasy about the cult’s influence, and the idea of becoming a deity of a true cult made him feel like he would lose his appetite.
“So, it seems that a space for religious activities is needed. If it’s necessary, I’ll do my best to support it, both for the cult and myself.”
Thus, he decided to guarantee religious freedom as much as possible and to support these seemingly earnest religious figures.
At the moment, they might declare him a god, but he optimistically believed that, given some time, they would return to their original religions as they recovered from their fragile mental state.
He also held an unfounded confidence that over time, the influence of the Balhut Cult would diminish, and it would transform into a more ordinary government.
Yes! As time passes, everything will return to normal!
“We need a place of worship where the believers can hold their services comfortably.”
“So do I.”
“We would also like a temple where we can offer our prayers.”
Thus, he offered to support the existing religions, and the representatives expressed their wishes for different facilities.
Hearing their requests, Bahamut contemplated for a moment.
“Hmm, I see. Perhaps something like this?”
With a snap of Bahamut’s fingers, he performed a miracle in the eyes of the religious representatives.
The interior of the shrine expanded rapidly, and suddenly, prefabricated structures appeared as if assembled out of nowhere. These structures started to take shape in the newly expanded space.
Before long, the expanded area held the magnificent chapel and temple that the representatives had longed for, which they could now see with their own eyes.
“How is it? I crafted a suitable exterior using magic.”
‘Ha, what a troublesome being. He performs such miracles and then says he’s not a god.’
Bahamut casually mentioned that he used magic to create this, but from the perspective of the religious representatives, could they dare call this magic?
Since they had survived the zombie apocalypse, the selected religious representatives were all Awakened beings who hunted zombies.
Naturally, they had seen other Awakened use magic, but none of them could perform such miracles.
Creating such impressive buildings with just a snap of his fingers—could this truly be done with human power?
‘Is this even possible with magic?’
‘Ha-ha. He’s far more impressive than I imagined.’
Was it truly possible to do this with magic, as Bahamut claimed?
To those witnessing it, this was nothing short of a miraculous scene.
‘Well, recently, they’ve even established institutes to study my magic. This shouldn’t be too much of a problem.’
Of course, within the Balhut Cult, institutes researching Bahamut’s magic were slowly being established, as well as clubs for Awakened individuals and research groups for studying magic.
In fact, some of the cult members had attempted to replicate the magic that Bahamut displayed, but most failed, and none could produce the same grand display as Bahamut.
‘Wow, who knew the leftover materials from the shrine construction would come in handy like this! Recycling is the best!’
The closest thing to a trick that Bahamut used was simply assembling the leftover prefabricated components from the previous shrine construction using telekinesis.
In short, he secretly took out the prefabricated parts from storage and assembled the buildings in the expanded space in an instant. If the Awakened present could discover this trick, it might still be somewhat understandable.
“…Is this the chapel we will use?”
“Yes, it is.”
However, the religious representatives had no way of knowing the trick Bahamut used. To them, it appeared as though the great divine dragon had snapped his fingers, and a grand structure emerged, offered as a gift to them, just like a scene out of a myth.
What emotions might a religious representative feel witnessing such a miracle unfold before their eyes?
“I’ve even inscribed the symbol of the Balhut Cult inside, but if you want it to be more comfortable, additional construction will be needed. If necessary, you can ask Professor Yoo Soo-sung to assist with the construction.”
“Ah, yes.”
‘If he’s not a god, who could we possibly call a god?’
Well, indeed.
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