Chapter 67
Son Sang-hui took Baek Seol-hwa and headed toward the Shrine of Bahamut.
They boarded a shuttle bus operated by the Balhut Cult that went directly to the Shrine of Bahamut.
The route to the shrine was incredibly smooth.
A direct road from the Balhut Cult’s headquarters to the Shrine of Bahamut had been established earlier, so the bus simply traveled along this road, arriving quickly at the shrine.
“This is the Shrine of Bahamut.”
“……?”
“There are quite a lot of people here. According to internal rumors and announcements from the cult, this place offers awakening training that can turn people into Awakened without having to hunt zombies.”
“…….”
Even though it wasn’t the weekend, there were quite a few people at the entrance to the Shrine of Bahamut.
There were cult members from the Balhut Cult managing the entrance, but there were also ordinary citizens, some of whom took time off work to visit the shrine for awakening training and to pray for future success and blessings.
Most of those at the entrance to the Shrine of Bahamut were citizens from Gyeongju.
“Oh, Ms. Son Sang-hui.”
“Mr. Cheol-ho. You’re all here too.”
“Haha, we didn’t return to Pohang directly. We’ve been receiving awakening training here.”
Survivors from Pohang, who were rescued by the Balhut Cult and transferred to a hospital run by the cult, were also visiting the shrine weekly to become Awakened before returning to their hometown.
As if they had just completed their awakening training, a crowd of people was coming out of the cave, and among them was a familiar face to Son Sang-hui.
“Who’s that girl?”
“Haha, well….”
Son Sang-hui was at a loss for words when asked by her acquaintance.
The honest answer was that she didn’t know how to respond to the question.
Should she introduce Baek Seol-hwa in the wheelchair as the Priestess of the Dragon selected by Pohang? Or should she say it’s Baek Seol-hwa, the renowned Awakened from Pohang Airport?
Either answer would be hard for her acquaintance to believe, so all Son Sang-hui could say was,
“I came here seeking treatment for her.”
“I see. Given her condition, it’s natural to come here as a last hope to seek the blessing of God Bahamut.”
She couldn’t say anything other than that they had come here for treatment.
Given Baek Seol-hwa’s severely weakened appearance, her acquaintance no longer had any questions and found it understandable that they had come seeking God Bahamut’s help in such a situation.
“Then, I’ll be heading inside now.”
“Yes, we’ll be returning to the hospital in Gyeongju for further treatment.”
Bowing her head in farewell to her acquaintance, Son Sang-hui proceeded into the shrine.
“These are… electrical lines and industrial pipes?”
“…?”
The exterior appeared to be an ordinary cave, but the interior was clearly modernized, as if construction by the Balhut Cult had already been completed.
Numerous electrical lines connected the interior and exterior of the cave ceiling, and traces of industrial pipes could be seen on the floor they walked on.
“Was there a power plant nearby?”
This construction was a project discussed between the Balhut Cult leaders who remained in Gyeongju during the ongoing war and God Bahamut.
The cult was aware that transporting water and electricity daily required significant manpower and fuel, so to maximize efficiency, they installed electrical lines and industrial pipes within the shrine.
Thanks to these installations, Bahamut could efficiently supply water and electricity needed for daily life across Gyeongju and Pohang through the electrical lines and industrial pipes in the shrine.
Of course, since Bahamut declared participation in the campaign to reclaim Pohang, the cult didn’t solely rely on the water and electricity provided by Bahamut, but they also restored infrastructure within and outside Gyeongju to ensure that the city’s energy supply could withstand any emergency.
“It’s fascinating.”
“…….”
Seeing all the facilities set up along the cave walls, Son Sang-hui thought to herself, is the cult producing the city’s electricity and water supply here? and continued further inside.
Inside the cave, Son Sang-hui saw the shrine’s main sanctuary and chapel, which were used by the Balhut Cult members for worship.
It was said to be a massive chapel that God Bahamut gifted to the Balhut Cult, capable of accommodating hundreds of cult members with ease.
“This is… the building Bahamut gave to the cult, isn’t it?”
Son Sang-hui, who had studied about the Shrine of Bahamut in advance through the cult’s website, thought it truly seemed like a gift from God Bahamut when she saw the magnificent structure she had only seen in pictures.
Its exterior was grand, and the fact that such a large and grand structure existed in this cave added an element of fantasy.
More than anything, although the group calls itself a religious cult, Son Sang-hui believed that the Balhut Cult prioritized logic and rationality over religious fanaticism, and she never thought such a rational organization would take the time to build an unnecessarily grand structure.
Above all, she didn’t think that such magnificent buildings would be completed and operational in just a few months.
“Seol-hwa, we’ll reach the shrine soon. Please hold on just a little longer.”
And once they passed that building, they would arrive at the shrine where Bahamut was said to reside.
A holy shrine of the Dragon, said to be the dwelling of the Dragon God.
It was the most important and sacred shrine of the Balhut Cult, and on the path leading to it, two armed Awakened guards were standing on alert.
As Son Sang-hui and Baek Seol-hwa, whom she was pushing in a wheelchair, approached the shrine, the two guards tensed up in vigilance.
“Are you Ms. Son Sang-hui?”
“Yes.”
“Lady Yuna is waiting for you.”
Upon realizing that she was the guest of the Priestess of the Dragon, the two guards quickly relaxed and informed them that Lady Yuna was waiting, opening the shrine doors for them.
As the enormous doors to the shrine opened with a rumble, Son Sang-hui observed the interior of the shrine and wondered if the Dragon God who saved Pohang truly lived there.
Though the shrine was indeed grand, she thought it looked too cramped for the Dragon God, who was far larger than a twenty-story building.
However, as the cult insisted so, she thought, “I suppose he must live here,” and slowly entered the shrine’s interior.
“You’ve arrived, Ms. Son Sang-hui.”
“L-Lady Yuna!? I didn’t expect you to be here.”
Upon entering a certain depth into the shrine, the head of the Balhut Cult, Choi Yuna, was waiting for Son Sang-hui and the Priestess chosen by Pohang.
Yuna greeted Son Sang-hui warmly, and Son Sang-hui expressed her surprise at Yuna waiting here.
“Naturally, it’s a significant day for my successor’s arrival, isn’t it?”
Yuna smiled brightly, as if it would be strange for her not to be there, and said that her presence was only natural.
The new Priestess of the Dragon.
This meant that a new contractor of Bahamut, like Yuna herself, was about to be appointed, and from now on, this Priestess would serve God Bahamut.
“The girl in the wheelchair… is she the Priestess chosen by Pohang?”
“…Yes.”
When Yuna mentioned Baek Seol-hwa, Son Sang-hui hesitated briefly but then nodded with a solemn expression.
Whether she liked it or not, Baek Seol-hwa had been chosen as the Priestess of the Dragon by Pohang, and she was now destined to form a contract with Bahamut.
Even if Son Sang-hui tried to hide it, it would soon be revealed, and the cult leaders had already judged that Yuna and Bahamut had no objections.
“You… are the Priestess chosen by the Lord, aren’t you?”
“…?”
“It may be confusing now, but once you undergo the contract, you’ll understand. You’ll come to know that you were born solely for this day.”
Yuna knelt down to meet Baek Seol-hwa, who was in the wheelchair, at eye level. Holding her hand gently, she began to speak.
Seol-hwa, who had already sensed Yuna’s powerful presence, flinched when Yuna suddenly took her hand, but she felt a slight resonance with Yuna’s words.
Even now, Baek Seol-hwa found it very puzzling to have been chosen as the Priestess of the Dragon. She was filled with fear, wondering if such a humble person as herself could properly fulfill a contract with the Dragon God.
She was thinking that if she made a mistake, it could place the people of Pohang in great danger, and Yuna’s words resonated with her but also stirred up questions.
“L-Lady Yuna?”
“…….”
“Actually, you want to appear before the Lord in a more beautiful form, don’t you? I’m sorry. With my current abilities, I can’t completely heal your old wounds. If I make a mistake, severe side effects might occur.”
“Ugh.”
Yuna said with a regretful expression that her current abilities couldn’t completely heal Seol-hwa’s old wounds, and attempting to might result in serious side effects.
This meant that even with Yuna’s powers, she couldn’t heal Baek Seol-hwa’s disabilities, making Son Sang-hui feel as though her last hope had crumbled.
If even Yuna, who possessed remarkable healing abilities, couldn’t do it, then only Bahamut himself could heal Baek Seol-hwa.
And if even Bahamut said it was impossible…
“Your hands are trembling. You still don’t understand why you were chosen, do you? I understand that feeling very well.”
While Son Sang-hui imagined the worst future, Baek Seol-hwa, fearing Yuna’s words, began to tremble.
Beads of sweat formed on her skin, revealing her tension.
Yuna expressed that she understood Baek Seol-hwa’s feelings well and that she herself had experienced the same emotions.
“However, if so many people in Pohang have chosen you, then there must be a destiny of some kind with Bahamut. That’s what I believe.”
“Destiny? Is it?”
“Yes, it’s destiny.”
Yuna asserted that the very fact that so many people in Pohang chose Baek Seol-hwa indicated that she must have a destiny tied to the Dragon God Bahamut.
Son Sang-hui, as if hesitant about the term “destiny,” asked if it was truly so, and Yuna nodded with a confident expression, affirming it was indeed destiny.
The meeting between Baek Seol-hwa and Bahamut, Yuna declared, was possible due to a certain fate.
“Now then, I’ll guide you to where God Bahamut awaits.”
“Are you sure it’s alright? Especially with her like this.”
“This is the best you can be right now, isn’t it? If I try to heal her here, there’s no telling what side effects might emerge.”
As if concluding her reassurance, Yuna rose and offered to guide them to Bahamut.
Son Sang-hui, watching her, hesitated and asked if they were really going to meet him now, but Yuna brushed it off, saying this was the best option and that any treatment here would be meaningless.
“After all, since Miss Seol-hwa is the Priestess chosen by the Dragon God, an outcome beyond expectations might await.”
“An outcome beyond expectations…”
Son Sang-hui sincerely hoped that Yuna’s words would come true.
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