Chapter 69
A Priestess chosen by the Dragon has now been born here.
Baek Seol-hwa, who successfully transformed into the Priestess of the Dragon, was no longer the child who had suffered and been scarred.
She had returned as the strong warrior who was once the strongest awakened in Pohang, whom Son Sang-hui knew well.
Perhaps due to her contract with the Dragon God, she now had rare sky-colored hair and blue eyes, an unusual sight for Koreans or East Asians, yet the immense power emanating from her sent shivers down Son Sang-hui’s spine.
“I don’t want to lose it anymore. My true self.”
With her eyes, face, and legs restored by the contract, Baek Seol-hwa made a wish, saying she didn’t want to lose anything again.
It must have been painful.
Although she pretended to be indifferent and blamed herself for everything, a part of her heart still resented, wondering why it had to be her.
As if releasing that resentment, Baek Seol-hwa slowly opened her eyes and declared to Bahamut.
“I will move forward as far as I can, God Bahamut.”
She declared that she would move forward to wherever she could reach.
Having completed the contract with the Dragon God, Baek Seol-hwa began to suppress the power that was slowly surging within her.
After all, releasing magic power meaninglessly would only lead to her exhaustion.
‘Hmm, does she have a similar talent to Yuna? Or is this just what happens when one contracts with me? What’s that— it’s scary.’
From Bahamut’s perspective, healing her body was indeed his intention, but he hadn’t expected her to become this powerful so rapidly.
At first, Baek Seol-hwa thought it was because she shared a similar talent with Yuna. Yet he began to wonder if this might be the case for anyone who contracts with him, feeling a slight apprehension about future contracts.
‘It should be fine, right? She has to play a role similar to Yuna’s in Pohang! In the end, one’s strength also serves as political power. If the residents of Pohang recognize the Priestess of the Dragon’s strength, future tasks will become easier.’
Bahamut couldn’t help but feel proud that his priestess possessed such exceptional talent and power.
For Bahamut, it was beneficial for his own reputation if his contractor’s talents were remarkable.
In any case, Baek Seol-hwa, who was to take on a role similar to Yuna’s in Pohang, showing off her strength like this would make things easier for Bahamut.
“Is your body alright?”
Thus, he asked Baek Seol-hwa, who was suppressing her power, if her body was fine.
He had healed her face, eyes, and legs, but he asked the question, thinking there might still be some inadequacy somewhere.
“I’m fine. My condition is actually at its peak! God Bahamut, there’s no need for you to worry!”
“I-I see.”
Appearing deeply humbled, she immediately prostrated herself on the ground, apologizing for causing him concern, which left Bahamut feeling embarrassed.
Thinking it was a familiar scene, Bahamut concealed his feelings of surprise and spoke again.
“More than that, now that you’ve regained your sight, how do you feel?”
“I am truly honored that the first person I see is God Bahamut! Also, you’re much cuter than I expected. I’m absolutely satisfied!”
‘Cute? Not magnificent?’
When he asked how it felt to regain her sight, the response he received was that he was “cute.”
A unique preference, one might say.
Most people, upon seeing Bahamut’s true form, felt awe or thought he was magnificent, but to be called cute… This was the first time he’d heard such an impression.
Bahamut looked at Baek Seol-hwa with a look of incredulity, as if her words had left him speechless.
“Yes.”
Son Sang-hui, too, seemed taken aback by Baek Seol-hwa’s comment of “cute,” feeling that Bahamut’s true form was more majestic or magnificent, rather than cute.
What could possibly be cute about him?
“I wholeheartedly agree!”
“Ah, no.”
However, the only person present who agreed with Baek Seol-hwa was Yuna.
Expressing full agreement, Yuna immediately approached Seol-hwa, took her hand, and shook it vigorously.
‘Cute, not magnificent? Yuna too… They’re my contractors, but they both have such unique tastes.’
Such unique tastes.
Seeing Yuna agree with Seol-hwa’s perspective, Bahamut thought to himself that, although they were his contractors, he couldn’t quite understand their taste.
“Oh! You must be Lady Yuna! So, you’re my senior. Senior! This junior humbly greets you!”
“At last, I have a cute junior! Let’s spread the greatness of God Bahamut to the world together!”
“Yes! Let’s proclaim the greatness of God Bahamut to the entire world!”
“A junior with whom I share the same heart!”
“I feel the same, senior!”
And as she watched Yuna shaking her hand, Seol-hwa called her “senior,” and Yuna smiled proudly at her.
Genuinely pleased to have a junior at last, Yuna told Seol-hwa that they should spread the greatness of Bahamut together, to which Seol-hwa replied that they should spread it worldwide.
‘I don’t know about that. This is kind of scary.’
Witnessing these two like-minded devotees pledging in front of him, Bahamut couldn’t help but feel a hint of fear.
To think that Seol-hwa, with such whimsical words, seriously considered spreading Bahamut’s name globally, and Yuna readily agreed— even Bahamut was at a loss for words.
No matter how you look at it, wasn’t this too ambitious a scale?
‘Well, realistically speaking, that’s impossible!’
Of course, thinking practically, Bahamut concluded that such a thing would be impossible, though he couldn’t shake the feeling of having seen something like this before.
You silly, scaredy-cat dragon.
“Thank you, Sister Sang-hui! Thanks to you, I’ve gained a new life. From now on, I won’t hesitate anymore. I’ll move forward to the very end.”
“I’m truly glad to hear that.”
Having finished her conversation with Yuna, Seol-hwa immediately turned to express her gratitude to Sang-hui, who had guided her to this place.
Sincerely grateful, Seol-hwa grasped Son Sang-hui’s hand, who, while astonished by her miraculous recovery, expressed genuine relief.
“Your sincerity comes through in your heart, Sister. Thank you so much.”
“Oh, I see.”
It seemed her sincerity had reached them.
Baek Seol-hwa quietly mentioned that she felt the sincerity in Yuna’s heart.
“Then, my contractor, Baek Seol-hwa, you must have heard a bit about Pohang before coming here.”
Once they finished their greetings, God Bahamut, as if to organize their conversation, slowly got to the point.
Calling upon his newly contracted Priestess, Baek Seol-hwa, he mentioned that she might already know the reason for the contract.
“Yes. Before coming here, Mr. Seo Un-jae explained the situation to me. From now on, as the Mayor of Pohang, I am destined to be the puppet of the Three Camps of Pohang, right?”
“Well, there was no need for you to say that to me, but in any case, I intend to ensure Pohang’s freedom moving forward. If the Three Camps of Pohang don’t plan to oppose the Balhut Cult, I have no intention of meddling in internal affairs. The concern now is the direction my contractor will take from here on.”
After things seemed to go well, when the talk of puppetry arose, Bahamut, looking a bit flustered, said there was no need to mention it, adding that he intended to protect Pohang’s freedom.
If they had no plans to resist the Balhut Cult, he had no intention of intervening in internal matters.
However, Bahamut knew he had to take responsibility for the path his contractor, Baek Seol-hwa, would walk.
Depending on the direction she took, Bahamut also needed to form future plans for Seol-hwa’s destiny.
“Direction… is it?”
“Yes. Now that you have become my contractor, Baek Seol-hwa, I must ask about the beliefs you wish to declare to the world. What is it that you desire to accomplish with my power?”
This was a question he had also asked when contracting with Yuna.
Bahamut looked at Baek Seol-hwa with a serious expression, and she, in turn, looked at him seriously, contemplating his question.
“…I don’t know.”
“I don’t know, you say.”
But no matter how much she thought, her answer was, “I don’t know.”
From the start, this contract wasn’t one Baek Seol-hwa had chosen of her own will, but rather a role forced upon her by the Three Camps of Pohang to avoid internal conflict.
Even though she was determined by Bahamut’s words, she must have felt completely uncertain about her path forward.
“At first, I only acted bravely and confidently in front of others to survive the apocalypse. Now that I think about it, maybe it was out of guilt for surviving when my parents didn’t.”
“…Ah.”
Reflecting on herself before meeting Bahamut here, she realized that all her actions had stemmed from the guilt of surviving alone.
Feeling she had to atone for the parents who died in her place, and putting on a brave front for survival, Son Sang-hui looked away from Baek Seol-hwa.
She, too, was a survivor who had hoped to endure the apocalypse, inspired by Seol-hwa’s steadfast appearance.
‘I relied too heavily on Seol-hwa.’
Looking back, she thought it was bitter that she had placed such a heavy burden on a child who deserved protection.
Son Sang-hui wanted to apologize to Seol-hwa, to whom she had placed so many expectations.
“Even after contracting with God Bahamut, I haven’t thought deeply about how I want to live. Before meeting God Bahamut, I had already lost the right to choose my own life.”
The fact that she had lost everything, had only found recognition through her staff, and hadn’t had time to think seriously about her future contributed to this as well.
Having unexpectedly regained the right to choose her own future, confusion was inevitable.
“So, what should I do with my life now?”
“…In the past, Yuna told me she wanted to normalize the world. What do you want to do from now on?”
“Normalize… what I want to do from now on….”
Seeing her like this, Bahamut mentioned Yuna’s past wish as an example and asked what she wanted to do moving forward.
What she wanted to do.
He was asking her to answer with what she could do now rather than focus on the distant future.
“I… want to send the people I know to a paradise. To prove to the world that they are not people who should be shedding blood and tears like this.”
And what she chose was salvation.
She said she wanted to prove that these people shouldn’t have to die in this apocalypse, that they weren’t meant to shed blood.
Baek Seol-hwa…
“I desire for paradise to descend upon this land.”
“Paradise, you say.”
‘What’s this? This is even more grandiose than Yuna’s dream?’
She wished for a paradise where everyone could be happy.
Bahamut couldn’t hide his astonishment, looking at Baek Seol-hwa with trembling eyes, unable to hide his surprise at her overwhelming desire.
This paradise seemed a bit too ambitious! Paradise!
“Yes. I don’t wish for Heaven, but rather a world where people can live as humans, where everyone can enjoy a peaceful daily life, safe, happy, and smiling… a peaceful paradise.”
“Not so different from Yuna, then. In the end, it means breaking free from this apocalypse.”
“Yes.”
Since Baek Seol-hwa added an explanation, Bahamut half-heartedly stated that her wish wasn’t so different from Yuna’s.
Thinking vaguely that it meant breaking free from this apocalypse, he affirmed her goal, drawing her agreement with his majestic words.
And Bahamut, exclaiming inwardly, finally delivered the line he had prepared.
“However, you must understand better than anyone. The opinions of the powerless are destined to be ignored.”
“…Yes. I know that all too well.”
“Then, cultivate a strength that others cannot ignore. The strong can change the rules, and with that strength, you can defeat those who have shattered your everyday life. In the ruins of that city, a new city will rise. That new paradise you desire will be born.”
Repeating a line Yuna had once spoken, he told Baek Seol-hwa to cultivate her strength and use it to build the paradise she envisioned.
“The new paradise I desire.”
“Strength comes with responsibility. If you wish for the descent of paradise and are willing to bear that responsibility, I will also do my utmost to support your desire.”
And he promised to help fulfill that wish.
Hearing Bahamut say her dream was achievable and not empty, Baek Seol-hwa spoke with a look of renewed resolve.
“Yes. I… Yes. I will establish the new paradise I envision here in Pohang, in this country.”
Just as Bahamut said, she declared she would establish the new paradise she desired.
Bahamut had created yet another loyal follower who would never betray him.
‘Huh? The founding of paradise? Somehow, that sounds ominous!’
Only then did this thick-headed dragon realize that the situation was becoming somewhat peculiar.
But it was already too late. Escape was impossible!
Such was Bahamut, ever unchanging in his lack of growth.
—
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