WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈

Chapter 118: Top-Grade Bait (1)

──────

The dreary gray sky and the backdrop of collapsed, half-burned buildings might have been why Song Taewon’s eyes looked not merely sunken, but almost gloomy. It was certainly a situation that would exhaust him, but he did not seem simply tired. He was like a tiger, starved and battered by a storm, yet still holding on to the strength for one final leap.

And that target was me.

Without Fear Resistance, that gaze might have sent a shiver down my spine.

‘Still, Song Taewon probably has nothing to do with this.’

If he were flexible enough to frame an innocent person behind the scenes, he would be living much more comfortably. He would not be acting like some ascetic binding himself in chains despite being a high-ranking civil servant and an S-Class Hunter.

As someone who had once been an ordinary citizen, I found him personally likable. At the same time, I could understand, just a little, Seong Hyeonje’s tyranny in sending his car flying. He really was stifling.

‘He’ll be extremely difficult to deal with.’

Seeing how carefully he monitored my condition, I was reluctant to apply a Keyword to him, too. In practical terms, simply getting rid of him would be the easiest and fastest option. Without Song Taewon, the Hunter Association would naturally lose strength.

Even so, I did not want him to meet the same end as before the regression. What should I do? I was considering speaking to him when Song Taewon turned away. After exchanging a few brief words with the people setting up a cordon around the wreckage, he stepped beyond it.

His broad but heavy-looking shoulders gave me an odd feeling.

“Yoohyun, you’re not tapping my phone, are you?”

I asked as I turned toward him.

“I’m not. The area I blocked isn’t that wide, and more importantly, the people around you would resist fiercely. Tapping your phone is impossible.”

Considering the people I kept in touch with, that made sense.

“Did no one object to blocking my calls?”

“I said it would only be for your vacation. Sesung and Breaker Guild agreed too. I was going to deal with this while you rested.”

Yoohyun glanced toward the collapsed building.

“It seems the Breaker Guildmaster has a very loose tongue.”

“They didn’t want to tell me. I dragged it out of them.”

“What did you give up this time?”

The gaze returning to me was sharp. I was acting calm so he would not realize I had caused this mess, but apparently my little brother was not pleased after all. What had I given up? He meant the price for razing a building.

“I just did what I usually do. No, I was going to behave this time too, but they were being so underhanded.”

If he had boldly set an entire building on fire, I might have thought, Well, Yoohyun must be pretty mad, and watched the blaze. ...No, probably not. I would have been thinking through the cleanup. Still, I would not have come myself to tear it down.

“Okay.”

I had braced myself, but my brother backed down surprisingly easily. What was this about?

Just then, another car arrived. Someone got out and began taking pictures of the wreckage with an expensive-looking camera. I wondered if they were a reporter when another person stepped out of the car.

Holding a large bouquet.

I had never seen them before, but I could guess where they belonged.

“Mr. Han Yujin.”

The bouquet was held out to me. Roses. The thinning raindrops hung from them like beads, making them look even fresher.

“The Sesung Guildmaster asked me to tell you that he is terribly disappointed he could not attend such a splendid performance.”

“Ah, yes.”

He heard the news and only sent someone? That was not like him.

‘So that excuse about things being light was not just an excuse.’

There had to be another reason he could not come. Where was he, and what was he doing? I reached out absentmindedly to accept the bouquet when,

Fwoosh!

The roses burst into magnificent flames.

“You shouldn’t accept things like that carelessly, Hyung.”

“That’s right. Bouquets are especially dangerous. You never know what might be hidden inside.”

Had you ever received a bouquet with a knife hidden in it, Mr. Noah? Even if there really was a blade inside, it would not be so bad. I could prick my finger and insist it paid off my debt.

“You two seem to get along well. How about becoming friends while you’re at it?”

At my idle suggestion, Yoohyun and Noah frowned at the same time. Wow, even their expressions were similar. If I kept putting them together, maybe they would grow fond of each other despite themselves. Wasn’t it said that boys became friends by fighting?

Just imagining the two of them spending time together made me feel better. They looked good together, too. What did young people do for fun these days?

“There is one more thing he sent.”

The Sesung Guild member had been a little startled when the bouquet burned up, but soon calmly took out a small box. It would be hard to work under Seong Hyeonje if minor things like this rattled you.

“Don’t burn this one.”

I told Yoohyun and quickly took the box. When I opened the lid, there was a wristwatch inside.

“It is a Hunter watch that can be stored in an inventory.”

I had been thinking of getting one anyway.

“This isn’t a performance I arranged, but if he insists on paying an admission fee, I’ll accept it.”

Hunter watches were expensive because every component had to be made from dungeon byproducts. Even if you ordered one, it took quite a while to arrive. So I would gratefully...

“...I ordered one too.”

Yoohyun muttered quietly. Ah, wait a second.

“I’ll gratefully accept the thought.”

I immediately closed the box and practically threw the watch back at the guild member. I did not need it. The Sesung Guild member looked troubled, but obediently withdrew.

I wanted to talk to Song Taewon before leaving, but he looked busy handling the scene. We had reported an A-Class or higher dungeon break, so he would be overwhelmed for a while. Since it was believed that only the enormous dragon, which appeared to be the boss monster, had been defeated, they would probably search the area for the remaining monsters too.

I felt a little sorry. You should not make false reports. But the Association had put out a false article first, so let us call it even.

“Sorry, but there is only one seat left.”

Yoohyun said to Noah with a face that did not look sorry at all. Then he grabbed my arm and shoved me into the passenger seat. He had not brought a car with only two seats on purpose, had he?

Before I could say anything to Noah, the car started moving. Noah probably would not get lost going home, but wasn’t it too much to leave him there like that?

“You said you would rest quietly.”

Yoohyun spoke as we sped down roads that were already sparsely populated, and now completely empty due to traffic restrictions. He had said okay earlier. Apparently, he had no intention of letting this go quietly.

“Officially, I did nothing. I only came to see my little brother.”

“Hyung.”

“So what were you planning to do? Let your reputation suffer because of me?”

With the sound of tires scraping asphalt, the car stopped by the roadside. Suddenly, my hands felt empty. It would be nice if I could pet Peace or Peep.

“If I tell you, you’ll step in again.”

“I’ll step in even if you don’t tell me.”

His glare stung. I wanted to touch Peace’s fur. It was warm and soft.

“Wouldn’t it be better for you to tell me than for me to dig into it myself?”

“How about I drag you home like this? I’ll bring Peace and Peep in too.”

He meant Yoohyun’s house. If he blocked the mini portal, I would be unable to move. There was the last resort of having Peace break the window and jumping out, though.

“Do whatever you want.”

“...What?”

“Just tell me. I’m curious.”

After a brief silence, my brother spoke in a much gentler voice.

“Among the Association, or people connected to it, there are bastards trying to make a deal with another country.”

“Another country?”

“Probably China or Russia, but I’m not certain. Their target is you, Hyung.”

“Hyuna said our government wants to put a leash on me.”

“They are still divided on that. Since you are cooperative, the prevailing side thinks there is no need to stir up trouble.”

Well, it would be a problem if they persecuted me for no reason and I fled overseas. I would be welcomed anywhere.

“It seems word has already leaked that you can know the predicted Awakening rank of non-Awakened people. The ability to raise Awakened people for their country, on top of monsters, would be incredibly appealing to a dictator. Especially young non-Awakened people, since they would be easier to educate.”

Were they planning to brainwash children and make an army of Awakened or something? My faith in humanity was dropping fast. I had not considered that anyone might think they could use me that way. There really were plenty of filthy people in the world.

“I don’t know who the bastard is, but how much are they getting paid to sell people out?”

There had been people who sold out their country, so perhaps it was nothing new.

“Still, it wouldn’t be easy to abduct me. There are always S-Class Hunters around me.”

Noah was staying with me, Peace was there too, and the building right next door was Haeyeon Guild, packed with S-Class Hunters. Even when I went out, there had not been a time recently when an S-Class Hunter did not accompany me.

“In your current situation, it is practically impossible. If it weren’t, I would have locked you up until this was resolved.”

“You don’t seem to have any intention of asking for my consent. There are other people connected to me too.”

“You said to do whatever I wanted. And everyone would agree.”

Yeah, they probably would. They would visit often, too. I just hoped Seong Hyeonje would not.

“So they couldn’t touch me directly, and that’s why they started pestering you?”

“More precisely, I led them to do so. The Sesung Guildmaster was the first to learn that information about you had leaked. Smuggling a Hunter with a unique special skill overseas is practically treason, so he asked for my cooperation because exposing it would deal the Association a major blow.”

“How did that man find out about it again?”

“I don’t know the details, but the Sesung Guildmaster seems to have connections overseas as well. Very broad and deep ones.”

That was no joke. Still, considering Seong Hyeonje had made a contract with the owner of that lizard shortly after Awakening and received all sorts of things, perhaps it was not so surprising. There might be a great many high-grade Hunters around the world who had leashes around their necks, like Noah.

...I was a little worried about my own future. Should I break things off now, while I still could? But I could not just let someone so remarkable go.

“If I looked weak, those bastards would surely approach, so I deliberately gave them a reason to attack.”

“Since when? When you and Peace went through the dungeon together?”

“Around then.”

“Not that long ago. Hey, when you came out of the lake dungeon, was that an act?”

Yoohyun smiled at my question.

“No. I just held back less.”

You did not even say you had not held back. You said you held back less?

“What about when you fought Mr. Noah?”

“I held back a lot then.”

“...Still, the detention center was too much. The latex mattress I just bought burned up before I could even use it once.”

“The latex mattress? Should I buy you one?”

“I mean Yoon Gyeongsu.”

I had been planning to apply a Keyword and let him mature nicely.

“Ah, that bastard.”

Long fingertips tapped lightly against the steering wheel.

“I heard something from Hunter Riette.”

“Riette? What did she say?”

“It’s nothing much. There is no evidence about the detention center, so it is fine. It just means I went a little too far.”

My little brother said he had also done a few minor things that could be held against him. The major incidents had not really been deliberate, but perhaps precisely because of that, the response had come faster. They had been preparing to apply pressure in earnest, even adding false accusations.

If they tightened the noose around Han Yoohyun’s neck first, it would become easier to lay hands on me as his brother.

“Even so, deliberately damaging your reputation would likely be poison in the long run. It will be hard for me to stand by and watch, too. So let’s just finish this cleanly.”

After I went on to explain my proposal, Yoohyun’s face crumpled deeply.

“Let’s go home. I’ll let you out in a week.”

“Hey, wait!”

And persuading my little brother was really, really difficult.

* * *

Filming equipment was set up throughout the rooftop garden. Under the gazes of many people, I stroked Peace in my lap as though I were nervous. The male and female celebrities seated across from me smiled warmly.

“That was an amazing flight.”

- Kyaa!

Blue fluttered her wings proudly, as if she understood she was being praised. They asked me a few more questions. When I answered with appropriate awkwardness, all sorts of exclamations poured out. It was for broadcast, but the praise was excessive.

That was when it happened. Amid a small commotion, the camera hurriedly turned away from us toward the path leading here. When I turned my head, I saw a tall young man walking over.

It was Yoohyun.

When our eyes met, he gave me the freshest smile imaginable. Whose little brother was he? He was seriously handsome.

“I think I came too early. I didn’t realize you would still be filming.”

“This is live.”

“Is it?”

Yoohyun’s eyes widened as though he had not known. Then the two celebrities asked, flustered, whether it was all right for him to appear on screen like this. The Haeyeon Guildmaster smiled brightly and said that, of course, it was fine.

“You two really seem close.”

“We are each other’s only family. He is also a little brother I am extremely proud of. His only flaw is that he worries too much about me.”

“What’s wrong with worrying about Hyung?”

“Still, because of me, you have been hearing unpleasant things...”

I deliberately trailed off and looked at Yoohyun. It was not hard to put on a sorrowful expression. I hesitated, let out a small sigh, and cast the bait that it was all because of me. The male celebrity immediately took the bait and asked what had happened.

“There have recently been claims that the Haeyeon Guildmaster has acted rather harshly.”

“That is all because my little brother worries about me so much. My stats are F-Class, so I am hardly different from an ordinary person.”

I emphasized that I was an older brother close to an ordinary person. My little brother was this kind. Even though he was S-Class, he looked after his weak older brother. Our relationship was incredibly good.

“If I had been stronger, there would have been no reason for people to say such things. It is my fault.”

“Don’t say that, Hyung. I’m fine.”

It was true, but exchanging lines like this in front of cameras was a little embarrassing. The two celebrities looked deeply moved. Even at this close distance, they must have felt Yoohyun’s pressure, yet they did not show it at all. True professionals.

As the pleasant atmosphere continued, another uninvited guest appeared.

It was Song Taewon.

“Hunter Han Yujin, I am placing you under arrest for instigating injuries against Jeon Junhwan and eight others, and for violating the Dungeon Gate Special Act.”

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried