WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈

Chapter 86: Big Sis, Could You… (3)

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Thud!

I heard something heavy land not far away. Human silhouettes appeared among the landscaping in the garden. A-Class Hunters.

Then, soon after,

“Please step back.”

Kim Seonghan came over the wall of the rooftop garden and approached me. It had not been long since the chaos began, so he clearly had not taken the elevator around. Had he jumped down? He seemed to be responsible for that sound earlier.

Noah was still standing there, hunched over. Visible clouds of dense poison swirled around his feet.

“Yerim, come here.”

I held out my hand to Yerim as she staggered onto the lawn.

“You can’t. My antidote doesn’t work on this poison.”

“I have Poison Resistance. Come here now!”

Attribute Resistance covered a wider range from B-Class onward. At S-Class, it had a faint effect not only on clothes and equipment but even on the area around the body. My Poison Resistance was L-Class, so it should be enough to cover one person.

At my firm command, Yerim hesitated but came closer. I quickly reached out and pulled the blood-soaked girl into my arms.

“How is your arm?”

With the back of her head against my chest, Yerim examined her poisoned arm. I frowned at the torn, blackened wound. I had seen injuries like this often enough, yet my stomach still hurt. I would rather be the one getting hurt.

“I don’t think it’s spreading anymore. The pain is gone too. It still hurt even after I took a Hunter-grade painkiller.”

“That’s a relief. If blood starts coming up, don’t hold it in. Spit it out.”

“Um, my stomach feels fine.”

It seemed she had no internal injuries. With her agility-focused teleportation skill and ability to bind an opponent’s feet, she had held out well against someone much stronger than herself. I was both proud of her and heartbroken.

Bang!

Something like an iron plate, about one and a half meters on each side, struck the ground in front of Kim Seonghan and stood upright. Noah lifted his head at the sound. His eyes were still not normal.

‘How is that supposed to be a kind, obedient little brother?’

No, he must have been docile in front of Riette. She had likely been firmly established as a terrifying opponent he could never overcome. But the moment he judged that she, or someone who felt like his older sister, was weak, he lost his mind and attacked. I could not even guess how much he had been suppressing himself.

It had been good that the Keyword applied so easily, perhaps because the Dragonslayer title had inspired goodwill as it had with Riette, on top of the doubled effect of Raucitas’s Natural Enemy. But I had never expected this mess. Not every Caregiver could be a good person. It was my fault for not looking into it properly. I should have listened to the person being raised, not the Caregiver.

“How long until another S-Class Hunter arrives?”

“They will have received word, but even if they left immediately, it will take around ten minutes.”

Kim Seonghan had only just become S-Class, but he was a defense-type Hunter. He should be able to hold out that long. Still, if Noah went wild against Kim Seonghan, nothing around them would remain intact. Unlike with Yerim, strength would clash against strength. I had to avoid having my house destroyed one day after moving in.

Swallowing a sigh, I took out my phone. Thankfully, it was intact.

‘The target of his hatred must be Riette.’

He would not try to kill me, someone he had met for the first time today, with such bloodshot eyes. The person Noah feared yet wanted to attack had to be his older sister. And it made sense.

‘It is not easy for an A-Class Hunter to grow into S-Class.’

Even Kim Seonghan had remained A-Class for more than five years. That may have been partly because he was defense-oriented, but even among attack-type Hunters, the fastest known rise from A-Class to S-Class had taken five and a half years.

But Noah had become S-Class in three years at most. How brutally would someone have to be driven to make that kind of growth possible? I would not have been surprised if Riette had a title like Caregiver from Hell.

[Hi, Honey~]

A cheerful voice rang from my phone’s speaker, turned up as high as it would go. At the same time, Noah, who had been about to lunge at Kim Seonghan, flinched and froze again.

“Riette.”

[Yeah, yeah~ Did you meet my little brother? Isn’t he cute?]

“He’s here. There’s a bit of a problem.”

[What problem?]

“He attacked me.”

[Huh? He’s not the type to do that. Pebble?]

At the call, raised by one pitch, Noah’s eyes flew open. Seeing clear fear appear in them, I felt a little sorry for him despite the fact that he had attacked Yerim and me.

[I asked you to be polite to Honey. Are you listening?]

Noah sucked in a breath, then answered quietly.

“…Yes, Sister.”

[Why are you speaking so softly? Is what Honey said true?]

“…Yes. I’m sorry…”

His voice was so thin it seemed ready to fade away, but it must have reached through the phone somehow.

[Why would my good little brother do that? I’m sorry, Honey. Are you okay? Of course you are, but I had to ask.]

“…I’m fine.”

The lie slipped out without thought at Noah’s utterly frightened expression. I was the victim, so why did I keep feeling as though I was being cruel to Noah?

Then I heard a voice I was glad to hear, at least right now.

“It is a shame the young master is absent. He could have enjoyed quite an interesting sight.”

It was Seong Hyeonje. He had appeared sooner than expected, with a healer in tow. The dark-skinned, brown-haired man wearing a healer’s insignia was Sesung’s A-Class healer. As far as I remembered, he was Indian and one of only two A-Class healers in Korea.

“She has been poisoned. It seems partly neutralized, but please treat her.”

At my words, Seong Hyeonje looked between Yerim and me, then lifted the corner of his mouth.

“Poison Resistance. At least S-Class, then. Our Han Yujin certainly has many talents.”

For some reason, both his voice and gaze seemed pleased. Why was he so happy about my skill? Was he glad I would require less attention?

More importantly, his instincts were disgustingly sharp. He could have assumed I had simply given Yerim an antidote and supported her, so how had he realized it immediately?

[Oh my, oh my, oh my. Whose voice is that? Honey, don’t play with that old man. He’s a very devious person. He’s dangerous.]

Look who was talking.

“Since you came all the way to Korea, you could have at least shown your face. I was disappointed to hear the news, Miss Riette.”

[Oh dear, were you planning to move? Or perhaps rebuild?]

“You are much milder if you are willing to stop at that. Though it is about time you grew up.”

[Why can’t skills work through a phone? Honey, give him a nice stab for me, would you?]

The two of them certainly got along. Then why did they not contact each other directly instead of dragging me in? They seemed like they would have each other’s numbers.

I handed Yerim over to the healer and turned my attention to Noah. His transformed hand had returned to normal, as though he had completely lost the will to fight. The A-Class Hunters still did not dare approach because of the poison lingering around him.

Perhaps sensing my gaze, he slightly raised his head, then immediately lowered it again.

‘…What am I supposed to do with him?’

The Keyword had already been applied, and I could not take it back. I should not have trusted Riette. That woman seemed to genuinely think her younger brother was kind and obedient. To make it worse, she really did seem to care for him.

Waterdrop’s words suddenly came to mind. The goodwill of high-grade Awakened could become violence. Both Riette and Noah were high-grade Awakened. Was it because one of them had been born S-Class?

‘Should I try to persuade him somehow?’

I did not know whether reason would get through to him, but I could not just leave him like this.

Then more people arrived. This time, Song Taewon was among them, apparently from the Association. He watched Noah briefly before coming toward me.

“Are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m not… exactly all right, but I am okay.”

The front of my shirt was in tatters, and I was covered in blood. Still, I had used a potion, so the bleeding had stopped and the wound had mostly healed. Without Poison Resistance, I might have crossed the River Jordan.

[Oh, hello, civil servant!]

Riette recognized him too.

“Do not trade illegal contracts in Korea.”

[Oh my, you found out already? That was fast. I was careful, too.]

Ignoring her peal of laughter, I started toward Noah. But the moment I took a single step,

Grab.

Both my shoulders were caught. Seong Hyeonje and Song Taewon were looking down at me at the same time. Their expressions were different, yet somehow felt similar.

“People do not change in a day, but you remain as defenseless as ever.”

“For once, I agree with Manager Song. If you insist on approaching him, wait a moment. We will subdue him first.”

Subdue him... Well, I should not ask exactly how.

“There is no need. I only intend to try talking to him.”

It was not as if I was an idiot who would walk right up to him without thinking. I only wanted to get close enough to talk. With Seong Hyeonje and Song Taewon here, it should not be dangerous as long as I kept some distance.

More than anything, Noah was completely dejected now. Every so often, he looked not at me but at Seong Hyeonje. Did they know each other? Since Seong Hyeonje knew Riette too, perhaps they did.

“Riette, it seems your brother holds a lot against you.”

I asked to understand the situation exactly. Both Riette and Noah visibly flinched.

[That cannot be true. I took such good care of my little brother!]

“You took good care of him? How?”

[What do you mean, how? Can’t you see? I did not abandon a weak little thing. I raised him well and made him what he is now. I worked so hard, seriously~ He was so frail he acted like he would die at the slightest thing. If I had not loved my little brother, I would have thrown him away long ago. Right, Pebble?]

The instant she said she loved her little brother, Noah bit down on his lower lip.

“Yes, Sister.”

[See? He agrees.]

“…Even so, he still looks young. Weren’t you a little too harsh? He must have been even younger when he Awakened.”

[Young? He’ll be twenty soon. He’s nineteen.]

The bright answer made the back of my neck ache. He looked to be in his early twenties, but he was one year younger than Yoohyun.

[If I had not raised him, he would still be barely able to take care of himself. He still does not satisfy me, but~ Look at today. How hard could it be to simply meet Honey? Yet he makes a mistake. My beloved Pebble, when will you finally become useful?]

Every time Riette casually cut him down, Noah’s eyes dimmed. I had thought she only tormented him physically to raise his stats to S-Class. Apparently, that was not all.

[All he does is make some pointless guild and play house like a lazy child. It is so frustrating.]

…This woman was an S-Class Hunter. An S-Class Hunter with an SSS-Class title, at that. If there were rankings now, she would certainly be capable of competing for first or second place. If I provoked her, I would be ruined. I needed to stay on good terms with her.

…Fuck it. My warning lights were off.

“Riette, what kind of bullshit is that to say to your own little brother when you are supposed to be his older sister?!”

[Huh? Why are you suddenly like this, Honey?]

“What do you mean, suddenly? What the hell did you put him through to make him like that?! Every word you say makes his face go dead. Did you seriously not realize how bad he was?!”

[Well, when you raise a child, you have to scold them sometimes. Right?]

“You are not the only one who raised a little brother. I raised one too! I have never spoken to Yoohyun like that!”

Of course I had not when we were young, and after our relationship fell apart, I had not been in any position to put him down in the first place. No, even if I had been better than him, I obviously would not have said things like that.

[But Honey, he is weak. People grow stronger after they go through the kind of hardship that could kill them, and it makes living in a harsh world easier.]

Riette sounded flustered as she made excuses.

“If your little brother is weak, protect him! Do not throw him into life-threatening situations! You are strong enough to protect him! And he is only nineteen now, so when he Awakened... Fuck, are you really insane? He must have been A-Class when he Awakened. That is exceptional! Just because he did not meet your standards, you made him suffer like that?”

[A-Class is weak. He is my little brother.]

“He is not weak! And what if he is your little brother? Parents should not control their children however they want, so is it something to brag about that you judged your little brother by your own standards? Forget it. Do not even think about coming to Korea.”

[H-Honey? That would be difficult.]

“Until you fix that crazy mind of yours and sincerely want to apologize to your brother, do not dream of showing your face here!”

[Wait!]

I ended the call. Riette called back, but I ignored it.

Hm. I should watch myself for a while. It was fortunate that Riette mistakenly believed I was strong. Even if she realized I was weak, she had said she had monsters for me to raise, so she would not immediately try to kill me.

“…Older sister.”

A faint murmur reached me then. It was Noah. He stared blankly at me, looking shocked, or perhaps dazed.

Had I said too many harsh things to his older sister in front of him? Their relationship was far from normal, but still.

“What will happen to Noah?”

I asked Song Taewon. Since people had been injured, they obviously could not simply let this pass. Would he be detained first? It would be a problem if he was deported because he was an overseas Hunter.

“Since no non-Awakened were harmed, he will be detained and a settlement will be requested. As a foreign Hunter attacked Korean Hunters, you may request immediate deportation and lodge a protest with his country’s Association.”

“I do not want him deported. Could he be prohibited from leaving the country instead?”

“That is possible for up to thirty days before the settlement is finalized.”

“Then please do that. Thank you.”

“It is my duty.”

At least I had bought some time. I would try to persuade him slowly.

“The two of you have quite a good relationship. Should I choke you too?”

Seong Hyeonje said something absurd. So he had heard it too.

“Then I’ll report you. If we are separated by prison bars, our relationship will definitely be more comfortable than before.”

“Such unfair treatment.”

Meanwhile, Song Taewon put special handcuffs on Noah. Even restraints made for Hunters would not be much use against an S-Class, but Noah remained quiet. Even the poisonous energy around him had completely vanished. He only looked at me like a child who had lost his mother.

…Suddenly, I wanted to see Yoohyun. When was that brat coming out already?

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