The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 173

173. Sibling Quarrel (1)

Noah’s saddle alternative harness consultation was quite lengthy and detailed. Since Noah didn’t have any dedicated equipment suitable for his abilities and combat style, we decided to make something properly tailored to him. Furthermore, after hearing about the incident with Liete, he offered to make a few more as he had time.

“Riding equipment for monsters is rare, and since body shapes and sizes vary, most of it has to be custom-made. I’ve already received several inquiries about it.”

Not only Hae-yeon but also Se-seong and Breaker were waiting for orders. Peace’s equipment was already partially completed, but it could only be used from adult size to giant form, making it impossible to wear in his current juvenile form.

“There’s a limit to how much you can adjust the size of the equipment. If you make the adjustment range too large, other performance aspects will suffer compared to its grade.”

Noah was a small dragon, so he could use it in human form as well. Liete would never be able to, I guess.

“Noah Hunter, if you ever shed, bring it in. If it’s part of your own body, the magic wavelength matches well, and if it’s made as a bound item, the performance increases relative to the material.”

“I can give you some now. I have a recovery skill, so a little bit of skin-”

“No way, Noah!”

What was he saying? He often gets hurt while fighting anyway, so I stopped Noah, who said it was okay. Cutting it off raw to use as material was not the same thing.

“I heard your sister and Hunter Park Ye-rim came home yesterday?”

“Yeah. You heard too? Ye-rim said she was lonely living alone. I was a bit worried since she’s a girl, but I thought it would be better than leaving her alone.”

The room had to be a duplex, and we gave Ye-rim her own bathroom. She even wears clothes and pajamas at home. Fortunately, the house is large, so it shouldn’t be too uncomfortable.

“The two of them bicker more than I expected, and it’s only been a day, but it feels like a week. Ye-rim usually starts it, but my sister also subtly snaps back. Come to think of it, it’s been like that since their first meeting.”

But it didn’t seem like they were on bad terms either. If they really were, the house would have been destroyed already.

“Looks good.”

Myeong-woo said with a smile as he watched me talk about what happened last night and this morning. At the words that things were going well, I unconsciously touched my face with my hand. It doesn’t seem like anything has changed.

“I’ve made some yakgwa [Korean honey cookies] in my spare time, so take it with you. You said it was delicious before.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

He really gives me too much, so I put all my heart into saying thank you.

Before returning to the breeding facility, I stopped by the Seok Ha-yan team’s place. But it was empty, probably because it was daytime. I guess they were going home to sleep for once. They said the gate exploration and measurement would be completed soon, so should I come back at night?

‘I should start paying more attention to the Seok Ha-yan team’s security.’

The safety of the people is sufficient as it is. Noah is there, and there are high-rank Hunters swarming the first floor. But the research results were more likely to be stolen. The high-rank Hunters all belong to other guilds, and Noah can’t watch over the Seok Ha-yan team all day.

If Blue could adjust its size like Peace, it would be perfect to send it to the Seok Ha-yan team. People can be coaxed into leaking data, but that’s impossible with monsters. Should I find an S-rank monster cub that stays small even when fully grown?

-Kkyawoo!

It was a bit of a hassle to walk back down the building, so I used Noah’s help to get down to the rooftop garden as before. As if waiting, Blue flew over and tried to jump on me, but Peace slightly bared his teeth.

-Kkeuheung

The griffin, scolded by Peace, raised one front paw and wagged its tail as if embarrassed. Then, it circled around us once and pounced on Noah instead of me. Noah lightly caught Blue, who was crashing into him.

-Kkya! Kkyak!

Bellare in my arms only slightly turned her head to peek at Blue, who was rubbing its beak against Noah and hopping around, seemingly friendly because Noah often plays with it. It seemed like she was scared of Blue. Birds of prey often eat snakes, after all. And it’s much bigger.

Thanks to the training I’ve been giving it in my spare time, Blue has grown more than before and is now big enough to carry one person. As a result, it was a bit difficult for me to handle even when it gently nudged me. It was also because it was so energetic that it couldn’t control its strength well.

-Kkyaa!

Noah picked Blue up and threw it high into the air. It floated up with its wings folded, then fluttered and circled in the sky. Then, it spotted a pigeon flying away and chased after it. I looked down, watching Blue fly up to the top of the Hae-yeon building and settle down.

“Are you free tomorrow or the day after?”

I asked Noah. There was one thing he needed for the match against Liete. A new attack skill.

The only attack skills Noah had were poison and pain transfer. And both were types that wouldn’t be very effective against Liete. Liete, who knew Noah’s skills well, would surely have countermeasures like Sung Hyun-jae, such as using painkillers. Besides, Noah’s poison was weak in terms of lethality compared to its grade, so even with a double effect, it wouldn’t be very effective against Liete, who had strong poison resistance.

So, he needed an attack skill that would be effective against Liete.

‘Fortunately, I can use my baby skill tomorrow.’

Hopefully, I can get at least one attack skill. I’m worried that I have to choose based only on the skill name. If that doesn’t work, I’ll have to persuade Liete to postpone the period by a month or go to the unfilial children and ask them to tell me how to get an attack skill.

“I’m always free.”

The look in his eyes, asking what’s wrong and telling me to say anything, was a bit burdensome. Myeong-woo was one thing, but Noah really seemed to be showing me excessive favor. Even with the keyword effect, if the target was Liete, it would be a minus, not an increase in favor.

“I always think this, but Noah, you’re too nice to me. I haven’t done much for you.”

I really haven’t done much. At most, I stopped Liete. At my words, Noah hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.

“No. Yoo-jin, you’ve given me a lot.”

“A lot?”

I don’t remember. What did I give him a lot of?

“You’ve always… thought I was cute.”

“…Yes? Oh, no. That’s…”

I unconsciously saw Noah as young, but hearing it directly from him was quite embarrassing. Did I make it too obvious that I was treating him like a child? Noah also spoke with embarrassment.

“I liked that.”

“I’m glad you feel that way. I thought you’d hate it since you’re not very young, and you’re even a Guild Leader.”

“No, not at all.”

Noah shook his head. His slender hair shook and sparkled.

“As you might guess, my sister saw me as young and weak, but she didn’t treat me like a real child. It was even more so after I awakened. Even though I was still young, I was an A-Rank Hunter, and it was the same with other people besides my sister. Expectations were high, and they thought I could do anything well. Since I was an A-Rank, they thought I could do anything.”

He said it got even worse after he grew into an S-Rank. To the point where he felt lonely and desolate.

“But you, on the other hand, thought I was amazing no matter what I did. You praised me for doing really well, whether I was catching monsters or writing Korean.”

“It’s because you really did well…”

I think I was too much with the Korean thing. But he learned quickly. He learned Korean, but he also learned quite a few words of difficult Korean.

Noah smiled silently with a slightly reddened face.

“You also worried about me and pitied me.”

“…Not to the point of pity. I think you might have felt bad about that…”

“No. I liked that too. That’s why I enjoyed you ordering me to do things. Every time, you looked at me so warmly. You praised me a lot with words too. When I was a dragon, you often stroked my head.”

…I think my face is turning red too. I didn’t mean to stroke his head, but because of the habit of comforting Peace and the others, my hand kept going unconsciously.

“All of that is really good. I’m not at an age to be spoiled, but it’s still good. More than being seen as a capable adult, a Guild Leader, or an S-Rank Hunter. It’s a childish thing to say, but I’m happier being pampered. It’s comfortable because you only tell me I’m doing well no matter what I do. I think I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.”

Days where praise comes back just by following orders without having to worry or feel burdened.

“I know I shouldn’t rely on you too much. But just a little more, just one year, or even half a year, I want to live like a child… Is that okay?”

“Of course, it is.”

I quickly replied to the worried question.

“In the first place, you’re still young. You can do that for more than a year. These days, most people start their social life after graduating from college.”

If you’re a student, you’re still a kid.

“And even adults can be a little spoiled. What’s the point of drawing a line between a child and an adult? Even after sixty, you can still look like a child to your parents or grandparents. No matter how old you are, it might be good to be pampered. If you both like it, there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s not hurting anyone.”

It’s much better than hating or disliking someone. Noah smiled happily at my words.

“You’re still giving me a lot. So, don’t worry about it at all, and call me anytime you need me. I like that better.”

“Still, I’m using you too much for free…”

“I like it. Instead, keep thinking I’m cute.”

He’s cute even if I don’t do anything. Still, Noah looked really happy, so my heart also felt lighter.

“And Yoo-jin, I hope you become happier too. I’ll do my best to help you with anything.”

…It seems that Noah is an angel not only in appearance but also in his heart. How could he have been born as Liete’s sibling? It was clearly a mistake of the heavens.

Flap, the curtains were noisily drawn back, and Ye-rim ran, no, flew down. She slowly descended into the living room as if gliding, and spread her arms.

“Same pajamas as Uncle!”

It was the same pajamas with chick embroidery that she had given me before. Yoo-hyun’s eyes narrowed at her smug expression. Just before Yoo-hyun could say anything, the box in Ye-rim’s hand was thrown at Yoo-hyun. I wondered what it was, but it was a box of pajamas.

“Bow your head and express your gratitude, Han Yoo-hyun.”

My brother didn’t even pretend to see Ye-rim, who was arrogantly raising her chin, and took the clothes box and went into his room. Ye-rim pouted and complained to me.

“Look at him, Uncle. Even if I take care of him, he doesn’t even say thank you.”

I think the reaction would be a little different if she took care of him without teasing him. Instead of answering, I just laughed it off. I fully realized in just one day that if I took sides when the two of them were bickering, it would only backfire. It was better to stop them both when it seemed too much.

“There’s yakgwa [Korean honey cookies] made by Myeong-woo in the kitchen.”

“Gasp, really?”

Ye-rim shouted and ran to the kitchen. In the meantime, Yoo-hyun, who had changed into his pajamas, sat next to me. He seemed to watch the TV screen for a moment, but soon clung to me and complained that the association had been bothering him today.

“It’s become fairer than before, but it’s become stricter as well.”

“Still, it’s better to be fair.”

While I was comforting him, saying that I would help him if he had a hard time, Ye-rim came back with yakgwa [Korean honey cookies] in her mouth.

“…Uncle, doesn’t it disgust you to see someone bigger than you acting like that?”

“Huh? No. Honestly-”

“I don’t want to hear it. You’re going to say he’s cute again.”

She frowned, bit into the yakgwa, and made a happy expression. Ye-rim, who had eaten all the yakgwa bit by bit, sat close to me. Then, she reached out and hugged me.

“…Park Ye-rim, you’re touching me.”

“If you don’t like it, the Guild Leader can move away.”

The two of them started growling at each other again. Well, it’s a peaceful evening.