The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 236

234. My Brother is Here (3)

“So docile? It was thrashing around with just a little touch.”

“Just in case, stay on standby.”

“To work so easily on an SS-Rank, amazing.”

The observing gazes and evaluating voices were sickeningly irritating. As they said, Yoohyun was quietly nestled against me. Not only did he yield his body as I pulled him in, but he went a step further and burrowed into my embrace.

I bit the tip of my tongue at the sight of my brother rubbing his head against my shoulder and chest, curling up small, trying to press his body even closer to mine like a young puppy. I could barely manage to feign composure, and I opened my mouth.

“If the skill is applied strongly, emotional transference also occurs. Even if I act a little strange, please don’t be surprised.”

“Emotional transference, isn’t that dangerous?”

“At best, my stats are only C-Rank. If I were a high-level guard, I wouldn’t be able to use this skill carelessly. Also, I can’t apply it to more than one person at a time.”

I added that even though the skill rank was high, it usually wouldn’t work so easily on an SS-Rank, in a tone that implied I was safe, so they shouldn’t be wary.

“The drug seems to have amplified the effect due to the confusion it causes. Could you perhaps loosen his arms? It would help the skill apply more effectively.”

After a brief discussion, the answer came back that they wouldn’t touch the restraints that bound his hands, preventing him from using his inventory. An S-Rank guard was about to approach with the key to the arm restraints. At the same time, Yoohyun’s body tensed up and stiffened.

“Wait! Don’t come over here, just throw the key.”

With a clatter, the key was thrown. I quickly released my brother’s arms, which were painfully twisted and tied behind his back. As soon as he regained the freedom of his arms, Yoohyun hugged me tightly. The sound of him calling, ‘Hyung [older brother],’ was muffled by the gag, turning into a small murmur.

“Yes, it’s okay. You have to stay still…”

My insides were burning with pain. With all my heart, I wanted to buy a master key right away and unlock everything that bound my brother’s body. But S-Rank guards were watching from both sides. Not only could I not do anything rash, but I couldn’t even convey a message easily. It was difficult to whisper so quietly that they wouldn’t hear, and they would figure it out just by looking at my lip movements.

“It could be dangerous if he recovers too much mana, so you should come out soon. I’m worried about Alpha’s high adaptability to the absorption field,” Mindiva said. I patted my brother’s back as he clung to me, unwilling to let go. I didn’t want to let go.

Should I just detonate a bomb here?

Even if I died, I would come back to life, but my brother… I hadn’t heard the details of what would happen to him. Since it wasn’t his real body, would he fall into a catatonic state until he was captured? It would be a relief if he was unconscious, but if he was conscious and treated as dead in this state, he would surely be in constant anxiety.

He’s already in such a bad state.

‘It’s the most certain and fastest method, but.’

I couldn’t do that after all. More than anything, even if it wasn’t his real body, still, how could I, with my own hands? I gritted my teeth and exhaled.

“…I’ll be back soon, so just sleep a little longer.”

I slowly unwound my brother’s arms from around me. His red eyes widened as if in surprise.

“It won’t take long, it’ll be quick. Be good.”

My Yoohyun. I spoke as if soothing my brother, who used to try to follow me when he was young. His face was full of anxiety. His eyes looked like he would shed tears again, but he didn’t cling to me forcefully. Even though he was still much stronger than me, he didn’t resist and obediently retreated as I pulled away.

“…Wait nicely.”

Yoohyun crouched down, looking like he wanted to come to me right away. His huddled body trembled. I had to bite my tongue several times. The taste of blood lingered in my mouth.

…Damn it, how can I turn away from such a brother? Isn’t there really a way to take him out of here right away? Two S-Ranks. Yoohyun’s mana hasn’t recovered properly, and he’s in a state where normal reactions are difficult due to the drugs. Furthermore, if he seems even slightly dangerous, his mana will be immediately taken away through the imprint.

No matter how much I rack my brain, it’s impossible. Not right now. So, I have to retreat, but.

“Mr. Han Yoojin?”

As I was about to turn around at the questioning call, my brother’s breathing became rough. I felt like I was going crazy. I’d rather just.

At that moment, a message window appeared before my eyes, as if blocking me.

[Patience is Bitter, But Its Fruit is Sweet]

It was a sub-quest. Is this just the bitter part? Still, it snapped me out of it. Without doing anything rash, I quickly turned around. As I fled the area of the absorption field, I soon heard the sound of the mana absorption field activating and a thud as someone collapsed. When I turned my head, I saw my brother unconscious.

“You should have tied his arms. Well, it’s probably okay as it is.”

Mindiva said that if I tried to unlock even the hand restraints without being able to use the inventory right away, they could just take away his mana to subdue him. I took a long breath. My head, my chest, my whole body ached as if I had been beaten all over, but it was better this way than if Yoohyun was awake.

If he’s unconscious, he won’t be anxious at least.

…Still, do they have to leave him lying like that on the cold floor?

“…Can’t you make him more comfortable? It makes me uncomfortable just watching.”

“He’s an SS-Rank, after all.”

You bastards, do you think just because someone is physically strong, they’re comfortable sleeping on the bare floor? Come to think of it, I don’t think they’ve fed him properly either. They seem to have kept him asleep the whole time, so it would be strange if they had fed him. How many days have you starved him, you sons of bitches?

I gritted my teeth inwardly and carefully examined the surrounding environment. The absorption field took up nearly half the room. Not only would an Awakened immediately have their mana absorbed upon touching it, but they also couldn’t use items that operated with magic power.

My brother’s arms were freed, but his ankles were still tied, and they were connected to the floor with a rope, making it impossible to pull him out using ordinary tools.

In short, Awakened could not approach until the mana absorption field was turned off.

‘There’s also the method of asking a non-Awakened for help, but.’

How can I bring a non-Awakened here? Stealth items that work even on S-Ranks are too expensive. The same goes for teleportation items. Long-distance teleportation items cost over 3 million points, even though they are one-time use.

Currently, I have about 1.5 million points. It has increased a little thanks to the hidden quest, but it’s not enough to buy high-end items lavishly. I have to think about what to do after saving Yoohyun.

“The effect has been reliably proven, right?”

I smiled at Mindiva, trying not to keep Yoohyun in my sight as much as possible. He nodded, saying of course.

“Let’s go outside first.”

“Can’t I take care of Alpha right away? I think he’ll listen to me soon if I spend two or three days with him.”

If Yoohyun is deemed safe, the Akates Defense Agency will release him on their own. Even if it’s to defend against SS-Rank monsters. At my words, Mindiva shook his head briefly as he stepped out of the door leading outside.

“I appreciate your enthusiasm, but you haven’t even transferred your affiliation yet. First, you need to change your imprint to the Akates Mana Hall’s and sign a formal contract.”

“But isn’t it a big loss to leave an SS-Rank Alpha unattended for so long? You never know when an SS-Rank monster might appear.”

“Don’t worry about that. Fortunately, Sigma of Solemness is scheduled to arrive soon.”

…Sigma? Why is that guy showing up again? I reflexively frowned. If an SS-Rank guard is added, it will only become more difficult to rescue Yoohyun.

“Originally, he refused the request to subdue Alpha, but for some reason, he suddenly contacted us saying he would help. Sigma will be able to handle Alpha more safely when he arrives.”

“…When did he contact you?”

“Two days ago. He contacted us early in the morning. It takes preparation to visit another city, so he should arrive in a day or two.”

Two days ago. The day after I ran away. The bomb must have exploded as soon as it dawned, and then he contacted Akates right away. Is that it?

…Damn it. He noticed that I was going to Akates. Is it because I kept asking about Alpha and Akates? He’s disgustingly quick to notice things. More than that, is an SS-Rank guard coming after me personally? Is he coming because he also received a cooperation request?

Anyway, I wasn’t happy about it.

As I walked down the hallway, I pretended to check the skill window and opened the sub-quest window that showed the completion mark.

[Patience is Bitter, But Its Fruit is Sweet

Here’s a small gift for your patient actions! Sweet things are good for stress.

Reward: Caffe Latte, Medsang 15-year-old Blue Hole Wine]

What’s with this reward? It’s a really small gift.

“Would you like to look around some more? Or should I guide you to your accommodation in the Defense Agency? You must have used a lot of mana due to the skill, should I connect you to the mana pool first?”

“No, I’m fine for now. By the way, I have a Medsang 15-year-old wine.”

“A Medsang wine, is it perhaps Blue Hole?”

Mindiva said, his face lighting up. Even the guard who was guarding the entrance looked at me with wide eyes. Is it a famous wine?

“Yes, it’s Blue Hole wine.”

“And it’s a 15-year-old! As I heard, you’re quite wealthy… Ah, this was just basic research. The guard who guided you to the city told me.”

“I do have a bit of money in my pocket.”

“I won’t ask for more details, so don’t worry.”

As he said that, he glanced at me, giving me a look that said he roughly knew I had something to hide. Does he think I embezzled something and ran away here? Of course, I did steal a little from someone else’s warehouse.

“I slept well during the day, so I’m not sleepy yet. Shall we have a light drink? There are many things I want to hear for the future.”

“Of course, you’re welcome!”

Mindiva smiled and led the way. He guided me to a dormitory similar to an officetel [a studio apartment]. It was clean and quite spacious.

I was searched when entering the security area, and after retrieving my backpack, I slipped only the Blue Hole wine inside after receiving it as a reward.

“This is mainly for employees who leave work early. Even if they finish their night shift early, they can’t go home.”

Mindiva, who said that the welfare was good, went into the kitchen to bring glasses and snacks. In the meantime, I quickly entered the point store. I quickly flipped through the categories and searched the list of drugs among the consumable items.

[Whispering Touch – S

Colorless and odorless. A potion that makes you answer questions honestly. It does not work on those with stats and poison resistance of B-Rank or higher.

One-time use]

Even though it’s S-Rank, it only works up to C-Rank. As expected, mental drugs have a low effect compared to their rank.

Mindiva’s rank was exactly C. It seemed unlikely that he would have a B-Rank or higher poison resistance skill or item. Because he’s not a combat type. He proudly introduced himself as an authoritative researcher of the Mana Hall and Awakened, even though he didn’t have any useful skills.

He said that researchers like him, rather than high-level combat-type Awakened who can be easily created through baptism, are the truly important and precious personnel.

Before Mindiva returned, I quickly opened the wine cork and put the drug inside. If it doesn’t work, I’ll have to go the traditional way. Fortunately, there are no surveillance cameras here for privacy, and the soundproofing is good.

“Since it was effective on Alpha, who is an SS-Rank guard, your employee rank will be adjusted to almost the highest level.”

Mindiva congratulated me and placed the glasses on the table. The snacks were something similar to cheese and jerky. I picked up the wine bottle and poured it into the two glasses in turn. The pinkish liquid shimmered as it filled up. Mindiva didn’t seem to suspect me at all.

Who would think that someone with a confirmed background and who visited Akates City for the first time would have the intention of rescuing Alpha, whom they were also seeing for the first time? Even a hundred-percent accurate fortune teller would doubt their own fortune.

Moreover, since I’m pouring the wine from the same bottle in front of their eyes, they wouldn’t think I put something in it. My rank is only C-Rank, after all.

I naturally took a sip of the wine in my glass and swallowed it.

“Wow, this is my first time having a 15-year-old Blue Hole… It’s amazing.”

A pure exclamation flowed out. It was a shame to drink it with the bastard in front of me. Hey newbie, can’t you give me one more bottle? I want to drink it with my brother after I save him.

The refreshing and slightly cool fruit scent and the sweet but clear taste melted on my tongue without being sticky. The wound I bit wasn’t healed, so it stung a little, but it was a taste that made even that pain feel sweet. Since it’s alcohol, it will also disinfect it.

Mindiva also had a moved expression. He gave a long and verbose praise about the wine.

“It’s as famous as it is! It’s really amazing!”

“Yes. Ah, about Alpha’s imprint. Can I know about the people who are connected to absorb mana?”

It was a question that must be top secret in order to protect the connected people. But Mindiva opened his mouth without hesitation.

“There are a total of five people, two S-Ranks and three Alpha handlers. They are Alpha handlers, but they are not high-level because it is a potentially dangerous role. Of course, I am also excluded.”

Five people.

‘It will be difficult to fix Yoohyun’s imprint right away, so it will be faster to eliminate the connected guys.’

The Alpha handlers are D~C rank, so it will be easy to deal with them, but the problem was the two S-Ranks. When I asked more about Alpha’s imprint, he said that other than the five connected people, it would be safe unless the opponent had a mana absorption skill of S-Rank or higher. Coincidentally, the S-Rank guard with the mana absorption skill was recuperating due to a major injury.

“A healer is exclusively treating him, but he said it will take three or four days before he can be active. What a mess this is because of Alpha.”

I directly filled the empty glass of the guy who was clicking his tongue. I wanted to pour it on his face, but.

“How do you operate the mana absorption field? Can I turn it off and on too?”

“It’s not easy because you have to match the flow of mana. It’s a very delicate task, so you need to have a magic power stat of B-Rank.”

Damn it, then even if I know the method, it’s impossible for me to do it.

I asked him in detail about Akates City and the Defense Agency. Mindiva drank the alcohol as I gave it to him and spilled everything. Eventually, he got drunk and collapsed on the table. I heard the sound of snoring.

I quietly looked down at the sleeping guy and got up from my seat.

‘I’ll spare him for now.’

I need an alibi to make it easier to act. I received the remaining rewards from the sub-quest. A caffe latte with plenty of whipped cream was placed in my hand. The caffe latte in this neighborhood is similar to the one in my neighborhood. It’s sweet.

I used my stealth skill and went outside.