The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 478

476. The Owner of the Letter (3)

After dismissing all the remaining hotel staff, Hae-yeon and the Hunter from the Awakened Being Management Division guarded the entrance. Chief Song informed the Sesung Guild that the Guild Leader would not be able to return today. It was obvious to anyone that something was wrong, but the Sesung Guild only replied that they understood. Was it because this wasn’t a new occurrence? Or perhaps because they didn’t need to worry about their Guild Leader no matter where he ended up.

*If I were them, I’d probably think, ‘Oh, that guy caused another accident. Chief Song must be having a hard time.’*

“The bathhouse facilities are nice, but it’s too empty.”

No benches, no eggs, no *sikhye* [sweet rice drink]. Nothing really happened, but everyone opposed my going alone. There was no way Chloe would walk in here on her own, but I was speechless at the thought that even a quick trip to the bathroom or a long shower alone would be considered dangerous. I had to keep quiet because of my history of disappearing while pretending to take a bath.

So, I ended up going to the hotel sauna with my brother. I felt it in the Chinese dungeon too, but if there’s a sudden commotion and we need to hide, a luxury hotel would be perfect. It has most facilities and daily necessities. Plus, there are various restaurants inside. There aren’t as many places to hide compared to a large mart or department store, though.

“I need to undo the skill that’s on Hyung, but…”

Yoohyun said worriedly as we left the sauna.

“I still don’t like that Hyung is directly involved. I can’t trust the Sesung Guild Leader either.”

“I’m concerned that you exchanged words with him, but even if you don’t know anything else, he’s not someone who can be easily swayed by others. He’s more likely to obstruct. No matter what kind of offer Park Hayul makes, he won’t hand me over willingly.”

Even if his own life is at stake. If he were someone who could be broken by something like that, he would have succumbed to Crescent Moon a long time ago. He wouldn’t have been able to endure his own accumulated past.

I trusted Sung Hyunjae that much. It was clear that he had been trying to live in his own way for a long time. He wasn’t a Transcender yet, and he was still human.

“…He might throw me into a mess on purpose, but that would only happen when he’s sure I’ll be safe.”

Even if he acts as he pleases, he’s not the type to do things without a plan. He does it because he can handle everything. I’m envious and annoyed.

“Park Hayul’s skill is useful, but it’s not enough to abandon an S-Rank Hunter. If we only catch Chloe Hunter, there’s plenty of room for negotiation. But we don’t have a good reason.”

At best, the charge would be that she concealed her rank. Since she’s a foreign Hunter, it would be difficult to impose a penalty greater than a fine, deportation, and a ban on entry. If we arrest her normally, we’ll have to send her home normally.

“We need to catch her as secretly and quietly as possible. Or make her commit a crime that warrants imprisonment.”

If we unfairly detain a high-ranking Hunter from another country, especially the United States, there will naturally be protests. The Benkave Guild would also object. She’s a freelance Hunter from their country whom they hired to accompany them.

“So, the cooperation of the Sesung Guild Leader is essential.”

I entered the cafe where everyone was gathered. I could see them sitting in a row around a long table. Sung Hyunjae was also sitting there with a coffee cup in front of him. Gyeol, who had been sipping something on the table in front of Yerim, quickly flew to me. I stroked Gyeol’s head and sat down on the chair that my brother pulled out for me. How kind.

“As I said before, the Sesung Guild Leader cannot disclose the contents of the letter. So, I will check it and then convey the details to you.”

Sung Hyunjae had to keep his mouth shut, but conveying what I read to others was not a breach of contract. The letter probably contains their purpose. Knowing that would make it easier to lure Chloe.

“Chief Song, are you okay with this? Strictly speaking, it’s a slightly illegal situation.”

“I have a duty to protect the Hunters of Korea.”

Song Taewon said indifferently.

“Han Yoojin has already been harmed and is still under the influence of the skill, so the cooperation of the Awakened Being Management Division is a matter of course. So, in principle, we should publicly arrest and protest—”

“That would make things too big.”

Then it’s absolutely not allowed.

“Above all, if it becomes known that Park Hayul can control me, I honestly can’t trust the US government either.”

They might say it’s a good thing, protect Park Hayul, and induce me to move my nationality directly to the United States. Turning off fear resistance will release me from the skill, but I still need to be careful.

“Uncle, take your phone.”

Yerim handed me her cell phone.

“It’s more convenient to have a separate dictionary.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll tell Team Leader Seok to connect you with translators. It should be okay to entrust them with short translations that don’t require understanding the situation.”

“Um, if I really don’t know, should I ask? I think it’ll be fine.”

Then Chief Song got up from his seat. Then he took out handcuffs from his inventory. Huh? Don’t tell me he’s already thinking of arresting Sung Hyunjae.

“It’s for safety. If the handcuffs are damaged or if movement of magic power beyond a certain level is detected, it will send a signal.”

“I made them.”

Myungwoo said. What?

“You refused my gift so much!”

“It was provided to the Awakened Being Management Division, not to an individual.”

“Then I will donate my bike to the Awakened Being Management Division.”

“It will be placed where it is needed.”

It sounded like Chief Song wouldn’t ride it. The donation itself wouldn’t be difficult. It just wouldn’t end up in Chief Song’s hands. Sung Hyunjae willingly held out his hands as Chief Song approached.

“It’s been a while.”

“It hasn’t been that long.”

The tone was calm, but it seemed to contain the unspoken message to stop causing trouble. When did he wear handcuffs again? He definitely wore them when he destroyed the plane, and probably when he pretended to fight with Chief Song before going to China.

“If you’re going to do that, you might as well put a muzzle on him. He won’t be of any help anyway.”

He’s just going to watch me struggle with the letter. It would be nice to cover his eyes too.

“Han Yoojin’s taste is rougher than I thought.”

“Why are you being like this over something like that? You’re the one who wraps other people’s bodies in chains all the time. Shackles are just cute.”

“…Are real shackles okay too?”

My brother whispered softly next to me. *Hey, of course I’m joking.*

“Of course not. Don’t tell me you still want to lock me up.”

Yoohyun said as if it were obvious. Even Myungwoo agreed that it would be more comfortable. Yerim and Noah also had expressions that said they wouldn’t stop me from being imprisoned right here. But Chief Song would stop it because it’s illegal. …Would he really stop it?

“You can’t lock people up.”

-Can’t I even if Daddy’s house is big?

“No, you can’t. Gyeol, let’s wait here.”

The fairy dragon hugged Yerim with a very sulky expression. I felt sorry but a laugh leaked out.

“How are you going to be rebellious?”

-Like Daddy, eat a lot of snacks, don’t eat rice, don’t exercise, follow strangers, and disappear suddenly.

“…I’m eating rice on time these days. Strangers, well, Daddy is an adult. I was wrong to disappear suddenly.”

I’m exercising these days too. Is this why they say you can’t even drink cold water in front of kids [a Korean saying meaning you should be careful what you say or do in front of children because they are impressionable]?

“Come with me.”

I beckoned Sung Hyunjae and walked ahead. I’m going to find out for sure what the letter says this time. …I can finish it before midnight, right?

“Last one! Done!”

I put down the pen and cheered. Sung Hyunjae, who was leaning against the bed, clapped his hands. The chain of the handcuffs clattered along.

“Congratulations.”

“Congratulations or whatever, I told you not to go on the bed with your shoes on. Your nationality is Korean.”

“It’s inconvenient to take off my shoes because of the handcuffs.”

How ridiculous. Anyway, it’s good that the translation is finished.

“…It just looks like a letter of greeting.”

That’s right. I worked so hard to translate it, but the content was ordinary. *I’ve heard a lot about your reputation, congratulations on your safe return from China, Korea is like this and that these days, Hunter Kang Soyoung and the dragon are like this and that.* Most of it was such chatter.

“Is it written vertically or is it a cipher… or something?”

I turned the letter this way and that. I shone a light on it, but nothing appeared. Maybe a candle? Lemon juice?

“There’s no way this is all there is.”

It doesn’t make sense. There must be something more. There wasn’t even one story about me. What is this? I glared at Sung Hyunjae, and he wiggled the tip of his foot that he was crossing. Is he telling me to come closer? Now it’s not enough with his hands, it’s his feet now.

“Look at the letter, not the translated paper.”

“I’m looking at it.”

“Read it. While understanding.”

*What do you mean*, I thought, and then I looked at the letter. It’s a letter that goes into the inventory. It could simply be made from dungeon byproducts, but at the same time, it could be a special item. I read the English letter, referring to the translation.

“Here’s a gift for you.”

That was the last sentence that I thought was a bit strange. A gift, what gift. I was about to ask if he had received anything separately when Sung Hyunjae grabbed my wrist.

“What—”

And the surrounding scenery changed. I inadvertently took a step and bumped into the bed.

“Ugh! Hallucination?”

“It’s not easy to move you completely.”

Sung Hyunjae seemed to be floating in the air. He naturally got off the transparent bed. Something like fireflies was wandering in the empty space. One of them approached us.

[Hello, Mister.]

“…If this happens, it will be discovered that I saw the letter.”

“It’s not connected. It’s not a specific target either. It’s a system that appears when you finish reading the letter.”

He said that only a few patterns are registered.

[Shall I say, nice to meet you?]

It was difficult to guess the gender from the voice. It was a cheerful and young voice, but I thought it was made that way. When I didn’t answer, the firefly just floated around.

“Oh, hello.”

[…….]

“It’s a letter to me.”

Ah, right. It seemed to recognize and respond to the other person’s reaction to some extent. Then.

“That’s a silly prank. Above all, you’re not prepared enough. The background should be flowers, and the color of the fireflies should be hot pink.”

Sung Hyunjae stared at me intently. *Why, it’s true.* Hmm, I cleared my throat and continued to imitate Sung Hyunjae.

“Tell me what you want. Or would you like me to serve you some tea? By the way, Sung Hyunjae, not Han Yoojin, likes pink.”

“You’re not being honest.”

“Ah, I really don’t like pink.”

[I hope you received the letter safely.]

The firefly said.

[First of all, Mister. How much do you know about the outside world?]

…It seemed that Park Hayul’s sister also knew about the Transcenders. Could it be related to Chatterbox?

“I know as much as I need to know.”

[I guess you have had the deepest contact in our world.]

That was true based on before the regression. Currently, I have more frequent and more contact.

[You must also be aware that external intervention has recently intensified.]

“Of course. Do you know about Chatterbox?”

[A prophet visited some time ago.]

Judging from the irrelevant answer, it didn’t seem to be actually connected. The firefly continued to speak.

[They were the ones who talked about the scheduled end and salvation.]

That’s a typical cult. First of all, the prophet and Park Hayul’s sister were not the same person.

“Were you tempted by that sound?”

I asked, lowering my voice as much as possible. It would be annoying if I shook hands. It’s best to have them fight each other if possible.

[Don’t you think it’s silly?]

The firefly answered calmly.

[Mister must have felt it too.]

“Felt what?”

[From before awakening, that we are something different.]

Wait a minute. Could it be.

*’Is she a natural S-Rank?’*

Park Hayul’s sister?

“Different, huh. It’s definitely true.”

I continued to speak as calmly as possible. But my heart was pounding. One of the remaining two. Of course, it was just my guess, but if she was saying that much and was someone who had secretly built up power, there was a high possibility.

[That is also just that. But I can give Mister some pleasure.]

I inadvertently turned to Sung Hyunjae. The words that there is something more interesting than any other suggestion might be the most appealing to Sung Hyunjae’s curiosity. Perhaps noticing my thoughts, his golden eyes slightly curved.

“I haven’t even rummaged through what’s in front of me yet.”

“That’s an honor.”

I turned my gaze back to the firefly. The size of the firefly gradually increased and turned into a human form.