The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 535: New York (1)

“New York’s cold too, so make sure to dress warmly.”

“Mister, you’re the only one here who could catch a cold.”

Yerim said this while pressed against the airplane window. The airport scheduled for landing was JFK—John F. Kennedy International Airport. Named after a president, probably. Most airports used regional names, but it seemed America liked naming things after people.

“American paparazzi are no joke, so you need to be careful.”

Not only Haeyeon but also the Hunter Association had reminded us several times. The laws were different from Korea, and S-rank Hunter information sold for high prices, so there were not only mid-rank Hunters but even A-rank paparazzi with special skills. At A-rank level, it was probably half a hobby anyway. Maybe they were originally paparazzi and Awakened with related optimization skills?

“How on earth does Seong Hyunjae quietly travel abroad… Ah.”

Seong Hyunjae sparked a bit of electricity at his fingertips. So he just fried all the cameras. Would it work on film cameras too? Though these days, they’d mostly be digital cameras anyway.

“Didn’t you get sued for that?”

“Electronic devices malfunction all the time. Bad luck, or perhaps nature’s whim.”

Well, if he only broke cameras, it wouldn’t be visible, so there’d be no evidence. He wasn’t someone you could catch based on suspicion alone. Even in Hong Kong, it was passed off as thunder. Still, there must have been people who prepared low-grade electrical resistance items, and in those cases… things probably didn’t end well. They might have literally been struck by lightning.

As always, Seong Hyunjae’s skill was incredibly useful. It could even charge devices. Didn’t that mean you could bring a refrigerator and air conditioner to a deserted island and still use them? Definitely someone to bring along to a deserted island.

Since our arrival scene was scheduled for live broadcast, I changed clothes and even put on some light makeup. The nice thing about cold weather was being able to wear outerwear. With a coat on, my body was somewhat hidden, so standing among S-ranks was less embarrassing than in summer. If it got even colder, I’d bundle up more while the S-ranks stayed thin. Not like they’d freeze to death—they’d just wear coats. If you ask why not use cold resistance items, well… I like padded jackets.

“I’m so nervous! The kids told me to visit Central Park and Times Square in New York. But isn’t a park just a park?”

“Times Square is probably just a plaza too, right?”

I didn’t really know either. Wouldn’t an amusement park be more fun for Yerim?

“Seong Hyunjae-ssi, here’s Hangyeol’s bag.”

I handed Seong Hyunjae a children’s backpack. Hangyeol planned to stay in fairy form the whole time, but I’d packed a bag just in case. If Seong Hyunjae could blow out all the cameras, occasionally changing to human form should be fine.

“Don’t give him too many snacks. Phone time in moderation, and make sure he watches age-appropriate TV. Never leave the kid alone under any circumstances.”

– Daddyyy…

Gyeol whimpered as if he didn’t want to be separated from me. But even now, as soon as he could talk, he’d go “No, I’m fine” and pretend nothing was wrong.

“Peace, you’re going to stay with Yuhyun like during dungeon raids, okay?”

– Grruuu.

“Yuhyun, you have to take good care of Peace.”

“Hyung, Peace is an adult.”

“But he can’t talk. If he gets lost, he can’t even find a police station. Maybe in China or Japan, but here it’d be hard to fly home. Peace, you need to stick close to Yuhyun.”

Finally, I turned to Chief Song. The sight of him with an unusually large bag beside him felt pitiful. Seong Hyunjae and our kids had little luggage, saying they could buy things locally. I’d packed a moderate amount.

“Please take care of Yerim, Chief Song.”

“Yes. …I can’t promise not to worry, but I’ll do my best.”

“Yerim, you listen to the Chief too, and always stay together.”

“Don’t worry. I can’t read English well anyway. It’s too annoying to use the translator for everything. When you go abroad, you stick close to someone who speaks English well.”

The plane landed at the airport, and only then did Evelyn emerge from her seat. As always, she wore a neat outfit with a warm-looking shawl draped over her shoulders. Evelyn bowed her head slightly to me and Song Taewon.

“Thanks to you both, I had a comfortable flight.”

For a moment, I felt like a flight attendant. With only a small handbag and no other luggage, she seemed like a noblewoman who’d lived a sheltered life without experiencing hardship. And yet she was an S-rank Hunter.

Even after the plane came to a complete stop, the door didn’t open. Yerim looked out the window and said:

“There are soldiers everywhere.”

“…Really?”

I also approached the window and looked outside. Just as Yerim said, armed military personnel were visible. However, they were on the outer perimeter—in front of the plane entrance stood an honor guard on parade. A large American flag raised high fluttered grandly in the wind.

“I guess it’s because we’re S-rank Hunters.”

And a major city at that. I took out my phone to check the broadcast.

[Following yesterday, twenty-five S-rank Hunters are scheduled to arrive in New York today. The U.S. government has demonstrated its capability by being the first in the world to prepare a stable venue that can accommodate numerous S-rank Hunters—]

Stock footage of the White House appeared on screen. After the party location was announced, Americans kept going on about how only America could pull this off. They also proclaimed they would provide the best treatment to the visiting S-rank Hunters. Of course, many within America resented this, but conversely, there was also talk that this might be an opportunity to recruit foreign S-rank Hunters.

In short, it meant they were saying “America is the best!”

“But Mister, tons of S-rank Hunters came to your gathering too.”

There was also Seong Hyunjae’s birthday party. Well, good treatment was never a bad thing. The plane door opened and I stepped onto the stairs. The honor guard that had been on parade began playing music. Ah, yes… thank you for the welcome. Between the honor guards lined up on both sides stood a blond man in a suit. He showed us a bright smile. And just as he was about to speak—

– Rat-tat-tat-tat!

The sound of a helicopter was heard. Simultaneously, the military unit beyond the honor guard moved.

“All H!”

Probably “ALL H!” With the shout, an explosion erupted. Whoa. The helicopter took a direct hit and soldiers carrying a large net flew up. Just before the net could envelop the helicopter, people jumped out. They unfurled a large banner in mid-air.

[EXPEL HUNTERS FROM AMERICAN SOIL! AWAKENED ONES MUST STOP DUNGEON RAIDS!]

The translation item worked well. Military personnel with flight abilities safely wrapped the helicopter in the net and removed it, while those who’d unfurled the banner were arrested. The blond man casually greeted us and said:

“This happens from time to time, so don’t worry about it.”

Sam Ferry introduced himself as an S-rank Hunter cooperating with the New York Hunter Association. But this happens from time to time? I’d heard that Hunter-related facilities in America were frequently targeted by terrorism.

“The United States and the New York Hunter Association welcome the Hunters from Korea.”

[MAGIC STONES ARE THE DEVIL’S BLOOD DROPS!]

A loud shout came from somewhere. Mr. Ferry shrugged.

“Even among Awakened ones, there are those obsessed with such nonsense, which is quite troublesome. Still, most are low to mid-rank.”

Yes… but since it was completely absurd, it was actually more comfortable. Being called a fraud would be offensive, but being called the demon king was just absurd. Other people wouldn’t think “surely not…” but rather “that guy’s crazy.”

“Earlier you shouted ‘All H’—does that mean the people in the helicopter were Awakened?”

“It refers to Awakened with stats E-rank or above. Even if they’re not active Hunters, anyone E-rank or above is treated as a Hunter.”

Black limousines appeared in a row. We could all fit in one car.

“Please board by team.”

“Already?”

“Surely it’s fine to travel together at least?”

Yuhyun said in a slightly lowered voice.

“The destination is the same, so don’t worry. Of course, room assignments will also match your teams.”

“Hyung is—”

Yuhyun, about to mention my weakness, closed his mouth. Then he looked back at me with pitying eyes. If he had his way, he’d want to keep me by his side, Chatterbox or no Chatterbox.

“How long could a car ride take? Besides, this is part of the schedule too.”

Within Chatterbox’s party schedule, I was protected. If I didn’t follow the schedule and left on my own without notice, they wouldn’t be responsible for that. But for simple outings, if I asked permission in advance, I’d still be protected.

“Come on, let’s get in quickly. Peace, you need to ride here.”

I opened the car door and urged Yuhyun to get in.

– Kkyuuung.

“Good boy. Daddy will be there soon.”

I coaxed Peace, who didn’t want to leave me, into the car. Following them, Yerim and Chief Song also got into the second limousine. As another limousine approached, Gyeol grabbed my hand and drooped both ears. Then, with an expression like a child being dragged to the dentist, he flew to Seong Hyunjae.

– Uuuuu…

“I’ll take good care of him, so don’t worry.”

Seong Hyunjae, carrying the yellow bag, boarded the car with Gyeol. Finally, I also got into a limousine.

‘There’s no one here.’

I’d expected at least an A-rank Hunter as security to ride along. Maybe the driver, hidden from view, was a Hunter. I looked around the interior of the car, which was so spacious it felt empty, then sat close to the door. As we left the runway, people protesting with picket signs came into view. Some had drawn bright red X marks over Hunters, and others wore monster costumes covered in blood. I also spotted someone wearing a large Hunter nameplate around their neck with devil horns attached.

[DUNGEONS ARE GOD-GIVEN!]

[SUBMIT TO THE END TIMES!]

[STOP MONSTER ABUSE!]

[AWAKENED ONES ARE THE RESULT OF HUMAN EXPERIMENTATION!]

…Huh? I’d heard the earlier claims before, but human experimentation?

“…The U.S. government created Awakened ones?”

Well, um. I think you’ve watched too many movies. Though I suppose Transcendents and Origins wouldn’t feel much different from human experimentation. The protesters’ claims that dungeons and Awakened appeared due to military experiments and human experimentation might actually be accepted as more plausible.

Still, if they could create Awakened ones, America would have already conquered the world.

The protesters soon fell behind and we entered a wide road. The car was so unnecessarily spacious that I felt a bit lonely.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve been alone in a foreign place.’

Even when I was kidnapped, a monitor was almost always with me. Right now, I couldn’t even see the driver’s head, so I was essentially left completely alone. I fiddled with my phone for no reason. Should I call the kids? No, how long has it even been since we separated? They’d just worry needlessly. I’ll just watch the broadcast—

“Did you have a comfortable journey?”

I jerked my head up. At the far end of the opposite seat, slightly dim, a figure appeared smoothly. It was Chatterbox. Probably. Without mask or veil, wearing a black suit with a white flower pinned to the chest. The face I was seeing for the first time was somewhat gaunt and pale but no different from a human. The white hair neatly combed back made him seem quite old despite a face without a single wrinkle.

“…That’s not your real appearance.”

“It’s borrowed. Though taking complete control like this requires more effort.”

Chatterbox smiled. It seemed like a face I’d seen before—maybe a famous foreign actor? Perhaps a musical actor.

“Borrowed—did the original owner consent?”

“Of course. Gladly and joyfully.”

Was he a fanatic? I felt slightly chilled. It was a sensation closer to disgust than fear. A white mask appeared at Chatterbox’s fingertips. He spun it around.

“Isn’t it amusing? People push others into their own frameworks.”

“Should I start calling you Mr. Ghost?”

“Rather than me.”

Chatterbox’s form vanished. Then a long arm draped around my shoulders as if wrapping around them. Sitting in the seat next to me, the bastard continued speaking.

“You’re more suited to the role of ghost. Isn’t that right?”

“I don’t have a hobby of building underground mazes.”

“My fog would joyfully dissect the ghost and dismantle the maze. It would have taxidermied it and doted on it. I was meant to be the one who assists and watches.”

…Though not based on real people, I felt sorry for Christine and Raoul. Right, the King of Harmless wasn’t normal either. Only the ending was good.

“So you’ll taxidermy me instead?”

“Please do enjoy the funeral.”

The bastard smiled while whispering.

“As promised, your safety will be guaranteed.”

Chatterbox returned to the opposite seat and put on the mask. With long legs crossed, he didn’t move an inch. Damn, I wanted to open the car door and jump out. A heavy silence flowed for a long while, then a river appeared. I didn’t even feel like looking at the unfamiliar scenery reflected in the window. It was just buildings anyway, and I saw plenty of buildings normally.

I only wished for us to arrive at the hotel quickly. Strength unconsciously entered my hand gripping the phone. Though the light blinked indicating incoming calls or messages, I couldn’t check them. In front of that mask fixed on me, draped in silence like a veil, I didn’t want to reveal my affection.

In the bone-dry air, the car finally stopped. While I picked up my luggage bag, Chatterbox opened the door first. He got out of the car with large movements and stood tall. Camera flashes burst from all directions. The gathered crowd shouted.

“Chatterbox!”

“Phantom!!”

Amid shouts close to cheers, treating him like a famous celebrity, Chatterbox gave a courteous greeting to the crowd. Flashes burst again. Expectant voices buzzed in my ears, and an inexplicable displeasure washed over my entire body.