For I Am A Side Character - Zetro Translation

After the battle ended with the goblin king, Soril never really took the initiative to look into the rewards. Instead, he was very eager to exit the boss room.

As he walked to the door, he could feel their glances at him. One could wonder why he was so uptight to this ordeal, seeing as how he acts completely different from when he was with his classmates than he was with Jason and the others.

As he walked to the door, Jessabelle stared at his back, wondering why he acted so coldly to them even after a hard earned end against a strong monster like the goblin king. If it wasn’t for the potion he gave to heal her or the fact that he was able to clear away the fog. It wouldn’t have been as easy if he wasn’t there. She wondered what would have happened if he wasn’t there.

“…” feeling a sense of gratitude towards him, despite his cold attitude, she wanted to say her thanks…

“T-th-” but even to her own, she could not push through. Her stomach churned and in the end, she could not give thanks.

Meanwhile, Audrey on the Other hand simply gazed upon his back as well. Thinking to herself if it was the right time to approach him on a certain matter.

She took a few steps forward to his direction, thinking that she could follow, but as soon as Soril was able to open the door, he was meet with Jessica who stood quite nervously in front of him.

And without warning, she gave him a hug.

A tight hug that simply showed her clear worry and affection for him.

And in this. Jessica turned to the sight of the two hunters, Jessabelle and Audrey. Where she then sticks her tongue out as if it was a show of clear order that she was higher in a scale of affection.

And in response, both Jessabelle and Audrey were caught taken aback by this.

Although it was weird that Jessica did this, one would have assumed that she had wrongly assumed the thoughts of both Jessabelle and Audrey’s feelings for Soril. Yet still to an end, her taunt left a somewhat blurry feeling in the two female hunters.

It wasn’t clear, but in her taunts…they felt somewhat affected by it.

“What happened while we were in there?” asked Soril as he gently pushes Jessica away from her hug.

“Not much, we just collected the ears from the goblins to sell.” said Jessica as she smiled happily at them.

“Huh, since this is over, what should we do next?” he asked.

“Well…we only hunted an F-rank goblin and an E ranked Orc, we still have to deal with a D and C ranked monster.”

“We can move on to the next dungeon where the Kobolds set in.” said Thors.

“Hmm, that sounds nice. Okay lets go.”

“Shouldn’t we wait for the others though?” asked Marilyn.

In her questions, Soril turned to the others back at the room and saw that Jason, Jessabelle and Audrey were coming out with Juel on Jason’s back.

“What was the reward?” asked Zelisha to Soril.

“I don’t know. I didn’t check.” said Soril.

“Here.” but while it happened, Audrey came forward carrying artifact that seems to have come from the goblin king.

“…What is that?” asked Zelisha.

“Not sure. We’re going to give it to the hunter’s association to try and have it analyzed.” said Audrey.

“N-no, please…we’ll pay for it.” these words came from Juel as he was starting to gainback his consciousness.

Seeing him getting off from Jason’s back, he weakly turned to the item and and had a close look on it.

The item was unlike anything that anyone in the cave had seen before. It was both similar to that of the shape of a lantern that had taken the face of a demon. Ts ability was unknown, but knowing its value, it was worth quite a lot.

“I know I wasn’t so much of a help in the room, I was more of a nuisance than anything…but please, let me have the item and I will compensate for your troubles.” said Juel as he pleaded with Jason in a bow.

“…”

Audrey and Jessabelle only stared at the pitiful Juel…but Jason took this upfront and simply assisted Juel back up like a friend would.

“Alright. We’ll accept compensation.” said Jason.

And in his words, Audrey and Jessabelle simply didn’t bother otherwise.

As they did, Jason turned to Soril to see what he thinks of this, and in return, Soril simply had the same expression as the girls did. He didn’t care for it.

“Thank you…”

***

A few minutes after they had exited the Goblin Cave Fortress. By the time they went out, they were shocked to find that the sun was already setting.

“I guess we won’t have time with going for the next dungeon.” said Zelisha.

“Well, we did hunt an entire hoard of goblins today.” pointed out Thors.

“Still, we can continue on tomorrow with hunting a D-rank and a C-rank.” suggested Marilyn.

“I’m fine with that…and we can meet up with at my place tomorrow. Same time.” said Soril.

“Sure, that sounds like a good idea.” said Jessica.

Now as they were making their way back to the safe zone where the Humvee was parked, out of nowhere, Audrey came and approached Soril right before he could even get in the car.

As this happened, Jessica noticed her walking up to him.

“Here…” Audrey handed him the sword from when her’s broke.

“Oh, right…yeah. Thanks.” he said puts back the sword on his bag.

As he did, he could feel Audrey staring at him with a rather serious expression. Knowing this, it felt like she wanted to say something to him.

“…” her silence felt suffocating to him.

“…What’s wrong?” asked Soril curiously.

“…Is…is it alright if I can talk with you privately?” she asked as she stuttered right in front of him.

Then and there…he knew where this conversation was going.

“…I’ll be right back.” said Soril as he and Audrey walked a few meters away from the Humvee.

And in reaction, Jessica was somewhat worried about.

having to step over about 20 meters away, they stood under a tree. Here, Soril was able to pick up a branch where he used it as a object to play his own boredom.

“…It happened yesterday…the day when the Golums attacked.” she said as she stared him in the eye, but in response, Soril simply avoided her by distracting himself with the branch he picked up.

“…yeah, it was just yesterday.” he said as he tried poking a rock using the branch.

“I want to ask…where were you then?” she asked.

“…Where do you think I was?” he said as he continued pocking the rock.

“…In the tunnels.” in those words. As Audrey spoke those very words, Soril instinctively stopped poking the rock, and in turn, he turned to meet Audrey straight in the eye.

“…Are you sure about that?” his voice was coarse…the same kind of coarseness he used when he talked at the tunnels.

“…!” there, she flinched as she heard his voice. To use this voice meant that he no intention of telling a lie.

“…I don’t think it matters who knows what I was doing. I did what I had to do…and from then on, it shouldn’t matter…don’t you agree?” he asked as he smiled rather deviously at her.

“…it shouldn’t.” she said as she felt somewhat afraid of him.

His voice was somehow threatening…in it, he sounded dangerous to her. But she stood her ground and she never looked away.

“…Now that this is settled, I don’t think we have anything else to answer to one another. Its done. You know…you figured it out because I’m bad at this…”

“No, its not over.” she said as she placed herself strong.

“…What else is there to know?” he asked as he furrowed his brow in a curious manner.

“The How’s, the why’s…everything that seems off about you being there.” she said.

“…oh, those kinds of questions are rather hard to answer. Its best that you don’t know.” he said as he continued playing with the rock.

“But-”

“Its best that you don’t know…Audrey.” as he repeated himself, ending it by saying her name, he looked to her with a rather dangerous gaze.

“…Are you an enemy? Are you with the demons? A terrorist?” feeling a bit pressured by this. From how unprepared she was…yet somehow, Soril remained calm and confident, it left her cornered. Leaving her to ask questions that seemed believable yet outlandish at the same time.

“No…I’m not.” he said.

His words were calm and believable…almost as if he didn’t have anything to gain from lying.

And from his truth, silence came.

“…”

The two stared at each other for about ten second…until finally she was able to speak out one last question.

“…then can I trust you?”

The same kind of question she asked when she was doubtful of him back when they were in the tunnels.

And In response, Soril gave out a soft smile….and he answered.

“Yes, you can trust me.” his words were believable…almost to a point that it left Audrey relieved

“…” seeing as how she did not say anything back, it seemed like everything was said and done.

Until suddenly, she remember one other important matter.

“I forgot ask…my grandmother…her name is Kotomi Yagami, she says that she knows you. Do I have anything to worry about that?” she asked.

“Oh, yeah…I know her and you don’t have to worry about it.”

As he spoke, all of a sudden, Jessabelle came by with a bottle on her hand.

She came and she tossed it straight to Soril with no warning, but Soril was able to catch it safely.

Seeing this, he noticed that it was a healing potion brought from a merchant standing by I nthe safezone.

“…its for the potion you gave me at the boss room. I don’t want to owe anyone anything, so this puts us at an even stance.” she said as she turned her back and started walking back to their vehicle.

“…Right, thanks.” said Soril as he puts the bottle in his storage bag.

There, as he did, it seemed like nothing else was left to be talked about. So he looked to Audrey and waved his hand goodbye.

“…Good luck Audrey.” he said as he returned back to the vehicle.

Seeing her all alone, she sighed.

Things were straightened out and no more questions about him remained. She could only stand still as she watched his back.

“…right, lets go back.”

***

As they rode in the Humvee, talking as they did about the boss in the room with Soril explaining the full detail of their battles. One by one, their group was dropped off at their houses.

First was Zelisha who lived in the city.

Second was Marilyn and Thors who lived close to each other in a neighborhood…

And last was Soril who was dropped off at his house.

But it didn’t end there.

Instead, as Soril got off of the Humvee, Jessica followed with him to his house.

“I thought you were going home after this?” asked Soril as he looked at her rather nervously.

“…I wanted us to talk for a bit.” she said as she had this nervous but soft smile on her face.

“can I come in?” she asked in a rather cutesy tone.

“…Okay.” he said as he grabbed his key and opened the door.

“…” as they went in, the door closed and the minutes passed.

That night, something happened.