For I Am A Side Character - 75: A Yacht Ride and Dine
A week has passed and finally the break finally arrived for the students of the United Camelot Academy. From here, most of the students decided to spend their times resting from what was naturally a very vigorous year of learning, while other went into a more extremely potent path of growth.
One of those students was Jason who decided to take it upon himself to train even more so. Knowing his limits when he was facing the High-ranking demon from a few days back, he was afraid of what was to come in the future.
‘If a demon was able to pass through in this world already, who is to say that there aren’t any already in this time.’ thinking this, he trained…he trained mainly in the aspect where he noticed had a large effect on the demons.
That prospect being his Birth Skill; The Blue Flames.
But still even with this focus, he had idea whatsoever on how to train such a skill. A birth skill was hard to master…it is in fact a hard and rare ability gifted to a few. Each one is rare and different in all manners, so having to train it all lies on the welder and his understanding of the ability.
While Jason was on his path to training his ability, somewhere north of the City of the Diamond Reef Region, a certain family, plus a guest was making their way to a Resort Island all for the purpose of relaxation.
With it, they rode on a family yacht that was quite big. Almost the size of about a five story house. It had all the accommodations comparable to that of a five star resort. Everything needed for relaxation was here.
Now currently as the sun was starting to set and the boat was making its way to the island, it was time for the usual family dinner. With it, in the dining area, all of the guest and family members came to sit. it contained 6 members. The father being Oliver Young, one of the greatest merchant business mean of Diamond City, and sitting next to him was Eveline Young, a charming mother who’s blue eyes reflected the very sea.
And along with these couple, with them sat the three young Brothers, Eric being the Oldest. With his mature presence, he was what people called a prodigy when it comes to business related ideals. He was said to carry on the mantle of his father’ legacy.
And next was Julian Young, the second son of the Young Family. Being in near Graduation in a business class he is said to be very talent and he plans to support his family in the same manner as Eric did.
And the third son was Mac Young, who although has as much talent in the prospects of business, his love for the arts simply overwhelmed everything, leading him to pursue an artist’s path. This ambition came from the wandering talents an genes from his mother who was also a great artist of her own.
And lastly was the youngest sibling of them all, Jessica who was one of the people who came into the dining room pushing a cart filled with the delicacies she herself made.
Slowly but surely, she and the servants came and prepared the table all for the family to enjoy. And when everything was finally handled, she came and sat down next to the only guest that everyone had their eyes on for the last hours.
She sat with Soril who sat next to Mac. Where despite this new encounter, he was not at all nervous in the slightest.
Yet on the other end, the three brothers were very curious about the boy who their younger sibling brought. What did this mean for her to bring a boy no less…does it mean something???
“Hmm, once again, its nice to have you here Soril, its pretty rare for a child of mine to bring a friend of hers in our usual outings.” said Oliver as he looked very pleased with Soril’s appearance. He wasn’t at all like the other people who were quite nervous meeting a family like them. Usually, if something like this occurs, it wouldn’t be long for the guest to leave due to an upset stomach.
“Its a pleasure to be here sir, I usually don’t leave the city so this is a somewhat new experience for me.” said Soril.
“Hmm, is that so. Well, make yourself comfortable here. To me, a friend of my daughter is a friend of mine, so I hope you will accept our graces. Now then, lets eat.” he said as claimed to Soril that he is welcome as a friend in this family. And from there, they started dining as a family.
“T-thank you sir.” said Soril.
As they decided to eat, it didn’t take long for a conversation to start. One that was simply pointed to a certain new member in the dining table.
“So tell me Soril, how has it been in school? I heard from my daughter that you were able to help her a lot. She even rose in the ranks, is that true?” asked Eveline.
“Yes, from being in 8th to 7th, and that’s a big deal in the academy since its always a competition to who will rise to the highest.” said Soril as he sounded proud for Jessica as well.
“Hmm, I was worried because of the fact that Jessica wasn’t really born with a lot of mana like the rest of us. Mana plays a huge role in growth right?” asked Eveline.
“Of course it does, but mana isn’t everything. In both the skill to adapt and the proper technique, Jessica has done well for herself because of her efforts.”
“I’m glad you would say that. It seems that my daughter wasn’t wrong in picking you as one of the friends who she could rely on in this world. Its hard to find someone who actually has your back especially in a dangerous place like a dungeon.” said Eveline as she was pleased about Soril’s comment. It seemed like he saw the efforts of her own daughter, and to it, she was happy.
“Anyway, we were also surprised to hear from her that you actually had the most growth. From being 10th to now being in 4th. How were able to climb to such a rank?”asked Oliver.
“Oh, um I guess It goes down to discipline… and training.” said Soril.
“Oh, don’t be so modest. You should tell them how you can already go toe on toe against an A-ranked monster on your own. That itself should be proof that you gained that place in the academy naturally.” said Jessica.
“Really? That happened?” asked Oliver in surprised.
“Well, in a way yes…” said Soril.
“Its already impressive that at your age you are a B-ranked hunter, but now you’re growth is proof of your talents. We should celebrate this.” said Oliver.
“So you’re a B-ranked hunter? That’s impressive.” said Eric who turned to Soril with smile.
“I heard that in the study of the academy’s statistics, usually to reach being B-rank, the usual age should usually be when you are at the 2nd year level while once you made it pass being a first year you’re ranked as a C-rank. And once you turn to the third year level, you would be an A-rank and finally in the fourth year, you would be an S-rank…this was how it was planned.” said Julian.
“Really?” asked Soril
“Yes, but this kind of leveling is rarely ever reached by the students. At most, about only ten students reach being S-rank and that is in today’s latest survey of studies. So by each graduation, the academy is able to at least produce ten S-ranks each year. That itself is a great achievement.” explained Julian.
“So that would mean that Jessica being a first year is on track to being a S-rank towards graduation and Soril being a B-rank means that he’s advanced more than others.” said the father.
“Exactly, but since your in the 4th place, does that mean that there are others way above your level?” asked Julian.
“Yeah, there’s Jason Emory, Audrey Yagami and Jessabelle Morrison. Their ahead of me in the ranks.” said Soril
“But didn’t you already beat Jessabelle Morrison? Shouldn’t you be atop of her?” asked Oliver.
“Not really. Its not simply based off of the duel that I get to outrank her. Its all based off of the fact that she’s more academically inclined in all the areas that the academy is providing. From what I know, she outranks me in magic and I’m falling a bit behind on the alchemy prospects of the academy.”
“Alchemy…only certain people are ever willing to take on such a complex route in the academy. From our class, Zelisha is the only one with the talents to compete on the ranks.” said Jessica.
“Oh yeah, your friends with her too right?” asked her mother.
“Yeah.” said Jessica.
“So anyway, Soril tell me, what were you doing before you went into the academy? I’m really curious how a boy like you became what you are today.” asked Eveline.
“Oh, umm there was nothing much to tell. Back then, I wanted to experience becoming a hunter…so I started by registering in the hunter’s association. When I got my results, I was an F-rank, just like everyone else was…but back then, I wasn’t really physically developed as I was today. I only relied on my talents in magic and when I entered the dungeon, I was a mess…I couldn’t handle the pressure. So I quit.” said Soril as he tied up a believable lie.
“You quit?” asked Oliver in surprise.
“Yeah, I thought that if I kept going like this, I might die in the dungeon one day…so I changed my plans and I left the dungeon to train more physically. From then on, I choose to wield a sword and shield. And as I kept training, I decided to join the academy without relying so much on my magic. And then on, I met Jessica on the Academy Entrance Exams.” said Soril.
“Oh yeah, you were pretty chubby back then. Hahaha.” said Jessica as she laughed.
“Oy.”
“Yeah, but I saw how you fight. You don’t get that good with a sword without a proper teacher. So, do you have a master?” asked Oliver as he was curious about the origins of Soril’s swordsmanship.
“.…um, no not really. Instead I gained a skill book from the dungeon. Its called the Aranean Sword and Shield Form.” said Soril.
“Aranean? What’s that?” asked Julian who was curious about that word.
“I’m not sure, but when I tried looking over it, there was some history about that name. it was said that Aranean’s were one of the first people to actually live in the world of Atlanta.”
“…is that so? If that is the case, what you gained was a skill book that came from the origins of this world and not from the dungeons themselves.” said Julian.
“There’s a difference?” asked Eric.
“Oh yeah, I mean its pretty broad but basically the skill books found in this world are usually either from the past or from the dungeons…and at some rare cases, some skill books can come from generations not so long into our history. I heard that a skill book that originated just from the era of the war was actually found in a dungeon and it still could be traced back to the actual creator of the skill. No one knows how it was done, but each teaching was put into the skill-book.” said Julian.
“Huh, you sure know a lot about this stuff.” said Soril.
“Big Bro Julian is usually a bookworm when it comes to stuff like history, particularly when its leaning on things like magics and skills.” said Jessica.
“It’s a hobby Jess, anyway, how many skills did you learn from this skill book?” asked Julian.
“Not much…about 6 skills.” said Soril.
“Six, that’s a pretty common amount.” asked Julian.
“Really? From what I know, there are some skill books that go over a dozen in count.” said Mac.
“Those kinds of skill books are usually pretty weak in terms of strength. From what I know…the smaller the amount of skills are in a book, the stronger they are in terms of raw power. So if i can assume it right, your skills are pretty strong. Its no wonder why you quickly rose to such a position.” said Julian.
“Oh.”
“But, with such a strong skill book, it usually has a lot of drawbacks. So tell me, how hard is it to use these skills.” added Julian.
“It isn’t as hard when learning the skill, but the drawback about this skill is pretty intense. Back then, when I tested the strongest skill I had in a simulation, it resulted in me losing my arms.” said Soril.
“W-what!? I didn’t know about this. Why didn’t tell me about this?!.” said Jessica as she was surprised and scared by his words.
“W-well, I didn’t want you to worry. Anyway, it was just a simulation. I wasn’t reckless enough to try out a skill at the real world if I was clueless about it.” said Soril as he tried to explain himself to Jessica.
“Well, how about now? Can you use it without issue?” asked Oliver.
“I can…and thankfully my body has adopted enough to actually take on the stress of skill. It doesn’t hurt as much as before.” said Soril.
“Hmm, it seems like you got yourself quite a powerful skill. Have you ever considered teaching that skill into a future disciple?” asked Eric.
“I don’t know…I’m not that good of a teacher and since this is a skill book, I barely ever understand the process of learning it. When I got it, it just came to me when I used one of the skills.” said Soril
“Well anyway, from what I know, some people who despite having a strong skill will have a hard time actually living off as a hunter and growing into one. I know a rich snob who got himself a pretty neat magic skill book, so I was curious about what he was going to use it on. So I asked him.” Said Oliver.
“And what did he say dad?” asked Jessica.
“Well, he said that he was going to be another pop sensation of a hunter…but about 2 weeks later, I found out that he was now staying inside his house like a shut-in. That poor bastard probably saw just how terrifying it was to go inside a dungeon, and decided to never step out of his house again. It just goes to show that being a hunter isn’t for everyone.”
“Well that isn’t the case for our daughter, she certainly is quite the go-getter.” said Eveline who was smiling confidently at her daughter.
“Mom, geez you’re embarrassing me.” said Jessica as she blushed.
“Well, don’t be embarrassed. You’ve come this far even with your limitations, so I say that is worth the celebration. So lets cheers!” said her Mother who was quite proud of her daughter. And from it, everyone raised their glasses and cheered for the night.
As the night continued and as they dined with one another, Soril grew closer with the Young Family. On that night when they finally finished eating, Soril made his way to the side of the yacht and watched as the boat drove fast across the ocean.
“…” there, he could watch the reflection of the stars from the ocean and to it, he saw the city lights from the distance. And he smiled at the beauty of this sight.
“What are you doing here?” asked Jessica as she approached Soril from behind.
“I’m just enjoying the view.” he said.
“The moon really is beautiful tonight, isn’t it?” she said as she leaned right next to him.
And in response, he turned to her and simply watched her eyes glistening in the night.
“…Yeah, it is.” he said as a soft smile appeared in his expression.
“Tonight was a great success. You really made a great impression on my family.” she said.
“Really?” asked Soril.
“Yeah, you did. Usually my dad would be extra protective of his baby girl, but today, he really likes you…did you enjoy our company?” she asked.
“I did, its been so long that I ate with a large family…so I really enjoyed everything about this trip.”
“I’m glad. I was beginning to think that I may have forced you into an uncomfortable position and that you might have hated me for that.”
“Your Family is great Jess, so I don’t think you should be worried.”
“I see…thank you.” said Jessica.
From then on, she leaned her head to his shoulders and to it, she advanced by holding his hand by the rails…
As the boat continued to move, so did their beating hearts.
Jessica was glad by the results of this meet up and to Soril, he enjoyed the company.
She would have kissed him by now, but she knows that from behind, she could see the peering eyes of her three brothers from the distance.
“…Tsk.” she said as she clicked her tongue in annoyance.
“Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of chances in the island.” said Soril as he too notices those peering eyes.
“!?”
And from those words, Jessica could only imagine all of the things they would do.
Walking beside ocean on the beachy sands while holding hands in the sun’s set.
Sleeping together near a campfire with just the two of them…
Or better yet…being the most indecent imagination of them all.
Going into a private bath with just the two of them…being fully undressed and fully in each other’s embrace.
Just the thought of it simply gave her a nosebleed.
“…Eh? Are you okay?” asked Soril as he was shocked to find her bleeding.
“I-I’m okay.” said Jessica as she was red like a tomato.
From it, she left to tend her nosebleed, leaving Soril to his own.
And from then on, the boat continued.
And on the next day, at the earliest sun rise, the boat finally arrived at the docks.
And to it, by the distance, a certain woman was waiting with her smile shown and her greetings full.