On the Paths of a New World

Chapter 4: Magic, Mayhem, and Mandatory Registration!

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After my unforeseen presentation, I stared directly at the ground, my cheeks warm with embarrassment visible only to me. The silence hung in the air like a rope stretched to its limit. The moment seemed to stretch on, frozen in time.

That was when Donedoque's response shattered the quiet.

"I-Incredible! I've never seen a foreigner make such an impressive introduction," Donedoque exclaimed, his brown eyes shining with admiration. "You wouldn't happen to be a crimson demon, would you?"

At that moment, I lifted my head, prepared to answer, but...

"No, surely not. Your eyes... they're blue."

This information hit me as if I'd been plunged into icy water. Blue? Since when were they blue?

"What do you mean, blue eyes?"

"Blue," Donedoque reaffirmed, his voice calmly emphatic.

"No, they're not. My eyes are brown," I retorted, frustration growing in my voice. Donedoque examined me from various angles, his expression focused.

"Hm... no, definitely blue."

"You must be mixing up the colors," I countered, feeling my throat tighten. "I was born and raised wi-..." The sentence died on my lips as a chill of understanding ran down my spine. I remembered the goddess who sent me to this world, the possibility that she had not been cautious with the details of my rebirth...

"Forget it."

"Alright... So... are you or aren't you a crimson demon?" Donedoque asked, curious.

"Perhaps," was all I said.

"Perhaps?" He seemed surprised at my response.

"Well, I am, and I'm not, until it's proven that I am... or that I'm not!"

This answer intrigued him.

"Ok... that's weird, pretty weird, but you seem like a decent person. Anyway, come with me, Vitor."

"Come with you? Where to?"

"To the village's registration house, of course! Everyone who arrives needs to be registered. And whatever you are, if you were a threat, I would have already eliminated you right here with my powerful advanced magic!"

"What about the main entrance? Who will guard it?" I asked, slightly confused.

"Oh... right, I completely forgot about that... Ok, eh... that's fine. I'll cast a signaling spell so someone can come here and accompany you."

Huh, what a guy. The so-called gatekeeper almost forgot about the gate itself.

Then, Donedoque raised his hand to the sky and exclaimed:

"PULSATING SIGNAL!"

What followed looked like a series of fireworks. There weren't many, but they formed a pattern of dancing colors, which I believe made up a code for anyone who could interpret the message.

"Someone should arrive in a few minutes. In the meantime, you can sit there," Donedoque said, pointing to a red wall beside the gate.

"Alright..."

And so I did. I sat down and leaned against the wall, whose bright red color encircled the entire village territory, rising about three or four meters high.

From there, I could see the village in the distance. It was about one or two kilometers away. It was familiar, yet still hard to discern clearly.

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