On the Paths of a New World

Chapter 5: An Unforeseen Pact and the Pursuit of the Absent!

01

I took a deep breath, allowing a pause to stretch and magnify the already palpable silence in the room. The moment of truth had arrived. Words began to arrange themselves in my mind, configuring a torrent of thoughts that could no longer be contained. And so, I began to unravel the thread of my story, the same story I've shared with you so far:

I described my earthly life, the countless hours spent in front of a computer. I talked about our world, where their existence was confined to the pages of Konosuba, a literary work loved by thousands of readers. I discussed my obsession with such work and how I delved into every detail of the characters and the universe in which they lived. I recounted the day I woke up in a strangely familiar celestial dimension, my initial skepticism, and attempts to deny the reality unfolding before me.

The words flowed with ease as if yearning to be set free. The room remained silent, save for my voice. My words echoed off the cold, lifeless walls, creating peculiar resonances that seemed to give more meaning to each uttered phrase.

Yunyun's face was a canvas of conflicting emotions as she processed my narrative. Once stiff and cold, her eyes were now wide and curious, fixed on mine. They were like two lighthouses in the dark, guiding my oration, encouraging me to continue. Gradually, I noticed the suspicion in her gaze being replaced by a growing understanding, albeit still skeptical. I wasn't sure she believed me, but there was a possibility, and that was all I could ask for.

I revealed my story for nearly two hours while Yunyun remained silent. The room metamorphosed into a time capsule, isolated from the outside world. Once oppressive, the dim light hanging from the ceiling now seemed natural, filling the small space where our reality hung in suspension.

Finally, my voice stalled. The words faded, and I found myself back in the room, my gaze now fixed on the floor. The last remnants of my confession still hung in the air, blending with the almost tangible tension. For a moment, I feared Yunyun would reject my story, and who knows what would happen to me. Still, she remained silent, her hand resting on her chin as she contemplated what I had shared. For anyone who has experienced reading the manga Chainsaw Man, she exactly reminded me of Makima in her office.

02

After what seemed an eternal hiatus, Yunyun spoke. Her voice was soft but assertive, each word meticulously chosen. She raised questions, suggested hypotheses, and outlined theories. She was striving to understand, trying to harmonize what I had revealed with what she accepted as truth.

Although Yunyun's initial silence had caused a certain apprehension, when she finally spoke, her words filled the room with a quiet authority that spread through every nook and cranny. The leader of the Crimson Demons, still visibly skeptical, maintained a stern expression as she inquired, her words meticulously chosen, laden with hidden nuances and subtexts.

"How did you end up here, Vitor?" That was her first question, a hint of suspicion coloring her voice. Yunyun was looking for inconsistencies in my narrative, trying to discern if my arrival in this Konosuba universe followed some explainable logic.

I tried to elucidate as clearly as possible, describing the strange vertigo that hit me, the void that swallowed my vision, and the surreal awakening in this world, oddly familiar but, at the same time, unknown.

"Why you?" she pressed further, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly, her voice maintaining outward calm. Still, I could sense a vein of underlying confusion. "Why, out of all the fans of this Konosuba, were you the one chosen to come here? What makes you so special? You're not the first 'foreigner' from another world, so why only you know the Light Novel?"

Her string of questions caught me off guard, and I confessed that I didn't have the answers. I was just a boy in love with the Konosuba universe, but beyond that, nothing in me set me apart from the others. I spoke of my deep connection with the characters and admiration for the world built in the light novel. Still, I admitted I had no definitive answers.