The young teenager opened the door to the house and entered with the duo behind her, heading toward the room at the end of the hallway.

Tap Tap Tap.

A knocking sound could be heard coming from a closed door.

-Started speaking in a strange language and I didn’t understand anything, so I decided to go look for him since not much time had passed since he left.-

-Well done Myriam, stand behind me- said Madame Sylver with a serious face.

-Who are you?- the young lady's question silenced the knocking coming from the room, and an uncomfortable atmosphere filled the house.

-Tinmar- came the voice from the other side.

-I’m not ***, please *** *** ***.-

-I told you Madame, he speaks in a strange language- said the teenager in a low voice, holding the young lady's arm firmly.

Madame Sylver went from caution to curiosity; the male voice was speaking in a rather peculiar language, the “terrestrial” language.

-Where did you learn the terrestrial language?-

-In the desert, an old man taught me- answered the male voice behind the door instantly.

-Are you from the church?-

-No… just a sympathizer.-

-Hmm… why did they try to kill you, Mr. Sympathizer?-

-...-

-Eh! I helped you and healed your leg, at least you should answer my questions, don’t you think?-

-For blasphemy.-

-I see, Generosity or Charity?-

-Charity.-

-Now we understand each other, I’ll open the door, don’t try anything strange.-

The young lady approached the door and inserted the key into the lock. The door opened slowly, and a young man with dark hair and shining eyes was standing, scratching his head awkwardly while wearing brown linen pants and shirt.

-Hello- said the boy named Martin nervously, glancing sideways at the old man. The colors he saw from others showed no danger, but he couldn’t perceive anything from the old man as if he were a piece of furniture.

Martin was communicating in Spanish because he didn’t fully master the local language yet. To divert suspicion, he thought of a story that would be hard to verify. The old S’yei and S’wei knew Spanish as simple villagers, so he decided to go that route, mixing truths with lies to cover his tracks.

“This woman speaks Spanish perfectly and looks very suspicious, why did she help me? Are they talking about terrestrials again? How much time has passed?” unanswered questions began to flood Martin’s mind, which was anxious due to his recent near-death experience.

“I need to find out their intentions” quickly organizing his thoughts, he decided to investigate the most urgent matter at hand.

The trio looked Martin up and down; he looked like a normal human and had nothing remarkable, appearing to be an ordinary citizen. However, butler Graham looked at the boy with a frown, as if something was out of place.

-Excuse me, miss, what is your name?-

-Cristina Akalee Sylver- with a slight nod, the young Madame introduced herself to the boy. The butler and the teenager were perplexed by Martin's lack of manners; he stood there watching the scene with indifference.

Martin responded with a slight nod and proceeded to sit on the sofa of the small apartment, looking around curiously at the noise and commotion outside.

-Haha, you’re funny- Madame Sylver chuckled to herself at the situation. As the future head of the family, people usually knelt when introduced; it was a kind of formality and respect for the name and lineage, and the Sylver family case was even more noticeable.

-Why?- Martin scratched his head awkwardly; the other two present looked at him darkly, as if they wanted to kill him. However, the colors he saw through his ability remained vivid without hostile intentions.

-For nothing, Tinmar, you don’t seem to be from around here, so I would like to hear your story and ask you more about it, but time is scarce and I must leave.-

-I see, we can meet tomorrow at noon if you like.-

-I’ll come at noon then, you can stay here, and Myriam will take care of you; she’s a good girl, so don’t try anything.-

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

The couple was speaking in Spanish, so Graham and Myriam didn’t understand anything. However, Martin turned to the teenager and shook his head with his hands in a sign of rejection.

-It was just a joke; I’m leaving now, Tinmar- with a slight nod, the young lady and her butler left the apartment. They only wanted to meet the boy and test him, so their visit was brief.

-What do you think, Graham?- the elegant lady looked thoughtful as she avoided the drunken crowd.

-Something about him seems strange and dangerous… I don’t like it.-

-I feel the same, but he doesn’t seem to be a threat; we should give him space and gradually earn his trust.-

-Madame, the boy seemed to be attentive all the time, always alert to my presence. For an ordinary person to recognize my strength… is impossible.-

-I know, Graham, but my intuition tells me we’ve caught a big fish and I don’t plan to let him go. Besides, I have you for any problem, don’t I?- Madame Sylver looked up at the clear sky where a bright sun was high, a wide smile formed on her face; a new dawn had begun.

-That’s not even in doubt, Madame.-

The boy was hiding something, and the church was aware of this, so they decided to eliminate the matter from the root and cover their tracks. But to their dismay, their desires were not fulfilled, and instead, a problematic person had become involved.

Hours passed, and the party did not cease, as they usually lasted for several days each celebration since day and night lasted around 7 months. Martin learned these facts by talking with Myriam; he could understand perfectly what was said but had difficulty communicating.

-Myriam we go out.-

The teenager looked at the young man with dark hair and nodded. Although she was fulfilling the task assigned by the lady, she was still a child at heart and wanted to enjoy the festival. Moreover, after knowing Martin for a few hours, she realized he was a good person and had no hostile intentions.

-Let’s go then, Tinmar!- the teenager opened the door and looked at the colorful landscape illuminated by sunlight. A noisy crowd was singing and dancing.

Martin followed the teenager while observing the surroundings. People wore colorful and summery clothes, similar to the Rio carnival he had seen on YouTube once.

“It’s not that different from Earth, I guess cultures in other worlds aren’t that different from ours” Martin’s clothes were white and simple, so some people threw powders and a kind of paint at him.

-Now you’re part of the festival- said Myriam with a smile, her clothes and hair covered in colors.

-Where are we going?-

-To the central square; my mother and older sister are there; they are nice people, so don’t worry.-

Martin nodded in response and continued to enjoy the festival, having never been to a similar event before. However, while continuously looking at the people and the sky, he saw some strange flying machines, seemingly out of place as if they didn’t fit the era of this world.

“Aren’t isekais usually set in medieval times or similar? Those machines look futuristic” With no time to think much about it, a drunk person almost made him trip, so he focused on avoiding people and following the girl.

-Mother! Sister!-

-Myriam! You came!-

After a few minutes, the young woman greeted from afar and quickly approached the duo of women. In the plaza, there was a huge crowd watching a play, and stalls were set up along it.

-Ahh! It’s that young man!-

-Hello… I’m Tinmar- in a somewhat unrefined dialect, Martin greeted awkwardly to the duo of women; he was quite uncomfortable meeting new people, even in his previous life, he behaved the same way.

The duo of women waved their hand at the young man while looking at the teenager with some incredulity.

-Relax, Madame already met him and left him in my care, so I decided to bring him to enjoy the festival for a while. It’s very boring staying at home- said the cheerful teenager with a smile.

-Let’s go!- Myriam ran to a stall offering beer.

The duo of women sighed to themselves and followed the girl, Martin, feeling the discomfort in the air, followed the group from behind.

“This girl is very crazy and restless” Martin said to himself while glancing at a stall offering sulfur scorpion sandwiches. Fortunately, after regaining consciousness, he found his few belongings on a table in the room.

Upon waking, Martin checked his amputated leg and the multiple injuries he suffered; there was no trace of the severe wounds he had endured. Feeling relieved but confused by the strange environment surrounding him, he briefly thought that everything he had experienced was a dream and that he had returned to his home world. He tried to open the room’s door, but upon finding it locked, he started calling out in Spanish, completely forgetting he was in an isekai.

After a few seconds of reflection, he realized the reality and tried to correct his mistake by speaking in a rough, unrefined local dialect, but the person on the other side had hurriedly left the house. During this period of solitude, young Martin deeply pondered what had happened and immediately started formulating a plan; he didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes that nearly led him to death.

Recalling the past for a few seconds, the boy decided to approach a food stall and treat himself.

-A sandwich, please- two green coins were left on the wooden counter.

-?- A scruffy-looking man looked at the dark-haired boy with confusion.

-One- Martin repeated, raising his index finger.

The scruffy man went from confusion to annoyance and raised his hand to indicate the price.

-...-

After a brief pause, five green coins were left on the counter.

-Thanks- said the man curtly as he turned to attend to another customer.

“Even in an isekai, things are more expensive in the capital” this fact made the young man question whether he was really in another world.

-Ahh...- Martin sighed with regret while looking at the few coins he had left.

Hours passed, and the frenzy of the passersby did not decline at all. The noisy crowd varied in species, including elves, beastmen, dwarves, among others. They drank non-stop, causing some fights that were quickly suppressed by what seemed to be the police.

Among all this hustle, alcohol, and festive atmosphere, the distance between Martin and the trio of women decreased to the point where he was dragged into dancing on multiple occasions. Although he didn’t know the steps, he let himself be carried by the rhythm and soon appeared to be one more in the revelry.

Besides dancing and singing, they attended the open-air performances, which were similar in theme, focusing on drama and tragedy. Among all the performances presented, Martin recognized the one about the hero and sulfur king “S’karn,” feeling identified as he had to overcome his own storm both literally and metaphorically.

“Maybe it was a test from God after all...” Martin felt powerless at the possibility of it being destiny, as he felt incapable of doing anything. All he had left was to follow what someone else had planned, like a character in a video game. This, in turn, gave him chills, and he was terrified that an entity of that magnitude had focused on him; he preferred to stay unnoticed.

-Ahh… I hope it ends soon...- sighing again, he silently prayed that his assumption was incorrect.