I blinked. "So, I'm a police man now, in a fantasy world." Whispering.
I'm standing, staring down at someone. My body feels like it's being weighed down by iron chains. Thank you, father, for forcefully taking me to the gym every day. Without that, I'd collapsed under this heaviness.
But who is this guy in front of me?
He's dressed in a sharp, grey detective outfit, hunched over a stack of reports like they'd personally wronged him. A spyglass dangled from his fingers as his emerald green eyes flicked up to meet mine. A grey service cap sat low on his head, its golden badge gleaming at the tip, hiding whatever hair lay beneath. The badge is similar to the one my dad used; the only difference is the engraved wording on the spot right beside his heart. 'Cleaners.'
His pale skin looked eerily similar to mine, and a trimmed goatee connected neatly to his mustache, probably in his fifties. He sat in a plain chair, both hands resting on an empty wooden table, silent and still.
"Chris Jackson," he uttered his first words. His voice had a cigarette tone. Low, raspy, and rough, like smoke had scraped through his throat for years.
I nodded.
"A fight at the adventurers' guild in Chine village just happened. Go ahead and check it out." He coughed, as his tone wouldn't allow him to speak normally.
"By myself?" I asked, politely, with a bright smile.
"No, you'll be partnered up with Emilia." He replied, letting out a slight cough.
Surprised he didn't scream in fear like everyone else does. Maybe they changed my appearance; that's what usually happens in these types of scenarios. I don't feel any taller, though. Back to the question at hand... Emilia.
"Which one's Emilia again?" I questioned the man in front of me, nervously smiling, placing my hands up in surrender. My smile was made of sarcasm, and my eyes were fully closed.
He coughed the question away like he thought I was a joke.
"Me silly!" A voice behind me screamed, elegantly. "We'd better be off now."
I turned around. She is drop-dead gorgeous. How do you achieve that level of beauty? Her body carried quiet elegance, curves that spoke more of beauty than desire. She had lightish brown, lavish hair, green emerald eyes, just like the old man behind me. Paler skin than even mine, which had me in shock.
"Are you alright?" She said, leaning forward, so close that her cleavage was made apparent.
I was about to cry tears of joy, seeing a beautiful woman right in front of me. But I held it in, it would probably creep her out with the way that I look. The best part was, she looked to be five feet five. Arguably, the best height for a female. The full blue police outfit suited her perfectly. But, on her shirt's badge, it stated the same thing as the old man's hat. 'Cleaners.'
"Are you just gonna stand there in shock, silly?" She said, so politely, her kindness spread to me like she is something otherworldly.
"Oh, yeah. I'm sorry, let's go." I said, nervously smiling, not knowing where to go.
"Come on," Emilia said as she turned around.
I nodded and followed her as she headed toward the exit of what looked like a small police station. Barely a single story high, and eerily empty except for the three of us. The walls were painted a dull off-white. The entire room couldn't have been more than two thousand square feet, stripped of everything but a single table, a lone chair, and a mirror hanging on the wall near the exit.
Click!
The door unlocked.
Sweep!
Emilia pushed it open.
Sunlight from the outside poured into the place. Moving to follow Emilia out, a glint caught my eye. A mirror, standing about my height, near the door.
I stopped, as I shifted my eyes towards the mirror, staring at my reflection. I couldn't believe it… is this real?
"Yes!" The word tore out of me. Emilia froze, eyes wide with shock.
"Hey!" She screamed at me, but it was more like a beautiful chant than a yell. "What are you screaming at for?" She asked.
"Just life Emilia." I replied, breathing in. "Just life." Then, I let out a slow, steady breath.
I was fully suited in a blue police uniform from head to toe. There was a handgun resting in the holster on my right hip like a cop would usually have. A black utility belt tightened around my waist, lined with pouches I hadn't gone through yet and didn't plan to anytime soon until I learned about this place. Beneath the fabric, the weight of body armor pressed hard against my chest, its weight explaining the heavy feeling.
Same blonde hair, same blue eyes. But one different thing was my wrinkles. In my old life, I had so many that they made me look unpleasant. Here, they were gone. Every single one of them.
"Ladies," I smiled, "Here I come!"
"Ready to go now, silly?" Emilia asked, whisperingly.
"Yeah, let's go," I replied.
But it was strange. If my wrinkles were still there, I would've looked exactly like my old body back on Earth. At first, the thought of transmigration into a different body had me hooked… but that couldn't be it. My appearance was the same, just without the wrinkles. And then there was the old man back there, sitting in his cozy blue chair. He called me by my full name from my previous world. That theory was out the window.
Could it be that the notification that was sent placed me here… actually forced me into the story of this world? I stared into the mirror nervously, the thought eating at me. But this wasn't the time for answers. For now, I needed to figure out where I was and how this world works.
"Come on, silly! We're gonna run late!" Emilia's elegant voice screamed at me.
"Coming!" I replied, proudly.
One step outside, and the sunlight hit me. I raised my left hand to shield my eyes, following closely behind Emilia as she led the way.
The streets were packed. Vendors shouting over each other, the smell of grilled meat mixing with sweet pastries. Adventurers strolling by in gleaming armor, their weapons polished like they were posing for a painting. Restaurants lined the street, each one looking like it belonged in a fantasy novel.
And then I saw it… people riding on green, two-legged dragons, their bodies strapped with leather armor. Instead of shock, I felt… curious. Fascinated, even. I mean, sure… it was a fantasy world. Things like this were supposed to happen. But then the thought hit me. Hard. Why the hell was there a police department in a fantasy world?
I've read dozens of isekai stories, played countless games, but not once did I see a modern-day profession included.
Going along with that thought, Emilia slowed down near a small boy in a tattered grey cloak that ran up to her like a little boy expecting a gift on Christmas day. He's staring up at her like she's a goddess. Which, honestly, was exactly how I looked at her when we first met.
Emilia crouched slightly and pressed a single gold coin into his hand. The young boy had brown hair that was raised all the way up to my knees and purple eyes that looked up to Emilia so brightly.
"This should keep you off the streets for a while," she said, smiling at the little boy.
He smiled, so brightly. "Thank you!" He began running away into a dark alleyway between two vegetable vendors side by side to one another, with a smile that looked so beautiful it would make a grown man cry.
"Hey," I said. "Aren't gold coins worth a lot? Why would you give him it?" I asked, curious.
The moment I saw the gold coin, I understood the currency system here. Classic fantasy setup, copper at the bottom, then bronze, silver, and finally gold at the top. Cheap to expensive, simple as that.
Emilia turned around, hands placed behind her back, smiling at me. "Well Chris, things like this is what I live for, silly."
I looked at her, and felt a tear falling down my face.
She looked at me worried, "Did I do something wrong?" She asked, apologetically.
"No," I said, snorting. "Not at all."
Emilia was too beautiful for someone like me. It felt like I didn't deserve to be near her at all.
"Alright silly, let's continue." She turned around, and began moving once again.
I followed behind, looking at her. The sun was shining, right at her. Like I was following the main character of this world. I smiled, looking at Emilia, the whole way until the Adventurers' guild.