We finally arrived at the Adventurers' Guild in Chine Village. The walk had taken about twenty minutes, though it felt shorter with Emilia leading the way.
"Finally! The Adventurers' Guild!" Emilia exclaimed, throwing her arms wide as she stood in front of the entrance.
The building itself was made of oakwood, sturdy and simple, with a metal sign hanging above the doors.
"Chine Fights!"
…What a lazy name.
Honestly, it sounded like something I would've come up with. Not that I was particularly creative, but at least I had some pride—something I clearly lacked back in my old world.
The entrance consisted of two small wooden doors that swung loosely, creaking like restless wings.
Creak.
Emilia pushed through without hesitation, and I followed right behind her.
The moment we stepped inside, the smell hit me.
Alcohol.
Sweat.
Chaos.
As the doors swung shut behind us, we looked ahead—and immediately understood what was going on.
"Huh!?" a massive, humanoid alligator snarled, pressing his face inches from another equally massive figure. "Who are you to tell me what to do!?"
The other figure—a towering orca demi-human—snarled back, equally furious.
They were enormous. At least nine feet tall, both of them. Their bodies were built like seasoned warriors, muscular and imposing, but their features were unmistakably animalistic. Their faces resembled humans just enough to be unsettling, while the rest of their bodies stayed true to their beastly forms.
The wooden floor creaked beneath their weight.
Around them, four tables sat at each corner of the guild, filled with adventurers who seemed far more entertained than concerned.
Each of the two had a hand resting on their weapons—long metal swords, nearly as tall as I was.
"Give me my damn quest back, you overgrown fish!" the alligator spat, literally spraying saliva across the space between them.
"It was mine first, swamp breath!" the orca shot back without hesitation.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!"
I blinked.
Why were they encouraging this?
Did they actually want this place destroyed?
I glanced toward the front desk, hoping for some form of authority.
Instead, I found a beautiful woman leaning over the counter, her shoulder-length brown hair swaying slightly as she cheered along with the rest of them.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!"
…Seriously?
Did she not care?
Wasn't this her workplace?
I turned to Emilia, unsure of what to do.
"So… what's the plan?" I asked.
"Oh, nothing," she replied casually, watching the scene with excitement. "We're just supposed to observe what happens and clean up afterward. That's the role of a Cleaner, silly."
Cleaners.
So that's what they called cops here.
Not guards. Not watchmen. Not anything remotely respectable.
Just—
Cleaners.
Back on Earth, police were supposed to be symbols of justice. Role models. Protectors.
Here?
We were glorified janitors.
Then what was the point of this uniform?
It was identical to the one back home. Same fabric. Same design. Same badge placement.
Everything.
Except the title.
"Cleaners."
"Then what's the point of being one?" I asked, gesturing toward the gun at my hip. "And this? What's this for? My father was a hero. I should be helping people the same way he did."
Emilia giggled softly.
"Silly," she said, turning toward me. "The royal capital set this system up so we could stay close to powerful adventurers. What do you think we could do against monsters like those?"
She nodded toward the two towering figures.
"Unless you're awakened, you'd just get yourself killed. We're here to clean up after them. That's all."
She smiled brightly.
"Oh, and that thing you're calling a 'gun'? It's called a Joyburst. It's mostly for kids."
…Kids?
So this entire system—
This role—
Was meaningless?
If that was true, then no one wearing this uniform deserved it.
And if I accepted that…
Then I didn't deserve it either.
"A fight it is!" both the orca and the alligator shouted in unison.
"We have to do something," I said quickly. "We can't just stand here. This place will be destroyed. People could get hurt."
I hesitated.
"…One of them might even die."
I was afraid.
Of course I was.
But something stronger pushed past that fear.
Something my father had drilled into me long ago.
"Just listen to me, Chris," Emilia said, her tone sharpening. "Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? You've changed."
She looked at me, almost pleading.
"This isn't you."
It was the first time I had heard her sound angry.
Strangely…
I didn't hate it.
Both demi-humans drew their swords, metal gleaming under the dim light.
"Well…" I said, a faint smirk forming. "I'm not the Chris you used to know."
"Chris!" Emilia shouted. "Just do what you always did! Don't change!"
I ignored her.
And started walking forward.
I didn't feel strong.
I didn't feel confident.
But I felt something else.
Relief.
Relief that I had another chance.
A chance to be better.
A chance to be like him.
"Hey!" Emilia called from behind me. "You can't win! You're not awakened! There's nothing you can do!"
Maybe that would've stopped me before.
But not now.
I stepped between them just as their swords were about to swing.
Gasps echoed around the room.
"Hey!" I shouted, looking up at them. "Animals!"
Swoosh—
Their blades stopped inches from each other.
The air shifted as their movements halted, the force of it brushing past me.
Both of them slowly looked down.
"What did you just call us?" they roared.
Their breath was awful.
I grinned.
"Why don't you take me on instead?" I said. "Two against one."
I slipped into a fighting stance, my heart pounding.
"If you win, I'll give you a gold coin."
I paused.
"But if I win… you both stop fighting."
I had no idea what I was doing.
None at all.
But it was too late to back out now.
Both of them turned their full attention toward me.
If this world called cops "Cleaners"…
Then I would change that.
I would make "policeman" mean something again.
Even here.