Chapter 2

Click-clack, click-clack—The sound of footsteps echoed down the long corridor. As I hummed a tune, the sound of the shoes I’d been gifted reverberated, and the moment two organization members spotted me from afar, they froze stiffly. Their reaction was akin to that of a private who had just stumbled upon a general during a stroll. The organization members immediately halted in their tracks, raised their hands, and shouted a salute. “Hail Evilus! Good morning, Scientist!” “Oh—Good morning.” I casually waved my hand, and as I watched the organization members quickly pass by, a sigh escaped my lips. I don’t think I was treated like anization… I have no idea how things ended up this way. If there’s a problem, it’s probably the fact that I met the Boss when I first arrived in this world. When I first woke up in this city, I thought I had been kidnapped while sleeping. And it was no wonder why. The buildings were so modern, resembling the style one might find in a place like New York City. To think that I had been transported to another world or fallen into a parallel universe seemed like a hasty conclusion. But it didn’t take long for that notion to be completely overturned. [Beastman ahead. Stop immediately.] “Hahaha—Catch me if you can!” A police car, blaring its sirens, was struggling to chase a person who was running on two legs. Yes, a person. The police car, capable of easily outrunning a horse, couldn’t even catch up to a single human. If there was such a person, they would surely be sweeping all the medals at the Olympics instead of evading the police here. I watched the scene in a daze for a moment, and then breaking news flashed across the billboard on the building. [Breaking news. A villain-led terror attack is currently happening in City G. Citizens living in nearby cities are urged to move to shelters immediately…] “Villain? Terror attack?” On the screen was a villain spewing explosions from their hands while heroes in skin-tight suits fought against them. At that moment, I realized I hadn’t been kidnapped. Ah, one of my earlier suspicions was close to the truth. I had described the buildings as having an American style. That was correct. This was a world straight out of an American comic book, with heroes, villains, superpowers, and different races existing in a fantasy setting… And here I was, an ordinary person without any abilities. True to the American comic book style, people didn’t immediately approach me or mock me for my Asian appearance and black hair. Well, considering there were non-human species around, it would be odd to encounter racism just over a slight difference in skin color. Thanks to that, I was able to explore the city without any major issues, but I soon realized one thing. This wasn’t the world I used to live in. Naturally, the cash and cards I had on me were useless here. Realizing this, I knew I had to find a job immediately. As someone with no house, no money, and not even a legal identity, I understood just how dangerous it was to be penniless in modern society. ‘I can’t even rely on the police…’ In a world like anization like the police surely had some system in place to verify identities. While I was fortunate that our languages were the same, it was a big problem that there wasn’t a single person in this world who could verify my identity. Would the police treat someone like me, with no home or legal status, kindly? No. I’d be lucky if they didn’t consider me an illegal immigrant and throw me in jail or deport me. ‘Well, there must be jobs available. It’s not like they have too many workers.’ If push came to shove, I could always do manual labor. With that in mind, I went to every shop I could find with a “Help Wanted” sign. The owners, seeing I was looking for a job, would smile warmly and offer me a cold glass of water. “So, you want to work at our place?” “Yes! I’ll do any job you ask!” “What kind of abilities do you have?” “Uh? I don’t have any.” “Get out.” Unfortunately, this world didn’t have racial discrimination, but it had a different kind of discrimination deeply rooted in its culture. Discrimination against the powerless. Having fallen from Earth with no superpowers, I was closer to an untouchable in this world, unable to even land a job at a convenience store. After being rejected by more than a dozen places, the sun was beginning to set. Twilight. The hour of dogs and wolves. A time when you couldn’t distinguish whether the person approaching you was a benevolent citizen offering help or a villain coming to harm you. I huddled in a dark alleyway, away from the foot traffic, trying to escape both people and the cold. ‘This crazy world… How is someone without abilities supposed to survive?’ Without abilities, without an identity, without even a high school diploma, there was nothing I could do. Not even manual labor was an option. They said a normal person without physical enhancement abilities was useless. In this city, where everything was designed for superpowered individuals, there was nothing I could do as a powerless person. Nothing but crouch down and shiver in fear… “Sitting alone and sulking, are we?” Click. At that moment, someone approached me quietly and patted my head. A soft hand ruffled my hair, and the scent of milk tickled my nose. I raised my head slightly to see a young girl standing before me. She didn’t seem like an ordinary child. The bodyguards in suits standing behind her proved that. “I’m sorry.” I brushed off her hand and stood up, apologizing as I did. I knew from experience that getting involved with someone like her would do me no good, so I tried to leave the area quickly. But the young lady who had found me seemed unwilling to let go of her newfound toy. “Where do you think you’re going?” “Gah—!” With a playful voice, the girl grabbed me by the nape of my neck and plopped me back onto the ground. She leaned forward slightly to meet my gaze, though she didn’t have to bend much, given her small stature. As our eyes met, I felt an inexplicable sense of authority emanating from her. I didn’t know her name or who she was, but she radiated the kind of pressure that made it feel like I was in the presence of someone like the President of the United States. Gulping down my nervousness, I cautiously opened my mouth. “What do you want from me?” “Seeing a lone man sulking in a place like this, wouldn’t anyone be curious?” “I wasn’t crying…” “I can see everything.” The girl chuckled softly and urged me to share my troubles. The pressure I felt earlier vanished, replaced by a warmth that enveloped my entire body, like being in a mother’s embrace. The initial resistance I felt at the idea of revealing my secrets to a child I had just met began to fade away. And so, I started to talk about my secret. “I’m…” From Earth, not this world. I am powerless, without any abilities. I have no house, no money, and no legal status. I am… … … … “─I see. That makes sense.” “…Huh?” It wasn’t until I heard the girl’s voice that I realized I’d shared all my secrets. It had all happened without me even noticing. No matter whether she believed me or not, my fate was sealed. If she believed me, I could be taken away and used as a test subject, and if she didn’t, she could report me to the police as a lunatic. But fortunately, the girl said something I hadn’t expected at all. “So, you have nowhere to go. In that case, come to my house!” “Wait, what do you mean…” “Don’t worry about it. My house has plenty of empty rooms! You can use one of them! Don’t even think about refusing!” The girl grinned widely and met my eyes. “I have many things I’m curious about regarding you.” And so, I was headed to the girl’s place. The house of a girl whose name and identity I didn’t even know… “Oh, I almost forgot to mention. My name is Regalia. You can just call me Lia.” Now I knew her name. Name: Regalia Superpower: Majesty of the King Description: Exudes charisma akin to that of a king. “This place is…” “This is my home!” The mansion I arrived at after riding in Lia’s car was a massive estate, the likes of which were rarely seen even on Earth. Truly, it was a building that seemed straight out of a movie or drama. I had already suspected she wasn’t an ordinary child, but I hadn’t expected her to live in such a place, so I looked at her with a slight hint of surprise. “Hehe—Surprised, aren’t you? Didn’t I tell you there are plenty of empty rooms?” “I didn’t expect it to be this grand…” “Kitty, show him to a room. Ah—Have you had dinner?” “I haven’t eaten yet.” “Prepare something simple for him to eat.” With that, the girl waved her hand and disappeared. As I looked at the woman called Kitty, I asked where Lia was headed, only to receive an answer I never would have imagined. “The young lady has gone to bed. Children need to be in bed before ten if they want to grow up well.” “Oh… How old is she, exactly?” “Why do you ask? Don’t bother with unnecessary questions.” “I’m sorry.” “Follow me. I’ll have your meal brought to your room.” I was scolded for no reason and then led to my room. The room, much like the exterior of the mansion, was incredibly luxurious. The bed was as soft as a cloud, and the sheets smelled wonderful. A short while later, Kitty entered the room with a cart carrying a simple meal. “It’s late, so it’s not a full meal.” “No, this is more than enough.” On the cart was a steak. If this wasn’t considered a full meal, I couldn’t imagine what a true meal would look like… After a brief moment of awe, I grabbed the knife and fork and began to eat. Seeing my clumsy attempts at using the utensils, Kitty frowned slightly. “Today, you’ve found a place to stay, thanks to the young lady’s generosity. But don’t get comfortable. Once she loses interest, you’ll be back on the streets as a homeless man.” “I understand…” “You either prove yourself useful to the young lady or continuously find ways to keep her entertained. I hope you figure out which method works best for you.” With that stern remark, Kitty left the room. She wasn’t wrong. The fact that I was able to sleep in a warm bed tonight was solely due to Regalia’s generosity, born out of temporary curiosity. If I wanted to stay here longer, I needed to prove that I was valuable to her. In this world, the powerless were treated worse than the untouchables. ‘…Is that even possible?’ Fortunately, the opportunity came sooner than expected. “It’s done.” “Ooh—!” Regalia exclaimed in delight as she watched the robot toy move. Seeing her joy as the robot creaked and clanked, I couldn’t help but smile as well. Who knew she’d be so thrilled over something like this? ‘Because she’s a child, maybe.’ I never imagined she’d be so delighted just because I made a robot that could shoot beams from its eyes.