Chapter 16
A month had passed since wiping out the Red Beard Gang.
"Yaaawn~."
I was still living like an idler in Justice Town.
It was as if outlaws had all respawned that day, because since then, the number of outlaws appearing in Justice Town had decreased as if by magic.
I did catch two outlaws last week... but they were small fry.
Thanks to that, I had been living at the Deaf Man's Bar, just drinking all the time.
"Oh... my head... Emma...! Bring me some water...!"
Having returned like a dog after drinking all night again yesterday, I barely woke up and called for Emma.
But...
"Emma! Emma...?"
No matter how much I called, Emma didn't bring water like usual.
Come to think of it, I couldn't hear any presence.
Maybe she hasn't come to work yet.
Looking out the window, it was very bright outside.
It seemed Emma was late for the first time in a while.
"Tsk tsk... She's really lost her mind these days?"
I wanted to drink water, but it was too bothersome to get up, so I just stared blankly at the ceiling and...
"Log out."
I called out "Log out" out of habit.
[Unable to log out]
[Remaining amount until logout: $903,259 / $1,000,000]
After exchanging the Red Beard Gang members' bodies for cash, fencing their horses, and giving Joe 200 dollars, I earned over 3,500 dollars.
I couldn't find a place to sell their weapons, so they were piled up in our warehouse for now, and the remaining amount until logout was 97,000 dollars.
Damn... I thought I was close to going home, but somehow it feels daunting.
It was like counting the remaining military service days as a sergeant with 5 years of service.
There had been almost no income for the past month, so there was no progress either.
"Ah... I wish some money would fall from somewhere..."
Just as I was sighing like that, that was when it happened.
Creak.
"I'm here."
"Emmaaaaa!!"
Emma finally came to work.
As soon as I saw Emma, I was glad but also scolded her.
"Who told you to be late?! Bring me a glass of water first!"
"..."
Perhaps she was aware that she had done wrong, Emma brought me water without a word.
"Here it is."
"You used to work so hard without even knowing what being late was, but you've really fallen these days. You've become so lazy!"
"...Says the boss who drank all night and just woke up now?"
"Talking back again!"
Where did that obedient and gentle Emma from the old days go?
Now, there was only a cold Emma who looked at me with contempt.
As I grumbled, Emma shook her head as if there was nothing more to hear and handed me something.
"I was late because I brought this. Take a look."
"What's so great that you were late bringing it?"
I grumbled but took what Emma brought.
It was the state newspaper of Utah, which included our Justice Town.
"It's a newspaper? Ah, don't tell me..."
After wiping out the Red Beard Gang, there was a commotion for a while and a reporter came to interview.
As I recalled that time, Emma nodded as if to confirm.
"Yes, there's an article about you here, Boss."
"Ooh."
I followed Emma's finger with curiosity to check my article.
Though it wasn't a front-page headline, my story took up quite a bit of space.
[Young Gunslinger of Justice Town! Single-handedly Wipes Out Bank Robber Gang in Lexio County!]
[Mr. Noah (23) is a bounty hunter based in Justice Town...]
The article contained brief information about how I single-handedly wiped out the Red Beard Gang.
If that was all, I might have been a bit disappointed, but...
[Noah's Bounty Hunter Office also accepts private requests, so if there's an outlaw you absolutely want to catch, it might be wise to ask this young and skilled gunslinger.]
The reporter even added this promotion at the end.
"Wow... Look at this person's sense? I knew this person was such an aware reporter. This is why I allowed the interview."
"...Boss, didn't you allow the interview because the reporter offered money? You were really grumpy at first, saying you didn't want your name known."
"Ah... really, why do you have to nitpick everything instead of just letting it go."
Actually, as Emma said, I initially refused the reporter's interview.
I was uncomfortable with my name spreading beyond Justice Town to the whole of Utah.
But...
— Come on, Mr. Noah, don't be like that, take this and think about it...
— Oh my~ I'm not the kind of person who takes such things. Hehe~
Unable to ignore the reporter's earnest request, I eventually allowed the article to be published.
— Well, it's not like my face or full name is in it...
Thinking about it now, having my article published seemed like a good choice, with the promotional effect and all.
After reading it, I handed the newspaper back to Emma and said, "Emma, we'll get a lot of clients coming to request jobs from me after seeing this article, right?"
"...I'm not sure. We'll have to see, but since the article just came out today, I don't think we'll get many clients right away..."
Just as Emma was giving a skeptical answer, that was when it happened.
Clop clop clop clop.
"...It seems like an impatient client has arrived."
"..."
My ears began to pick up the sound of someone approaching from afar.
Emma, hearing my muttering, asked with a bit of tension, "...Could it be an outlaw again? Like with Marv Murchins last time..."
"...Hmm."
Of course, that could be the case.
But...
"I don't think so this time."
I was certain that this was a real client this time.
That was because...
Clop clop clop clop, rattle—
These hoof beats and wheel sounds.
"What outlaw rides in a carriage."
It was the sound of a carriage.
So instead of going out the back door like last time, I went out the front door to greet the client.
And as I expected, I saw a fancy carriage approaching.
As soon as I saw it, I ordered Emma, "...Emma. Quickly prepare two cups of coffee."
"Yes."
The quick-witted Emma immediately went to prepare the table, and soon the fancy carriage stopped in front of my office.
The coachman stopped the carriage and opened the door himself.
"Master, we've arrived."
The coachman's attire was quite neat and his actions were disciplined.
"Ahem."
From the carriage opened by the coachman, a stuffy-looking old man got out.
As if imitating a European nobleman, he propped himself up with an expensive gold-plated cane and looked around...
"...Are you that bounty hunter who single-handedly wiped out the bank robber gang?"
Upon discovering me, he looked me up and down as if looking at a subordinate and spoke arrogantly.
"I came after seeing the newspaper, they say your skills are that good? Normally I would have called you to my mansion, but I came in person because the matter is urgent."
Saying this, he handed me the hat he had just taken off as if it were natural.
In America, handing over a hat you were wearing like this was an act of openly treating the other person as a servant.
Of course, I wasn’t this person's servant or subordinate.
This old man's action was very rude... an act of disrespecting me, but.
"Yes! Welcome!! I am indeed the one who single-handedly wiped out the bank robber gang! Hehe!"
I received his hat as if honored and escorted him politely.
That was because... this old man reeked of wealth.
The customer was king, and the rich were gods.
"I'll escort you inside!!"
My instinct told me.
Following the Red Beard Gang... another big opportunity had come to me.
**
Sip.
The rich old man took a sip of the coffee Emma served and said, "My name is William Capulet. I've been in Utah for about 10 years and I run a tobacco plantation."
"Ah, yes! Please call me Noah!"
If one went 5 miles south of Justice Town, there was an enormous tobacco plantation.
There was only one tobacco plantation in this area, so William seemed to be the owner of that large plantation.
Then this old man really is filthy rich.
Realizing that the other party was richer than I imagined, my face bloomed with a smile.
How much should I squeeze out of him for the request fee?
These rich old men often coolly hand over large sums of money.
Thinking about heavily charging William for the request fee, I asked him, "So... how did you come to find me?"
"..."
"Of course, you've come to catch an outlaw, right? A family enemy? Or someone who ran off with a precious family heirloom? Just tell me anything. I'll catch any outlaw for you."
In this vast America, even if a crime was confirmed and a bounty was placed, it was hard to catch an outlaw if they fled far away.
That was why it was common to privately hire someone to catch outlaws like this.
I was planning to catch whatever outlaw William wanted and bring them before him.
But...
"Catch a slave who ran away from our house."
"...Pardon?"
"It's fine to kill him. But if you do, I'd like you to cut off his hand or foot as proof of death."
"..."
This old man seemed to have come to the wrong place.
For a moment, I thought I had misheard and turned my head to look at Emma in the corner.
Emma's expression was also tinged with bewilderment.
It seemed I hadn't misheard after all.
"Hahah... Sir. What do you mean by slave... It's 1874 now, isn't it?"
The Emancipation Proclamation was in 1863 and the Civil War ended in 1865.
When I asked after regaining my composure, William answered indifferently, "All the negros working on my plantation are naturally slaves. That runaway's grandfather and father were all slaves of the Capulet family."
"..."
That was when his cane caught my eye.
That emblem prominently placed on the top of the cane.
I could recognize it because it was famous.
Once a major part of the Confederacy and where slave plantations flourished...
Mississippi.
I don't know why he's so proudly displaying the symbol of the losers.
The defeated South was still under military rule, governed by soldiers from the North.
That was probably why this old man immigrated from Mississippi, where he was living well, to Utah.
More than that, why do I keep getting involved with these Southern folks?
The Red Beard Gang before, and now this rich old man.
Is it because I'm from a Southern country too? Anyway, it's fucking annoying.
After sorting out my thoughts like that, I asked William with my last bit of patience, "Then, by any chance."
"Go ahead."
"Is that negro an outlaw with a bounty on his head?"
I wasn’t a person who discriminated based on race.
If they were an outlaw, I'd shoot them dead whether they were a Yankee or a negro.
But...
"No, he's not."
"Then we're done. Just leave."
If he wasn’t an outlaw, that was a different story.
"Are you joking now, old man? What era do you think this is, asking for slave-catching?"
"What…?! You're making a mistake right now—!"
"You're the one making a mistake. Leave while I'm still being nice. What, is this an assassination guild? Do you know what could happen if we kill an innocent civilian..."
If I shot and killed a civilian, I'd become an outlaw.
If that happened, it became tricky to work as a bounty hunter again.
If I couldn't work as a bounty hunter, naturally the day where I could go home would be further away.
That was why I didn't use guns unless it was against outlaws.
To be sure, I only killed outlaws with wanted posters.
But what? You're asking me to find and kill your slave?
And to cut off a body part as proof of death?
Damn it. There’s no need to listen further. I won't do this job no matter how much he pays.
Screech.
I got up from my chair to physically express that the conversation was over.
But...
"Ten thousand dollars."
"...!"
"That's the amount I was going to pay for this request."
"..."
At William's words that followed just as I turned around, I hesitated for a moment.
The moment I heard the amount of ten thousand dollars, there was no need to think.
"I sincerely apologize for my verbal mistake."
"..."
"Well then, shall we hear more about this?"
I immediately sat back down.