Chapter 39 - The Best Gunslinger in the South

As I approached mentioning William, the client, Josephine flinched.

The same was true for Django beside her.

Django especially shouted at me with eyes full of betrayal, "Mr. Noah...! Why...! Don't tell me... even meeting yesterday...!"

"Ah, meeting yesterday was pure coincidence, Django."

I waved my hand and answered, not wanting any unnecessary misunderstandings.

"I'm not that meticulous. Meeting you yesterday wasn't intentional."

"...Anyway, it's certain that you've come because master... no, Mr. William sent you, right?"

"That's right."

As I nodded and approached, Django raised one palm high.

"Don't come any closer! Mr. Noah!!"

Swish—!

And then he hid the pale Josephine behind him...

Whoosh—!

He flipped his coat and put his hand on the gun in his holster.

"If you come any closer, I won't stand still!!"

"..."

In the West, the moment one drew their gun from the holster was considered the signal to start a duel.

In contrast, just putting one’s hand on the holster without drawing the gun was a signal of threat and ultimatum.

If you come any closer, I'll draw my gun and shoot you.

That was what Django was saying now.

But...

Tremble.

I could see his hand trembling at the edge of my vision.

His face was also pale with tension, and above all...

His hand on the holster is wrong.

Clearly not used to guns, Django's hand gripping the holster was slightly twisted.

Holding the holster like that, he'd be slightly delayed in drawing the gun at the crucial moment.

In other words, it meant he was no threat to me at all.

I guess there's no problem even if I just use my fists without drawing the knife.

Seeing Django's sloppy appearance, I felt deflated and slightly disappointed at the same time.

Coming all the way to San Francisco to catch such a novice...

If Django had been an incredible gunslinger or an uncommonly strong opponent, I would have fought without regrets.

Not having much taste for beating and bullying innocent weaklings, I couldn't help but feel conflicted.

So despite Django's sloppy form, instead of approaching to subdue him, I first tried to persuade him with words, "Hey, Django. Don't do anything unnecessary and take your hand off the holster."

"...I can't."

"Have you ever shot a person?"

"..."

Django stared at me with incomprehensible eyes, but I could tell immediately.

He hadn't.

A guy who trembled like that just from a simple threat...

A guy so unsuspecting, naive, and kind...

How could he have ever shot a person?

But even with this level of persuasion, Django seemed unwilling to back down, not taking his hand off the holster.

He's scared but not running away, huh?

So I changed targets and shouted at Josephine this time, "Miss Josephine! Do you know what request your father gave me?!"

"..."

"10,000 dollars if I bring you back! 20,000 dollars if I kill Django!"

"...!"

I felt Josephine, hiding behind, flinch at the words that I'd get 20,000 dollars for killing Django.

I continued to persuade... no, threaten her, riding the momentum:

"If you come to me of your own will, I intend to just take you. But if you keep being stubborn like this... I'll have no choice but to kill Django!"

I actually had no intention of killing Django, but putting on this bluff was somewhat effective.

"...No!"

At the mention of killing Django, Josephine jumped out with a tearful face and said, "Django is innocent...! Don't touch Django...!"

"That's why I'm telling you to come. Your father is worried."

Flick.

I flicked my index finger towards myself and said one last time:

"Don't tire people out unnecessarily and come. Then I'll politely escort you back to Justice Town. Or else... someone's going to bleed."

"..."

At my final offer, Josephine wore a conflicted expression.

I thought that perhaps Josephine might let herself be caught by me willingly.

In fact, her body's balance was subtly leaning forward bit by bit.

Just as I thought this request might end easily...

Swish.

It was Django who stopped Josephine.

"...Don't go, Josephine."

"..."

"If you trust me."

Django stretched out his hand opposite the one on the holster to stop Josephine from going forward.

And Josephine...

"...Okay."

Though hesitating, she nodded and hid behind Django again.

"...You're really making me use force."

The moment Josephine rejected my final offer, negotiations should be considered broken.

Swish.

So I turned my head and made eye contact with Billie behind me.

Nod.

Billie nodded as soon as she met my eyes.

The third promise I made with Luke when I came to San Francisco.

Never cause a disturbance in this city.

Billie nodding now meant she would allow a small disturbance to subdue Django.

Just as I was about to turn my head back towards Django.

"..."

This time I briefly made eye contact with Emma.

For some reason, Emma was looking at me a bit worriedly.

Perhaps she was uneasy because unlike Django holding a gun, I was unarmed?

But that was just needless worry.

For me, covered in all sorts of cheat traits, this novice gunslinger would be no match at all.

So I gave Emma a playful smile meaning not to worry, then turned back towards Django.

Seeing my expression and feeling the situation was getting out of hand, Django spoke one last time, gripping his holster, "...Mr. Noah, I'm warning you for the last time. Don't come any closer."

"Warning my ass."

Django's hand on the holster was still in the wrong position.

His quick draw would probably be terrible too.

The distance between Django and me was quite far, but judging by that form, it looked like Django would barely manage to fire one shot while I approached.

"Phew..."

I took one last deep breath before pouncing on Django, heightening my senses even more.

Step.

Through my keen hearing, I sensed someone watching us from afar.

Emma might not know, but it was the guys who had been tailing us since yesterday.

Who are they? South Brotherhood?

Was that suspicious Luke not satisfied with just Billie and put double surveillance?

It seemed so.

Whoosh—!

My intuition screaming danger now was probably because of those guys too.

I should quickly subdue Django and then take care of those guys.

With that rather naive thought of knocking out Django with one punch...

Thud.

...I finally took my first step towards Django.

And...

Bang.

"...Huh?"

Drip.

With a single gunshot, I could no longer move forward.

**

Meanwhile, at the tobacco plantation in Justice Town.

"Master."

Jansen, the Capulet family's coachman and errand boy, approached his master William with a telegram from San Francisco.

"A telegram came from the men we planted in San Francisco. It seems the bounty hunter you hired has tracked down where the young miss is."

"Is that so? Huh... I didn't expect that much, but he seems to be quite skilled."

Noah was his name, wasn't it...

William recalled Noah's vague face and repeated his name.

"...Master, do you think that bounty hunter can bring back the young miss?"

"How could he?"

William firmly shook his head at Jansen's question.

In fact, William already knew where his daughter Josephine was, having sent people out.

The reason he couldn't bring his daughter back despite knowing was...

"How could he bring Josephine back with that gun-crazy negro around? That bounty hunter is just a throwaway card."

It was because of Django's presence, who had taken Josephine away.

William still had a black slave whose name he couldn't forget, engraved in his memory.

It was George Montague, Django Montague's father.

George was a black slave and gunslinger belonging to the Capulet family when they were settled in Mississippi.

Usually, slaves weren't given guns, but... the Montagues were also a slave family loyal to the William family for generations, and...

— Master, George has caught runaway slaves again, they say.

Because George's gun skills were extraordinary, William's father assigned George the role of slave catcher.

A slave catcher who captured or killed runaway slaves to set an example for other slaves.

George killed numerous black slaves while working as a slave catcher.

Seeing him kill other blacks without any emotion, slaves cursed him as a traitor while white people were satisfied, but...

At the time, no one knew.

That there was a time bomb in George's heart.

And on the day that time bomb finally exploded.

George killed countless white people of the Capulet family, including William's father, and the Southern slave patrol.

Of course, no matter how good his gun skills were, George alone couldn't kill all the white people in the South.

George, who killed over a hundred white people with a single gun, was eventually captured and died horribly.

But even after his death, he was remembered by many people... and was called this:

The Best Gunslinger in the South.

After the tragedy, William, who inherited the Capulet family, educated Django, George's son, to never touch a gun.

But on the day his daughter Josephine playfully gave Django a gun...

Django hit 6 birds flying far away with 6 bullets.

William, who happened to see this scene before his eyes, realized at that moment.

The Best Gunslinger in the South.

That blood was flowing in Django too.

"Jansen, you don't know because you haven't seen that negro holding a gun."

Seeing Django holding a gun, William felt the same emotion he felt from George.

"Didn't you say the bounty hunter I sent was doing quite well in Utah? That's not enough."

Even among rough and unskilled gunslingers, there were levels.

Even to William, who was ignorant about guns, Django was on a different level from other gunslingers.

"At least the Best Gunslinger in the West... That's about what it would take to match that negro with the monstrous blood of the Best Gunslinger in the South flowing through him."

Of course, that was unlikely.

Finishing his thoughts, William returned with a fierce gaze and ordered Jansen:

"Tell the guys in San Francisco. While that bounty hunter wastes the negro's bullets and buys time, somehow kill the negro and bring my daughter back."

"...Yes, I'll go to town right away and send a telegram."

No matter how monstrous, numbers should overwhelm.

William intended to definitely kill Django and bring his daughter Josephine back to his arms with this opportunity.