Chapter 7
"Hehehe... hehehe."
"..."
"..."
As I suddenly burst out laughing, the Red Beard Gang stopped eating, and the atmosphere in the bar became heavy.
Bob was the first to notice this change and approached me.
"...Kid. Why are you suddenly laughing like that?"
"Oh, just something good happened."
"Something good?"
"What could be good for a bounty hunter?"
"...!"
As soon as I finished speaking, there was an unmistakable stir at their table.
The atmosphere became quiet and rapidly chilled.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Only Bob, the owner, didn't understand the situation and tilted his head in confusion.
"Never mind, just give me some food."
"Oh, alright. I'll bring it out as soon as I finish what I'm doing now. What do you want?"
"Fried beans and bread."
"You always order the most labor-intensive dishes... Alright. I'll make it quickly in the oven."
I sent Bob to the kitchen and drummed my fingers on the table.
Tap tap.
From the moment I revealed I was a bounty hunter, those guys had been watching me.
How should I handle this?
With my [Best Gunslinger in the West] trait, I feared nothing.
It would take me 1-2 seconds to draw my gun with a quick draw and take out six of them with fanning rapid fire.
For the last one, I could approach before he realized what was happening and slit his throat with the knife in my back pocket.
The situation was different from when I caught Marv Murchins earlier.
From the moment I knew they were the Red Beard Gang, I didn't need to wait for them to draw their guns first.
I planned to deal with them quickly before Bob brought out my breakfast.
I'll take care of you before you can even react.
Just as I was about to reach for my holster unnoticed...!
...Huh?
I couldn't help but be flustered.
My gun is… missing...?
Ah.
Come to think of it...
— No!!! My $5 Single Action Army—!!
I broke it earlier when I carelessly swung it like a club to catch Marv.
I have other spare guns in the office, but I was so excited about drinking that I forgot to bring them.
In other words... the only weapon I had now was the knife in my back pocket.
"..."
...This is awkward.
From the moment I openly revealed that I was a bounty hunter, it was as good as picking a fight with those guys.
But I don't have a gun?
I'm screwed?
Of course, I'm good with a knife.
But damn, I'm not an assassin, I can't take out seven throats with just one knife here.
"...Bob! Bobbb!!!!"
Becoming urgent, I quickly called for Bob, the only ally I had in this Deaf Man's Bar.
"Bobbbb!!! Bob—!!"
"Whatttt!!!! I'm busy as hell, why are you being so noisy again-!!"
Bob came out of the kitchen, his face covered in flour, irritated as if he had been very busy.
I whispered to him discreetly, "Gun, bring me a gun."
In the Wild West era where outlaws ran rampant, every store owner had a gun.
The same was true for Bob.
If I remember correctly, Bob kept his gun somewhere in the kitchen.
But...
"What? Speak up! I can't hear—!!"
"..."
At this crucial moment, Bob tilted his head with an innocent face, as if he couldn't hear.
Feeling frustrated, I tried to explain about the gun to Bob, even using hand gestures.
"...Gun. I'm asking for a gun. Something that goes bang bang..."
"Hmm? Ah...!"
My efforts seemed to have an effect as Bob nodded as if he understood what I meant.
However...
"Ah, a gun! But why are you suddenly asking for a gun?"
"..."
It backfired.
With Bob's booming voice filling the bar, the atmosphere became not just cold, but freezing.
Now I could feel the Red Beard Gang members not just being wary of me, but outright hostile.
"Haa... shit."
"Huh? Kid! Why are you suddenly asking for a gun?"
"No... I've been a regular here for years, why is our teamwork so off... How frustrating..."
"What are you saying? I can't hear you, Kid! Speak louder!"
"Your bar is going to get wrecked again."
"...What do you mean? Why would my bar get wrecked again."
This selectively deaf bastard.
I didn't say the last part very loudly, but he heard immediately when I said his bar would get wrecked.
"Well..."
"Hey."
As I was about to kindly explain to Bob why his bar might get wrecked, a voice interrupted, "You there, come talk with us for a moment."
"..."
It was one of the Red Beard Gang members.
At the cold voice, I nodded to Bob with a nonchalant face.
"...Bob, go on. They're calling you."
"No, not the owner, you, the bounty hunter. Come here for a moment."
"......"
If I go over there, I'm probably screwed.
At times like this, I needed to act confident.
I turned around with a sharp gaze and a dignified attitude.
"If you have business..."
"..."
"Would you mind... coming over here...?"
...There's no business in front of a gun.
Even I, the nightmare of outlaws and a legendary bounty hunter, had to become a meek lamb in front of a gun.
"Puhah, what's with this idiot."
"I thought it was something, but he's just a dimwit."
As I trembled and spoke pleadingly, the Red Beard Gang members laughed at me while drinking.
The atmosphere that had quickly turned cold became rowdy, and one of the Red Beard Gang members approached me with glaring eyes and sat next to me.
"Hey, you."
"...Me?"
"Yeah, you. Are you a bounty hunter?" He said this while opening my defenseless coat to look.
The first thing visible was, of course, the empty holster.
"Puhah, but what kind of bounty hunter doesn't have a gun?"
"..."
Only then did Bob, who had fully grasped the situation, sneak into the kitchen.
Probably to get a gun.
Now I just need to wait a little.
Just wait a little until Bob brings a gun from the kitchen and gives it to me...
But...
Click.
"You know who we are, right?"
"..."
The one who drew his gun first was him.
The guy took out his pistol from his holster and...
Thud.
He cocked the hammer and pressed it against my chest threateningly.
"Molly!! You crazy bastard! What are you doing!"
"Ah, Boss. I'm just scaring him a bit. Hehe, look at this cute bastard's face."
The Red Beard Gang executive whose face I had recognized earlier shouted, but the guy in front of me, perhaps drunk, laughed and retorted.
The Red Beard Gang was on the run after robbing the Wells Fargo Bank in Lexio County.
From their perspective, they probably didn't want to cause a commotion in Justice Town, which was likely just a stopover for them.
But this young guy in front of me, probably a low-ranking member, was vigorously pointing his gun at me.
I was...
"Thank you."
"What?"
"I needed a gun."
...very grateful to this guy.
"What do you..."
Smack.
"...!"
I chopped his wrist with the side of my hand and snatched the gun before he could react.
"What! Wai—!"
Someone had kindly cocked the hammer for me, so I immediately pulled the trigger.
Bang!
"Ugh—!!"
As soon as he fell, I turned the gun.
And I was about to fan the hammer for rapid-fire...
"Flip the tables and draw your guns!!"
Hooh...
...but their reaction speed was faster than I expected.
Bang—! Bang—!
"Aaaagh-!"
"Guhk!"
As a result, I only managed to take out the two slowest ones before hiding behind the bar.
Bang—! Bang—!! Ratatat—!!
"Quickly go to the wagon and bring the rifles!"
"Take cover!"
I had dealt with three, and four remain.
But these guys were smarter than I thought.
They were calm as soon as trouble started, and they moved precisely according to their leader's orders.
"Cover the youngest while he gets the rifles!"
Bang-— Bang—!!
...They're almost like soldiers.
"Kid! I brought the gun!"
"Ah, shit! Why a revolver! Don't you have a shotgun or rifle?"
"Shotgun, rifle, what are you talking about!? Do you think this is a weapons shop!? This is all I have!"
What Bob brought was just one old revolver.
With this, my armament consisted of the revolver I took from the enemy and the revolver Bob gave me, a total of 2 guns.
In comparison, they had...
"I brought 2 rifles from the wagon!"
"Give me one for now!"
"You son of a bitch! You're dead!"
Bang—! Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!
With rifles and all, their firepower was much better than mine.
No matter how good my accuracy or how fast my hands were, there wasn't much I could do when cornered like a rat in a trap.
I was planning to wait patiently for them, and when they got impatient and closed the distance, I'd take the chance to hunt them one by one.
But...
"I'll charge in, so cover me, brothers...!"
"No...! If we waste time, the sheriff's posse will come! Let's flee and regroup with the main force!"
"...What?"
The Red Beard Gang executive made a choice different from what I expected.
"But Boss! What about the bodies of our guys...!"
"We have no choice! We're leaving now. The youngest go prepare the wagon to leave immediately, and we'll cover from here and then get on the wagon."
"...Yes sir!"
Although the gang members seemed dissatisfied, they immediately obeyed and prepared to leave.
"Kid! Those outlaw bastards are saying they're running away?"
"...Damn it."
"Why?"
"I've only earned $150 so far!"
The guys I had caught so far were clearly just regular gang members.
— The boss is $1,500, and the other well-known executives are about $200 to $500. The other unnamed regular gang members are $50 each.
To make a big score, I needed to wipe out the entire Red Beard Gang and also take all the bank money they stole.
I absolutely can't let them escape.
So for now, I waited quietly while they were aiming at me.
And then...
"The preparations to leave are complete!"
"Get on quickly!"
The moment they turned to leave, I immediately turned to the side.
Bang—!
"Aaaagh—!"
The gang members were colder than I thought.
To run away without even looking back when their comrade was shot.
"Tch."
I quickly ran out, but they had already gotten onto the moving wagon.
Bang—! Ratatat—!!
I tried rapid fire in a hurry, but it wasn't enough to stop the wagon.
The only option left was to chase.
But my weapons were inadequate.
Unfortunately, the last guy I took down wasn't carrying a rifle either...
All I had were a few old revolvers in the hands of the fallen bodies.
I was about to grab these and quickly chase after them when I saw something on the wall of the Deaf Man's Bar.
"Bob! I'm taking this!"
"Ah! That's something I bought quite expensively from the Indians for interior decoration!"
It was a bow and arrows made by an unknown Indian tribe.
I grabbed it and said to Bob with a grin, "I'll pay you back many times over. Don't worry."
If I caught all the Red Beard Gang members, I'd get thousands of dollars, so who cared about this cheap bow?
There were exactly 3 arrows, matching the number of remaining guys.
I mounted No Name with a satisfied feeling.
"No Name, let's go!"
"Neigh."
No Name was a perceptive horse.
If it had refused to go even in this situation, I really would have turned it into horse soup.
Sensing the urgency of the situation, No Name flew like the wind as soon as I grabbed the reins.