The employee, who always approached first-class passengers with a friendly face, now glared fiercely and shouted.
“Everyone, hands up and kneel down!! Or I’ll kill you all!”
“W-what is this…?!”
“What do you mean ‘what is this’?! Can’t you figure out the situation?!”
*BANG!*
“Ugh!!”
When the rich men protested, the guy kicked the gold-rich man to the ground.
The rich men, who had always been calm since their first meeting, had no choice but to become meek sheep upon seeing this.
Especially the railroad tycoon, who owned all the railways and trains here, seemed even more shocked.
“H-how dare you do this on my train…!”
“Say one more word, and I’ll shoot you right now. Hey! You, come out too!”
“Ahhh!”
The guy dragged out me, the rich men, and even the bartender…
“What’s this? You were all so kind as to take out your money? Hehe… How much is this?”
He started stuffing the money the railroad tycoon had just won in a game into the money bag he had brought.
Still in shock from losing the money, I just watched the scene unfold.
‘Is this guy the outlaw Emma was talking about?’
No… his face is different from the employee earlier.
Then there are at least two outlaws.
They must be the ones who stopped the train.
This seems like a planned train robbery.
*Shuffle, shuffle.*
Deciding to observe the situation, I watched as the guy stuffed bundles of cash into the money bag.
‘He’s really stuffing a lot in there.’
That was supposed to be my money…
Damn… I made a huge mistake not realizing he had a straight flush instead of a flush.
Why am I so bad at cards?
Just as I was lamenting my poor card skills…
*Clink.*
‘Hmm?’
As I sighed, I felt a cold metal sensation at my belt, and an idea popped into my head.
That’s right… I may be bad at cards, but there’s one thing I’m good at.
*Smirk.*
Having made up my mind, I stood up…
“Y-you, what are you doing?! You wanna die?!”
“You were curious about what I do, right?”
I smiled at the kneeling rich men.
And then…
“You think I can’t shoot? Even now…”
*BANG!*
I pulled out my gun and shot him right between the eyes.
*Thud.*
“N-no, Noah?!!”
“W-what the…!!”
As I drew my gun at lightning speed and took down the outlaw, the rich men panicked and made a fuss.
I showed them the sheriff’s badge from my belt and said,
“I am Sheriff Jet Gray from Justice Town.”
“S-sheriff? Ahh… Phew…”
“So you’re the sheriff…?”
The rich men, who had been terrified when I shot, sighed in relief upon seeing the sheriff’s badge.
“This seems like a planned train robbery.”
I patted the rich men’s shoulders and spoke with a more serious expression than ever.
“As the sheriff, I will step forward to protect the safety and property of innocent citizens.”
“O-ohhh…!”
“So please, everyone, wait here safely.”
“W-we’re counting on you!”
As I finished speaking and prepared to leave, the rich men cheered.
But then, the steel tycoon, who seemed to have noticed something strange, asked me as I was about to leave.
“Hey… by the way, No… I mean, Jet.”
“Yes? Is there a problem?”
“Why are you taking that money bag…?”
“……”
…He saw me trying to sneak out with it.
I quickly wiped the embarrassment off my face and answered confidently.
“I need to take it as evidence. To prove their crimes.”
“…I see. But I have another question. You asked to be called Noah earlier, so why suddenly say you’re Jet Gray…?”
“…Noah is an alias. My real name is Jet Gray, so please remember the name Jet Gray.”
“…Got it. Jet Gray. I’ll definitely remember.”
I watched as the rich men repeated the name Jet Gray, then left with the money bag.
It was the sortie of Sheriff Jet Gray, the guardian of justice.
**
Emma quickly ran to the engine room, which she expected to be occupied.
And there…
“Hey, passenger!”
“This place is dangerous. Please go back!”
The employees, who had noticed something was wrong when the train suddenly stopped, were already guarding the front.
*Clank, clank.*
*Bang, bang!*
“Hey! Open the door!”
Even as the employees tried to open the door, it remained firmly locked from the inside.
“Get the crowbar. And everyone, get your guns.”
“Yes!”
*Clank.*
At the team leader’s words, the employees drew their pistols from their holsters.
Seeing this, Emma felt somewhat reassured.
It seemed like getting the train moving again would be no problem…
“Passenger, this place is dangerous. The train will start again soon, so don’t worry and go back.”
The employee even said so.
But then.
*Creak.*
“…?”
The door, which seemed impossible to open, slightly opened…
*Thud.*
Something came out from inside.
*Sizzle.*
“…!!”
“Ahhh!!”
It was dynamite.
“Everyone, take cover!!”
“Hide behind the obstacles!”
Seeing this, the employees immediately turned around and threw themselves behind obstacles.
But…
*BOOM!*
“Ahhh!!”
They couldn’t escape the blast’s aftermath.
*Cough, cough!*
“Ahhh!!”
Amidst the thick smell of gunpowder and screams, Emma, who was at the back, only had her cheek scratched by shrapnel and got up with no major injuries.
But the situation wasn’t good.
“Ugh……”
“Ugh… Ahh…!”
Most of the employees were down from the explosion’s impact.
Thanks to their quick response, no one seemed to have died, but with blood on their faces, it looked like they couldn’t move immediately.
“Is everyone okay…!”
Just as Emma was about to step forward to help them…
*Creak.*
The closed door opened again, and this time, a person came out.
It was Outlaw Jackal, whom Emma had seen earlier.
“…!”
Seeing his face, Emma immediately drew her gun.
But perhaps she wasn’t yet used to quick-draws.
Or maybe she wasn’t ready to take someone’s life…
“Did she feel a sense of refusal at the thought of taking someone’s life?”
Bang-!
“…Ah.”
The bullet fired from her trembling gun hit the wall instead of Jackal’s head.
“What, what the…!”
Thinking there were no sane people around, Jackal had come out a bit carelessly. Seeing the bullet whiz past him, he dashed behind a wall to hide.
Bang-! Bang-!
Emma, seeing this, tried to follow up with rapid shots using her small hands, but it was no use…
Bang-!
Bang-!!! Bang-!
From then on, a gunfight broke out.
Emma and Jackal hid behind walls, taking shots whenever they saw an opening.
And…
‘Ah… finally…’
As the gunfight continued, Emma gradually got used to the gun and started making more threatening shots.
If Emma hadn’t had a talent for guns, Noah wouldn’t have taught her how to use one.
But she had her own unique precision and focus…
Swish-.
That talent was blooming.
‘Now.’
Before pulling the trigger, Emma felt as if time had stopped.
In that slowed-down time, she saw the head of Outlaw Jackal, who had stopped the train.
Her finger was on the trigger.
All she had to do was pull it, and she could subdue him.
But…
‘Ah…’
At the last moment, Emma couldn’t pull the trigger again.
The guilt of taking someone’s life made her hesitate once more.
In the West, hesitation means death.
While Emma hesitated, Jackal seized the opportunity and aimed his gun at her…
Click.
Unlike Emma, he didn’t hesitate to kill.
Seeing this, Emma closed her eyes, sensing her own death.
But…
Bang-!
The gunshot that followed came not from in front of her, but from behind.
“Gah-!”
“…!”
Emma opened her eyes in surprise, saw Jackal fall, and then turned around.
And there…
Step-step.
Noah was approaching from the end of the corridor, gun in hand.
He walked quickly, first checking if there were more enemies.
Then he approached Emma…
Smirk.
“Emma, are you okay?”
“……”
“Sorry, was I a bit late? I was busy getting the money.”
He proudly showed her the money bag he was holding and then checked her condition.
Shake-shake.
At that moment, Emma’s hand, which had been on the brink of death, was trembling.
Seeing this, Noah took the gun from her hand.
Emma muttered softly.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Huh?”
“I should’ve pulled the trigger right away… but I hesitated. I wasted the three years you spent teaching me how to shoot. …I’m sorry.”
“……”
Noah’s response to Emma’s self-reproach was simple.
Tap.
“You did enough. Good job.”
“…!”
He just placed his hand on her head, gave it a light pat, and said those words.
With that, Noah turned and headed back to the engine room.
“……”
Watching Noah walk away, Emma realized her trembling had stopped.
All Noah had done was say, “Good job.”
It was strange.
**
The train conductor, who could operate the train, was tied up in the engine room.
I freed him and showed my sheriff’s badge, asking, “I’m Sheriff Jet Gray. Can you get the train running right now?”
“…Ah, Sheriff. …The engine’s off, so it’ll take about 20 minutes to get it going again.”
“20 minutes, huh…”
Hearing that, I stepped out of the engine room.
Outside, Emma was hastily tending to the wounded.
“Emma, no one’s dead, right?”
“…Yes, it seems so. But their condition…”
Hearing Emma’s words, I checked their conditions.
They all seemed to have minor injuries from the explosion, but nothing life-threatening.
Of course, none of them looked like they could get up and fight me right now.
So I approached the one who seemed in the best condition, showed my sheriff’s badge again, and asked, “Hey, I’m Sheriff Jet Gray.”
“…Ugh, ah… Yes, Sheriff. Thank you for saving us…”
“That’s not the issue right now. I need a gun. Where’s the armory?”
Emma, standing nearby, tilted her head at my sudden question.
“…Boss. Why do you need the armory…?”
“I need to fight right now, and my weapon’s a bit lacking.”
“Fight? The situation’s already over…”
“Emma, do you really think these guys planned to rob this huge train with just two people?”
“Then…”
Clip-clop.
Just then, my sharp ears caught the sound of horse hooves approaching.
At least 20, maybe 30.
Judging by the numbers, it was a larger gang than the Redbeard Gang.
Realizing time was short, I stood up, and Emma urgently asked me, “Boss, what are you going to do?”
“Emma, watch your title. I’m not the boss right now, I’m the Sheriff.”
Swish-.
Showing my sheriff’s badge, Emma grabbed her forehead and corrected herself.
“…Ah, yes, Sheriff. What are you going to do?”
“What do you think a sheriff does? Protect the citizens and catch outlaws. Of course, I’ll take a modest fee for my trouble.”
Even in the tense situation of dozens of train robbers about to storm in, a smile never left my face.
“…Sheriff? For someone protecting citizens, your face looks pretty evil right now.”
“Stop talking nonsense and follow me, Emma. I need your help.”
With that, Emma and I left to prepare for the upcoming battle.
