Of course, I had no intention of killing William.
If he died, there’d be no one to give me money.
$40,000.
Sure, it’s an absurd amount even for a rich man to handle…
But William, with his tobacco farm, mansion, and countless workers and servants, could scrape together that amount if he squeezed his soul dry.
A wise man doesn’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.
I planned to keep William alive and milk him for $40,000—and even more.
But…
“Hey, you inhuman bastard—!!”
“…What?”
William’s words changed my mind.
“Say that again. What did you say?”
“…Huh? No, wait, hold on…”
I stopped walking and stepped back toward William.
Everyone has something you shouldn’t touch.
“What did you say? That I’m an inhuman bastard?”
“…That’s not what I meant.”
Suddenly, I remembered what Django told me back in San Francisco.
“Mr. Noah, we’re all the same humans.”
Django said he, I, and everyone else were the same humans.
How dare that NPC bastard call me the same as him.
I was furious when I heard that.
And now?
William called me an inhuman bastard.
“An inhuman bastard… Hahaha.”
I repeated William’s words and burst into laughter.
“Haha… S-sorry. I messed up my joke…”
As I laughed right in front of him, William awkwardly smiled and apologized.
I looked down at him, still laughing, and then…
Swoosh—
Stab.
“AAAAAH—!!”
I pulled out a knife and plunged it into his chest.
“GAAAAH—!!”
William screamed and writhed in pain from the stab wound.
I held his body tightly and whispered in his ear.
“You’re wrong, Mr. William. I’m not the ‘inhuman bastard’ you said I was.”
Every wrong answer comes with a price.
But being the kind teacher I am, I personally corrected him.
“Django, that black bastard, was wrong too. He said we’re all the same humans.”
“Grrr…”
“We’re not all the same humans, and I’m not some inhuman bastard.”
Twist, stab.
As I twisted the knife in his chest, William’s eyes slowly lost their strength.
But soon, his pupils, now facing me, filled with clear terror.
Why is he so scared?
I’m just teaching William, who doesn’t even know he’s an NPC, the truth of this world in his final moments.
“I’m the only human.”
“…Huuuh.”
“In this damn game, I’m the only human. Among you data chunks, only me.”
Splat—!
When I pulled out the knife, blood gushed from William’s chest like a fountain.
Thud.
William’s body collapsed lifelessly to the floor.
“Ah… Why’d you have to mess up your words, you bastard.”
I was supposed to get the full $40,000… but I killed him in a fit of rage.
I hate pain.
But what William just said hurt me more than the bullet Django shot at me.
William deserved to die.
“Sigh…”
I wiped William’s blood off my face and sat in the chair he was originally sitting in.
Just moving around a bit made my whole body feel weak and exhausted.
Oh, right, I haven’t eaten anything all day.
The lack of energy must be because I’m hungry.
“Haa… Emma.”
I’m starving.
What I want most right now is a meal Emma would make.
I got up to go get Emma.
That’s when it happened.
Creak.
My sharp ears picked up someone cautiously approaching.
I hid behind the door and waited for them to come closer.
Soon, they revealed themselves.
“…Master?”
It was Janssen, William’s coachman and butler.
He must’ve come from the kitchen, as he was carrying a tray with a teapot and cups.
“Master—!!!”
Janssen, unaware I was hiding in the room, rushed in as soon as he saw William’s body lying on the floor.
Click.
“…Gasp—!!”
“Mr. Janssen, it’s me. Don’t move.”
I tackled Janssen and pressed a gun to his head.
Tears streamed down Janssen’s face as he begged.
“P-please, spare me…!”
“…Hmm, Mr. Janssen, is there a bounty on you?”
“N-no, there isn’t…!”
No bounty, huh…
Then I noticed the tray Janssen was holding.
“What’s that? Tea?”
“…Y-yes! It’s tea… M-master ordered it….”
“Well, the person who was supposed to drink it is gone, so that’s a problem. Pour me some first.”
“…Y-yes! Yes…!”
Aside from being hungry, I was also parched.
Following my order, Janssen quickly placed the tray on the table and poured hot water into a cup.
“…Wait, wait.”
Seeing the steam rising from the teapot, I stopped Janssen.
My throat was so dry it felt like it was cracking, and the hot water didn’t look appealing.
“Something else.”
“…Huh? What else….”
“Alcohol. If you have any, bring it.”
Honestly, I didn’t expect much, but Janssen immediately ran to a corner of the room.
“H-here’s the alcohol.”
“Oh.”
Turns out this room was probably a liquor storage.
Janssen grabbed one of the many whiskey bottles stacked in the corner and poured it into my cup.
Gulp.
“Wow, why’s this so good?”
The whiskey Janssen poured was leagues better than the cheap stuff at Deaf Man’s Tavern.
“I-I’m glad it suits your taste….”
“Are all those stacked up whiskey? Wow, there’s so much. If you have a sack, pack a few for me.”
“…Y-yes, yes!”
Is this William’s servant or mine?
At my command, Janssen quickly grabbed a sack and started frantically filling it with whiskey.
I watched him and said,
“While you’re packing, pick something.”
“…Pick what….”
“Victim number one.”
“…!”
I tapped William’s lifeless body and continued.
“You died in this shootout alongside Mr. William.”
“…Ah.”
Janssen’s face turned pale upon hearing my words.
For him, I extended another finger.
“Perpetrator number two.”
“……”
“You were blinded by money in this shootout and shot your own master. I discovered it and killed you.”
“…Huu.”
Both scenarios one and two ended in death.
Perhaps realizing there was no way out, Janssen, who had been trembling, suddenly bowed his head and began to cry.
I looked down at the weeping Janssen and extended my final finger.
“Witness number three.”
“…!”
“Tonight, the Rush and Gold Gang broke into Mr. William’s mansion, aiming for his wealth.”
“……”
“Sadly, Mr. William was shot and killed… but Noah, the bounty hunter invited to dinner, witnessed it and subdued all the intruding gang members.”
“Th-then, what about me…?”
“Mr. Janssen, who was hiding, witnessed the entire scene.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Janssen jumped up from his seat and shouted.
“Three, three—! I’ll take witness number three!”
“……”
Hearing Janssen’s loyal response, I downed the remaining whiskey in my glass and stood up from the chair.
“Then, make sure to tell the sheriff that when he arrives.”
“…Yes, yes! Of course! I’ll do that.”
“Do you happen to know where Mr. William usually hid his money or anything like that?”
“Th-the master always kept his money in the bank… Should I find the deposit certificate and bring it to you?”
“Never mind, that.”
A deposit certificate is useless if it’s not in your name.
I took the sack of whiskey from Janssen and turned to leave.
“I’m off. Clean up the mansion properly.”
“…Yes, yes! Take care—!”
I had no intention of killing Janssen.
There was no bounty on him, and I needed a witness to prove my alibi.
I was definitely planning to let Janssen live.
Click.
“…Ha.”
At least, until I heard the sound of metal scraping behind me.
Sometimes, there are people who habitually draw their guns when they see your back.
“Why are there so many suicidal hopefuls in the West?”
Bang.
“…Guh—!”
Too lazy to turn around, I shot Janssen dead with my gun aimed backward.
Thud.
The heavy sound of Janssen collapsing and his revolver hitting the ground echoed.
I already knew Janssen had a gun inside his coat.
I just didn’t expect the trembling man to draw it the moment I turned my back.
“…I went through the trouble of making a witness, and he immediately tries to backstab me.”
I needed a witness to prove my alibi, but now I’d have to go through the hassle again.
‘…Should I just kill them all?’
The thought crossed my mind.
As I pondered what to do and descended to the first floor, I noticed someone.
“Huh?”
“……”
There was someone on the first floor.
It was the black servant who had guided me to the dining room earlier.
As soon as he saw me coming down, he bowed deeply and shouted.
“O-oh, tonight the Rush and Gold Gang broke into the master’s mansion, aiming for his wealth—!!”
“Hoh?”
“A-and sadly, the master and the butler were shot and killed, but Noah, the bounty hunter invited to dinner, witnessed it and subdued all the intruding gang members…!!”
“Good, keep going.”
“Th-that’s what I witnessed while hiding…! I’ll tell the sheriff exactly that when he arrives…!!”
“Excellent.”
Clap, clap, clap.
I applauded his flawless delivery.
“Very precise. Did you hear what I told Janssen upstairs?”
“…Yes, yes! My ears are sharp. …Hehe.”
This black servant seemed to have heard everything, including Janssen trying to backstab me, and acted very respectfully.
I patted his shoulder and walked past him.
“Keep that sharpness till the end. Don’t regret it at the last moment like someone else.”
“…I’ll remember that.”
As I stepped out of the blood-soaked mansion, No Name greeted me as if he had been waiting.
“Hehehe.”
“No Name, don’t lick that. Stop, stop.”
No Name licked the bloodstains still on my face.
I gave No Name a quick pat and immediately mounted him.
“…Where are you heading now?”
The black servant, who had come out to see me off, maintained his respectful demeanor and asked for my destination.
I looked up at the bright full moon in the night sky and answered.
“As the righteous gunslinger of Justice Town, I must go catch the criminals who dared to kill Mr. William, the town’s benefactor.”
“…Ah.”
The black servant was indeed sharp.
“Please punish those vile Rush and Gold Gang members who brought such tragedy to our master and butler.”
“Sure.”
The act was already perfect, so there was no need to deal with the black servant further.
“Yah.”
“Hehe—!”
Clatter.
I rode off with No Name toward the Rush and Gold Gang’s camp at Stone Mountain.
Originally, I planned to go with Sheriff Jet in the morning, but I changed my mind.
I decided to immediately wipe out the Rush and Gold Gang, who had brutally killed William.
“…And while I’m at it, I’ll find someone to cook for me.”
Unable to bear my hunger, I pulled out one of the whiskey bottles Janssen had given me and shoved it into my mouth as I rode across the wilderness.
Drinking on an empty stomach definitely made the buzz hit faster.
Covered in blood and drunk, memories of the past came flooding back.
“…Maybe I’ll work the old way for once.”
Thinking about going wild like the old days made my body heat up instantly.
