Before storming into Peace Town, we took a brief tactical break on the outskirts of the village.
First, Borg, who was nominally the leader, gathered us in a circle and said, “Honestly, our job is simple. The eviction order’s already been issued, so all we have to do is kick the people out. But there’s one important thing.”
“What’s that?” someone asked.
“We can’t kill the townspeople.”
Well, duh… I wasn’t exactly planning to slaughter the villagers either.
But then, the slightly creepy guy next to me raised his hand and asked, “…Why can’t we kill them?”
“……”
Everyone froze and stared at him after his question.
Borg, looking a bit flustered, called out to him, “Hey, Joshua. What kind of question is that?”
So, the creepy guy’s name was Joshua, huh? I hadn’t caught his name earlier because he’d been so cold during introductions.
“If you kill people, you become an outlaw. You wanna be an outlaw?”
“But there’s probably no sheriff in that tiny town, and no one outside would even know what happens there. So what’s the big deal?”
Peace Town was slightly larger than half the size of Justice Town. Honestly, it was strange that Justice Town even had a security force. A town this small probably didn’t even have a sheriff, let alone a security team.
…Or so I thought.
Borg shook his head and gave an unexpected answer. “Nah, there’s one sheriff.”
“…There’s a sheriff?”
The mention of a sheriff caused a stir among us. Seven ordinary gunslingers going up against a sheriff backed by authority? That’s tricky.
But…
“The sheriff’s self-proclaimed, though.”
“Ah.”
So, it wasn’t a proper sheriff after all. Just a self-proclaimed one.
Sometimes, in small towns, they’d have someone like that. Too small to warrant an official sheriff, but leaving it completely defenseless would cause problems. So, they’d either elect someone or have someone volunteer as the sheriff.
Occasionally, as the town grew, a self-proclaimed sheriff might get officially appointed, but… Peace Town didn’t seem to be one of those cases.
“He’s not an official sheriff, so don’t freak out.”
“Got it.”
“Oh, and I got sidetracked earlier, but there’s another reason we shouldn’t kill the townspeople.”
“What’s that?”
“The company said not to.”
The one paying us is the company, Lloyd Railway Company. When the boss says jump, we jump.
Borg nodded and continued, “From what I heard, Lloyd Railway Company pissed off the California state government. That’s why the state’s giving them a hard time about this railway project.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, so they don’t want any unnecessary trouble. The company wants us to handle this quietly and cleanly.”
Quietly and cleanly. Easier said than done.
How are these six rejects and I supposed to quietly and cleanly clear out a village?
Besides, this is my first time doing this kind of goon work, and I’m not used to it. Can a good-natured guy like me really threaten and evict people like a thug…?
Seeing my worried expression, Borg slapped my back.
“Hey, youngest. Why the long face? You scared?”
“…Yeah, I’m a bit worried.”
“Kid, just follow this boss of yours, okay?”
He then grinned wickedly and said, “Hehe, this Borg here is planning to crush that town in the most ruthless and cruel way.”
Snap
Borg held up three fingers.
“Three months.”
“……”
“We’ll clear that town in three months.”
“…That fast?”
At Borg’s declaration, the other gunslingers sighed and looked uneasy.
But…
‘…Three months?’
I couldn’t help but feel a bit flustered.
‘I was planning to clear the town and drive out the Indians in a month…’
Honestly, three months is way too long. If we drag it out for three months, Sophia, that sharp woman, might catch on and come looking for us.
‘Is clearing a town really that hard?’
I had my doubts, but since the others had done this kind of thing before, I had no choice but to follow their lead.
“Alright, let’s head into the village now. Think of today as a scouting mission.”
And so, we rode our horses slowly into the village.
The exterior of Peace Town truly lived up to its name—peaceful.
As we reached the village entrance, we saw a person.
Thud! Thud!
He was hoeing the ground, probably a farmer working near the village entrance.
Sweating profusely, he was diligently tilling the field when…
“…Huh? You, you guys—!”
As soon as he saw us, he grabbed his hoe and charged at us like a madman.
“Hey, you bastards! Didn’t I tell you I’d smash your faces if you came back?!”
“Ugh. It’s that old geezer again, welcoming us as soon as we arrive.”
Borg grimaced as he saw the old farmer approaching.
“Do you know him?”
“…He’s a farmer who’s lived in this village for a long time. He’s got a fiery temper. Last time, he gave us hell.”
Borg looked annoyed but didn’t do anything, so the other gunslingers hesitated too.
The old farmer ran right up to us and started yelling.
“We’re not leaving this place!! Do you think we can just leave a village we’ve lived in for decades?! Huh?!”
“…Hey, old man. We told you. The eviction order’s already been issued.”
“Eviction order, my foot! Hey, you punk. Aren’t you gonna get off that horse?!”
“Come down here before I smash your face in—!”
Whoosh!
As he said that, the old man really swung a pickaxe at us.
Even though the old geezer didn’t have the strength to actually hurt us with his pickaxe swings, it was still pretty threatening.
Borg, unable to decide what to do, finally…
“Hey, youngest!”
He gave me a look, signaling me.
“You handle this!”
When it’s time to follow his lead, he’s all confident, but now he’s already passing the buck.
The other gunslingers were also in the mood to dump the task on me, the youngest, so I sighed softly and got off my horse.
“Hey, old man. Calm down…”
“Who the hell are you, you brat?!”
I guess I looked like an easy target since I was the youngest and had the fairest skin among the seven gunslingers here.
As I approached the farmer, who was all worked up, he focused on me and swung his pickaxe like a sword.
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
I dodged his swings and glanced back at Borg, asking with my eyes.
“What now?”
“What do you mean, brat? Tell him to get out of this village!”
“He doesn’t seem in the mood to listen to me.”
“Act aggressively, really aggressively! Then he’ll listen!”
Act aggressively?
How aggressively do I need to act to make a name for myself?
I thought about throwing a punch but shook my head.
The farmer in front of me was an old man, well past his prime.
Even if he’s an NPC, punching a frail old man didn’t sit right with me.
“Alright, let’s go easy then…”
After a brief moment of hesitation…
Whack!
“Ugh!”
I tripped the approaching farmer, sending him tumbling backward.
Thud!
“Y-you little…!!”
The farmer, having landed hard on his backside, struggled to get up, clearly in pain.
I pushed his shoulder with my foot, pinning him back to the ground.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
It wasn’t like I was trying to hurt him.
But the farmer, not expecting this, looked bewildered and became much more compliant.
“Is this enough?”
Thinking this level of aggression might suffice, I turned around.
“……”
The other gunslingers were staring at me, dumbfounded.
Their expressions seemed to suggest I needed to be even more aggressive, so I drew my gun.
Click.
“Hey, hey, hey! W-wait…!!”
I heard the other gunslingers trying to stop me from behind, but I was already pulling the trigger.
Bang bang bang bang bang bang—!!!
A clean six-shot fanning.
“Gasp… gasp… gasp…”
Of course, I didn’t kill the farmer—I just shot around his face.
But given how close I was, the old farmer probably thought he was a goner.
“Gasp… gasp…”
In reality, he was too terrified to move, breathing heavily with a face full of fear.
“……”
Click.
I quietly looked down at him and pulled out the revolver from my other holster.
“W-wait…! P-please…!”
Seeing me draw another gun, the farmer begged desperately, a complete change from his earlier demeanor.
“P-please spare me…! P-please…!!”
“Leave this village. The eviction order has been issued.”
Click.
As I cocked the hammer, the farmer started crying and pleading.
“M-my daughter just had a granddaughter last month…! W-where are we supposed to go after spending our whole lives in this village…! Sob…!”
It seemed like the farmer was trying to appeal to my sympathy, but I focused on something else he said.
“Ah, so you have a daughter and a granddaughter?”
“…!!!!”
When I mentioned his daughter and granddaughter while holding the gun, the farmer’s eyes widened as if he’d seen a ghost.
I grinned at him and asked.
Click.
“Where’s your house, old man? I think I need to have a chat there.”
“N-no! My daughter and granddaughter…! Sob…! I’ll do anything, just please…!!”
And just like that, I managed to get the farmer to promise to leave the village as soon as possible.
“Alright, old man! I’ll come by your house in three days with a gift for your granddaughter!”
“Sob…!”
After seeing off the crying farmer, I returned to my comrades.
They were still staring at me, dumbfounded.
“Is this how it’s done?”
“……”
The way they looked at me had changed.
“Wow, it’s pretty. Are you selling this?”
“Ah, yes! Hehe. It’s a wooden doll I’ve spent a long time crafting. But who…?”
Bang!
Crash.
“Who said you could sell stuff here?!!”
“A-ah, why are you doing this…!! A-ah…!!”
That day, I unexpectedly found my true calling in Peace Town.
