‘Come to think of it, the way they fought earlier was kinda….’
I took a closer look at the face of the self-proclaimed sheriff.
…I don’t remember her.
But she seemed vaguely familiar, or maybe not.
As I tilted my head in confusion, the self-proclaimed sheriff stiffened her expression and spoke.
“…I’m the one who wants to ask.”
“…….”
“…Who are you?”
At the question of who I was, I chuckled and reached into my pocket.
What I pulled out was…
Flap.
“The goons here to demolish this town.”
It was the demolition order for Peace Town.
As I waved it in front of the self-proclaimed sheriff, the townspeople surrounding us reacted.
“C-Claire! That jerk threatened to destroy our shops and kick us out of town!”
Seemed like the self-proclaimed sheriff’s name was Claire.
Claire.
A common name.
But I don’t recall knowing anyone named Claire.
“C-Claire! Teach those bastards a lesson!”
“Sheriff! Please take down those thugs!”
While I was sizing up Claire, the townspeople of Peace Town shouted, urging her to fight.
Swoosh.
Hearing the townspeople’s cries, Claire seemed ready to pounce, adjusting her stance.
A revolver in her left hand, a fist in her right.
She had a gun, but… she didn’t seem like she wanted to kill me.
If someone on our side died, it would give Lloyd Railway Company more reason to interfere with the town.
And I, too, had no intention of killing her because of the company’s orders.
We had to subdue each other without killing.
It’s more troublesome than just shooting to kill.
‘What a hassle…’
I was starting to feel annoyed by the situation…
Chuck.
Just like the self-proclaimed sheriff Claire, I held a revolver in my left hand and a fist in my right.
And then…
Pow!
“……!”
I rushed at her before she could reload.
I had 5 bullets left, and since I hadn’t reloaded, Claire had 2 bullets left.
As I leaped, she instinctively raised her gun.
Bang!
Still a sharp shooter.
With plenty of bullets to spare, I…
Bang.
Shot back, canceling out her bullet.
Showing off the trick of blocking a bullet with a bullet, she flinched again.
Then, perhaps thinking to save her last bullet, she charged at me with her fist instead of pulling the trigger.
In response, I changed tactics…
Click.
This time, I raised my gun first.
Bang bang!
Two clean shots.
I had no intention of killing her, so my targets were her arm and leg.
“Damn it!”
Claire twisted her body as soon as I pulled the trigger.
Trying to dodge the bullets like I had done earlier.
But…
Crack! Thud!
“…Ugh.”
That’s not something just anyone can do.
No ordinary person can dodge bullets.
It’s only possible because I’m loaded with all sorts of cheat-like abilities.
Claire was hit in the arm and leg, just as I aimed.
Twist.
Even a tough person can’t just shrug off a gunshot.
Claire, hit by the bullets, lost her balance and…
Thud!
Taking advantage, I punched her in the throat.
“…Guh!”
Thud.
Claire collapsed.
She seemed to have passed out from the blow to her vitals.
“Ah…”
“…….”
As the self-proclaimed sheriff of Peace Town fell, hope faded from the eyes of the townspeople.
After confirming Claire was unconscious, I turned to the stunned townspeople.
And raised my gun…
Bang bang bang!!
“Aaaah!!”
I fired into the air.
Thinking I might shoot them, the townspeople in front fell backward.
Crash!
It caused a domino effect, and the scene quickly turned into chaos.
Amidst it all, everyone’s eyes were still on me.
I maintained my smile and warned the townspeople.
“Everyone. Please evacuate the town as soon as possible.”
“…….”
“Otherwise, you’ll end up like the sheriff over there.”
Swoosh.
At the tip of my pointed finger was Claire, bleeding and unconscious.
“…Eek.”
“…Damn it.”
“…Ugh.”
Though not dead, it was enough to shock some people, who began to sob in despair.
“Well, think it over. See you tomorrow.”
With that, I nodded to the gunslingers who were still in good shape.
“Ah…! Yeah…!”
They understood my look and helped up Borg and his crew, who had been shot.
Demolishing the town alone was impossible.
Even if they were rejects, I needed other gunslingers.
If I left those shot by Claire as they were, they wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon.
They needed quick treatment.
I first moved Borg and his crew to our hideout, the tavern.
“W-what…!”
“Owner. Bring me a fork, will you?”
There’s no way a small town like this has a doctor.
Luckily, we had basic medical supplies prepared for emergencies.
I laid Borg’s crew on the table and brought disinfectant and bandages from the room.
Then, with the fork handed to me by the tavern owner…
Squish.
“Ugh.”
I dug out the bullets lodged in their wounds.
Ting.
“The bullets are out, so disinfect and bandage them up.”
“Ah, got it.”
The disinfection and bandaging were left to the other gunslingers.
That way, we quickly finished the treatment.
Since Claire had aimed for their arms and legs instead of vital spots, it didn’t seem like a big deal.
They’d probably be fine by tomorrow.
You should be able to move your body again soon.
“Th-thank you, Youngest. Damn that btch….”
“Did that so-called Sheriff get you?”
“…Yeah. Up until now, she only used her fists and never pulled out a gun, but for some reason, as soon as she saw us, she started shooting like a maniac.”
It seemed that Claire, the self-proclaimed Sheriff, had a deep affection for the town.
She must have been so angry at Borg and his gang for ruining the town that she couldn’t hold back and pulled out her gun.
‘…Is she a native of this town, then?’
But why does her face… and every action feel so familiar?
She also seemed startled when she saw me….
Could it be…?
I briefly considered the possibility but quickly shook my head.
‘There’s no way a TKK member would be in this small town.’
It was too much of a leap to suspect her of being a TKK member just because she seemed startled by me.
‘But she was good enough to make me think that.’
TKK was an organization that operated with a small, elite group.
The skills Claire, the self-proclaimed Sheriff, showed earlier… were on par with a TKK enforcer.
Even though she was shot in the arm and leg, if her love for the town is that strong, she’ll probably ignore her injuries and try to stop us no matter what.
‘What a nuisance…. Maybe I should’ve just….’
Killed her.
There’s not much time left until I go home.
There’s nothing I can’t do at this point.
The company told me not to kill anyone, but one person might not be a problem.
I couldn’t help but seriously consider it.
*
“Ugh….”
“Oh, Claire? Are you awake?”
Claire woke up in the Chief’s house.
When she opened her eyes, she saw many women around her, taking care of her.
For a moment, Claire forgot what had happened to her and stammered as she asked.
“What’s going on…?”
“Don’t you remember, Claire? You got shot by that crazy thug…!”
“Ah….”
Oh, right, the gun….
I was shot in the arm and leg…, wait….
Claire suddenly felt uneasy and quickly sat up.
And then….
“Why, why…! Why did you take off my clothes without permission!”
As expected, her clothes had been removed.
The women around her couldn’t help but be surprised by Claire’s intense reaction.
“…Huh? Well… you got shot, so we had to treat you….”
“……Ugh.”
They had deliberately made sure only women were here to take care of her.
Why was she making such a fuss over being undressed by other women?
As the women tilted their heads in confusion, Claire quickly gathered her clothes and got up.
Wobble.
“…Ugh.”
“Claire, don’t push yourself…!”
“It’s fine…, this much is….”
Although she had been shot in the arm and leg and wasn’t in great shape, Claire managed to get up and walk outside.
“Just rest here… where are you going?”
“…Home. I’m more comfortable at home.”
“Ah, okay….”
Claire, who had always been kind to the villagers, looked so urgent that the women could only nod.
Claire left the women’s concerns behind and trudged home.
Fortunately, Claire’s house wasn’t far from the Chief’s.
“Phew….”
Only after arriving home could Claire finally relax and sit down.
“I almost got caught….”
If ‘that’ had been discovered… the villagers wouldn’t have looked at her favorably anymore.
Claire calmed herself down and sat comfortably in her chair.
And as she closed her eyes….
Bang-!
“……!”
The image of the thug who had shot her earlier flashed in her mind.
His face was definitely one she hadn’t seen before.
But….
‘Have we met before?’
That playful, smooth voice.
And the shooting skills that were almost like a trick, deflecting bullets with bullets.
In this world, as far as Claire knew, only one person could do that.
‘…Could it be?’
Claire briefly considered the possibility but quickly shook her head.
“‘That person’ wouldn’t be in this small town….”
Thinking of that person, even though she wasn’t asleep, vivid, nightmare-like memories tormented her.
‘Leah, there’s something you need to do. For the organization.’
At one point, she believed that person cared for and loved all the members.
She even believed that serving the organization was for everyone’s sake.
But after being thoroughly discarded by that person….
And realizing that the countless horrific things she had done for the organization were merely tools for his profit….
She abandoned the name Leah and began living as Claire.
Scratch.
Claire instinctively scratched her back.
Where the village women hadn’t noticed while undressing her….
A ‘K’ tattoo was clearly etched.
Once a source of pride, the tattoo now felt like a heavy burden of sin she had to carry.
How many lives had she taken under the organization’s orders?
Protecting this small, peaceful town wouldn’t be enough to atone for her sins.
But….
Being the Sheriff in Peace Town was the only thing that brought her solace.
“I’ll definitely protect it….”
She vowed to herself that she would stop anyone who threatened the town to hold onto that small salvation.
