“…If you go diagonally a bit from here, there’s a building made of red bricks.”
“…If you lift that floor carpet, there’s a hidden door, and if you open it, there’s a pretty big hole. It’s a space we accidentally discovered. We put the money in there.”
Arriving at the red brick house Redbeard mentioned, I immediately lifted the old carpet on the floor.
And just as he said, a hidden door appeared.
“…So, if I just open this, the money’s inside.”
My hands trembling slightly, I opened the door.
And as soon as I opened it…!
“…Wow, holy crap.”
A pile of cash, filling a hole less than 1 meter deep, greeted me.
“How much is this…?”
Having lived as a money-obsessed person for the past 17 years, I quickly scanned how much money was here.
The answer came quickly.
Roughly $5,000 to $6,000.
“…Oh my god.”
I felt like I was about to lose my mind over this sudden fortune.
Overwhelmed by dopamine, my vision blurred for a moment, but I managed to pull myself together.
“…Let’s grab it before Joe notices.”
The way I was going to secretly take this large amount of cash was simple.
This was a ridiculously realistic but still game-like world… and some game features were implemented.
One of them was this one-slot inventory.
“Inventory.”
Poof!
As I shouted “inventory,” a spatial hole only visible to me appeared in the air.
This space could only hold one item.
So, I used it as my wallet.
Swish, swish.
Without hesitation, I frantically stuffed the cash into the spatial hole.
And after putting in the last bill and closing the inventory…
“Logout.”
[Logout unavailable]
[Remaining amount until logout: $900,036 / $1,000,000]
The remaining amount until logout updated, like experience points increasing.
“Ahh…”
I could hardly contain the overwhelming emotion of finally surpassing the dreaded $900,000 mark.
At the same time, I felt a bit guilty for hoarding all the cash for myself.
“Joe… sorry. But you gotta live, right…?”
……
…Wait, actually, thinking about it again, I don’t feel that bad.
I was the one who fought the outlaws head-on and took all the hits. I deserve some compensation.
And even if it’s a temporary relationship, I’m technically the one who hired Joe, right?
From what I know, Joe’s monthly salary as a stablehand was probably around $30.
So, he’d probably be happy with just $100.
Having quickly justified my guilt toward Joe, I shouted “logout” again.
“Logout.”
[Logout unavailable]
[Remaining amount until logout: $900,036 / $1,000,000]
Now, there’s roughly $100,000 left until logout.
“I can see it… the end of this damn life is in sight…”
The 17 years I spent in the West.
It was really, really long.
“One year… I’ll definitely go back within a year…”
Just the thought of going home made me collapse on the spot.
I thought my heart had dried up after spending 17 long years in this harsh West…
But it hadn’t.
**
“Joe, you doing well?”
“Ah, yes. I’ve almost finished what you asked.”
“Ooh.”
Joe was much faster than I expected.
After handling the cash and coming outside, Joe had already sorted everything out and loaded the Redbeard Gang’s weapons onto the carriage.
Just as I was about to help Joe, albeit late…
“Huh? Noah, sir. By any chance…”
“Yeah?”
“Were you crying?”
“Huh?”
At Joe’s sudden nonsense, I tilted my head and asked.
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden?”
“No… it’s just that there seems to be a tear stain…”
I did feel emotional when the money I collected surpassed $900,000.
But I definitely wasn’t crying.
“Stop talking nonsense and let’s get to work.”
“Ah, yes. Never mind then.”
I helped Joe, who was spouting nonsense, and loaded the weapons onto the carriage first.
Then, we got a new carriage at the camp entrance and filled it with the bodies of the Redbeard Gang members.
Since this wasn’t an easy task, by the time we finished, it was already past noon and heading into the afternoon.
“Whew! Noah, sir! I think we’re done!”
“Yeah, good job.”
Though my body was tired, I felt incredibly proud looking at the results.
Just what’s loaded on these two carriages alone…
Adding to the cash I already collected, I felt a sense of abundance.
Joe seemed to feel the same way, as he cheerfully shouted at me.
“So, are we heading back to Justice Town now?”
Just as I was about to smile and respond…
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
“……”
“……”
The sudden gunshot wiped the smiles off both Joe’s and my faces.
But the shooter’s aim was so poor that neither Joe nor I got hit.
I turned my head to see where the shot came from.
“Ugh…”
“Sniff… ugh…”
There stood the remaining family members of the Redbeard Gang.
They had been standing outside the building, unable to do anything but cry, ever since we started collecting the gang members’ bodies.
But unlike the other women and children, there was one person who stepped forward and shot at us…
“You bastards!!”
It was Redbeard’s daughter, Ann.
“You killed my dad…!!”
“……”
Ann aimed her pistol at us, tears streaming down her face as she shouted.
“My mom was killed by the sheriff a year ago, and now my dad…! Ugh…! My dad…! He was a good man…!”
Clunk.
As I took a step toward Ann, a startled Joe tried to stop me…
“Uh, Noah, sir… she’s just a kid…”
“Ah, it’s fine. It’s fine.”
I pushed past Joe and walked right up to Ann.
Then, I smiled and said.
“I may be a bad guy, but your dad wasn’t a good man either.”
“…!”
I told Ann, who flinched, the information I had about Redbeard in my head.
“Name: Edward Wild. Charges: Bank robbery, cash theft, and nine counts of murder.”
“Ugh… sob…”
“Just like I killed your dad, your dad killed a lot of other people too.”
Thud.
I grabbed Ann, who was holding…
He pressed the barrel of the revolver close to my chest and whispered.
“And if you want to kill someone, next time, don’t shoot at the air. Aim for the chest or the head.”
“……”
“If you can’t shoot, then never pick up a gun again.”
*Click.*
I took Anne’s revolver and tucked it into my coat.
Then I turned around…
“Joe, turn around for a sec.”
“…Huh?”
“Just turn around, no questions.”
“Ah, okay…”
I opened my inventory and pulled out a handful of cash.
This should be around $600.
“Take it.”
“…Whoa.”
When I handed it to the remaining family of the Redbeard Gang, everyone was shocked.
Joe was surprised at where all that cash came from, and the gang family seemed puzzled as to why I was returning the stolen money.
“If you don’t want to raise those kids as outlaws and have them come after me, use this money to settle down somewhere and raise them properly.”
This should be enough for them to settle in a quiet village.
Finally, the oldest-looking woman in the gang family bowed her head to me, understanding my gesture.
“…Th-thank you…”
“Thank me? Don’t bother.”
I ignored her thanks and gestured to Joe.
“Let’s go, Joe.”
“Ah… okay!”
We each got into our separate carriages.
“Let’s go, No Name.”
“Hehehe~!”
I grabbed the reins of No Name’s carriage and took one last look back.
The women seemed relieved, the kids were still crying and making a fuss…
“……”
Anne, Redbeard’s daughter, was crying her eyes out but still glaring at me with anger-filled eyes.
I had made sure to tell her not to come seeking revenge, but it seems she didn’t understand.
‘She’ll probably come to kill me someday.’
Of course, I don’t want to see that kid again.
But if fate insists we meet…
‘Then come at me as a high-bounty outlaw.’
With that thought, I left the Redbeard Gang’s camp.
**
“By the way, Noah. You’re more humane than I thought.”
“Humane? What are you talking about?”
On the way back to Justice Town.
When I tilted my head at Joe’s question, he looked surprised and said,
“I thought you were a complete scoundrel with no redeeming qualities.”
…This little punk?
Haha, I thought Joe was a good-hearted guy, but he saw me like that?
I decided I could treat him even harsher from now on as I listened to him.
But what Joe said next was pretty funny.
“You gave them money when we left. Were you worried about the people left behind?”
Worried about the people left behind?
I burst out laughing.
“Worried? Why would I worry about NPCs… even outlaw families?”
“Huh? Then why…”
“It’s just…”
I thought for a moment and answered.
“It’s just a ‘gift.'”
“A ‘gift’? What’s that…”
“You don’t need to know.”
Again, I have no sympathy for NPCs.
Giving money to the gang family was just a gesture.
Like giving a little food to wild animals in the mountains…
‘…Don’t kill the women and children. We’re the ones who did wrong. They’re just our wives and children.’
‘You bastards-!!’
‘Our mom was killed by the sheriff a year ago, and now our dad…! Sob…! Our dad…! He was a good man…!’
If you hoard too much money, it can bring bad luck, so I shared a bit.
“…Yeah, it was just a gift.”
When I muttered this, Joe asked with hopeful eyes.
“So, Noah. How much of a ‘gift’ will you give me?”
“……”
“Even though we couldn’t find the cash the gang stole from the bank… we made a lot of money, right? And I think I did more than my fair share this time.”
Joe did play a big role this time.
He drove the carriage, set off the dynamite, finished off the gang members, and loaded their bodies, weapons, and other stuff onto the carriage.
In this atmosphere, asking for the initial $100 would make me sound like a cheapskate.
So I…
“…Joe, how about we race to Justice Town?”
…chose to dodge the question.
Of course, Joe gave a disbelieving laugh.
“…Stop joking. How much are you giving me? You said you’d take care of me.”
“If you had just trusted me and waited, I would’ve taken care of you properly. But since you’re pushing, I feel disappointed.”
“You’re saying that now…!”
“Then let’s do this. If I win the race, $50. If you win, $200. Okay? Let’s go, yah-!”
“Wait, hold on…!”
“Hehehe~!”
As if he knew money was on the line, No Name shot forward like lightning as soon as I pulled the reins, and Joe followed with his lights on.
*Vroom vroom.*
The sun was setting.
In the orange twilight where light fades and darkness approaches, Joe and I raced across the dry wilderness with our carriages loaded.
The bodies of the Redbeard Gang members, including the boss and officers.
Dozens of guns, including rifles, revolvers, and pistols, stolen by the Redbeard Gang.
Ten horses from the Redbeard Gang.
And $6,000 in cash the Redbeard Gang stole from the Wells Fargo bank.
This trip was a great success.
And the success of this trip…
Meant that my long, endless life in the West…
Was coming to an end like the setting sun.
