“Then I guess I’ll be going now.”
“Already leaving?”
“Do you think I’m some idle slacker like you? I’ve got work to do.”
Truth be told, Jet wasn’t someone to be underestimated. He was a high-ranking figure with ten security officers under his command.
Seemingly having no time to dawdle, he handed me a new bounty notice and got up from his seat as soon as he finished his coffee.
“Ah, you said the bounty reward will be handled through Emma, right? Emma, are you coming along now?”
“Yes, if it’s alright with you, I’ll accompany you to the sheriff’s office.”
Emma tidied up our coffee cups and quickly got ready to head out.
Meanwhile, Jet and I loaded the bodies of the outlaws and Marv Merchins into the wagon.
“Ugh! Ugh!!”
“Sheriff, when did you say the circuit judge is coming?”
“He should be here by next week at the latest.”
Marv Merchins, aside from stealing 58 cows, had the added crime of fleeing after ignoring a court ruling.
“By next week, his head will be hanging at the village entrance…”
“Ugh!!!”
“Better be born a good person in your next life.”
Marv, seemingly desperate to live, screamed even with a gag in his mouth, but Jet and I didn’t even glance at him.
“Sheriff, I’m all ready.”
“Ah, Emma. Sit here next to me.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll give you a ride.”
I escorted Emma, who had just come out in her outdoor clothes, and helped her sit next to me.
Emma hesitated at first but eventually took my hand and climbed into the wagon.
Sitting primly in the wagon, Emma looked every bit like a noble lady.
Of course…
“Ah, Emma, when we get back, do the laundry. I’ve got no clothes to wear.”
“……”
To me, she was just an employee.
Jet, who overheard my command to Emma, frowned and asked.
“…Does Emma do that kind of work in your office too? She’s not some maid.”
“A maid? No, this is all stuff Emma agreed to do when she first joined our office.”
“So Emma does housework, secretary work, and everything else? How much do you pay her?”
“What, do you think I’m some evil boss? I even raised Emma’s salary this year.”
I proudly held up all ten fingers.
“A whopping $10.”
“You raised her salary by $10?”
“No, her salary is $10.”
“……”
It was originally $8, but this year, her third year, I raised it to $10.
A 25% raise in three years—isn’t that a dream company?
But Jet didn’t seem to think so.
“…Emma, if you’re being blackmailed by this guy, tell me. As the town sheriff, I’ll definitely rescue you…”
“But we have *me* as a benefit in our office. Emma likes me, you see.”
Emma’s workload, handling both housework and secretary duties, is quite heavy.
Compared to that, the money I give her isn’t much.
Yet, Emma has been stubbornly sticking around my office for three years.
Despite the line of suitors proposing to her due to her pretty looks, she’s turned them all down.
Well, that says it all.
I thought Emma was just playing hard to get, but she actually likes me.
But…
“……”
“……”
Or not…
When she heard me say she likes me, Emma glared at me with icy-cold eyes.
Seeing Emma’s glare, Jet looked at me with pity.
“You know I’m the one who gave you the nickname ‘Kid,’ right? Do you know why?”
“…Because I’m childish?”
“Since you know, please grow up.”
“…What’s with the old man act?”
“This kid, seriously!”
After Jet’s scolding, Emma, still with cold eyes, asked me.
“What will you be doing while I go collect the bounty?”
“Me? I was thinking of having a drink at the Deaf Man’s Tavern.”
“……”
Emma’s eyes grew even colder at the mention of me going to drink *again*.
“…You’ve been drinking all week, and you’re going again?”
“…This week was just undercover work…”
“Like the sheriff said, please grow up. Do I have to nag you every day, ‘Kid’ boss?”
“……”
Emma’s tone rose when she said ‘Kid.’
Usually, Emma is stuck with me, but when she gets angry like this, the tables turn.
As I hesitated, Jet clicked his tongue and pulled the reins.
“Tsk tsk, immature men are never popular. We’ll be off now. See you later, Kid.”
“Hehe~”
Jet’s sturdy brown horse, true to its breed, quickly pulled the wagon loaded with five outlaws.
The wagon sped off before I could even wave.
But even then, someone was still saying goodbye to me.
“Kid, you bastard!!! I’ll be waiting for you in hell!!! Kid!!!”
Marv, whose gag must have come loose, shouted at me with a voice full of resentment.
“…Even dogs and cows call me Kid now.”
Jet and the townsfolk gave me the nickname ‘Kid’ three years ago when I settled here, thinking I was childish.
But the real reason I’m called Kid isn’t just that—it’s because when I first started the game, I set my nickname as ‘Noah the Kid.’
Even though my full name isn’t Noah the Kid, people have called me Kid ever since I arrived in this world, attaching various reasons to it.
As if… it was programmed that way.
That’s also why I can’t get attached to this world.
Every time people call me Kid, I’m reminded that this world is just a game.
So I will definitely escape this game world.
Not as Noah or Kid…
‘Yeong-ah, are you sure your mom doesn’t need to pick you up?’
‘Ah, it’s just a two-hour bus ride from the military base to home. Just wait for me at home.’
‘Alright, Yeong-ah. Your military service is almost over. You’ve worked hard!’
…To a place where people call me by my real name, Dokgo Yeong.
Of course, to do that…
[Logout Not Possible]
[Remaining Amount Until Logout: $894,556 / $1,000,000]
Still a long way to go.
“…This is troubling.”
Looking at the remaining amount until logout, I felt as dark as when I saw the remaining days of my military service during my corporal days.
“…When troubled, alcohol is the answer.”
At least the good thing is, unlike during my military days, I can drink as much as I want here.
“No Name, let’s go!”
“Hehehe~”
To soothe my troubled heart, I rode No Name and headed to the Deaf Man’s Tavern.
Though the hangover from yesterday’s drinking was still lingering…
Thump thump.
Just the thought of drinking again made my heart race.
**
Clip-clop… Clop.
“Hey, hurry up, you rascal.”
“Hehe…”
No Name, this horse, was quite the free spirit.
Sometimes smart for a horse, sometimes downright dumb.
And sometimes, it ran as fast as a legendary steed…
“Huh? Now it’s stopping on its own? Haha.”
And sometimes, like now, its butt was just too heavy.
“Hey! Let’s go! We’re almost there.”
“Hehe…!”
When I grabbed its reins and shook them, it seemed to grumble in dissatisfaction.
“Maybe I should just turn this into horse stew.”
“Hehehe…”
“If you keep acting like this, I’ll just get a No Name 2.0.”
“Hee…”
Only after my continuous threats did No Name start moving again, albeit slowly.
“This guy’s getting more disobedient as it gets older. Is it going through puberty?”
“Hehe…”
And so, with No Name’s grumbling, we arrived at the Deaf Man’s Tavern.
Since the sun wasn’t directly overhead yet, it must be just before noon.
Meaning, most of the townsfolk are out working, and the tavern is almost empty.
I planned to enjoy a leisurely drink alone in the quiet tavern.
But…
“Hmm…?”
What’s this? There’s an unfamiliar carriage and a few horses tied up in front of the Deaf Man’s Tavern.
They definitely weren’t from Justice Town.
So then…
‘Outsiders, huh…’
I tied up No Name, who was still grumbling, and went inside.
“Bob-!”
What greeted me was…
“Oh, Kid! You’re here? I’m busy, so just sit tight for a bit!”
Bob, who looked busy carrying food even in the morning, and…
“……”
“……”
A group of men silently eating and smoking.
“Hmm…”
As soon as I entered the tavern, the men gave me wary looks.
One thought immediately came to mind.
‘Did the outlaws already respawn?’
There were seven of them.
Their clothes were dirty, likely from long travels, with hollow eyes and tired expressions, and…
Holstered pistols they couldn’t quite hide.
‘No rifles. Maybe they’re in the carriage outside.’
If they had rifles, Bob would’ve probably placed them by the door.
At least in this space, they weren’t carrying rifles.
‘My single-action Army holds six bullets, but there are seven of them.’
More enemies than bullets.
This is totally…
A jackpot?
‘Today’s my lucky day.’
I cheered inwardly while trying to recall who these guys were.
I may not have Emma’s memory, but mine’s pretty good too.
If I stare at their faces long enough, I might remember.
‘If they’re not on any wanted posters, then it’s a bust, but they do look familiar…’
Who were they again?
If I think too hard, they might notice.
I casually smiled and approached Bob.
“Where’s Mari? You’re working alone?”
“Huh? What? Speak up.”
“Where’s Mari?!”
Bob’s hearing isn’t great since he had a high fever as a child.
I shouted for him, and he laughed and replied.
“Mari’s gone to sleep. She’ll be back in the afternoon.”
“Really? Then, I’ll have some whiskey.”
“Sorry, Kid. Those guests over there are big spenders. They ordered a lot of alcohol and bread, so it’ll take some time.”
A large order of alcohol and bread.
Meaning they’re planning to leave Justice Town and go further away.
As I pretended to take out a cigarette, I glanced back at their faces.
And then…
‘Ah.’
I recognized one of them.
‘How much is their bounty?’
‘The boss is $1,500, and the other notable members are around $200 to $500.’
One of them is a lieutenant from the Redbeard Gang.
[You failed to capture the Redbeard Gang. They disappeared with the setting sun.]
In the game, if you missed them once, they were gone forever, but here they were, appearing before me with the setting sun.
‘The Redbeard Gang robbed the Wells Fargo Bank in Lexio County and fled.’
And with a hefty amount of gold too.
“Ahaha…, haha…”
“……”
I didn’t care if they were staring; I just burst out laughing.
Truly, alcohol is the answer.
Just when I was about to drink, a golden opportunity fell into my lap.
Seeing the Redbeard Gang suddenly appear before me felt like stumbling upon a treasure goblin.
