I had a hunch about Rize’s true identity, so I hopped on No Name to confirm it.
“Emma, I need to check something at Bob’s place. You go report this dead sheriff.”
“Yes, but who should we say killed this outlaw?”
“Hmm…”
It wasn’t clear yet, but if I revealed Rize’s identity, it would cause chaos in the town. Plus, if I pressured her now, who knows what she might do since she’s still lying low. For now, I needed to play it cool and observe the situation.
“Say I killed him. If there’s a wanted poster for this guy at our office, find it and give it to the sheriff together.”
“Understood.”
“Alright, I’m off then.”
After leaving Emma to handle the cleanup, I headed to Bob’s place with No Name.
Bob’s house wasn’t far from Deaf Man’s Tavern, standing alone. Since it was already past noon, Mari, Daisy, and Rize wouldn’t be there. Only Bob would be inside.
“Whoa, you scared me. What’s up, Kid?”
“Bob, you’re the only one home, right?”
“…Yeah, that’s right.”
Bob was the only one there, resting after a night of business.
“Excuse me.”
After confirming no one else was home, I went inside.
“Where’s Rize’s room?”
“…What, Kid? You still suspect Rize? Man, it’s over. Mari said Rize was with her the whole time until the incident. That’s a solid alibi…”
“Got it, just tell me. Where’s her room?”
“…Over there in the corner, the small one.”
I wasn’t suspecting Rize of being Zodiac. Honestly, I wished she were Zodiac. But Rize seemed far more dangerous than Zodiac. I came here to confirm that.
*Click.*
“Empty.”
Opening Rize’s room revealed a small, bare space.
“Well, Rize hasn’t been here long.”
“But she wouldn’t have come here empty-handed. No luggage?”
“It’s probably in the closet.”
Opening the closet, I found a fairly large bag. I immediately opened it.
Inside were old clothes and various travel items. No guns or knives—nothing that could kill someone. Bob, who was watching, clicked his tongue.
“Tsk tsk, I told you Rize isn’t Zodiac. See? Nothing much in there.”
“……”
True, there wasn’t much in Rize’s bag. But that was the problem. If she traveled the West and ended up in Justice Town, she should at least have a gun, right?
Suspicious, I lifted the bag again. And then…
‘Bingo.’
The bag’s capacity didn’t match its size. I quickly found a false bottom.
*Rustle.*
Sure enough, there was a hidden compartment. I reached in to see what was inside.
*Thud.*
First, I felt a cold revolver and bullets. Next to it…
*Ouch.*
A sharp sensation—knives. Not just one, but two small knives. And next to them…
*Thud.*
“……”
Feeling fabric next to the cold gun and knives, I had a guess. Just to be sure, I stuck my face in the bag to see with my own eyes.
And then…
“…Damn it.”
Inside was exactly what I expected—a white mask.
‘…Ah.’
I sighed deeply. Finally, the legacy I left behind had come back to haunt me. I knew this day would come, but facing it head-on was still a bit overwhelming.
I stared at the tiny white mask and let out a deep sigh. Bob, curious, asked from behind.
“…What? Found something?”
“……”
As Bob approached, I quickly rearranged the bag and casually replied.
“…Nah, nothing much.”
“See? I told you! Rize isn’t Zodiac.”
“…Yeah, my bad.”
I was about to leave Bob’s house in a hurry when…
“Hey, Bob. Don’t mention I was here to her… Whoa, you scared me!”
“……”
Opening the front door, I saw Rize standing there with an expressionless face, like a scene from a horror movie.
‘When did she get here…?’
I hadn’t heard a thing. How did she move so quietly?
As I stood there stunned, Rize stared at me and then…
“…Boss. The missus said we’re out of pepper.”
“Oh, right? I’ll bring some right away.”
I acted casual, telling Bob to get the pepper from the kitchen. Once Bob left, Rize and I were alone again. Her expressionless face was like a statue—impossible to read.
I broke the silence first.
“…Do you have something to say to me?”
“……”
“Never mind.”
When she didn’t respond, I walked past her. I couldn’t let my guard down just because she was a young, cute girl. She was… a member of the worst gang in the West.
Rize had probably figured out my identity. And now, I had figured out hers. We both knew we were targets. The duel had already begun. The only question was who would draw their gun first.
‘Today’s not the day.’
Since I didn’t sense hostility from Rize, I chose to leave instead of drawing my gun.
“No Name.”
“Hehe.”
After passing Rize, I mounted No Name and prepared to leave. But then…
“Do you… remember me…?”
“…?”
Rize, who had been silent until now, looked at me and asked.
“Do you remember me…?”
“…What?”
Remember her…?
Her sudden question made me tilt my head in confusion.
“…Ah.”
Seeing my expression, she let out a small sigh and turned her head away.
“……”
I watched her for a moment, but when it seemed she wouldn’t turn back, I urged No Name to move.
“Let’s go, No Name.”
*Clatter.*
After putting some distance between us, I could feel Rize’s gaze on my back through my heightened senses.
**
‘Do you remember me…?’
As I headed back to the office, I tried to recall.
“Damn, who is she…?”
I pride myself on having a good memory, almost as good as Emma’s. I could remember most of the wanted posters I’d seen. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t recall anything about Rize.
‘Did I miss someone important…?’
“I memorized all the names…”
Of course, the members didn’t know my face.
I always wore a mask whenever I met them.
“Ah, damn, if I can’t remember, they must be new recruits… They’re probably really young too.”
Anyway, who Rize was didn’t matter to me.
From now on, she was just one of the targets I had to kill to protect my life.
I could roughly guess that Rize was an excellent shot, but of course, she wasn’t on my level.
‘The problem is, the organization knows where I am.’
Rize must’ve reported to her superiors as soon as she saw me.
The guys who heard about me would probably send more members within a few months.
‘Maybe it’s better to leave Justice Town.’
I calculated my next moves to my advantage as I headed to the office.
And then…
“Hmm…?”
Thanks to my sharp eyesight, I could see Sophia and Jet standing in front of the office along with Emma.
“Ah, what the hell.”
Jet could come anytime, but why the hell is Sophia here again?
Feeling a bit annoyed, I hurried to the office.
“Ah, here he comes.”
“Boss.”
“What brings you two here?”
When I asked, Jet was the first to answer.
“Ah, first, Kid. Emma confirmed you took care of the outlaw. The bounty’s been given to her, so check with her later.”
“Thanks for that, but why are you here?”
“Well…”
As Jet hesitated, Sophia stepped in to answer.
“I suggested coming. Since you’re such a skilled gunslinger, we couldn’t exclude you from the Zodiac suspect list. I’d like to search your office.”
As she spoke, Sophia glared at me, not hiding her hostility.
Seeing that, I sighed, and Jet leaned in to whisper.
“…Sorry. I tried to explain, but she’s stubborn…”
“Ah, it’s fine. Go ahead, feel free.”
“I’ll take that as permission. Emma? Open the door.”
“…….”
It seemed Emma had been holding out, not opening the office door until I arrived.
Emma hesitated but eventually opened the door.
Click.
“Then, excuse me.”
As soon as the door opened, Sophia marched straight into the office.
Sophia still seemed to be barking up the wrong tree, thinking I was Zodiac.
‘Search all you want, there’s nothing here.’
My office didn’t have anything important.
No clues about who I used to be either.
“Hmm…”
Sophia, unable to find anything, eventually came out empty-handed.
“Done? Want me to show you the stable too?”
“…….”
Teasing Sophia, who had struck out, she glanced around the office and pointed somewhere.
“…What’s that place over there?”
“Ah… that’s just a storage room…”
When Sophia pointed to the remote storage room, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Thinking she had found something, Sophia headed straight for the storage room.
“Let’s check that too.”
“No, there’s really nothing there…”
The storage room behind my office was a hastily built structure with no proper lock.
Sophia walked over and swung the door open wide…
“……!”
Sophia, and even Jet who followed, were stunned by what they saw inside.
“…Just a few rifles, dozens of pistols, and a bit of dynamite. Nothing much.”
“…What the hell. Did you raid a military base?”
It was the Redbeard Gang that raided the military base.
I just raided the Redbeard Gang.
All these weapons in the storage room were taken from the Redbeard Gang.
In this small town, I couldn’t find a place to dispose of the loot, so I stored the weapons here and used them as needed.
“…….”
“…Ah, Sheriff. It’s not what you think.”
Seeing Jet’s suspicious look at the sudden arsenal, I quickly waved my hands to explain.
“Remember when I took down the Redbeard Gang? These are all the weapons I brought back then.”
“…Then why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“I was worried you’d borrow them because the security team was short on weapons.”
“Typical of you.”
Seemingly satisfied with the explanation, Jet nodded and covered for Sophia.
“Kid took down the Redbeard Gang, a bank-robbing group, about seven or eight months ago. I can vouch for that.”
“…I know. I checked last night in the Utah state newspaper.”
“…You found an article from months ago?”
Sophia’s obsession with me was beyond imagination.
The article about the Redbeard Gang takedown was from ages ago, and she found it?
And now, Sophia’s obsession turned to the storage room.
Swoosh.
She went inside and started meticulously inspecting for anything suspicious.
Sophia’s enthusiasm annoyed me.
With Rize, a Zodiac suspect, now off the radar, the situation was already frustrating.
‘If Rize isn’t Zodiac, then who the hell is?’
Sophia was barking up the wrong tree, and it was driving me crazy.
As I let out a small sigh…
“…Here.”
Sophia, having found something, pointed to a corner.
“There’s a bunch of Single Action Armies here, the kind Zodiac used.”
“…Ah, yeah. I use those too.”
What Sophia found was a stash of Single Action Armies I had set aside.
The Single Action Army was my favorite revolver, so I kept them separate for easy access.
Sophia also carried a Single Action Army.
She seemed to find no fault and moved on.
But then…
“…Huh?”
“…What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
“…No, nothing.”
I was the one tilting my head at the Single Action Armies in the corner.
Well, because…
‘…Why are there only five?’
Let me say it again, I pride myself on my memory.
The Single Action Army is my favorite revolver, so I kept them separate.
‘…Three, four, five, six. Okay, six.’
I distinctly remember counting six Single Action Armies before.
But now, in front of me…
‘…Five.’
Only five revolvers were visible.
