Chapter 19
As Jaei got down, he lightly patted Onyx’s side.
It was meant to calm it down so it wouldn’t be startled, but instead, Onyx stamped its front hooves a few times and then bolted forward.
The startled bandits only briefly took aim, then burst into laughter as they looked at Jaei, who had been left alone.
“Puhahaha! Oh man! Did you just see that?”
“That horse really is smart. It knows when to run! Hahaha!”
The bandits clutched their stomachs as they laughed, while Jaei blankly stared at Onyx’s retreating figure disappearing into the darkness.
Perhaps because of its pitch-black fur, it vanished in an instant.
How should he even interpret this?
Back at the market, it had acted like it couldn’t live without him.
Now what remained with Jaei were a revolver, a rifle, arrows, and a 2400-dollar note.
All things more than enough to provoke a band of robbers.
“Put the gun down.”
At Priscilla’s warning, Jaei slowly lowered his gun.
She approached, kicked the weapons aside, and then, as if surprised, pressed the sawed-off against Jaei’s chin.
Perhaps because it was night, the barrel felt even colder.
“Former militia?”
“That’s right. That’s why the farm owner entrusted me with dealing with the wolves.”
“How many people are at the farm right now?”
Jaei answered naturally.
A lie that came out unconsciously.
“Fifteen.”
“What? That many family members?”
Priscilla frowned.
It didn’t seem like such a big farm.
“They gathered people to deal with the wolf pack.”
“If what you’re saying is true—”
Fifteen meant they were at an absolute disadvantage in numbers.
And the farm would be even more secure, wary of horse thieves.
Priscilla lit another cigarette and stared into Jaei’s eyes.
Gray eyes.
“So today’s a bust.”
Then what should she do with him?
Tear him apart and claim he was killed by wolves before heading to the farm?
Or put a bullet in his head right here?
Now that he had mentioned Wells Fargo, she couldn’t just let him go.
Though, that had been the case even before.
As Priscilla pressed the barrel against his head, Jaei swallowed dryly and made a suggestion.
“······Sorry, but if this is about Wells Fargo, then it’s a problem for me too.”
“A problem? Why for you? The ones in trouble here are us. We’re out here suffering in the middle of the night, and then you show up.”
Jaei calmly cleared his throat.
If they were bank robbers, there was a high chance they were the same ones who had caused trouble in Ractover.
Their numbers hadn’t even been identified, so no wanted posters had been issued.
Bold bastards.
To be planning something like this near Mollibay again.
“I was also waiting for that carriage.”
“What?”
It wasn’t a lie.
He had been hanging around the bank almost every day asking when his 2400 dollars would arrive.
“You know the stagecoach coming this time is worth over 5000 dollars, right?”
“······!”
Even in the dark, he could tell Priscilla and the entire group had frozen.
The amount far exceeded expectations.
“N-no way. 5000 dollars?”
“What kind of amount is that for Mollibay—”
“You bastard! If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable!”
Priscilla smiled with an unreadable expression and gestured for her subordinates to be quiet.
Then, without hesitation, she fired into the air.
Bang!
A warning to Jaei.
If he showed even the slightest suspicious move, the next bullet would go into his head.
“Who told you that? Even when we cleaned out Ractover, we only got 980 dollars. Where did this 5000-dollar figure come from, huh?”
“Do you know how many bounty hunters have come into Mollibay? This time, the corpse of Roldiori Max, famous as a train robber, came in.”
“······!”
“A bounty worth 2000 dollars. Do you understand?”
It was an amount the sheriff’s office could never pay alone.
The bank must be involved.
“In Mollibay and Ractover, base funds of 1000 dollars each. Roldiori Max’s bounty, 2000 dollars. And additional payments for bounty hunters. Altogether, 5000 dollars, guaranteed. You tried to rob it without even knowing the amount?”
“Where did you hear that?”
“At the bar, at the bank, well. I also stopped by the sheriff’s office.”
Priscilla turned to Becky.
He was in charge of gathering rumors in town.
And he missed something this important?
As her eyes flashed, Becky waved his hands.
“No, that bastard’s lying. Most bounty hunters already got paid and left. There are barely any left in Mollibay.”
“Enough. We can’t confirm it right now anyway, so keep quiet. We’ll check when we get back to Mollibay.”
Becky pressed his lips tightly.
If things went wrong, he’d be in serious trouble.
What the hell was that bastard scheming?
Becky had actually run into Jaei at the bar before, but without any lights around, he hadn’t recognized him.
“So, let’s assume what you said is true, that the stagecoach is worth 5000 dollars. Then what? What does that have to do with you dying here? If you can’t convince me, I’ll put the next bullet in your mouth.”
“Can’t you estimate the level of escort? There was already an incident in Ractover, so Wells Fargo will send their elite guards this time. Taking them down with tricks like rocky hills or farms—”
It would be almost like facing an army.
With only five people, they couldn’t accomplish anything.
“It’s practically impossible.”
“Get to the point. My patience is running out.”
Click.
“It’s better to let the stagecoach deliver and then rob the bank instead. The Mollibay sheriffs are stupid and few in number.”
“Listen carefully, idiot. We’ve already robbed banks before. Pinkertons might be a few dozen at most, right? But to rob a bank, you’d have to deal with security plus hundreds of townspeople and shake them off. It’s on a completely different level.”
“That means if you properly persuade the townspeople, robbing the bank becomes easy.”
“What kind of idiots would let someone rob the bank holding their money? People like you?”
“A bank is a place to deposit money, but also to borrow it. Instead of just taking cash on-site, take the documents too. The collateral loan papers.”
Priscilla paused.
Why hadn’t she thought of that?
From the townspeople’s perspective, if the robbers destroyed their loan documents, there would be no reason to stop them.
They might even cheer them on.
Jaei carefully observed her reaction and added,
“I was already working on something like that behind the scenes, but if things get tangled like this, it’s troublesome. How about we return to Mollibay and discuss it in detail? I have friends there too.”
“Boss, no. This is nonsense. Let’s just kill him here and avoid trouble.”
“I think we can take him along. It sounds reasonable. Let’s assess the situation first, then kill him later if needed. Honestly, relying on rocky hills alone is too risky. If there’s another method, that’s better.”
“I’m fine with anything. It’s cold and I’m hungry, so let’s hurry.”
Priscilla brought her cigarette close to Jaei’s face, trying to read his expression in the dark.
After a moment of thought, she lowered the sawed-off and gave an order.
“Tie him up, gag him, and cover his face. We’re taking him for now. He’ll be useful in many ways, including the farm.”
At her command, the subordinates approached, pulling ropes from their saddles.
They were large, rough men.
Resisting wouldn’t be easy.
For now, it was better to be satisfied with extending his life and think of the next move.
Once they reached Mollibay, he’d find a way to escape.
Just as Jaei was about to obediently offer his arms—
Clatter clatter!
“······?”
The sound of hooves came from somewhere.
What was strange was that it wasn’t just one.
The bandits aimed their guns toward the sound and soon spotted a horse running frantically from afar.
“Isn’t that the horse that ran away earlier?”
“Yeah. Why is it suddenly—”
“Huh?”
“Uh? Uh?! Uhhh!”
Hiiing!
Onyx came charging wildly, drool dripping, with a pack of wolves chasing behind it.
Their eyes gleamed in the darkness.
The raw madness of starving beasts could be felt all the way here.
“Shit!”
“Get on the horses! Move!”
The wolves were fast, numerous, and intelligent.
Facing them barehanded in the dark without a horse was dangerous even with guns.
At Priscilla’s shout, the bandits turned, and Jaei seized the moment, grabbing his dropped gun and arrows before running toward Onyx.
“Onyx!”
Hiiing!
Though wolves were chasing from behind, Onyx slowed down for Jaei.
Grabbing the saddle strap, Jaei used the momentum to mount, feeling a burst of heat.
The warmth radiating from Onyx’s body—it must have been running nonstop for him.
Jaei straightened his posture, took the reins, and spotted a wolf right behind them.
Bang!
Kieeeek!
With a single shot from the revolver, the wolf collapsed backward.
Around ten, he said?
The farm owner must have been half-blind.
There were at least twenty.
Grr! Bark bark!
Grrrr! Bark! Bark!
They bared massive fangs and chased Onyx like mad.
Whether it was because of the rotten meat hanging from the saddle or something Onyx had done to lure them, Jaei didn’t know.
He roughly threw the meat pouch and pulled out the Sharps rifle.
Thunk! Click!
Bang!
One of the bandits fleeing ahead fell off his horse instantly.
Priscilla turned back in shock.
A single shot—he hit a target with a single shot in this darkness?
Priscilla and the bandits fired backward.
Whether it hit the wolves or him, they didn’t care.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
But Jaei paid no mind and faced forward, protecting himself and Onyx.
Gunshots rang out endlessly, but few were lethal.
The bandits were firing while riding, looking back, with poor visibility.
Bang!
“Ugh!”
“Damn it! Parker!”
“Keep shooting! Why aren’t we hitting him?!”
“Boss! Ahead! Ahead!”
With each strike, one man fell from his horse.
The starving wolves began reducing in number as they attacked the corpses.
Priscilla suddenly recalled the uneasy feeling she had when they first arrived at the rocky hills.
That sense that someone’s head would get blown off.
Throwing away her half-smoked cigarette, she cursed.