Chapter 31
Sasa-sak!
The sound of rustling bushes tickled the ears.
Jaei, who had been waiting for an answer, sensed something strange.
The revolver’s muzzle had moved not to the front, but toward the back.
They stealthily hid within the stretching shadows, forming a large circle centered around Jaei and Libero.
Though they were currently living in hiding from the American government, the surrounding area was all their territory.
It was a place they had run through for hundreds of years, perhaps even longer, so pushing through the tangled bushes was no task at all.
Click!
“We want an answer, Chief of Maktalakuna. If you attempt any tricks, I’ll send those who approached from behind to the side of the little warrior.”
As Jaei spoke, the chief’s eyes narrowed.
Had he sensed the presence of the warriors?
They were swift enough to snatch even a nimble deer from behind, and silent at that.
Asakabu—meaning “silent arrow” in their language.
It could be said with certainty that if Baipapupu had just a bit more experience, this situation would not have happened.
Today was truly an unlucky day for everyone gathered here.
“Conversation, huh… Fine. I’ve never seen an outsider do it properly, though.”
Ooo! Oooo!
At the chief’s signal, the warriors who had circled behind Jaei and Libero revealed themselves from the bushes.
“Gasp.”
It wasn’t their beast-like sharp eyes or blood-smeared faces that shocked him.
He had sensed their presence, but he hadn’t expected this many Indians to be hiding.
There seemed to be well over fifteen in total.
They raised their upper bodies, aiming guns and bows at the two.
Their sun-bronzed muscles resembled leopards running across the plains.
“J-Jaei.”
We almost got completely screwed.
Libero trailed off, glancing at Jaei.
Though his expression hadn’t changed much, he too seemed quite startled.
He had expected at most five near the rock, but this…
“It seems the entire tribe has moved.”
“Those who call themselves warriors all went hunting. Enough nonsense. Explain why the people of Mollibay are following you.”
Jaei leaned against the rock, facing the natives.
As long as they didn’t lower their weapons, neither could he.
Libero also kept his gun aimed at them, though he looked almost frozen in place.
“It’s nothing significant. Perhaps Roldiori—”
Jaei hesitated.
Would mentioning Roldiori Max, the train bandits, really bring a positive reaction from the Indians?
‘They would likely oppose the railroads that divide their land. If train bandits run rampant, it would trouble the company and ultimately align with the Indians’ interests.’
And if they found out about the thousands of dollars, it would be even more dangerous.
As Jaei hesitated, Libero, who had been watching, added instead.
After all, the conman was him, not Jaei.
“Jaei’s a famous bounty hunter. We teamed up with the Mollibay guys to catch a big target. Everyone knows that, right? Lots of hunters gather in Mollibay.”
“A big target?”
“The, the recent Ractover bank robbery!”
“Ah.”
The chief smirked.
A snake-tongued bastard.
“Do you think only you have eyes and ears? The Ractover bank robber was caught long ago.”
Shit, he knows? How do people living out here know that?
As Libero panicked, Jaei quietly added.
It might seem like a mistake, but it wasn’t.
Rather, it worked out well.
“No. That’s a lie.”
“Your final words are nothing but nonsense. That is truly unfortunate.”
“The Mollibay sheriff and the Ractover sheriff staged it to cover things up and take the reward. The real bank robber is someone else. There—behind you, the woman.”
“Huh?”
As Libero’s eyes widened, Jaei gestured with his eyebrows for him to get it together.
“…Behind?”
“Chief. I believe he is referring to that corpse.”
“She matches the woman those fugitives were carrying while fleeing.”
At Jaei’s words, the Indians looked around.
The corpse of the woman the Pinkerton group had carried on horseback earlier lay nearby.
“She is the leader of the bank robbers. There should be an arrow in her back—that’s the mark I left while chasing her. Here—”
Jaei lightly lifted the quiver slung over his shoulder.
The natives lowered their stances warily.
Slowly, without provoking them, Jaei took out an arrow and tossed it behind the rock.
Thud.
At the chief’s nod, a tribesman picked it up and brought it over.
“It’s a handmade arrow, so I believe you can recognize it. You also carve your weapons by hand, don’t you?”
When hunting, it was essential for natives to distinguish whose arrow had taken a beast’s life.
They opened Priscilla’s back and removed the broken arrowhead.
“It matches. The binding method of the arrowhead and the inward carving of the shaft are identical.”
At the tribesman’s words, the chief furrowed his brow.
He had thought Jaei had a snake’s tongue, but the corpse stirred doubt.
Seeing not only the chief but also the tribe growing restless, Jaei continued.
“I don’t know why the Pinkerton agents had her body. Perhaps they didn’t know. But now you do. Take that corpse to Ractover and claim she’s the bank robber. The sheriff will dismiss it as madness, but it was such a big case that there will be witnesses.”
“There were no wanted posters because witnesses were hard to find.”
“There were rumors that the Wells Fargo bank planned to sue their head of security. I don’t know if it’s true, but I heard he was charmed by Priscilla and had the keys copied. And the bank’s security information too.”
It was only a rumor, after all.
“The Ractover bank robbery was a massive incident. Wells Fargo, which controls California’s financial flow, was the victim, and the authorities spared no effort in investigation and support. Do you understand what that means?”
The places closest to their hidden territory were Mollibay and Ractover.
If they could expose the corruption of the sheriffs there?
No—even just having clues would allow them to live more safely.
“Do not step forward directly. You’ll be eliminated. Just instill the idea that ‘touching those natives will be troublesome.’ That alone will benefit your survival.”
It wouldn’t be easy, but it was worth trying.
Wasn’t this the perfect situation for “nothing to lose”?
“Well, if you go to Ractover and find solid evidence, who knows what might happen. I trust the chief will handle it well.”
Jaei couldn’t see the chief’s expression.
But judging by the softening faces of the Indians confronting him, he could guess the reaction.
“If you open the path, I’ll tell you the details of that day as we go down. There’s not much time. I don’t know how far those who followed me have come.”
Whiik! Whik!
At the chief’s whistle, those holding guns and arrows stepped back.
As if permitting them to stand.
“Fine. But there is one condition.”
“I hope it’s reasonable.”
“We will keep the one beside you.”
“What!?”
Libero, who had been rolling his eyes trying to grasp the situation, freaked out.
“M-Me? Why me?”
“If those who followed from Mollibay leave without suspicion, we will release him.”
“Wait a second!”
“Agreed.”
“Jaei, you bastard! Just because it’s not your problem!”
“But I have a condition. He must remain within my sight, and to send them away without suspicion, the natives must stay hidden.”
It meant only a minimal number would guard Libero.
That was acceptable.
After all, they would kill them all anyway.
Once the Mollibay people left, both of them would be dealt with.
‘We can’t verify everything right now, but there’s a corpse and information. Still, we can’t let these bastards live. For safety, it’s best to cut out all living tongues.’
How many times had outsiders betrayed them?
This time, they wouldn’t be fooled.
At the chief’s signal, the natives tightly bound Libero’s wrists.
“Then shall we go down?”
Libero, sniffling and crying, found slight comfort in the eased tension and kept calling Jaei’s name.
“….”
It seemed roughly agreed upon, but why were the gun barrels still rigidly aimed at the chief?
Jaei looked around at the natives aiming at him and realized.
‘…They don’t intend to let us live.’
***
Crackle crackle!
The pursuers who had rushed out from Mollibay chewed on unlit cigarettes meaninglessly.
Kim Jaei, what a nimble bastard.
He seemed friendly with the locals, so they expected some notice before leaving.
But he had disappeared overnight without a trace.
“He went north, right?”
“Or did he jump the broken bridge?”
Ten of them in total.
They had come this far chasing the scent of thousands of dollars.
To retrieve the money, they would need ID and complicated procedures—but that was for later.
First, Jaei and the account—
“Hey, check the binoculars.”
“That brown-haired brat… looks like Jaei?”
“Really? That’s Jaei?”
A boy standing boldly in the middle of the road.
What a lucky break.
They urged their horses forward, half in doubt.
“Hey! Jaei?”
Jaei looked straight at those approaching him.
To the left, hidden in the bushes, was Libero.
There was probably an Indian pointing a gun at him.
It wasn’t visible here, but it was certain.
‘Whether we send them away or deal with them, once only Libero and I remain, the Indians will kill us.’
The gun barrels—and his instincts—told him so.
As Jaei remained silent in thought, the men approached with bright smiles.
“Wow, it’s really him. It’s Jaei.”
“What are you doing here? This is unexpected.”
“Yeah, didn’t think we’d meet like this.”
“…Are you from Mollibay?”
Having made his decision, Jaei composed his expression and faced them.
All of them held guns in one hand.
A smile naturally formed on his lips.
Their intentions were painfully obvious.
“This worked out well. Please help me. Libero betrayed me.”
“What?”
“He took my account and all my money and ran. I knew he was a conman, but I didn’t expect this… I was wondering if I should go back to Mollibay, how I’d even get there, but this is perfect.”
“W-Where is Libero?”
“He stole my horse and went that way. Not long ago.”
Jaei gestured toward where the Indians were hiding.
The men looked at the dense bushes, confused.
Should they believe this or not?
But Jaei standing alone like this, without Onyx, wasn’t normal either.
One of the men stepped forward and gave orders.
“Two stay here. The rest, let’s go after him.”
“Sounds good.”
As eight men passed by Jaei, the atmosphere shifted sharply.
They would act as shields against the Indians.
Ooo! Ooo!
As the Indians sensed something wrong and tried to signal, Jaei pointed to the remaining two.
“Over there—”
Bang!
He immediately fired his rifle toward Libero’s direction.
The head of the Indian hiding in the bushes holding Libero hostage must have exploded.
The startled men aimed their guns at Jaei, but they quickly misunderstood.
“Huh? That’s Libero?”
“Why is he there? Damn it!”
They thought Jaei had spotted the betraying Libero and fired.
Libero burst into tears and started running, and the men turned their backs on Jaei, thinking he was escaping.
Bang! Bang!
Click! Bang! Bang!
Without hesitation, Jaei blew off the heads of the two men who had turned their backs.
The Indians, realizing they had been deceived, rushed out of the forest and collided head-on with the eight men heading that way.
Ooo! Ooo!
“What, what the hell? Indians?”
“Shit, why are they here—!”
Bang! Bang!
Baaang!
The Indians chasing Jaei were blocked by the men.
They fired wildly at each other, shouting to move aside, while Jaei sprinted toward Libero.
Libero was rolling around, his hands bound, trying to escape.
“Sob, sob! Fuuuck!”
“Onyx!”
Whiiik!
At Jaei’s call, Onyx came running from afar.
And Donkey too, somehow already moved.
Clatter clatter!
“Libero!”
“Jaei, you bastard! Sob, ugh—!”
“Don’t fall!”
As Indians and pursuers clashed in a massacre behind them, the two ran like mad.
While running, Jaei cut Libero’s wrist bindings and mounted Onyx and Donkey.
“Let’s go!”
Clatter clatter!
They had to get as far away as possible.
Only then did Jaei feel at ease and turn back, firing his revolver.
Those who had tried to kill them were now entangled in chaos.
Libero clung tightly to Donkey’s neck and shouted with all his strength.
“Ruuuun—!”