And then, at that moment, a gunshot rang out from the exact opposite direction.
Taaang!
Another head was blown off by a bouncer’s bullet.
So what’s your name?
‘How did you know in advance?’
The leader’s head was in confusion.
A bullet flying in a completely different direction.
If they hit the guys around the barn, it was clear that their plan had been leaked.
‘But I can’t go back like this.’
He killed the previous leader with his own gun.
And now the positions are reversed.
If I run away like this, another Border Ruffian will point a gun at me. I have to finish this job even if it means dying.
“You three go to the barn, the rest of you split up and find the oriental guy and that other guy!”
“You sons of bitches, I’ll cut your balls off!”
Enemies are dispersed in three directions,
The militiaman, having finished loading, aimed his gun at the group approaching the barn.
Max’s appearance blew away the anxiety and nervousness of the team members.
This was a display of proper marksmanship.
Bang bang bang!
“Ugh.”
The men who had approached the barn with a series of gunshots fell off their horses. Two of them were shot, but one of them, who was unharmed, got off his horse and crouched down.
He concealed his location by muffled his footsteps in order to find any militiamen who might be hiding.
In suffocating tension.
Peach threw a stone at one point.
bang!
bang!
The bastard fired his gun, and Peach quickly pulled the trigger toward where the gunshot had come from.
Sigh.
“Ugh···.”
After a short groan, silence fell over the room.
Peach looked at the rifle she was holding with a thrilling feeling.
Knowledge learned through books.
Even though it is a novel, it brings another level of excitement when it is applied in real life.
“Uh, is it over?”
The militiamen just blinked and didn’t dare to look inside the room.
It was only after some time that they realized they had killed three people.
When Peach deals with the remaining one.
Max and Bouncer lured the enemies towards one place.
The Kansas River basin south of Lawrence.
There were trees so it was a good place to hide.
The bouncer got off his horse and ran to the river mouth.
Max hid in the middle of the tree and waited for the enemies.
“Do you think they won’t find you if you hide here?”
The enemies who appeared immediately confirmed Max and Bouncer’s words and also stepped on the ground.
The leader gestured for direction, and soon eight people were on the search.
A gently flowing river.
The sound of leaves rustling together heightened the tension. Perhaps because they had been hit once, their footsteps were filled with caution.
Max, who had soaked into the darkness, waited for them to come, holding his field officer’s sword.
When the distance between us and them was reduced to about 2 meters.
Taaaaang!
“Over there!”
The men’s caution was broken by the sound of the bouncer’s gunshot. They quickly passed the tree where Max was hiding. Then, at some point.
Max reached out and grabbed one of the guys.
At the same time, he covered her mouth and stuck the tip of the Bowie knife into her neck.
Lay it down gently so as not to make any noise,
We went after our next target.
The bouncer caught the eye and Max followed suit.
After killing them one by one, the only thing left was the leader.
Dealing with the bastard wasn’t a difficult task for Max and Bouncer.
“Hey, you bastards!”
Bang! Bang!
The terrified leader fires his guns in all directions.
Crunch.
As the bullets ran out, the leader pulled out his Bowie knife.
“Come at me, you dog···.”
Wheezing.
Max pierced the bastard’s chest with his field officer’s sword.
“Ugh···.”
The leader, who was spitting out blood from his chest, looked at the man who appeared next to him, not Max.
‘This kid was trying to snitch.’
“Ba… Unsu… this son of a bitch….”
“I told you to always be careful what you say in a bar.”
The bouncer sneered and pulled the trigger again.
Taang!
The leader’s body collapsed as gunfire echoed across the Kansas River valley.
“Phew.”
The bouncer blows out the smoke from the muzzle of the gun.
Max opened his mouth after seeing that.
“You’re so cool.”
“You shouldn’t say that. If you stab someone with a Bowie knife with a longsword, that’s more cruel. No, it’s vulgar.”
“I really wanted to try it at least once.”
“You’re not normal either.”
The bouncer chuckled and put his revolver away.
“Let’s go back to the barn first.”
“Are the militiamen scarecrows? Do you think they could have been defeated by just three guys?”
“I want to believe that, but you never know what will happen to people.”
Max and Bouncer headed towards the horse.
But as we were arriving, we heard the sound of horse hooves.
Max and Bouncer quickly hid themselves.
However, after confirming who had appeared, he burst into laughter and revealed himself.
“You’re safe, Sheriff!”
“Wow, you two finished it all?”
It was Peach, Hochson, and Morgan.
“What about the villagers?”
“Everyone is safe.”
A smile appeared on Peach’s lips.
Although it didn’t fit the situation, it was an attractive sight in its own way.
As the situation was sorted out and the process of recovery began, Max watched Bouncer closely.
By no means was he an ordinary person.
‘He’s good at shooting and has a lot of guts.’
My favorite thing is body disposal.
He tied the horses and corpses of the enemies together with rope.
The craftsmanship was skillful.
“What was your original occupation?”
“Well, I did a lot of things.”
‘What would a person like that ask of me?’
I’m scared to even hear what it is.
Max decided to avoid conversation if possible.
*
“Damn Border Ruffians!”
“How can you come all the way to the village like this!”
“You must never just let this pass!”
When Max arrived, people were gathered in front of a pile of ashes, venting their anger.
The identity of the pile of ashes was the sheriff’s office that had been completely burned down. Max’s mouth dropped open at the sight of not a single pillar remaining.
‘Isn’t that too much?’
Max bowed his head to the townspeople with a complicated feeling.
“I’m sorry for causing you this.”
“Whoa, whoa. What are you talking about? What’s wrong with the sheriff?”
“I had a hard time dealing with those crazy guys.”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
If you think about it, it happened because of Max.
If we hadn’t formed a militia to respond in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened.
But no one blamed Max.
The pride that they had in exercising their right to vote without being subjected to violence. Although the results were disappointing, pride was a great asset to the people of Lawrence.
Chairman Charles Robinson was shocked by what had happened today and did not hide his anger. He looked quite excited, which was unusual for him.
“I can’t just let this happen today. No matter what happens, I’m going to go see the governor and hold him accountable for this.”
The responsibility lies with the slave owners who sent the Border Ruffians. But to Max, it was a meaningless act.
“I have something to tell you.”
Max, who had moved to a quieter place, made a secret proposal to Charles.
“I think it would be best to conclude this raid as the work of outlaws.”
“What does that mean?”
“If you, Mr. Chairman, claim that they are Border Rufians, the slave owners will be quick to refute you. They will say that you are framing them.”
Then, they could raid the towns where the slavers lived and make it look like the freemen were doing it.
“So what do they gain from it?”
“It’s turning the possibility of a re-election into violence. If we provide that pretext, the situation will be worse.”
Charles’ argument becomes less convincing when we ask the question, “Why would a slave owner who won the election attack the town of Lawrence?”
“So, are you saying we should just bury this matter?”
“There will come a day when we have to pay it back. Until then, we should focus on the re-election, and not distort the essence with things like this.”
“Hmm. Do you think a re-election is possible?”
Charles asked, stroking his beard.
“Will there not be active intervention by liberals in the future? The governor, who has hitherto suffered under the pressure of the slave states, will now be harassed even in the free states. In the meantime, the governor will show his true character.”
“her···.”
Max’s insight that sees through the situation.
Charles asked with a new look of surprise.
“How on earth do you come up with such thoughts?”
“I usually enjoy reading newspapers.”
“It looks different from what I see.”
Charles nodded with a hollow smile.
“I’ll do as you say, but how are we going to convince the villagers? They’ll all think it’s Border Rufian’s doing.”
“that.”
Max looked at Chairman Charles and said.
“It’s the chairman’s responsibility.”
“……”
After the conversation, the two approached the villagers. Holiday seemed quite curious about what they were talking about.
“What happened today was done by lawbreakers who had nothing to do with the Border Rufians.”
Charles shouted loudly in front of the people.
As expected of a politician, he was quick-witted. He must have decided that it would be easier to erase Border Rufian from people’s minds than to persuade them.
Of course, people didn’t believe him. Charles continued speaking to the commotion.
“These guys have ties to a gang our sheriff dealt with in the past.”
“That Five Joaquin’s Gang?!”
Charles nodded shamelessly.
Max let out a gasp. What followed was nothing short of spectacular.
The sheriff wasn’t on vacation, he was out looking for these guys and they happened to be on different paths.
So that’s how this division arose.
“If you keep calling these guys Ruffians, the real Ruffians will rise up. Now, it’s getting late, so let’s meet tomorrow.”
‘I think you understand by now.’
After Charles dismissed the townspeople, he spoke to Max.
“What would you like to do with the bodies?”
“I think it would be better to just leave it alone today.”
It was 3 a.m. Charles was tired and left the work to Max and went home.
“Why, it feels like you’re desperately trying to hide the fact that you’re a Border Ruffian?”
George Brown, the newspaper editor, narrowed his eyes and asked Max.
It’s a sharpness befitting a professional.
Lies don’t work on people like this.
Max relayed to Holiday and George Brown what he had told Charles.
“So, when you write an article, just make it an outlaw.”
“If that’s the reason, then okay!”
Max then spoke with the militia about the loot.
15 horses, 21 revolvers, 7 rifles.
The rest of the guys had $123 in cash.
The loot was substantial. Enough to rebuild the sheriff’s office.
Max decided to leave these items with the town’s treasure trove.
When the situation was over, the only people left were Holiday, Peach, and the still-hiding Bouncer.
“The house burned down. How about sleeping at an inn?”
“Or you can sleep at my house.”
Peach suddenly interrupted Holiday’s remark.
Max’s eyes fluttered, but he soon calmed himself down and shook his head.
“Next time.”
“Next? Oh my. This opportunity doesn’t come twice.”
Peach turned around and went back home without any regrets.
A little later, as Holiday was sent back, a bouncer appeared out of the darkness.
“Let’s go for a drink.”
The pub is not far from the burnt-down offices.
Squeak squeak.
As we pushed open the swing door and went in, a table lit by an oil lamp was set with a bottle of whiskey and two glasses.
“It would be fun to be a sheriff.”
“How much must I have suffered to be treated like this?”
