Million Dollar Bill: Volume 1 – Indian Hunting

“A lot have gathered, huh?”

After exchanging the corpses of the criminals for money, we headed towards the station.

Investigators wearing rings that showed that they belonged to the large detective agency, Pinkerton, were lined up around the train station in pairs.

Normally, I would have paid them no mind and walked along, but circumstances have been a bit different for the past few days.

Since they were looking for the same person as we were.

“I see a couple of senior investigators. Things will probably become bothersome if we get involved with them.”

Ray ripped tiny pieces from his large marshmallow that was the size of a fist and threw them into his mouth as he spoke.

“Yeah, they’re all wearing Fund coats that are impervious to bullets, so what can a gunman like you do?”

“There are a lot of other things I can do!”

Ray laughed slyly. Ray was the type of person to watch from a safe place whenever a fight occurred under the pretext that he was only here to observe and because he was a pacifist. Please consider my position since I have to jump right into the fray with a gun in hand.

“Haa, Fund coats, huh?”

“From what I can tell, they’re all 200-dollar grade. They can probably block around 15 bullets with ease.”

Back when I was 5 years old, no one in the west was afraid of Fund Managers. The American Revolution was probably the only notable historical stage where alchemists, who had migrated to the New World, obtained any feats, and they really couldn’t do much back then either.

Like the bartender we met earlier, greenhorn Fund Managers that could extract value from money, precious metals, etc, and grant them to other objects was all there was to New World alchemists. Making dull blades sharp without putting them on a whetstone and returning a cracked glass cup back to normal were all they could do, so people would disregard them since they paled so much in comparison to Old World alchemists who got involved in government affairs.

Nevertheless, I wonder when it happened. Fund Managers started to surface as the heads of the Million Dollar Round Table which claimed to be a group of patriotic mystics.

After discovering that objects received immense power when granted a value of over a million dollars in a single go, they displayed a power far greater than that of the alchemy used by Old World alchemists and made their way into the upper class in the United States of America.

By the time the pioneering of the west had ended, they started to provide equipment for the Pinkerton Detective Agency which was an agency that was not only a rival to bounty hunters like us, but were also no different from being a civilian militia that had been officially recognized by the federal government. It wasn’t long before they used their influence and eventually swallowed the detective agency whole.

In the end, bounty hunters have started to either join Pinkerton or return to farming since they had lost their competitive edge, and I also plan to look into ways to get into politics after I quit this job. I’m obviously lying.

“Isn’t wearing those sort of things cowardly?”

“You should buy one as well. I have a ton of them in my storage.”

I’m still far away from paying back my debt, so there’s no way I would have enough money to buy something as expensive as that.

I rolled up my sleeve and looked at the number that was crested on my forearm.

945 dollars. That was all the money I had. This isn’t a tattoo. This is something that senile alchemist had branded on me and it has the ability to display how much money I have in real time. If I add this together with the 800 dollars I have in my bank, then that makes 1,745 dollars. The amount of money I have to pay back to my creditor is 1,000,000 dollars.

The deadline is 1 year. As I said before, the old alchemist had come to me half a year ago.

Therefore, I have to make approximately 998,000 dollars within half a year.

What happens if I can’t pay back my debt in time?

I’ll probably be done for. I will literally die. I can’t even run away. If I either waste my money and the money in my possession goes below 300 dollars or if I’m unable to pay my debt back in time, the shackles chained around me by the old alchemist will snatch away my life and existence.

No matter how much I exert myself and try to save up, there’s no way I could gather a large sum like a million dollars within half a year. As long as a miracle doesn’t happen, something like that is impossible for a lower-middle-class citizen like me.

Right when I was about to give up, a single article on the first page of the newspaper gave me a sliver of hope.

“Your issue is that you worry too much, Bill. All we have to do is find the girl who’s going to come here to ride the train before anyone else and quietly take her away.”

“That’s the hard part, you moron. The desire to blurt this out came up, but I kept it to myself.”

“Voicing your complaint by putting a first-person narration in your line doesn’t make you smart.”

Ray retorted leisurely.

“I’ll keep that in mind. In any case, I don’t have a good feeling about these numbers.”

There was the fact that the people from Pinkerton had moved this quickly, but there was also the fact that this weighed on my conscience a bit.

According to the newspaper article, the president of a transcontinental railroad company, who had passed away recently, only named a single heiress in his will, and the girl turned out to be an illegitimate child whom he had with a Native American woman.

Up to this point, this was a story that you would hear every now and then throughout the West. The romance between a Native American and a white man. However, what happened afterward was, as expected, like something you would read in a non-mainstream dime novel depicting the private life of a Boston tycoon.

After living for more than 20 years not knowing anything, the fortunate protagonist who suddenly learned of their inheritance through a letter one day disappeared like a puff of smoke the day after. They went missing.

The step-siblings of the inheritor were shocked. They most likely intended to take care of matters cleanly by either making the inheritor, who had rolled in out of nowhere, give up on the inheritance or by simply killing her before the expected date of the inheritance, but even they probably never expected that the person would just vanish.

It’d be a relief if she actually died, but if their missing little sister suddenly appears one day with the will, then it’ll just trouble them to no end.

In the end, the Franklins promised a hefty reward to whoever found the girl. The large sum of 500,000 dollars.

Finding a single girl whom no one knows the appearance of is definitely not an easy task, but since I’m in a desperate situation where I can’t be picky about my targets, I have to give it a shot.

“Well, it’s like a completely random girl came out of nowhere and snatched away the fortune which should have been theirs, so I understand why the girls and boys at the transcontinental railroad company are upset.”

“Still, let’s be humane, it’s a bit sad that they’re trying to make her give up on the inheritance so publicly.”

I wonder about that. Family members are no different from being strangers. Ever since I was abandoned by my family and had to leave town afterward, I believed this to be true and never questioned it.

“Humane? I didn’t know Mojos were humane enough to say something like that.”

“Of course we are. At the very least, we’re better than some has-been bounty hunter who’s planning to offer a pitiful girl to her step-siblings who have bloodshot eyes and want to kill her.”

“······Eh, I doubt they’d actually kill her. They’ll probably throw her some cash and send her on her way. She’s just an illegitimate child. I’ll be happy with that 500,000 dollar reward, those high-class people will be happy because they’ll be able to legally split the inheritance up, and the lucky girl will be happy with the leftovers.”

“Aren’t you being a bit too naive? It’s 500,000 dollars on the surface, but that’s just hush money. More importantly, don’t forget about my share of 200,000 dollars.”

“Ah~ I don’t care. I’ll think about it after I save my own skin first.”

I know. I know that I’m selling myself out. Nevertheless, if my conscience is the only price I have to pay to stay alive, then that’s a fair trade, isn’t it?

After one of my reliable sources informed me that the target was in San Francisco, I bribed the manager of a telegraph switching center and spread the false news that the San Francisco railroad station was going to start repairing their tracks tomorrow morning.

In order to make our target, who, while keeping in mind when the Pinkerton’s watch has lessened, desperately needs to go to the east, more nervous.

If the girl believes the fake announcement on the San Francisco station’s notice board, then she has to get on the train before the day ends today. She probably doesn’t want to be held here until the construction finishes when this place is filled with investigators. The girl is most likely hiding among all these people who are gathering at the ticket office in order to get their train tickets.

“There isn’t a lot of time left until the last train departs. If I were the target, then I would start moving right about now.”

It’d be great if the girl was that simple-minded.

“I agree. Whoa⎯”

My arm bumped against the bag of a bum who was dragging their feet.

A bandana was wrapped around their lowered head. Not only were their rags covered in grease and dust, but the sootiness of their face showed that they haven’t washed in the past couple of days. This person must have drawn the short straw in life.

“Sorry about that.”

They must have gotten hit on the head because they had a bandage wrapped around their forehead. I tossed them a coin and gave them a pat on the back. The beggar received the coin and scuttled towards the crowd of people at the ticket office.

“Panhandling in a place that might become a madhouse soon. How brave.”

I recalled the description of the girl I had written down on a memo last night. Curly, chestnut-colored hair that reaches down to her waist.

A mystifying appearance that’s unique to people that are of mixed-blood between a Native American and a Caucasian. A little taller than 5 feet. She’s about as short as that beggar earlier.

A slim figure with appropriate curves, a thin and high nose, a dimple only on her right cheek, and the last clothes she was seen wearing before she went missing was a gray taffeta skirt.

As I thought, how could someone find this much information? No, before that, she only has positive descriptions, so it makes me somewhat dubious. Figures, you can’t trust a girl’s evaluation of another girl.

However, the people at Pinkerton didn’t even have these details. How do they plan to find her? Do they have a picture of her face? Oh, what’s wrong with me? I don’t have the spare time to worry about others.

On another note, this girl has quite the unfortunate mixture of blood. A mixed-blood between a Native American and a Caucasian. Mixed-bloods aren’t unusual, but a ‘mixed-blood between a civilized person and a barbarian’ is a perfect target for both sides.

“Wait a second, that person passing by over there···.”

A tone of surprise. I looked towards the direction where Ray was pointing.

A gray taffeta skirt and waist-length, black hair. Wait, wouldn’t you at least wear something different if you didn’t want to get caught?

“That’s bait no matter how you look at it.”

“I can’t tell. My glass eyes can’t distinguish the finer details.”

Nevertheless, the person’s freely flowing hair kept poking at my preconceptions.

Mm, I’m definitely not sane right now. It might be because there’s a 500,000 dollar person in front of me, but I can’t think rationally. I know.

“Ray. Stay here and shoot this towards the sky when you hear me whistle.”

“Wait, why do I⎯”

I handed a rifle to Ray and quickly headed towards the ticket office.

“Move it.”

I pushed aside a couple of people who were crowding around the ticket office and approached the girl wearing a large hat who had just gotten in the back of the line. This figure and hair. Moreover, the large feather in her hair that strongly declared ‘I have Native American blood in me’. The people from Pinkerton still haven’t noticed yet.

“Miss, can I ask for some directions?”

I approached her from behind and grabbed her gloved wrist. I could feel her arm muscles stiffen. The color of her wrist was brown. She must be a native. Bingo?

“Shh, don’t turn your head. Quietly walk backward⎯”

“Kyaa! Help me!”

Damn it, I should have told her to keep quiet first. I’m not even sure if she’s the target yet. Once I took a look around, I saw the Pinkerton agents approach us as they started to realize what was happening.

If it’s going to be like this, then it’s time for Plan B.

I whistled. A loud and sharp sound pierced through the plaza.

A single gunshot came back in response.

Once the gunshot rang out, everyone gathered in the plaza of the railroad station lowered their bodies and heads.

“Follow me!”

I didn’t let the opportunity slip and made my way through the encirclement of Pinkerton agents. In the distance where Ray was located, there were three or four people who appeared to be Pinkerton agents subduing the dangerous element who had fired a gun towards the sky.

Bye bye, Ray. You’re a smart guy, so you should be able to save your skin. You’re a Mojo anyway, so guns and knives don’t work on you.

“Hah, hah.”

I turned around. It will still take a bit before the investigators reach us. If we keep up this pace, then we should be able to shake them off.

“Wait, waaait. I’m out of breath, I can’t run anymore!”

The miss pulled at my hand as she complained that she couldn’t continue running. The mystery heiress was breathing heavily with her head down.

“I wasn’t told that something like this would happen!”

“What?”

For an instant, a tinge of uneasiness flashed through my head. I stopped running and stared at the girl. I took her hat off and asked the following question:

“Who··· are you?”

Her face was far removed from the pieces of information I had on the target. Don’t tell me.

“That, ‘that girl’ said, that I just have to have a cup of tea, with whoever approaches me···.”

“Haa···.”

As I thought, she was bait.

If that’s the case, then where’s the real inheritor?

In the next moment, the whistle of a locomotive blasted me.

“The train!”

Right when I was about to run the opposite way, there was a sharp sound followed by some sand being kicked up. A bullet had greeted me. It was an obvious threat.

Before I knew it, the Pinkerton investigators had surrounded me. 6 people. One of them only had one eye, so a total of 11 eyes were glaring at me fiercely.

“Mm, Miss, I’ll be dropping you off here. I’m sorry for dragging you all the way here even though you were working. See ya!”

······They aren’t taking their hands off of their holsters. These people. Do they want to see blood?

Two of them are fully geared. They’re wearing coats that have become Funds after being granted value, so bullets won’t work on them. The rest look like they should be easy to handle, but I’ll probably receive some harm as well.

It can’t be helped. I’m not that used to it yet, but I have no other choice but to use ‘that’.

“Oi oi, there’s no reason for you guys to give off such a serious atmosphere. I was simply trying to talk to a pretty lady, but some crazy person pulled the trigger right when I did, and you guys started following us, so I got scared and ran away.”

I furtively glanced at the number crested on my left arm. This should be more than enough to handle a single fight.

“Stop bullshitting. You tried to run away with the heiress of the Franklin family. You’re already a suspect for attempted kidnapping.”

“Hey, did you think I’d be scared if you ganged up on me like this?”

What an annoying, pot-bellied bastard. Do you not know what court is?

“Come to think of it, a scrawny dandy like you probably wouldn’t have that sort of tenacity. I apologize for⎯”

That’s far enough.

Smoke rose from the barrel of my revolver.

Up to this day, none of the people who have mocked me are still alive and healthy.

Except for Ray.

“Kyaa!”

Our Miss bait who was quietly shaking in fear until now must have finally cleared her throat as she started to scream energetically. It isn’t surprising since it probably isn’t pleasant when a corpse with a hole in his head starts to look up your skirt.

“You⎯”

I simply rotated the cylinder a bit, but this alone was enough for people to die. An impartial act of violence that takes the life of anyone who’s hit in the head. As bullets are a force that allows one to fight against the rough wilderness, it’s also the driving force that moves the West.

“I didn’t like your mustache since the moment I saw it.”

If you have the time to be surprised, then either run away or pull the trigger. Or at least toss in some witty retort.

Without giving them the time to run away, three gunshots rang out.

“Ugh, the smell of sweat.”

Once the number of corpses on the ground increased by one more, the terrified bait threw her wig off and ran away.

“She’s a fake! Go after the train!”

One of the senior investigators fired a flare.

Green smoke covered the sky as the sun went down. It seems they had set up a detached group next to the train just in case.

Thanks to the bait’s outburst, my impromptu plan to take care of these guys and go back to the station as if nothing had happened went down the drain.

“Did you think you’d go unharmed after messing with the Pinkerton?!”

This guy is rather clumsy for a senior investigator. Even if their numbers went down by half while his guard was down, he’s really slow when it comes to pulling out his gun. Furthermore⎯

“Kuh!”

If you shout like that behind me, then how is that any different from just announcing that you’re going to start shooting?

Of course, even if you know that a bullet is coming, it isn’t something you can dodge.

Once I looked down, I saw a large hole going through the center of my chest. In truth, I’m the one who groaned a second ago.

However, there was no blood. Instead of blood, green pieces of paper were scattered about on the ground. The fairly beautified president’s face looked up at me, half burned.

A portion of my upper body had changed into a wad of bills.

“You···.”

I turned around and shot the guy who shot me in his opened mouth.

“What are you looking at? My body didn’t become like this because I wanted it to.”

The other agents were still unable to close their agape mouths. However, I didn’t feel good at all.

Being done in by alchemy and having your body changed into this isn’t something to brag about.

“If you guys take the girl away, then how am I supposed to pay back my debt?”

‘Liquidation’. I did become an unstable existence that’s neither man nor money thanks to Old World alchemy, but after I started doing this rough work again 6 months ago, I realized that this contemptible body is actually useful. A lot of trial and error was required for me to figure out how to change my body into money at will, but I succeeded in sublimating my curse into an ability and I gave it a name.

“This bastard, his body turned into money!”

“So he’s a Fund Manager.”

Don’t make me sad. I’m a guinea pig of alchemy.

I become grateful for this horrific body whenever I do unpleasant work, but at the same time, I also want to abandon this work and go back to the time I was an upstart.

“Don’t be scared! His bullets won’t work on us as long as we take care of our heads.”

‘Subdue him with your fists’. Among the two remaining senior investigators, the guy who appeared older shouted that. They put their guns back into their holsters and surrounded me. I see his head is working properly.

Unfortunately, just as that guy said, my bullets can’t get through their coats which had been recreated into Funds through value granting. Moreover, I may have some muscles, but I have a relatively slim body, so, appearance-wise, I look rather weak. They must have judged that entering into hand-to-hand combat with me was the wisest decision.

However, if they think I’ll be terrible at brawling just because of my body shape, then they’re underestimating me vastly.

A fist flew at me from outside of my field of vision while I was boasting to myself. It was a serious right hook that had weight and centrifugal force in it.

Crack. The sound of bones breaking rang in my ears.

“Guaah!”

If that scream just now had a color, then it was a dark, reddish brown.

Referentially, according to the color theory advocated by Johannes Itten of Bauhaus, Germany, my personal color is a cool, summer tone. On the other hand, a dark, reddish brown is a warm, autumn tone.

In conclusion, the fact that the color of the scream just now was dark, reddish brown meant that it wasn’t my scream.

I readjusted my chin which was emitting a silver glint back to its original position.

The fact you don’t have a hammer on you means that you can’t break this hard and handsome chin. Or it also means that you’ll break the bones in your fists.

What an idiot. You think I can’t change my body into coins when I can change it into bills?

Since he hit my chin, which had become a bunch of Seated Liberty dollars clumped together, he won’t be able to even jack off until his bones heal themselves.

“What a conundrum. I don’t think the two of you are going to be able to capture a single, scrawny dandy. The rest of the investigators all went after the train, so I don’t think they can help you.”

“D······Don’t come any closer!”

He looked like he was staring at a demon. It was a typical response which I was already sick and tired of seeing.

“Fist Full of Dollars⎯ Seated Liberty⎯.”

I kept it short and brief. I struck one of the guys in the chin with my fist after I changed it into a clump of silver and forced him to go to sleep. A couple of coins flew out due to the collision and fell into the guy’s hat which had fallen off.

“Keep the change.”

Where’d the last guy go? I turned my head and noticed the last guy was running full force towards the station. It seems he’s quick at assessing the situation. However, going that way isn’t a wise decision. Because⎯

In the next instant, a loud fricative and crashing sound shook the windows of a high-rise building.

“······Sheesh.”

The investigator’s body was twisted and sent flying. I didn’t have the backbone to look straight at that horrible sight, so I quickly turned away.

I was about to tell him not to go that way.

The reason was simple.

At that moment, a large, black, beautiful, and glistening object was going at a frightening speed nearby.

“Hi, Bill. Did you wait long?”

There was the chance of being hit-and-ran by a grand piano.

“Do you know how long it’s been since the train started moving? You really are fast, aren’t you?”

The person to stand up from the seat fixed on the piano was that damned Mojo, Ray. He had a wide grin on his face. He has quite the pearly whites.

“Sorry, it took some time to talk it out with them.”

“You really live leisurely, huh? Do you think some people carry a gun around because they’re dumb?”

Trying to act like a pacifist when you had just hit-and-ran someone.

“Yeah, yeah. All right. We just have to hurry, then.”

Ray adjusted his colored glasses and put his hands back on top of the keys.

“Where you heading, Chief?”

We have to hurry before the train goes any farther.

“I want to have a friendly conversation with a mixed-blood lady from a wealthy family. Take me to that train over there.”

Once I took a seat next to Ray, the three wheels holding up the grand piano started spinning fiercely and raised clouds of dust.

“Then let’s go!”

Ray’s ringed fingers started to dance across the keys.

“Hit the road!”

The piano started moving at a breakneck speed. I had to hold on to my hat so it wouldn’t fly away.

Ο

∗∗∗

Ο

We rode through the streets of Sacramento while bearing the gazes of people passing by and pursued the train along the railroad.

This was the last train departing from the station today. The heiress of the Franklin family tried to shake off her pursuers by even using bait, but excluding me and Ray, there were still a couple of investigators in cars on her tail. It seems they still have a couple of investigators smart enough to prepare cars just in case, so there may still be some hope in the Pinkertons. Let’s strike up a conversation with them to encourage them a bit.

“Hey, let’s go ‘greet’ the gentlemen in the yellow car on the left. Gently.”

Ray nodded and got right next to the Pinkerton investigators’ car while performing Sir Edward Elgar’s ‘Salut d’Amour’ on his million dollar Funded grand piano, ‘Jack’.

“Hey, how’re you all doing?”

The two investigators stared in shock at the grand piano that was moving at the same speed as their car. Would it have been less alarming if this were a pleasant upright piano?

“They have Funded bulletproof coats. Dealing with them is going to be a hassle, so pull them out.”

“Huh!”

Once Ray pressed down on the keys strongly, Jack’s lid opened like a toad’s mouth and an immense amount of piano strings came pouring out. The mass of the piano strings was so great that normal people wouldn’t believe they could all fit inside a piano. The piano strings came together into the shape of a giant hand before grabbing the two investigators and throwing them at another car that was being driven by more investigators.

A dynamic collision sound. The hood of their car was crushed and their brakes emitted a loud screech. The two cars spun out of control and flipped over far behind us.

“Horse number 1 has passed its competitor and is approaching the finish line with ease.”

Pomp and Circumstances in D major. As I expected, composed by Sir Edward Elgar.

I used the chair and the lid as footholds before jumping over the banister on the back of the very last cart of the train. On the other hand, Ray got on top of a clump of piano strings and was lifted over the banister gracefully.

“If you waited a little bit, then I would have tossed you over. Why’d you have to step on my innocent Jack?”

“I didn’t want to end up like the investigators you tossed earlier, so what?”

“You don’t know anything, do you? If you make a big entrance by breaking down the door with a ‘Bam!’ then the passengers would cooperate obediently, wouldn’t they?”

Ray pulled out a palm-sized book from his coat and flipped it open.

The grand piano that was following right behind the train shifted into orange dust before gathering above a page of the book and transforming into an exquisite paper model.

As Ray slowly closed the book, complex creases appeared as the three-dimensional paper model folded flatly and disappeared into the book. It was a pop-up book where paper models would come out whenever he flipped a page. Ray called this book in which he stored all of his expensive Funds, ‘Catalogue’.

If I could take out even a single Fund from that book and sell it, then I could probably pay back my debt immediately. It’s impossible, though.

“It’s the 20th century. No, even a decade ago, train robbers and bounty hunters didn’t use such old-fashioned methods to seize trains.”

Yup, back in ‘our days’, they’d set up dynamite on the tracks and flip the front ends of engine locomotives. Of course, I’m talking about robbers, not bounty hunters.

“Talking about the 20th century when you’re still making a living capturing criminals. Social Darwinists would probably love to see you. Researching a fully intact fossil would be quite fruitful.”

“Shut up! Don’t you know anything about romancing the old era? Romance! If people lose their passion, then they’d be no different from walking corpses!”

“Passion, I feel like I’ve heard of that name before. Oh, I remember. Isn’t that the name of the refugee camp where has-beens of the era go to first?”

I can’t beat this guy in an argument. I can’t even shoot him. Why did God take Ray’s eyes and not his tongue?

“Aah! Shut up for a second! No matter what you say, I’m going to open the door in a gentlemanly manner, request for everyone’s cooperation, and find the target! Regardless of what anyone says, I’m a refined man!”

“Oh, sure. Go ahead and knock on the gates of hell like a civilized man who’s living in 20th century United States of America and ask them to open the door for you. You’re such a natural.”

“Why would I knock? The door of the last train cabin is always left open. Watch···. Huh?”

I tried to turn the door handle, but it didn’t budge at all. It was all the same no matter how much I tried to push or pull on it.

“They used to always leave this door unlocked.”

“You’re such a has-been.”

Ray snickered. My face went red in shame. I kept looking forward so that Ray, who was leaning against the banister leisurely, couldn’t see my face and pulled on the door handle once more.

“Damn this lump sum payment.”

It still wouldn’t open. If it’s going to be like this, then it’s time to go old school.

“Fist Full of Dollars⎯ Liberty Head⎯.”

My right fist became a heavy clump of metal with the head of the Statue of Liberty engraved on it. It’s an expensive weapon made by pouring in almost all of my money.

By 1 dollar coin standards, silver coins are larger and heavier, but if you gather them in the same volume, then the weight of the gold coin is superior. If I don’t have to consider the accuracy, then this is appropriate to make a hole in the wall thanks to its imbalance of weight.

I just have to make a hole and turn the door handle on the other side. I figured it wouldn’t be difficult.

However, embarrassing occurrences always happen in pairs. The train shook violently the moment I turned my body and raised my hand.

“Eh?”

My body, which had lost its center of gravity because my fist had changed into a clump of gold coins, got caught on the banister and, like a seesaw, I fell towards the tracks just like that.

“Jeez! You idiot!”

Ray barely managed to grab my left hand.

“Hurry up and turn off your Liquidation before I let you go!”

I obediently reverted my fist back to its original form. I didn’t want to fall down on the tracks like this.

“Why are you this heavy when you’re so scrawny?!”

“It’s all muscle!”

“Be quiet and hold on tight. I’m pulling you up!”

Ray let go of the banister and used both of his hands to firmly grab on to my arm and pulled me as if he intended to fall back.

“Wait, this is too fas⎯”

I noticed that something was wrong. The instant Ray pulled on my arm, the train slowed down for a moment, and I flew straight over Ray who was falling backward and straight to the door. Head first, at that.

“Libert⎯”

Head.

It wasn’t that head this time, it was my head.

My head and cervical spine turned into coins and bills in the blink of an eye.

Bang. A terribly loud sound resonated as the wooden door shattered and I was thrown on the ground in the middle of the last train cabin. Due to the impact, the coins that were in the shape of my head scattered on the floor.

“Oh, Lord!”

“This person doesn’t have a head!”

“Mom, what’s that? It’s scary.”

······. Damn it.

Come to think of it, I have yet to introduce myself.

My name is Bill Withers. The last battering ram that’s alive in the 20th century.

“······.”

“······.”

What broke the silence in the train were the sounds people made as they carefully picked up the money that had scattered everywhere. Of course, it’s not like I can see this happening when my body is on the ground and my head is gone.

However, I can feel it. I can tell where the pieces of my conscience which dwell in all of the coins and bills that form my body are located.

I can also hear sound through them. I can hear everything you guys are saying. Stop fighting over my head!

I focused and pulled together all of the money that had scattered. The coins rolling on the ground stood up vertically before rolling back to me and the bills in people’s hands flew back as well. There was a single kid who refused to let go of a portion of my body, so I quickly put together my mouth first before shouting at the kid to let go while I was asking nicely. The kid started crying.

“How could you make a kid cry? You’re like a train robber.”

Ray entered the cart after my head had returned back to normal. Once I stood up and looked around, I saw that the faces of the passengers had all tensed up as soon as they heard the word ‘train robber’.

“You’re the one who should stop scaring people needlessly.”

I stood in the center of the train cabin and took out a piece of paper from my vest pocket.

“This is a warrant. You see the California state judge’s seal here? We came here to find a single person using legal procedures. If you kindly cooperate with us, then you can keep the small sum you guys picked up earlier.”

I included the story which I had been fabricating for the past hour and briefly described the appearance of my target to the passengers.

Fortunately, once I finished my explanation, all of the passengers raised their hands and pointed towards a single direction.

“Thank you for the cooperation.”

As I expected.

I took out a bundle of dollar bills from my hand and threw it up in the air. The cabin became chaotic as the passengers desperately tried to grab the dollar bills. However, all of that only lasted a moment.

Once I opened the door leading to the next cart, the remaining bills rode the wind and flew straight out the door on the other side of the cart which was still open.

Ο

∗∗∗

Ο

Bang!

Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t use my head to open the door this time. In the first place, it wasn’t locked.

Ray and I boldly arrived in the first class cabin where all the rich people were seated. The conductor came out at one point, but once I showed him the warrant, he quietly went along to the next cart. Different from the other cabins, the cart was separated into 6 rooms with 4 seats in each of them. They even had lockable doors. Thankfully, the doors had windows, so we could see inside. With this, we didn’t have to involve people who aren’t involved. Albeit, I was never worried about that in the first place.

“She’s a lot smarter than I expected. I didn’t think she would send out a bait.”

Ray and I peered into the windows of every room. Luxurious articles of clothing and dazzling jewelry, secret fornication between same sexes, and undisclosed exchanges between high-class people. We witnessed these things before we came to a stop at the room at the far end of the cabin.

In the first place, it was our mistake for trying to find her by only going off of her outer appearance. This girl had properly used the stereotype which comes from being an heiress and deceived everyone.

“Excuse me.”

I roughly pulled open the door and⎯

“Kyah!”

A scream pierced my ears. This time, the color of the scream was Indian yellow.

The first thing that entered my line of sight was a pair of ample breasts that looked like a young doe pasturing in the middle of a field of lilies, covered by hands. By the time my gaze could go down the delicate curves of her hip, which could not possibly be hidden entirely, martial law came to my lower body.

“Guh.”

Hey, hey, hey. Excuse me. Come on.

The girl had her eyes shut tight. Once I lowered my gaze, I saw a smooth knee stuck between my legs. My lower lips trembled in pain. I shouldn’t have been born as a man. I mentally cursed the day I was born.

“Haha.”

Ray laughed in my face as he watched from the side. However, it wasn’t long before Ray’s face contorted as well. An impetuous order had struck his lower body. No, it was martial law.

“I-I’m blind.”

“Oh, apologies.”

“Don’t believe him, Miss. This guy saw everything.”

“Then I take it back.”

“Guh!”

Another blow to a certain place on Ray’s body. Serves him right.

“I’m not sure what sort of face I’m supposed to show in a situation like this.”

Ray responded with a pained expression.

“We just have to smile and laugh.”

If that’s possible.

The girl, who had neutralized the two of us in the blink of an eye, grabbed the overgarment that was hanging on the clothes hanger, covered her lower body with it, and turned around to finish getting dressed. She put on a neck guard and then her top. The white, smooth curves of her hips, which didn’t seem like it would belong to a Native American mixed-blood, disappeared into her dress.

“You guys can’t complain since you saw my bare skin without permission.”

There was embarrassment and anger in her coy tone.

More importantly, I almost lost my ability to leave a generation behind. I calmed down my chest which was still unable to escape the lingering pain that had traveled up to it.

The girl folded her arms and sat down. Ray and I modestly sat down on the seat opposite of her without a word.

There were dirty, just thrown off, ragged clothes half-heartedly tossed next to the girl wearing a white, soft, oversized cardigan with a hood. It’s just as I thought.

That’s right. The beggar I bumped into earlier at the station was this girl. The girl who was disguising herself with soot all over her face was now sitting in front of me completely clean.

I carefully examined the girl’s attire again.

A white, sleeveless one-piece dress with a red and blue pattern on the top and bottom edges. In the center of the dress, there was a uniquely-shaped necklace which appeared to be a Native American traditional handicraft dangling.

Next, a leather neck guard that covered up to her collarbone. It seems it was the type of neck guard that was held in place by tying some strings together in the center. By utilizing the holes on the top and bottom, the weight of the dress is effectively dispersed thanks to the choker and pin held together by leather straps. The straps were designed to not dig into the skin.

As I continued to examine the girl, I discovered another accessory. A blue hair accessory with a white flower drawn on it and a feather attached to it. The armlets and barely visible garters which peaked out from under her mid-thigh length dress were made of metal and had several openworks on them similar to the flower drawn on her hair accessory.

Finally, her deer leather shoes which slightly revealed her toes and heels. These also gave off a weird sense of unity with her dress.

It was as clear as day that everything she had on was elaborately crafted by a master artisan. Furthermore, they were all accessories you couldn’t find in the city. An elaborate outfit I’ve never seen even in autonomous Native American districts.

Honestly, this was the first time I’ve ever marveled at a native’s clothes. They have a lot of accessories compared to the attires of city folks, but it must be thanks to this girl’s exceptional looks that she’s able to pull it off so naturally.

I resumed my observation.

She looked like she was 2 or, at most, 4 years younger than me. Lavish brown hair that reached her waist. This much was according to the information I had gathered previously. However, that was it. The actual person was completely different from what I heard.

Her ears, eyes, nose, and mouth were the most distinct features that showed her Native American descent. Her skin’s white because she has white and Native American blood in her, but the contours of her face were completely unique.

Thick eyebrows above her narrow nose line. The reddish blush on her cheeks covered her restrained and assertive cheekbones like a veil. If I moved my gaze slightly, I could see her thin jawline and exquisitely fitting small ears.

I was accustomed to the overall frame of her face, but I also felt a delicate exoticness from it as well. It looks rather soft, but there are places here and there that are sharp, strong, and asserts the fact that she has the blood of the free Native American people running through her.

And finally, her eyes.

They were terrifying. It felt like I was in the final moment of a poker match where everyone was about to show their hands.

I peered into her eyes, which were as sharp as an ace of spades, once more after bearing my fear and curiosity. Her pupils had a red tint. They were mysterious eyes that even looked pink depending on the angle you looked at them. Her gaze penetrated me.

“······.”

Utter defeat. She had a beauty that was impossible to obtain unless she had made a bet with God and won.

It was a given that she would stick out like a sore thumb when in a crowd, so she had no other choice but to disguise herself.

“Why are you staring at me like that? Do you think only white people live on this continent?”

I managed to let out a dumb sound as I came back to my senses. I glared at Ray who was snickering at me before returning my gaze to the girl.

“I thought I could escape, but you guys somehow managed to catch up to the train, huh?”

The girl spoke with a sigh.

How unfortunate. I have a jinx where I would always meet beautiful women under bad circumstances.

“It was a rather decent plan. The fact that you predicted your pursuers would doubt your bait, but still bite it anyway. The fact that you disguised yourself as a panhandler and rode first class. Nevertheless, I have no idea how you got your ticket.”

The girl took out a dollar-sized piece of paper and waved it. It was a transcontinental railroad VIP ticket. Every train has separate seating areas specifically for people who possess these tickets and it allows them to board whenever they want.

“It came with the letter. I’ve been using it gratefully.”

I see. So her travel expenses to the transcontinental railroad head office on the east coast were all covered because she’s the heiress.

The conductor led a ragged beggar to first class while brown-nosing, so it’s only natural that it would leave a deep impression on everyone in third class. No, if it’s that disguise, then people would have remembered her regardless of where she sat.

I had my suspicion because I didn’t see the beggar when we were riding through the Sacramento train station on the piano, so it was the right call to ask the people riding at the tail end of the train. Nevertheless, how could I not recognize this beautiful person just because she disguised herself a bit? It seems my sharp-sightedness which I had developed throughout the past decade while making a living as a bounty hunter turned out to be useless.

“Uugh.”

“Just stay quiet.”

I lightly hit Ray on the back of the head as he continued to groan in pain and turned to face the heiress.

She had quite the pert forehead. The fact that it went well with her elegant and cool eyes made her features look as if they were overflowing with intelligence. It felt like I could find her sitting in a grass field by herself on the weekend reading Harriet Beecher Stowe’s ‘Oldtown Folks’.

“You guys came here to kill me, didn’t you?”

“I seriously considered it for a moment when you kicked me ‘you know where’.”

“What about now?”

“It’s bearable.”

No, it isn’t. Ray muttered.

A moment of silence. The sound of cranks and wheels meshing together echoed around us.

“We aren’t going to kill you. If we intended to do that, then we would have shot you in the head the instant we opened the door.”

“What do you want?”

Huh. She’s strangely composed. Wouldn’t people normally be scared in situations like this?

“Your⎯ Come to think of it, I don’t know your name.”

“Aretha. Aretha Franklin.”

The girl answered with a cautious glint in her eyes.

“All right. Aretha. Your brothers and sisters promised a reward to whoever brings you to them. If you come with us obediently, then there won’t be any problems.”

We’re going to be handing her over to her half-siblings, but I, at the very least, don’t plan to do any harm to her.

“So, are you telling me to quietly follow a dandy gunman and a damned, pale white man off the train?”

She uttered those words under her breath, but her hostility was as clear as clear could be.

“Sounds about right.”

Regardless, I didn’t let it disturb me. I understood why she’d be upset at us.

“Whatever. I’d rather bite my tongue and kill myself.”

“Wouldn’t that be doing your greedy brothers and sisters a favor? How about going to a notary and using the refusal of succession as an excuse to receive a share?”

“I don’t know what the people who threw my mother away are planning, but there’s no reason for me to refuse when I’m being offered all of the inheritance. I could change my life if I struggle for my life, and I don’t want to beg for chump change from people who’ve been dressing well and faring richly all their lives.”

Aretha declared as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Her spunkiness made me feel a little ashamed.

Yeah, I completely agree with her. If I were in her shoes, then I would have also struggled for my life. Regardless, if I don’t take her to them, then I’d miss an opportunity to pay back my debt.

“I got used to living a boring life in Indian districts. You only have one shot in life, so even if it’s scary, there’s no reason for me to refuse this opportunity.”

This girl has quite the strong adventurous spirit. It’s not bad, but.

“I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to give up on your succession. You’ll be coming with me.”

“······I refuse.”

Mm. This is unfortunate. It seems I have to resort to force. Ray must have caught wind of what I intended to do as he scratched his head.

“Don’t overdo it, Bill. Violence isn’t good.”

Ray is a gentleman who can’t bear to watch someone do something terrible to women, but it seems he wasn’t going to press any further than this. I did try to persuade her the best I could.

“Watch closely.”

I took out a bullet and waved it in front of Aretha.

“I’ll show you a magic trick.”

I opened the cylinder cover of my peacemaker. I slowly rotated the cylinder and showed the girl that it was empty before I loaded the bullet into it.

“Now then, the bullet will now disappear and reappear in your kneecap. It might hurt a little, so get ready to blow on it.”

Normally, this threat was enough to make people docile.

“You’re just a bad person who can’t do anything without a gun.”

Aretha looked me straight in the eyes and smirked.

Is being pretty all that matters? Not only is she pretty, but she also has guts. She has the looks and all the dressings on top. Aah, curse at me more. It’s only reasonable that you did. I’m pointing a gun at a girl for Christ’s sakes. But what am I supposed to do? I’m doing this because I want to live.

I pointed the barrel of my gun towards the ceiling and fired. The rooms next to us became noisy before we soon heard the sound of doors opening and people running out.

This is my final warning. Please surrender. I’m begging you. I loaded another bullet and gazed at Aretha with pleading eyes, but I didn’t get the response I wanted.

What should I do? Should I close my eyes and fire? I’ll make sure to shoot somewhere that doesn’t hurt. Just graze her a little. No, if I shoot with my eyes closed, then what happens if I accidentally hit her square in the kneecap and shatter it? On the other hand, unless I were completely insane, there’s no way I could possibly shoot a girl who’s as pretty as this with my eyes open.

······Let’s try persuading her one last time.

“Just tell them that you’ll sign the papers to relinquish your inheritance if they give you some money. That way, everyone will be happy. Calm down and think about it. Honestly⎯”

It was at that moment. A deafening boom resonated around us before I could even finish my sentence. Shortly after, my vision was forcefully shaken and tilted. No, the train itself was flipping on its side. I hugged Aretha who had unexpectedly fallen into my arms before colliding against the wall.

“Kuh!”

Ray got hit by my foot. A sudden memory flashed through my head.

The method used back in ‘our romance-filled era’  which I had mentioned earlier.

That’s right, that’s how it was back then.

Smart robbers always flipped trains with dynamite.

Ο

∗∗∗

Ο

The train became a complete wreck after rolling over. The passengers had all either died or were badly injured. The disaster above the railway continued for a couple dozen seconds. The derailed train couldn’t control itself due to the inertia and slid across the desert while on its side.

Once I came to, there was no part of my body that wasn’t injured. My body was bruised all over after colliding against the walls over and over again while holding Aretha in my arms.

It seems I had a couple of broken bones as well. A rib and a shinbone. There’s a problem in one of my shoulders as well.

On the other hand, Aretha was completely passed out next to me. Excluding a couple of scratches, it appears that she didn’t have any other injuries. That’s a relief.

No, this isn’t a relief. There’s no way that the train could have flipped coincidentally in a situation like this. Who’s the bastard that did this.

Only the sound of wheezing echoed throughout the silent guest room. The boards that were acting as the floor a second ago were now standing vertically as a wall. It seems the guest cabin had nicely flipped over by a quarter.

“······Oi, that’s cowardly of you to only protect yourself.”

Ray, on the other hand, was completely unharmed. He was inside a large marshmallow and had just now stuck out his head. It was the Fund that Ray would always leave at the very first page of his pop-up book, ‘Neighboring Marshmallow’. I knew that it was an excellent nutritional snack that was capable of returning to its original state no matter how much of it was eaten and that its size could be manipulated freely, but I never thought he would use it in such an efficient manner like this.

“Is it over?”

“I don’t know.”

The sand that came in through the broken roof (it’s the wall now) had found its way inside my mouth. The only thing I could move right now was my right arm.

I violently spat out the sand from my mouth and shoved my right hand into my left arm after turning the skin and muscle of my left arm into bills. I grabbed the broken bone.

“Liquidation.”

The bone in my hand lost its original form and changed into a clump of bills. I pulled out the bills and saw that they were all torn in half. I threw the clump away on the floor. I released the Liquidation and, after my arm went back to normal, the excess bills I had in me turned into a new bone to replace the one I had pulled out. However, the number on my left wrist went down according to the sum of the bills I had just thrown out. It hurt to see the number drop, but I was in the middle of repairing my body so that I could move again.

I used the same method to throw out the other injured bones and organs in my body before reconstructing them with money. I was able to regain my composure after the pain had reasonably subsided.

“As expected of Master, he made your body tenacious so that you wouldn’t die before paying back your debt.”

Ray commented as I made my way out of the train with Aretha on my back.

“That’s for certain. His stubbornness displays itself even in times like this. If I hadn’t met that coot, then I would probably still be living a peaceful life right now.”

Although my life back then was a bit too boring to be called ‘living’.

The life of a bounty hunter is constantly filled with stimuli. Living back to back with death itself is a life brimming with excitement.

Aah, I want to hurry up and go back to my boring life. Buy a horribly slow, fake racehorse that’s been abused by its Arabian owner and get done up bar girls who are burning with the desire to study and are trying to get men other than me to pay for their educational expenses.

“That’s why you shouldn’t have taken that gold when you didn’t know who the owner was.”

“How could I have known that the punishment would be this sever⎯”

It was at that moment. ‘It’ stuck its head out from the shadow of the toppled train.

Without any exaggeration, there was a head that was the size of my fist and it intriguingly had all five sensory organs on it. ‘It’ looked around with its round eyes before stopping its gaze at us.

“C······Cute!”

I carefully put Aretha down and beckoned towards the small person.

The little person that was walking towards us was only as tall as my forearm, but it had on a tuxedo, a top hat, and a bowtie.

The dainty little gentleman with its hair neatly combed back blinked its large eyes a couple of times as it approached Aretha. It knocked on her head a couple of times before bringing the same hand to its mouth and whistling loudly.

“Bill···.”

“Be quiet. Are you going to take responsibility if Mr. Fairy gets scared and runs away?”

“No, that’s not what I···.”

At that moment, we heard footsteps. Several of them, at that.

I turned to look at Ray’s face due to the ominous foreboding feeling I had. His ebony, artificial eyes behind his tinted glasses were emitting an orange glow. Not only are his artificial eyes Funds that grant Ray the ability to see despite his blindness, but they also have the ability to detect alchemy.

“It’s alchemy. A Fund that’s over a million dollars. It’s dangerous.”

Ray’s glass eyes were emitting a bright light as they reacted to alchemy.

Damn it, it seems I’ve gotten dragged into mystical shit again.

I had my doubts, but just as I suspected, dozens of siblings that looked identical to the small guy that appeared earlier were standing on top of the toppled train and casting their shadows over us. Additionally, all of them were holding bloodied weapons. From forks to knives, some of them were even painstakingly holding a heavy pistol.

“They all look cute and harmless.”

“It’d be great if that were the case.”

“You Mojos can’t die anyway. Stop making such a fuss.”

“We can if it involves alchemy. Shit, meeting the ‘One Man Band’ when I’m not even 200 years old yet.”

Who’s that supposed to be? Before I could even ask this out loud, a shadow much larger than the midgets was cast over me.

“Fantastic afternoon, everyone.”

After hearing that sharp British accent, Ray put his hand against his forehead. I have a bad feeling about this.

A handsomely tall man with a coat hanging off his shoulders appeared from behind the army of midgets while holding a rifle in his hands. Underneath his straight brows that laid above his sturdy features, tired, blue eyes stared down at us.

Contrary to his greeting mentioning a fantastic afternoon, he looked incredibly dangerous.

He also had on a tuxedo and a bowtie that matched the midgets. No, would it be better to say the midgets were like dolls that were modeled after him? If I had to point out some differences, then it would probably be the fact that his bowtie was completely undone and the fact that he didn’t have a top hat on, so his messy hair was visible.

“Wake up, Miss Franklin.”

He hopped down from the train and approached the still collapsed Aretha completely casually.

“Hey, I’m the one who found this girl.”

He didn’t respond. He didn’t seem to care at all that I was standing between him and the girl.

I looked back at Aretha for a moment. Aretha appeared to be regaining her senses as her eyes were open, but she must have hit her head badly as her unfocused eyes were still drifting around.

“Trying to quietly take away a girl who someone else had gone through the difficulty of finding is bad business ethics.”

I’m making an assumption due to the circumstances, but he’s probably a competitor. I won’t let him take my game away.

I was able to quickly point my gun at him since I had been in a constant state of alert the entire time. I maintained a certain distance from him since I couldn’t get a grasp of his ability, but I was confident that I couldn’t possibly miss if I were to shoot him from here.

“That’s quite unfortunate, but⎯”

I shot my gun without warning. People are bound to lower their guard the instant they speak. This guy will definitely die before he can react. As long as he isn’t faster than a bullet, it’s impossible for him to dodge.

Blood splattered and bones shattered. A predicted result. The exact center of the forehead. However, instead of lowering my gun, I shot a couple of more rounds.

“What···.”

I was stunned and speechless.

“Was that your last bullet?”

One Man Band, the Fund Manager whom Ray had referred to by this name was standing in front of me without a scratch on him.

All of my bullets were stuck in the foreheads of the innocent little people.

“Tsk!”

No matter how many times I pulled the trigger, the little guys would crawl out from either the Fund Manager’s pockets or sleeves and, with phenomenal reaction speed and jumping strength, they received all of the bullets with their small bodies.

“What kind of stupid···.”

The little guys on top of the train all jumped down at the same time. One of their knives stabbed into the back of my neck before I could even react. Blood sprayed out and hastily drenched my body. I moved my limbs around to try and shake off the little minions, but the injuries on my body increased the more I moved.

While I was busy trying to tear the little guys off of me, the Fund Manager only stared at Aretha’s face as if he had no interest in me or Ray.

“Ray, do something!”

I called out for assistance, but, as expected, Ray was in a similar situation. Excluding the fact that all of the weapons swung at Ray turned into flowers, Ray was also being suppressed by a large number of little people, so he couldn’t move.

“You really are a certain someone’s little sister. It’s quite unfortunate.”

The tuxedo-wearing gentleman raised his rifle and held it properly.

“Nevertheless, be it an heiress or a Flasko, neither are allowed to exist. That was their order. Please do not resent me for this.”

His rifle was pointed directly at the center of Aretha’s chest. I reached my hand out as I was being held down by the little runts.

“Aretha!”

The gunshot drowned out my shout. Red mist burst out and slowly dispersed under the sun.

Aretha’s body lifted up once and that was it. Her slender body came to a halt while splayed out.

Underneath her opened eyes, crimson blood flowed out from her nose and mouth. The unidentified Fund Manager got down on one knee next to Aretha’s body and closed her eyes.

Even though I was being mutilated by the midgets’ weapons, I laid there in shock.

She died right before my eyes.

People are the ones who start stories, but bullets are what always bring them to an end. A single story had simply come to an end. Nothing more, nothing less. This wasn’t my first time experiencing this. Death is a common occurrence in the West.

However, the thing that shook me was the fact that the opportunity which I believed to be my last chance disappeared so easily.

A type of despair that can’t be caricatured.

If this were like the small hopelessness I would normally encounter on a day to day basis, then I would have muttered something like, ‘How could this have happened?’ and laughed it off as if it were someone else’s problem; however, I couldn’t possibly do that this time.

The immense despair that had affected me. The only thing that remained was rage.

“···Ray.”

“Can’t you see I’m a bit tied up right now?”

“Ray!”

“······All right! Fine!”

There’s no time for jokes. I’m not in the mood to banter.

I turned my body into coins and threw off the little people before backing away and creating distance.

“Rent Gatling gun. 2min!”

“Sign please!”

Ray barely managed to pull out two pages from his Catalogue as he shook the midgets off.

Once Ray flicked his finger, the torn pages and a Waterman fountain pen flew towards me. I grabbed the fountain pen and signed the page.

“Signed, sealed, delivered!”

In return for cash, the concluded contract grants me the authority to use one of the items registered in Ray’s Catalogue temporarily. Ray’s glass eyes emitted a bright light as they detected the alchemy that’s involved in the series of processes.

“Mm?”

The Fund Manager turned towards us and knit his brows.

“I don’t know what you two are plotting, but bullets and Funds don’t work against me.”

“Let’s see how long you can keep up acting casual!”

I glared at his sneering face and unfolded the Catalogue pages. The paper model inside of the pages unfolded itself and shifted back into its three-dimensional form.

Between the two pages stood a paper model of a wagon with 7 gun barrels bound together on top. It was a Gatling gun.

“That’s···.”

It’s a misfortunate weapon that was developed near the end of the Civil War, so it barely had any time to shine, but it’s still the perfect weapon for mass destruction.

“Yup. This is⎯”

The paper model then exploded into tens of thousands of light particles. It’s time to say goodbye, you British midgets.

“, a product of modern times!”

The light particles gathered in front of me and shifted into their original form. A smooth, metallic luster. A murder weapon made of real metal and not paper.

“I’m not sure if you can block everything when three to four bullets are being shot at you every second. So⎯”

I attached the ammo cartridge that came out of the Catalogue page to the Gatling gun.

“I wish you luck. Beg to God that all of the bullets miss!”

Each time my right hand moved a full rotation with the crank, screams erupted from all over. The midgets jumped around like March hare kits given birth to during a baby boom, and were scattered away like barley in the Great Plains when blown by a gust of wind.

There were a few among them that embraced death and charged at me, but it didn’t matter. They all simply died after letting out short death throes.

“Hoorah for American independence! Hoorah for the Union army! Die! It wouldn’t be satisfying even if you burned to death in a fire lit by tea leaves! U! S! A! U! S! A!”

Like a Communion, the sandy ground was covered in flesh and blood. I’m definitely not trigger happy, but after experiencing the rush of shooting 200 bullets per minute, I understood how this could be so addicting. Massacres are worth experiencing once. They’re also very beneficial to one’s mental health.

“Hm?”

No more bullets came out despite how many times I turned the lever. I looked down at the Gatling gun once my excitement had settled and saw that the ammo cartridge was empty. The smoke from the gun billowed upward and covered the scenery of the wilderness which displayed no sign of wind today.

“Times up. 2 minutes have passed.”

“Already?”

Ray was scraping off the flesh from the bottom of his shoe.

A vile stench filled my nose. The Red Sea was spread out before me. Half blood, half flesh. I couldn’t see Aretha’s dead body anymore. It must have gotten caught up in the Gatling gun’s barrage and torn to shreds.

Mm, I should have properly laid her to rest. I’ll probably receive a scolding from Aretha’s father in the afterlife. I’m sorry, I’m the bastard who turned your daughter’s dead body into mincemeat. I guess I’ll apologize like this. I’ll have to practice to make sure I don’t stutter out of nervousness when I apologize for real.

“The rental fee for 2 minutes is 120 dollars and you fired 388 bullets. In total, that’s 159 dollars and 60 cents, dear customer.”

“Why is it so expensive?!”

“An appropriate price is required to enjoy modern conveniences.”

“I already rented the gun for an expensive price, so can’t you at least make the bullets free?”

“Do you think you can dig up 0.58 caliber bullets that disappear by twos and threes every second from the ground?”

“···Let’s settle the price at the end of the month.”

“Your credit for this month has already exceeded its limit. Also, the most important thing is⎯”

“All right, all right. I get it.”

I had no other choice but to obediently pay up.

It seems my lavish spending habits haven’t changed. I wound up wasting a bunch of bullets because I got caught up in the excitement this time as well. I should keep in mind that I become poorer each time a cartridge case falls to the ground.

“Now, what do you plan to do? It’s been a while since we were able to get a good opportunity like this.”

“Yeah, I’ll admit it. Aretha is dead. She’s no longer here; however, she continues to live on in my heart.”

“There isn’t even a corpse, though?”

“I forgot to mention, but Ray has a talent of pulling me back to my senses and ruining my mood when I’m in the middle of escaping from reality.”

“Voicing your complaint in a first-person narrative-style isn’t a good habit to have, Bill.”

“I’ll bear that in mind.”

What should I do? Should I close my eyes and dive into gambling for the rest of the time I have left? No, that’s too risky.

“Let’s give a silent prayer first.”

I took my hat off and lowered my head for a moment. Although we were barely able to converse, I hope you rest well, beautiful girl. When I reopened my eyes, I noticed that Ray was still bowing his head.

I took out a cigarette and lit it. This is a really strong cigar, but the smell of blood was a lot stronger, so I couldn’t taste it. I turned the injuries caused by the little people’s knives into torn bills and peeled them off. My body and shirt became clean again.

“Making money sure is hard.”

It was at that moment, my eyes noticed something move within the sea of blood.

Scattered pieces of flesh were moving. I glanced at Ray, but he was shaking his head. His artificial eyes weren’t glowing, so, in other words, this was a phenomenon completely unrelated to alchemy.

The pieces of flesh came together and started to form a shape. It was taking a human form.

“As I thought, there’s no way One Man Band could die this easily.”

Ray muttered. An enemy who can revive himself. This is going to be annoying.

“How humiliating. To be taken down by a man.”

Once the gun smoke had subsided, a clot of blood spoke.

However, the direction of the voice didn’t come from where Ray and I were looking.

An arm reached out from a small hill made of midget corpses. The Fund Manager revealed himself as he pulled his body out of the corpses.

“Wait, if that guy is completely intact, then···.”

I looked the other way again. The pieces of flesh were coming together and creating a single mass.

“Who’s that?”

Ray mumbled.

The Fund Manager used the midgets as a wall and avoided the bullets by lowering his body behind them.

Then what is that thing over there that’s gathering torn pieces of flesh and regenerating?

It wasn’t just flesh. Blood and torn pieces of clothing were also gathering from all over and creating a fixed form. Blood vessels and tendons gathered between the flesh while broken pieces of bones sought each other out. The hair that had burnt away grew back as skin covered the entire body.

‘It’ had already regained enough of its original form for us to be able to identify it. An indescribable gasp slipped out from my mouth.

There were 4 people here. The Fund Manager, Ray, me, and Aretha.

By process of elimination, this was a substantially easy conclusion to reach; however, that didn’t change the fact that it was hard to accept.

“Aretha?!”

She came back. She returned to life as if the incident known as death never happened to begin with.

“What······ happened···?”

She looked completely dazed. It seems she didn’t remember anything that happened after she was knocked out.

“I didn’t think she’d come back to life. I heard that ‘Flaskos’ possess a mysterious power, but this exceeds the rumors.”

“Ray!”

What is he talking about? He’s been saying Flasko this, Flasko that since earlier.

“I know!”

Ray and I exchanged glances before Ray proceeded to lift Aretha up in his arms and run off into the distance.

This isn’t the time to be focusing on his weird choice of words. The dead bodies of the little people dispersed into particles of light and drifted away. The Fund Manager was standing by himself without his meat shield. If I’m going to kill this guy, then I have to do it now since he didn’t have his bullet shield anymore.

Without any hesitation, I started to fire away at the guy with the bullets I had reloaded. I’ll definitely kill him this time.

“It’s no use.”

However, my bullets were blocked again by another midget jumping out from his sleeve. I looked down at his foot and saw more midgets crawling out from his shadow.

“Bill, his shadow is his Fund. He can make an infinite amount of clones!”

Ray’s eyes were emitting an amber glow again. How am I supposed to fight against a guy who can increase his numbers infinitely?

“That’s correct. On a side note, you’re capable of turning your body into money, huh? You use a Fund that’s as interesting as that Mojo’s over there, don’t you?”

“Shut up! I’m not a Fund Manager, I’m a victim of alchemy. Stop reminding me!”

“I’ll have to ask for a larger reward from my client. I thought this would be easy.”

“I’m not interested in how much you’re earning, but I have to take that girl so that I can receive my reward. Could you not interfere?”

“That’d be troubling.”

“I know.”

Bang. I shot him one more time after making him lower his guard through our light conversation, but it was beautifully blocked this time as well.

“A duel for a beautiful lady. Your passion for the colonial days deserves commendation.”

He spread his arms out in an exaggerated manner as he spoke.

“Do you know how long it’s been since we became independent, amigo? Moreover, the state of California used to be a Spanish colony.”

“I’ll remember that, mister.”

“I’m not a mister, I’m a senior, amigo.”

“Amigo is something you say to your friend. It doesn’t seem appropriate for our current situation.”

“Is that so? I was taught that it meant a fool who has sex with coyotes.”

A Republican who absolutely despises Mexicans was the one who taught me this, so I’m not sure how authentic this was.

“How rude. I shall make you realize that discourtesy comes with a price.”

His tone sounded as if he were bragging. Listening to him any more than this would just make me want to abolish taxes and throw a bunch of tea leaves into the ocean.

“No more jokes. Let’s shut up and see some blood.”

If bullets don’t work, then it’s time to get physical. I raised my fists, both of which I had turned into clumps of silver coins.

“Men talk with their fists.”

I’ll hit his face with precise strikes and make it cave in like a pie shell. After that, I’ll fill it with the special apple jam made by the grandmas in Dakota, Fanning, bake him in a pre-heated oven, pour whip cream on top, and display him on a dining table. I’m not sure what I’m saying right now, but the important thing is that I’m very upset.

“Agreed. Men talk with their fists.”

The little guys that came out of his shadow started to wriggle around before they molded together into a single blob and formed a gigantic arm. A giant arm was sticking out of his shadow. Isn’t that cheating?

“Wait, let’s fight fairly. A gentleman from the British Empire shouldn’t resort to something so unfair. A human-wave strategy is something only uncivilized barbarians do. Also, beating up someone in a completely different weight class isn’t something a gentleman should do either. Hurry up and put that giant fist away.”

But what am I? A wild mustang, a man from the West who’s filled with the spirit of the frontier. I’ll hurt his pride and drag him into a fair brawl.

“That isn’t something a person who’s trying to attack me with money should be saying. Die, you capitalist pig.”

“So you were a socialist. Let us resolve this issue like how the enlightened laborer class once did. Through discourse.”

“I miss feudal society. Die.”

“Come on, don’t be like that. Just this once, okay?”

“If you die once, then I’ll overlook the second time.”

“You’re British, right? I personally respect Queen Victoria.”

“God Save the Queen. Longevity and prosperity to the British Empire, and to you, death.”

“I’m actually an Anglican.”

“Hallelujah, may you go to the Lord’s side at once.”

“Do you like Charles Dickens?”

“A Tale of Two Cities was my cup of tea. When the next opportunity presents itself, let us discuss Dickens’ other work. Now die.”

“Wait, why? How are we going to discuss anything next time if I’m dead?”

“Did you truly think I would want to talk about a boring book that talks about a single person’s life for over a thousand pages?”

“What’s wrong with David Copperfield?! Say it right! It’s not that the book is boring, it’s just that it takes too long to reach the ending.”

“That’s what makes it boring. Die.”

Despite my various attempts to persuade him, the guy gave me a consistent response. Once there were no more delays, the fist flew at me. I couldn’t close my eyes because of the wind pressure.

A hook punch connected with my side. I wanted to dodge it, but the fist was too big. It felt like something baseball players would say. Like how baseballs look as big as a head if you concentrate hard enough. It didn’t look like the size of a head, but a car to me.

If what they said was true, then there’s no doubt that I’ve just now awakened my talent as a baseball player. I should be able to pay my debt back in no time if I join a baseball club and hit a couple of home runs, haha.

Clang. A clear sound resonated in my head. I could tell by the sound alone that that was the sound of a base-loaded home run during a called game.

“Echo!”

No, it was an unexpected turnaround.

A purple loop abruptly appeared above the Fund Manager’s head along with a clear sound. A hooded shadow dropped down from the loop. As the shadow fell, it swung whatever they had in their hand down on One Man Band’s head.

“Hkk.”

In the next moment, the giant fist flying towards me stopped barely 1 foot away from my face before breaking down into tens of hundreds of midgets and falling apart. The midgets squirmed a bit as they rolled on the ground before they soon turned into dust. It seems the Fund stopped working because the alchemist controlling it had fallen over after being hit on the head.

“Road to Nowhere···. Don’t tell me.”

Ray muttered. He was covering Aretha’s eyes as she was still clueless and trembling.

“Thank goodness, Charles. This old man thought his heart would shrink when he heard the ‘sound’ and thought it might be too late.”

A subdued and calm voice. The mysterious person who came out of the purple loop took off his hood.

Wavy, silver hair. Short, neatly trimmed beard and small earrings made of silver. Each one of the elaborate wrinkles on his face had a distinct presence.

A grandpa. He looked like the type of devious grandpa that didn’t act their age and would furtively smile at young women. Nevertheless, I’m not sure how, but his gaze contained profound wisdom that befitted his age.

“If possible, move as quietly as possible. I apologize for not arriving sooner.”

I couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Coincidentally, I had a traumatic experience with an old person who could use alchemy, so my palms wouldn’t stop sweating. I’m even contemplating whether I should just shoot him right now or not.

“Don’t, Bill. This person isn’t going to harm us.”

Ray grabbed my right hand which was unconsciously moving towards my holster.

“Who exactly is this old man supposed to be?”

I have a bunch of questions, but no one was giving me a satisfying answer. This is frustrating.

“Watch your mouth. He’s Master’s sworn friend.”

That was more than enough to shut me up. The sworn friend of my creditor.

“Uhm, is it fine for us to leave that guy over there······like that?”

I may have spoken formally, but it absolutely wasn’t because I’m scared. This damn tongue simply submitted to foreign terrors on its own like a port city without any military power. As that formal speech just now had nothing to do with my own will, I’ll use this opportunity to reveal that my tongue had acted completely arbitrarily.

“I applied a strong vibration to his brain and destroyed it, so he won’t be getting back up. Regardless, that was most likely one of Grey’s clones with a piece of him in it.”

Just as the old man said, the fallen Fund Manager also turned into dust like the midgets did and was blown away by the wind. Even though he was that strong, it was only his ‘clone’ and not the actual person.

“Since it had a fraction of his mind in it, his real body should have received quite the shock as well. Sir Grey may be impressive, but he’ll most likely focus on recovering for the next couple of days.”

“A Fund that allows him to clone himself as much as he wants···. That’s some terrifying alchemy.”

Ray and the old man. The two of them entered a conversation which only the two of them could understand. I wound up bringing my wandering gaze onto the clueless Aretha who was sitting quietly. She’s still in a daze it seems. It’ll probably take her a while before she comprehends what has happened thus far.

Does Aretha even know that she had died? No, more importantly, how was all that possible without the involvement of alchemy? I thought about it intently, but there’s no way that a layman of this field like me could figure it out.

“Uhm, Professor?”

There was a sense of urgency in Aretha’s voice. What’s the matter? Once I followed Aretha’s line of sight down to her feet, I noticed something was wrong.

“I came here after I heard the sound through the power of ‘vibration’.”

Ray continued to converse with the old man.

“Professor···. No, Mister···.”

No one was paying attention to Aretha’s words besides me.

However, be that as it may, that didn’t mean I could provide her with any actual help. Rather, I wasn’t able to react to the shocking phenomena that was occurring before me.

“Once I heard that a Flasko had appeared, I started searching for the ‘sound’. I figured I should take them to a safe place before the Fund Managers started to move and have a chat with them.”

“Mister···.”

Aretha’s voice gradually became weaker. I couldn’t stand idle any longer and shouted.

“Ray, Ray!”

The two people finally stopped talking to each other and turned to look at us. They looked annoyed about being interrupted; however, Ray and the white-haired, old man’s faces soon became dyed in shock.

“Help······!”

Aretha cried out.

She was disappearing. Starting from her lower body and the ends of her fingers, her entire body was becoming blurry.

“Oh dear! It’s started! Charles, has this young miss already encountered death once?!”

Ray nodded. I moved quickly and reached my arm out towards Aretha. I was relieved that she had come back to life, but she was disappearing again. I can’t let my only hope vanish in vain like this.

“Aretha!”

“Hey, young man. Calm down. The young miss is simply⎯”

When I reached my hand out to grab hold of Aretha, who had already disappeared from the neck down, I felt something soft.

“, becoming invisible.”

Tell me that sooner, you coot.

Slap. Aretha’s hand was painful.

“You pervert!”

An unseeable hand had slapped me. What followed after was an unseeable knee, an unseeable elbow, and an unseeable fist. Merciless violence brought down under the name of Adam Smith.

“Now now, forgive the young lad. He most likely did that unknowingly. May I have your name?”

“Aretha. Aretha Franklin.”

I heard a voice come from an empty spot. To be exact, from an invisible Aretha who existed in that spot.

Afterward, an unseeable foot kicked my stomach while I was down. Ray was snickering.

“If you know something, then please help me. A bunch of weird things have been happening since earlier.”

Aretha was close to tears. Even if I couldn’t see her, I could tell by her tone and kicks that she was on the verge of tears. Nevertheless, since my stomach was hurting a lot, I used my Liquidation to turn my stomach into gold coins.

“Ow!”

Aretha yelped in pain. An eye for an eye, girl. That’s why you shouldn’t kick people mindlessly like that.

“Rest assured, Miss Franklin. I’ll make you visible again soon.”

The mysterious old man rang the brass bell in his hand. The clear sound I heard earlier resounded once more. So that’s what destroyed the Fund Manager’s head, huh.

“Let’s get away from here first. There’s too much dust, so it’s difficult to have a comfortable conversation here.”

Translucent cracks spread out around the bell. If I were to compare the area in front of us with a wall, then it was like someone had smashed a hammer against the wall. Once the old man rang the bell again, the area covered by the cracks shattered like glass and the same purple loop we saw earlier appeared. Through the circle that was much larger than the loops that tigers would leap through at the circus, was a place completely removed from the wild desert.

“It’s a bit shabby, but it’s this old man’s home, so do you mind dropping by to have a chat, Miss Franklin and⎯”

I dusted my clothes as I stood up.

“It’s Bill Withers.”

“Yes, Mr. Withers. I feel like you two should know what sort of situation you’re in. It’ll take some time for the medicine, which I plan to give Miss Aretha, to take effect, so you can enjoy a nice break while you listen to what I have to say.”

I didn’t have a lot of choices and I was exhausted. If, as Ray had said, this grandpa is friendly, then there’s no reason for me to take Aretha and run away from here. No, if I take Aretha as she is now and ask for a reward, then I’ll probably be treated as an insane person. Above all else, I understood nothing about what had happened here. In other words, I needed someone to give me an explanation.

I glanced at Ray. He nodded at me. I quietly stared at the suspicious entrance created by the old man.

There was a bunch of cozy, gaudy furniture and a fireplace. I ended up recalling the house I used to reside in when I lived on the east coast. Would I ever be able to go back to that life?

I shook my head. Let’s take care of the issues directly in front of you first, Bill.

For now, let’s have some tea and listen to this Fund Manager.

I went through the purple loop and stepped foot into the old man’s home.

Million Dollar Bill: Volume 1 IndianHuntingA lot have gathered, huh?After exchanging the corpses of the criminals for money, we headed towards the station.Investigators wearing rings that showed that they belonged to the large detective agency, Pinkerton, were lined up around the train station in pairs.Normally, I would have paid them no mind and walked along, but circumstances have been a bit different for the past few days.Since they were looking for the same person as we were.I see a couple of senior investigators. Things will probably become bothersome if we get involved with them.Ray ripped tiny pieces from his large marshmallow that was the size of a fist and threw them into his mouth as he spoke.Yeah, they're all wearing Fund coats that are impervious to bullets, so what can a gunman like you do?There are a lot of other things I can do!Ray laughed slyly. Ray was the type of person to watch from a safe place whenever a fight occurred under the pretext that he was only here to observe and because he was a pacifist. Please consider my position since I have to jump right into the fray with a gun in hand.Haa, Fund coats, huh?From what I can tell, they're all 200-dollar grade. They can probably block around 15 bullets with ease.Back when I was 5 years old, no one in the west was afraid of Fund Managers. The American Revolution was probably the only notable historical stage where alchemists, who had migrated to the New World, obtained any feats, and theyreallycouldn't do much back then either.Like the bartender we met earlier, greenhorn Fund Managers that could extract value from money, precious metals, etc, and grant them to other objects was all there was to New World alchemists. Making dull blades sharp without putting them on a whetstone and returning a cracked glass cup back to normal were all they could do, so people would disregard them since they paled so much in comparison to Old World alchemists who got involved in government affairs.Nevertheless, I wonder when it happened. Fund Managers started to surface as the heads of the Million Dollar Round Table which claimed to be a group of patriotic mystics.After discovering that objects received immense power when granted a value of over a million dollars in a single go, they displayed a power far greater than that of the alchemy used by Old World alchemists and made their way into the upper class in the United States of America.By the time the pioneering of the west had ended, they started to provide equipment for the Pinkerton Detective Agency which was an agency that was not only a rival to bounty hunters like us, but were also no different from being a civilian militia that had been officially recognized by the federal government. It wasn't long before they used their influence and eventually swallowed the detective agency whole.In the end, bounty hunters have started to either join Pinkerton or return to farming since they had lost their competitive edge, and I also plan to look into ways to get into politics after I quit this job. I'm obviously lying.Isn't wearing those sort of things cowardly?You should buy one as well. I have a ton of them in my storage.I'm still far away from paying back my debt, so there's no way I would have enough money to buy something as expensive as that.I rolled up my sleeve and looked at the number that was crested on my forearm.945 dollars. That was all the money I had. This isn't a tattoo. This is something that senile alchemist had branded on me and it has the ability to display how much money I have in real time. If I add this together with the 800 dollars I have in my bank, then that makes 1,745 dollars. The amount of money I have to pay back to my creditor is 1,000,000 dollars.The deadline is 1 year. As I said before, the old alchemist had come to me half a year ago.Therefore, I have to make approximately 998,000 dollars within half a year.What happens if I can't pay back my debt in time?I'll probably be done for. I will literally die. I can't even run away. If I either waste my money and the money in my possession goes below 300 dollars or if I'm unable to pay my debt back in time, the shackles chained around me by the old alchemist will snatch away my life and existence.No matter how much I exert myself and try to save up, there's no way I could gather a large sum like a million dollars within half a year. As long as a miracle doesn't happen, something like that is impossible for a lower-middle-class citizen like me.Right when I was about to give up, a single article on the first page of the newspaper gave me a sliver of hope.Your issue is that you worry too much, Bill. All we have to do is find the girl who's going to come here to ride the train before anyone else and quietly take her away.That's the hard part, you moron. The desire to blurt this out came up, but I kept it to myself.Voicing your complaint by putting a first-person narration in your line doesn't make you smart.Ray retorted leisurely.I'll keep that in mind. In any case, I don't have a good feeling about these numbers.There was the fact that the people from Pinkerton had moved this quickly, but there was also the fact that this weighed on my conscience a bit.According to the newspaper article, the president of a transcontinental railroad company, who had passed away recently, only named a single heiress in his will, and the girl turned out to be an illegitimate child whom he had with a Native American woman.Up to this point, this was a story that you would hear every now and then throughout the West. The romance between a Native American and a white man. However, what happened afterward was, as expected, like something you would read in a non-mainstream dime novel depicting the private life of a Boston tycoon.After living for more than 20 years not knowing anything, the fortunate protagonist who suddenly learned of their inheritance through a letter one day disappeared like a puff of smoke the day after. They went missing.The step-siblings of the inheritor were shocked. They most likely intended to take care of matters cleanly by either making the inheritor, who had rolled in out of nowhere, give up on the inheritance or by simply killing her before the expected date of the inheritance, but even they probably never expected that the person would just vanish.It'd be a relief if she actually died, but if their missing little sister suddenly appears one day with the will, then it'll just trouble them to no end.In the end, the Franklins promised a hefty reward to whoever found the girl. The large sum of 500,000 dollars.Finding a single girl whom no one knows the appearance of is definitely not an easy task, but since I'm in a desperate situation where I can't be picky about my targets, I have to give it a shot.Well, it's like a completely random girl came out of nowhere and snatched away the fortune which should have been theirs, so I understand why the girls and boys at the transcontinental railroad company are upset.Still, let's be humane, it's a bit sad that they're trying to make her give up on the inheritance so publicly.I wonder about that. Family members are no different from being strangers. Ever since I was abandoned by my family and had to leave town afterward, I believed this to be true and never questioned it.Humane? I didn't know Mojos were humane enough to say something like that.Of course we are. At the very least, we're better than some has-been bounty hunter who's planning to offer a pitiful girl to her step-siblings who have bloodshot eyes and want to kill her.Eh, I doubt they'd actually kill her. They'll probably throw her some cash and send her on her way. She's just an illegitimate child. I'll be happy with that 500,000 dollar reward, those high-class people will be happy because they'll be able to legally split the inheritance up, and the lucky girl will be happy with the leftovers.Aren't you being a bit too naive? It's 500,000 dollars on the surface, but that's just hush money. More importantly, don't forget about my share of 200,000 dollars.Ah~ I don't care. I'll think about it after I save my own skin first.I know. I know that I'm selling myself out. Nevertheless, if my conscience is the only price I have to pay to stay alive, then that's a fair trade, isn't it?After one of my reliable sources informed me that the target was in San Francisco, I bribed the manager of a telegraph switching center and spread the false news that the San Francisco railroad station was going to start repairing their tracks tomorrow morning.In order to make our target, who, while keeping in mind when the Pinkerton's watch has lessened, desperately needs to go to the east, more nervous.If the girl believes the fake announcement on the San Francisco station's notice board, then she has to get on the train before the day ends today. She probably doesn't want to be held here until the construction finishes when this place is filled with investigators. The girl is most likely hiding among all these people who are gathering at the ticket office in order to get their train tickets.There isn't a lot of time left until the last train departs. If I were the target, then I would start moving right about now.It'd be great if the girl was that simple-minded.I agree. WhoaMy arm bumped against the bag of a bum who was dragging their feet.A bandana was wrapped around their lowered head. Not only were their rags covered in grease and dust, but the sootiness of their face showed that they haven't washed in the past couple of days. This person must have drawn the short straw in life.Sorry about that.They must have gotten hit on the head because they had a bandage wrapped around their forehead. I tossed them a coin and gave them a pat on the back. The beggar received the coin and scuttled towards the crowd of people at the ticket office.Panhandling in a place that might become a madhouse soon. How brave.I recalled the description of the girl I had written down on a memo last night. Curly, chestnut-colored hair that reaches down to her waist.A mystifying appearance that's unique to people that are of mixed-blood between a Native American and a Caucasian. A little taller than 5 feet. She's about as short as that beggar earlier.A slim figure with appropriate curves, a thin and high nose, a dimple only on her right cheek, and the last clothes she was seen wearing before she went missing was a gray taffeta skirt.As I thought, how could someone find this much information? No, before that, she only has positive descriptions, so it makes me somewhat dubious. Figures, you can't trust a girl's evaluation of another girl.However, the people at Pinkerton didn't even have these details. How do they plan to find her? Do they have a picture of her face? Oh, what's wrong with me? I don't have the spare time to worry about others.On another note, this girl has quite the unfortunate mixture of blood. A mixed-blood between a Native American and a Caucasian. Mixed-bloods aren't unusual, but a mixed-blood between a civilized person and a barbarian' is a perfect target for both sides.Wait a second, that person passing by over there.A tone of surprise. I looked towards the direction where Ray was pointing.A gray taffeta skirt and waist-length, black hair. Wait, wouldn't you at least wear something different if you didn't want to get caught?That's bait no matter how you look at it.I can't tell. My glass eyes can't distinguish the finer details.Nevertheless, the person's freely flowing hair kept poking at my preconceptions.Mm, I'm definitely not sane right now. It might be because there's a 500,000 dollar person in front of me, but I can't think rationally. I know.Ray. Stay here and shoot this towards the sky when you hear me whistle.Wait, why do II handed a rifle to Ray and quickly headed towards the ticket office.Move it.I pushed aside a couple of people who were crowding around the ticket office and approached the girl wearing a large hat who had just gotten in the back of the line. This figure and hair. Moreover, the large feather in her hair that strongly declared I have Native American blood in me'. The people from Pinkerton still haven't noticed yet.Miss, can I ask for some directions?I approached her from behind and grabbed her gloved wrist. I could feel her arm muscles stiffen. The color of her wrist was brown. She must be a native. Bingo?Shh, don't turn your head. Quietly walk backwardKyaa! Help me!Damn it, I should have told her to keep quiet first. I'm not even sure if she's the target yet. Once I took a look around, I saw the Pinkerton agents approach us as they started to realize what was happening.If it's going to be like this, then it's time for Plan B.I whistled. A loud and sharp sound pierced through the plaza.A single gunshot came back in response.Once the gunshot rang out, everyone gathered in the plaza of the railroad station lowered their bodies and heads.Follow me!I didn't let the opportunity slip and made my way through the encirclement of Pinkerton agents. In the distance where Ray was located, there were three or four people who appeared to be Pinkerton agents subduing the dangerous element who had fired a gun towards the sky.Bye bye, Ray. You're a smart guy, so you should be able to save your skin. You're a Mojo anyway, so guns and knives don't work on you.Hah, hah.I turned around. It will still take a bit before the investigators reach us. If we keep up this pace, then we should be able to shake them off.Wait, waaait. I'm out of breath, I can't run anymore!The miss pulled at my hand as she complained that she couldn't continue running. The mystery heiress was breathing heavily with her head down.I wasn't told that something like this would happen!What?For an instant, a tinge of uneasiness flashed through my head. I stopped running and stared at the girl. I took her hat off and asked the following question:Who are you?Her face was far removed from the pieces of information I had on the target. Don't tell me.That, that girl' said, that I just have to have a cup of tea, with whoever approaches me.Haa.As I thought, she was bait.If that's the case, then where's the real inheritor?In the next moment, the whistle of a locomotive blasted me.The train!Right when I was about to run the opposite way, there was a sharp sound followed by some sand being kicked up. A bullet had greeted me. It was an obvious threat.Before I knew it, the Pinkerton investigators had surrounded me. 6 people. One of them only had one eye, so a total of 11 eyes were glaring at me fiercely.Mm, Miss, I'll be dropping you off here. I'm sorry for dragging you all the way here even though you were working. See ya!They aren't taking their hands off of their holsters. These people. Do they want to see blood?Two of them are fully geared. They're wearing coats that have become Funds after being granted value, so bullets won't work on them. The rest look like they should be easy to handle, but I'll probably receive some harm as well.It can't be helped. I'm not that used to it yet, but I have no other choice but to use that'.Oi oi, there's no reason for you guys to give off such a serious atmosphere. I was simply trying to talk to a pretty lady, but some crazy person pulled the trigger right when I did, and you guys started following us, so I got scared and ran away.I furtively glanced at the number crested on my left arm. This should be more than enough to handle a single fight.Stop bullshitting. You tried to run away with the heiress of the Franklin family. You're already a suspect for attempted kidnapping.Hey, did you think I'd be scared if you ganged up on me like this?What an annoying, pot-bellied bastard. Do you not know what court is?Come to think of it, a scrawny dandy like you probably wouldn't have that sort of tenacity. I apologize forThat's far enough.Smoke rose from the barrel of my revolver.Up to this day, none of the people who have mocked me are still alive and healthy.Except for Ray.Kyaa!Our Miss bait who was quietly shaking in fear until now must have finally cleared her throat as she started to scream energetically. It isn't surprising since it probably isn't pleasant when a corpse with a hole in his head starts to look up your skirt.YouI simply rotated the cylinder a bit, but this alone was enough for people to die. An impartial act of violence that takes the life of anyone who's hit in the head. As bullets are a force that allows one to fight against the rough wilderness, it's also the driving force that moves the West.I didn't like your mustache since the moment I saw it.If you have the time to be surprised, then either run away or pull the trigger. Or at least toss in some witty retort.Without giving them the time to run away, three gunshots rang out.Ugh, the smell of sweat.Once the number of corpses on the ground increased by one more, the terrified bait threw her wig off and ran away.She's a fake! Go after the train!One of the senior investigators fired a flare.Green smoke covered the sky as the sun went down. It seems they had set up a detached group next to the train just in case.Thanks to the bait's outburst, my impromptu plan to take care of these guys and go back to the station as if nothing had happened went down the drain.Did you think you'd go unharmed after messing with the Pinkerton?!This guy is rather clumsy for a senior investigator. Even if their numbers went down by half while his guard was down, he's really slow when it comes to pulling out his gun. FurthermoreKuh!If you shout like that behind me, then how is that any different from just announcing that you're going to start shooting?Of course, even if you know that a bullet is coming, it isn't something you can dodge.Once I looked down, I saw a large hole going through the center of my chest. In truth, I'm the one who groaned a second ago.However, there was no blood. Instead of blood, green pieces of paper were scattered about on the ground. The fairly beautified president's face looked up at me, half burned.A portion of my upper body had changed into a wad of bills.You.I turned around and shot the guy who shot me in his opened mouth.What are you looking at? My body didn't become like this because I wanted it to.The other agents were still unable to close their agape mouths. However, I didn't feel good at all.Being done in by alchemy and having your body changed into this isn't something to brag about.If you guys take the girl away, then how am I supposed to pay back my debt?Liquidation'. I did become an unstable existence that's neither man nor money thanks to Old World alchemy, but after I started doing this rough work again 6 months ago, I realized that this contemptible body is actually useful. A lot of trial and error was required for me to figure out how to change my body into money at will, but I succeeded in sublimating my curse into an ability and I gave it a name.This bastard, his body turned into money!So he's a Fund Manager.Don't make me sad. I'm a guinea pig of alchemy.I become grateful for this horrific body whenever I do unpleasant work, but at the same time, I also want to abandon this work and go back to the time I was an upstart.Don't be scared! His bullets won't work on us as long as we take care of our heads.Subdue him with your fists'. Among the two remaining senior investigators, the guy who appeared older shouted that. They put their guns back into their holsters and surrounded me. I see his head is working properly.Unfortunately, just as that guy said, my bullets can't get through their coats which had been recreated into Funds through value granting. Moreover, I may have some muscles, but I have a relatively slim body, so, appearance-wise, I look rather weak. They must have judged that entering into hand-to-hand combat with me was the wisest decision.However, if they think I'll be terrible at brawling just because of my body shape, then they're underestimating me vastly.A fist flew at me from outside of my field of vision while I was boasting to myself. It was a serious right hook that had weight and centrifugal force in it.Crack. The sound of bones breaking rang in my ears.Guaah!If that scream just now had a color, then it was a dark, reddish brown.Referentially, according to the color theory advocated by Johannes Itten of Bauhaus, Germany, my personal color is a cool, summer tone. On the other hand, a dark, reddish brown is a warm, autumn tone.In conclusion, the fact that the color of the scream just now was dark, reddish brown meant that it wasn't my scream.I readjusted my chin which was emitting a silver glint back to its original position.The fact you don't have a hammer on you means that you can't break this hard and handsome chin. Or it also means that you'll break the bones in your fists.What an idiot. You think I can't change my body into coins when I can change it into bills?Since he hit my chin, which had become a bunch of Seated Liberty dollars clumped together, he won't be able to even jack off until his bones heal themselves.What a conundrum. I don't think the two of you are going to be able to capture a single, scrawny dandy. The rest of the investigators all went after the train, so I don't think they can help you.DDon't come any closer!He looked like he was staring at a demon. It was a typical response which I was already sick and tired of seeing.Fist Full of Dollars Seated Liberty.I kept it short and brief. I struck one of the guys in the chin with my fist after I changed it into a clump of silver and forced him to go to sleep. A couple of coins flew out due to the collision and fell into the guy's hat which had fallen off.Keep the change.Where'd the last guy go? I turned my head and noticed the last guy was running full force towards the station. It seems he's quick at assessing the situation. However, going that way isn't a wise decision. BecauseIn the next instant, a loud fricative and crashing sound shook the windows of a high-rise building.Sheesh.The investigator's body was twisted and sent flying. I didn't have the backbone to look straight at that horrible sight, so I quickly turned away.I was about to tell him not to go that way.The reason was simple.At that moment, a large, black, beautiful, and glistening object was going at a frightening speed nearby.Hi, Bill. Did you wait long?There was the chance of being hit-and-ran by a grand piano.Do you know how long it's been since the train started moving? You really are fast, aren't you?The person to stand up from the seat fixed on the piano was that damned Mojo, Ray. He had a wide grin on his face. He has quite the pearly whites.Sorry, it took some time to talk it out with them.You really live leisurely, huh? Do you think some people carry a gun around because they're dumb?Trying to act like a pacifist when you had just hit-and-ran someone.Yeah, yeah. All right. We just have to hurry, then.Ray adjusted his colored glasses and put his hands back on top of the keys.Where you heading, Chief?We have to hurry before the train goes any farther.I want to have a friendly conversation with a mixed-blood lady from a wealthy family. Take me to that train over there.Once I took a seat next to Ray, the three wheels holding up the grand piano started spinning fiercely and raised clouds of dust.Then let's go!Ray's ringed fingers started to dance across the keys.Hit the road!The piano started moving at a breakneck speed. I had to hold on to my hat so it wouldn't fly away.We rode through the streets of Sacramento while bearing the gazes of people passing by and pursued the train along the railroad.This was the last train departing from the station today. The heiress of the Franklin family tried to shake off her pursuers by even using bait, but excluding me and Ray, there were still a couple of investigators in cars on her tail. It seems they still have a couple of investigators smart enough to prepare cars just in case, so there may still be some hope in the Pinkertons. Let's strike up a conversation with them to encourage them a bit.Hey, let's go greet' the gentlemen in the yellow car on the left. Gently.Ray nodded and got right next to the Pinkerton investigators' car while performing Sir Edward Elgar's Salut d'Amour' on his million dollar Funded grand piano, Jack'.Hey, how're you all doing?The two investigators stared in shock at the grand piano that was moving at the same speed as their car. Would it have been less alarming if this were a pleasant upright piano?They have Funded bulletproof coats. Dealing with them is going to be a hassle, so pull them out.Huh!Once Ray pressed down on the keys strongly, Jack's lid opened like a toad's mouth and an immense amount of piano strings came pouring out.The mass of the piano strings was so great that normal people wouldn't believe they could all fit inside a piano. The piano strings came together into the shape of a giant hand before grabbing the two investigators and throwing them at another car that was being driven by more investigators.A dynamic collision sound. The hood of their car was crushed and their brakes emitted a loud screech. The two cars spun out of control and flipped over far behind us.Horse number 1 has passed its competitor and is approaching the finish line with ease.Pomp and Circumstances in D major. As I expected, composed by Sir Edward Elgar.I used the chair and the lid as footholds before jumping over the banister on the back of the very last cart of the train. On the other hand, Ray got on top of a clump of piano strings and was lifted over the banister gracefully.If you waited a little bit, then I would have tossed you over. Why'd you have to step on my innocent Jack?I didn't want to end up like the investigators you tossed earlier, so what?You don't know anything, do you? If you make a big entrance by breaking down the door with a Bam!' then the passengers would cooperate obediently, wouldn't they?Ray pulled out a palm-sized book from his coat and flipped it open.The grand piano that was following right behind the train shifted into orange dust before gathering above a page of the book and transforming into an exquisite paper model.As Ray slowly closed the book, complex creases appeared asthe three-dimensional paper model folded flatly and disappeared into the book. It was a pop-up book where paper models would come out whenever he flipped a page. Ray called this book in which he stored all of his expensive Funds, Catalogue'.If I could take out even a single Fund from that book and sell it, then I could probably pay back my debt immediately. It's impossible, though.It's the 20th century. No, even a decade ago, train robbers and bounty hunters didn't use such old-fashioned methods to seize trains.Yup, back in our days', they'd set up dynamite on the tracks and flip the front ends of engine locomotives. Of course, I'm talking about robbers, not bounty hunters.Talking about the 20th century when you're still making a living capturing criminals. Social Darwinists would probably love to see you. Researching a fully intact fossil would be quite fruitful.Shut up! Don't you know anything about romancing the old era? Romance! If people lose their passion, then they'd be no different from walking corpses!Passion, I feel like I've heard of that name before. Oh, I remember. Isn't that the name of the refugee camp where has-beens of the era go to first?I can't beat this guy in an argument. I can't even shoot him. Why did God take Ray's eyes and not his tongue?Aah! Shut up for a second! No matter what you say, I'm going to open the door in a gentlemanly manner, request for everyone's cooperation, and find the target! Regardless of what anyone says, I'm a refined man!Oh, sure. Go ahead and knock on the gates of helllike a civilized man who's living in 20th century United States of Americaand ask them to open the door for you. You're such a natural.Why would I knock? The door of the last train cabin is always left open. Watch. Huh?I tried to turn the door handle, but it didn't budge at all. It was all the same no matter how much I tried to push or pull on it.They used to always leave this door unlocked.You're such a has-been.Ray snickered. My face went red in shame. I kept looking forward so that Ray, who was leaning against the banister leisurely, couldn't see my face and pulled on the door handle once more.Damn this lump sum payment.It still wouldn't open. If it's going to be like this, then it's time to go old school.Fist Full of Dollars Liberty Head.My right fist became a heavy clump of metal with the head of the Statue of Liberty engraved on it. It's an expensive weapon made by pouring in almost all of my money.By 1 dollar coin standards, silver coins are larger and heavier, but if you gather them in the same volume, then the weight of the gold coin is superior. If I don't have to consider the accuracy, then this is appropriate to make a hole in the wall thanks to its imbalance of weight.I just have to make a hole and turn the door handle on the other side. I figured it wouldn't be difficult.However, embarrassing occurrences always happen in pairs. The train shook violently the moment I turned my body and raised my hand.Eh?My body, which had lost its center of gravity because my fist had changed into a clump of gold coins, got caught on the banister and, like a seesaw, I fell towards the tracks just like that.Jeez! You idiot!Ray barely managed to grab my left hand.Hurry up and turn off your Liquidation before I let you go!I obediently reverted my fist back to its original form. I didn't want to fall down on the tracks like this.Why are you this heavy when you're so scrawny?!It's all muscle!Be quiet and hold on tight. I'm pulling you up!Ray let go of the banister and used both of his hands to firmly grab on to my arm and pulled me as if he intended to fall back.Wait, this is too fasI noticed that something was wrong. The instant Ray pulled on my arm, the train slowed down for a moment, and I flew straight over Ray who was falling backward and straight to the door. Head first, at that.LibertHead.It wasn't that head this time, it was my head.My head and cervical spine turned into coins and bills in the blink of an eye.Bang. A terribly loud sound resonated as the wooden door shattered and I was thrown on the ground in the middle of the last train cabin. Due to the impact, the coins that were in the shape of my head scattered on the floor.Oh, Lord!This person doesn't have a head!Mom, what's that? It's scary.. Damn it.Come to think of it, I have yet to introduce myself.My name is Bill Withers. The last battering ram that's alive in the 20th century...What broke the silence in the train were the sounds people made as they carefully picked up the money that had scattered everywhere. Of course, it's not like I can see this happening when my body is on the ground and my head is gone.However, I can feel it. I can tell where the pieces of my conscience which dwell in all of the coins and bills that form my body are located.I can also hear sound through them. I can hear everything you guys are saying. Stop fighting over my head!I focused and pulled together all of the money that had scattered. The coins rolling on the ground stood up vertically before rolling back to me and the bills in people's hands flew back as well. There was a single kid who refused to let go of a portion of my body, so I quickly put together my mouth first before shouting at the kid to let go while I was asking nicely. The kid started crying.How could you make a kid cry? You're like a train robber.Ray entered the cart after my head had returned back to normal. Once I stood up and looked around, I saw that the faces of the passengers had all tensed up as soon as they heard the word train robber'.You're the one who should stop scaring peopleneedlessly.I stood in the center of the train cabin and took out a piece of paper from my vest pocket.This is a warrant. You see the California state judge's seal here? We came here to find a single person using legal procedures. If you kindly cooperate with us, then you can keep the small sum you guys picked up earlier.I included the story which I had been fabricating for the past hour and briefly described the appearance of my target to the passengers.Fortunately, once I finished my explanation, all of the passengers raised their hands and pointed towards a single direction.Thank you for the cooperation.As I expected.I took out a bundle of dollar bills from my hand and threw it up in the air. The cabin became chaotic as the passengers desperately tried to grab the dollar bills. However, all of that only lasted a moment.Once I opened the door leading to the next cart, the remaining bills rode the wind and flew straight out the door on the other side of the cart which was still open.Bang!Don't misunderstand. I didn't use my head to open the door this time. In the first place, it wasn't locked.Ray and I boldly arrived in the first class cabin where all the rich people were seated. The conductor came out at one point, but once I showed him the warrant, he quietly went along to the next cart. Different from the other cabins, the cart was separated into 6 rooms with 4 seats in each of them. They even had lockable doors. Thankfully, the doors had windows, so we could see inside. With this, we didn't have to involve people who aren't involved. Albeit, I was never worried about that in the first place.She's a lot smarter than I expected. I didn't think she would send out a bait.Ray and I peered into the windows of every room. Luxurious articles of clothing and dazzling jewelry, secret fornication between same sexes, and undisclosed exchanges between high-class people. We witnessed these things before we came to a stop at the room at the far end of the cabin.In the first place, it was our mistake for trying to find her byonlygoing off of her outer appearance. This girl had properly used the stereotype which comes from being an heiress and deceived everyone.Excuse me.I roughly pulled open the door andKyah!A scream pierced my ears. This time, the color of the scream was Indian yellow.The first thing that entered my line of sight was a pair of ample breasts that looked like a young doe pasturing in the middle of a field of lilies, covered by hands. By the time my gaze could go down the delicate curves of her hip, which could not possibly be hidden entirely, martial law came to my lower body.Guh.Hey, hey, hey. Excuse me. Come on.The girl had her eyes shut tight. Once I lowered my gaze, I saw a smooth knee stuck between my legs. My lower lips trembled in pain. I shouldn't have been born as a man. I mentally cursed the day I was born.Haha.Ray laughed in my face as he watched from the side. However, it wasn't long before Ray's face contorted as well. An impetuous order had struck his lower body. No, it was martial law.I-I'm blind.Oh, apologies.Don't believe him, Miss. This guy saw everything.Then I take it back.Guh!Another blow to a certain place on Ray's body. Serves him right.I'm not sure what sort of face I'm supposed to show in a situation like this.Ray responded with a pained expression.We just have to smile and laugh.If that's possible.The girl, who had neutralized the two of us in the blink of an eye, grabbed the overgarment that was hanging on the clothes hanger, covered her lower body with it, and turned around to finish getting dressed. She put on a neck guard and then her top. The white, smooth curves of her hips, which didn't seem like it would belong to a Native American mixed-blood, disappeared into her dress.You guys can't complain since you saw my bare skin without permission.There was embarrassment and anger in her coy tone.More importantly, I almost lost my ability to leave a generation behind. I calmed down my chest which was still unable to escape the lingering pain that had traveled up to it.The girl folded her arms and sat down. Ray and I modestly sat down on the seat opposite of her without a word.There were dirty, just thrown off, ragged clothes half-heartedly tossed next to the girl wearing a white, soft, oversized cardigan with a hood. It's just as I thought.That's right. The beggar I bumped into earlier at the station was this girl. The girl who was disguising herself with soot all over her face was now sitting in front of me completely clean.I carefully examined the girl's attire again.A white, sleeveless one-piece dress with a red and blue pattern on the top and bottom edges. In the center of the dress, there was a uniquely-shaped necklace which appeared to be a Native American traditional handicraft dangling.Next, a leather neck guard that covered up to her collarbone. It seems it was the type of neck guard that was held in place by tying some strings together in the center. By utilizing the holes on the top and bottom, the weight of the dress is effectively dispersed thanks to the choker and pin held together by leather straps. The straps were designed to not dig into the skin.As I continued to examine the girl, I discovered another accessory. A blue hair accessory with a white flower drawn on it and a feather attached to it. The armlets and barely visible garters which peaked out from under her mid-thigh length dress were made of metal and had several openworks on them similar to the flower drawn on her hair accessory.Finally, her deer leather shoes which slightly revealed her toes and heels. These also gave off a weird sense of unity with her dress.It was as clear as day that everything she had on was elaborately crafted by a master artisan. Furthermore, they were all accessories you couldn't find in the city. An elaborate outfit I've never seenevenin autonomous Native American districts.Honestly, this was the first time I've ever marveled at a native's clothes. They have a lot of accessories compared to the attires of city folks, but it must be thanks to this girl's exceptional looks that she's able to pull it off so naturally.I resumed my observation.She looked like she was 2 or, at most, 4 years younger than me. Lavish brown hair that reached her waist. This much was according to the information I had gathered previously. However, that was it. The actual person was completely different from what I heard.Her ears, eyes, nose, and mouth were the most distinct features that showed her Native American descent. Her skin's white because she has white and Native American blood in her, but the contours of her face were completely unique.Thick eyebrows above her narrow nose line. The reddish blush on her cheeks covered her restrained and assertive cheekbones like a veil. If I moved my gaze slightly, I could see her thin jawline and exquisitely fitting small ears.I was accustomed to the overall frame of her face, but I also felt a delicate exoticness from it as well. It looks rather soft, but there are places here and there that are sharp, strong, and asserts the fact that she has the blood of the free Native American people running through her.And finally, her eyes.They were terrifying. It felt like I was in the final moment of a poker match where everyone was about to show their hands.I peered into her eyes, which were as sharp as an ace of spades, once more after bearing my fear and curiosity. Her pupils had a red tint. They were mysterious eyes that even looked pink depending on the angle you looked at them. Her gaze penetrated me..Utter defeat. She had a beauty that was impossible to obtain unless she had made a bet with God and won.It was a given that she would stick out like a sore thumb when in a crowd, so she had no other choice but to disguise herself.Why are you staring at me like that? Do you think only white people live on this continent?I managed to let out a dumb sound as I came back to my senses. I glared at Ray who was snickering at me before returning my gaze to the girl.I thought I could escape, but you guys somehow managed to catch up to the train, huh?The girl spoke with a sigh.How unfortunate. I have a jinx where I would always meet beautiful women under bad circumstances.It was a rather decent plan. The fact that you predicted your pursuers would doubt your bait, but still bite it anyway. The fact that you disguised yourself as a panhandler and rode first class. Nevertheless, I have no idea how you got your ticket.The girl took out a dollar-sized piece of paper and waved it. It was a transcontinental railroad VIP ticket. Every train has separate seating areas specifically for people who possess these tickets and it allows them to board whenever they want.It came with the letter. I've been using it gratefully.I see. So her travel expenses to the transcontinental railroad head office on the east coast were all covered because she's the heiress.The conductor led a ragged beggar to first class while brown-nosing, so it's only natural that it would leave a deep impression on everyone in third class. No, if it's that disguise, then people would have remembered her regardless of where she sat.I had my suspicion because I didn't see the beggar when we were riding through the Sacramento train station on the piano, so it was the right call to ask the people riding at the tail end of the train. Nevertheless, how could I not recognize this beautiful person just because she disguised herself a bit? It seems my sharp-sightedness which I had developed throughout the past decade while making a living as a bounty hunter turned out to be useless.Uugh.Just stay quiet.I lightly hit Ray on the back of the head as he continued to groan in pain and turned to face the heiress.She had quite the pert forehead. The fact that it went well with her elegant and cool eyes made her features look as if they were overflowing with intelligence. It felt like I could find her sitting in a grass field by herself on the weekend reading Harriet Beecher Stowe's Oldtown Folks'.You guys came here to kill me, didn't you?I seriously considered it for a moment when you kicked me you know where'.What about now?It's bearable.No, it isn't. Ray muttered.A moment of silence. The sound of cranks and wheels meshing together echoed around us.We aren't going to kill you. If we intended to do that, then we would have shot you in the head the instant we opened the door.What do you want?Huh. She's strangely composed. Wouldn't people normally be scared in situations like this?Your Come to think of it, I don't know your name.Aretha. Aretha Franklin.The girl answered with a cautious glint in her eyes.All right. Aretha. Your brothers and sisters promised a reward to whoever brings you to them. If you come with us obediently, then there won't be any problems.We're going to be handing her over to her half-siblings, but I, at the very least, don't plan to do any harm to her.So, are you telling me to quietly follow a dandy gunman and a damned, pale white man off the train?She uttered those words under her breath, but her hostility was as clear as clear could be.Sounds about right.Regardless, I didn't let it disturb me. I understood why she'd be upset at us.Whatever. I'd rather bite my tongue and kill myself.Wouldn't that be doing your greedy brothers and sisters a favor? How about going to a notary and using the refusal of succession as an excuse to receive a share?I don't know what the people who threw my mother away are planning, but there's no reason for me to refuse when I'm being offered all of the inheritance. I could change my life if I struggle for my life, and I don't want to beg for chump change from people who've been dressing well and faring richly all their lives.Aretha declared as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Her spunkiness made me feel a little ashamed.Yeah, Icompletelyagree with her. If I were in her shoes, then I would have also struggled for my life. Regardless, if I don't take her to them, then I'd miss an opportunity to pay back my debt.I got used to living a boring life in Indian districts. You only have one shot in life, so even if it's scary, there's no reason for me to refuse this opportunity.This girl has quite the strong adventurous spirit. It's not bad, but.I'm sorry, but you're going to have to give up on your succession. You'll be coming with me.I refuse.Mm. This is unfortunate. It seems I have to resort to force. Ray must have caught wind of what I intended to do as he scratched his head.Don't overdo it, Bill. Violence isn't good.Ray is a gentleman who can't bear to watch someone do something terrible to women, but it seems he wasn't going to press any further than this. I did try to persuade her the best I could.Watch closely.I took out a bullet and waved it in front of Aretha.I'll show you a magic trick.I opened the cylinder cover of my peacemaker. I slowly rotated the cylinder and showed the girl that it was empty before I loaded the bullet into it.Now then, the bullet will now disappear and reappear in your kneecap. It might hurt a little, so get ready to blow on it.Normally, this threat was enough to make people docile.You're just a bad person who can't do anything without a gun.Aretha looked me straight in the eyes and smirked.Is being pretty all that matters? Not only is she pretty, but she also has guts. She has the looks and all the dressings on top. Aah, curse at me more. It's only reasonable that you did. I'm pointing a gun at a girl for Christ's sakes. But what am I supposed to do? I'm doing this because I want to live.I pointed the barrel of my gun towards the ceiling and fired. The rooms next to us became noisy before we soon heard the sound of doors opening and people running out.This is my final warning. Please surrender. I'm begging you. I loaded another bullet and gazed at Aretha with pleading eyes, but I didn't get the response I wanted.What should I do? Should I close my eyes and fire? I'll make sure to shoot somewhere that doesn't hurt. Just graze her a little. No, if I shoot with my eyes closed, then what happens if I accidentally hit her square in the kneecap and shatter it? On the other hand, unless I were completely insane, there's no way I could possibly shoot a girl who's as pretty as this with my eyes open.Let's try persuading her one last time.Just tell them that you'll sign the papers to relinquish your inheritance if they give you some money. That way, everyone will be happy. Calm down and think about it. HonestlyIt was at that moment. A deafening boom resonated around us before I could even finish my sentence. Shortly after, my vision was forcefully shaken and tilted. No, the train itself was flipping on its side. I hugged Aretha who had unexpectedly fallen into my arms before colliding against the wall.Kuh!Ray got hit by my foot. A sudden memory flashed through my head.The method used back in our romance-filled era' which I had mentioned earlier.That's right, that's how it was back then.Smart robbers always flipped trains with dynamite.The train became a complete wreck after rolling over. The passengers had all either died or were badly injured. The disaster above the railway continued for a couple dozen seconds. The derailed train couldn't control itself due to the inertia and slid across the desert while on its side.Once I came to, there was no part of my body that wasn't injured. My body was bruised all over after colliding against the walls over and over again while holding Aretha in my arms.It seems I had a couple of broken bones as well. A rib and a shinbone. There's a problem in one of my shoulders as well.On the other hand, Aretha was completely passed out next to me. Excluding a couple of scratches, it appears that she didn't have any other injuries. That's a relief.No, this isn't a relief. There's no way that the train could have flippedcoincidentally in a situation like this. Who's the bastard that did this.Only the sound of wheezing echoed throughout the silent guest room. The boards that were acting as the floor a second ago were now standing vertically as a wall. It seems the guest cabin had nicely flipped over by a quarter.Oi, that's cowardly of you to only protect yourself.Ray, on the other hand, was completely unharmed. He was inside a large marshmallow and had just now stuck out his head. It was the Fund that Ray would always leave at the very first page of his pop-up book, Neighboring Marshmallow'. I knew that it was an excellent nutritional snack that was capable of returning to its original state no matter how much of it was eaten and that its size could be manipulated freely, but I never thought he would use it in such an efficient manner like this.Is it over?I don't know.The sand that came in through the broken roof it's the wall now had found its way inside my mouth. The only thing I could move right now was my right arm.I violently spat out the sand from my mouth and shoved my right hand into my left arm after turning the skin and muscle of my left arm into bills. I grabbed the broken bone.Liquidation.The bone in my hand lost its original form and changed into a clump of bills. I pulled out the bills and saw that they were all torn in half. I threw the clump away on the floor. I released the Liquidation and, after my arm went back to normal, the excess bills I had in me turned into a new bone to replace the one I had pulled out. However, the number on my left wrist went down according to the sum of the bills I had just thrown out. It hurt to see the number drop, but I was in the middle of repairing my body so that I could move again.I used the same method to throw out the other injured bones and organs in my body before reconstructing them with money. I was able to regain my composure after the pain had reasonably subsided.As expected of Master, he made your body tenacious so that you wouldn't die before paying back your debt.Ray commented as I made my way out of the train with Aretha on my back.That's for certain. His stubbornness displays itself even in times like this. If I hadn't met that coot, then I would probablystillbe living a peaceful life right now.Although my life back then was a bit too boring to be called living'.The life of a bounty hunter is constantly filled with stimuli. Living back to back with death itself is a life brimming with excitement.Aah, I want to hurry up and go back to my boring life. Buy a horribly slow, fake racehorse that's been abused by its Arabian owner and get done up bar girls who are burning with the desire to study and are trying to get men other than me to pay for their educational expenses.That's why you shouldn't have taken that gold when you didn't know who the owner was.How could I have known that the punishment would be this severIt was at that moment. It' stuck its head out from the shadow of the toppled train.Without any exaggeration, there was a head that was the size of my fist and it intriguingly had all five sensory organs on it. It' looked around with its round eyes before stopping its gaze at us.CCute!I carefully put Aretha down and beckoned towards the small person.The little person that was walking towards us was only as tall as my forearm, but it had on a tuxedo, a top hat, and a bowtie.The dainty little gentleman with its hair neatly combed back blinked its large eyes a couple of times as it approached Aretha. It knocked on her head a couple of times before bringing the same hand to its mouth and whistling loudly.Bill.Be quiet. Are you going to take responsibility if Mr. Fairy gets scared and runs away?No, that's not what I.At that moment, we heard footsteps. Several of them, at that.I turned to look at Ray's face due to the ominous foreboding feeling I had. His ebony, artificial eyes behind his tinted glasses were emitting an orange glow. Not only are his artificial eyes Funds that grant Ray the ability to see despite his blindness, but they also have the ability to detect alchemy.It's alchemy. A Fund that's over a million dollars. It's dangerous.Ray's glass eyes were emitting a bright light as they reacted to alchemy.Damn it, it seems I've gotten dragged into mystical shit again.I had my doubts, but just as I suspected, dozens of siblings that looked identical to the small guy that appeared earlier were standing on top of the toppled train and casting their shadows over us. Additionally, all of them were holding bloodied weapons. From forks to knives, some of them were even painstakingly holding a heavy pistol.They all look cute and harmless.It'd be great if that were the case.You Mojos can't die anyway. Stop making such a fuss.We can if it involves alchemy. Shit, meeting the One Man Band' when I'm not even 200 years old yet.Who's that supposed to be? Before I could even ask this out loud, a shadow much larger than the midgets was cast over me.Fantastic afternoon, everyone.After hearing that sharp British accent, Ray put his hand against his forehead. I have a bad feeling about this.A handsomely tall man with a coat hanging off his shoulders appeared from behind the army of midgets while holding a rifle in his hands. Underneath his straight brows that laid above his sturdy features, tired, blue eyes stared down at us.Contrary to his greeting mentioning a fantastic afternoon, he looked incredibly dangerous.He also had on a tuxedo and a bowtie that matched the midgets. No, would it be better to say the midgets were like dolls that were modeled after him? If I had to point out some differences, then it would probably be the fact that his bowtie was completely undone and the fact that he didn't have a top hat on, so his messy hair was visible.Wake up, Miss Franklin.He hopped down from the train and approached the still collapsed Aretha completely casually.Hey, I'm the one who found this girl.He didn't respond. He didn't seem to care at all that I was standing between him and the girl.I looked back at Aretha for a moment. Aretha appeared to be regaining her senses as her eyes were open, but she must have hit her head badly as her unfocused eyes were still drifting around.Trying to quietly take away a girl who someone else had gone through the difficulty of finding is bad business ethics.I'm making an assumption due to the circumstances, but he's probably a competitor. I won't let him take my game away.I was able to quickly point my gun at him since I had been in a constant state of alert the entire time. I maintained a certain distance from him since I couldn't get a grasp of his ability, but I was confident that I couldn't possibly miss if I were to shoot him from here.That's quite unfortunate, butI shot my gun without warning. People are bound to lower their guard the instant they speak. This guy will definitely die before he can react. As long as he isn't faster than a bullet, it's impossible for him to dodge.Blood splattered and bones shattered. A predicted result. The exact center of the forehead. However, instead of lowering my gun, I shot a couple of more rounds.What.I was stunned and speechless.Was that your last bullet?One Man Band, the Fund Manager whom Ray had referred to by this name was standing in front of me without a scratch on him.All of my bullets were stuck in the foreheads of the innocent little people.Tsk!No matter how many times I pulled the trigger, the little guys would crawl out from either the Fund Manager's pockets or sleeves and, with phenomenal reaction speed and jumping strength, they received all of the bullets with their small bodies.What kind of stupid.The little guys on top of the train all jumped down at the same time. One of their knives stabbed into the back of my neckbefore I could even react. Blood sprayed out and hastily drenched my body. I moved my limbs around to try and shake off the little minions, but the injuries on my body increased the more I moved.While I was busy trying to tear the little guys off of me, the Fund Manager only stared at Aretha's face as if he had no interest in me or Ray.Ray, do something!I called out for assistance, but, as expected, Ray was in a similar situation. Excluding the fact that all of the weapons swung at Ray turned into flowers, Ray was also being suppressed by a large number of little people, so he couldn't move.You really are a certain someone's little sister. It's quite unfortunate.The tuxedo-wearing gentleman raised his rifle and held it properly.Nevertheless, be it an heiress or aFlasko, neither are allowed to exist. That was their order. Please do not resent me for this.His rifle was pointed directly at the center of Aretha's chest. I reached my hand out as I was being held down by the little runts.Aretha!The gunshot drowned out my shout. Red mist burst out and slowly dispersed under the sun.Aretha's body lifted up once and that was it. Her slender body came to a halt while splayed out.Underneath her opened eyes, crimson blood flowed out from her nose and mouth. The unidentified Fund Manager got down on one knee next to Aretha's body and closed her eyes.Even though I was being mutilated by the midgets' weapons, I laid there in shock.She died right before my eyes.People are the ones who start stories, but bullets are what always bring them to an end. A single story had simply come to an end. Nothing more, nothing less. This wasn't my first time experiencing this. Death is a common occurrence in the West.However, the thing that shook me was the fact that the opportunity which I believed to be my last chance disappeared so easily.A type of despair that can't be caricatured.If this were like the small hopelessness I would normally encounter on a day to day basis, then I would have muttered something like, How could this have happened?' and laughed it off as if it were someone else's problem; however, I couldn't possibly do that this time.The immense despair that had affected me. The only thing that remained was rage.Ray.Can't you see I'm a bit tied up right now?Ray!All right! Fine!There's no time for jokes. I'm not in the mood to banter.I turned my body into coins and threw off the little people before backing away and creating distance.Rent Gatling gun. 2min!Sign please!Ray barely managed to pull out two pages from his Catalogue as he shook the midgets off.Once Ray flicked his finger, the torn pages and a Waterman fountain pen flew towards me. I grabbed the fountain pen and signed the page.Signed, sealed, delivered!In return for cash, the concluded contract grants me the authority to use one of the items registered in Ray's Catalogue temporarily. Ray's glass eyes emitted a bright light as they detected the alchemy that's involved in the series of processes.Mm?The Fund Manager turned towards us and knit his brows.I don't know what you two are plotting, but bullets and Funds don't work against me.Let's see how long you can keep up acting casual!I glared at his sneering face and unfolded the Catalogue pages. The paper model inside of the pages unfolded itself and shifted back into its three-dimensional form.Between the two pages stood a paper model of a wagon with 7 gun barrels bound together on top. It was a Gatling gun.That's.It's a misfortunate weapon that was developed near the end of the Civil War, so it barely had any time to shine, but it's still the perfect weapon for mass destruction.Yup. This isThe paper model then exploded into tens of thousands of light particles. It's time to say goodbye, you British midgets., a product of modern times!The light particles gathered in front of me and shifted into their original form. A smooth, metallic luster. A murder weapon made of real metal and not paper.I'm not sure if you can block everything when three to four bullets are being shot at you every second. SoI attached the ammo cartridge that came out of the Catalogue page to the Gatling gun.I wish you luck. Beg to God that all of the bullets miss!Each time my right hand moved a full rotation with the crank, screams erupted from all over. The midgets jumped around like March hare kits given birth to during a baby boom, and were scattered away like barley in the Great Plains when blown by a gust of wind.There were a few among them that embraced death and charged at me, but it didn't matter. They all simply died after letting out short death throes.Hoorah for American independence! Hoorah for the Union army! Die! It wouldn't be satisfying even if you burned to death in a fire lit by tea leaves! U! S! A! U! S! A!Like a Communion, the sandy ground was covered in flesh and blood. I'm definitely not trigger happy, but after experiencing the rush of shooting 200 bullets per minute, I understood how this could be so addicting. Massacres are worth experiencing once. They're also very beneficial to one's mental health.Hm?No more bullets came out despite how many times I turned the lever. I looked down at the Gatling gun once my excitement had settled and saw that the ammo cartridge was empty. The smoke from the gun billowed upward and covered the scenery of the wilderness which displayed no sign of wind today.Times up. 2 minutes have passed.Already?Ray was scraping off the flesh from the bottom of his shoe.A vile stench filled my nose. The Red Sea was spread out before me. Half blood, half flesh. I couldn't see Aretha's dead body anymore. It must have gotten caught up in the Gatling gun's barrage and torn to shreds.Mm, I should have properly laid her to rest. I'll probably receive a scolding from Aretha's father in the afterlife. I'm sorry, I'm the bastard who turned your daughter's dead body into mincemeat. I guess I'll apologize like this. I'll have to practice to make sure I don't stutter out of nervousness when I apologize for real.The rental fee for 2 minutes is 120 dollars and you fired 388 bullets. In total, that's 159 dollars and 60 cents, dear customer.Why is it so expensive?!An appropriate price is required to enjoy modern conveniences.I already rented the gun for an expensive price, so can't you at least make the bullets free?Do you think you can dig up 0.58 caliber bullets that disappear by twos and threes every second from the ground?Let's settle the price at the end of the month.Your credit for this month has already exceeded its limit. Also, the most important thing isAll right, all right. I get it.I had no other choice but to obediently pay up.It seems my lavish spending habits haven't changed. I wound up wasting a bunch of bullets because I got caught up in the excitement this time as well. I should keep in mind that I become poorer each time a cartridge case falls to the ground.Now, what do you plan to do? It's been a while since we were able to get a good opportunity like this.Yeah, I'll admit it. Aretha is dead. She's no longer here; however, she continues to live on in my heart.There isn't even a corpse, though?I forgot to mention, but Ray has a talent of pulling me back to my senses and ruining my mood when I'm in the middle of escaping from reality.Voicing your complaint in a first-person narrative-style isn't a good habit to have, Bill.I'll bear that in mind.What should I do? Should I close my eyes and dive into gambling for the rest of the time I have left? No, that's too risky.Let's give a silent prayer first.I took my hat off and lowered my head for a moment. Although we were barely able to converse, I hope you rest well, beautiful girl. When I reopened my eyes, I noticed that Ray was still bowing his head.I took out a cigarette and lit it. This is a really strong cigar, but the smell of blood was a lot stronger, so I couldn't taste it. I turned the injuries caused by the little people's knives into torn bills and peeled them off. My body and shirt became clean again.Making money sure is hard.It was at that moment, my eyes noticed something move within the sea of blood.Scattered pieces of flesh were moving. I glanced at Ray, but he was shaking his head. His artificial eyes weren't glowing, so, in other words, this was a phenomenon completely unrelated to alchemy.The pieces of flesh came together and started to form a shape. It was taking a human form.As I thought, there's no way One Man Band could die this easily.Ray muttered. An enemy who can revive himself. This is going to be annoying.How humiliating. To be taken down by a man.Once the gun smoke had subsided, a clot of blood spoke.However, the direction of the voice didn't come from where Ray and I were looking.An arm reached out from a small hill made of midget corpses. The Fund Manager revealed himself as he pulled his body out of the corpses.Wait, if that guy is completely intact, then.I looked the other way again. The pieces of flesh were coming together and creating a single mass.Who's that?Ray mumbled.The Fund Manager used the midgets as a wall and avoided the bullets by lowering his body behind them.Thenwhat is thatthingover there that's gathering torn pieces of flesh and regenerating?It wasn't just flesh. Blood and torn pieces of clothing were also gathering from all over and creating a fixed form. Blood vessels and tendons gathered between the flesh while broken pieces of bones sought each other out. The hair that had burnt away grew back as skin covered the entire body.It' had already regained enough of its original form for us to be able to identify it. An indescribable gasp slipped out from my mouth.There were 4 people here. The Fund Manager, Ray, me, and Aretha.By process of elimination, this was a substantially easy conclusion to reach; however, that didn't change the fact that it was hard to accept.Aretha?!She came back. She returned to life as if the incident known as death never happened to begin with.What happened?She looked completely dazed. It seems she didn't remember anything that happened after she was knocked out.I didn't think she'd come back to life. I heard that Flaskos' possess a mysterious power, but this exceeds the rumors.Ray!What is he talking about? He's been saying Flasko this, Flasko that since earlier.I know!Ray and I exchanged glances before Ray proceeded to lift Aretha up in his arms and run off into the distance.This isn't the time to be focusing on his weird choice of words. The dead bodies of the little people dispersed into particles of light and drifted away. The Fund Manager was standing by himself without his meat shield. If I'm going to kill this guy, then I have to do it now since he didn't have his bullet shield anymore.Without any hesitation, I started to fire away at the guy with the bullets I had reloaded. I'll definitely kill him this time.It's no use.However, my bullets were blocked again by another midget jumping out from his sleeve. I looked down at his foot and saw more midgets crawling out from his shadow.Bill, his shadow is his Fund. He can make an infinite amount of clones!Ray's eyes were emitting an amber glow again. How am I supposed to fight against a guy who can increase his numbers infinitely?That's correct. On a side note, you're capable of turning your body into money, huh? You use a Fund that's as interesting as that Mojo's over there, don't you?Shut up! I'm not a Fund Manager, I'm a victim of alchemy. Stop reminding me!I'll have to ask for a larger reward from my client. I thought this would be easy.I'm not interested in how much you're earning, but I have to take that girl so that I can receive my reward. Could you not interfere?That'd be troubling.I know.Bang. I shot him one more time after making him lower his guard through our light conversation, but it was beautifully blocked this time as well.A duel for a beautiful lady. Your passion for the colonial days deserves commendation.He spread his arms out in an exaggerated manner as he spoke.Do you know how long it's been since we became independent, amigo? Moreover, the state of California used to be a Spanish colony.I'll remember that, mister.I'm not a mister, I'm a senior, amigo.Amigo is something you say to your friend. It doesn't seem appropriate for our current situation.Is that so? I was taught that it meant a fool who has sex with coyotes.A Republican who absolutely despises Mexicans was the one who taught me this, so I'm not sure how authentic this was.How rude. I shall make you realize that discourtesy comes with a price.His tone sounded as if he were bragging. Listening to him any more than this would just make me want to abolish taxes and throw a bunch of tea leaves into the ocean.No more jokes. Let's shut up and see some blood.If bullets don't work, then it's time to get physical. I raised my fists, both of which I had turned into clumps of silver coins.Men talk with their fists.I'll hit his face with precise strikes and make it cave in like a pie shell. After that, I'll fill it with the special apple jam made by the grandmas in Dakota, Fanning, bake him in a pre-heated oven, pour whip cream on top, and display him on a dining table. I'm not sure what I'm saying right now, but the important thing is that I'm very upset.Agreed. Men talk with their fists.The little guys that came out of his shadow started to wriggle around before they molded together into a single blob and formed a gigantic arm. A giant arm was sticking out of his shadow. Isn't that cheating?Wait, let's fight fairly. A gentleman from the British Empire shouldn't resort to something so unfair. A human-wave strategy is something only uncivilized barbarians do. Also, beating up someone in a completely different weight class isn't something a gentleman should do either. Hurry up and put that giant fist away.But what am I? A wild mustang, a man from the West who's filled with the spirit of the frontier. I'll hurt his pride and drag him into a fair brawl.That isn't something a person who's trying to attack me with money should be saying. Die, you capitalist pig.So you were a socialist. Let us resolve this issue like how the enlightened laborer class once did. Through discourse.I miss feudal society. Die.Come on, don't be like that. Just this once, okay?If you die once, then I'll overlook the second time.You're British, right? I personally respect Queen Victoria.God Save the Queen. Longevity and prosperity to the British Empire, and to you, death.I'm actually an Anglican.Hallelujah, may you go to the Lord's side at once.Do you like Charles Dickens?A Tale of Two Cities was my cup of tea. When the next opportunity presents itself, let us discuss Dickens' other work. Now die.Wait, why? How are we going to discuss anything next time if I'm dead?Did you truly think I would want to talk about a boring book that talks about a single person's life for over a thousand pages?What's wrong with David Copperfield?! Say it right! It's not that the book is boring, it's just that it takes too long to reach the ending.That's what makes it boring. Die.Despite my various attempts to persuade him, the guy gave me a consistent response. Once there were no more delays, the fist flew at me. I couldn't close my eyes because of the wind pressure.A hook punch connected with my side. I wanted to dodge it, but the fist was too big. It felt like something baseball players would say. Like how baseballs look as big as a head if you concentrate hard enough. It didn't look like the size of a head, but a car to me.If what they said was true, then there's no doubt that I've just now awakened my talent as a baseball player. I should be able to pay my debtbackin no time if I join a baseball club and hit a couple of home runs, haha.Clang. A clear sound resonated in my head. I could tell by the sound alone that that was the sound of a base-loaded home run during a called game.Echo!No, it was an unexpected turnaround.A purple loop abruptly appeared above the Fund Manager's head along with a clear sound. A hooded shadow dropped down from the loop. As the shadow fell, it swung whatever they had in their hand down on One Man Band's head.Hkk.In the next moment, the giant fist flying towards me stopped barely 1 foot away from my face before breaking down into tens of hundreds of midgets and falling apart. The midgets squirmed a bit as they rolled on the ground before they soon turned into dust. It seems the Fund stopped working because the alchemist controlling it had fallen over after being hit on the head.Road to Nowhere. Don't tell me.Ray muttered. He was covering Aretha's eyes as she was still clueless and trembling.Thank goodness, Charles. This old man thought his heart would shrink when he heard the sound' and thought it might be too late.A subdued and calm voice. The mysterious person who came out of the purple loop took off his hood.Wavy, silver hair. Short, neatly trimmed beard and small earrings made of silver. Each one of the elaborate wrinkles on his face had a distinct presence.A grandpa. He looked like the type of devious grandpa that didn't act their age and would furtively smile at young women. Nevertheless, I'm not sure how, but his gaze contained profound wisdom that befitted his age.If possible, move as quietly as possible. I apologize for not arriving sooner.I couldn't comprehend what was happening. Coincidentally, I had a traumatic experience with an old person who could use alchemy, so my palms wouldn't stop sweating. I'm even contemplating whether I should just shoot him right now or not.Don't, Bill. This person isn't going to harm us.Ray grabbed my right hand which was unconsciously moving towards my holster.Who exactly is this old man supposed to be?I have a bunch of questions, but no one was giving me a satisfying answer. This is frustrating.Watch your mouth. He's Master's sworn friend.That was more than enough to shut me up. The sworn friend of my creditor.Uhm, is it fine for us to leave that guy over therelike that?I may have spoken formally, but it absolutely wasn't because I'm scared. This damn tongue simply submitted to foreign terrors on its own like a port city without any military power. As that formal speech just now had nothing to do with my own will, I'll use this opportunity to reveal that my tongue had acted completely arbitrarily.I applied a strong vibration to his brain and destroyed it, so he won't be getting back up. Regardless, that was most likely one of Grey's clones with a piece of him in it.Just as the old man said, the fallen Fund Manager also turned into dust like the midgets did and was blown away by the wind. Even though he was that strong, it was only his clone' and not the actual person.Since it had a fraction of his mind in it, his real body should have received quite the shock as well. Sir Grey may be impressive, but he'll most likely focus on recovering for the next couple of days.A Fund that allows him to clone himself as much as he wants. That's some terrifying alchemy.Ray and the old man. The two of them entered a conversation which only the two of them could understand. I wound up bringing my wandering gaze onto the clueless Aretha who was sitting quietly. She's still in a daze it seems. It'll probably take her a while before she comprehends what has happened thus far.Does Aretha even know that she had died? No, more importantly, how was all that possible without the involvement of alchemy? I thought about it intently, but there's no way that a layman of this field like me could figure it out.Uhm, Professor?There was a sense of urgency in Aretha's voice. What's the matter? Once I followed Aretha's line of sight down to her feet, I noticed something was wrong.I came here after I heard the sound through the power of vibration'.Ray continued to converse with the old man.Professor. No, Mister.No one was paying attention to Aretha's words besides me.However, be that as it may, that didn't mean I could provide her with any actual help. Rather, I wasn't able to react to the shocking phenomena that was occurring before me.Once I heard that a Flasko had appeared, I started searching for the sound'. I figured I should take them to a safe place before the Fund Managers started to move and have a chat with them.Mister.Aretha's voice gradually became weaker. I couldn't stand idle any longer and shouted.Ray, Ray!The two people finally stopped talking to each other and turned to look at us. They looked annoyed about being interrupted; however, Ray and the white-haired, old man's faces soon became dyed in shock.Help!Aretha cried out.She was disappearing. Starting from her lower body and the ends of her fingers, her entire body was becoming blurry.Oh dear! It's started! Charles, has this young miss already encountered death once?!Ray nodded. I moved quickly and reached my arm out towards Aretha. I was relieved that she had come back to life, but she was disappearing again. I can't let my only hope vanish in vain like this.Aretha!Hey, young man. Calm down. The young miss is simplyWhen I reached my hand out to grab hold of Aretha, who had already disappeared from the neck down, I felt something soft., becoming invisible.Tell me that sooner, you coot.Slap. Aretha's hand was painful.You pervert!An unseeable hand had slapped me. What followed after was an unseeable knee, an unseeable elbow, and an unseeable fist. Merciless violence brought down under the name of Adam Smith.Now now, forgive the young lad. He most likely did that unknowingly. May I have your name?Aretha. Aretha Franklin.I heard a voice come from an empty spot. To be exact, from an invisible Aretha who existed in that spot.Afterward, an unseeable foot kicked my stomach while I was down. Ray was snickering.If you know something, then please help me. A bunch of weird things have been happening since earlier.Aretha was close to tears. Even if I couldn't see her, I could tell by her tone and kicks that she was on the verge of tears. Nevertheless, since my stomach was hurting a lot, I used my Liquidation to turn my stomach into gold coins.Ow!Aretha yelped in pain. An eye for an eye, girl. That's why you shouldn't kick people mindlessly like that.Rest assured, Miss Franklin. I'll make you visible again soon.The mysterious old man rang the brass bell in his hand. The clear sound I heard earlier resounded once more. So that's what destroyed the Fund Manager's head, huh.Let's get away from here first. There's too much dust, so it's difficult to have a comfortable conversation here.Translucent cracks spread out around the bell. If I were to compare the area in front of us with a wall, then it was like someone had smashed a hammer against the wall. Once the old man rang the bell again, the area covered by the cracks shattered like glass and the same purple loop we saw earlier appeared. Through the circle that was much larger than the loops that tigers would leap through at the circus, was a place completely removed from the wild desert.It's a bit shabby, but it's this old man's home, so do you mind dropping by to have a chat, Miss Franklin andI dusted my clothes as I stood up.It's Bill Withers.Yes, Mr. Withers. I feel like you two should know what sort of situation you're in. It'll take some time for the medicine, which I plan to give Miss Aretha, to take effect, so you can enjoy a nice break while you listen to what I have to say.I didn't have a lot of choices and I was exhausted. If, as Ray had said, this grandpa is friendly, then there's no reason for me to take Aretha and run away from here. No, if I take Aretha as she is now and ask for a reward, then I'll probably be treated as an insane person. Above all else, I understood nothing about what had happened here. In other words, I needed someone to give me an explanation.I glanced at Ray. He nodded at me. I quietly stared at the suspicious entrance created by the old man.There was a bunch of cozy, gaudy furniture and a fireplace. I ended up recalling the house I used to reside in when I lived on the east coast. Would I ever be able to go back to that life?I shook my head. Let's take care of the issues directly in front of you first, Bill.For now, let's have some tea and listen to this Fund Manager.I went through the purple loop and stepped foot into the old man's home.