Ch.18The Price of a Dream is 5,000 G

When the sheriff of Oxville appeared in the moment of crisis, he tied the three attackers in a row and escorted them to Oxville. He had arrived at the scene just as Jonathan was taking out his Frontier License card and had heard all the subsequent conversation, which left Jonathan’s gang imprisoned in the basement jail of the sheriff’s office with no room for excuses.

“So… where should I begin explaining?”

“I’d like to know how you knew to come. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for your timing, we would have been in danger.”

“Well. Actually, when this young lady came to the sheriff’s office asking for a residence permit for a native…”

According to Sheriff Edward, there are no visits from beastfolk or chance encounters with them in Oxville, so only a very small number of people, such as frontier business department staff and sheriffs, are familiar with the regulations regarding residence permits for hostile natives.

But when a D-rank adventurer of only two years’ experience suddenly showed up asking to be issued a residence permit with herself as guarantor, the sheriff felt something was off and asked about the source of the information. Jessica explained as I had told her, saying that “a peddler named Jonathan Beth had informed her.”

“Jonathan Beth has been injured several times in the past after selling travel supplies at high prices to outlaws and getting caught up in trouble. Of course, that alone wouldn’t be reason for suspicion. Trading with natives or outlaws who don’t have Frontier Licenses isn’t illegal in itself, and there are often merchants who make excessive profits by selling goods at high prices to such people.”

“Isn’t that quite a risky behavior?”

“Of course it is. Because there are cases where desperados in league with outlaws kill the merchant and take back the money after the goods are sold for a high price. But Jonathan Beth engages in such dangerous trades without even hiring bodyguards, yet he has never been attacked by outlaws—only records of being attacked by natives or adventurers. I thought there was something suspicious about this.”

Jonathan Beth is believed to have quite a close relationship with outlaws. Perhaps he regularly purchases city goods for outlaws under contract, or he might even be a member of an outlaw group operating boldly in the city by exploiting legal loopholes. However, even as the sheriff in charge of public safety, he cannot detain or restrict someone’s actions based on suspicion alone without material evidence.

While anxiously trying to find concrete evidence, an adventurer who had obtained information about beastfolk from Jonathan Beth left the city to bring his beastfolk friend to town, and a female adventurer claiming to be his companion came to the sheriff’s office asking for a residence permit. Thinking that some kind of incident involving Jonathan, the gang, and a third party might occur again, Sheriff Edward rushed to the hill where we were supposed to meet, bringing Jessica along.

Believing that if a crime was being committed, it would be in the forest where people’s eyes couldn’t reach rather than on the clearly visible hill, the two approached the forest and heard six gunshots from not too far away. Jessica, recognizing that three of them were my fanning shots, urged the sheriff, and they arrived at the scene at just the right moment.

“I was surprised that the two men with Jonathan Beth were wanted criminals from the ‘Red Fox Gang,’ an illegal slave trafficking organization, but to think that he himself would confess to being an executive and quartermaster of the same organization… you’re quite a lucky man.”

With those words, Sheriff Edward tore off three wanted posters from the office wall and held them out to me.

– Bald Gonzales, dead or alive, bounty 1000 gold.

– Brute Django, dead or alive, bounty 1000 gold.

– Red Fox Gang Deputy Leader and Quartermaster, appearance unknown, capture only, bounty 3000 gold.

“This Red Fox Gang Deputy Leader and Quartermaster is…?”

“Jonathan Beth, whose specific identity had not been revealed until now. In other words, you’ve earned the right to receive a total bounty of 5,000 gold.”

An unexpected windfall had come my way.

The initial settlement support money I received from the New Frontier Development Headquarters in Mothertown was 200 gold, but the bounty on these three heads amounts to 25 times that sum.

“However, only those who possess a Frontier License are eligible to receive the bounty. Unfortunately, Miss Seti is a native without a license, and Miss Jessica arrived at the scene with me, so she’s not a participant in the takedown of the wanted criminals. Therefore, this case must be processed as William’s individual achievement.”

“That’s fine. I’m satisfied just being able to enter the city and receive a Frontier License.”

“A Frontier License? You, a cat-folk?”

“…Is that not possible?”

Seti asks worriedly at the sheriff’s surprised attitude. Having barely escaped the crisis of falling into Jonathan’s gang’s trap and almost becoming a criminal, she now looks anxious that obtaining a Frontier License might be impossible for beastfolk from the start.

“A native from a tribe that hasn’t signed the license agreement can’t immediately receive a Frontier License just by visiting the frontier business department.”

“Then how can I get one?”

“To put it bluntly, you need to accomplish something that the New Frontier Development Headquarters cannot help but recognize as meritorious service.”

“Meritorious service?”

Realizing there’s still a thread of hope for her dream, Seti perks up her ears and waits for the sheriff’s words. The sheriff strokes his mustache thoughtfully for a moment before continuing.

“Both William and Jessica probably know that for a Frontier License to be upgraded, one’s contributions to the western frontier development must be recognized, right?”

“Ah yes, we heard about that at the development headquarters in Mothertown.”

“Think of it as an extension of that. Even if you’re from a native tribe that takes an exclusive or hostile stance toward settlers, if you’ve contributed to western frontier development… for example, to a degree that would have warranted a license upgrade if you were a human settler—”

“Then you can receive a Frontier License.”

“That’s right. In fact, there are records of elves who were active as adventurers even before the Frontier License Agreement system was created. The agreement between humans and elves was established several years after that.”

“…Then would taking down criminals with bounties totaling 5,000 gold be recognized as a sufficient contribution?”

“Eh!?”

Seti turned to me with a greatly surprised expression, seemingly understanding what I was getting at. The sheriff also looked blank for a moment but soon furrowed his brow and asked in a quiet tone.

“…Are you serious?”

“It’s the truth. All I did was shoot their guns away, and they still had other weapons. If Seti hadn’t stepped in when Jonathan came at me with a knife, I would have been in danger. There were three of them, but I only had one bullet left in my gun.”

“Well, when we checked their possessions earlier, the other two were also carrying weapons.”

“See?”

“But as I said before, only you are eligible to receive the bounty. If you deny your contribution to taking down the wanted criminals, then consequently, no one among you would be qualified to receive even a single penny of the bounty.”

“Well, that can’t be helped… So what’s your assessment?”

“…My, my, I’ve seen all kinds of good-hearted young people.”

The sheriff opened a drawer, took out a stack of documents, examined them briefly, and then looked back and forth between Seti and me before continuing.

“Hmm… not only is the bounty amount high, but the fact that you caught a slave trafficking gang and, as a result, revealed Jonathan Beth’s true identity, is more than sufficient to acquire a Frontier License.”

“Deal.”

“Wait, stop! That’s not right!”

The one stopping the sheriff from taking my outstretched hand is Seti, the subject of our conversation.

Well, she’s not shameless enough to gratefully accept such an offer without question. She’s so pure that she gave us six magic stones as advance payment for travel supplies without worrying that we might steal them and run away.

“Will and the sheriff shouldn’t lie. We both took down those outlaws. I can’t accept becoming an adventurer by stealing Will’s achievements, which he’s gone to such lengths for my sake. And the 5,000 gold that Will should receive would disappear too.”

“It’s the opposite, Seti. In this case, if I receive the bounty, I’d be stealing your contribution.”

“…Hmm! That’s right.”

“How can that be!?”

“Now, calm down and listen.”

Seti looks at the sheriff with eyes full of indignation as he agrees with me.

It seems the sheriff has figured out how I’m trying to persuade Seti. Well then, let’s see a masterful performance from this veteran sheriff’s experience.

“First of all, the bounty is, in principle, paid in full to one representative.”

“Why?”

“Because how the bounty is divided among those who participated in the takedown is not the sheriff’s concern. For example, if two bounty hunters had agreed to split it 7:3, but the sheriff, not knowing this, paid half to each, wouldn’t that cause a dispute?”

For an improvised explanation, it’s remarkably convincing. I glance at Jessica, who nods slightly. It seems this isn’t a story made up to persuade Seti but an established regulation.

“The representative who receives the bounty is naturally the person who contributed most significantly to taking down the wanted criminals. And even if we judge based on the scene evidence, excluding William’s testimony, it’s clear that Miss Seti is the greatest contributor to this takedown. However, unfortunately, someone without a Frontier License cannot receive the bounty, so in order to receive the bounty somehow, we would need to ‘fabricate’ that William, the license holder, was the greatest contributor to the takedown. That’s the point of the conversation we just had.”

“Fabricate…”

When a current sheriff puts emphasis on the word “fabricate,” it creates an indescribable sense of pressure.

In Seti’s mind, applying for me as the greatest contributor to the takedown has firmly registered as an outright lie, committing a crime. Well done, sheriff.

“Of course, as a sheriff upholding law and order, I normally couldn’t overlook such an act. But given the amount…”

“I’ll decline. No, I don’t have the nerve to declare I’m going to commit fraud in front of a sheriff. Right, Jessica?”

“Even if you wanted to, I’d stop you. If it ever came to light later, it would be a disaster!”

A sheriff willing to turn a blind eye to criminal activity if the money is tempting enough, and me and Jessica refusing this.

There’s no way someone as honest as Seti could withstand this all-around siege. Let’s wrap this up now.

“So Seti should receive her Frontier License properly according to the rules.”

“You surely don’t want to force money into Will’s hands while making him a criminal?”

“Will… Jessica… ugh… sob…”

Good job, Jessica. That follow-up attack was excellent.

“Thank youuuu~ waaaaaah~~~~”

The tears that Seti had been holding back all day while going back and forth between hope and despair finally burst from her eyes.

Jessica and I could only embrace the tearfully joyful Seti together and pat her until her crying stopped.