"Oh, Arthur, it's about time you started taking better care of your appearance."
"Put on a proper suit, clean up your beard and hair. Once you do, you won't look much different from the rich folks in this city."
"Stop walking around looking so scruffy. This is Saint Denis—you should bathe more often and buy some decent clothes."
"That cowboy getup doesn't work here."
After tidying himself up, Arthur really did look much better, which prompted Hosea to say a bit more.
To Hosea, Arthur was like a son. Still, there were moments when he felt that, as a father figure, he hadn't fully lived up to that role.
"Alright, Hosea. Maybe you're right."
Looking at himself in the shop mirror, Arthur was quite satisfied with his new appearance, even though it had cost him a fair amount of money.
His only regret was that he hadn't bothered to dress properly back when he went to see Mary.
Still, he believed he would see her again.
Once this plan of Dutch's was finished… well, to be honest, he didn't even know what Dutch's plan actually was.
"Exactly. And if I remember right, the Callander brothers aren't much younger than you either."
"Back when we were all living together, there wasn't much difference between any of you."
"But look at Davey and Mac now. They're completely different—dressed like high society every single day."
"When I was gathering information, I heard a lot about them. Seems like a few days ago, they were even connected to you somehow."
Hosea and Arthur rode back toward camp together. Along the way, Hosea casually brought up what Arthur had been involved in recently.
Of course, Hosea wasn't suspicious of Arthur. He was simply curious about how Davey, Mac, and the others were doing these days.
"Yes, Hosea. I saw Davey and Mac a few days ago."
"It was because of Mary. Her family heirloom brooch was sold by her damn drunkard father, and it ended up in Davey's hands."
When Mary was mentioned, Hosea didn't ask any further questions. He knew all too well about the tangled relationship between Arthur and Mary.
At times like this, neither advice nor comfort really meant much.
"So, how are Davey and the others doing? They must be living pretty well."
"I heard the main guests at this banquet are Davey and Bronte."
"Bronte is a big figure in Saint Denis, but who would've thought that someone we lived with just a few months ago would also become a major figure here—and even an honored guest of the mayor?"
"Even now, it still sounds unbelievable to me."
When talking about Davey, Hosea's tone was filled with emotion.
To him, high society had always been something distant and out of reach, even though he dressed neatly every day, like a proper gentleman.
What had happened to Davey felt like a fairy tale—sudden and unreal.
Still, from the bottom of his heart, Hosea was genuinely happy for the Callander brothers. They had finally escaped the mud.
"Yes. It really is hard to believe."
Thinking back on what had happened over the past few days, Arthur felt the same sense of amazement.
"Davey bought a huge villa in Saint Denis, right on Flavian Street—the richest part of the city."
"I heard those villas go for tens of thousands of dollars. Davey has really made it."
Arthur paused with a grin before continuing.
"Maybe you should go pay him a visit, Hosea. I'm sure Davey would welcome you. Even though he's rich now, I can tell he still feels the same about us as he did before."
"Even Uncle—the parasite—can live comfortably thanks to Davey. Maybe you could retire there too, just like Uncle and the others."
Arthur's words were half joking, but he meant them sincerely.
He truly hoped Hosea could go live with Davey—no more worrying about Dutch's plans, no more following the gang around robbing people.
Ever since that hunting trip where Hosea nearly got mauled by a bear, Arthur had realized that Hosea really was getting old.
Given their past, Davey would definitely take him in. That way, Hosea could enjoy his later years in peace, instead of continuing to drift around with the gang, robbing and living a hard life.
"That's a good idea, Arthur. I think it sounds quite nice."
Hosea smiled as he agreed, then quickly changed his tone.
"But not right now."
"You know Dutch can't manage without me at the moment. We still need to make a big score in Saint Denis."
"This banquet is our best opportunity to gather information."
"Tomorrow night, at the mayor's mansion, the richest people in all of Saint Denis will be gathered there. We'll have plenty of targets."
"Once we've made enough money, maybe we can leave this place. And who knows—maybe then I really will go see Davey."
"I may be old, but I don't want to live off someone else's charity. I should have some money of my own."
"I'm not a parasite like Uncle, Arthur."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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