They explained guns to the Kinnara and devised countermeasures.
When I returned to the Centaur settlement, Nina was sitting on a log, polishing her weapon.
“Welcome back, how did it go? Will they cooperate?”
“They said they’ll come as soon as they’re ready.”
But Nina’s expression remained grumpy.
“Oh, really? So what are we going to do? It’s just us, a few travelers, some children, and an old woman. I suppose the Kinnara will be very helpful.”
“Now, now, Nina, there must be a way. Let’s calm down and think.”
Philiana tried to soothe her, but Nina seemed displeased. Just then, a boy who had offered his help came carrying many old weapons in both hands.
“These are my father’s.”
He tied a belt with a sword attached to his waist and looked satisfied. It looked unbalanced on the boy’s thin waist, but he himself seemed happy.
“I see, thank you. By the way, where did Lauren go? I haven’t seen her since yesterday. Cecilia is probably in the tent, though.”
Nina pointed towards the tent with her chin. When I went around to the back, she was joining some wooden boards together and wrapping them tightly with her own thread. However, it didn’t come together well and fell apart.
“Ah, u, it’s not going well. This, ah, oh dear.”
She muttered to herself, trying hard to make something.
“What are you making?”
“Ah! Ah, it was you. Don’t surprise me. This, this is, uh, a shield. Well, it’s not finished yet. I don’t really know how powerful your gun is, but I thought a shield could protect me.”
The wooden boards were old, and their size and thickness varied. They were probably scrap wood the Centaurs were about to throw away. But her idea wasn’t bad. It would be better if it were made of iron, but it’s better than nothing.
Then, the boy from earlier came from behind.
“What are you doing? Ah, wait a minute.”
He ran off energetically and returned with an old hammer and rusty nails. He took the board from Lauren, saying “Lend me!” and quickly joined it horizontally and vertically, then began hammering nails.
“H, huh, you’re quite skillful.”
“Hold this here. That’s right, place a stone underneath.”
Lauren hesitantly placed her hand on the board as the boy instructed. The boy placed the board on the arranged square blocks, skillfully hammered in the nails, and then flattened the protruding tips from the back. It was finished in no time.
He cut off the protruding parts with a saw, and a large rectangular board was completed.
“Wow, you’re good at this, aren’t you?”
“My father used to do it.”
I decided to help him make the shield.
