Following Lauren and the boy, I decided to make shields. I learned how to make them from him and decided to make shields together. Piyo and Pauline were working hard to transport scrap materials. In the meantime, I decided to have Philiana and Nina take care of the weapons he brought.
“Hey, brother, what are you doing? Crafting?”
Karubene returned, appearing as if he had just arrived from somewhere, holding a new sake bottle.
“Hey, don’t waste so much, money isn’t infinite.”
“Come on, don’t be so rigid. You have to enjoy everything.”
I handed the saw I was holding to Karubene, who was saying whatever came to mind.
“Here, enjoy it for me.”
“Wait, what?”
“Hurry and cut this off.”
Urged by Sharin, who was supporting it from below, he reluctantly began working.
It seemed the Centaurs were discarding old things to lighten their luggage. A pile of trash had formed at the edge of the settlement. I decided to reinforce the newly made shields by picking out usable scrap materials from this pile.
I wound the rope tightly and dripped wax over it to harden the surface. I also attached handles using discarded tent cloth, attached fur, and used my limited knowledge to finish the shields in my own way. They looked rather clumsy, but this was the best I could do as an amateur.
As the sun began to set, a woman who seemed to be the boy’s mother arrived.
“Rojah, what are you doing? Come home, don’t play around.”
He showed her the wooden board he had made with a smile.
“Oh, Mom, look at this! I made it. We’re all going to help Dad, so wait for us.”
He wiped sweat from his dirty hands and returned to work. His mother opened her mouth as if she had something to say, but closed it without speaking. After watching her son’s retreating figure for a while, she said,
“You must be hungry. Wait here for a moment.”
And then she left. A little while later, she returned holding a large pot. Seeing his mother bring food, Rojah stopped working and ran towards her.
“Wouldn’t everyone like to take a break?”
Rojah’s mother had prepared food for us as well. The boy, completely different from his serious expression just moments before, returned to being a child his age and playfully bothered his mother.
Seeing her son like this, his mother looked on with deep emotion. She agreed with his innocent talk, saying, “That’s amazing,” but her eyes looked somewhat sad.
Yola arrived then. She wore a sword inappropriately at her waist and ill-fitting armor.
“Ah, amazing. You made something like this.”
Saying so, she picked one up and put her arm through it.
“You’re going too, Yola?”
“Yes, of course. I’m the one who suggested it. I’ll carry this shield and stand at the front. You all sneak in and focus on the rescue.”
I really wanted to stop her, but with so few people, I couldn’t refuse.
“Um, excuse me, may I have a moment?”
Lauren peeked her head out slightly from behind the tent.
“I’m sorry to intrude, but we’ve run out of materials.”
