He had made this thing before. The blueprints were in his mind, and the basic construction was blindingly simple. He would make no mistakes.
A good, sturdy cylinder with powder and ammunition inside, and a detonator on one end. All he had to do was give it a good thump, and the round would come flying out—a disposable cannon.
This time, though, he changed it a little bit—or rather, he added something. Specifically...
“...Hrrrraaaaahhh!”
...he turned it into a massive tonfa, two meters long and fifty centimeters in diameter. It was basically a huge stick with a handle on one side.
Grasping the handle that grew from the side, Yukinari struck the statue of the guardian saint a mighty blow, causing it to bend backward and reveal a chink in its chest armor. Yukinari shoved the cannon into the opening; the point-blank range ensured that there was no need to worry about the shot going wide.
As soon as he had gotten the cannon in as far as it would go, the part attached to the back of the weapon was pushed forward by momentum, striking the detonator. A blast far greater than any gunshot erupted, and the cannonball flew straight into the statue’s heart.
A reddish-black fluid spewed out of the statue, which went stiff as if it were a living thing. An instant later, the Missionary Order’s ultimate weapon fell to the ground with a dull thud.
The missionary knights were in a state of shock. They had lost their commander and now their statue, and they began to fall back. They could fight to the death, but it would probably be in vain. These were people who could, when necessary, suppress their instinctive fear of death—but that was precisely why they wanted to avoid a situation that could only lead to their meaningless demise.
Then, a shout came from the direction of town.
“Leave now!”
The missionaries looked to see what the commotion was. To everyone’s surprise, it was Arlen who came sprinting through the gate. He had his hands cupped around his mouth and was shouting at the top of his lungs. “The other statue has been destroyed, and its unit has retreated! If you don’t want to be pointlessly annihilated here, then go! Run!”
The knights looked at each other as if to confirm that they were all of the same mind. Then someone shouted, “R-Retreat!” And the missionaries receded like an ebbing tide.
✦ ✦ ✦
●
The Missionary Order of the True Church of Harris withdrew. The wounded were carried on horses or loaded on the huge wagon, whose original cargo was now gone. Those who were unhurt took the rearguard, watching for any pursuit from the Friedlanders.
Not that the villagers had any intention of such a thing. The wise choice might have been to destroy the entire unit, so as not to leave any unfinished business, but they simply didn’t have the luxury—or so Yukinari felt. There were casualties on the Friedland side as well, though they were relatively few. And—
“Wh-Why do you not... kill me...?” a voice groaned from Veronika’s feet. It was the female knight who had been commanding the enemy forces. Presumably this was the Angela Jindel Arlen had spoken of. Veronika still had a boot planted firmly on Angela’s stomach.
Yukinari, too, turned a questioning gaze on Veronika. Truth be told, he was surprised Veronika hadn’t finished Angela. Veronika was a mercenary, a professional. War was her business. Unlike Berta, she couldn’t be expected to hesitate to kill an enemy. She had, in fact, killed several of the missionaries in this very battle. And yet...
“Excellent question. Perhaps I should,” Veronika murmured as if the thought were just now occurring to her. She watched the missionary unit disappear down the road. “But I have nothing to gain from killing you here. Or is that just an excuse, too? Maybe a bit of the local deity’s obsession with pacifism has rubbed off on me.”
“Obsession with... pacifism...?” Angela frowned, surprised by the words.
Veronika sighed, then finally looked at Angela. “If that doesn’t make sense to you,” she said, “then let’s say it’s in order to help my friends whom you hold captive. You can be my hostage. But since the people around here are, according to you, savages and barbarians, I wouldn’t expect the best of treatment from them if I were you.” She sounded almost sad.