House (4)
The next day arrived. It was the 43rd morning of the banishment on the island.
"Yawn... good morning."
Marylia sluggishly got out of bed... and felt a strange sensation under her feet—*squish!*
"Oh my?... Oh no~ It's a slime. You shouldn't come this way. I almost stepped on you!"
There was a slime at her feet. Apparently, it had been out for a morning stroll.
"I'll take you back to the field. Good grief!"
Marylia gently pinched the slime and headed toward the field.
The berry bushes she had transplanted seemed to be taking root well. If they continued to thrive, she could look forward to a bountiful harvest next year.
"The wild plants are taking root too, though I’d prefer to plant something more substantial."
Ideally, she wanted to plant wheat or potatoes. Wheat needed to be cultivated in large quantities to be useful, and potatoes, once planted, would grow and multiply. Although she had some starchy wheat from driftwood, she couldn't rely solely on it forever. Eventually, she'd need to cultivate her own crops, whether wheat or potatoes!
"Will you look at that, you've multiplied again."
In the field, about ten slimes were bouncing around. It seemed they had multiplied again after the rain.
Watching them all jiggling around together was pretty cute, so Marylia thought, “Well, that's fine”, and began to poke at the slimes playfully. The slimes didn't run away, but rather bounced around the field energetically.
… Life was peaceful!
After having a breakfast of rehydrated smoked meat and wild plant soup, she set off to continue laying bricks.
In addition...
"I guess it's time to choose the rafters."
Marylia decided it was time to bring over some rafters to work on the roof.
Rafters are horizontal beams that form the framework for the roof, acting as the base for the tiles.
In other words, for each step of the brick walls she had built like stairs, she would place a rafter, and then lay the tiles over them.
However...
"I made the house too big~"
She realized that none of the trees around were long or thick enough to make proper rafters!
Since the brick-making had gone smoothly, Marylia had thought, “Why not make the house a little bigger?” So she had built the walls a bit wider than planned. But now, the length of rafters needed was longer than the width of the house!
Having built a house about 2.5 times her own height, the rafters had to be just as long.
But the trees that grew to that height were... all quite thick!
"Ugh... should I search for thinner, longer trees? Or cut down a thick one and split it...?"
Marylia considered which option would be easier.
Tree growth varies greatly depending on the environment.
First, the type of trees depends on the fertility of the land. Broadleaf trees are common in fertile soil, while coniferous trees grow in poorer soil. Broadleaf trees are dense and hard, while coniferous trees are soft and often spongy.
... And another factor: weather.
Trees that grow in mild climates grow steadily, becoming thicker as they age. But trees in harsh environments grow slowly as they struggle to survive, and so, even with age, they remain relatively thin.
So, thin, dense, and long trees are likely found in... harsh environments.
"In any case, I don't have the courage to go into the mountain full of monsters just yet. Even if I cleared them out bit by bit, gathering the rafters would take forever!"
The mountain deep in the island likely had perfect trees for rafters—thin, long, and dense. But going there to gather them was simply too dangerous!
"Ahhhh, not this again!? Do I have to do this again!? Ahhhhh..."
It was a repeat of the tile-making ordeal. Marylia had to cut down yet another thick tree!
"Splitting it is such a pain too. haah..."
Despite her slumped shoulders and dejected mood, Marylia continued to swing her axe with great strength, chipping away at the tree.
She spent the entire day cutting down the tree and splitting it in half. But it was still too thick, so she'd have to split it further.
Feeling a bit down, thinking, “I'm struggling more with the rafters than I did with the bricks or tiles…”, she decided to sleep for the night.
The next day came. It was the 44th morning of the banishment.
After laying some more bricks, Marylia instructed the golems, "Tann this skin for me," referring to the peryton's hide, and then...
"Alright, time to split..."
With a gloomy expression, she began hammering stone wedges into the half-split logs!
Since splitting it in half left it too thick, she split it into quarters. And when quarters were still too thick, she split them into eighths.
Finally, the logs were thin enough to fit neatly into the brick wall’s steps, so she called it good.
However, with only eight beams, there weren’t enough rafters.
"... Guess I'll cut more trees."
So, once again, Marylia had to spend the day cutting and splitting trees! This time, she found slightly thinner trees, making the task a bit easier.
She decided to split these logs into six pieces, giving her a total of 14 rafters—just enough!
"Sanding them... ah, it's too much trouble, let’s just burn them."
Feeling fed up, Marylia charred the rafters.
Instead of fully burning them, she only charred the surface. This would protect the freshly cut wood from mold and rot, and also make it easier to work with.
"Ehehehe, if I lightly char them and then scrape the surface with a stone, it'll be smooth enough. Ehehehe..."
The split wood was naturally rough due to the grain, but by burning the protruding parts first, she could easily smooth it down by scraping off the charred surface with a stone.
Marylia continued this process until sunset, deciding to finish the remaining rafters tomorrow before going to bed.
The next day arrived. It was the 45th morning.
After laying the final row of bricks and finishing the rafters, Marylia checked on the peryton hide.
"Oh my. It looks like it turned out alright."
The hide, which had been tanned by the golems, had become somewhat flexible. While not exactly soft, it was usable—perfect for a blanket.
"Ehehe, I can't wait to use this and sleep in my new house..."
Marylia smiled, tucking the peryton hide under the roof. Once the new house was complete, she would make a bed and use the hide there.
And then...
"Okay, this afternoon, it's finally time to install the rafters!"
She was finally entering the finishing stages of building the house!
After lunch, Marylia and the golems carried the rafters and tiles to the brick house.
The brick house was now complete, with two facing rectangles and two facing pentagons forming the walls.
"Haha... the mortar’s set nicely. Good, good."
Marylia inspected the bricks. Each brick was neatly joined with mortar, the fruits of her labor in making mortar and lime.
"The spot for the chimney is also good to go. Perfect."
The area where the chimney would go had been left unsealed, with loose bricks for later removal. Marylia nodded in satisfaction.
"Now, all we need to do is hook the rafters onto the step and lay the tiles!"
That's right! With the house almost complete, the rest would be quick!
Once the rafters were secured to the brick wall, the tiles could be laid, and the brick house would finally be finished!
What do you think about this chapter?
