House (7)
"First things first: the bed!"
The first thing Marylia should tackle is, of course, the bed.
A good night's sleep leads to productive hours of wakefulness. In Marylia's case, staying healthy is a must for surviving life on this deserted island. For the sake of her health, she needs to create the best sleeping environment she can!
And so, she immediately got to work weaving her bed.
She had already finished building the frame the day before, so today she would be weaving the hammock part into it.
"Hehe, since it's my first interior project, let's use the good stuff!"
Since this was her very first piece of interior decor, she decided to splurge a little... and use some rope she'd made from plant fibers to weave the hammock section of the bed.
Using straight vines would have worked, but ropes made from fibers were more supple, softer, and also sturdier. By using them, she could improve both comfort and durability—there was no room for compromise here!
"One day, I'd like to make proper fabric too... Maybe I should craft a loom?"
Chuckling to herself, Marylia continued to weave the ropes, using her fingers like a crochet hook, steadily making progress.
As evening fell, she paused to have dinner. After finishing her bowl of soup, she wasted no time in returning to her house to continue working on the bed.
"I'm so close to finishing. I want to complete this bed tonight, even if it means pushing myself a little."
Marylia lit a small dish of oil and, relying on the dim light, continued her work late into the night.
The little flame didn’t provide much light, and her progress was slower because of it. Still, Marylia’s determination to finish the bed was unstoppable, and by the time the outside world was pitch black, her bed was finally complete!
"Yay! I did it~"
Without wasting a moment, Marylia immediately flopped onto her newly finished bed.
The frame creaked slightly under her weight, but that was to be expected with wood. She rolled onto the hammock section, and... the improved comfort of her bed was something she could fully indulge in!
"Hehehe... This is nice, sleeping right next to the wall... ehehehe..."
The bed was great, but so was the wall. Marylia loved the feeling of sleeping in a bed right up against the wall, surrounded by the cozy sense of confinement. It was incredibly relaxing!
"I'll want a proper blanket stuffed with cotton eventually, but for now, this is fine. It's summer, after all."
It was the height of summer, so the nights were warm enough. The air was cool, making for pleasant sleeping conditions—not too hot, not too cold.
"... I should definitely have blankets ready by autumn."
However, with autumn and eventually winter on the horizon, she knew she'd need to start thinking about insulation. It was never too early to begin preparing.
The next morning. The 49th day of her banishment began with her waking up in her bed, inside her house.
"Aah... Wonderful!"
Marylia woke to the soft light filtering through the window, looked around her cozy home, and smiled with deep satisfaction.
"It's so nice to start the day from inside a house!"
What Marylia was feeling was none other than the power of civilization.
Building fires, baking bricks, and using them to create a house—this progress had made her life so much better. Upon waking, she couldn’t help but feel proud of her achievements.
Having tangible accomplishments made her more motivated to keep going. In other words...
"Let's make a shelf and a chair today!"
Today would be all about improving the interior of her home!
After a quick breakfast, Marylia set straight to work. First up, the shelf.
Making a shelf wasn’t that different from making a firewood rack. You build the frame and then add the shelves. Everything could be made from raw logs, but...
"Since I'm already putting effort into this, let's split the wood. It's better for the shelves to be flat, after all."
Marylia decided to split the logs she would use for the shelf. By splitting them and placing the flat side up, the shelves would be smooth and much more practical than a bunch of round logs placed side by side!
"Let's place the unused resources on the bottom shelf for now... and the next shelf will hold things we don't use often, like stone wedges and chisels... above that, I’ll store fat and soap. The top shelf will be for dishes. Ah, I wonder if I should put the lamp here as well. As for the very top... let's display a single flower vase!"
As I moved the luggage from the triangular-roofed shelter and stored it in the shelves, it made the place feel more like a home.
"Next... let's put the dress and petticoat I wore when I arrived on this island under the bed."
With that, most of Marylia’s belongings had been brought inside. The items she brought can finally be stored in the house.
When she opened the box, the dress, shoes, and petticoat were neatly folded inside. Marylia looked at them and smiled, thinking, "I really do need to make sure I get home."
... She was looking forward to taking the Iron Golems along with her!
After lunch, the next task was the chair.
For the chair... First, she tied together the four wooden legs that served as the base and the seat support at the middle. She made sure to spread the legs apart so it stood properly... then at the top of the chair, she did the same thing as with the legs.
Once it was like that, she weaved vines around the top part of the chair... basically, it was like weaving a hammock meant for sitting onto the supports. It was a simple design, but surprisingly comfortable.
Marylia had used chairs like this a few times during her military life. Chairs that consisted of just four posts and a single piece of cloth for the seat were extremely useful.
"It's starting to look like a wicker chair, isn't it? Hehehe."
The chair, woven with split wood vines, resembled a piece of wickerwork. It was fun, and Marylia became completely absorbed in making the chair.
The 49th day of banishment on the island ended with furniture-making. As it turns out, making things took a lot of time.
"Hehe, I made something good~"
But the shelves and the chair were both crafted using the best of Marylia's current skills, tools, and resources, and she was satisfied with the results.
Looking around the increasingly furnished interior, Marylia slept with great contentment that day.
... And so, the 50th day of banishment arrived.
"Let's make a table, smoke it along with the chair... and build a chimney and a fireplace!"
Marylia had decided to create one of the most important features of the house—a chimney and a fireplace!
The location of the fireplace was already chosen. The brick wall there had been designed, so the bricks could be removed. So first, she removed the wall.
"... It's kind of strange to see a hole in the wall, isn't it?"
Marylia chuckled as she began surrounding the opening with bricks.
Once the brickwork was done on the inside, it was time to work on the outside, where she would build the chimney.
"... A taller chimney should let the smoke out more efficiently, right? Well, I’ll get to that eventually..."
Eventually, the chimney should be taller than the roof. A proper chimney helps stabilize the airflow, making sure the smoke from the fire inside the house is vented outside. A taller chimney is definitely better.
But for now, she stopped after stacking bricks to about chest height. She solidified the structure with mortar. It was a simple build, but it would do for now. Eventually, she’d like to add a roof to protect the chimney from rain, but that could wait.
While working on the chimney, she also started on the table.
Like the chair, she tied three wooden posts together, spreading them apart to form legs, with the tied section serving as the base to support the tabletop.
She attached horizontal wooden bars to the top of the legs to form a triangle. Then, on top of those, she placed a woven mat made of wooden vines to serve as the tabletop.
It's not flat or sturdy like a wooden plank, but it'll do for now. It might sag under too much weight, but for holding dishes and lighter tools, it'll be fine.
"Hehehe, let's smoke it right away."
... And so, Marylia smoked the completed chair and table. Yes, she smoked them!
By smoking the furniture, its durability would increase, it would gain resistance to insects, and its color would develop a beautiful luster. The wicker-like chair and table would become even more practical and beautiful.
But...
"... Where should I smoke them?"
... The wooden box she had used for smoking meat and baskets was too small for the chair and table!
Marylia glanced around, thinking, "Is there a good place?"
"Ah, this will do~"
Her eyes fell on the triangular-roofed shelter she had built at the start.
"... Someday, I'll properly cover the roof with planks to make sure the smoke doesn't escape."
... And so, the shelter became a smoking hut. Smoke leaked through the gaps in the grass, making the process inefficient, but with enough time, it should work!
"This will also help keep insects away from the hut. Ehehe."
She asked a golem to watch the fire, and returned to the house.
By now, it should be a good time to check on the chimney.
"Ehehe, it's really starting to feel like a home!"
Marylia enjoyed her meal in her increasingly homey house.
Today's meal was smoked meat with a sort of berry jam, accompanied by fish soup. Compared to the early days on the island, it was quite a feast.
"... It's been nearly two months now, hasn't it?"
Marylia reflected quietly, watching the small flame of the oil lamp flicker.
It had been 50 days since she came to the island. In that time, she had built a brick house and established a solid foundation for her life here. Marylia smiled, thinking, "I’ve worked pretty hard, haven't I?"
... Without the golems, it would've taken much longer. A workforce that doesn't require food is a great blessing.
And above all, Marylia had done well. She knew it. "Times like these, you have to praise yourself! Well done!" she told herself, giving herself a round of applause. ... And the golems, influenced by her actions, clapped outside the house... It was kind of cute.
"Well, I’ve worked hard to get my life in order... it's time to move on to the next phase."
Marylia smiled again, gazing out the window toward the island's center.
"I need to gather iron."
"... I need to prepare, assuming I'll have to fight monsters."
Indeed, Marylia's island life was about to get serious.
She would make iron.
Marylia was about to embark on a mission to gather iron by venturing into the island's central region!
What do you think about this chapter?
