Day 121 of Banishment: Winter Clothes (2)
Golems have their disadvantages compared to humans, but they also possess certain advantages.
One such advantage is their ability to see in the dark.
Strictly speaking, golems do not "see" in the conventional sense. Like slimes and some other monsters, they move by detecting mana rather than relying on physical sight.
This means that for golems, day and night are essentially the same. As a result, they have an advantage in nighttime battles over many living creatures.
That said, their opponents are monsters, beings with senses far beyond those of normal creatures, including extraordinary vision and smell. Naturally, they present a significant challenge.
"Iron Golem, I'm entrusting the command to you. Do as you see fit."
With a serene smile, Marylia decided to sit back and enjoy the spectacle. Standing in front of her house, she held an iron axe, just in case, but her demeanor was one of calm confidence.
And rightly so.
The Iron Golem nodded and immediately began issuing commands to the Terracotta Golems.
Golem communication does not rely on sound. Instead, they exchange mana signals—similar to the military signals Marylia had once used.
Marylia, accustomed to intercepting these signals, effortlessly followed the golems' instructions and began to chuckle.
"The targets are smaller monsters like horned rabbits with soft fur. Prioritize those."
Following this command, a flurry of detailed orders flowed rapidly. Each golem received an astounding volume of information almost instantaneously, a level of communication possible only between golems.
Under the Iron Golem's direction, the golems began to move in unison.
Smaller monsters were dispatched by single golems. The golems would close the distance quickly, striking down their prey with spears once the creatures faltered under the sheer number of attackers.
Any small monsters attempting to flee were relentlessly pursued by the golems, ensuring none escaped.
The larger monsters, such as gryphons and perytons, were bewildered by this scene.
Despite their imposing presence, the golems ignored them entirely, focusing solely on the smaller monsters. The golems moved in an orderly fashion, showing no fear of the larger threats.
The perytons and gryphons, unable to grasp the situation, hesitated.
This hesitation proved fatal, as it left them vulnerable to the Iron Golem, who had silently crept into their midst for a surprise attack.
"Simply remarkable," Marylia murmured, her eyes gleaming as she watched the Iron Golem's flawless maneuvers.
The Iron Golem singlehandedly infiltrated the monsters' ranks, launching a sudden assault that felled two large creatures in an instant. As the enemy forces scattered, the Terracotta Golems joined the Iron Golem to encircle and pick them off one by one.
The golems operated as a coordinated unit. In contrast, the monsters were a disorganized horde, united only by their mutual desire for food. Their lack of teamwork sealed their fate.
One by one, the monsters fell. Those that fled were pursued, though the golems refrained from chasing them too far. The ones that escaped quickly vanished into the distance.
In short order, the monsters were defeated, and the golems had successfully defended the base.
"Well done! Excellent work.”
Marylia said warmly as the golems returned. She beamed with pride as the Iron Golem bowed deeply, exuding an air of knightly dignity.
"Once the bloodletting is complete, you may rest. Tomorrow, we'll handle the butchering and tanning."
This defensive battle had exceeded Marylia's expectations. Not only had the base been protected, but the golems' combat capabilities had also been thoroughly proven.
With such capable golems, Marylia felt confident entrusting battlefield command to the Iron Golem. While she could issue similar orders herself, delegation allowed her to focus on other tasks. The Iron Golem seemed better suited to combat leadership anyway.
"Hehehe, with this, I won’t run out of meat during the winter. And I’ll have plenty of fur too!"
Marylia was especially pleased that the prey had come to her. The soft fur of the smaller monsters was exactly what she needed, and now she had an ample supply.
"… Looks like I’ll be running low on salt again, though."
However, processing this much meat would inevitably deplete her salt reserves. No matter how much she produced, it never seemed to be enough—such was the challenge of preserving food with salt.
The next day, 122nd day of banishment.
"Good morning! Everyone, thank you for your hard work today! Be careful with damage and take it slow, alright?"
After calling out to the working golems, Marylia returned inside, prepared breakfast soup, and immediately began processing the furs.
"Alright... for today, let's start by making bedding from the peryton's fur."
The smaller creatures like horned rabbits had their hides tanned that day, but they still needed time to be ready. For now, Marylia decided to process the available hides. She started with the peryton's bird-like feathered hide—soft and fluffy—using it to make bedding.
Currently, her bed had only a peryton hide laid across it. She slept on that with a petticoat linen spread on top. However, winter would make such an arrangement too cold, even with the hearth burning all night. Bedding was a necessity.
She trimmed the edges of the hide, ensuring it fit the bed, and layered two sheets together for better insulation. Then, she stitched two dismantled petticoats together to form a linen bag.
"Now, I'll just stuff it with feathers."
Marylia stepped outside and collected plucked feathers from the golems, who were in the middle of processing the perytons. She washed the feathers thoroughly, drained them in a sieve, and left them to dry.
Thanks to the large number of perytons that had conveniently attacked, she now had plenty of feathers for making comforters. Marylia considered it a pleasant surprise. If she hadn't acquired so many feathers, she would have had to layer multiple peryton hides together to create a quilt.
"Next, let's make a pillow."
For the comforters, she used the soft, featherless down from the perytons' chest and belly. For the pillows, however, she mixed in some of the sturdier feathers with shafts. She sighed as she began stitching the dismantled petticoats into a proper pillowcase.
"I'm so glad I brought these petticoats as fabric..."
She had anticipated that producing such fine, smooth fabric locally would be difficult. If she'd had to start from scratch, she would have needed to find straight-fiber plants like flax, spin them into thread, weave them, and so on. Even constructing a loom with just wood would be a challenge, requiring iron tools for the fine work. Thus, making fabric was a task for the distant future.
"If only I had sheep, though. That would solve so much!"
Sheep would have provided wool for spinning, knitting, and creating textiles. But alas, there were no sheep. Marylia lamented their absence but resolved to keep dreaming of spring, when perhaps sheep might miraculously appear. For now, she focused on sewing and turning the feathers to dry them thoroughly.
Even as she dreamed of sheep, she continued working on the bedding and pillow. Once those were done, she shifted to making leather straps, feeding the slimes, preparing a winter shelter for them, and eventually wrapping up the day.
On the 123rd day, she focused on tanning hides, drying the salted meat, producing large amounts of wood chips for smoking, and constructing a big smoking box from planks.
On the 124th day, she began the smoking process, turned partially dried meat, and stuffed dried feathers into comforters and pillows.
Day 125 involved the first and second rounds of smoking the meat, hanging the finished pieces from the food storage ceiling, grinding acorns into flour, and so on.
Day 126 was spent processing walnuts and chestnuts, tanning more hides, and advancing various tasks.
And finally, on the 127th day:
"At last, I can make a coat!"
Marylia had reached the stage where she could work with the horned rabbit furs!
The fur coat she envisioned was simple in design. She first cut the furs to size, joining them together to create a suitable shape. Then, she stitched the pieces into a robe-like garment.
"Buttons are too tricky, and lacing is a hassle... A sash will be easiest."
She opted for a robe-like coat because it was the simplest design. Tying the front with a sash was straightforward and practical.
"… The collar is open, so I'll make a cape as well."
To compensate for the open collar, she decided on layered clothing for extra warmth. As she planned her next steps with excitement, Marylia joyfully worked her needle, eager to bring her ideas to life.
What do you think about this chapter?
