Day 164 of Banishment: Gems (4)
"… Yes, yes. I knew it. I had a feeling this would happen..."
Marylia sighed as she inspected the cracked roof tiles.
All the broken tiles were neatly split with precise cracks. Moreover, the way they cracked varied from tile to tile. In other words, this wasn’t caused by something falling on the roof and breaking them.
In conclusion...
"… The snow melted into water, seeped into the unglazed tiles, and… when it froze again, they broke."
The culprit was ice. That’s what it was.
Unglazed tiles, for better or worse, absorb water. This property can work advantageously in certain situations—such as in a filtration system. Water that seeps through an unglazed pot is filtered, leaving water with almost no impurities. They’re also perfect for dehydrating salted meat.
Thus, the ability of unglazed tiles to let water pass through isn’t entirely bad. However, it’s a different story when it comes to roof tiles in winter.
First, snow accumulates on the tiled roof. Since the house is warm inside, the heat melts the snow on the tiles. The melted snow seeps into the tiles… and as temperatures drop again in the evening, it freezes!
Especially during the night, the indoor temperature drops. Since Marylia, the one who adds firewood to the hearth, is asleep, it can’t be helped.
But when water freezes inside the unglazed tiles… ice, being larger in volume than water, expands. In short, when wet tiles freeze, the water turns to ice, expands, and causes the tiles to crack!
"There are spare tiles, so for now, we can manage."
Fortunately, she had tiles baked and stored as spares, allowing her to re-roof for now. However, winter was far from over. If the roof continued to crack like this, it would be troublesome.
"But this… will probably crack again soon. Should I make glazed tiles that are more water-resistant?"
In the long run, creating glazed tiles to reduce water absorption might be the best solution. Simply adding unglazed tiles to patch up the roof would likely lead to more breakages soon.
"Or, maybe I should switch to wooden shingles for now, accepting regular maintenance…"
Another option was replacing the roof with wooden shingles. Wood wouldn’t crack even if it absorbed some water. Especially if the surface was charred, it would become even more durable. The roof of the food storage was made of wooden shingles, so there was no concern about cracking like on the main house’s roof.
"Hmm… I’d prefer to eventually roof the house with glazed tiles, but for now, let’s go with wooden shingles."
Considering costs and the current environment, it couldn’t be helped. The weather was too poor to bake new tiles. Even if she molded tiles from clay amidst the snow, drying them would take a long time, and by then, winter might already give way to spring.
Thus, she had no choice but to manage with a shingled roof for now!
With that in mind, Marylia bundled herself in warm, fluffy winter gear and began crafting wooden shingles.
She called back the Iron Golem to help. With the Iron Golem’s assistance, the work became much more efficient. A reliable golem was indeed invaluable.
"You take care of charring the surface of the shingles. I’ll handle replacing the roof."
Marylia assigned the final process—charring—to the Iron Golem and climbed up the roof herself. She had the Terracotta Golems carry the charred shingles to her and replaced the tiles with them, managing to re-roof the house.
The snow had stopped for now. Marylia was determined to finish re-roofing before the snow returned, lest the house become covered in it.
After about two hours of work, Marylia finished re-roofing.
Although the task was simple—removing tiles and replacing them with shingles—it was still strenuous labor. Fortunately, the golems below the roof helped by handing her tiles, passing her the finished shingles, and assisting in other ways.
Since the golems were heavy and not very quick, having them climb up the roof to work might have been risky. Instead, Marylia handled the roof work herself, while the golems managed the transport tasks. It was a logical division of labor, with the nimblest person on the roof.
"… Phew, I got a little chilly."
However, Marylia, being the only one with a human body, found it tough to work on the exposed roof for such a long time.
"Let’s heat up the bath and have a soak…"
Muttering to herself, Marylia headed for the bathhouse. She planned to light the hearth for heated stones, instruct the golems to fetch water, and then…
"Oh?"
Steam wafted softly from the bathhouse. Curious, Marylia stepped inside.
"… How thoughtful."
There stood the Iron Golem, apparently having heated the bath in advance. Smiling, Marylia couldn’t help but feel pleased.
"Ahh, this feels amazing!"
As her chilled body sank into the warm water, she felt as though she was melting. The small tub required her to curl up, but at that moment, even that didn’t bother her.
"Hehe, this is nice…"
Ordinary noblewomen might soak in baths prepared daily by their servants, receiving meticulous care for their skin and hair while they relaxed.
Since leading an army, such luxuries had been far removed from Marylia’s life. Yet here she was, on this deserted island, miles from any noble estate, experiencing this indulgence.
Finding it amusing, Marylia chuckled to herself. The Iron Golem, as if understanding her mood, stood proudly and unwaveringly by.
Marylia thoroughly enjoyed her bath, soaking long enough to warm herself and avoid catching a cold.
She spent her time squeezing the slime in her hand, debating between orange-scented and rosemary-scented soap, and, once warmed through, gazing into the flames of the hearth. During this time, she also tended to her skin with jujube syrup lotion and beeswax cream.
For drying her hair, she used a recently woven cloth made from plant fibers. By gradually warming the cloth over the hearth while drying her hair, she sped up the process and minimized damage to her hair.
"… It might be time for a haircut soon."
Marylia noticed her slightly longer hair after six months and began to ponder.
When she first arrived on the island, Marylia had cut her hair short. She understood that long hair would be a hindrance in her life on a deserted island. She had even considered using the cut hair as some kind of resource, though the hair she had cut and stored remained unused.
Now, her hair had grown significantly, reaching past her shoulders in less than six months. It might be time to cut it short again. Especially during the winter, long hair takes too long to dry, which can be inconvenient.
"Cutting it myself is difficult... so maybe I'll ask you to do it sometime," she said with a smile as she looked up at the Iron Golem. Bowing respectfully, the Iron Golem seemed to say, "Whenever you'd like," making Marylia chuckle softly again.
After finishing her bath, Marylia decided to head back home before catching a chill.
The roof had been upgraded from tiles to wood shingles, which should improve insulation—a change she was looking forward to experiencing.
But then...
"Oh my.”
She muttered as things suddenly grew noisy.
The bushes rustled, and growling sounds could be heard. Peering in that direction, Marylia found monsters approaching, likely targeting her food storage again.
"No, no. This is my food. And you all are my food too.”
Marylia calmly declared, picking up a weapon nearby—a conveniently placed iron axe.
But...
"My, you're truly remarkable, aren't you?"
She remarked in admiration.
The Iron Golem immediately stepped in, intercepting the monsters and urging Marylia to return home.
It quickly dispatched a griffin in no time!
"Well, well, that was over before I even caught a chill.”
Marylia said, clapping her hands. Meanwhile, the Iron Golem wiped the blood splatters off itself and once again gestured for her to return home.
"Yes, yes. Thank you. I'll leave it to you.”
She said, chuckling softly as she entrusted the cleanup to the gentlemanly Iron Golem and promptly got into bed before her body could cool.
"That one’s so capable, isn't it? Perhaps it’s thanks to the jade.”
Marylia murmured as she rolled over in bed, contemplating the Iron Golem's exceptional performance.
Typically, Iron Golems weren't this perceptive. They moved based on commands, so for one to stop Marylia from acting and insist she return home was an exceedingly rare occurrence.
"I suppose the engraving method turned out well... It must be able to share a portion of my memories and experiences, which helps it determine how to act. On top of that... maybe the jade has some influence.”
Marylia theorized. The jade ornament she gave to the Iron Golem seemed to enhance the transmission of her mana, albeit slightly. But with the Iron Golem's inherently excellent capabilities, even minor enhancements yielded significant improvements.
Marylia had never adorned a golem with accessories before, making this a novel experiment. Perhaps she should experiment further, she thought.
"Since we're at it, why not make the two of us truly splendid and glamorous during the winter? Hehe.”
She giggled, resolving to further enhance both herself and the Iron Golem with additional equipment and ornaments.
Thus, Marylia’s winter passed.
During that time, she crafted jeweled accessories and household items, brightening her home. Simultaneously, the golems were subtly upgraded.
The extent of their improvement was unclear. However, the golems sustained minimal damage—just minor cracks from freezing after getting wet, which were easily repaired.
Meanwhile, the Iron Golem’s excellence grew even more pronounced. It became quicker in relaying information and acted with increasing foresight, often anticipating Marylia's thoughts. Its movements also became faster.
Remarkably, it could travel from the iron sand collection pond to the base several times faster than Marylia herself! Taking advantage of its "no fatigue" trait, it simply sprinted at full speed. Even the island’s monsters seemed startled; they now fled in terror at the sight of the Iron Golem charging past.
The Iron Golem also sported more decorations than before. In addition to its jade ornament, it now wore a polished agate-embedded wooden bracelet and a small chalcedony-studded plant-fiber bracelet, making it look quite luxurious.
As for Marylia, she adorned herself with crystals, chalcedony, agate, and amber she found by the shore, adding to her own splendor.
Now, few would look at Marylia and think she had been "banished to a deserted island."
At this point, Marylia was more akin to the "Queen of the Deserted Island."
And so, on the 270th day of her banishment:
"Ah, it feels like spring is coming.”
She mused, smiling as she touched water that had warmed slightly on the island.
Finally, the end of winter was in sight.
What do you think about this chapter?
