Day 292 of Banishment: Exploration (1)
On the 292nd day of banishment, the exploration began before noon.
Marylia was accompanied by four of her Guard golems and Jade. This one human and five golems advanced through the forest.
"What we're looking for this time includes a river. I believe there’s probably at least one more river flowing on the opposite side of this island."
Marylia spoke to the golems as she walked, her voice also serving to alert any lurking monsters to her presence, encouraging them to stay hidden. Unnecessary battles were best avoided.
"If there’s a river, we can use it for sluicing. That would double the speed of collecting iron sand, allowing for twice as many Iron Golems to be produced."
Her primary goal was the river. Instead of trying to mine iron ore veins, it was more efficient to use high-quality iron sand, which produced purer and superior iron. As she planned to mass-produce Iron Golems, iron sand was essential.
Thus, finding a river was crucial, not just for extracting iron sand but also to build facilities for washing and refining it.
"And then, signs of humans... I’m certain people once lived here, so there might still be remnants somewhere."
In addition to the river, she needed to search for any traces left by those who had come before.
"Knowledge and techniques, rather than just manpower... I’m reaching my limit with what I can achieve alone. I need to learn something from the predecessors. Though, there’s no guarantee anything useful remains, so it’s purely a gamble..."
Unlike the river, which was reasonably expected to exist, finding remnants of predecessors was far less certain. While it was evident that people had once inhabited this island, the length of their stay and the extent of their activities were unknown. It was entirely possible they hadn’t been able to sustain themselves here for long and left no significant traces.
However, Marylia had one faint lead.
"Still, there’s a distinct presence of mana in the central part of the island, isn’t there?"
This was a feeling she’d sensed early on after arriving here—a lingering trace of some kind of magic emanating from the island's center.
Marylia and her five golems pressed onward. Two of the Guard golems moved ahead, clearing branches and trampling down grass, making the path easier to traverse. Marylia smiled at their "gentlemanly" actions and conserved her energy as they advanced.
Among the group, Marylia was the most vulnerable, which was unsurprising—she was the only human, after all. The five others were literal chunks of iron.
If a battle were to occur, the Iron Golems would take on the fight. Whether bitten or clawed, their metallic forms would likely remain unscathed—more likely, the attacker’s fangs would break instead.
"We’ve come quite far... but it seems we’re still not in the central area, right?"
Following the river upstream, past the iron sand collection site and even beyond a waterfall, the river continued to flow. This meant there was still more upstream to explore.
Marylia lacked comprehensive knowledge of the island’s geography. Her understanding was limited to the areas she had frequented; the island’s full extent remained a mystery to her.
How many rivers there were, the island's elevation, and its circumference were all unknown. Basic information like this had been low priority while she focused on stabilizing her life and creating golems.
As they climbed, Marylia paid close attention to her surroundings, seeking any useful information. Observing the plants alone could reveal much—helping estimate elevation or identify potential inhabitants based on marks left on tree bark.
"This area... it seems rife with wyverns. Probably small land dragons as well..."
Despite detecting signs of dragon subspecies, Marylia proceeded without hesitation. With five Iron Golems, she was confident they could handle any wyverns or small dragons with ease.
"And now... oh?"
Marylia suddenly stopped, her gaze fixed ahead as she sensed something in the air.
… A presence. It was distinct and undeniable. Unlike the lesser threats of wyverns, this was something she needed to assess carefully.
"I knew it—there’s some sort of presence here..."
Though the exact nature of the magic remained unclear, she could tell that something significant lay ahead.
"And as we approach the center, it seems to be growing stronger."
Carefully surveying her surroundings, Marylia found no visible source of the presence. No wyverns or dragons appeared either, leaving her to smile brightly in anticipation.
"This is promising."
The presence of mana might signify danger, but it also guaranteed the existence of something noteworthy. Better to find something, even if risky, than to explore and come up empty-handed. With high spirits, Marylia decided to press further.
When the sun reached its peak, they paused for a lunch break.
Lunch consisted of pancakes made by mixing powdered dried chestnuts with water, cooked, and layered with berry sauce. Accompanying them were pieces of smoked meat, lightly grilled.
Essentially, it was a picnic. Marylia had found some joy in preparing this meal earlier that morning. Something about the simplicity of packing food into a basket evoked nostalgic memories of sneaking leftovers for impromptu picnics during her time with the Odeil family.
"... It feels a bit awkward eating alone, though."
She ate by herself, of course. Iron Golems didn’t eat! The thought of them doing so was unsettling.
As the golems stood guard nearby, their silent vigilance made her feel somewhat self-conscious.
"Next time, I’ll bring a slime along. At least I could watch it eat with me."
With that decision made, she resumed her meal, imagining how enjoyable it would be to watch a slime devouring leaves and grass.
After lunch, they resumed their exploration.
By now, they’d been walking for hours, yet the path ahead seemed endless. Marylia realized they might not return to their base before nightfall. She thought, "It’s great the island’s so resource-rich, but it would’ve been nice if the center was within a day’s round trip of the base..." However, she shrugged it off and kept moving.
"Hmm... the presence is definitely getting stronger, little by little."
The presence was strong. Very strong. But whether it was because it was drawing nearer or simply because its source was too massive to comprehend remained unclear.
"… Let's set up a camp in the evening."
At this rate, a day trip was out of the question. Resigned, Marylia instructed the Iron Golems and continued onward.
By evening, as darkness began to set in and further exploration became impractical, a decision was made.
"We need to start looking for a campsite."
Ultimately, Marylia decided to camp. They had come too far to return to their base before sunset. Moreover, abandoning their progress was not an option. Camping was the only choice for the day.
"I hope we can find a good spot around here."
With the decision made, the next step was to locate a campsite. Marylia had brought a large cloth pieced together from burlap sacks that could be used as a tent. If there were suitable trees, it could be hung, or, in the worst-case scenario, the Iron Golems could hold it up to serve as a windbreak for the night.
But ideally, a small cave or something similar—a place naturally suited for an overnight stay—would be better.
"Oh…?"
And then, it happened.
Marylia couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw *it* ahead.
"… Is that… a house?"
What lay before her was an object that was old, decrepit, and clearly once a house.
She stepped inside cautiously.
The floorboards had rotted away, leaving little behind. The roof, once tiled, was now mostly gone, reduced to its skeletal framework, which was also rotting and ready to collapse. Yet the brick walls, reinforced with plaster, remained, albeit moss-covered and peeling. It was this sturdiness that preserved the structure as a recognizable former house.
"… Did someone live here?"
Marylia surveyed the remains of the house.
She found fragments of what might have been pottery. Fibers that looked like remnants of rope.
And then…
"Iron."
It was rusted and nearly crumbled, but it was iron. Likely a tool—perhaps an axe or a hoe. The handle remained attached but was deteriorated.
"This was a nail, wasn’t it…"
Pieces of wood, likely from furniture, bore rusted remnants. It was clear these were once iron nails.
"The design is simple… This must have been a temporary dwelling. If that’s the case… there might be a proper base further ahead."
Someone with the skill and resources to work with iron had lived here.
This realization filled Marylia with hope. A ship—or some other means to escape the island—might still exist. The odds seemed just a bit higher now.
As night fell, Marylia decided to sleep in the house.
It was decrepit, but a house was a house. The beams, though frail, provided some shelter. And with walls to block the wind, she couldn’t complain.
"Let’s cover the roof with cloth… lay down some fabric for a bed… Oh, the ground’s so hard!"
Laughing softly, Marylia amused herself with the novelty of sleeping on the ground again. Using cushions offered by the Iron Golems to support her head and back, she managed to create a somewhat tolerable sleeping space.
"… Next time, I’ll bring a slime."
Realizing how comforting it would be to have something to hug while sleeping, Marylia became even more determined to bring a slime next time.
The next morning, the 293rd day of her banishment.
"My body is so stiff~"
It was the worst awakening she had experienced in over 200 days.
The hard ground was unforgiving. Marylia groaned as she recalled why this was a bad idea.
After getting up, she moved her body until the stiffness subsided to a manageable level. Stretching and massaging, she remembered how to deal with the discomfort.
"Arm circles… big ones!"
As she rotated her arms, the Iron Golems followed her movements. Their mimicry was so endearing that it lifted Marylia’s spirits.
But then…
"Alright, let’s try jumping exercises… Ah!"
The loyal golems mimicked her again.
Five massive iron beings.
Jumping.
On the decrepit house.
With a *crack,* the rotting floorboards gave way.
"Ah!"
In an instant, Jade moved to scoop Marylia into his arms, shielding her as they, along with the others, fell through the broken floorboards.
The fall wasn’t far—about twice Marylia’s height.
"… Oh my."
She let out an awed sigh as she looked around.
"There’s a basement."
Where they had fallen was clearly a man-made underground room with stone walls.
What do you think about this chapter?
