Chapter 73

Day 293 of Banishment: Exploration (3)
After running down the mountain for a while, Marylia and her team seemed to have escaped the dragon's view. Thankfully, it didn’t pursue them.

“Haah... oh my, what a surprise,” Marylia exhaled slowly, collapsing onto the spot in a heap.

“I never imagined there would actually be such an impressive dragon here.”

“Right?” She tilted her head towards Jade, seeking agreement. Jade, obliging her mood, tilted its head in the same manner, causing Marylia to beam with delight.

“But maybe this is good news. If there’s such a massive dragon, its hoard of shiny treasures must be substantial. If there’s enough gold, I might even be able to create a Gold Golem!”

In high spirits, Marylia began counting potential upsides on her fingers.

Dragons are known for hoarding treasures and guarding them fiercely. Greedy and arrogant, they possess the immense power to justify such traits.

“And the dragon itself... oh, it would make for such wonderful materials. Lightweight yet durable scales, sturdy bones, fangs that pierce steel... and the meat is delicious, too!”

Dragons, formidable as they are, become treasures in themselves once defeated. Their scales, when polished, resemble gemstones, when sharpened, act as blades, and when layered, serve as powerful armor. Bones, fangs, every part of a dragon is an invaluable material.

… And yes, the meat is exquisite. Marylia had tasted dragon ham once at a royal castle banquet. Its flavor was incredibly rich, with a powerful umami that seemed to invigorate her just from a single bite. Dragon blood is said to have medicinal properties, and the meat could be described as a delicious tonic in itself.

“Also, that town... it still has traces of magic lingering around. There might be something left if we search. Though I doubt anyone’s still living there.”

The town that the dragon has made its lair undoubtedly warrants exploration. Though it’s likely decayed over time, some remnants are sure to be there. The visible structures alone make it impossible for Marylia to give up on investigating it.

In other words...

“We’ll have to deal with that dragon somehow. Ah, what to do? It’s kind of exciting~!”

Marylia’s immediate goal became clear: “to defeat the dragon.”

Without taking down the dragon, she couldn’t explore the ruins of the town or confirm what treasures or knowledge it might hold.

Determined, Marylia resolved to kill the dragon, claiming its hoard, its materials, and the right to explore the mysterious town. And while she was at it, a dragon-meat feast was definitely on the agenda!

“Well then, if that’s decided, we’ll need strategies and equipment for fighting a dragon. Let’s head back and prepare.”

With a cheerful smile, Marylia commanded her golems and began their return to the base.

… Her opponent is a dragon, a creature for which no amount of preparation feels sufficient. But this is Marylia, who has single-handedly defeated the Balthorian army multiple times.

“I’m looking forward to this.”

Without a trace of fear, Marylia simply found joy in the challenge.

As she smiled brightly, even the golems around her seemed to radiate a sense of pride.

*Victory lies in initiating the fight on one’s own terms.*

After taking a day and a half to return to her base, by the 295th day of banishment, Marylia was deep in thought, strategizing her battle against the dragon.

“It has to be bows. Expecting a flying dragon to come down to the ground is unrealistic. They’re intelligent creatures, after all... but we have the numbers on our side. If we fire dozens of arrows simultaneously, not even a dragon could come out unscathed.”

And so, she reached her conclusion.

Against a flying dragon, the best approach was to utilize their numerical advantage. This naturally led to the strategy of overwhelming it with a barrage of arrows.

However...

“So it’s bows, then. Bows... hmm, how should I make them? Materials... precision... and arrows, too. Resources... ahhh, this is such a headache!”

Making bows and arrows is quite a difficult task!

Once, when she created the Terracotta Golem, Marylia had thought about making a bow for herself. But in the end, it never came to fruition.

The reason was simple. "Because the tools and techniques available at the time couldn’t make a high-precision bow."

A bow and arrow that doesn’t know where it’s firing is useless. It’s fine if it has some quirks, but fundamentally, if the arrow doesn’t fly to the intended target, you can’t fight with a bow.

Additionally, another reason at the time was that "there were no materials."

While the bow of the arrow itself is important, arrows are consumables. Without a certain level of precision, they won’t fly straight.

Thus, bows and arrows, which require a lot of effort, skill, and various materials, were an impractical weapon for Marylia back then.

However,

"Maybe I can manage it now..."

Having passed through winter, with iron now available and over 20 Iron Golems at her disposal, acquiring bows and arrows is now a realistic goal.

With that, Marylia’s bow-making process began.

"... First, let me try making a regular bow. I wonder what the precision is like..."

Marylia had used bows before, but she had never made one. Still, since she had touched them, she figured she could understand the structure, so she immediately started splitting wood.

"Split the wood... and then carve it into shape."

First, she split some suitable wood lengthwise to make it thin enough. Then, she smoothed the surface, created guides for the arrow nocks, and carved grooves to hold the string, gradually shaping it into a bow.

The tool she used for carving was the same polishing board she’d used for gemstones. It turned out to be surprisingly useful!

"For the string... I’ll strip the inner fibers of some vines and twist them together."

For the string, she decided to use plant fibers. She had considered using animal intestines, but for now, she chose to try this.

"As for the arrows, I’ll make them from wood. I’m not rich enough to make iron arrows yet..."

Then, she made the arrows. She split the wood into straight sticks, carved them, and hardened the tips by heating them with fire, sharpening them as she went. The heat would harden the wood, making it suitable for use as an arrow. Even without iron arrowheads, the arrows should work.

"I have plenty of feathers..."

The feathers were easily obtained from the perytons, so she wasn’t worried about them. She felt grateful to the perytons for their help—blankets, feathers, meat, skins...

Having made the bow and arrows, Marylia quickly nocked an arrow and drew the string.

"Alright... here we go."

She pulled the string back and released the arrow. While Marylia and the golems watched nervously, the arrow flew...

"... This is harder than I thought!"

The arrow landed a little away from the cracked tile she had aimed at.

Was it the bow’s low precision, or was it Marylia’s lack of skill with the bow? It was hard to tell!

Just then, Jade appeared, as if feeling sorry for her. It knelt before Marylia and offered both hands.

"Ah, are you going to try? Go ahead, show me."

Marylia quickly handed it the bow and a second arrow. Jade respectfully bowed, then took its position where Marylia had been standing and readied the bow.

"Ah, you look quite the part!"

Jade’s stance was very knightly. Well, it was probably recreating the posture of the knights from Marylia’s memories.

However, Marylia also had some memories of companions who were good with a bow. She could still vividly recall the graceful way they released arrows. If Jade could pick up on that, surely...

"Ah! You’re good!"

Jade’s arrow hit the cracked tile dead center, shattering it with a sharp crack!

"The precision isn’t too bad... or maybe it’s just that Jade is too good."

Jade, looking quite proud of itself, contrasted with Marylia’s more complex feelings.

The Iron Golems had strength beyond that of humans. Jade, in particular, was heavily enhanced, so its capabilities were impressive.

As a result, it could control the sway and trembling of the bowstring. Plus, the Iron Golems had inherited some of Marylia’s knowledge, so they were better with bows than she was. That’s how it worked.

"I wonder how the other golems will do. Oh, Guard No. 1! Try using this bow for me!"

Taking advantage of the situation, Marylia decided to let one of the guards try the bow.

Though it didn’t hit with a single shot like Jade’s, after three tries, the arrow hit the target.

She called over Guards No. 2, 3, and 4 to try, and sure enough, they also managed to hit the target in about three shots.

"Impressive. Either the bow or the golems, or maybe both..."

Marylia was left with mixed feelings! But ultimately, it didn’t matter. Whether the bow was good, or the golems were exceptional—it was all fine. As long as the arrows flew and brought down the dragon, it didn’t matter. And it didn’t even need to be Marylia who shot the arrows. That was fine too... she didn’t need to be the one using the bow.

"Well, it’s fine... but with this bow, I wouldn’t be able to use it anyway... I’ll be bored."

Marylia, feeling a bit pouty, poked a nearby slime. The slime had been trying to nibble on some spring sprouts but was now being poked, causing it to twist in mild annoyance. But in the end, it was picked up and placed on her lap.

As she poked the poor slime, Marylia thought deeply... and then, she had an idea.

"That’s it! I’ll make a crossbow."

What do you think about this chapter?