Chapter 84

Day 312 of Banishment: Reclamation (3)
"I let my guard down..."

Marylia sighed as she lay in bed, with Jade standing by her side.

"Hmm, really, what was I thinking...? I knew my body was the most important asset on this island."

Marylia wasn’t really talking to Jade but rather muttering to herself to confirm her thoughts. She then rolled over to face the other side.

… The cold symptoms weren’t too severe, or so she thought. She had a terrible headache, a sore throat, aching joints, and felt completely drained—basically, she was running a fever.

Likely, it would go away if she slept, ate something nutritious, and slept some more. Marylia was sure of that, but...

"... Jade. You don’t need to fuss so much, okay?"

Fuss, fuss, fuss. Fuss, fuss, fuss.

… Jade was fussing!

And it wasn’t just Jade. Outside the house, the Iron Golems were also bustling about, fussing and fidgeting!

Originally, they were golems assigned to guard Marylia and level the surrounding land. In other words, they were the golems who always worked alongside Marylia... so now that Marylia was bedridden, they had nothing to do and were extra restless.

Marylia thought, "It’s a bit pitiful to let them fuss like this, so I should give them some instructions..." but her feverish mind couldn’t quite decide what to tell them to do.

"Let’s see... well..."

In the end, Marylia racked her sluggish brain and decided to give an order.

"I want something sweet to eat..."

… The moment she said that, she could hear the golems bustling outside the house. Jade stayed inside, starting to prepare lukewarm water for Marylia and doing the laundry, clearly intent on taking care of her.

The golems, who sprang to life the moment they were given an order, were somehow endearing. Marylia felt a bit better just watching them and chuckled softly.

"... Yeah. Today, I’ll take it nice and slow. It’s a cold, after all. It’d be a waste not to enjoy it."

And so, thanks to the golems, Marylia regained her composure!

The golems worked incredibly fast.

They immediately responded to Marylia’s request for something sweet. As a result, Marylia now had a cup of honey mixed with warm water in her hands.

"... There’s a beehive nearby too, huh?"

Marylia praised the golems, saying, "You’re amazing~" and immediately started sipping the honey water. Despite her feverish body, the warm, sweet drink was comforting.

While the golems busied themselves with preserving the honey and refining beeswax, Marylia relaxed in bed.

Before long, she began to doze off and eventually fell asleep. Sleeping was the best thing to do when feeling unwell. Marylia knew this, so she didn’t resist and simply slept. Her job was to sleep and recover quickly. Though, enjoying the process was also her right.

… When Marylia woke up, a pleasant aroma wafted through the air.

Looking over, she saw the golems bustling around the hearth, doing something.

Curious, Marylia got out of bed to check, but Jade quickly scooped her up and gently returned her to bed. Since she’d been put back, there was no choice. Marylia obediently waited in bed.

… After a while, a bowl of porridge was brought to her.

"Oh, that looks delicious!"

The porridge was filled with spring wild greens and tenderly simmered meat... and the delicious aroma seemed to come from this.

Marylia praised the golems and immediately started eating.

"... Mmm, it’s good!"

Marylia smiled as she held the spoon and bowl, and the golems seemed somewhat pleased. They weren’t supposed to have self-awareness, but they acted in such a way that they were quite adorable.

While Marylia ate, the golems busily prepared something else... and then.

"... There’s a bathtub, huh?"

By the time Marylia finished her meal, the golems had prepared a bath!

Apparently, there had been a bathtub somewhere in the ruined town. They must have brought it over.

"A bronze bathtub... how luxurious."

If it had been made of iron, it would have rusted and decayed, but since it was bronze, it was watertight and usable. The golems had polished it, and now Marylia could soak in the warm water they had prepared, feeling utterly comfortable.

"Hehehe. This feels so indulgent."

Spring flowers floated on the surface of the bathwater. Marylia giggled as she poked at them with her fingertips, watching them sway.

… What wonderfully capable golems!

To avoid exhausting herself, Marylia kept the bath short. While she bathed, the golems had tidied up her bed, so Marylia returned to a bed with fresh linens, free of dampness and feeling crisp.

"Oh my... they’ve thought of everything..."

Marylia’s eyes widened as she lay back in bed... and then she burst into laughter at how much the golems were pampering her.

Well, this isn’t so bad once in a while.

Marylia decided to fully enjoy being taken care of by the golems for the day!

By dinnertime, Marylia had largely recovered. It seemed that overwork and lack of nutrition had been the cause of her fever.

Dinner was a soup prepared by the golems. It was a refined-tasting soup with fish caught from the stream and wild greens.

After dinner, they served tea sweetened with honey. It was a refreshing, tangy tea made by steeping dried rosehips. It was more like fruit juice than tea, with an invigorating flavor.

It was just what her recovering body needed. Marylia smiled as she praised Jade, who had brewed the tea, saying, "Wild roses are beautiful, and their fruits are delicious—it’s wonderful!" … Jade looked incredibly proud!

… And so, Marylia, now fully recovered, continued her work at a steady pace, advancing the development of the island.

Cutting down trees on the mountain slopes, erecting support pillars, threading wire ropes, and adjusting the cargo cars to run smoothly... it was all quite exhausting.

But since the golems were making rapid progress, she felt good. At the very least, there was no sense of stagnation. There was none of that unpleasant feeling of endlessly repeating a task with no end in sight.

As Marylia oversaw all the work, she smiled while watching the island transform before her eyes!

She was in high spirits!

And so, the 364th day of her banishment arrived.

Spring had passed its peak, and early summer was here. The breeze blowing through the trees was refreshing, and the forest was beginning to bear berries and apricots.

"It’s already been a year since I came to this island..."

Marylia plucked a wild strawberry and popped it into her mouth, smiling as she savored its sweetness and let her thoughts wander.

… It’s already been a year.

The events of a year ago felt incredibly nostalgic. She had emerged victorious against Baltoria, and immediately after, her sentencing had been decided... but the people around her had been incredibly kind.

Foremost among them were the knights she had fought alongside. Without them, Marylia might not even be alive here today. After all, it was because she had been able to bring knives, pots, sewing tools, and large amounts of fabric that she was able to survive like this.

Especially the knives and pots. Without the knives, she wouldn’t have been able to do even basic woodworking. Without the pots, securing water and preparing food would have been difficult. Considering all that, it’s fair to say that Marylia owes her survival to the knights who turned a blind eye and allowed her to bring those items.

"I told them to wait for me, but... I wonder if they’re doing okay."

As she thought about those knights, Marylia wondered.

Could she face them now? Could she live up to the expectations of those who were still waiting for her, even after she had been exiled to this island?

"... Well, I think I’ve made decent progress, don’t you?"

She tilted her head slightly, seeking Jade’s agreement, and Jade nodded emphatically. Marylia smiled back and gazed at the scenery spread out below.

The ropeway had been successfully completed, and the golems were using it to transport supplies and personnel.

Iron sand sifting was being conducted in three locations on the island, and the mountains were being steadily carved away, producing more and more iron sand.

The high-quality iron sand collected was being processed daily in the furnace, transforming into steel.

The resulting iron was shaped into Iron Golems by the Iron Golems themselves, and once enough parts were assembled, Marylia would visit every five days or so to bring them to life as new golems... These newly created golems would then roam the island to produce even more golems.

And then...

"I never thought I’d end up handling monsters too. Ehehe..."

… High above the island, a small Iron Golem, tasked with surveying and adjustments, was riding a wyvern.

Wyverns, after all, are intelligent monsters. If tamed, they can be controlled to some extent. They’re like hunting dogs, perhaps. They’re not large enough to carry heavy loads, but they can carry a small Iron Golem.

… Of course, Marylia had no talent for taming monsters. So how did she tame the wyverns? The opposite way—by “killing all the wyverns that didn’t submit”! That way, only the wyverns that submitted and worked for Marylia remained! It was self-evident!

Well, not all wyverns were tamed or killed. Some fled to the edges of the island or even off the island entirely. Marylia was ruthless but not without mercy. She didn’t chase the fleeing wyverns, instead bidding them farewell with a "Take care~”

Other intelligent monsters faced the same choice: flee, pledge loyalty, or die… Intelligent monsters have strong souls. If such creatures remained in the central part of the island, they would hinder the golemification process. Thus, the rule was: "Flee, submit, or die!"

As a result, many monsters became mounts for the golems or were used for transporting goods, further accelerating the island’s development. Marylia was extremely satisfied with this outcome. Even someone other than Marylia would likely give her a decent evaluation.

"... Everyone, just wait a little longer. It looks like I’ll be able to return soon."

She had worked hard enough to face everyone with pride. Yes, she had worked hard enough to say that with confidence.

Marylia felt proud of herself and smiled brightly once more.

What do you think about this chapter?