Chapter 88

Day 491 of Banishment: In Order to Return (3)
On the 491st day of banishment.

"Alright then, the day after tomorrow, I’m going to try turning this island into a golem!"

Marylia declared this to Jade and the Guard golems.

She wanted to return as soon as possible. She had told the knights, "Wait for about three years," but if she actually made them wait that long, the Fractalia Kingdom might be destroyed!

Fractalia was the country that had banished her, but it was still her homeland. Many people in her homeland had loved her, and she loved them in return. She cherished her homeland, along with the many comrades who lived there.

That was why she needed to hurry. Before the necromancer, who was likely in Baltoria, could destroy Fractalia, she had to return—she had to save her country!

… However.

"Oh, of course, I don’t mean to return immediately just like that. I just want to check whether I can move the island. My prediction is that when I try, it simply won’t budge. But by experiencing that, I should be able to tell what’s missing and by how much, right?"

Naturally, wanting to return didn’t mean she could do so just yet. Turning this island into a golem would require a lot more preparation. Depending on the amount of magic stones buried here, it was still far from feasible.

That was precisely why she needed to assess the current situation.

She had to understand where she stood, how much more she needed to do, and what exactly was required to make her return possible. Without that knowledge, achieving an early return would be difficult!

That said, even before worrying about success or failure, attempting to move a massive golem itself was risky. At the very least, the burden on Marylia would be immense. That was why she hadn’t attempted it until now.

… And even now, it was still quite reckless. But she couldn't help feeling impatient, and the more information she had, the faster she could reach her goal. Marylia was prepared to push herself a little!

"So, I’m going to stop all the golems except for Jade, the four Guards, and the little ones riding the wyverns. Have everyone else gather here by the night after tomorrow."

She quickly relayed this instruction to the small Iron Golems, who then mounted the wyverns and took off. It would take about a full day to travel from the edge of the island to the central area. Factoring in the time needed to wrap up any ongoing work, everyone should be able to assemble by the appointed time.

"Since this will be a nighttime operation, I probably won’t be able to keep an eye on the entire island. Actually, I don’t think I’ll have the luxury to do so. So, I’m counting on you little ones to record everything."

Marylia assigned the small golems the task of documenting the experiment.

She didn’t expect the island to move, but just in case it did, she chose to conduct the test at night. Even if someone outside the island was observing, a slight movement in the dark would likely go unnoticed. It was best to keep her escape plans secret until she actually carried them out—especially from Baltoria.

… Also, the wyverns could move independently of her magic, so she wanted to take advantage of that as much as possible. What a bargain!

"And as for the Guards and Jade... please take care of me after I collapse."

She then made this request of the four Guard golems and Jade.

Attempting to move the island, even in its somewhat structured form and with a fair amount of buried magic stones, would drain Marylia’s mana to its absolute limit. And even then, success was not guaranteed.

So... this experiment would most likely end with her collapsing! Even if she didn’t faint, she would probably be unable to move. That being the case, it was best to let them know in advance.

The golems, entrusted with taking care of Marylia after she collapsed, nodded with pride. Since they had already proven their reliability when tending to her during her past illnesses, there was no cause for concern.

And so, on the 493rd night of banishment—

The long-awaited island activation experiment was about to take place.

"Alright, everyone. You’ll probably be inactive for a day or two, but for now, go to sleep."

After greeting the golems gathered in the central plaza of the ruins (originally a site for necromantic rituals, but now a leveled clearing), Marylia deactivated them.

As she severed the mana links, she could feel her body growing lighter. To her, controlling a single Iron Golem required almost no effort at all. Even ten at once posed no real burden.

However... keeping over a hundred, nearing two or even three hundred golems operational at the same time consumed a significant amount of mana. Only now did she truly grasp the weight of that strain.

"Alright then, little ones, take to the sky. And Guards, Jade, stay close to me."

After watching the small Iron Golems take off on the wyverns, Marylia quietly tossed something into a vertical hole in the ground.

"The core is set, then."

She carefully covered it with soil, burying it completely. It was Marylia's hair.

Back when she first arrived on this island, she had cut her hair, thinking it would be a hindrance to living on an uninhabited island. She had kept it stored, but now, by burying a part of herself here, she was allowing a fragment of her soul to blend with the island. In doing so, she would manipulate the island as if it were an extension of her own hands, her own fingers.

"Alright, here I go~"

Marylia spoke lazily, then began to concentrate.

She would turn this island into a golem and make it truly hers.

First, she clearly visualized the form of the golem.

This part was relatively simple. She had already observed the island from all directions, confirming its shape. She knew exactly what form it would take—what kind of golem it would become, what posture it would hold.

Next, she needed to channel her mana into the golem’s body, substituting it for a soul. This was the hard part.

"... Ahh, wow~this is quite something. It’s full of impurities… Ugh, how unpleasant~"

Predictably, her mana did not flow smoothly. That was because the island already housed countless souls. She was trying to create a soul on top of existing ones, which naturally led to resistance.

If it were only the souls of microorganisms, she could overpower them, but dealing with the spirits of larger magical creatures was troublesome.

"Hmm… I sense a Man-Eater to the east~ Looks like I missed a nest. I’ll have to take care of that later. Oh, there’s also something to the west… What is this? Bees? Are they bees? I’ll have to deal with them too. And to the north, I need to refine the shape a bit more… The south is fine, that was my original base after all."

As she attempted to move the golem, obstacles revealed themselves one after another.

She could sense the presence of distant monsters and identify areas where the terrain needed improvement.

"Oh, a magic stone!... Yes, yes. If my control reaches the magic stones, this will become much easier… Alright, next… I should extend my control toward areas with denser mana."

Marylia continued to absorb the island into her control as a golem while sensing the presence of buried magic stones.

This island belonged to Marylia.

It was something she would dominate and command.

This island was a golem.

With that firm belief, she pushed forward with her control.

And then—

"Ah."

The strength drained from her body, and in the next moment, she collapsed, only to be caught by Jade.

Had she blacked out for a second? No, she wasn’t even sure if it had only been a second.

"Oh, I’m fine. I just burned through my mana a bit too quickly… It’s like a sudden dizziness."

She looked up at Jade and smiled. Though her vision was still swaying, it wasn’t bad enough to keep her from standing. She asked Jade to put her down, but it hesitated. She wondered why, until—

"... Oh my."

She finally realized.

The reason Jade refused to let her down was because… the ground was shaking.

"It’s… actually moving..."

In her field of vision, the island stirred slightly.

"Jade, thank you. If you had put me down, I would’ve collapsed again."

Supported by the firmly planted Jade, Marylia let out a chuckle. She couldn’t help but laugh.

No wonder Jade had been reluctant to let her go. The tremors were quite strong!

The island only moved a little—like a seated giant shifting slightly. But for those standing on it, that ‘little’ movement was anything but minor!

The ground swayed violently, causing the guardian golems to stumble in confusion. In the distance, wyverns screeched in alarm. And within Jade’s arms, Marylia continued to feel the intense shaking yet simply smiled, thinking, “This child really is amazing.”

"... I’m so glad I did this at night~ Ehehe."

She had never expected that she could actually turn the island into a golem. But she had, and it was a good thing she did it at night! She sighed in relief, truly grateful for her decision.

And after relief came… joy.

"Ahaha. I’m so happy~!"

Marylia let out peals of laughter in Jade’s arms.

After all, the island had moved.

There were still many things left to do—refining the shape, eliminating unnecessary souls, figuring out how to connect the magic stones underground, and learning how to control the golem’s movement.

She couldn’t keep it moving yet, but she had managed to awaken it as a golem! If this wasn’t an achievement, what was?

"Maybe… I’ve actually improved in magic since coming to this island. This turned out far better than I expected. I might need to reevaluate myself a little."

Marylia was in a fantastic mood. Though she had overused her mana and felt physically drained, she was more than satisfied.

"Or maybe… my time on this island actually meant something."

She didn’t know why her success had exceeded expectations.

Perhaps her golem-controlling skills had sharpened through her time here. Or maybe, after spending nearly a year and a half on the island, it had become attuned to her soul.

"Either way, I’m happy! Ehehehe!"

It didn’t really matter. What mattered was that her time on the island had been worthwhile.

Seeing her efforts bear fruit was incredibly rewarding.

"Tomorrow, I’ll make some more adjustments—smooth things out, clear out some obstacles… Yes, if I do that, next time it should work."

Still smiling, she let Jade carry her toward her bed.

"At last, I can go home~"

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