The Island-Banished Noblewoman - Chapter 14 (Patreon)

Hunting (2)
"Well, it's fine. I'll just have to get used to it. Now, let's go exploring..."

With everything finally in place, Marylia began her preparations.

"A knife, right? Two hemp sacks to use as backpacks. Then I'll carry a basket on my back... and let's have the golem carry one too."

First, the knife. Useful for cutting things, clearing obstacles, and, if necessary, as a weapon.

The sacks she would use as containers were ones she had initially found and the other was repaired from the one that had held the wheat. These two sacks were placed in the basket, which she then carried on her back. The golem also carried a basket. She was really glad she had woven those baskets!

"And then the axe... I’m not sure whether I'd be happy or not if I actually had to use this..."

Next, the axe.

So far, the long-handled stone axe had only been used for chopping wood.

Even then, it wasn't exactly sharp. It was less about cutting and more about hacking at the wood. In reality, she was more or less breaking the wood by putting her weight on it after it was damaged. She wasn't really cutting it!

Still, while the axe wasn't great for cutting, it made for an excellent blunt weapon. Or at least it should. Given that it could leave deep marks in tree trunks, it was durable enough to be reliable. If she swung it around, it should be enough to handle weaker monsters. Probably.

"And also..."

Marylia's eyes fell on the slimes. They had multiplied to three now...

"... Water. Right."

She casually picked one up and plopped it into the basket. The slime didn't resist and stayed quietly in the basket. Perhaps it didn’t understand the situation, or maybe it had resigned itself to its fate...

"Alright, let's head out~!"

Marylia started walking energetically. Behind her, the Terracotta Golem followed along, carrying its basket. It looked kind of cute.

Marylia was heading towards an area closer to the center of the island, but not too deep in. It was roughly the same depth as where she had encountered the Man-Eater plant.

"I hope I find something useful."

At the top of Marylia's list of things to find was food.

It would be great if there were monsters like the Man-Eater that stayed in one place... but there weren't many such monsters that were also edible. Thinking about it, she realized how incredibly lucky she was to have come across the Man-Eater first. Marylia gave a small thanks to the heavens.

"If there’s anything... maybe something small, like a Horned Rabbit?"

Ideally, it would be a beast-like monster. The reason being, she could harvest its pelt.

Considering the need to survive the winter, she wanted to collect a few pelts. They would be useful both as bedding and as clothing.

Tanned leather also had many uses. It could be cut into leather straps, which were incredibly handy.

"A bellows... I really want a bellows..."

Marylia also longed for a bellows. The fan she used to blow air was not very efficient. Her hands would get tired quickly.

With all these thoughts in mind, Marylia began exploring the forest, searching for signs of animals.

But...

"Oh, perfect. Vines. You can never have too many of these. Ah, those are great plants for making fibers!"

… All she kept finding were plant-based resources that weren’t food.

These were still necessary, so she harvested them and placed them in her basket... but she really wanted food! Preferably a lot, and in an efficient manner! Picking bit by bit wouldn't keep up with her food needs! What she needed now was prey, something meaty!

… So Marylia continued her exploration and gathering. At one point, she returned to her base to drop off the fiber plants, vines, and the ample amount of apricots she had collected. … She might be able to survive on apricots alone for two days, but apricots alone wouldn't sustain her. She needed meat or fish too...

"Oh, a perfect stone! This one has a sharp fracture... hehe, I could break this down and make a knife out of it."

Even though she found what seemed to be obsidian, she found no prey.

"Oh my, there's a rich layer of clay here! This could be useful for mass-producing terracotta golems!"

Even when she found a rich clay deposit, there was no prey.

"Oh, there's a pond over here too. It looks like there might be fish... but there's no way I can catch them by hand..."

She found a pond that probably had fish, but it wouldn't be a stable source of food!

… And so, with no signs of prey, the day came to an end.

"What should I do..."

Marylia bit into an apricot as she ate her wheat porridge, pondering.

"As expected, I have to focus on hunting monsters... Maybe I should venture a little deeper into the forest?"

The question was simple.

“Should I extend my exploration deeper into the forest?” This was Marylia's current dilemma.

Monsters were often born from mana. A region with a high concentration of monsters was a region rich in mana.

And because of this, generally speaking, the deeper into a mana area one goes, the more monsters there are, and the stronger they become.

Monsters living in areas with low mana were typically born from low levels of mana... for example, slimes. In other words, weak monsters.

Alternatively, monsters that were born in moderately rich mana areas but lived in places with less mana were likely those driven away by stronger monsters. In other words, also weak.

… Therefore, the less mana there was, the fewer and weaker the monsters were, if there were any at all.

"But... if I can't see any weak monsters around here, it must mean there's either a really big one nearby or some kind of strange mana distortion..."

However, it seemed that there weren’t many weak monsters on this island. Well, there were slimes, which are considered “The weakest! Not even plants, yet nearly at the bottom of the food chain! Occasionally even consumed by plants! Treated as convenient moisture-retaining soil!” but not much else.

So, it can be inferred that either the terrain or mana distortions were allowing these weak monsters to survive in areas with high mana, or that some large creature was preying on them one by one.

If a strong monster has wandered from the center of the island and is devouring all the weak monsters on the outskirts, then it's certainly worrisome to confront it.

So, Marylia had two choices.

One was to continue exploring the forest at this depth, waiting for a weak monster to stray out.

The other was to venture deeper into the forest to hunt a stronger monster.

... Naturally, the former was relatively safe. However, there's no doubt that it would be harder to find food. On the other hand, the latter offered a higher chance of obtaining food, but the danger increased significantly.

As for Marylia's equipment, she had no armor, just a stone axe and a knife. And most importantly, Marylia herself wasn’t particularly skilled in combat. Though she’s too energetic to be called a noble's daughter, she's certainly not a warrior capable of single-handedly defeating a thousand foes.

Marylia pondered. She thought deeply, groaning, looking up at the sky... and then.

"... But if I don't take risks, I won't have anything to eat."

She made her decision.

... To venture into the depths of the forest.

And the next day.

Just like yesterday, Marylia, accompanied by the Terracotta Golem, headed deeper into the forest.

Passing the Man-Eater's remains (the uprooted roots made for a perfect landmark), she ventured further in.

"... Oh dear."

There, Marylia suddenly felt a change in the air against her skin. Though not particularly adept at sensing mana other than that of golems, even she could sense something for a brief moment.

But it was only for a moment. The air quickly returned to its previous state, quiet as if nothing had happened.

"... There must be something on this island. How creepy..."

Was that the trace of some magic just now? Well, it didn't seem to be anything harmful to Marylia, but still... it was a bit unsettling.

"... I guess it's too late to worry, considering there are monsters around..."

There's no doubt that something was on this island. The presence of the Man-Eater and that strange feeling earlier confirmed it. And after all, it was odd for slimes to be popping up left and right, even with rain and the waste from the Man-Eater.

Since this island was considered “uninhabited,” something must have happened here long ago, so ancient that it's been forgotten by humans. But then again... there's no point in overthinking it. It's pointless to dwell on questions that have no answers. If you're going to think about it, it's better to let your imagination run wild and smile at the thought of “wouldn't it be fun if this happened.”

So, she'll save pondering what lies at the heart of this island for the next rainy day...

"So, that Man-Eater just happened to grow there by chance, and it's only around here that the monsters' habitat begins? ... Hehe, I worried for nothing."

Marylia, feeling relieved, looked around.

She had been cautious, thinking that there might be monsters stronger than the Man-Eater further inland from its location, but it seems that the Man-Eater was the outlier—a specimen that had strayed further out from the center of the island.

But.

Just as Marylia was cheerfully moving forward.

"... Oh my."

A rustling sound came from the bushes. And then... a deer's head peeked out.

Curious, Marylia looked closer... and saw that the head was attached to a bird's body!

"O-oh dear?"

And beneath the bird's body were the deer's legs!

... A “Peryton,” with the head and legs of a deer and the body and wings of a bird, spread its wings wide, threatening Marylia.

"Oh dear... this is bad..."

Yes, very bad. To put it bluntly, extremely bad. The Peryton is a type of monster that “exists for the purpose of killing humans.”

A Peryton doesn't have its own shadow. The shadow it casts in the light is that of a human.

... And it is said that by killing a human, it can obtain that person's shadow. Whether it believes that by gathering enough shadows, it can eventually regain its own, is unknown, but the Peryton hunts humans, nonetheless.

For Marylia, who had only expected to encounter creatures like Horned Rabbits or Giant Rats at most, the appearance of a Peryton was completely unexpected!

Upon further inspection, she could see that the Peryton was taller than herself, with sturdy-looking legs and antlers... A monster this big, and an aggressive one? There was nothing Marylia could do.

Should she run? Marylia hesitated but quickly reconsidered.

She must be wary not only of the Peryton's ability to gallop across the ground with its hooves, but also of its ability to fly with its bird-like wings. Even when leading an army against Perytons, they had struggled greatly with these creatures that moved between the sky and the ground.

In any case, she couldn't outrun this Peryton. It was certainly faster.

But she couldn't win in a head-on fight, either. Especially not with her current, weak weaponry.

Thus, Marylia was in a dire, life-threatening situation!

... However.

Even so.

"But... it looks delicious."

Even so, Marylia readied her axe.

To slay this fearsome Peryton... for the sake of eating it!

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