The distant chirping of birds gently stirred him from his sleep.
First came the ache in his neck. Then, in his lower back. Naturally so, given that he had spent the night slumped against a wall. Thin slivers of morning light slipped through the gaps in the window planks, casting pale lines across the dirt floor.
Then he noticed something else. There was a distinct weight resting on his shoulder. Black hair filled his peripheral vision—long, dark strands that spilled all the way down over his arm.
(Wait...)
Yuna was fast asleep, her head pillowed against his shoulder.
Her rhythmic breathing softly brushed against the fabric of his shirt. At some point during the night, the blanket over their laps had migrated entirely to his side. It seemed their seventy-thirty dispute from the previous evening had been settled while they slept. With Yuna as the victor, naturally.
More to the point, what was he supposed to do now? He couldn't move an inch.
(...What am I supposed to do about this?)
It was the exact same posture as that night in the wagon. The only differences were the roof over his head and the fact that the wall at his back was one he had repaired with his own hands. Oh, and the terrifying possibility that his racing heartbeat might translate straight through his shoulder. Honestly, that was the most mortifying part.
How long did he stay frozen like that?
Eventually, the soft breathing on his shoulder hitched. He sensed the flutter of her eyelashes, and the weight lifted ever so slightly.
"Nnh..."
Yuna let out a faint murmur and raised her head. Half-lidded, drowsy eyes locked onto him from inches away.
"Huh...? E-Eiji-kun...?"
She stared blankly at him, completely still. She clearly still had one foot in the realm of dreams.
For now, he attempted a casual greeting.
"Uh—morning, Yuna."
"Morning... Wait... Whaaat?! Eiji-kun?!"
After a few beats, reality finally caught up with her. The weight vanished entirely as Yuna scrambled backward, taking the blanket with her. It slipped from her lap and piled into a messy heap on the floor.
"U-Um... I-I'm sorry! You couldn't move, could you?"
"I'm fine. Don't worry about it."
The words slipped out on reflex. What he was supposedly "fine" about, he couldn't have explained to save his life.
She clutched the bundle of blanket against her chest, still staring at him. The awkward silence was deafening, so he tried again.
"...Really, it's fine."
"Th-That's why I'm asking what is fine?!"
"Uh... good question."
Even he was losing the thread now.
Apparently, his brain wasn't firing on all cylinders first thing in the morning either.
"—Ngh! Honestly! You dummy, Eiji-kun."
For some reason, Yuna flushed bright red and huffily turned her head away.
"...Why am I the one getting scolded?"
It was utterly unreasonable. His protest fell on deaf ears as she stepped away from him and began folding the blanket.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, she started, pinched her collar, and brought it up to her nose. Pretending not to notice, he quietly fixed his gaze on the wall.
(Ah... Right. We haven't taken a bath in two days.)
She had wiped herself down yesterday—and it looked like she had rinsed and hung out a change of clothes and spare underwear to dry—but without a proper wash, anyone would feel self-conscious. Come to think of it, Eiji was starting to feel grimy too.
Maybe he would head down to the river for a quick dip later.
After returning the folded blanket to the bed, Yuna stepped back onto the dirt floor.
"Um, by the way... I forgot to say it earlier."
"Hm?"
"...Good morning, Eiji-kun."
Flushing faintly, Yuna offered a proper greeting.
As the start to a day, it was a little hard on his heart. Still, likely because he had gotten a decent night's sleep for the first time in two days, his body felt light. Neither the trembling in his fingertips nor the ringing in his ears remained. He felt fully ready to move today.
Breakfast consisted of their remaining half-rations of black bread and plain hot water. Yuna had kindled the hearth with a single, short incantation.
The bottom of their hemp sack was beginning to show. They would have to figure out food before long, but that wasn't on the agenda for today.
Tearing off a piece of bread, Eiji decided to voice an idea. It was something he had been mulling over since last night, and its priority had shot up several notches this morning.
"Yuna. About today's plans..."
"Yeah? Are we working on the house some more?"
"No....I'm thinking of building a bath."
"A bath?!"
Still clutching her piece of black bread, Yuna's eyes went wide with delight. Her reaction was adorably transparent.
"You'd like to take one by now, right? Naturally."
"I do! I really, really do!...Wait, can you actually make a bath?"
"Who knows. But we brought the well back to life and patched up the house. As long as we find the right materials, I'm sure we can make something work."
"And that's why you always pull it off, Eiji-kun."
Yuna narrowed her eyes in a warm smile.
It was completely unfounded trust. However, with the well and the house as proof, he didn't have much room to argue.
(If it were just me, rinsing off in the river would be plenty, though.)
Watching Yuna gently blow on her cup of hot water, he reflected in silence.
Looking closely at her, her usually sleek, glossy hair had grown noticeably dry and frizzy. Her school uniform was smudged with dirt, dulling her usual neat, graceful appearance.
If she had stayed at the castle, she probably would have enjoyed a far more comfortable life... Because she had chosen to follow him, there was no denying she was enduring unnecessary hardship.
(The least I can do is get her a proper bath.)
The real issue was that he had zero knowledge of how to build one.
A tub, a way to boil the water, a way to transport it. He couldn't even picture the full list of necessities.
However, Eiji had Relicta Inspectio. With that, what they needed might reveal itself along the way. Combining the search with salvaging the village would kill two birds with one stone.
After finishing breakfast, the two stepped outside.
The morning plaza was utterly tranquil. Only the splashing from the well and the gentle murmur of the river resonated, exactly as they had yesterday.
"Where should we start?"
"Let's just take them one by one."
The structures left to investigate were the third through sixth houses, along with their immediate surroundings. They decided to comb through them from nearest to farthest.
The third house was in worse shape inside than its exterior suggested. It was the one with the relatively intact roof that Yuna had initially liked. However, the central crossbeam was badly sagging, and every time it groaned overhead, both of them flinched in unison. The furnishings appeared to have been looted long ago; nothing remained on the dirt floor except shards of a broken clay jar. Not wanting to press their luck, they stepped back outside.
The fourth house proved to be a jackpot.
The main building was listing precariously on a cracked foundation, but an attached shed stood at the back. Pulling the door open kicked up the dry scent of dust and straw. A few rusted farming tools leaned against the wall, a coil of rope hung from a rafter, and a stack of coarse straw mats sat in the corner. Yuna hurried inside first, her voice ringing out with excitement in the dim interior.
"Look, look! There's a huge wooden tub! Could we use this for a bath?"
Following her voice, he found Yuna standing with her arms spread wide. At her feet lay a large wooden tub, easily big enough for an adult to sit in with their knees drawn up. The metal hoops had fallen away, leaving the staves splayed out like a folding fan. When he placed a hand on the rim, the method to repair it flooded his mind.
"Oh. Looks like the hoops just came loose. If we fix it up, it'll work fine."
"Then aren't we basically done?"
"And who's going to haul the boiling water, and how?"
Yuna rested her hands on the edge and leaned over to peer inside. She seemed to be gauging the depth, but from where he stood, it looked dangerously like she might tumble in headfirst. Remaining in that precarious posture, she turned only her head toward him.
"...Us?"
"One basin at a time? The sun'll go down before it's even half-full."
"Uuugh... My bath..."
Her shoulders slumped, and she rested her chin dejectedly on the rim of the tub.
Next to the tub, an iron cauldron lay overturned. Rolling it upright revealed a single hairline crack across the bottom. If repaired, this could easily serve to heat the water. The rope and straw mats looked useful too, so they hauled one coil and a single mat outside.
As they left the shed and headed to the next house, Yuna sighed softly.
"Being out here really makes you realize... we took so much for granted back home, didn't we?"
"No kidding. Running water, gas, electricity—out here, modern utility infrastructure is far more miraculous than magic."
Twisting a tap and having hot water pour out wasn't magic; it was the accumulated labor of countless people. The conveniences of civilization were truly appreciated only after they were gone.
Still, their bath project was coming together. They had a viable tub and a cauldron to heat the water. All they lacked was a structure to house it.
The sixth house required nothing more than a quick glance. The main ridge beam was broken, causing the entire roof to cave in; as far as the eye could see from the doorway, there was nothing but rubble, dirt, and splintered timber. It would make a great lumber yard, but they had no use for it today.
Finally, they reached the fifth house.
The moment they stepped past the threshold, the shift in smell was immediate. While the other houses had smelled of damp earth and mold, this one still held the faint, stubborn stench of animal fat and woodsmoke baked into the walls. Looking around for the source, they found animal bones mounted to the walls with wire. In a corner sat a sprung iron trap alongside several weathered pelts.
"A hunter's house, huh."
That explained the heavy musk. Yuna remained lingering near the doorway, eyeing the mounted bones from a safe distance.
Near the back of the dirt floor stood a wooden weapon rack. Nothing hung from the pegs, but beneath it lay a discarded sword. The blade was snapped clean in the middle, and the tip half was nowhere to be seen, lost along with its scabbard.
"Is that... a sword?"
"Yeah. Broken, though."
Picking it up and gripping the hilt, he triggered Relicta Inspectio.
The appraisal results flowed into his consciousness.
'Steel. Damaged twenty years ago. Replenishment material: a fist-sized amount of identical steel.'
Twenty years ago again.
The year the village was abandoned. The year the border fell. And the year the hunter's sword snapped. It was the third time that specific number had appeared. It was growing far too consistent to be a mere coincidence.
"Hey, Eiji-kun."
While he was lost in thought, Yuna called out from by the door. She had wandered over to a set of shelves and was examining the contents.
Picking up a small stone from the shelf, she tilted her head.
"Doesn't this pebble feel a little weird to you? Like... it has mana in it, or something..."
"Let me see it for a second."
At a glance, it looked like an ordinary gray pebble, virtually indistinguishable from any rock on the roadside.
Yet the moment it rested on Eiji's fingertips, Relicta Inspectio reacted.
'Wind-attribute magic stone. Cracked.'
The mana Yuna had sensed was genuine.
She really was a Saint, through and through.
"Nice catch, Yuna. This is a real find."
"Ehehe... A find for what, exactly?"
"It's a magic stone. Might come in handy."
To an untrained eye, it was the sort of junk that would have been swept out with the trash. Wondering aloud, "What do people even use magic stones for?", Yuna continued rummaging deeper into the shelf. A moment later, she pinched a leather cord and lifted it up. A pale, curved object dangled at the end.
"Whoa, look at this huge fang! What do you think it belonged to?"
"Hmm..."
He took the cord from her. The fang was massive, thicker than his own thumb, with a hole bored through the root so it could hang as a pendant. A talisman against evil, or perhaps a hunting trophy. The moment his skin touched it, the appraisal flooded his mind.
'Magic wolf fang. Slain twenty years ago. Harder than bone, lighter than steel.'
It followed the usual pattern: material and origin. Harder than bone, lighter than steel. As a base material, it was evidently superior to ordinary iron. It seemed the creature it came from was on an entirely different level from the beasts whose bones lined the walls.
Furthermore, the year it was slain matched the year the sword had broken.
Then, the final line took an ominous turn.
'Kinsmen of its former owner still roam the mountains.'
A chill ran down his spine.
The howling from last night. Those long, overlapping, eerie calls echoing through the dark. The beasts responsible were the living relatives of the creature that grew this fang.
"...Might be related to whatever was howling out there last night."
"N-No way. I really don't want to run into anything with teeth like that..."
"Well, if it comes to that, we just have to be prepared. Conveniently enough, we've got the materials right here."
He kept his tone deliberately light to soothe her nerves, but internally, he knew it was no laughing matter. One look at the thickness of the fang was enough to tell him that a single wooden door bolt and bare hands wouldn't stand a chance.
More importantly, Eiji couldn't wield magic like Yuna. He needed a proper weapon.
Setting the broken sword, the wind magic stone, and the magic wolf fang side by side in front of the weapon rack, Relicta Inspectio returned an unprecedented prompt.
'Evolution Path: Wind-Attribute Magic Sword "Vent Fang"'
It was an option he had never encountered before.
Usually, the final line of Relicta Inspectio anticipated the method of repair—like tracing the era of a warped candlestick or uncovering a severed water vein. This time, however, it presented an evolution path. The three separate appraisals had fused into a single directive the moment they were brought together.
(Does this mean... I'm supposed to combine them?)
The moment the realization struck, a long, unfamiliar incantation surfaced clearly in the back of his mind. Just like back at the well, a sudden, baseless certainty took hold that he could execute it.
Taking a steadying breath, the words formed on his lips before he could overthink them.
"To that which has served its purpose, grant new power——Transcendence Reconstructio."
With the chant, a swarm of glowing particles enveloped the three items.
The jagged break lifted, and the missing length of the blade extended outward from the fracture. The fang melted away, its essence flowing into the steel and sinking into the metal as a pale, undulating temper line. Finally, the magic stone rose, seating itself into the guard as its fracture seamlessly fused shut. A single pulse of light rippled across the mended stone.
"Whoa... Amazing..."
Yuna gasped softly.
Moments later, the light faded, leaving a pristine sword resting on the dirt floor.
Before he could inspect the weapon, however, the toll of Transcendence Reconstructio struck his body. His breath caught, and a tremor ran through his hands. His knees buckled, but he caught himself against the frame of the weapon rack. He didn't collapse this time. Whether his body was growing accustomed to the skill or the proper night of rest had helped, the recoil was far more manageable than at the well.
Yuna furrowed her brow with worry.
"Eiji-kun... Are you all right?"
"Yeah. I'm fine."
He raised a hand to stop her as she moved to rush over.
The physical strain of this skill was something even a Saint couldn't fix; he simply had to build up his stamina.
Glancing over, he noticed Yuna staring fixatedly at the sword in his hand, frozen in awe.
"Is the blade... wrapped in wind?"
"Huh?"
Prompted, he raised the sword to eye level. The steel itself was still, but the air immediately surrounding it shimmered like heat haze.
Channeling his focus through the hilt, he reviewed the appraisal.
"It's a wind magic sword... called 'Vent Fang.' It says it can unleash blades of compressed wind. Seems pretty formidable."
Reading further down the text, another intriguing line caught his eye.
It granted a passive boost to the wielder's mana capacity.
If it amplified magical reserves, simply keeping it equipped might reduce the physical burden of using his skills. The "mana-boosting accessory" he had half-jokingly wished for yesterday had materialized in a single day.
Sword in hand, he walked outside into the open air.
"Are you going to test it out?"
"Just want to see how this wind blade works."
Facing a small rocky outcropping nearby, he gave the hilt a single, fluid slash.
The air shrieked. A sharp furrow tore through the dirt along the blade's trajectory. A heartbeat later, the boulder was cleanly sliced in two.
"Whoa, it cut right through!"
"Holy crap..."
Yuna stared with wide eyes, while Eiji, the one who had actually swung the thing, could only manage a wry grimace.
That kind of destructive power from a casual swing? It felt like something straight out of a video game. It clearly excelled at both close-quarters combat and mid-range strikes.
Still, swinging it around thoughtlessly was out of the question. The appraisal text didn't specify the projectile's maximum range, and he ran the risk of accidentally cleaving through valuable salvage materials.
Lowering the weapon, Eiji let out a slow breath.
"I thought the Scavenger class was just about restoring things to their original state... but apparently there are skills that can evolve them far beyond that."
"You really can do just about anything, Eiji-kun."
There was a hint of fond exasperation in Yuna's voice.
He felt compelled to push back slightly on that.
"Hey, you're the one who can do anything. You can heal wounds, Purify an entire underground water source... Oh, and start fires with a word."
"Mine isn't that special. What you do, Eiji-kun... honestly, it's just a little too cool."
Looking back and forth between the sword and Eiji, Yuna spoke with genuine admiration.
(No way. Isn't that Purify of yours way more ridiculous by normal standards?)
He swallowed the retort and kept it to himself.
Not just repairing, but remaking. In his mind, he felt a new door of possibilities swing open.
(Remaking, huh...)
Lowering the sword, he watched the distortion rippling around the edge. The broken blade hadn't simply returned to its former self. By absorbing the fang and the stone, it had evolved into something entirely new. Its original form wasn't necessarily its final form.
Following that train of thought, the day's scattered pieces suddenly clicked into place.
(Wait a second... Doesn't that mean we can actually do this?)
They had a tub and a cauldron. Water was readily available from both the nearby river and the well, so that was covered. Yuna could provide the fire. The only missing piece was figuring out how to build a proper bathhouse.
(Right. I don't have to just fix an old house back into a house... I can remake it into something else entirely.)
Looking up, his gaze fell on the third house—the one with the sagging roof beam that Yuna had liked earlier. It was unsafe to live in, but if they weren't using it as living quarters, that changed everything.
"...Yuna. I've got it."
"Eh? Got what?"
"How to make our bath. We just do the exact same thing to that house that I did with this sword."
"To a house...? Ah! You mean you're going to transform a whole house into a bathhouse?!"
She really was quick on the uptake. When he nodded, her entire face lit up.
"Yeah. Let's turn that third house into a dedicated bathhouse. Just hang in there a little longer—I'll have it ready before the day is out."
"Yes! I can totally wait for that!"
Clasping her hands together, Yuna hopped lightly on her heels with excitement. Then, stopping abruptly, she turned back to face him with an earnest, deliberate expression.
"Eiji-kun..."
"Hm?"
Yuna rested her folded hands in front of her and looked up into his eyes.
Her excited expression softened into a warm, gentle smile. It was different from her playful demeanor moments before; the corners of her eyes relaxed, radiating quiet, heartfelt gratitude.
"Thank you. Really."
For a simple gesture like building a bath, the sentiment behind her words felt surprisingly deep.
What was more, she held his gaze without looking away.
(Ah... Did she figure out why I was so set on building a bath today?)
Unable to find the right words, Eiji scratched the back of his neck and averted his eyes to the sword in his hands. Just like last night, he didn't quite have the courage to ask.
Beside his beaming childhood friend, Eiji wrapped the Vent Fang in the coarse straw mat to serve as a makeshift sheath.
On their second day in the abandoned village, the prospect of an estate with an attached bath was finally within reach.
...If he said so himself, he was turning out to be quite the Scavenger.