With the gate at their backs, Eiji and Yuna set off down the highway.
Direction-wise, they were retracing their steps. Four days ago, they had been rattled along this road in a horse-drawn carriage, but now they walked it in reverse on their own two feet. Eiji carried the Vent Fang on his back with a waterskin at his hip, while Yuna traveled light with just a bag slung over her shoulder.
The change began beneath their feet.
The farther they walked, the more the roadside grass shifted in color. What had been bleached gray to the root slowly mingled with green, the shade deepening the further they went.
"Ah, it's green."
Yuna crouched down and brushed the roadside grass with a fingertip.
There was no distinct line drawn across the earth. Yet as they walked, the natural color had returned before they even noticed.
"Guess that means the contamination hasn't reached past here."
For the past three days, all the grass beneath their feet had been completely gray. Even after the well water cleared up, the soil itself hadn't recovered.
"…It feels like it's been forever since I saw normal grass," Yuna murmured wistfully, still crouched.
Before long, the path reached the spot from that first morning.
It was where the coachman had dropped them off at dawn four days ago. Back then, a nod of his chin had pointed toward nothing but a gray plain and an abandoned village. Looking in that same direction now, there was a home. There was a bath, a well, and a crossbeam set upon the gateposts. Quite a lot had changed in four days.
Without breaking stride, Eiji walked past the spot. Yuna, too, said nothing.
A short distance ahead, a grove of trees began to line the roadside. Trunks that started out sparse grew denser the further they went.
Right around where the patches of shade merged into an unbroken canopy, Eiji and Yuna stepped off the highway. Parting the undergrowth, they made their way between the trees. The canopy knit together overhead, narrowing the sky until it was completely swallowed by leaves.
A forest.
Stepping inside revealed underbrush much thicker than expected. Dappled sunlight fell in scattered patches, and every time the breeze swept through, the leaves above rustled in unison. The scent of the earth was different from the village, too. Instead of dry, dusty air, it was damp and rich.
First, Eiji reached out to touch a nearby plant.
Nothing came back. Whether he stroked the leaves or gripped the stem, Relicta Inspectio remained silent.
Living things had not yet finished their purpose—it made logical sense, but it was a terribly inconvenient reality. Even with a sea of potentially edible plants beneath his feet, he had no way of knowing whether they were food or poison.
"…Looks like I really can't read living things."
He couldn't match names to physical specimens. The empty shampoo bottle had only provided names, with no way to verify which plant belonged to which. He couldn't just harvest indiscriminately and guess by shoving random leaves into his mouth.
Now then, what to do?
Just as he was about to cross his arms in thought—
"Eiji-kun. This smells really nice."
Crouched a short distance ahead, Yuna turned around and held out her hand.
Resting on her small palm was a freshly plucked stalk of grass.
Immediately, the appraisal triggered.
At the very top of the flowing string of text was a familiar name. It was the fragrant herb listed on the empty shampoo bottle.
"…So plucking it works?"
"Huh?"
"No, Yuna, that's a hit. Looks like we can use it for shampoo."
Growing grass couldn't be read, but once plucked, it was relieved of its purpose in life. The moment it was severed from the ground, it became an eligible target for appraisal.
The one who had found the answer wasn't Eiji with his logic, but Yuna with her fingertips. It seemed life out here really wouldn't work without his childhood friend.
From there, progress was swift.
Yuna plucked, and Eiji read. If it was a miss, they tossed it back; if it was a hit, they kept it. Since read plants were dropped straight into the storage with Relicta Collectio, both their hands remained entirely free.
First were three kinds of edible greens. Some had a sharp kick when bitten, while others carried a pleasant aroma. There were fragrant herbs for shampoo and hair treatment, along with medicinal herbs said to treat wounds. Plants they had only known by name were gathered in the flesh one after another.
Every time an appraisal confirmed something was edible, Eiji's stomach gave a quiet rumble. Nothing had entered it since morning aside from plain hot water.
And yet, no matter how many plants they appraised, there was one thing that never appeared.
Salt. No matter which leaf they plucked, no salty grass grew here.
"Doesn't look like there's any salt around here."
"Mm… well, it's not really something you'd expect to find in a forest anyway. Want to head a little deeper?"
Exchanging those words, Eiji and Yuna ventured further into the woods.
After walking for a while longer, they emerged by a shallow mountain stream.
A thin trickle of water flowed between stones, with various rocks scattered along the bank. Eiji bent down, selecting a hard stone that fit neatly in his palm and a flatly fractured one. As for branches, he gathered them from the stream's edge—picking several that were straight, dry, and thick enough to grip comfortably.
When he laid out the stones and branches on a flat section of the bank, the separate appraisals bundled together. Among the evolutionary paths were a kitchen knife, plates, a bowl, and chopsticks. Rolling the chant silently on his tongue, he assembled them all at once.
As the white light faded, edged tools and tableware lay neatly arranged atop the streamside stone. A kitchen knife with a stone blade set into a branch handle. Two shallow plates. One bowl, and two pairs of chopsticks.
"Wah, plates! Amazing, they're perfectly shaped."
Yuna picked up one of the plates, running her finger along the rim.
"Just one more bowl left to make. And chopsticks, too."
"Honestly, out of all this, I think I'm happiest about the chopsticks."
"You were having a rough time, after all."
"Yeah. It couldn't cut, couldn't pick things up, and my hands got so tired."
Yuna gave a wry laugh, deftly demonstrating her grip with the newly made chopsticks in her right hand.
As expected of Yuna, her grip was textbook-perfect.
Yesterday, she had eaten meat with a sharpened stick. Eiji had grabbed his with bare hands, and they had shared hot water by passing a single bowl back and forth. Starting today, they had plates and chopsticks. Civilization had taken another step forward.
When he dropped the finished tools into storage, his fingertips trembled slightly. It seemed to be the toll for creating so many items at once, though not severe enough to impair his walking.
"…All that's left is salt, huh."
"I guess finding it here really is impossible?"
"Probably out of the question. There's only wood, stone, and grass here. We'll likely have to buy it or get it from someone."
They had no leads on anyone to trade with or ask, for the time being. Salt remained alone at the very top of their to-do list.
Thinking to grab another branch for a handle, Eiji traced along the stream's edge and spotted a branch broken in an odd way. Rather than snapped, it bore the clean cut of being lopped off. It was too peculiar to have been done by a beast. However, the cut was dry and weathered gray with age.
(…Well, whatever.)
Eiji picked out a different branch and stepped away from the stream.
On their way back, Yuna paused.
In a clearing between the trees grew a dense cluster of tall grass. Its stalks were straight and stood roughly waist-high.
Yuna leaned in to sniff it.
"This might be close to the material used for the hemp sacks. I think the scent is similar."
"Let me see."
At her prompt, Eiji leaned in to sniff one as well. Beneath the raw, grassy scent was an aroma resembling dry rope.
When Yuna plucked a single stalk, the appraisal answered. It was a plant from which fibers could be harvested. Apparently, it belonged to the same lineage as those hemp sacks.
They already had a precedent for cloth. He had made four hand towels out of the sacks before.
However, they had enough hand towels. What they lacked was something else entirely.
Right. Clothes for Eiji. He had been wearing the exact same shirt for three days now. It was the only one he had, sewn together by Yuna. Since his bag was back at the castle, he lacked gym clothes or any other change of attire. If he washed it, he would be shirtless until it dried. What he really wanted to make was clothing.
Yet Eiji didn't know how to construct garments. While laying out stone and branches allowed the appraisal to produce the form of a kitchen knife, no matter how much grass he piled up, the shape of a shirt simply wouldn't appear.
(Without a blueprint, I can't perform Reconstruction, can I?)
Just as he was about to groan, his gaze dropped to his own chest.
…Wait, wasn't the blueprint right here?
It had sleeves, a collar, and buttons, with stitches running along the shoulders. If he just had another one identical to this piece, all their problems would be solved.
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than the phrasing for a new chant dropped into his head. The method of using it rested right in the palm of his hand.
Leaving it on, he pressed a hand against his chest and concentrated. But… there was no response. Not the slightest sign of light rising.
He repeated the words in his head once more. To that which has ended its purpose.
The shirt he was wearing was currently right in the middle of fulfilling its purpose.
"…Ah, so it doesn't work while I'm still wearing it."
Realizing his mistake, Eiji reached for the buttons.
Right then, a small shriek sounded from beside him.
"Eek!"
"Huh?"
"Wh-Why are you stripping?!"
Yuna covered her eyes with both hands. Even so, the gaps between her fingers were wide open.
(I mean, why bring up that kind of reaction now? I was eating topless yesterday, and besides, we saw everything after that anyway…)
He swallowed the logical retort that rose to his throat, keeping it to himself.
Saying it aloud would only stir up a hornet's nest.
"I need it to make a copy. Apparently, I can't duplicate something I'm actively wearing."
"A copy? What do you mean?"
"Just watch."
As he spoke, he laid the shed shirt flat over the grassy patch beside the cluster. Then the two of them harvested additional grass, stacking a bundle next to the shirt.
The appraisal that had remained silent while he wore it now spoke regarding the shirt on the ground. It seemed it had finally been deemed relieved of its purpose.
This time, it would work.
"To that which has ended its purpose, grant one more of identical form—Relicta Replicatio."
A white light enveloped the shirt and the bundle of grass.
The bundle unraveled into fibers, the fibers wove into fabric, and the fabric folded into the exact same shape as the shirt on the ground. When the light receded, two shirts lay side by side.
Repeating it once more brought the total to three.
Each time, the pile of grass beside them decreased in volume. Duplication wasn't free; it consumed an equivalent amount of raw materials as the original. His breathing deepened with every shirt made. By the third, a distinct tremor ran through his fingertips. With Eiji's mana pool, churning out dozens was out of the question.
Eiji picked up the original shirt, slid his arms through the sleeves, and refastened the buttons. Then, he spread the three freshly made shirts across the grass.
"…Huh. Even the stitching is identical."
"Ah, you're right. The parts I sewed."
Crouching down beside him, Yuna traced the seams of all three shirts in sequence with her finger.
Along the shoulders ran the exact same stitches. Those neat, tightly spaced stitches. Since it was copied from the piece Yuna had sewn, it made sense. Her handiwork had been duplicated across all three.
"Want me to make some for you too, Yuna? You only have your gym uniform and school uniform, right?"
"Is that okay? Then please, I'd love that."
Since it was the same shirt pattern, the length would be oversized on her. Even so, it would serve just fine as casual village wear or sleepwear. Harvesting another pile, he duplicated two more. Three for Eiji, two for Yuna. The difference in count accounted for their existing wardrobes.
However, Yuna remained standing without taking the two finished shirts.
Wringing her hands in front of her body, she glanced toward him and then looked away, her cheeks flushed red.
"…Is there something else?"
When he asked, Yuna hesitated for a moment before speaking with visible resolve.
"Um… underwear, too, please."
"Ah, right. That makes sense."
He finally caught her meaning.
In this alternate world, she only had the underwear brought for their school trip. Today was already the fourth day. While she had secretly washed them out of Eiji's sight, it was still far too few to rotate through.
To be honest, the same applied to Eiji. He didn't have a single spare. In fact, he had been planning to make some right before she asked. However, there was one problem.
"I can make them, but… it might be difficult right now."
"Huh? Why?"
Yuna tilted her head in confusion.
It was just as they had done with the shirt. Duplication required a template. And that template couldn't be read unless it had been relieved of its purpose.
In other words, she would have to produce the actual item right here.
Eiji glanced briefly toward her skirt before quickly averting his eyes.
"I need the original to copy from."
"Ah…"
Yuna's face turned bright crimson in an instant.
Then, as if shielding herself, she clamped both hands over her skirt.
"A-After I wash them! I'll wash them when we get back, so wait until then!"
Waving both hands frantically, Yuna shouted with teary eyes.
Somehow, it sounded as if he had told her to strip right here on the spot. He had only intended to explain the skill's mechanics matter-of-factly, but it ended up sounding like an outrageous demand.
(That's why I said it would be difficult right now!)
His ears burned hot in a flash.
Just as he was searching for words of excuse—
Grumble.
Their stomachs growled at almost the exact same time.
Eiji and Yuna looked at each other.
"U-Umm… should we get some food?"
"Y-Yeah! Let's do that!"
Having somehow found a safe landing spot, the two scrambled toward it with everything they had.
Nearly half a day had passed since skipping breakfast. The awkward atmosphere was completely swept away by the rumbling of their stomachs.
Right now, Eiji and Yuna possessed a kitchen knife, plates, a bowl, and chopsticks. Edible greens, fragrant herbs, and medicinal plants rested in storage, along with the meat of five wolves. As for fire, Yuna could ignite one with a single short chant. They had also produced five shirts. This morning's to-do list felt significantly lighter now.
Even so, the item at the very top remained unchecked. Salt alone was something this forest simply couldn't provide.
(…Salt, huh. Where on earth can we get our hands on some?)
Thinking of the single missing pinch of flavor for their lunch of freshly plucked greens and meat, Eiji began searching for a place to build a fire.