Jujutsushi 278.2

BGM: Wuthering Waves 3.0 Ost(Opening)

Chapter 278: The Fortress of Repose

TL: Cnine

ED/PF:

R1: [1–2], R2 [3–4], R3 [5–6]

Part 3

　『Hero』 my ass. What a joke. Where could someone this pathetic possibly find anything resembling courage?

「Ryuūichi… was I the one in the wrong...?」

　The friend I could always rely on was gone now.
　I could have shown this kind of vulnerability to him. But Sakura and the Class Rep were different; I simply couldn’t bring myself to say such things to them.

「... Or would Momokawa have handled it better?」

　How many times had I ended up comparing myself to that guy?

　Things had gone so well, unbelievably well, until the moment we defeated Yamata-no-Orochi. We’d had problems, yes, but now those troubles felt almost laughable. The drunken uproar, the late-night incident… it all felt like it happened in another life.

　Then Momokawa betrayed us, and I was forced to take command of the class.

　I truly believed I’d done everything in my power. Everything I should have done. And yet, in the span of a single day, I lost seven comrades.

　Some leader I am.

　Strong enemies, unforeseen situations. That was normal in a dungeon. A real leader was meant to overcome such things.

　And yet here I am… What am I even doing? Are we truly moving forward? Or are we simply advancing toward our own downfall?

「Dinner’s ready~!」

　Futaba’s bright, carefree voice pulled me out of the gloom I’d sunk into, and I lifted my head with a start.

「Brother, are you all right? You looked completely spaced out. Maybe the fatigue is catching up with you.」

「Ah, yeah, I’m fine. I am tired, but nothing serious.」

　I gave Sakura a wry smile as she leaned in, worry written all over her face.

　Woops. I couldn’t let myself look like this in front of them. I mustn’t make them worry.

「Yay! We’ve got dessert today!」

「Did that use up all our sugar?」

「No, it’s fine. I found this lot in the storeroom, so we’ll still be able to enjoy sweets for a while.」

　Futaba’s report made Natsukawa let out a wild “Hyah-haaa!”, which probably meant she was delighted.

「Asuna-chan, if you’d like, you may have my dessert.」

「No, Kotori, really, it’s all right. Don’t force yourself.」

「But… you looked a little down, so I just thought...」

「Your feelings are more than enough.」

　On the far side, Asuna was quietly stroking Takanashi-san’s head.
　She looked even more weighed down than I did, but for now, staying close to Takanashi-san seemed to be enough to keep her steady.

「Well then—let’s dig in.」

　It was only because we’d finally found a safe zone that we could sit here and enjoy a peaceful meal again.

　The ruins beyond that door appeared to be the remains of a small fortress.

　Everything became clear once we discovered and activated the stone-slab control terminal that operated the door Takanashi-san had mentioned.

　Linked to a large altar, it gave us near-complete control over the interior of the fortress. We could open or seal the main door at will, and even unlock the others deeper inside.

　As long as we kept the doors firmly shut, the Goma couldn’t touch us. They had no means of breaking into an ancient fortress like this.

　The Goma couldn’t break through the doors or the walls, and there was certainly no way they could access the ancient ruins and wrest control from Takanashi-san.

　If they’d had that kind of ability, this place would have been claimed as the Goma’s stronghold long ago.

　Not only was this site fortified like a citadel, but several teleportation circles remained active, each leading to different points in the lowest-level area.

　Thanks to them, even if the Goma sealed every door, we would still have a way to escape.

　And since the teleportation worked both ways, we could return here at any time, allowing us to use the fortress as a secure base while exploring the deepest layer.

　Furthermore, with many functions still operational, the site contained a surprising number of other usable facilities.

　The first area was the kitchen Futaba-san had been using. There was no need for Takanashi-san to create new facilities. The problems of fire, water, and refrigeration had already been solved.

　It seemed to have once been the fortress’s main kitchen, fully equipped with everything needed for cooking. Because many of the ruin’s systems were still functioning, all the equipment installed there was as good as new. All we really needed to do was clean it from top to bottom.

　The storeroom still held various supplies that looked usable, as well as broken items that could be salvaged for materials.

　A number of ancient weapons had also been left behind in recognisable form, some even resembling firearms. Unfortunately, centuries of weathering had robbed them of their former power.

　Even that heap of scrap in the storeroom could be reforged by Takanashi-san, turned into material to strengthen our weapons.

　It would take time to upgrade everyone’s equipment, but as long as we remained in this well-defended fortress, that wasn’t an issue. And with several facilities here that seemed suitable for alchemy, we might even be able to push those enhancements further.

　There were many other things of note, but for the moment, this place offered safety, and freed us from the worry of food, shelter, and daily necessities.

「If only we’d discovered this place sooner...」

「Brother, there’s no use saying that now.」

「Yeah. What matters most now is finding everyone quickly.」

　We had at last discovered a safe haven.

　We still couldn’t escape the lowest layer, but the teleportation circles allowed us to explore this area freely.

　For now, we assumed the five of them had survived the Goma attack and escaped the caves, and we set out to search for them. They might resent us for showing up so late, but the outside remained dangerous. Once we brought them back here, they could voice all the complaints they wanted.

「It’s all right. I’m sure all of us will make it out together.」

「Yeah. Even when everything looked hopeless, we still managed to find this place. There must always be some hope left, whatever the situation.」

===

　Within the ancient fortress, everyone had been assigned a private room to serve as a bedroom.

　Takanashi Kotori flopped her small body onto the provided bed and finally relaxed.

「Haah… finally, I can rest a bit… I didn’t expect those damn Goma to be swarming around like that.」