Jujutsushi 281.2
BGM: 【MV】24 Hours with Camellya - A Private Record
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Chapter 281.2: The Unexpected Someone They Ran Into
TL : Cnine
ED/PF :
R1[1-3], R2[4-6]
Part 4
Was it mere coincidence that he noticed? Or did the tension of being alone heighten his awareness, honing his instincts beyond their usual edge?
Crunch. The faint sound of small feet pressing into sand echoed through the space.
Shimokawa’s body reacted before his mind could catch up. He spun towards the sound—— The corridor leading into the great hall. And there, framed by the passageway, stood someone who had been just moments away from entering.
There was someone.
No. It was definitely a 『Human』.
Not a classmate. Not a Goma. Not one of the countless humanoid monsters he had already learned to fear such as zombies, skeletons, and the like.
Shimokawa stared, breath caught in his throat. He knew at once that this was something unprecedented. None of his classmates had ever seen such a person before. This was their first encounter with a true outsider. A human from another world.
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The area was steeped in corruption, fouled to a degree that made the skin crawl.
This was the 『Quarantine Zone』, a place he had been forcibly cast into by Takanashi Kotori when she finally revealed her true self. After Tendo Ryuuichi had eradicated the eerie humanoid monsters that had turned the ruined Fairy Plaza into a nest of scrap and filth, he endured the night there. At dawn, he began to explore in earnest.
And as if mocking his expectations, the scenery beyond the plaza did not change.
Pools of dark red sludge reeked across the floor, while rusted fragments of nameless machinery lay scattered like bones. The structure reminded him of the earliest indoor dungeons, yet this place was not ancient stone. It was unsettlingly modern. Walls, flaking and broken, exposed snarled pipes and cables, their surfaces stained the colour of dried blood.
Whatever kind of science or magic that once powered this facility no longer mattered. Now it was a dying ruin, barely alive, lit only by faint, scattered lights. The sludge resembled rotting flesh. The pipes and cables, torn veins. It felt less like a dungeon and more like the inside of a dead, colossal monster.
「Ugh, it’s disgusting everywhere I look. I’m already sick of this place, Master.」
In such a creepy place, an utterly carefree voice echoed.
「Judging by the vibe, the whole area’s probably like this. Guess we’ll just have to suck it up and get used to it.」
「Mmm, or how about this? You hug me nice and tight and refresh yourself with a delightful floral scent.」
「Why would I ever choose to smell a guy?」
「How terribly rude. I am a perfectly respectable maiden, presentable anywhere. Come now, surrender yourself fully. Let your desires roam free.」
「Nope. Back off. Don’t come closer. Hands off.」
There was nothing even remotely enjoyable about being flirted with a girl who has Kotaro's face, even if it was a genuine girl. Not a shred of it. That carefree, overly familiar attitude only made it worse, because it dragged the real Kotaro straight back into Ryuuichi's head.
And of course, despite complaining endlessly about how filthy everything was, she had already slipped into a pair of wellington boots without him noticing. That sly, prepared-to-the-last detail mindset was unmistakably that of Kotaro.
At that point, a thought crossed his mind: "Was this really his 『Servant・Maid』 skill? Or was she actually Kotaro's『Twin Shadow』? Momokawa, could it be that you're actually spying on me in secret?"
「———— Hey, knock it off. Don’t joke around and cling to me. This place is dangerous.」
Ryuuichi shoved her away and casually swung the King’s Sword with my right hand.
From the gaping hole torn open in the ceiling, a monster like a grotesquely mutated rat lunged forth, only to be cut down in a single, decisive strike.
It hadn’t even been thirty minutes since the exploration began. And yet, monsters striking from the shadows like this had already happened more times than he cared to count.
「Well done, Master.」
「No. It’s not over yet, take a step back.」
Steel flashed. CLANG! The King's Sword screamed as it deflected an unseen attack, the force driving something sharp and vicious into the stone itself. Wall and floor shuddered beneath the impact.
There, trembling in the rock, was a needle black as midnight, its surface marbled with blood-red stripes. A weapon that looked alive with malice.
「Oi. If you wanna throw stuff at me, at least show your face.」
The instant Ryuuichi raised the King's Sword, the maid slipped away without a sound. She understood. This was no moment for levity. A maid’s instinct told her when to speak, and when silence was the only loyalty left.
「Krikrikrikrikri..........」
「Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr————」
From the depths of the narrow, tunnel-like corridor, two grotesque cries rolled forward, slithering through the gloom like a promise of violence.
The sound that escaped it was wrong. Flat. Insect-like. Devoid of warmth. Yet the shadow that writhed in the darkness took form, settling into the stance of a four-legged beast.
「Hah. Of all things, a feral cat.」
Its body was that of a lion, powerful and regal in outline, unmistakably a great feline predator. But its back bristled with twisted spines, like a porcupine’s crown of needles. The earlier barrage suddenly made sense.
Yet the greatest weapon of this black, spine-covered lion was neither its fangs, nor its claws, nor its needles. The most eyecatching feature was the tail it held high.
It was like a greatsword. The tail had transformed into a colossal blade, its surface glittering with metallic light, capable of swinging through angles no human limb could ever hope to match.
「Krikrikrikri」
「Grrrrrrrrrrrrr」
They cried out as one. Then they split. Left and right, perfectly timed, their bodies launching forward in the same instant—too fast. The black of their forms dissolved into the darkness, the corridor swallowing them whole. Camouflage alone could not account for it. Their speed was beyond normal perception. Even Ryuuichi struggled to follow their movement.
「These ones look worth the trouble.」
Facing such formidable foes, Ryuuichi broke into a grin.
Which side was truly the predator? The answer would soon be made clear.
===
Predation Skill
『Shadow Edge』: A steel blade like a pitch-black shadow.
『Shadow Needle』: A steel needle like a pitch-black shadow.
『Shadow Runner』: In areas touched by shadow, allows faster and quieter movement.
===
Information on the three skills surfaced within Ryuuichi’s mind.
At his feet lay the severed corpse of a black monster. Ryuuichi had successfully subjugated both creatures, and by drinking their living blood, he had acquired their skill via his the Predation Skills.
「Excuse me, master.」
The moment the battle ended, the maid appeared beside him without a sound and took his arm.
Fresh blood dripped from his left arm. Not enemy blood, but his own.
These black lion monsters had pushed him far enough to injure him.
「I’m fine. This’ll heal on its own.」
「No, it won’t. I’m your maid, and I refuse to let my master walk around bleeding—there. Done.」
Whether she had cast healing magic or not, the argument itself seemed long enough for the wound to seal shut. The poisoned needles lodged in his shoulder dropped away, clattering softly to the floor. The venom, of course, had already been cleansed.
Even the stains of blood were gone, and the school uniform torn by shadow blades had been restored as though nothing had happened.
Ryuuichi already possessed several predated skills that regenerated wounds. In fact, if left alone, his injuries would heal completely in a matter of minutes, and even moderate poisons would be swiftly neutralised by his resistance skills.
However, the maid’s treatment surpassed even those abilities in speed.
「I’ll say thanks, at least. But I’m not fond of being doted on.」
「Please rest assured. Caring for my master is exclusively my duty.」
「That’s not what I’m saying... Hey, come on, let’s get going.」
「Oh, hold on a second. I’ll retrieve the core.」
The moment the maid faced the monster’s remains, a pitch-black blade streaked up from the earth.
The predation skill 『Shadow Edge』 tore through flesh and bone without restraint, plucking the core from within in an instant. A red crystal clattered onto the ground, only for a golden magic circle to flash and whisk it away into the 『Treasury』.
「Hey, did you seriously just use my skill?」
「Servants grow stronger by making use of their master’s power. Naturally, each has their own suitability.」
「Seriously?」
「Absolutely.」
With a proud snort and a triumphant grin, the maid pushed out her flat chest and began to unveil the hidden inner-workings of the Servant-series skills.
Even those chosen by destiny itself could not fully grasp the entirety of the powers they were given.
Kotaro had always chased understanding, relentlessly analysing and refining his curses. Ryuuichi was the opposite. He had no patience for such careful labour. Reading manuals were beneath him.
「…Fine. Do as you like.」
Maid or servant, it made no difference. If she could use it, then she should. That was the conclusion he reached, simple and decisive.
「Yes, master. Then let us proceed.」
And then, just as they finally set off again, it happened.
「———— Who's there?」
A voice rang through the tunnel.
From ahead came a small sound, yet one too clear to be mistaken. There was no doubt about it. A human voice.
「... Let's go.」
Ryuuichi traded a brief glance with the maid, then advanced slowly and silently towards the source of the sound.
「Ah, just as I thought. Someone is there. I know not who you may be, but you are there, aren’t you?」
As they emerged from the tunnel, the voice grew sharper and closer.
The hall stretched wide and open before them. Unlike the ruined, dirt-streaked spaces they had crossed, this one was relatively well-kept.
Like the tunnel they had come through, several other passages and tunnels led away from it.
but the voice did not echo from any of those.
「Anyone… Will you open this?」
Before them stood a huge gate.
A massive, metal door, sealed with obvious care and precision. Complex circular reliefs adorned its surface, while red glowing letters shimmered densely, like an intricate magic circle.
Apparently, the gate’s sealing function remained fully operational.
「Wanderer who has arrived here, the only way to escape is to open this gate.」
The voice spoke as though it could see them clearly from beyond the gate.
「Who the hell are you?」
「I… am not precisely that... Mayhap ’tis better said I am the lord of this place.」
「So you’re stuck in here, huh? That’s annoying. Well, later, you shut-in moron.」
「W-Wait! Stay thy step! Thou must needs be curious; I am the master of this place!」
「Shut it, I’m busy. If you want to yak, find someone else.」
「Knowest thou how long I have tarried?! Miss this moment and the next may not cometh for centuries———— Hold! Go not further! Thou must not proceed! Great peril doth await!」
Ignoring the clearly flustered voice, Ryuuichi continued forward without hesitation.
「You sure about this, master?」
「About what?」
「This is the first intelligent being we’ve encountered in this dungeon that actually speaks human language.」
「Still, kind of sketchy. Someone so obviously sealed off…」
「Yeah.」
「Let’s explore for now. If there’s really no other way through, then sure, we’ll open it.」
Ryuuichi and the maid continued down the corridor, talking quietly. From deeper ahead came a resentful voice, accompanied by the faint, mournful sound of sobbing.