Chapter 444

444 – A Fork in the Road

The ruin looks down at me with its eyeless head. I lower myself to the ground in preparation for combat. But it quickly looks away and rams through the wall of the floor above.

As I thought… Right now, it doesn’t have any interest in me. With Lilixira’s survival unclear, I can take this chance to retreat and recover.

…As a test, I turn my [Telepathy] to the ruin. In addition to transmitting my thoughts, the [Telepathy] skill can also be used to probe the inner thoughts of others. I can’t use it as effectively as Lilixira or the queen red ant, but I should at least be able to determine if there are any thoughts at all.

『…Destroy, destroy… Destroy…』

【Normal skill [Telepathy] has risen from level 1 to 2.】

As I activate the skill, I feel a sudden nausea. I quickly cut the connection. As the [Ruin] explanation stated, it’s no longer anything more than a mass of destructive impulses. There’s no awareness left.

…But, this is an unexpected windfall. It’s unclear if Lilixira is alive or dead. Should her subordinates that were hunting the remaining slimes join forces with the adventurer onlookers, it’s possible they could finish me off with how close to death I am.

But, that is impossible. Shocked by the sudden disappearance of their leader, Lilixira’s subordinates are no more than a disordered mob right now. There’s no way they could coordinate so easily. Besides, when the ruin returns, it would all fall apart. There’s no way the adventurers would accept such a last minute strategy.

I can do it now. It’s easily possible for me to collect Aro, the nightmare, Volk, and magiatite-jii, then go pick up the probably-sulking treant-san from the Great Alban Mine. It’s dangerous here, so I’d like to also at least take Miria to the edge of the city.

I feel like I could laugh. I had lost all hope for Aro’s safety and my survival with Lilixira’s betrayal, but both have returned to the realm of possibility. As long as I don’t provoke the ruin, that is. Even if I leave it be, it’ll eventually die from [God of Destruction].

Looking at the ruin’s stats, I see its maximum HP and MP decreasing by about 1 per second… No, it might be a little faster than that. It feels closer to a decrease of 1.5 per second. It should be about thirty minutes until it drops dead of its own accord.

If possible, I’d like to go down to check Lilixira’s body and finish her off if necessary. But if she’s able to use magic, it’s possible she could one-shot me. Besides, right now, getting Aro and the others away from here safely is more important.

I peer down the deep hole. It’s a shame, Lilixira. I honestly believed we could get along. It seems you thought differently though. While I was desperately fighting the slime, you must have been feeling good about everything going to plan for you.

But the timing of your betrayal was a mistake. How did it feel when, right after you betrayed me, the Demon Lord you thought dead returned with a power up? It’s so pathetic that it makes me want to vomit. I know it’s bad to say this to someone who might be dead, but you got what you deserved.

I glare at the remaining humans.

“U-ugu… Why has this happened? Lilixira-sama should have been prepared for anything…”

Balear holds his sword ready, but his shoulders are trembling.

It doesn’t look like he thinks he can beat me without Lilixira. Alphiss is still on her knees, but it looks like she could get up any second. It seems that Lilixira’s close associates are tougher than the adventurers.

『…I want nothing more than to tear you apart right now, but I don’t have the magic power or time to waste. You’re an eyesore. Throw down your weapons and get lost.』

“Lilixira-sama, I’m sorry…”

Balear weakens his grip on his sword, and it clatters to the ground.

If the ruin’s rampage lasts thirty minutes, the numbers of Lilixira’s subordinates should be cut down significantly. If things go well, I might be able to finish off the almost-dead Saint. Once the ruin’s finished with the castle, it might enter the city, but that has nothing to do with me.

It’s true that I heard Lilixira’s request and came to defend the capital. But then she was the one who betrayed me. There’s no way I’m going to uphold an agreement with someone who, not only tried to kill me, but even was about to kill Aro who was doing nothing but trying to run away. The adventurers who came in without knowing anything and tried to kill me for fame and glory disgust me too.

…In truth, I half-doubted whether it would even be possible for Lilixira to create a world where I could fit into a town. I knew deep down that such a thing would never go so well. Even still, when I heard that the world was in danger, I put my life on the line to come and defeat the Demon Lord. Even now, had Lilixira not betrayed me, I would probably be putting my life on the line to stop the ruin.

『…Aro, partner, I’m seriously sorry for bringing you to such a horrible place. We’ll pick up the nightmare and the others, then get away from here.』

As I send my [Telepathy], I glare at the adventurers to check that none of them have the will to fight. It looks like most of them still can’t move. They scream as they look at me, trying desperately to move away. Some of the others desperately bow down to me, covered in blood.

There’s just one of them who, even when I glare at him, only howls madly. He’s the archer who shot at my belly in the battle. It looks like the wounds sustained in the wake of the ruin are more important to him than the dragon in front of him. If I think about his actions up to now, I get the impression he might actually be an important figure.

“Tina, this can’t be true! This… Hey, open your eyes! Hey!”

…If I look closely, I can see the limp figure of a female adventurer in his arms. She must be an acquaintance of his. It doesn’t look like he’s at all aware of his own injuries or my gaze on him.

…All of these guys are living people. It feels like I had lost sight of that in my hate for Lilixira.

I shake my head. What am I thinking? It’s not as though that’s something I’m able to fight. I also have things I need to do.

Now that the slime has become like that, as long as I can survive this, there’s no possibility of it evolving and coming after me. The agreement with Lilixira is long since scrapped. Even if I tried my best here, I doubt her faction would try and ally with me again, and even if they did, I wouldn’t accept it.

Besides, it’s not like it’s only my life on the line. If I fought, my partner would die too. If I took my eyes off them, the adventurers could kill Aro and the others. With only thirty minutes, the ruin’s destruction will be limited to just this city. If its focus doesn’t move from the castle, the damage won’t be that large either.

That’s why, whatever happens from here on, it has nothing to do with me. There’s no reason for me to stake my life. Right, this is fine.

My partner stares at my face. I think for a moment she’s about to say something, but she just stares.

“OOOoO, OOOOOOOO!”

Suddenly, I hear the ruin’s voice from far above. An iridescent light blooms in the city.

It should be too high up. That [Ruin] skill can affect places so far away? A second, and then a third bloom of iridescent light follows the first. I scowl at the lights while clenching my teeth. I can’t see it from here, but no doubt the city is in a terrible state.

『…Hey, partner, we’re going to do it, right?』

My partner sends me her thoughts. But, we have no reason to play along with the slime’s suicide…

『For a while now, you’ve had a more pained expression than when you fought that. You’re just making excuses, but running away isn’t like you. We’re going to settle it with that, right?』

B-but…

『It’s not like you to say that people are getting what they deserve, or that they should drop dead. Let’s show that shrewd traitor our pride and stubornness. If she knows we defeated that thing, it’ll break her nerves. That’s the best way to get revenge.』

…『We』, huh. Now that you’ve said that much, I can’t exactly back down. Thank you, partner.

『…I thought I was fed up with your softness. I wonder when it rubbed off on me.』

A deliberate exasperated expression plays across her face.

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