Chapter 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.