By the time he returned to the path, Nero found that he was completely covered in blood.

The stench of blood on him was so thick, he thought washing with just water was not going to do much.

He let out a sigh.

'At least, I've become normal again.'

The amount of Ein Sof he had to devour was now more than three times what he would have required.

He looked down at his hand to find the rune much more docile than earlier.

'Now then... How am I going to explain all this?'

He ruffled his hair, then grimaced as it had become slick with blood as well.

'I need to wash off.'

Unfortunately, there were no water sources nearby. He also left his waterskin behind, so there really was nothing he could do.

He could only begin walking back. It was a good thing there were only relatively weaker Abominations around.

If not, he would have been in a much tougher spot.

It took him a few minutes to reach the party's resting spot.

A few very surprised and questioning gazes were sent his way.

However, none of them confronted himz instead choosing to leave him to his devices.

He quickly made use of his waterskin to wash off some of the blood.

Only then did he feel a bit better.

Obed walked up to him a moment later.

His nose crinkled at the terrible stench of blood.

However, he endured it and spoke,

"We need to discuss what to do moving forward."

Nero frowned. Then he nodded.

They really did need to have a conversation. After all, they were all in this together.

A few minutes later, they were all gathered at the front of the cave.

"First and foremost, we need to lay down some details.." Lucy began.

Nero noticed that with all that had happened, most of Lucy's make-up had been wiped away. And with that, her true facial features were revealed.

He noticed that she was much more beautiful without the face paint. That made him wonder what the painting truly was for.

He had heard when he was younger from his father that the women in the cities paint and powder their faces to be more beautiful.

But in Lucy's case, it was the exact opposite.

"This path in the "maze" spans about two miles in radius. The rest of the forest still exists, but we end up circling the other way regardless of any direction we walk through."

She paused for a moment the turned to Obed with a frown on her face,

"Perhaps a way out of this mess could have been seen if things were a bit different. But there's little I can do given our circumstances."

Nero frowned, "What do you mean?"

Lucy turned to him and smiled subtly. There was a mischievous element to her smile,

"Beyond wielding the blade, I also practice witchcraft."

Nero's eyes widened,

"That... Witchcraft?!""

Witchcraft was the act of communion with Demons, Devils, and Spirits of higher order than regular Abominations.

The greatest enemies of the Empire beyond the Abominations, were the witches and warlocks.

In other words, there was zero tolerance for witches in the Empire.

At least, there was supposed to be.

Seeing the look of horror on Nero's face, Lucy chuckled,

"I'm just kidding."

A look of embarrassment flashed in Nero's eyes.

"I might not be a witch, but I do dabble in the divination arts. Finding the way out of here would have been a piece of cake, but unfortunately, I can't seem to get a solid grip on the outside world."

Nero was even more confused.

Lucy explained further.

"This of this "maze" like a tunnel with both ends collapsed. Beyond the collapse is the calvary. However, the calls and screams of those trapped in the tunnel cannot be heard by the rescue due to how thick the fallen rocks are. Or something like that."

Nero clicked his tongue. He didn't quite get it, but he now had an understanding.

"Then wouldn't it be best for the trapped to cry louder?"

Lucy smirked, "If they do, they run the risk of the rest of the tunnel collapsing."

Nero frowned, "I see..."

It was a bad circumstance indeed.

Lucy sighed then shrugged,

"If only we can establish some form of strong spiritual connection from outside. Maybe we can use it to dig our way out of here."

Nero froze.

'A connection...'

He turned to Lucy.

"The connection you are looking for..."

Lucy shrugged and smiled, "Humans and objects aren't that different. There is energy running in everything and anything. It connects to us all like this stars connect to the sky and the roots of a tree to the earth."

He was silent for a moment.

Then he asked seriously,

"Do you have a way to detect this connection?"

Lucy nodded calmly,

"I can try my best. I'm no expert, but if it is strong enough, then maybe..."

Nero stretched his hand forward.

"I have a connection to my spear. Maybe we can rely on that."

Seeing the serious look on Nero's face, Lucy couldn't help but be a bit surprised.

"That might not—"

"It doesn't matter if it works or not, no? We just have to try."

The longer he waited, the more agitated he became.

After all, besides reaching Liedenstorm, he had a single goal.

And until he completed the goal, he would know no rest.

He wanted to kill Garrick as soon as possible.

The bastard had to die.

His gaze on Lucy intensified,

"We can try."

Lucy turned her gaze to Obed.

Obed frowned then shrugged, "We don't really have a lot of options right now. It's worth a shot."

Lucy snorted,

"I don't usually do this for free, you know. It will cost you a lot."

Nero's expression went blank, "That... I don't have a lot of money."

He only had what he had taken from the priest's chest back in Gor.

He doubted it was a lot of money.

Lucy chuckled, "We can take care of that later. Come with me..."

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