Obed frowned and shook his head,

"No. Absolutely not. It's too dangerous."

Nero frowned, "It is. But the alternative is just as dangerous, if not more. Besides, I can handle myself in a fight."

The creases on Obed's face strengthened,

"Kid, don't get too cock—!"

"Knock it out, you two." Lucy said with a frown.

She turned to Nero, the glare in her eyes a but stern. Seeing this, Nero couldn't help but shrink back a bit.

'What is that stare? It's too scary.'

"That will be reckless."

Nero shook his head and rose to his feet,

"As stupid as it sounds, we need a bit of recklessness right now. No. We require it."

He glanced at Obed who wore a displeased look on his face,

"You admitted it too. This plan was a really bad idea. And yet, it was necessary. If we didn't, we'd all die of hunger either way."

"Although it was reckless, it was necessary, regardless of how poorly planned the execution is. It is the same in this case."

He turned to Geor and looked at the item in his hand

He stretched his arm out and the hidden item trembled before shooting right out of Geor's grip, landing in his open palm.

Gungnir hummed a joyous song, returning to its rightful place.

Obed felt something stir in his heart.

What was this?

The snot nosed kid in front of him suddenly didn't look like a kid anymore.

His back was straighter and the glare in his eyes more vicious. But it was also warmer.m, drawing a rather strange contrast.

'You will all hold me down.' Was what Nero wanted to say. With no one by his side, he would be able to swing his weapon without any inhibitions.

And yet, he deeply understood that was not the case.

But even then...

"Alright."

Nero turned to Obed with wide eyes.

Even turned to him with raised brows,

"Are you serious?"

Obed nodded. Then he turned to Geor,

"The two of us... We'll look out for the others over here."

Then he turned back to Nero,

"Take these two with you. In case something bad. happens, you should be able to drag them along as you escape."

"This... Doesn't all this seem rather presumptuous?" Aisha said softly. She stared at Geor who flashed her a warm smile,

"There is nothing to fear, young Lady."

Nero was silent for a moment.

In the end, he chose to say nothing.

He simply nodded,

"Okay."

He rose to his feet, "But first, I'll need to make a few preparations."

Obed nodded, "Take your time. Although it would be best to get this done as fast as possible. It wouldn't hurt to be more cautious."

Nero nodded again then turned to face Aisha and Lucy.

He folded his arms.

Lucy snorted, "I'll help as much as I can, but don't expect much from me."

"I'm counting on you to keep Aisha safe."

Seeing the seriousness in his tone, Lucy rolled her eyes and smiled,

"Sure. I'll keep the love between two lovebirds safe."

Aisha snorted and turned her head away,

"I don't need you to protect me."

Lucy cackled, "Young Lady, you sure about that? You haven't been of much help recently, have you?"

Aisha's expression dropped and her face turned dark.

Seeing the shift in her mood, Nero cleared his throat and changed the subject,

"I need as much information about these Bog Golems. The more the better..."

***

Thanks to the work of the Surveyors and mapping experts, the world outside the walls of the cities was not as alien as it could be.

There were proper roads, channels and even paths charted across the expanse of the wildness.

Of course, most of these paths changed rather frequently, with the more permanent roads needed frequent maintenance and guarding.

In places like the Southern Bogs, these paths were very much important as they could spell the difference between life and death.

In a place where a single wrong step meant a gruesome demise, one better make damn sure their feet was placed in the right spots.

The maps provided by the Surveyors were quite detailed too and since they were one of the more common items issued by the Church itself, they weren't very costly, although they were a necessity, still costing a pretty penny.

Staring at the glowing green pool of bubbling... something, Nero couldn't help but wonder if he was still on earth.

The neon green light bathing her features, Lucy spoke up, her hand placed over her nose as she spoke in a muffled tone,

"It's really never a good time to end up here."

Nero's expression was crumpled up in disgust as well. Aisha on the other hand was behind him, her face and eyes red and watery due to dry heaving.

And that was because of the stench that came from these pools of acidic miasma.

It was terrible. Worse that an entire basin filled with rotting corpses.

"What ungodly fiends can even call this treacherous place home?" Nero thought out loud.

Lucy sighed,

"The last time I was here, things didn't really go well."

Her body trembled, as though she had just remembered something she could do without.

Nero shook his head and glanced at the path ahead.

It cut through several pools of glowing green and murky brown and black. It was also rather narrow and steep, meaning the walk forward would be very dangerous.

Nero turned back to Aisha.

Her face was pale.

He stretched out a hand towards her.

Seeing this, Aisha hesitated for a moment before taking his hand.

The soft, slightly cold feeling from her fingers made Nero feel incredibly aware of the moment. Unfortunately, he couldn't dwell on it for too long.

Pulling her into his embrace, she let out a short yelp. He put an arm on her back and the other arm behind her knees, lifting her into a princess carry.

Aisha's pale face flushed red immediately,

"W-what are you doing, Nero?!"

Nero silently stared down at her.

Then he spoke,

"You are light."

The blush in her face intensified,

"What the hell are you saying?! Put me down!"

Nero ignored the tantrum and then turned to Lucy,

"You can keep up, right?"

Lucy's expression was a bit cold as she placed her hands on her waist and sneered,

"Of course I can keep up."

Nero smirked then nodded before placing his feet forward and taking the first step.

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