There were three carriages in the caravan. One was for supplies, the other for transporting the commander and officers in comfort. The last was clearly different from the rest with its lack of walls and metal bars. It was akin to a mobile jail cell. Shirley's heart thumped after seeing the slumped over figure in the cell. She knew instinctively that it must be Elizabeth! But the all-important question laid here. How would they break her out? Even with the commotion caused by Chang and Tai, there was no situation where Elizabeth would be left unguarded. After all, this caravan was created specifically to transport her! Worse of all, they needed the right key to unlock the door and restraints.
Benedict watched Elizabeth's carriage quietly behind the cover of a tent. As much as he wanted to rush up and free her, it was far too hopeful. The soldiers would cut him down before he would get halfway. He also needed the key which would most likely be in the hands of the commander. More importantly, standing by the commander's side would be an Imperial Sentinel and a handful of guards. There was no way to approach easily! But there was no need to deal with either the Imperial Sentinels or the guards. They just needed to steal the key. For that, Freon thought up a simple plan…
***
The commander was overseeing the conflict personally. Chang, Tai, and Xai did not decide to brazenly fight head-on. Instead, they used hit-and-run tactics to inflict heavy losses to the caravan. Though they did not kill, whenever they fought, their power was available for all to see. By using the bamboo forest fully to their advantage, they escaped the encirclement every time. Even with three Imperial Sentinels and a fifth of their soldiers pursuing, there was little they could do against an enemy that did not want to fight! After a while of seeing this, the commander's uneasiness grew. Anyone would find it suspicious!
As he began reforming the scouting patrols and calming the camp down, the commander felt a slight itch on his back. That slight itch changed into a powerful irritation and soon heat. He was on fire! His entire backside was covered in flames, devouring his uniform and burning his hair. Those around him were thrown into panic and tried desperately to put out the flames. However, try as they might, the fire did not weaken one bit. Instead, it seemed to grow stronger with each passing second! The stench of burnt skin entered everyone's nostrils. The commander shrieked as vivid pain assaulted him.
Just then, two individuals rushed up with a pail of water and splashed it over the commander. The fire extinguished immediately, revealing a miserable, soaked, and burnt man. His uniform was in tatters, so he was half naked. His skin was grotesque to look at. His originally long hair had shrunken down to half its length. Every semblance of his authoritative aura was ruined. His expression was blank. Everything happened so fast that he had not even processed it yet. Seeing the commander out of it, the adjutant officer and Imperial Sentinel took charge. The two of them immediately sent soldiers to discover the mysterious assailant and double the camp's security.
The commander was escorted by his two saviors to a nearby tent to change. The sentinel raised an eyebrow seeing this. He could not help but suspect something, so he decided to follow them. Naturally, the two were Benedict and Shirley, who were stressed over the Imperial Sentinel's actions. The plan was for Freon to attack the commander with Arcania. Using a very weak spell, it went undetected by everyone until it was too late. Then, by using an amplification Arcania to strengthen the flames, he engulfed the commander in fire. Of course, as the fire was under the control of Freon, nothing could extinguish it normally. By coordinating with Benedict and Shirley, who coincidentally came to help, they managed to get an excuse to come closer to the commander to steal the key! However, the sentinel was an unexpected hiccup!
Inside a tent, the two dared not act out of line. They played the role of a servant well, helping the dazed commander change out of his rags. The Imperial Sentinel was scrutinizing every single move with his five senses. His hand was hovering above his sword. If he saw anything suspicious, he would kill! Feeling his overbearing nature, Benedict and Shirley tried to suppress any show of emotions. But they were inwardly panicking. How were they supposed to steal the key with a sentinel watching over them?
As Shirley was exchanging out the commander's shirt, she felt a small bump in one of the pockets. The girl discreetly flashed her gaze in the Imperial Sentinel's direction, but he was as vigilant as always. She had to check if this was the key! If it was, she had to steal it! Otherwise, Elizabeth was doomed. Her breathing hastened as her hand moved carefully. As soon as the sentinel switched his attention over to Benedict, she went for it! But before she could even touch the object, a firm grasp held her wrist tightly, forcing her to slowly withdraw her hand. The smiling face of the sentinel entered her view as she began to despair. She was caught red-handed!
"What do you think you're doing?" the man chuckled.
"I…" Shirley squeaked. "I was simply removing his possessions from the commander's clothes to put into his new clothes. I meant no harm!"
"Oh? You weren't trying to steal anything?"
"Steal?" She mustered a nervous chuckle. "Why would I think of stealing anything under your watch? Please believe me!"
The sentinel ignored her words and reached for the object in the shirt. He pulled out a simple leather coin pouch which had some Xingyuu coinage. No matter how he saw it, there was truly no value in stealing it! He wondered if he was being too hasty. After all, if these two were honestly assassins, she would not look so pitiful. Furthermore, her justification did have logic to it. He could not attack without a just reason! Shirley let out a deep breath seeing the Imperial Sentinel's hand leave his sword. Somehow, she had convinced him!
After the commander changed out of his clothes, Benedict and Shirley did not waste time and respectfully bid farewell. The sentinel watched them leave his sight. They rendezvoused with Freon at a secluded spot. Even though the camp was searching for the mysterious assailant who lit the commander on fire, they had no clues. After all, his magic left no traces! Unless one had an advanced Magical Perception, it was a perfectly stealthy act. Not only that, but as an Arcanist, he could freely control the range of his spell. Whether it was close-up or far away, the difference laid in its Magical Energy consumption and magical circle. However, with this, his Core had reached zero again!
Shirley was distraught. She failed to find the key. Without it, their attempts at a rescue was a bust. Even if Freon had a full Core, he lacked the correct spell to forcefully destroy the cell and restraints! They could do nothing! Meanwhile, Benedict smiled and took out the key, stunning Shirley silent. Unbeknownst to her, he had discovered the key at the same time she had discovered the coin pouch. Using Shirley's misstep as a distraction, he stole the key from right under the sentinel's nose! Even if the Imperial Sentinel achieved Perception Realm, they were not omniscient. There would undoubtedly be cases when their focus falters, even if they reached the pinnacle of Perception Realm! Benedict took a gamble and it paid off immensely!