Chapter 214 - Getting Out

"Huh?" Azer felt something unusual and turned around.

He felt that there was a disturbance in the barrier and made his way back hurriedly to the tree where Zenia was hiding earlier. When he reached the place, he looked behind the tree hoping to find something…anything.

He was certain that someone had been there. He closed his eyes and used his dark magic to track the presence of that person. He saw an image in his mind, but it was blurry. He couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman.

Azer used his dark magic to sound off the alarm. Everyone in the camp was startled.

"Is that the alarm?"

"I think it is."

"Someone infiltrated our secret base?"

"Who has the gall to infiltrate us?"

"More importantly, how did that person passed through the barrier?"

The soldiers of the private army and the Dark Magic Lord's subordinates began to search their premises to capture the intruders. They were puzzled that such an incident happened. They had formidable defenses, and it was impossible to trace their secret base even if that someone was a highly skilled dark magic practitioner.

Zenia, Vaughn, and Rodham moved even faster when they heard the sound of the alarm. Soon, there were so many men conducting a search. The unwanted visitors did their best to reach the opening of the barrier before it's too late. Zenia was also worried about the time. She knew that they were already late. She was also uncertain whether Duke Gordon was able to keep the doorway open.

'I hope my luck won't get affected by the dark magic surrounding us. Whatever happens, I must get Vaughn and Rodham to safety first.'

When they were near the opening of the barrier, Zenia saw that Duke Gordon was already at his limit. The doorway was slowly closing. She had no other choice when she grabbed the two men and threw them with all her might toward the opening.

Vaughn and Rodham were startled when they suddenly felt their bodies flying toward the opening, and Zenia was just right behind them. The secret soldiers saw them and chased after them. Zenia was amazed at the speed of their pursuers. She could tell that they possessed high martial skills.

'They can only be the secret soldiers of the Left Minister.' 

Vaughn could not veer his body out of the trajectory that Zenia threw him. He felt so helpless when he saw that the men were closing in on his wife. Zenia deliberately slowed down a bit to block the pursuers. When she was certain that the two men had passed through the opening safely, she sped up. But, one of the pursuers caught her sleeve and tore it when Zenia yanked her arm.

The doorway was getting smaller and smaller. Vaughn and the rest of the group held their breaths as they waited for her patiently. Vaughn wanted to go back to help Zenia, but he also knew that doing so might only cause a problem. He believed that Zenia would be able to pull through - unscathed. He should keep the faith.

They had no idea what she was trying to do when she suddenly slowed down after pulling her arm from the grasp of one of the pursuers. Vaughn saw how his wife smiled mischievously, and she suddenly kicked her pursuer on his chest and sent him flying toward his comrades.

Zenia made it to the opening before it closed behind her. Azer came a little too late. He was not able to prevent the doorway from closing. He had seen a glimpse of the figures, but he could not recognize any of them. He also felt a faint aura of someone with a pure spirit.

"Leader Azer, we are sorry we lost them. But, I tore off a part of the sleeve of one of them. I just thought that you might find it useful," a secret soldier reported to Azer and handed a torn part of Zenia's sleeve.

Azer took it and kept it in his pocket.

"I will check it later. Right now, clean up the mess before the Dark Magic Lord or the Left Minister returns."

"Yes, Leader Azer."

After escaping from the secret base, the unwanted guests ran as far as they could until they found a safe place to hide. They had no idea whether Azer and the secret soldiers were able to track them, and they just kept running away without looking back.

As soon as they were sure that they were not followed, Vaughn scanned Zenia's body quickly to check for injuries. Aside from the torn sleeve, he did not find anything unusual. He hugged Zenia tightly and was relieved that nothing bad happened to her. He suddenly pushed her away from him without letting go of her shoulders.

"Don't do that again!" Vaughn reprimanded her in front of Duke Gordon and Rodham.

"Do what?" Zenia did not understand what Vaughn meant and suddenly realized something, "Oh…that."

She lowered her head and knew that she made him worry. When he hugged her earlier, she could still feel and hear the loud throbbing of Vaughn's heart.

Vaughn pulled her close to him once more and whispered, "Zenzen don't do that to me again, okay? It made me feel like I'm someone useless that you need to protect. I should be the one protecting you."

"I-I'm sorry. It's something like an instinct to me due to my line of work in Ishelon. I did not think clearly when I did that."

Duke Gordon and Rodham were lost for words when they saw the intimate interaction between the couple. It was like they were in the world of their own. They had forgotten their companions completely. However, they confirmed that Vaughn and Zenia were a married couple. Duke Gordon also began to suspect that they were no ordinary couple.

"What should be our next move, Young Madam?" Duke Gordon asked Zenia because since the beginning she was the one calling the shots.

"We need to be more cautious from now on. They will start looking for us. We need to get out of here as soon as possible. Madame Bisset's business is already flourishing, and I believe I already fulfilled my promise to her."

"Were you able to draw the map of the secret base?" Vaughn asked Zenia.

"Yes, and I kept it in my memory," Zenia tapped her temple twice and smiled mischievously.

"How long are we going to wait here?"

Zenia was still wearing her prosthetic belly when they set off. She kept some change of clothes in it. She thought that she should bring some light clothing for each of them to wear in case of an emergency. She was glad that she did.

They could return to Madame Bisset's place as soon as they changed their clothes. Staying there for another two hours might only jeopardize the whole mission. Prazia had set a curfew to prevent unscrupulous individuals from conducting criminal activities. There were patrolling guards all over the place starting from eleven o'clock in the evening until six o'clock the following morning.

It was already a quarter past ten, and they knew that they should hurry up. They quickly changed their clothes. They decided to bury the ones they had worn. They buried the clothes deeply in the ground to make sure that no one would discover anything. They could not risk being discovered.

"We need to go our separate ways to prevent arousing any suspicion. But, you need to return immediately to the inn." Zenia instructed Duke Gordon and Rodham.

"We will meet you later in your quarters, Young Madam."

"Hmm."

They parted ways just like that – as if they did not do anything dangerous. Vaughn and Zenia had decided to visit some shops and look for something to buy. Duke Gordon and Rodham heed Zenia's instruction and went back to the inn right away.

Soon, the patrolling guards came marching to make their rounds. They came earlier than usual and began checking everyone. Vaughn and Zenia knew that Azer must have ordered the inspection. They looked at each other, and Zenia giggled.

'See? I'm really smart! It's a good thing that I brought along some change of clothes.' Zenia was speaking to Vaughn using her eyes, and Vaughn understood her.

Vaughn tapped Zenia's nose, 'My wife is truly smart.'

In the eyes of the onlookers, they were a middle-aged couple who still loved each other very much. The patrolling guards nearly puked when they saw the sweet exchange between the couple. They decided to move on to the next person and did not bother them anymore. They did not seem to be a couple of people who would cause trouble to others. They looked like they were in a place that only they could enter.

When they reached the inn, Duke Gordon and Rodham were already waiting for them by the door of their room.

"What happened, Young Madam? Why did you come only now?" Rodham had been anxiously waiting for their return.

"The patrolling guards were dispatched earlier than usual, and they were checking everyone. I bet that Azer was the one who ordered it. Were you checked too?"

"No, Young Madam. The Duke and I were already resting in our quarters when we heard a commotion about the patrolling guards. I thought that Jestor was pranking someone again."

"It's good that they did not check the both of you."

They all went inside the room to discuss their next plan of action. Everyone knew that they should make their move now or board the next trip to Tissuria or Ishelon. They feared that the Dark Magic Lord and the Left Minister might trace their whereabouts soon. By then it would be more difficult to escape.