Kaleem grabbed Ives and slammed him onto the ground with great force. A clear cracking sound emerged, and Ives was bent; it was apparent that his back had been broken.
Kaleem then punched Ives in the chest, causing him to spit out a lot of blood. It was unclear how many of his ribs were broken.
Kaleem paused, ready to continue, then slowly calmed down.
Herag glanced at him and said, "You asked someone who isn’t even a knight to guard a great knight. No matter what, a great knight is still a great knight. How can a normal person deal with that?"
Kaleem nodded, showing a look of remorse on his face: "I didn’t consider things carefully, it’s my responsibility. Starting today, I’ll personally guard him."
"Still guarding him? Just kill him with one stroke and save the trouble." Herag said somewhat speechlessly.
Kaleem said with determination, "I must send him to the gallows and execute him in front of everyone in Storm City, otherwise, I wouldn’t be worthy of those souls who died by his hand."
Herag nonchalantly replied, "Suit yourself, as long as it doesn’t delay our journey."
Kaleem nodded silently, crouched to pick up Lizi’s body, and walked towards the nearby woods, seemingly preparing to bury her there.
Herag returned to the carriage and continued his meditation.
Ives was tied up again by the members of Kaleem’s adventurer group, this time even more securely, with his crippled left hand bound behind his back.
They also found a new iron cage, as the previous one was broken by Kaleem, and put Ives inside it.
As Kaleem was digging a pit with a shovel, the adventurer group sent six people to guard Ives.
Kaleem silently dug the pit with the shovel, not saying a word throughout the process. His companions nearby offered help, but he refused, insisting on digging the pit himself to bury Lizi.
The other people in the caravan watched the scene like a farce and went back to sleep after watching.
After that night, Ives’s situation became more miserable. The once-daily water supply became twice a day, and meals were given every three or four days.
Kaleem kept his word, staying by the cage and personally guarding Ives.
Kaleem was somewhat dispirited during this time, speaking less, seemingly filled with guilt over Lizi’s death, unable to let go.
"What’s the point of feeling guilty? You should have dealt with the problem earlier, or else it would harm both others and yourself." Herag shook his head, grumbling in his heart while eating a meal after stepping off the carriage.
The following half-month journey was quite peaceful. Ives had completely lost hope; even the food he ate was checked to ensure no bones or similar items were used as weapons.
Kaleem, to be safe, knocked out all of Ives’s teeth, leaving none.
He did this mainly because Herag casually mentioned, "There’s no bone in the meal, but he still has some in his mouth."
As soon as Herag said this, Ives stared at him with wide eyes.
Upon hearing this, Kaleem pondered, and soon there were continuous screams from Ives.
After the half-month journey, the caravan finally reached the Doris Kingdom’s border.
Brown City is a border city on the eastern side of the Doris Kingdom, with a population of around five thousand.
Although the population is small, the entry inspection is very strict.
Everyone entering must have their identity documents strictly checked; without official entry procedures from the Violet Kingdom, they cannot enter the Doris Kingdom.
Members of Kaleem’s adventurer group and other adventurers did not qualify to enter the Doris Kingdom since they hadn’t completed the necessary procedures.
After escorting the caravan to Brown City, their mission was considered completed.
After completing some handover procedures with Luo Kui, Kaleem immediately set off with his adventurer group members to return.
Of course, Ives was certainly brought along.
Many people in the caravan were preparing to enter the country and lined up for inspection.
Herag was also in the queue, and the people around him kept a distance, fearing to offend him.
Ed stood at a distance, calling out somewhat sadly, "Sir..."
Herag glanced at him, thought for a moment, then waved to Ed. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novel※fire.net
Upon seeing this, Ed immediately ran over: "Do you have any instructions, sir?"
"Your slavery documents are with Luo Kui?" Herag asked.
"Yes, sir." Ed nodded, not understanding why Herag was asking this.
Herag pondered and said to Ed, "Help me hold my place in line; I need to take care of something."
Ed obediently got in line, feeling that Herag didn’t need him to hold the spot.
Herag would only be gone for a moment, and others wouldn’t dare complain or have any opinions upon his return.
Everyone in line here was from the caravan and knew how many soldiers Herag had killed alone.
Herag found Luo Kui and said, "How much for Ed? I’ll buy him."
He thought since Ed had driven for him for three months and he was quite satisfied, helping him shed his slave identity before departure would be a trivial task.
Luo Kui was a bit surprised but then smiled, "Since Jelant likes him, consider it a gift to you; no need to discuss money."
He then instructed his men to bring Ed’s slave identity documents and handed them to Herag.
Herag was unreserved, smiling, "Thank you then."
After returning to the line, he gave the slave identity documents to Ed: "What must be done to remove your slave status?"
Hearing this, Ed was incredulous and said excitedly, "I... I..."
"Don’t get so excited; just tell me." Herag patted his shoulder.
Ed wiped his excited tears: "As long as the master agrees, I can obtain a new identity in a place. However..."
"However what?" Herag asked.
Ed pointed to the slave mark on his face: "With this, others will still see me as a slave, even if I have a legitimate resident identity."
With a slave mark, it’s indelible unless the whole piece of flesh is removed.
But Ed’s mark was on his face and it covered a large area, so it was impossible to remove it without leaving half a face.
Herag nodded, "I understand, you follow me for now. I’ll handle the mark later."
For Herag, erasing the mark wasn’t hard; letting Shenlan deduce a random potion formula could yield countless recipes to remove the mark.
Herag wasn’t just proficient in alchemy; he also knew typical medicine, which was basic introductory knowledge in magic potion and herbalism.
Shenlan’s database stored countless basic medical knowledge, thanks to Herag’s effort to input this knowledge while in Nosentan Academy’s library.