Bab 96: CH96
Lizi, with her ponytail and sword at her waist, patrolled around the iron cage.
She had always wanted to learn swordsmanship from Karim, but his greatsword was unsuitable for her.
Despite the boring task, she dutifully walked around the cage, occasionally checking on Ivis.
This was an assignment from Karim, and she didn't want to leave a bad impression on him.
Tonight, the thick clouds obscured the moon, making the night particularly dark.
"Water…" Ivis weakly muttered.
Lizi turned to him immediately. "What?"
"Water… give me some water. I feel like I'm dying," Ivis said, his voice weak and labored.
Lizi refused. "No, you can only drink water once a day, and you've already had yours."
Ivis pleaded, "Please, I'm getting weaker. Once a day isn't enough. I know my body… cough… cough… give me some water, or I'll die…"
His speech was intermittent, his breaths shallow, looking as if he might die any moment.
Lizi hesitated. "Karim wants him alive to face the gallows. If he dies now, Karim will be unhappy. It's just a bit of water…"
"Alright, I'll get you some," she said, remembering the water bucket nearby. Everyone would take a scoop when thirsty.
Lizi quickly fetched a scoop of water and brought it to the cage.
The cage was low to the ground, so Lizi held the scoop above it and said, "Open your mouth."
"Thank you…"
Ivis whispered and slowly opened his mouth.
Lizi began to tilt the scoop, letting the water drip.
Suddenly, a tiny black shadow flashed.
Lizi's eyes widened, and she fell forward onto the cage.
A blood hole appeared on her forehead and another at the back of her head, blood flowing out.
Ivis coldly glanced at her body, then strained to reach for the keys at her waist with his deformed left hand. The keys included the one for the cage.
He had hidden a tiny bone fragment in his mouth.
Ivis had been eating the same slop as the slaves, which sometimes contained bits of bone.
One day, he found a small bone fragment and discreetly hid it under his tongue.
The guards never checked his mouth, so the bone had been hidden for over twenty days, his crucial tool for escape.
When Lizi approached to give him water, he used all his strength to shoot the bone fragment, piercing her head.
With experience from repeated limb-breaking, he deliberately slowed his left hand's recovery, making it seem like long-term injuries were healing slower.
Despite his injuries, Ivis was still a great knight.
He couldn't use his hands or feet to kill, but he had his mouth and chest muscles.
Against someone like Lizi, who wasn't even a knight, he only needed his upper body.
As he shot the bone fragment, Helag noticed the commotion through Deep Blue.
Ivis strained to reach the keys, pressing his body against the cage to extend his arm further.
Just as he was about to hook the keys, a hand suddenly appeared and took them.
Ivis looked up in shock to see Helag smiling at him.
"Please… give them to me…" Ivis begged.
Helag smiled. "You really want to get out, huh? You were so focused you didn't notice me."
"Please…" Ivis whispered, not daring to speak loudly and alert others.
Helag shrugged. "Sorry, I'm not getting involved in your affairs. I'm stopping you because I don't want you escaping and delaying our journey."
Helag didn't care if Ivis lived or died. His escape didn't concern him.
But if Ivis escaped, Karim would likely halt the caravan to recapture him, disrupting their schedule.
Helag didn't want the hassle of preparing supplies for a solo journey, so he stopped Ivis to avoid delays.
"Karim, your prisoner is trying to escape. Are you still sleeping?" Helag's voice, though not loud, was clear in the quiet night.
Lights flickered on around the caravan, and people, disheveled and sleepy, came out to check.
Karim rushed over, seeing Lizi's body on the cage, his eyes wide with anger. "Lizi!"
He cradled her body, seeing the fatal wound, knowing she was beyond saving.
"Who did this?" Karim roared in anger.
He had always treated Lizi like a sister, caring for her in many ways.
Now, seeing her dead, he was filled with rage and sorrow.
Ivis crawled to the other side of the cage, avoiding Karim's gaze.
"Was it you?" Karim shouted, noticing Ivis's movements.
By now, most of the caravan was awake, many women gasping at the sight of Lizi's body.
Ivis shook his head frantically. "No… it wasn't me…"
"Ivis did it. The weapon was likely a bone fragment hidden in his mouth," Helag said.
Karim looked at the wound, the scoop, and the water, piecing together the scene from Helag's information.
"Ivis!" he roared, placing Lizi's body down and tearing the cage apart, dragging Ivis out like a ragdoll.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone