Chapter 59: Cruelty to Oneself

“Damn it, why are you screaming? I haven’t even cut you yet!”
Rod couldn’t help but laugh and cry as he watched the young city lord wailing with his eyes closed. He had merely scared him a bit—swinging his sword at a table beside him—yet this guy was screaming like that. He really didn’t know what to say. As for the hateful looks from the city lord and the soldiers and officers he brought with him, Rod paid them no attention.
After Rod’s words, the young city lord was stunned for a moment. Then he checked himself and confirmed he felt no pain. Seeing the long sword that had split the table in half beside him, his heart turned to ice. Cold sweat poured down his forehead like rain, his face paled, and he gasped for breath.
“Ah…” Moments later, another scream rang out—this time a real one, one that could shock the heavens and move the gods!
“Hehe, that’s much better!” Rod said coldly, looking at the young city lord across from him. He sheathed his black sword, Dark Dragon, without even glancing at the writhing young city lord, then turned toward Landi and the others.
Just as the young city lord relaxed slightly, Rod swiftly swung his sword at his hand.
This time it wasn’t fake—his arm was truly injured. Blood splattered as the young city lord began to scream. Instead of cutting off his hand, Rod chose to sever the tendons in his right hand. With the medical skills of this era, he would recover quickly, but he would likely be unable to fight or do physical labor again. His right hand would become completely useless. Even if it recovered, he could only do simple tasks. That was exactly what Rod wanted to achieve.
He didn’t want to go too far. This level of punishment was within City Lord Cindri’s tolerance and also acceptable to that officer from the Dark Legion. It might be the best choice for him too. Although cutting off the hand would be satisfying, without the ability to protect himself at this stage, leaving a backdoor was the smarter approach. At that moment, Rod even felt a sense of pride.
“Let’s go back!” Watching Rod walk away, Cindri narrowed his eyes slightly and let out a sigh of relief. Yet, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, enough to make Rod, who was facing away, sense a hint of murderous intent. Then he spoke to the stunned officers and soldiers around him, saying that his son must be in a terrible mood after being treated like this.

“My lord, the boy is injured. Please continue treating him. With your permission, I must leave now. Please convey my regards to the lady!” After giving a perfunctory greeting to the cold-faced Dark Legion officer upstairs, the city lord turned and headed outside.

“It seems I made a mistake!” Rubbing his nose, Rod turned to watch the group walking away, his eyes narrowing slightly as he muttered to himself in a calm tone.

“Kindness toward the enemy is cruelty toward oneself—remember that! Also, I don’t want anything similar to happen along the way. Otherwise, the Swift Wind Mercenaries will cease to exist!”

Watching Rod below, as if hearing his muttering, the officer gave him a cold glance, dropped a few words, and then also turned to leave.

“Phew, it’s finally over. Damn Rod, be careful! If you cause trouble again, I won’t spare you!”

After everyone left, only the members of the Swift Wind Mercenaries remained. They rushed over to Rod, waiting for him, as Ada shouted angrily.

That damned ringleader was acting as if nothing had happened after everything was over, enjoying himself here. Seeing this, she was filled with rage.

“Enough. If there’s nothing else, everyone go back. Rod, come with me!”

Taking a step forward, he said something calmly to the group before looking at Rod and sighing. Landy said with a bitter smile, “I never expected to recruit such a troublemaker!”

His smile vanished instantly, replaced by a bitter expression and a helpless sigh. He knew today wouldn’t be a good day. Under the sympathetic looks of others and Ada’s gloating gaze, Rod followed Landy and Bruce upstairs.

Upon entering Landy’s room, he carefully closed the door. Seeing the two captains sitting across from him with grim expressions, Rod felt panicked. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward, “Cough, cough… Um, hehe, captains, I know I was wrong. I promise! I swear it won’t happen again. What do you think?”

“Hey, I won’t say much. Just be more careful from now on! This time we were lucky. What about next time? Have you thought about it? Now that you’re part of our mercenary group, everything you do represents the Swift Wind Mercenaries. One mistake could bring disaster upon us!” With a sigh, Landy spoke sternly to Rod.

“Do you know what the biggest mistake I made today was?” Before Rod could speak, Bruce immediately chimed in. “Offending the city lord? Or proposing that suggestion? I don’t think it was a mistake. Hmph, giving him that lesson was actually quite mild!” But in his heart, he already admitted that he had indeed been reckless that day—forgetting his comrades and not thinking more for everyone’s sake. “It’s not those two things. Although you shouldn’t have made that suggestion at the last moment; it left us with no room to maneuver and really made enemies of them. But those are still manageable—at worst, we just won’t deal with the Water Moon City area anymore!” Staring intently at Rod, Landy spoke in a low voice. “Then what is it?” Rod, feeling uneasy under that gaze, felt a prickle on his scalp. Bravely, he sat down on the chair next to Landy and asked doubtfully. Could there be anything more wrong than those two things? It seemed he hadn’t thought of it, nor could he imagine it. “Since you’ve made a choice, you must act decisively. Just as that nobleman said earlier, kindness toward the enemy is cruelty toward oneself. Remember that. Once enemies are made, don’t hesitate too much. There are things that must be done, and once done, they must be done thoroughly. Especially for us mercenaries, who are constantly in danger—every extra enemy means more danger. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll die at the hands of an enemy you spared before. Just like earlier, you could have cut off that young city lord’s hand or even killed him. Why did you show mercy? Do you think that will bring anything back? Impossible. The hatred remains unchanged; it only adds more danger to your future!” After sighing, Bruce walked over to Rod, patted his shoulder, and spoke emotionally. After hearing this, Rod’s expression gradually changed. By the end, all traces of a smile vanished, replaced by solemnity as he fell into deep thought. The next moment, his expression changed drastically, as if struck by something. “Have you figured it out? Think carefully about it. That’s all I have to say. I hope you understand—often, especially in times of life and death, even a little kindness can cost you your life. Just remember that!” Seeing Rod’s change, Bruce asked calmly. “I understand. There won’t be a next time!” After a long while, Rod took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and spoke in a firm voice. At that moment, his gaze was resolute, as if a flame was burning within him.

Rod bid farewell to the two captains, left their room, and headed toward his own. He was still deep in thought about what had just happened. It was a harsh lesson—he truly lacked experience. At that moment, he was secretly grateful to have joined such a mercenary group and met these people; he believed they could teach him a lot.

Soon, before reaching his room, he hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open. He still didn’t know how Sean was doing. Fortunately, the guy was obedient enough not to sneak out and cause trouble against his will.

“Hmm, where is everyone?” As soon as he entered the room, he glanced around. The empty room contained only Aida, sitting blankly on the bed, lost in thought. Rod asked puzzledly, “Where’s the injured slave? Why is he gone?”

“He’s left. No, he left a few words for you to read!”

Pouting and rolling her eyes at the confused Rod, Aida said gloomily, “Well, thinking about it, we went to such lengths to save someone, only for such a big mess to happen. And the person in question just left without saying a word, leaving just these words. Anyone would feel upset reading them.”

Frowning, he walked over and picked up the slightly worn note. The words written on it read: “Thank you for saving my life. I can’t express my gratitude enough. I’ve seen what’s going on outside. Though reluctantly, I must leave. I hope you understand. I’ll repay your kindness someday if fate allows!”

Those few short words carried a profound sense of depth, making Rod ponder. They didn’t seem like something a slave could write.

“Heh, well, if he’s gone, so be it. We’re one trouble less. It’s better for everyone. Hey, get some rest. It’s getting late; we have to set off tomorrow!”

With a sigh, he went to his own bed, lay down, and closed his eyes. Soon, the sound of snoring came from him.

After observing Rod, who pretended to be asleep, for a long time, Aida’s gaze took on an unusual expression, hiding some unknown emotion. After a while, she sighed, “Damn bastard!”

Muttering an insult, the night fell silent once again.

In the deep silence of the night, hearing Aida’s steady breathing beside him, Rod suddenly opened his eyes. Staring at the dark room and listening to the wind outside, he fell into deep thought. Today, he had grown. Today was destined to be extraordinary—a night without sleep.