No Punishment Without Teaching

The cool night breeze is refreshing, clears the mind, and leaves a cool sensation on the forehead.

The door was kicked open, and Kang De strode out in the firelight.

The people who were wailing and pleading were startled and looked up to see a figure emerge from the light, its face and body hidden in deep Shadow.

The firelight on both sides cast two illusory overlapping shadows that extended to the sides behind them, appearing from the perspective of these people like two wings of Shadow spreading out.

They sensed something was wrong.

This is very bad.

"I actually have a lot of reasons to give."

"I can say that I am not Goth People, nor have I enjoyed your Goth- like wealth, squandered your taxes, or exercised your feudal aristocratic rights; therefore, I have no obligations to you."

"I could have left at any time, but I stayed to fight for you. I have never been involved in war before, yet I have become a killing machine to protect you. My hands are stained with blood, and I have killed countless elves. All of this should have been none of my business, but I made the decision to stay. This is a favor, not a duty; it is an act of kindness, not an obligation. You should not treat me like this."

"I would say that the elves' propaganda and slogans are all desperate and vicious tactics. The likelihood of them fulfilling their promises is actually very low. The more they resort to such methods, the more it shows that they are already at their wits' end."

"I can say that I am just like you, I have family and loved ones, and I also want to live to go back and see them. This is a war that has nothing to do with me, but I participated in it, and now I have to face two enemies, one is the elves, and the other is you. If you have any conscience at all, shouldn't you think about this?"

Facing the night wind, Kang De's voice was calm and indifferent.

He used to be a rather introverted person. Without practice, he would always be a little nervous when participating in speech contests and giving speeches at school. But now he has become more experienced. He is not facing the gaze of the entire school's teachers and students, but a group of kneeling people, stretching all the way to the other side of the street.

Many, many people.

Are they pitiful? Yes, they are very pitiful.

Even now, Kang De still sympathizes with and pities them, who live in a bad world and a bad era, with no good life, only toil and exploitation, and are even caught up in war.

They are weak and ignorant, and can only struggle to survive by being cunning and selfish. They are so weak that they can only use their weakness as a weapon, and this weapon... can only hurt those with good intentions.

Kang De understood it perfectly.

But so what?

I'm the one who was hurt, schemed against, and forced.

What did I do wrong this time?

My life is my life too. I'm someone else's son. I'm innocent too. I have family too.

Is it fair that you make me die if you don't want to die?

Inappropriate.

So...

"Looking back, those words and explanations were actually useless," Kang De said calmly. "You just wanted to live, which is understandable and normal. Survival is a biological instinct. As someone stronger and better off than you, I have no right to criticize your struggle for survival."

"I know you've had a tough time, and I know everyone's life is precious."

"Therefore, after careful consideration, I have made a decision and hereby promise it to everyone."

The crowd was just a mob. Tonight, regardless of their purpose, whether they were instigated or had ulterior motives, they were all probably feeling guilty—not because they felt their actions tonight were against their conscience or that they were ashamed of Kang De, but because they were afraid of the other party's status, after all, he was the Duke's son-in-law.

Seeing Kang De's behavior, they were filled with unease and panic, but upon hearing Kang De final words, a glimmer of hope arose in their hearts.

That's what's said in both drama and poetry.

Heroes of noble character are willing to sacrifice themselves to save others' lives. Even if a villain holds a sword to the neck of a lowly beggar, the hero will surrender.

When faced with the threat of vicious enemies, heroes would repeat their vow to protect the weak and innocent civilians, and then selflessly sacrifice themselves—that's how it's portrayed in stories.

Hope was rekindled in their hearts.

Then, the hero's earnest and solemn promise was heard.

"I will avenge you and defeat the elves, sparing your people from the suffering they endure today."

It's like when he first came to Goth and saw a village being massacred and burned. He pursued the perpetrators through the night until he killed them all to appease the souls of the unjustly killed, even though he was a complete stranger to them.

That was all Kang De could do.

But he knew it wasn't enough... not enough.

These people will definitely feel it's not enough.

Because revenge means little to the dead; they are not their fellow human beings.

Sure enough, once the crowd processed those words, the commotion and weeping suddenly intensified. Many people broke down emotionally, children wailed, the elderly shed tears, and many more questioned, screamed, and pleaded. They lifted their children up and cried out about their deceased loved ones, but they were just a group of people struggling to survive.

A deafening bang ripped through the sky; the gunshot shattered the heavens.

"I was right after all. Compared to all those principles, there are only three words that suit you better."

Kang De coldly retorted, "Idiot, get out."

Perhaps firearms weren't very intimidating to these unfamiliar beings from another world. After the initial panic, a few stubborn individuals started yelling at the top of their lungs.

"Three more words will be given away for free."

The next moment, the Tomahawk crashed to the ground, sending shards of stone flying and exuding a murderous aura.

Get out of my way!

Those at the front hurriedly retreated, causing a commotion in the crowd. Kang De strode forward, closing in. "I'm curious, you're afraid of elves, but not me? They can't wipe out your entire family until at least tomorrow, while I can do it right now. Don't you understand which is more terrifying!"

Not everyone is afraid, because some emotions can temporarily override fear, such as the hysteria that follows the loss of everything. A middle-aged woman, her eyes bloodshot, lunged at Kang De instead of retreating. "My sons are all dead! It's all because of the orders of you nobles, all because of this cursed country! Kill me too!"

Kang De acted swiftly, grabbing her by the throat and squeezing her so hard that her face turned purple and she struggled desperately until fear appeared in her eyes.

He leaned closer, looking into the other man's eyes. "Don't you know why your sons stood up to protect this city? Didn't they know what dangers were involved in the fight? They are heroes, and now you're trampling on their corpses... Take this leaflet and go home!"

Then, with a forceful throw, he tossed the woman far away.

"You shouldn't have done that!" someone cried out from the other side. "A hero shouldn't act like this!"

"Bullshit! I'm the hero!"

Kang De walked over to him, grabbed the collar of the man who was sitting on the ground and backing away. The man's clothes were made of soft fabric, and he looked refined. He was a typical lower-middle-class person.

"Listen up, you idiot, I'll only teach you this lesson once."

Kang De coldly replied, "A hero can certainly risk his life to protect the weak, but if a hero doesn't want to do so, you can't force him, much less hate or criticize him."

"I don't care how high the moral standards or how much sacrifice other heroes have, but if anyone tries to force me to do this, I'll smash their head in."

As if on the verge of a mental breakdown, the middle-aged man cried out in despair.

"Gods, is this our destiny? Are we destined to die?"

He stared at Kang De with a mixture of envy and hatred, gritting his teeth. It was unclear who he mistook Kang De for, or perhaps he was hurling a scathing rebuke and curse at all the injustices and fate of his life, "How can you understand our suffering? I have neither your power nor your status. I toil day and night, yet I remain like this! Are we born to die?"

Kang De remained silent, then shook his head.

"Of course not," he said. "But it's not my fault, I'm sure it's not my fault, it has absolutely nothing to do with me. You can hate Goth, hate all the nobles, hate the gods, hate fate, hate this rigid social hierarchy, hate the age-old theory of bloodline, private property, and the exploiting class, but you shouldn't hate me. I'm very sure of that. I'm innocent."

Kang De grabbed the other man's hair and looked into his eyes.

"Listen up, you ant, don't let yourself become like a maggot."

Amidst cries and screams, he charged through the crowd, facing each and every one of them head-on.

No one dared to look him in the eye.

But he didn't feel gratified.

This was not the victory he wanted.

Valentan and Glittering Sand are two completely different places.

He didn't want to kill anyone here.

These people are not born good, but become evil because of their weakness. Kang De was furious, but before hatred, there was also pity. For these people, he felt more sorrow than disgust.

There must have been many numb people like this in China nearly a century ago.

That wasn't their fault.

For some reason, he remembered a saying by Confucius.

To punish someone without teaching them is cruelty.

I won't kill you... but I don't want to teach you anymore either.

In the night wind, surrounded by a cacophony of sounds, he witnessed the myriad sorrows of life. Enemies were everywhere, amidst cries and curses, like a nightmare. He would rather fight an equal number of elves for three hundred rounds than stay a moment longer in this formation of old, weak, women, and children.

Nearly a century ago, the forefathers of the Republic struggled to educate and awaken their apathetic people. The pressure and resistance they faced were probably ten thousand times greater than they are today. Just think of China back then, mired in centuries of decline, with its enslaved people and corrupt foundations—it was enough to make one feel powerless and hopeless. And today, a new world has been created, what a magnificent achievement!

But Kang De lacked that patience and determination.

Moreover, Goth... was not from his homeland.

So, whatever.

The sound of horses' hooves rose, and the soldiers of Valentan finally arrived.

But this did not mean that the matter could be resolved immediately. Seeing that Kang De was unmoved by either soft or hard tactics and his heart was as hard as stone, the elderly, weak, women and children of Valentan turned to the soldiers and cried and complained. After a series of fierce battles, the most elite soldiers were taking the time to rest and prepare for battle. The temporary youth army, who came from poor backgrounds and were even the younger children of these people, was responsible for maintaining order in the city and was thus being deployed without restraint.

These weak individuals consistently direct their anger at the even weaker.

The so-called weaker ones are not those who are weaker in strength, but those they believe will never turn their swords against them.

The previous target was Kang De.

What a misplaced affection.

Seeing these people surrounding the soldiers, crying and shouting, no longer daring to make a fuss, Kang De chuckled, turned around and went back. Now that the army had arrived, he would wait for Nick's words and actions.

Hong San and Leona came forward. Both of them could tell that Kang De was furious and desperately needed to vent, so they let him go out alone. The girl came closer and whispered, "Don't lower yourself to the level of a lowly person."

"Untouchables"... what an ugly word, full of class oppression.

Kang De remained silent.

Hong San carefully held the DV camera and said, "Sir, I've been filming the whole time."

Kang De took it, played a segment in reverse, and nodded, saying, "When the war ends and we conduct cultural education to enlighten the people and awaken national consciousness, we can edit it into an educational documentary and let all the Goth People in the country watch it. They will definitely feel deeply ashamed and loudly condemn it."

And they ignore the fact that if they were in the same situation, they wouldn't be much better than these people.

But who cares?

This is human nature—to constantly strive for moral superiority, whether in other worlds or on Earth.

The noise outside continued. These hastily assembled youth troops were no match for the cries and tears of their fellow villagers, or rather... they too had some unspeakable thoughts.

Leona bit her lip, standing close to Kang De, trying to comfort Kang De. But Eldest Miss Vidar was used to spewing profanities, so it was a little difficult for her to speak gently and soothingly.

She said softly, "Don't pay attention to these people's criticisms. When you defeat the elves and achieve remarkable feats in the future, these criticisms will vanish, and no one will dare to utter a single word."

Kang De nodded, then shook his head.

"It doesn't matter."

He forced a smile and said softly, "I no longer care what they think of me. Once this matter is settled, I'll go to the elven capital, and after I've finished my business, I should go home."

The interdimensional wars, the fickle hearts of men, the conspiracies and schemes, the malicious selfishness—all of this was far too heavy for someone like him who didn't have much ambition.

They once boasted that they would change the world and make Goth a better person; now it seems laughable.

He felt nauseous just looking at the people in this city, let alone an entire country of idiots.

Why not just go back to Earth and be the protagonist of a wish-fulfillment novel, occasionally opening a door to the Holy Seal Archipelago to spend some time with the magical creatures? That would be enough, wouldn't it?

Leona was startled by what she heard.

Go home...

She shuddered, her mind a jumble of thoughts, and opened her mouth, unsure of what to say.

Just then, a commotion broke out outside, followed by shouts.

Kang De listened intently, then calmly said, "Nick is here."

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PS1: I really wanted to write more freely... but I'll stop here for now. I'm going to prepare for a plot twist. After this part of the story, I'm going to go to Earth for a bit of fun, to crush some weaklings and change my mood. I can't beat the elves, but I can beat you guys, right?. jpg