A Promise for the Future

"Are you sure?" Richard listened to Shande, then looked at him and asked, "If I tell you to kill someone, can you really do it?"

"Haven't I killed enough already?" Shande swept his gaze over the corpses around them and said disdainfully, "Though I haven't killed as many as you here, when it comes to killing people, I don't have any psychological barriers left."

"I'm not talking about them."

"Then who? A woman?" Shande guessed, then laughed. "There's no shortage of women here, is there?"

"What if she isn't a female wizard, but an ordinary woman with no extraordinary powers?" Richard asked.

Shande froze, pursed his lips, and said, "I can do it. If she offended you and had committed countless evil deeds, I could still kill her for you."

"What if she were a pregnant woman? She has a husband who loves her and a child about to be born in her womb. If I told you to kill her whole family, would you do it?" Richard asked.

Shande's expression stiffened instantly, and the muscles in his face twisted. He wanted to answer yes, but for some reason, he could not force the words out. Sweat seeped from his skin as he glared at Richard and gritted out, "You... don't force me."

"Heh." Richard suddenly laughed and looked at Shande. "I'm not forcing you. You're forcing yourself. You see, you do have principles—you simply haven't realized it yet. Don't worry. I won't make you do something like that. It would be a waste. Like I said, what I'll have you do will be difficult, but it will align with your principles. I hope you can grow stronger as soon as possible."

Shande fell silent. After a long while, he raised his head, stared into Richard's eyes, and asked, "I