Chapter 445: Kindness Has Its Price

Kindness Has Its Price

Rias said, "Why don’t... we let him off this time?"

Her voice was soft.

Yet in the tense silence that followed, every word carried clearly across the courtyard.

The air still seemed to hold the remnants of the confrontation. Dust drifted lazily through the sunlight, disturbed by the footsteps of retreating soldiers. The atmosphere that had been sharp enough to cut moments ago had finally begun to loosen, but nobody present dared to move too freely.

Leon stood quietly at the center of it all.

His long, shoulder-length black hair stirred gently in the breeze, and his purple eyes remained calm and deep beneath the faint shadow of his midnight robes. Thin amethyst embroideries caught the sunlight whenever the fabric moved, giving him an almost otherworldly presence.

For a few breaths, he simply looked at Rias.

Then the corner of his lips lifted.

Leon smiled faintly.

"If my precious Rias said so, then for sure."

His voice was calm.

There was no hesitation.

To Leon, General of Ashford City’s life and death was only a matter of a single slap from him. Such a person had never been worth taking seriously in the first place.

Today’s entire farce had been caused by James.

The old man had recklessly dragged everyone into the situation, and General of Ashford City had ultimately been nothing more than a man who had been deceived and pulled into the mess.

Leon had no reason to hold a grudge against him.

But that did not mean there was nothing worth teaching.

Leon slowly turned his head and looked toward Rias.

His expression remained gentle, but something more serious appeared in his eyes.

"Student, it’s a good thing to be kind by nature, but sometimes, kindness will harm you."

Rias’s expression became solemn.

Leon continued, his voice unhurried.

"We can forget about today’s matter."

Rias’s eyes softened slightly.

Then Leon added,

"But I hope you understand a principle..."

The faint smile disappeared from his face.

Rias looked at him seriously.

She could tell from his tone that this was no longer about General of Ashford City.

This was a lesson.

A lesson that her Teacher wanted her to remember for the rest of her cultivation journey.

"Teacher, tell me, what principle is it?"

Her voice was respectful.

Leon looked at her for a moment before speaking.

"Being kind to the enemy is being cruel to yourself."

The words were simple.

There was no thunderous declaration.

No overwhelming aura.

Yet they landed heavily in Rias’s heart.

Her pupils trembled slightly.

She lowered her eyes and silently thought about what Leon had said.

On the path of cultivation, the hearts of people were sinister.

That was something every cultivator eventually learned.

Today, someone might kneel before you and beg for mercy.

Tomorrow, that same person could become the blade pointed at your back.

Who could guarantee that the enemy you spared today would not return in the future and stab you when you were least prepared?

Rias’s fingers slowly tightened around the edge of her sleeve.

She understood.

Kindness was not wrong.

But kindness without judgment could become foolishness.

"Teacher, I understand."

Rias nodded solemnly.

Her eyes were filled with sincerity as she accepted the advice.

Leon watched her quietly.

Only after seeing the seriousness in her expression did he finally feel satisfied.

Actually, to him, General of Ashford City and James were no threat at all.

Not even remotely.

If Leon truly wanted them dead, there was nothing they could do to resist.

The difference between them was simply too great.

One was a towering existence standing at the pinnacle Realm.

The others were merely people struggling beneath that height.

Leon could crush them with almost no effort.

That was precisely why he had allowed this entire situation to continue.

He wanted to use this opportunity to teach the two girls a lesson.

Rias was kind.

That kindness was precious.

But kindness also needed wisdom.

Girls were often more sensitive and compassionate by nature. When they saw someone begging for mercy, they could not bear to watch them suffer.

It was inevitable that, sometimes, they would hesitate.

Sometimes they would choose to let an enemy go.

Leon did not want to take that softness away from them.

He simply wanted them to understand when it could be given and when it could become a weakness.

"Okay!"

Leon slowly turned around.

His robes brushed softly against the ground.

"For the sake of Rias, I can let bygones be bygones."

His tone was indifferent.

Then he paused.

"But..."

That single word immediately made the surrounding atmosphere tense again.

Several people instinctively held their breath.

Leon turned his gaze toward James.

The old man was standing in the middle of the crowd.

His face had already lost most of its color.

He had been watching Leon carefully from the moment the confrontation began. Now, when their eyes met, James’s heart immediately sank.

Leon, however, revealed a meaningful smile.

There was something almost playful in it.

When he thought about what had happened earlier, especially the enormous amount of money James had practically thrown at him, Leon couldn’t help feeling amused.

This old man was truly generous.

He had not even finished enjoying the benefits from the earlier exchange.

And now James had come knocking on his door again.

What a considerate man.

Leon had actually been wondering how he could find another excuse to extort him.

He had not expected James to deliver the opportunity himself.

A faint glimmer appeared in Leon’s purple eyes.

James suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Why did that smile feel so dangerous?

Leon did not explain.

He simply walked toward General of Ashford City.

The general stood there with his head lowered.

His shoulders remained stiff, but his hands had already begun trembling slightly.

He did not dare raise his head.

He had already experienced Leon’s terrifying strength.

To someone like him, standing before a pinnacle Realm expert was like standing beneath a mountain that could collapse at any moment.