Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

Chapter 955: Chapter 34: The Hunt (Part 5)_3

“No! Don’t talk yet, listen to me.” Anna spoke in an indisputable and irrefutable tone. She took Winters’ hand and held it tightly, very tightly: “When I was seven years old, during the winter, my mother would traditionally take me to the shop. On our way home, outside the city, we encountered a beggar who was nearly frozen to death. My mother didn’t have any money with her, nor did the coachman, so she took off her earrings and gave them to the beggar.”

“Mrs. Navarre is very kind.”

“No.” Anna looked at Winters with a complex expression: “It was only later that my mother found out that the beggar had frozen to death on the way to pawn the earrings.”

Winters could tell, even after so many years, this incident still troubled Anna greatly. He silently squeezed her hand.

“I asked my mother if we had taken the beggar home, would he have not frozen to death.” Anna spoke rapidly, her eyes brimming with tears: “My mother said ‘yes, but bringing a stranger home could have put our family in danger.'”

Winters wiped away Anna’s tears: “Actually, Mrs. Navarre made a valid point.”

“I’m not trying to tell you ‘my mother is right’!” Anna revealed her true feelings: “I want to tell you that my mother is the most cold-hearted, merciless merchant in Sea Blue and even in Vineta! Yet even she, hesitated not a bit to take off her earrings and give them to a strange beggar. Even she has a side of kindness and compassion.

Because kindness and mercy are human nature, God also put kindness and mercy into our bodies when He created man in His image. If everyone was devoid of kindness, the world would not be as it is today.

But when kindness and reason conflict, one always has to make a choice! My mother always listens to reason, so she would give her earrings to a stranger, but not bring a stranger home.

And you? You are the person who, after much consideration, still brings the beggar home, yet your reason cannot accept this action, so you must invent a sufficient reason — a selfish reason. ‘I saved him because I want to use him’, ‘I saved him because I like that he is grateful to me’. It’s because selfish reasons can convince reason.”

“My dear, don’t you understand?” Anna said tearfully, “You don’t think you’re kind, because reason tells you kindness is a flaw, indicating weakness. So you despise kindness, hate kindness, blame kindness.”

Anna stepped into the bathtub, hugging Winters tightly: “But you are wrong, dear. Kindness is a precious quality. Especially kindness that chooses to remain after going through hardships, pain, and betrayal. You save your comrades because of this. Your companions trust you, follow you, fight for you, die for you, because of this. Nobility is not motivation, nobility is the result, just like kindness.”

“Do not despise yourself.” She gently touched the scars on Winters’ forehead: “No matter what, I will stand by you.”

…

…

Shortly after, the bath ended.

Anna brought Winters some clothes to change into: “Put these on after a while.”

Looking at the new hunting outfit Anna brought, an ominous premonition surged in Winters’ heart, and he carefully said: “I don’t think I own this article of clothing… Was there a mix-up with my luggage when unloading?”

“It’s your size.” Anna smiled beautifully, yet her tone left no room for refusal: “Just wear it.”