It's part mercy, part laziness, and maybe a dash of general distaste for violence, but Balthazar's unlikely to admit to the last. Better to frame it as sheer practicality, and it's certainly true that in the Cape, someone too injured to work could become a liability.

"I'd rather you refrain from harming everyone, if possible," he says dryly. "But if you find you can't handle that, let me know and I'll give you the short list."