Chapter 63: The Stubborn Rookie

  The first snow of winter wasn't particurly heavy, but it draped the entire forest in a silver coat, making it exceptionally beautiful uhe sunlight. Alex leaned against the carriage dazing at the sery outside. He yawned as the carriage swayed tinuously.

  Although Crk had prepared the best carriage iwater Town for Alex, it was still a small pce. This carriage, said to have been used by the town's mayor feions, certainly had a sense of history about it. Judging by how the carriage was shaki and right... well, at least it hadn't fallen apart yet, which was something.

  Thinking of this, Alex g the young girl sitting beside him. She appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen, with golden curls and fair skin, looking as cute as a doll.

  At this moment, she was g her hands tightly at her chest, early saying a m prayer. She raying for those who had died in battle, hoping that their souls would fiernal peace.

  After a moment, the girl sighed deeply, then opened her eyes and looked at Alex with an apologetic expression.

  "I'm sorry, Mr. Alex... Did I disturb you?"

  "No, Miss Fina."

  Hearing her question, Alex shook his head with a smile. He had introduced himself to her the day before. This girl was named Fina Carlsdottir Nathalie, a novice cleri a pilgrimage.

  The so-called pilgrimage was what Alex sidered "going into the tryside," but clerics were treated much better than novice padins. After all, being a cleric wasn't a bat-focused profession, so someone like Fina didn’t have to wander around like Alex, fighting cultists or the undead.

  Instead, wherever they arrived, clerics would stay at the local temple and perform tasks within their capabilities, such as preparing medies or treating the sick.

  However, Fina's pilgrimage had bee a bit too thrilling for her.

  "You don't seem very happy. Is something b you?"

  Perhaps out of boredom, Alex asked curiously. He had noticed that ever since Fina woke up, she had seemed a bit down, as if something was on her mind.

  "If you don't mind, why not talk about it?"

  "It's nothing serious, really..."

  Faced with Alex's inquiry, Fina forced a bitter smile and sighed helplessly.

  "I just think... I'm too stupid..."

  "Stupid?"

  Alex couldn't help but be surprised by this response. He had assumed she was still m for the fallen, but he couldn't uand why she would suddenly bring up this topic.

  "Well..."

  Fina shrank back, l her head deeply.

  "Wasn't what I did yesterday really foolish? If I could be more like you, Mr. Alex, those soldiers wouldn't have had to suffer so much. And... in the previous battle, if I had thought more carefully, I might have been able to save more people..."

  "Uh..."

  Hearing this, Alex was momentarily stunned. Although Fina didn't eborate, he could guess why she was feeling down. If Alex's guess was correct, this novice cleric had made a on rookie mistake—obsessive perfe!

  She robably the type who wouldn't switch targets until she had fully healed them.

  "Have you... always dohings that way?"

  "Yes..."

  Fina lowered her head even further, looking like she wished she could bury herself in a hole.

  "Because I 't bear to see them suffer. Every time I see the wounded, I 't help but feel that I have to heal them pletely..."

  Are you a Libra? This is cssic perfe.

  "Don't be so disced. How should I put this... It's a istake for rookies."

  Alex wasn't sure what else to say, so he could only offer a few words of fort. He didn't notice that when he mentioned "rookies," Fina's expression ged slightly. She then looked up, surprised, at Alex.

  "Is that really true, Mr. Alex?"

  "More or less... I've seen it happen to quite a few people."

  Alex had indeed seey of obsessive healers in games, but entering one in real life was a first for him.

  "I see..."

  Fina’s expression turned somewhat plicated after hearing Alex’s response. She seemed a bit downcast, yet there was also a hint of relief, mixed with a touch of sadness. But then, she suddenly shivered and sneezed softly.

  "Achoo!"

  "Are you cold?"

  Notig how the girl was rubbing her pale hands together, Alex paused for a moment. While the carriage spared them the hardship of a long journey on foot, it was quite old and drafty, with wind seeping in through every crack.

  Alex wasn’t bothered by the cold due to his Zerg-enhanced physique, which could probably withstand freezing temperatures in space. However, the girl was clearly struggling. Without hesitation, Alex took off his coat and draped it over her.

  "This... I ’t possibly... Mr. Alex..."

  Fina quickly waved her hands, a bit flustered, trying to refuse the coat. But Alex didn’t seem to mind these formalities.

  "It’s no big deal. I’m not cold anyway, so it doesn’t matter whether I wear it or not. Besides, you fainted from exhaustioerday. It’s better not to push yourself. If you get sick, it’ll be troublesome."

  "Ugh..."

  Fina puffed her cheeks in defia couldn’t argue back. The freezing carriage was an undeniable fact, and she was indeed feeling weaker than usual after fainting the previous day. After gng at Alex and firming that he didn’t have any ulterior motives, unlike some people she had met before, Fiated for a moment before taking the coat.

  "Thank you... I’ll borrow it for now."

  As she put the coat on, Fina’s eyes widened in surprise.

  She noticed that shortly after wearing the coat, her previously cold body started to warm up. But this wasn’t a magical garment, was it?

  In this world, many magical items existed, and even middle-css people could afford basies like crystal mps ical heaters fht and warmth. However, more advanced magical clothing, tools, and ons were reserved for the wealthy, simply because they were prohibitively expensive.

  To draw a parison, it was like how in Alex’s inal world, most households had electricity and gas, but more luxurious eleics were beyond the reach of average families. Even a garment inscribed with a temperature-reguting magical array was something only the nobility could afford. For on folk, it was an unattainable luxury.

  If it had been a magical coat, Fina wouldn’t have been too surprised, as she had seey of noble heirs with such items at the temple. But the odd thing was, she couldn’t detey magical aura from this pin coat. There were no signs of magical inscriptioher. By all appearances, it was just an ordinary coat.

  Seeing Fina’s astonished expression, Alex smiled slightly and leaned back against the seat.

  The clothes Alex was currently wearing weren’t the ones he had when he first arrived in the world of Edge of Tomorrow. Those were dirty and torn, and after his body had been remade, they no longer fit due to the differen his height. So, he discarded them.

  In fact, the clothes he was wearing now were ade in the world of Edge of Tomorrow.

  Although that world had beeated by alien invaders, its teological development was still ahead of the world Alex had inally lived in. So, finding a clothing store aing a full set of ade clothes wasn’t a big deal. Moreover, these clothes were made from lightweight nanomaterials, physical prote, incredible durability, aao water, fire, and cold. Of course, a suit like this wasn’t cheap, and Alex had spent a siderable sum on it.

  What? Where did Alex get the money, you ask?

  Haha, it wasn’t stolen or anything like that. Alex would never resort to such means. He simply opehe vault of a certain Parisian bank and helped himself to a little reward.

  You see, in RPG games, isn’t it standard practice for the hero to opes in NPCs' houses?

  "Err...”

  Just as Alex was watg Fina and about to say something, the carriage suddenly slowed to a stop. Then, a voice came from outside.

  "Sir, Miss Cleriething seems off up ahead."

  (End of Chapter)

  ? Unlock the World of Stories with Early Access on Patreon! ?

  Hello, beloved readers and supporters!

  I am thrilled to offer you an exclusive opportunity to dive deeper into our captivating stories before anyone else. By joining the Patreon unity, you'll unlock a treasure trove of bes, including:

  ? Early Access to 20 Chapters: Be the first to explore neters, experieng the twists and turns of our tales well ahead ur readers. Your jourhrough our stories doesn't have to wait!

  ? ect with the unity: Join a vibrant, like-minded group of readers who share your passion. Engage iing discussions, share theories, and make new friends who love the stories as much as you do.

  ? Support the Creator: Your patronage directly tributes to the ongoing creation and improvement of the tent you love. Be a vital part of the creative journey!

  Patreon./anish_44