Chapter 123: Can't You Care More About Yourself?
"Mr. Steve, are you doing this because you're worried about me?"
It wasn't until this moment that Alina finally understood why Steven had suddenly appeared behind her with such a serious expression. Judging by his actions, those two monsters were clearly coming straight for her.
If it weren't for Steven's sudden appearance, Alina didn't think she would have survived the attack of those eerie creatures. She was well aware of her own abilities.
Not to mention these strange monsters she had never seen before—even a wild coyote in the wilderness wasn't something a fragile girl like her could fend off.
This realization only deepened the gratitude in her heart toward Steven.
Seeing his stern expression, Alina could tell just how much he cared about her. Though he hadn't said much, for some reason, she felt a warmth deep in her heart.
How long had it been since someone had cared for her like this?
Ever since her parents passed away, Alina had grown used to living alone. Talulah's presence had let her experience the warmth of friendship, but Steven's actions now made her feel that this emotion was something even deeper, something she could lose herself in.
"Yes, you don't even realize how dangerous it just was. I've told you before not to act alone. You know how dangerous this snowy land is—was it really worth it to go this far for that girl?"
Steven couldn't hold back anymore after hearing Alina speak. He liked her gentle nature, sure, but she cared too much about others and not enough about herself.
A personality as selfless as hers was bound to lead to trouble.
So, as if to make sure she learned her lesson, Steven raised his hand and lightly tapped her on the head with the side of his palm like a karate chop. She shrank back slightly, a pained expression appearing on her face.
"Can't you care more about yourself? Do you really need others to worry about you?"
While knocking on Alina's head, Steven reminded her sternly. This wasn't just an empty warning—he really didn't want to see such a kind girl meet a tragic fate.
It was lucky he was here today. If it had been Talulah instead, she might have only arrived in time to see Alina's corpse, her insides devoured by those creatures. Who knew how devastated she would have been?
Of course, part of the issue was that Alina had no combat ability. If she and Talulah had switched places, Steven wouldn't have had to teleport over in such a panic.
"I know I was wrong, Mr. Steve. I was just worried about Talulah's injuries…"
Alina clutched her head in grievance and looked up, explaining her reasoning.
She hadn't known whether Steven would come or not. He was the only one in the village who could be considered a doctor. If he hadn't been here, she would have had to search the surrounding area for medicinal herbs to treat Talulah.
No one knew why those strange creatures had appeared near the village. Even though she had lived in the snowy wilderness for years, it was her first time seeing such beings.
"If you're worried about her, have you considered that others are worried about you too? Seriously, there better not be a next time. If I catch you running off on your own again and getting into trouble, just see how I'll deal with you."
Steven reached out a finger and tapped her lightly on the nose, his expression showing he was ready to scold her further if necessary.
But the more he acted like this, the warmer Alina felt inside.
"Mm, I'll listen to you."
Nodding obediently, Alina was just about to stand up from her crouching position when—perhaps because she had been squatting for too long, or maybe because her legs had gone numb—as soon as she stood up abruptly, her foot twisted out of nowhere, and she tumbled toward the snowy ground.
Fortunately, Steven had been watching her the whole time. He immediately reached out and caught her, preventing her face from having an intimate encounter with the icy ground.
"How is anyone supposed to feel at ease with you like this?"
Sighing helplessly, Steven could only accept his fate of having such a troublesome friend. He shook his head while helping her up, then carefully examined her ankle, which had turned slightly red and swollen from the twist.
It looked like just a simple sprain—nothing serious enough to damage the bone. Sometimes, he really couldn't understand how girls' bodies worked. How did someone manage to twist their ankle from just standing up on flat ground?
Alina, on the other hand, shook her head in embarrassment. She hadn't expected this to happen either.
But… did this mean that, on the way back, she would have to be carried or piggybacked by Steven…?
The thought made her cheeks flush pink, yet surprisingly, she didn't feel any desire to refuse.
This was an unexpected accident, after all. The fact that Steven was even willing to help her was already good enough—how could she possibly reject his kindness?
However, to Alina's surprise, after confirming that her injury wasn't serious, Steven didn't sweep her up in a princess carry like in the romance novels she had accidentally read before, nor did he put her on his back. Instead, he rummaged through his pocket for a while and then pulled out a small bottle of pink-colored medicine—one that looked somewhat familiar to Alina.
"Drink a sip, and you should be fine. Talulah is still waiting for us to return, and we need to deal with this monster situation properly."
Under Alina's slightly complicated gaze, Steven handed her the healing potion. He clearly wasn't thinking too much about it. If someone was injured, they should just drink medicine—why waste time?
"Oh… okay."
Alina herself wasn't sure why she felt a little disappointed, but she still obediently took the potion and took a small sip.
She was well aware of how miraculous this potion was, but the fact that Steven had given it to her so readily also spoke volumes about their closeness.
And yet… for some reason, this wasn't the result she had been hoping for.
The potion worked quickly. Alina's injured ankle recovered almost instantly, and after Steven confirmed that she was indeed fine, he led her back toward the village.
Talulah was probably still checking the village for any hidden dangers. No one knew if that Collapsal had infiltrated the settlement, and if it had, tracking it down would be quite the hassle.
After all, not everyone had a built-in minimap like Steven did, where he could simply check the color of a marker to distinguish friend from foe.
For safety's sake—and because Alina, as an ordinary person, couldn't walk too fast—Steven proactively reached out his hand toward her. If they walked hand-in-hand, at least they could pick up the pace.
Alina silently placed her small hand into Steven's palm, letting him hold onto her as they ran across the snowy plains together.
It wasn't exactly what she had envisioned, but…
If she considered the outcome alone, maybe this wasn't so bad after all?
Alina lowered her head in deep thought, her mind swirling with countless emotions.
Before long, Steven had already led the girl—who had been just a hair's breadth away from death—back to the village. The first thing they saw was a dragon-horned girl pacing anxiously at the village entrance.
"Phew, I knew everything would be fine. It's all your fault for making it sound so serious."
Upon seeing that both Steven and Alina appeared unharmed, Talulah's tense and worried expression finally eased. She stepped forward and gave Steven a light push.
"Heh, do you realize that if I had been even a little late, your dear friend here would've been saying her final goodbyes to you from the afterlife?"
Steven chuckled as he dropped a statement that made Talulah's heart skip a beat.
She knew Steven well enough—he liked to joke around sometimes, but when it came to serious matters like this, he would never lie.
Which meant… Alina had really been in danger because of her?
With a nervous expression, she turned to the girl beside her, only to see Alina nod slightly, confirming the truth of Steven's words.
That was all it took for Talulah to lose her composure. She immediately rushed to Alina's side, patting and inspecting her like a worried mother, afraid that she might have some hidden injuries.
The only person she could truly call her confidant—the one she trusted unconditionally—was Alina. Steven? At best, he was just a friend. If she had to rank them, Alina was unquestionably a tier above him in her heart.
And now, knowing that Alina had put herself in danger just to find treatment for her injury? That only made her more unwilling to see her friend hurt because of it.
"Stop fussing, she's fine. With me on the scene, have you ever seen things go south?"
Steven rolled his eyes. These two really had an unusually strong bond—even closer than most sisters.
"That doesn't mean I can't worry about her! You made it sound so terrifying, how was I supposed to know if she got hurt or not?"
After carefully confirming that Alina truly wasn't injured, Talulah finally let out a slow breath of relief and turned to respond to Steven.
"So, what exactly did you two run into? Was it a wild beast, or that strange thing you mentioned? I checked the entire village but didn't see any trace of it."
She asked Steven directly, her face filled with curiosity.
And yet… was it just her imagination, or had something about these two changed during the short time they were gone?
Their relationship and the atmosphere between them seemed noticeably… closer.
Even now, they were still holding hands, with no sign of letting go.
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