Sitting on the bench, Klein and Elfaria glanced at the skies in comfortable silence.

Klein had his arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her close.

Elfaria leaned into him, resting her head against his chest as they simply enjoyed each other’s presence.

A few seconds later, she turned her head and kissed his cheek softly.

A delicate blush appeared on her face, coloring her skin with a faint pink hue.

"I-I need to leave now," she said quietly. "Let’s meet later."

Her gaze softened as she looked at him, "I am really happy that I got to see you again, Irakiel."

Klein tightened his arm around her shoulders, pulling her even closer.

He turned his head and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, then to her blushing cheek.

"I’m happy too," he whispered against her hair. "More than I can say. Every moment with you here feels like healing old wounds."

They stayed like that for a while.

Eventually, Elfaria stood up with reluctance, "I’ll see you soon, my love," she whispered, giving his hand one final squeeze.

With a soft glow of spirit energy, she began fading from the Spirit Realm, returning to her duties in the Elf domain.

Klein remained on the bench for a while longer, staring at the spot where she had been.

Orpheus materialized gracefully, her green robes flowing softly as she sat on the bench next to him.

"Are you sad?"

With a shake of his head, Klein replied, "...No. In fact I am happy that I got to meet her after so many years."

Orpheus smiled warmly. Without a word, she pulled him into a gentle embrace and wrapped her arms around him.

Raising her hand, she slowly patted her head "Dear child... I can read the emotions of others."

"Even when you first saw her, I sensed your overwhelming grief and longing."

Klein let out a quiet breath and allowed himself to lean into the embrace.

The Mother of Spirits’ warmth was different from Elfaria’s and for a few moments, he simply accepted the comfort.

"I thought I had lost her forever," he muttered quietly against her shoulder. "Seeing her again... it’s more than I dared to hope for."

Orpheus continued patting his head tenderly and he murmured "For some reason, hugging you is so comforting and brings peace to my mind."

With a giggle, she ruffled his hair "I am glad to hear that."

She held him a little longer, letting her pure spirit energy flow through him, easing the constant restlessness of his mind.

Klein eventually pulled back slightly, though he still stayed close and a small, genuine smile formed on his face. "Thank you. I feel... lighter."

Orpheus smiled warmly, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead "Good. That is what I am here for."

With a soft chuckle, he replied, "Alright then, I will go and cultivate."

She smiled gently "Let me stay with you and help."

*swoosh*

With a gentle swirl of spirit energy, Klein and Orpheus appeared inside her cozy wooden house.

Klein sat down on the edge of the soft bed.

Orpheus moved gracefully behind him and sat as well.

She then reached out and pulled up his shirt "Like I said the other day, it’s better to do it without a shirt. The mana here is denser compared to outside."

Klein didn’t resist as she helped him remove the top, revealing his toned upper body.

She then hugged his body from behind, pressing her body against his back.

She rested her chin comfortably on his shoulder, her long green hair spilling over him.

"And with me, it should be easier for you to cultivate," she murmured softly near his ear.

Klein smiled wryly because she was not entirely wrong.

Having skin contact with her soothed his mind and calmed the constant turbulence of his cursed energy, making it significantly easier for him to concentrate.

He closed his eyes and began cultivating.

Orpheus’s arms remained wrapped around his waist as her palms rested flat against his abdomen, feeling the warmth of his skin.

Warm, gentle waves of spirit energy flowed steadily from her body into his.

The two mana cores inside him spun faster, drawing in the dense ambient mana of the Spirit Realm.

"Focus on balance," she whispered, her breath tickling his ear. "My energy will soften the edges."

Seeing mana flow through his body, she frowned slightly ’His body is absorbing a lot of mana compared to others.’

’It’s as if he has 2 or 3 cores.’

But then she shook her head, dismissing the thought ’That’s not possible. Maybe his mana core has a greater density compared to others.’

---

Night at Crownfall-

Klein was sitting on the bed in his inn room.

Three days of dead ends had left him mentally drained, but the cultivation session with Orpheus and the reunion with Elfaria in the Spirit Realm had left him feeling refreshed and more focused.

He closed his eyes for a moment, breathing steadily as he expanded his senses.

Then he felt a subtle trace of cursed energy downstairs ’She is still here.’

He stood up, adjusted his simple dark shirt, and headed downstairs.

The inn’s dining area was still dimly lit with soft overhead lights, though fewer guests remained at this hour.

His gaze immediately found her.

She was sitting at the same corner table as before with a cup of wine.

He walked over without hesitation and pulled out the chair opposite her.

"Mind if I join you again?"

The woman looked up at him "You again," she said flatly. "You really don’t know when to quit, do you?"

Klein sat down anyway, offering a charming smile "I figured one meal wasn’t enough to make a proper impression. Besides, the night is still young."

She stared at him for a moment, then let out a quiet sigh and took a sip of her wine.

"You’re persistent. I’ll give you that."

Her brown eyes narrowed slightly. "Anyone would have taken the hint after I told them I’m married."

Klein smiled faintly "But you’re still sitting here alone. Late at night in a city like Crownfall."

The woman set her cup down with a soft clink.

Her expression remained mostly indifferent "Maybe you’re not as naive as you pretend to be. What do you really want, boy?"

Keeping his smile, he spoke "I’ve been looking into certain... underground matters in the capital for the past three days. And I think we might have common interests."

The woman’s eyes sharpened dangerously for a brief second.

"Careful," she warned. "Some topics are dangerous to speak about openly. Especially for someone only at F-rank."

Klein didn’t back down.

He reached over casually and took the cup from her hand, taking a slow sip of her wine before setting it back down.

"If it’s dangerous to talk openly, would you prefer to talk about it privately in your room?"

The woman stared at him in silence for several long seconds.

"Fine," she said after a moment. "But not here. Too many eyes in this inn."

She stood up gracefully, "Follow me. There’s a quiet bar two blocks from here. We can speak there."

He stood as well, "Lead the way."

As they left the inn together and stepped into the cool night air of Crownfall, the woman glanced sideways at him.

"One warning. If you turn out to be someone’s spy or just another idiot playing with fire... I won’t hesitate to make you disappear. Married or not, I still have teeth."

Klein chuckled softly "Uh huh. Though I prefer to think of myself as someone who bites back."

The woman shook her head again, but there was a faint trace of a smirk on her lips as they walked down the dimly lit street.

Klein sighed in his heart ’It is hard to keep my act like this... even I am cringing slightly.’