Klaus stepped out of an alleyway wearing casual clothes now... he was wearing a simple brown tunic with dark trousers which was nothing memorable as he now looked like an extremely handsome commoner.

*Good, I’m done with that fucker.*

He didn’t know who would handle illegal conversions from minerals to money in the Black Market of Galen town for now and he really didn’t care... That wasn’t his problem anymore, Marius and his whole corrupt operation could rot.

He felt good about himself, really good.

Marius absolutely deserved what happened to him... every second of pain, every copper coin Klaus had taken and now Klaus had quite some levels of wealth to show for it with a lot of real gold sitting in his storage ring.

The weight of it was satisfying in a way he hadn’t expected and the memory of Marius’s face when he realized what was happening? It was worth every risk.

’Well then, what should I use all this money to do?’

Klaus had enough to pay the Academy withdrawal fee and remove himself from the Divine Academy entrance exam... which was still a month and some weeks away and he’d still have plenty left over to buy a large villa somewhere quiet, maybe near the coast or countryside.

He could just live... actually live the rest of his life properly, the way normal people did when they came into money.

No more adventuring, no more life-or-death situations every week and no more lack of safety.

He could buy a minor noble title through the right channels... there were always impoverished nobles willing to sell their family names for the right price or he could buy it directly from the Kingdom itself, probably marry some beautiful woman who didn’t ask too many questions and settle down somewhere comfortable then grow old peacefully.

Live the rest of his life properly, living in a comfortable and safe environment... except that sounded boring as absolute hell when he actually thought about it.

It was mind-numbingly boring... the kind of boring that made him want to claw his eyes out just imagining it and he liked surviving too but what would he even do all day?

Tend a garden? Read books? Make polite conversation with other retired adventurers about the weather? Watch his hypothetical wife embroider things while he sat in a comfortable chair slowly dying of understimulation?

No... Hell no... That wasn’t living... That was just existing and waiting to die in comfort.

Klaus never thought he would think about this in his entire life... he never imagined himself as the ambitious type who wanted more beyond basic survival but he actually did want to keep fighting.

He wanted to keep pushing himself... he wanted to keep accumulating wealth, maybe an ungodly, obscene amount of it.

The kind of wealth that made people’s eyes bug out when they heard numbers and perhaps until he was richer than the King himself if he played his cards right over the next few years.

Honestly? He wanted to bully that stupid fool who was the so-called Protagonist of this world.

That Hero with his holy sword and goddess blessing, walking around acting like he was special just because some divine being picked him out of millions. Klaus wanted to humble that bastard so hard that—

’Calm down Klaus, the money’s getting to your head.’

He took a deep breath, adjusted his collar. Getting drunk on success was dangerous. That’s exactly how people made catastrophically stupid mistakes and lost everything they’d worked for in one bad decision.

As for right now, his immediate next step was clear: go meet with Mayor Aldwin and request official access to view resource dungeons in the region.

He finally had a reliable, repeatable way to make the Compass of Truth work properly every single time without fail. The method was pretty insane, yes. Potentially lethal if anything went wrong but it would work and that’s what mattered.

As for what he planned to use the wealth recovered from those resource dungeons to do after he found them? Klaus didn’t really know yet as he didn’t have a detailed plan mapped out but he was getting there at least, one step at a time.

Having options was infinitely better than being broke and desperate.

’Also need to check what rank I’m at in the Guild.’

That was important too. Rank mattered when dealing with city officials... A D-rank adventurer got dismissed as a nobody while a B-rank or higher got taken seriously, got respect and got better deals.

Klaus passed by the herb shop belonging to Taula’s grandmother which was a small two-story storefront with bundles of dried herbs hanging in the windows, glass jars filled with colorful powders lining the shelves visible through the glass, and that distinctive medicinal plant smell wafting out into the street.

The shop was clearly open for business and the door stood slightly ajar with a small brass bell hanging above it.

She must have returned from her trip to the capital finally, which meant Taula had probably moved back with her grandmother instead of staying at his place wi—

The door suddenly swung open wider.

The instant Taula caught sight of him walking past on the street, her eyes lit up and she blurred forward. One moment she was inside the shop, the next she was right in front of him.

She grabbed his hand in a grip like iron and pulled without asking, without warning.

"Taula, what the heck?"

He was yanked bodily into the shop before he could finish or plant his feet to resist. Sure he was stronger now with better training and stat improvements from everything that happened but when Taula used aura enhancement to boost her strength? He was still weaker than her in raw physical power.

The gap wasn’t as large as before, but it was definitely there. She could still manhandle him if she wanted to.

The door shut behind them with a soft click and Taula turned the lock.

"I want you to meet my—"

The woman behind the counter perked up immediately, setting down whatever herbal mixture she’d been grinding in a stone mortar and she looked up at them both with bright interested green eyes.

"Grandma!"

Taula’s "Grandma" looked at them with a small, knowing smile on her face, almost as if she was reminiscing about something from long ago... maybe her own youth...

"Taula dearie~ Is this the Klaus you’ve been talking about non-stop?"

Klaus was genuinely surprised by what he was seeing.

Her grandma didn’t look like a typical grandmother at all.

Sure she had a few subtle wrinkles on her face here and there around her eyes and mouth but overall she looked more like she could be Taula’s mother rather than her grandmother, or maybe even an older sister.

She had the same bright blonde hair pulled back in a bun with the same vivid green eyes and the same strong athletic build that suggested years of serious physical training.

Were they nobles? Banished ones, maybe? That would explain the unusual youthfulness and the obvious combat-ready physiques both of them had.

Taula nodded enthusiastically, practically bouncing. "He’s the one! This is Klaus!"

The woman’s smile widened. "Welcome, wonderful Klaus... Taula hasn’t stopped talking about you since she came back from Rivera yesterday. Honestly, my ears were practically burning from how much she gushed."

"Grandma!" Taula’s face went red.

Klaus massaged the back of his head, suddenly feeling awkward. "Good things, I hope?"

"Extremely good things, I assure you. Very glowing reviews. I wanted to have a proper talk with you over tea~"

She smiled warmly and began pouring fragrant tea from a ceramic pot into two delicate cups. The tea smelled expensive and floral with hints of citrus.

"Taula told me that she’d been living with you while I was away handling Guild business in the capital. I want to thank you properly for taking care of her when I left town so suddenly. I’d already rented a nice inn room for her before I left and paid for a full month in advance but it’s wonderful that she was staying with a friend instead since it’s much safer that way and more comfortable too."

She lifted one of the cups, inhaling the steam with visible pleasure before taking a small sip.

"Now for the more serious matters we should discuss honestly."

Klaus felt a sudden, instinctive sense of danger crawl up his spine.

"Would you like to marry my granddaughter Taula?"

He blinked... Once... Twice and his brain momentarily stopped processing.

’What?’

"I personally wouldn’t object to the match... you seem like a fine young man from what Taula’s told me. Though I would like to know, just for my own peace of mind, exactly how far you two have gone in your relationship thus far. Have you perhaps kissed yet? Maybe progressed to more intimate activities? Should I be expecting to become a great-grandmother in the relatively near future? Have you two discussed potential baby names?"

She asked too many deeply personal questions rapid-fire, not pausing for breath between them and Klaus stood there frozen, completely unsure what to say or how to respond.

Taula’s face had gone absolutely bright red. "M-m-marry?!"

On a normal day... on literally any other day, she would’ve been incredibly shy about this topic. Would’ve stammered and hidden her burning face and maybe even run away from embarrassment but not today and not right now.

Not with that crazy silver-haired woman with distinctive purple eyes, that bitch Zephyra, going around loudly announcing herself as Klaus’s official fiancée to anyone who would listen. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

She was acting like she had any legitimate claim when they’d barely interacted. Taula needed to protect what she’d found first so she needed to stake her claim clearly and publicly.

She straightened her posture, lifted her chin. "I’d like to marry Klaus! And have sex with him too! Lots of sex! And give him lots and lots of kisses every single day!"

Klaus’s mouth fell open. "Didn’t we literally just meet like a literal w—"

Taula’s grandma interrupted by pumping her fist in the air with genuine enthusiasm.

"That’s my girl! Go for it Taula! You just have to be direct about what you want! Pin him on the bed if you have to and take what you want, hehe~ Don’t wait for him to make the first move! Men are absolutely terrible at initiating these things!"

Klaus blinked rapidly.

’Isn’t that just... assault? I’m pretty sure that’s legally classified as assault. Why is her grandmother actively encouraging assault?’

The two women eventually calmed down somewhat from their initial enthusiasm, though both still had excited energy radiating off them.

Klaus could clearly see now that they were truly related... with the same enthusiastic mannerisms, the same completely direct approach to life, the same utter lack of social filters and even same terrifying physical strength.

It actually made him smile despite the profound awkwardness.

"It was nice meeting you, ma’am, truly, but I actually have to visit somewhere right now. Urgently. Very important Guild business."

Taula’s grandma smiled, not offended at all.

"Is that so? Well then, next time you drop by the shop, we’ll have proper tea and a real conversation. I make excellent butter cookies."

Taula beamed. "Take care Klaus! And please don’t get morning wood while I’m away, okay?"

She followed up immediately. "I’ll be staying with Grandma for a while since I want to take care of her properly after her long trip. Make sure she’s settled back in, help with the shop."

Her grandma reached out and pinched both of Taula’s cheeks affectionately. "That’s my precious little girl~ So thoughtful."

"Grandma, you have to lift me up like when I was small!"

"Of course, dear."

The woman proceeded to lift Taula completely off the ground by her cheeks alone... literally just pinching her granddaughter’s face and lifting her entire body weight into the air like she weighed nothing.

Klaus took an involuntary step backward with his eyes wide.

Someone physically stronger than Taula? That shouldn’t be remotely possible! What the absolute hell were they eating in their family? What kind of insane training regimen produced that kind of casual strength?

Taula’s grandma gently set her granddaughter back down and turned toward Klaus with a playful glint in her eyes. "I can do the exact same thing to you if you’d like a demonstrat—"

But he was already out the door, moving at his absolute fastest walking speed without actually breaking into a run.

The bell above the door chimed cheerfully as he escaped and the woman deflated visibly behind him with her shoulders slumping.

She let out a long sigh. "I think we scared him away."

She looked down at the deep blush still coloring her granddaughter’s cheeks, at the happiness shining in Taula’s eyes.

Ever since they’d arrived in this town months ago, Taula had been noticeably happier than she’d been in years. She was more energetic and more willing to smile... even more open too and she’d been extra happy... practically glowing whenever she talked about Klaus.

It was a genuine shame that in some relatively short amount of time, it would all have to be no more as all this happiness would end.

The grandmother’s expression darkened significantly with her smile fading into something cold and bitter.

’I really, truly hate that family with every fiber of my being...’