Later that night, back at the main burger shack, Erik sat behind the outdoor kitchen, his mind racing with thoughts. He was already planning for the implementation of a practice for Myrese, but now he had to figure out what to do about the royal family that hired the hit on him. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he realized that there may be more obstacles than he expected in the future.

The grand opening of the water park had taken most of the business away from the parent burger shack, but as it began to close, the restaurant started to pick back up. Erik pulled out his journal and pen, scribbling down a few notes for the future.

"I think we need to come up with some sort of loyalty program for our regulars," he mused out loud, tapping the pen against his chin. "And maybe some sort of burger and water park combo deal..."

He shook his head, deciding to deal with it later. He turned his thoughts to the tentative agreement he established with Grom the dwarf. Grom had taken a huge interest in the runic generators that powered the water park among other things in the village. Erik had agreed to share the technology if the dwarf agreed to help him with later projects down the line. The idea of blending magic and technology was something that had always intrigued him.

Illyanth trodded up to Erik, his scaly body reflecting the lights of the burger shack. The dragon infant gazed at him with his curious eyes. "Hey buddy," Erik greeted him, patting the soft scales on his head. "Where's your owner?"

Illyanth huffed, almost indignantly. Erik feared that he had gone too far with the dragon infant by petting him, but Illyanth simply shook himself before padding away.

"Alrighty then..." Erik watched the dragon go, a bit puzzled. "I guess I'll find Talia later."

He took a moment to appreciate the sight of the water park from the burger shack's vantage point. The lights reflected off the water, creating a kaleidoscope of colors that danced on the waves. It was a stark contrast to the stark white void he'd woken up in earlier. The thought of that giant man, Osiris, brought a smirk to his face. If only the god could see him now.

Erik's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of chattering approaching him. He turned, seeing the three women approaching, their smiles wide and eyes sparkling. They looked like they'd had the time of their lives.

"Well, well, well," Erik said, leaning against the counter. "Looks like you all survived the water park without me."

Talia rolled her eyes. "You're just upset you missed the fun," she teased.

"Missing out on fun in order to think of ways to generate more profit? Please," Erik replied with a smirk. "But tell me, what did you guys think of the water park?"

"It was... intense," Myrese admitted, recalling the failed conquest of the towering slide back at the water park. She glanced at Talia and Alyssa. "But also... surprisingly enjoyable."

Erik nodded, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "That's the thing about fears. Once you face them, they don't seem so daunting anymore."

"Is that why you weren't scared of potential death earlier this morning?" Myrese quipped, taking a seat next to him. The sounds of the main burger shack behind them were an ambient noise adding to the merry atmosphere.

"I already died in my world. I came to this world finding out that my chances of dying have doubled. For some reason, I've come to terms with it," Erik shrugged, taking a bite of his burger. He chewed thoughtfully before continuing. "You know, for someone who was ready to kill me, you don't seem at all murderous, Myr."

"It's Myrese. And that's because I've realized that maybe I don't have to be," Myrese said, her voice barely above a whisper. She took a deep breath, letting the scent of the sizzling burgers fill her lungs. "What you're offering, it's... it's something I never thought I'd consider. Or even have."

"Not gonna pry into why you resorted to killing to pay off your debts, but out of curiosity, how much is it?" Erik casually continued. Talia, beginning to grow bored, dragged Alyssa away with her to mingle with the crowd towards the front of the outdoor kitchen and pavilion.

Myrese took a moment to chew and swallow her food. "Too much," she replied, her voice tight. "More than I can ever hope to earn legitimately."

"Exactly how much?"

Myrese's eyes darted to the side, and she took a deep breath. "Fifty thousand gold coins," she murmured, her cheeks flushing slightly. It was a sum that seemed insurmountable, a weight that had pushed her into a life of danger and deceit.

"Yeah... that's a fuck ton of debt," Erik quietly agreed, thinking back to his profit and loss forecast. If everything went smoothly, then both his main burger shack and the water park was projected to earn him at least twenty thousand gold coins in the next year. "But if you stick with me, I'll help you find a way to pay it off. And if you don't like it, you can always go back to your old life."

Myrese took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "Alright," she said, though her voice was still filled with doubt. "But what if I mess up?"

Erik waved his hand. "I'll deal with it if it happens, though I highly doubt it. Seeing as the harder you tried to kill me and Mr. Mort the healthier we actually came out of it, just keep doing that. I'm certain it'll work out."

Myrese couldn't help but chuckle, the tension in her shoulders easing a bit. "Okay, I'll give it a shot."

Erik leaned back in his chair, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Good. Now, let's talk strategy. Obviously Restia Village has a local doctor, but they're not enough to help with injuries far beyond what this place can aid with. That's why I'm thinking we expand the pre-existing practice to include heavier medical care. You can be the new face of the clinic, offering services that go beyond what the village can handle."

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"But..." Myrese hesitated. "I don't exactly have much experience in healing."

"And yet you still improved both Mr. Mort and I's conditions. Regardless, you have an innate skill- or is it luck? Well, whatever it is, you have a knack for medicine. With the right training and resources, you could become a great healer," Erik assured her, his confidence unwavering. "Also, Talia is interested in being a medical sorceress, so I was thinking the two of you could help each other out."

Myrese felt a spark of hope, despite her doubt. "Okay, I'll try," she agreed tentatively. "When do we start?"

Erik grinned, reaching over the counter to grab two cans of alcohol, which he had conjured for personal use a few days ago. "Soon. For now, let's celebrate my success."

----------------------------------------

The next morning, Erik awoke with his head throbbing once again. However, this time he was in a bed, a proper resting place compared to the straw mattress he had become used to sleeping on. In fact, it seemed that he had conjured one without any memory of it, since he glanced over to see Talia still passed out in hers.

He sighed, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. The events of the previous night swirled in his head, a jumble of half-remembered conversations and the all-too-real feeling of excitement.

A soft groan behind him caused him to freeze. Who was that?

Erik nervously took stock around the dilapidated hut. Illyanth was curled up next to Talia's bed, the dragon infant gently whining in his sleep. Talia herself was definitely out cold, her limbs tangled in the sheets.

Another groan behind him solidified the fact that there was another person in the shack, and in Erik's bed no less. His blood ran cold as he fearfully turned around.

There she was, the elf Myrese, her eyes half-lidded and her body tangled in the blankets. Her bikini top had shifted during the night, revealing a tantalizing amount of flesh.

"Oh... fuck... no..." Erik groaned, his head pounding like a drum in a heavy metal concert. "What the actual fuck happened last night?"

He glanced down, noticing that his shirt was off, but that was it. Nothing else seemed amiss, and he let out a sigh of relief. "What's going on here?" he murmured, rubbing his forehead.

Myrese blinked slowly, her eyes focusing on him. "You don't remember?" she asked, a smirk playing on her lips.

Erik's mind raced as he tried to piece together the events of the previous night. The last thing he recalled was the three of them discussing the future of the village clinic and the potential partnership between Talia and Myrese. He racked his brain, trying to recall if there had been any inappropriate advances or misunderstandings that could have led to this situation.

"I'm teasing, Erik," Myrese said, seeing the panic in his eyes. "You passed out after a few sips of that potent elven wine. Nothing happened, except for Talia and I carrying your sorry ass up here."

"Elven wine? When the fuck did I drink that?" Erik muttered, grabbing at his head. He always had a problem with alcohol, which was why he restrained himself from drinking as much as possible after coming to this world. However, he couldn't help but indulge in it after all of the recent success his projects had gained, causing him to relapse. He figured he had insisted on trying the elven wine and gotten too drunk to recall anything.

On the other bed, Talia shifted and murmured in her sleep, but otherwise didn't wake up. Erik let out a sigh of relief, his heart rate slowing. He turned back to Myrese.

"So why are you in my bed?"

The former elf assassin blinked. "Well, since I accepted your offer, I planned to stay in the village. However, I didn't have a place to sleep at, so you offered your home. I originally shared Talia's bed, but I learned she has a tendency to move around a lot in her sleep. You, on the other hand, are like a corpse."

Erik nodded, taking in the information with a mix of amusement and awkwardness. "Fair enough. Did you at least get some rest?"

"Of course. Being an elf who's lived for so long, I don't require much rest," Myrese replied, taking a sip of water. "But thanks for the concern."

Erik grunted, grabbing a shirt and pulling it over his head. He winced from his hangover, sitting back on the bed.

"Need help with that?" Myrese asked behind him.

"Nah, it's fine. I can just work through–"

Erik shouted in pain as the elf struck the back of his head with a powerful punch. Agony blossomed throughout his body, but then it was immediately replaced by relief. His hangover had disappeared.

"Thanks," he murmured, rubbing the back of his head. "Could've warned me."

Myrese smirked. "Where's the fun in that?"

Erik's shout had awoken Talia, who groggily stirred awake. She sat up in bed, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Morning, princess," Erik sighed as he stood up and stretched.

Talia groaned, shielding her eyes from the light. "It's barely past dawn," she complained. "Couldn't you have slept in like a normal person?"

"I am normal. You're the one who's not," Erik retorted, smiling at Talia's grumble. "Besides, we've got a lot to do today."

Talia flopped back down, grabbing her pillow and throwing it over her face. "Like what?" her voice was muffled, "We've finished building all the big projects and we got trustworthy people to manage it. What more could there be to do?"

"Well, for starters, we need to figure out what to do with our little elf here," Erik said, glancing back at Myrese. "She's got a boatload of debts to pay off, and she's not keen on going back to her old ways. That means we gotta talk to the village doctors to see about expanding business and whatnot."

Myrese straightened up, motivation in her eyes as she looked back at Erik with rapt attention.

"And second," Erik turned to Talia. "With all of this success, I think we deserve a reward. How about we plan and conjure a new home? Something... not so run-down."

For a moment Talia didn't reply. Erik thought she had fallen back asleep when she suddenly flung her pillow off her face, leaping out of bed.

"You're serious?" she asked, her eyes wide with excitement. "We can build a new home?"

"Why not?" Erik shrugged. "Like you said, our projects launched pretty smoothly. Alyssa's taking care of the main burger shack and the child burger shack. Ric's assembled a team to help him maintain the water park, and Geritara's fashion business is growing too. I think it's fine to afford a day off for ourselves."

Talia's eyes lit up at the prospect of a new home, a stark change from the dilapidated building they currently occupied. She looked over at Myrese, who was nodding thoughtfully.

"Okay. Myrese, you can take this shack," Talia bowed her head, as if she had done something good.

"Asshole, she's going to get her own room with us, too," Erik scowled, grabbing his journal and pen. "I'm the one who convinced her to switch sides, so it's only fair that we house her."

Myrese blinked, looking at the both of them as they discussed her living situation as if she wasn't there. Truthfully, she didn't mind, as she had seen just how capable and deceptively kind-hearted Erik was. The idea of living with them, sharing a home, was surprisingly appealing.