With a little help from the newly formed construction crew Ricteronu and Erik had established in Restia Village, the latter was able to clear out more space around the first burger shack. However, it also meant bulldozing the old dilapidated hut too.

Standing next to the conjured machine, Erik silently gazed at the worn-down rut. Sure, he had a new home now, living luxuriously with two beautiful women and a baby dragon, but there was something about the shack that made him feel nostalgic. It was his first shelter the moment he arrived in this world, and it had just been him, Talia, and Illyanth.

Now, the three had come a very long way since then, building and growing the village into something more than he could have ever imagined. Erik shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He had a job to do, and nostalgia wouldn't help him now.

Even so, he couldn't find himself to hop into the bulldozer and run it over. Nearby, the burger shack was bustling with customers, getting ready for the dinner rush.

"Well... it's pretty busy, so maybe I can just take it down later tonight," Erik used the burger shack as an excuse to hold off tearing the hut down, though he knew it was because he didn't want to actually do it. He'd never admit that, though.

"So, you're going to tear down the hut, huh?" Erik heard Talia's voice behind him. She had approached silently, her eyes studying the small building. He couldn't tell what she was thinking or feeling.

"Yeah. Was thinking of adding expansions to the main burger shack," Erik quietly replied, shuffling over to make room for Talia to stand next to him.

"But you're finding it hard to actually tear it down, right?"

Erik sighed, looking at Talia. "Maybe a bit. It's weird, I know. But that shack was our- my first real shelter here."

"It was my first shelter, too," Talia added softly, gazing at the pitiful structure. "I lived here, in that hut, for three and a half years. If it wasn't for you coming to this world, I may have stayed for four years, perhaps even longer than that."

Erik grunted, recalling how Talia told him that the first time she had shown him the lodging after coming to Restia Village for the first time. Honestly, it seemed as though Talia also went through a change herself the last few weeks.

"You know, it's weird," Erik mused, "you seem more... alive, now that we're here. Here as in, at this point of time, I mean."

Talia's gaze remained on the hut. "I suppose I do," she said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "It's strange, isn't it? How much can change in such a short amount of time. When I was living here, I never thought I'd be part of something like this."

She turned her head towards Erik. "Do you want to know the real reason why I was stuck in a slump for so long?"

"Because you can be lazy most of the time?" Erik thought, but wisely kept it to himself as he shrugged.

"It's because I didn't know where to start," Talia said, her eyes meeting Erik's. "I had the power to change the world, but I didn't have a clue on where to begin with all my dreams. And then you came along, and everything just... changed."

Erik felt a sudden weight in his chest. He didn't know what to say to that. Instead, he looked away, focusing on the bustling village. "Well, I'm not going anywhere, so we might as well keep pushing forward," he said, trying to lighten the mood.

He heard Talia chuckle softly. "Yes, I suppose we will. For the sake of profit, right?"

Erik raised his head and met Talia's gaze with a small grin. Despite using profit as a front, Erik knew very well the undertones of Talia's words.

"Yeah, for the sake of profit," he agreed, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "But mostly, for the sake of seeing you in a swimsuit again."

"Oh? That's something you can see anytime, Erik Park. How about I show you that right now-"

"N-no! I was just kidding, damn, woman!" Erik's cheeks turned red, and he stuttered, trying to reel back his words.

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

Later, Myrese finally finished her apprenticeship, joining up with the two at the burger shack. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of the bulldozer.

"I would ask... but I think it's best if I don't question it, right?" Myrese dryly remarked, her eyes never leaving the bulldozer.

"Good. You're slowly getting used to us," Erik nodded, folding his arms. "But yes, we're tearing this hut down to make way for something better."

"Doesn't seem like either of you are working on that right now."

"Well that's-" Erik hesitated. "That's the thing, I need to talk to the council about it."

"Actually, it's because the hut has grown on Erik, and he's reluctant to tear it down," Talia bluntly stated.

"Huh?! You have more nostalgia for it than I do, so don't just call me out alone for that!" Erik replied, his cheeks reddening slightly.

Myrese smirked, clearly enjoying the banter between her friends. "Well, if you're looking for someone to knock it down, I can offer a hand."

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Erik's and Talia's heads snapped towards her, expressionless.

"No, it's okay." "We'll tear it down ourselves."

The words tumbled out of Erik's mouth before he had even realized it. He didn't know why he felt so protective over the old hut, but something about it seemed sacred. It seemed like Talia felt the same way.

"Okay, okay," the elf raised her hands in surrender with a small smile, "I'll leave it to the two of you to handle this emotional wrecking ball moment."

Erik turned his head away from them. "Wh-whatever. Talia, you can go ahead and demolish the hut, since it was yours."

"No, Erik, I think it should be you," Talia refused, though she was gazing at the ground. "You have that machine which can easily do so."

Myrese rolled her eyes at their antics, shaking her head slightly. "Erik, just teach me how to use this thing and then you and Taliana can go back to the house while I finish this."

Erik sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Fine."

With a heavy heart, Erik taught the elf how to use the bulldozer, dragging a reluctant Talia away from the hut soon after. In the back of his mind, he was slightly impressed at how quickly Myrese had been to learn the controls.

As the pair walked back to the house, they could hear the creaking and groaning of the bulldozer in the distance. Erik felt a twinge of sadness in his chest, but he quickly shrugged it off. It was just a shack, after all. Why was he so attached to it? They had so much more now.

"Even though it didn't provide much, I think I quite liked the shack." Talia's voice was soft, her eyes focused on the path ahead. "Shabby, unkempt, and broken down. Still, it stood against nature and time."

Erik remained quiet, simply listening to Talia speak.

"You know, I had so many thoughts, so many dreams, while I was living there," she continued, a gentle breeze playing with the ends of her hair. "It was like a prison, but also a sanctuary. It was all I had, and yet, it was nothing compared to what we've built here."

Their house came into view up in the distance.

"You know what I think? I think that that hut became more than just a place for shelter," Talia's voice was so quiet, it was almost lost to the wind. "It was like a symbol of survival, that no matter what the world threw at it, it would still be standing."

Erik didn't say anything, letting Talia have her moment. They continued walking in silence until they reached the house. The door creaked open, revealing the warm, cozy living room interior. The baby dragon, Illyanth, looked up from the hearth where he had been sleeping, his eyes lighting up as he saw Talia.

"Hey, buddy," she said, stepping inside. The dragon trotted over to her, his tail swishing back and forth. Talia leaned down to pet him.

Erik watched the scene with a mix of fondness and disbelief. Who would've thought that a dragon could be so... domesticated?

"You know, we're going to have to figure out what to do with him when he gets bigger," Erik said, his eyes on the dragon. "I don't think the village is ready for a full-grown dragon roaming around."

"Nonsense," Talia calmly replied, her hand still stroking Illyanth's scales. "He's very well-behaved."

Erik strongly disagreed, but he knew arguing with Talia about her pet would be futile. Instead, he changed the subject, gesturing to the table where his blueprints were laid out.

"Anyway, let's focus on the village," Erik said, eager to get back to more pressing matters. "I've somewhat helped with the hunting party's danger situation, which leaves the housing situation for the influx of visitors. I've also thought about expanding and upgrading the farms to keep up with demands and possibly venturing out into territory expansion for the village."

Talia nodded thoughtfully. "And how can I help with that?"

"Er... I guess you can help by teaching me more about runes?" Erik shrugged. "For the most part, what you've been doing- helping with my daily tasks and taking initiative into your own hands, has been pretty helpful enough."

Talia smiled softly. "Of course. But let's start with the basics. Tell me about the rune you used on the pistol. I heard you gave the hunting party quite the scare."

Erik's face flushed but he brushed his embarrassment aside, eager to discuss his applications of runes. "It's the same, simple mana absorption rune you helped me with on the generators. I figured if we could imbue our weapons with the power of magic, it would give us an edge against the more dangerous beasts in the forest."

Talia hummed to herself. "In theory, that's a brilliant idea," she said. "But we must be cautious. The runes could be volatile if not handled correctly."

Erik blinked. "Come again?"

"Oh, if a rune is improperly engraved on something, there's almost a guaranteed chance that it'll go wrong and explode," Talia answered, as if it were common knowledge. "But fear not, I'll make sure that doesn't happen."

That didn't reassure him any, but Erik figured since Talia was the strongest sorceress he knew, she'd be the best person to help him avoid any explosive missteps. Besides, what was the worst that could happen?

They spent the rest of the evening discussing runes and their potential applications. Talia's knowledge was vast, and she had a way of explaining the complexities of magic in a way that even someone as clueless as Erik could understand. By the time the moon was high in the sky, they had come up with several new runic designs for various tools and weapons.

"I can see why you're a 12th Circle mage," Erik remarked as he stretched out his body. "You're actually really knowledgeable about magic."

Talia looked at him, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Is that surprise I detect?"

"Yes."

Talia frowned slightly and reached out to put Erik in a headlock, but he managed to dodge just in time.

"Hey, hey, it's a compliment!" Erik exclaimed, laughing as he tried to dodge Talia's playful attack.

"Still, you didn't have to say it like that," Talia pouted, releasing her grip and crossing her arms. "I've got feelings, you know?"

"You sure don't show it very often," Erik snorted, sitting back down on his chair. "Actually, you seem to be showing your emotions a lot more now. Before I couldn't tell what the hell you were thinking about."

"Well, it's only because you're so expressive," Talia said with a smirk, joining him at the table. "It's like you wear your heart on your sleeve, Erik. Not only me, but I'm sure everyone around us can tell when you've got something planned."

Erik shrugged. "Anything for profit."

Their conversation was interrupted when Myrese came home, looking a little sweaty. Erik and Talia exchanged nervous glances, turning back to the elf.

"Did you... did you do it?" Erik quietly asked, not wanting to openly refer to the old shack.

"Not sure why, but a part of me didn't feel right tearing down a home you guys were so attached to. Instead, Alyssa suggested we remodel it somehow to fit the additional expansion to the burger shack," Myrese answered wryly, seeing the relieved look on Erik's and Talia's faces. "But it's up to you two to figure out what it should be. Otherwise, there's no point in keeping an old, worn-down wooden shack."

Erik let out a sigh of relief, his shoulders dropping. "Thanks, Myrese. That's a load off. Plus, I'm pretty good at making new things from what I've got. That shack will be preserved and memorialized in no time."