Later that night, Erik headed into the forest, where he met with Rat and the other orphans.

  "I hope you kids only watched over Vales," Erik began, his eyes searching the group for any signs of trouble. "I heard there were some knives being pulled out?"

  Rat stepped forward, his eyes wide with innocence. "We just wanted to make sure he didn't get away. And maybe taught him a lesson about messing with us," he said, his voice carrying the slightest hint of a challenge.

  Erik opened his mouth, then closed it, shaking his head. He'd deal with Rat's burgeoning bloodlust later. For now, he had other priorities. "Take me to him."

  The children led the way through the moonlit woods, the path well-trodden and familiar to their tiny feet. They arrived at a clearing where Mr. Vales was still bound to the chair, his eyes wild and his clothes disheveled.

  "Devils.... all of them are devils!" Mr. Vales spat as Erik approached, his voice hoarse from screaming. "Release me! Release me you demons! End my suffering."

  Erik turned to Rat and the other children. "Yo, what the fu- what the hell did you guys do to him?"

  The children looked at each other, then at Erik, their faces a mix of innocence and mischief. "We just made sure he didn't go anywhere, Mister," Rat said, his eyes sparkling with the excitement of a child who had gotten away with something they probably shouldn't have.

  Erik simply heaved a heavy sigh, wondering how he managed to find himself surrounded by such... interesting people in this fantasy world. He walked up to Mr. Vales, who was now visibly shaking with fear. "Calm down, buddy," he said, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. "I'm not a demon. Unless you count being an incredibly competent renovator as demonic, then sure, I'm the devil incarnate."

  "You've already got all my finances and project details!" Mr. Vales' eyes widened even more. "What... what more do you want from me?" he stuttered, his voice trembling.

  "Just a little bit more information," Erik said calmly, his grip on Mr. Vales' shoulder firm but not painful. "You wouldn't happen to know other contractors of my dear friend Myr, would you?"

  Mr. Vales nodded frantically. "Yes, yes, I can give you names! Please, don't harm me!"

  Erik shot another disapproving glance at the children, who merely shrugged in response. "Okay, spill it," he said to Mr. Vales, his voice stern. "But if you're lying, I'll make sure you regret it."

  Mr. Vales babbled out a string of names and places, his eyes never leaving Erik's. Erik nodded slowly, jotting them down in his journal. "Alright," he finally said, his expression unreadable. "You've been cooperative. For now, you can stay here."

  "Wait, stay here?" Mr. Vales' voice quivered as Erik turned to leave. "What do you mean by that? I thought you'd let me leave?!"

  Erik smirked. "Well, you've given me a lot of good info, but I can't just let you go yet. For your crimes against my businesses- er, this village, I'm going to inform the royal capital or whatever about it. They'll arrest you for that."

  Instead of cowering, Mr. Vales suddenly relaxed. "Ah, I see. So, you're going to sell me out to the authorities. How... noble of you."

  Erik immediately narrowed his eyes at the man's sudden change. "Wait, don't tell me you've got connections with the capital?"

  The royal made a weird face, as if trying to hide his smirk but failing miserably. "Connections? Oh, I've got more than just connections, Erik Park. I've got friends in high places. They'd have me out faster than you can say 'elf ears'."

  "Elf ears," Erik shot back. "Huh, looks like you're still captive though."

  "Very funny, peasant," Mr. Vales sneered, his earlier terror replaced by a smug confidence. "By all means, gloat while you can. As soon as the authorities arrive, you'd better watch your back."

  Erik glanced back at Rat, their eyes exchanging words. With a smirk, the orphan stepped up to Mr. Vales, brandishing his knife as Erik stooped to his eyes.

  "Ah, but now that you've let me know of your connections, who said I'd turn you over to the royal army?" Erik leaned in close to Mr. Vales, his voice a dangerous whisper. "You see, back in my world, I learned how to deal with things without involving the law. Taking matters into my own hands, basically."

  Mr. Vales swallowed hard, his smugness fading into a look of dread. "W-what are you going to do to me?"

  "That's the thing," Erik said, standing up. "I'm not going to do anything to you except make sure you stay in Restia Village."

  "What-"

  But Erik had already walked away, leaving the shaken noble in the hands of the orphans. He was certain that this village would do to Mr. Vales what it had done to him the first time he arrived.

  The next morning, the trio of friends awoke in their house, feeling much more relaxed than before. Myrese was cooking breakfast, the smell of eggs and bacon wafting through the air. Erik stretched, his body feeling surprisingly well-rested despite the events that had transpired. He headed out to the kitchen, finding it swarming with orphans. Talia was already up, her cheeks slightly flushed from a hangover, but her eyes were clear and focused.

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  "Good morning, Erik," she greeted him, casting a spell to cure her hangover. She grabbed a plate and handed it to him. "Eggs and bacon. The usual."

  Erik took the plate gratefully, his stomach growling at the sight of food. "Thanks, Talia." He took a bite, savoring the flavor. "You know, I'm surprised you're okay after last night."

  "Of course I am. That much magic isn't enough to drain me," Talia nodded over to the cooking elf. "If anything, Myrese is the one who we should be worried about."

  Myrese turned around, a spatula in one hand and a wooden spoon in the other, flipping the eggs with a grace that suggested she had done it a thousand times. "I'm fine," she said, her cheeks slightly pink.

  "You sure? You might be a thousand years old, but-"

  Myrese cut him off with a glare, pointing the spatula at Erik. "I said I'm fine. Mention my age again, and I will have you assassinated."

  "Got it, got it, my bad," Erik held his hands up in surrender, a smirk playing on his lips. He took a seat at the main table, watching as the orphans devoured their food with gusto at the makeshift table. It was a stark contrast to their usual malnourished state, a sight that filled him with a strange sense of pride.

  "So, what's the plan for today?" Myrese joined the two with a plate of her own breakfast. "Dr. Castellanos said- well, ordered me to take off today due to the incidents yesterday."

  Erik swallowed his mouthful of eggs, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Nothing. Everything's pretty much self-managed right now. The orphans have their tasks, the village is running smoothly, and the burger shack is a hit. I was thinking we could take it easy today."

  Talia and Myrese stared at Erik in disbelief. "Take it easy?" Talia echoed, her eyes slightly wider than usual. "But you're always working or devising a scheme."

  "Yeah, you're literally the hardest working person in this village," Myrese said, setting her utensils down.

  "Hey. Take that back."

  "Big Sis Myrese and Talia are right, Mister," Rat piped up, his mouth full of food. "You never stop working. It's like you're a... a... alcoholic machine!"

  "Workaholic," Myrese corrected gently. "Taliana is the alcoholic."

  Talia rolled her eyes, swiping a napkin over her mouth. "Hey, I'm a medical professional. Well, eventually I shall be."

  "Either way, I'm sure you don't mean a true day of no work, right?" Myrese turned back to Erik. "I'm willing to bet that you have something planned, whether or not you've involved anyone else."

  Erik's eyes glinted with mischief. "Well, I do have a little project in mind, but it's nothing that you guys need to be concerned about." He shared a glance with Rat.

  Myrese raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh?"

  "You'll find out soon enough," Erik continued vaguely, beginning to eat. Beside him, Rat snickered, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

  As soon as Erik received the daily reports from his businesses via the orphans, ensured that Myrese would rest for the day, and made Talia promise not to destroy anything, he and Rat walked back to the forest clearing, where Mr. Vales was still tied up.

  Except, the once intimidating royal was looking a bit weak and his pants were off.

  "Hey," Erik stiffly turned to Rat. "What the hell happened to his pants?"

  "Oh, Chief, Mister! Welcome back!" An orphan girl named Lila waved at them with a smile, noticing Erik's puzzlement. "Mr. Vales had an... accident, so we had to help him clean up."

  "...Why does he look hungry?"

  "We didn't feed him!" Lila brightly exclaimed as she saw Mr. Vales' state, her voice carrying the innocence of a child who hadn't seen the darker side of the world yet.

  Erik sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Lila's face fell, realizing she might have made a mistake. Seeing that, Erik couldn't stay angry, kneeling down to her height. "Look, Lila, it's important to always feed our guests, even if they're... special guests like Mr. Vales. I'm not mad, but please remember that next time, okay?"

  The girl nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry, Mister."

  "It's okay," Erik managed a smile as he tousled her hair. "You did a good job keeping an eye on him." He turned to Rat. "But you, you're going to need to keep up and organize your group better."

  "Me? Why me? I'm the same age as them!" Rat protested, his cheeks reddening as the weight of his newfound responsibility settled on his shoulders.

  "Because you're their leader. And as their leader, you need to set an example," Erik said firmly. "Now, go get him something to eat, but keep him tied up."

  Rat scowled, sticking his tongue out at Erik but ultimately obeyed, dashing off to grab some food for the captive noble. Erik approached Mr. Vales, studying him with a critical eye. The man's confidence from the night before had dissipated, leaving only a pitiful, trembling mess.

  "Hey. Do you have people who would be looking for you right now?" Erik asked, his voice cold as he crouched down beside Mr. Vales.

  The noble looked at him with fear in his eyes. "Y-yes... my guards, my family... they will be searching everywhere for me."

  "Even after you've handed all of your assets to me?" Erik asked, his tone deceptively casual. "They won't be coming for you. Not anymore."

  Mr. Vales swallowed hard, his eyes darting between Erik and the smiling children playing nearby. "What have you done?"

  "Spread rumors that you passed away in a traveling accident while trying to visit some remote place south of the Orithane kingdom," Erik shrugged, watching Mr. Vales' expression carefully. "Your will was handed over to Mr. Mort, so by proxy, all of your assets belong to me. I need to prepare for your associates coming to meet with Mr. Mort, but at the end of the day, no one is looking for you."

  Mr. Vales' eyes widened in horror, understanding what Erik was insinuating. "You... you can't do this to me!"

  "Actually, I can," Erik knelt to his level. "I was perfectly fine in this village, building and expanding businesses and amenities. When you decided not only to kidnap and terrorize one of my employ- my friends, but boldly carry around plans of taking over this village, that's when you became a problem. These villagers have accepted me as their own, so it makes sense for me to protect them, doesn't it?"

  "Don't you realize that your enemy will eventually be the kingdom?!" Mr. Vales bellowed, his voice trembling with rage and fear.

  "Huh? Why would it be? There's no evidence that I had anything to do you," Erik said, his voice calm and collected, as he leaned closer to the bound man. "But, if they do come looking, I'll make sure to give them a warm welcome." He winked at Mr. Vales, who glared back at him with a mix of fear and anger.

  Mr. Vales' mind raced, trying to come up with a way out of this situation. But no matter how much he thought, he couldn't shake off the feeling of doom that washed over him. He knew that Erik wasn't the type to make idle threats. The man had a cunning mind and was not to be underestimated.

  "What do you plan to do with me now?" Mr. Vales ground out, his voice tight with fear.

  "Like one of my old coworkers in construction used to say, 'the best way to make a strong building is to tear it down first'," Erik began, his eyes glinting with an eerie light. "Make sure you eat as much as possible soon."