A little while later, Erik was happily enjoying Elora's expression of shock after he'd told her everything he learned during his conversation with Ymir.
He was leaning back on a couch, slowly sipping one of the first Runebound-proof alcoholic beverages that Emma had created since getting the recipe from Katya.
'This is pretty good,' he thought to himself, a satisfied smile on his lips. He knew his current situation was far from perfect, as Edda had escaped and he needed to be saved by Ymir, but if you can't enjoy the little things anymore, what was the point of any of it?
Besides, he'd saved the Enkarians, started his empire, and discovered a whole lot more about the shit he'd gotten involved in. All in all, it's still not a bad day's work.