Chapter Twenty-Nine: Tomorrow Is Always Tomorrow, and Accidents May Come in the Next Second

Nobuhiro sat alone at his desk—this was the office he shared with Koryo. Today, once again, Koryo had been sent off to do chores as punishment by Chief Nobuo.

After working for a while, Nobuhiro had returned to the office, quietly gazing at the crystal box sprawled brazenly atop his desk.

He knew Koryo’s character inside out. Koryo was irreverent and careless, never paying attention to the small details. If you treated this box as a great secret, hiding it away as if it were a matter of life and death, that would only pique Koryo’s curiosity—he’d go out of his way to find it, because, in his eyes, that would make it important. But if you left the box openly on the desk and casually told him it was an expensive craftwork given by a friend, he’d lose interest.

So, Nobuhiro had chosen the natural course.

He stared at the Vessel of Punishment sealed within the crystal box, his expression clouded and uncertain.

A feeling gnawed at him—he wanted to open the box, unseal the bottle, shatter it to pieces.

But deep within, a voice whispered... this was not his own thought.

It was the will of the bottle.

If not for Nobuhiro’s formidable sense of ritual, and the madness that allowed him to focus on his goals to the exclusion of all else, he would have already surrendered to the bottle’s murmurs.

A dangerous bottle... Fortunately, there was this crystal.

Slowly, almost reluctantly, Nobuhiro tore his gaze away.

He drew a deep breath, closed his eyes, and cleared his mind. Only then did his eyes regain their clarity—or perhaps, return to their inherent madness.

He kept the box out of sight, but suddenly doubted whether the headband he’d crafted to bind the entity within the bottle was as effective as he’d hoped.

Yet he didn’t dwell on the thought long. Things had come to this—he would not turn back. The arrow was nocked; there was no choice but to let it fly. In truth, he no longer had any room to resist.

If he stopped now, aside from everything else, the battle-crazed warriors who had prepared for tomorrow’s great clash would probably come to punish him before the day was done.

His control over this enormous poaching syndicate was far less than what the regional leaders imagined. A faceless leader could never truly command loyalty. The only reason those leaders believed in his grip on the organization was because Nobuhiro’s informants were everywhere among them.

When a leader can’t trust his own people, when he suspects that Nobuhiro is watching his every move, he has no choice but to obey.

Thus, with this troublesome method, Nobuhiro held this vast organization in his hands.

But he didn’t think much about it now. His heart brimmed with anticipation for tomorrow.

Tomorrow, the first step toward his grand ambition would be realized!

Just then, the door swung open and Koryo strode in. Seeing Nobuhiro’s expectant, satisfied smile, he grinned and asked, “Nobuhiro, what’s got you so happy?”

Nobuhiro restrained himself, then, as if caught in a private moment, gave a bashful smile. “It’s nothing, Koryo. Just that the girl I like said she’d have dinner with me after work today.”

“Oh, oh ~” Koryo raised his eyebrows with a mischievous grin. “So our Nobuhiro has a sweetheart already! I thought you’d be married to your work forever.”

Nobuhiro scratched his head shyly. “Don’t tease me!”

“Haha, then why not leave work early and get ready? There’s not much left to do—I’ll wrap up here,” Koryo said warmly, thumping his chest with his usual bravado.

“But... isn’t that unfair to you?” Nobuhiro murmured, scratching his cheek.

“No problem! Old man Nobuo gave me plenty to do tonight anyway. I’ll be working late, so helping you a little more won’t hurt. Besides, you’ve helped me out plenty before!”

“Well then, I’ll leave it to you. Thank you, Koryo!” At this point, any further refusal would have seemed odd, so Nobuhiro went along, gathering his things to leave early, his face lit up with anticipation, as if he could hardly wait to see his goddess.

Koryo watched Nobuhiro’s excitement with an “I get you” smile, the look of a seasoned elder seeing a young man off.

But the moment Nobuhiro stepped out, his gentle smile turned instantly cold—though only for an instant, before returning to its usual guise. He made his way slowly toward the exit of the breeding facility.

Meanwhile, in the office, Koryo suddenly felt he’d shot himself in the foot.

The overtime tasks Old Nobuo had left were already more than enough, and now he’d volunteered to take on the work Nobuhiro hadn’t finished.

He’d assumed, knowing Nobuhiro’s character, that the work would already be done. Who could have guessed that dinner with his goddess would throw Nobuhiro so off balance, leaving so much unfinished?

But what was done was done. Koryo could only lament his poor luck, recalling his earlier bravado, and get down to work.

Yet less than five minutes in, he found himself slacking off again.

Clearly, slacking was a passive skill—one he couldn’t control.

As he lazed about, Koryo’s eyes inevitably wandered to Nobuhiro’s desk. A sly smile crept onto his face as he wondered if he might find a photo of Nobuhiro’s goddess stashed there. He had no ill intentions—he simply found the idea amusing. Besides, wasn’t it his duty as a senior to keep an eye on his talented junior’s love life?

...Alright, he admitted it—he was just being nosy.

He was genuinely curious to see what kind of beauty could captivate the usually composed, even aloof, Nobuhiro so completely.

With that mischievous grin, he sidled up to Nobuhiro’s desk. There, his gaze settled on the so-called craftwork Nobuhiro claimed was a gift from a friend in the Carlos region.

And then, he couldn’t look away...

Open me, and I shall grant you power!

Open me, and I shall bestow you authority!

Open me, and I shall give you eternal life!

Open me, and all in this world shall be as you wish!

“Who... are you?”

I am the demon lord who looks down upon the world.

I am the defeated one imprisoned in this vessel.

I am... your servant.

My beloved master, grant your servant freedom.

My revered master, your servant shall offer you power and dominion!

“As you... wish.”

And so, freedom descended.