Ch.279Chapter 279: Prison Break!

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The impromptu reception of guests had brought a moderate bustle to the Obsidian Palace, and in a secluded chamber tucked away in a corner, the discussion between Desire and her unexpected visitor was gradually drawing to a close.

Desire had welcomed her guest and explained her general plans for the “vessel” she had captured.

The visitor listened silently to her explanation, pointing out that her methods were too lenient while not raising any objections about their necessity.

However, during this conversation—long in some ways, brief in others—the visitor apparently had no intention of merely listening.

“Old friend.”

The visitor, who addressed Desire as an old friend, placed a pocket watch on the table, preparing to express thoughts on Desire’s plan after having listened attentively.

One might wonder how simply placing a watch on the table constitutes preparation, but such questions would die on one’s lips upon witnessing the dark crimson energy that began seeping from the watch the moment it left the visitor’s hand.

It was divinity. The same twisted essence emanating from Desire and her still-unidentified visitor was now pulsating from the pocket watch on the table.

And it was emitting a turbidity that surpassed the combined divine essence of both individuals.

It was certainly not normal for such divinity to reside in an ordinary object rather than a living being.

The situation could have been considered extremely dangerous—placing such an object unprotected in this space could have unpredictable effects on the two beings present.

Yet the divine essence that had initially surged violently from the pocket watch gradually weakened over time.

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

Only the characteristic ticking sound of the pocket watch now echoed through the otherwise quiet chamber.

After this brief commotion had subsided…

“Hah…”

The visitor, who had been gazing impassively at Desire, let out a soft sigh before retrieving the pocket watch from the table.

“This is truly the final attempt. If we succeed, nothing could be better, but if we fail, I’ll have to leave this place behind—abandoning everything we’ve built, just like this pocket watch that can barely function anymore.”

While acknowledging the plan, the visitor mentioned the risks of failure, cautioning Desire—whom they called friend—against complacency.

Despite setting up what seemed like the prelude to a grand speech, the visitor’s words were remarkably concise.

Yet Desire could not afford to take this warning lightly.

“Renium. My dear old friend. I shall heed your advice.”

Desire assured Renium, her visitor and old friend, not to worry, speaking in a gentle tone before…

Slurp—

She took a sip of the still-steaming black tea from her cup.

“…”

It was awful.

Absolutely awful.

Despite drinking it after some time had passed, hoping it might have improved, Desire’s impression of the tea remained the same.

No joke—the tea was so badly brewed that she felt it would be justifiable to torture whoever made it by confining them to the brightest, warmest place in the palace to writhe in agony.

But since she had brewed it herself, she could hardly torture herself, so she barely managed to keep her expression from crumpling.

Though she couldn’t openly grimace in front of her friend, her mind was filled with contemplation about how her tea had devolved into a torture device disguised as a beverage.

She had watched over the shoulder of her “vessel”—who normally rebelled against her in all things except when brewing tea, where it complied without resistance—and had tried to replicate the process almost exactly.

The distinctive aroma and color of the steeped tea seemed satisfactorily reproduced, even to her own eyes.

“Hmm, you’re drinking that unappetizing thing quite enthusiastically.”

Yet in terms of taste—the most important aspect—she had produced something so poor that she had no defense against her old friend’s mockery.

Desire knew that the tea she was drinking was not something she could offer to others, even out of politeness.

However, she was somewhat annoyed by her friend’s attitude of judging the taste without even trying it.

“No, it’s delicious. The aroma would complement any dessert, and the taste wraps gently around the tongue.”

Desire quickly transformed her almost-frown into a bright smile, expressing an opinion completely opposite to what her tongue had actually experienced.

“You must be tired from your long journey. Why not relieve your fatigue with a warm cup of black tea?”

With a radiant expression, she readily offered her self-brewed tea to Renium.

‘I can’t suffer alone.’

This was Desire’s true thought behind her unwavering smile.

Even though it was her own dreadful creation…

The thought that it would be a waste for her alone to savor this terrible concoction became the driving force behind her offering the horrific tea to Renium.

Despite having criticized the tea at first glance, Renium now…

Tap-tap.

After being invited to drink the tea, Renium’s left index finger lightly tapped the table while focusing intently on the teacup.

The color of the still-steaming tea seemed fairly decent compared to what they had criticized, and from Renium’s mouth came…

“Hmm…”

A soft murmur that clearly revealed inner conflict to anyone listening.

In truth, even if invited, they could simply refuse.

Although the color of the tea was prettier than expected and the aroma tickling their nose was surprisingly deep…

Despite not having tasted it yet, they could strangely imagine how the taste would fail to match the harmony of aroma and color.

For whatever reason, they had no intention of drinking it, but…

Slurp—

After Desire took another sip of her tea and said…

“Hmm… Perhaps it’s because some time has passed. The flavor has deepened, making it much more pleasant to drink.”

…while giving a mysterious smile that seemed to subtly urge them to drink it too…

The thought that they could at least try it once for an old friend, even if it tasted bad, took over their mind.

“I’ll take the bait…”

Finally choosing emotion over cold reason, Renium’s left hand picked up the teacup and…

Slurp—

Naturally took a drink of the tea.

Gulp—

The tea, heated to just the right temperature, passed through Renium’s mouth and flowed down their throat.

Soon after, Desire witnessed her old friend’s expression change so dramatically that she thought even someone being poisoned wouldn’t make such a face.

And she heard…

From the mouth of her old friend, who hurriedly covered their face with the left hand that had been holding the teacup…

“Ugh… uuugh…”

A savage groan that rivaled the twisted wails she had heard to the point of tedium while wandering with her friends through the cracks between dimensions for ages.

Although she had indeed offered the tea with the intention of causing some discomfort…

‘Is it really that bad?’

Her old friend’s extremely negative reaction was amusing but also somewhat disconcerting to her.

Fortunately, after managing to calm down from the groans that seemed about to shake the world, Renium composed their expression as if nothing had happened, preventing Desire’s feelings from becoming more complicated.

The sight of overcoming momentary pain and regaining composure so effortlessly was quite admirable even to someone of her own status.

But it took only an instant to realize this was an illusion.

“Ahem.”

After barely surviving the shock of drinking the tea, Renium cleared their throat lightly and…

“My friend… If you missed our days of wandering through dimensional cracks, you could have just said so. Why would you try to recreate that through the sense of taste?”

Hearing this assessment, Desire realized something.

She realized that her old friend—who hadn’t changed expression even once during the great battle a thousand years ago when they mercilessly unleashed their powers on the humans of this land to gain dominion—

Had experienced an indescribable shudder of agony from merely drinking a cup of tea.

Finding it immensely amusing that such a desperate cry could come from the lips of a friend who rarely showed any sign of disturbance…

“Hehe… hehehe.”

Laughter involuntarily burst from Desire’s mouth.

Although she was disappointed by the poor review of the tea she had brewed with some care…

The sense of achievement in successfully inflicting the bad taste of the tea—which even she found unpleasant—on someone else alleviated that disappointment.

“Ahahaha… I’ve always been good at that sort of thing.”

So Desire, barely containing the laughter erupting from her lips, offered a consolation that was not really consolation to her suffering friend, and then…

“Ah… hahahahaha.”

She burst into uncontrollable laughter.

How strange that she’d been laughing so much since waking up, she thought to herself as she continued to spread her wings of merriment.

Renium, whose expression was hidden behind a wall of solemnity, was too stunned by the tea’s taste to object to her frivolous laughter.

Had nothing else happened, Desire’s rare outburst of laughter would have continued unabated, but…

Creeeeak—!!

“My Lord!!”/”My Lord!!”

Suddenly, as two demon gods burst into the private chamber shouting for their lord…

“The vessel!!”/”It has escaped from the underground lightning prison!!”

This news, more shocking than a bolt from the blue, disrupted her plans for an utterly delightful day.

It was as if the day that had seemed to be off to a good start was actually foreshadowing extremely bad luck.