Harem Startup : The Demon Billionaire is on Vacation

Chapter 502 – Hell Palace

Lux exhaled slowly.

Sulfur didn’t cling to the air like the old stories claimed. There wasn’t a river of lava. No screaming souls being spit-roasted by pitchfork demons. And definitely no towering gate made of writhing flesh and bones.

No, the Hell Palace wasn’t anything like mortals thought it was.

In fact... it was kind of clean.

He stood in front of it, straightening his suit jacket. The obsidian-tinted glass walls gleamed in the soft crimson twilight that hung over this quadrant of the Infernal Plane. The courtyard was polished black marble, veined with red-gold that pulsed faintly underfoot like blood flowing through the arteries of a titan. Pillars lined the entry path—simple, modern, geometric. No gothic spires. No chains. No grotesque statuary vomiting fire.

It looked like a high-end Fortune 500 HQ merged with an exclusive royal estate. Maybe throw in a boutique resort and some very hush-hush security clearance on top.

And sure, the old Throne Hall still existed—deep inside, untouched. Probably full of curses, archaic oaths, and that awful smell of antique dust and pride.

But the rest?

Office wings. Vaults. Conference rooms. Relaxation domes. And those absurdly bougie infernal sleeping suites with beds that could adjust to your aura type and personal trauma settings.

A demon couldn’t even cry in peace without the mattress offering him a loyalty upgrade coupon.

Lux stepped inside.

The air immediately adjusted to his internal mana pressure. Cold, crisp. The lighting dimmed to just below glare-level. A soft chiming hum rippled through the entry sensors, scanning his ID without needing a word.

The staff in red-black uniforms didn’t bow.

But the moment the central receptionist saw him—youngish demon, salt-grey horns, obsidian clipboard—his eyes widened.

”Lord Lux.” He blinked, then smiled nervously. ”It’s rare to see you here. I thought you were on vacation.”

Lux smirked, loosening his tie just a bit. ”Yeah. I thought so too.” He cracked his neck once. ”Apparently... not fully.”

”Ah... unfortunate.” The staff straightened, then lowered his voice. ”Are you here to see His Majesty?”

Lux nodded. ”Can I have an audience?”

”Urgent matter?”

”Unfortunately, yes.”

The receptionist’s polite smile didn’t drop, but Lux could see the nervous twitch behind the eyes. No one liked hearing that from the Greed Prince. Because when Lux said ”urgent,” it usually meant something expensive was about to explode.

”I’ll inform the King immediately,” the man said and vanished into the back corridor at a near-jog.

Lux exhaled again. Long. Tired.

His fingers tapped lightly against the obsidian reception desk. A nearby staffer noticed and, without even speaking, approached with a platter.

”Snacks, my Lord.”

Lux raised an eyebrow. He glanced down.

Blood wine in a curved glass that shimmered like garnet. Devil’s egg—still warm—cut neatly in half, sprinkled with crushed mortal soul dust that shimmered silver-gold across the black yolk. A finger-length strip of flame-seared abyssal jerky resting beside it. Fancy.

”Oh. High-tier,” Lux muttered.

”Only for honored guests,” the demon staffer replied, then backed away respectfully.

Lux chuckled and took the platter. ”Yeah. Last time I got this was during the closing ceremony for the Infernal Trade Summit.” He swirled the wine lazily and took a sip. It was sharp, sweet, then bitter. It burned. In the good way.

He popped the devil’s egg in his mouth.

Oh.

Oh.

Okay that was unfairly good.

The soul dust melted across his tongue like salted sugar. The yolk was creamy. The outer layer slightly spicy. Perfectly hot. A flavor burst of guilt and ambition. He closed his eyes, savoring it with a low hum.

[Infernal Snack Buff Activated: +5% Focus, +3% Mana Regeneration, Duration 2 hours.]

He smiled slightly at the system prompt.

Fancy food with perks. What a life.

This... this was how demons should eat. But instead, he usually forced himself through balanced meals. Clean proteins. Greens. Mana stabilizers. No soul dust. No blood wine. Just black coffee and carbs with extra clarity powder.

He only let himself indulge like this during parties.

And now? Now he was indulging because he was about to drop some shit into the King’s lap.

He leaned against the velvet-obsidian wall, swirling his drink, eyes drifting toward the ancient portrait hanging in the corner. It was Kaelmor. That signature smile stretched across his face like a crack in reality.

Lux’s fingers tightened slightly around the wine glass.

The king didn’t speak in royal decrees. He giggled. Laughed. Coaxed. And yet, everything he said felt like a contract you accidentally signed in blood just by listening.

Lux didn’t like owing him anything.

Which was why what he was about to say next mattered.

He finished the snack. Downed the wine. Cleaned his fingers with the black flame napkin provided.

And just in time.

The staff returned, pale and flustered. ”The King will see you.”

”Of course he will.” Lux smiled politely and followed.

They walked through the main corridor. Everything inside screamed modern tyranny. The floor was etched with infernal runes that dimmed when Lux passed. The walls pulsed with mana-reactive gold thread. Art pieces of frozen time fragments glowed faintly in crystalline frames. None of this was theatrical. This was weaponized luxury.

Hell had money.

And Kaelmor knew how to use it.

The doors to the King’s audience chamber opened with a soft hiss.

Not a throne room.

An office.

Kaelmor sat behind a black glass desk, legs crossed, one hand twirling a pen made of spine-bone. His hair was slicked back in waves, his smile too wide, his pupils too thin. A three-piece infernal red suit hugged his tall frame. He looked like a mafia CEO who moonlighted as a stage magician.

”Luxxy,” Kaelmor sang without looking up. ”You finally visit me when I’m sober. Or close enough.”

Yeah, that’s how the king called him in informal meetings. And definitely not in public.

Lux stepped in, calm. Unshaken. ”I’m still deciding if that’s a good thing.”

Kaelmor’s grin widened. ”You brought me drama, didn’t you? Don’t lie. I can smell it on you. Smells like bad family decisions and near-apocalyptic foresight.”

”I need to talk to you. Privately.”

Kaelmor sighed and snapped his fingers.

Everyone else vanished. The air shimmered.