Chapter 781 – Stop Thinking Like a Paranoid Accountant for One Second

Lux watched him with the exhausted patience of someone who had already screamed at cosmic entities today and had no energy left for family drama.

Eventually Asmo wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.

"With the Lust power thing that came to you?"

Lux nodded.

"Yes."

Asmo shrugged casually.

"No."

Lux blinked.

"...No?"

"They chose you."

He jerked a thumb toward the chamber behind them.

"I don’t complain to ancient sins."

Lux paused.

That was... surprisingly reasonable.

Then Lux hesitated slightly.

"There is also..."

He trailed off.

Asmo leaned slightly closer.

"Yes?"

Lux glanced at the floor.

"How about Eros."

Asmo’s smile faded into something more neutral.

Lux continued.

"He is the Lust crown prince."

Silence stretched for a moment.

Lux could feel the old Greed instinct kicking in again, analyzing risk.

Political risk.

Family risk.

Power hierarchy risk.

Because from a governance perspective...

Giving a second Lust heir primordial authority could create...

Problems.

Asmo suddenly huffed.

Then shook his head slowly.

His eyes locked onto Lux’s.

"Wow."

Lux blinked.

"...What."

Asmo folded his arms.

"You poor little kid."

Lux opened his mouth.

Then closed it.

Asmo tilted his head slightly.

"Look at you."

Lux resisted the urge to check if something was on his face.

"Overthinking."

Lux didn’t deny it.

"Running every possible political scenario."

Lux looked away slightly.

"Preparing for betrayal."

Lux said nothing.

Because yes.

That was exactly what he had been doing.

Asmo sighed.

Then he stepped closer and lightly knocked Lux on the forehead with two fingers.

"Use that big brain of yours for five seconds."

Lux frowned.

"I am."

"No you’re not."

Asmo gestured lazily around the chamber.

"You’re afraid we’ll turn around and make you our enemy."

Lux didn’t respond.

Which was technically an answer.

Because that was exactly what he had been thinking.

Primordial Lust power.

Dual-sin authority.

From a political perspective...

That could easily be interpreted as a challenge to the Lust throne.

Asmo watched his silence for a moment.

Then laughed softly.

"You really thought that."

Lux exhaled slowly.

"...It was a possibility."

"Lux."

Asmo leaned forward slightly.

"You are my grandson."

Lux blinked.

"And?"

Asmo smacked the back of his head lightly.

"And stop thinking like a paranoid accountant for one second."

Lux rubbed the back of his head.

"That was unnecessary."

"You needed it."

Asmo shook his head again.

"You think Eros will be jealous?"

Lux hesitated.

"...Maybe."

Asmo snorted.

"Kid."

He turned and started walking toward the exit of the chamber.

"If Eros had awakened the primordial blessing first, you know what you would’ve done?"

Lux followed automatically.

"...Run economic simulations."

"Exactly."

"And then congratulated him."

Lux paused.

That... was true.

Asmo looked over his shoulder.

"You think he’s different?"

Lux considered that.

Then sighed.

"...Probably not."

Asmo grinned.

"Exactly."

They reached the edge of the chamber.

Lux felt the ancestral pressure finally fade completely as they stepped out of the domain circle.

His wings dissolved into shadow.

The tail vanished.

The horns shrank back into their usual form.

Lux rolled his shoulders slightly.

"Ah."

Human form again. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Much easier to manage.

Asmo stretched his arms lazily.

"Well."

He glanced sideways at Lux. "Let’s get out of here."

Lux nodded. "Yes please."

Asmo jerked his head toward the palace hallway. "Back to the normal world."

Lux followed him out.

As they walked, Asmo added casually, "And back to your human form."

Lux adjusted his coat automatically and dispersed his demonic features.

Already slipping back into his usual composed CFO posture.

But his core still felt... different.

Hotter.

Sharper.

Alive in a way it hadn’t been before.

Asmo glanced at him again.

"We’ll have a drink."

Lux did not hesitate.

"A drink sounds nice."

Actually... A drink sounded extremely necessary.

The corridor outside the ancestral chamber felt almost peaceful after everything that had just happened.

Lux hadn’t realized how oppressive the domain’s atmosphere had been until it was gone. The air here was lighter, scented faintly with the usual perfumes and incense that drifted through the Lust Palace halls. Velvet curtains shifted lazily with warm infernal drafts. Somewhere far away, laughter echoed from the lower lounges.

Life. Normal Lust House life.

Asmo led him down a curved hallway and into a private terrace chamber that overlooked the palace gardens, an enormous open courtyard where pink and crimson lanterns floated slowly above fountains that glowed like molten glass.

A table already waited there.

Two glasses.

A bottle of deep crimson infernal wine.

Asmo poured without asking.

Lux sat slowly.

For a moment, he just stared at the glass in his hand.

Then he drank.

The warmth spread through his throat, then settled comfortably in his chest, mixing oddly with the lingering heat of the primordial blessing.

Lux flexed his fingers absentmindedly.

Then again.

His hands kept moving slightly, like his body wasn’t entirely sure what to do with all the new energy humming beneath his skin.

He took another sip of wine.

Asmo watched him quietly for a moment before leaning back in his chair. "You’re fidgeting."

Lux glanced at him. "I know."

He rotated his wrist once. "This is weird."

Asmo raised an eyebrow. "What weird?"

Lux exhaled slowly, trying to find the right words. "I feel..." He hesitated. "...warm." He lifted the wine again, taking another slow drink. "And nice."

The words sounded strange coming from him.

Lux Vaelthorn didn’t usually describe things as nice.

Asmo tilted his head slightly. "...Horny?"

Lux nearly choked on his wine. "Not that."

Asmo grinned.

Lux sighed and rubbed his temple. "...But yeah. Kinda."

That warmth in his chest wasn’t purely physical.

It was something deeper.

Comfort.

Stability.

Like the new power in his core had settled instead of fighting him.

Lux stared into his glass.

The crimson liquid reflected the lantern lights like tiny stars.

After a moment he spoke again, quieter. "...Thank you."

Asmo didn’t react immediately.

Lux continued. "For letting me take it." He gestured vaguely toward the palace behind them. "The Lust power."

The old demon studied him carefully for a second.

Then shrugged.

"It’s what I should do."

Lux glanced up.

"As your grandpa."