Chapter 803 – No Solid Evidence, No Kill Authorization

-Ding!

The sound echoed softly as the elevator doors slid open, smooth and quiet like everything else Lux owned.

He stepped out, one hand sliding into his pocket, the other lifting lazily as he stretched his arms upward, fingers spreading slightly, shoulders loosening with a slow exhale.

"Ah..."

That felt good.

Not physically.

Not exactly.

More like the kind of relief that came after surviving something that should’ve gone wrong, but didn’t. The kind that didn’t make you relax... just made you aware you could’ve died if one variable shifted wrong.

His hallway stretched ahead, marble floors, muted gold lighting, wide open space that whispered wealth without screaming it. Mortal realm. His mansion. His territory.

Safe.

...Relatively.

Lux rolled his neck slightly, eyes half-lidded as his thoughts kicked back into motion, because of course they did. His brain didn’t rest. It optimized.

Alright.

Let’s count.

Pride. Sira.

Yeah, she was on his side.

Sloth. Lullaby. She was also on his side.

Greed.

Well.

That was obvious.

He was Greed.

And Lust.

Yeah.

His lips twitched slightly.

That one had gotten... upgraded.

"100%," he muttered under his breath, rolling his shoulders once more.

Not half.

Then...

Envy.

Cyrinne.

He slowed his steps slightly.

That one lingered.

Not like the others.

Not clean. Not defined.

Not... owned.

"Kinda," he murmured.

She wasn’t his.

Didn’t belong to him.

But she owed him.

He exhaled slowly.

Five.

Five out of seven.

His lips curved faintly.

"Not bad..."

Not bad at all.

If the king moved...

If Kaelmor decided one day that Greed had become too... independent...

Lux needed leverage.

Network.

Support.

Pressure points across the system.

He wasn’t just building relationships.

He was building a survival net.

Because if Hell turned on him?

He wasn’t planning to fall alone. He would drag Kaelmor with him.

A voice cut cleanly through his thoughts.

"Lux."

He didn’t flinch.

Didn’t tense.

Just turned his head slightly.

And there they were.

Solara.

Selena.

Sitting like they owned the place.

Which, to be fair, they kind of did... cosmically speaking.

One bathed in warm gold, sunlight resting over her shoulders like it belonged there. The other calm, pale, moonlight pooling softly around her like quiet water.

Tea.

Milk.

Lux blinked once. "Oh. You guys are here."

Casual.

Like two celestial-level entities casually sitting in his mortal mansion wasn’t worth reacting to.

He walked over, dropping into the seat across from them, posture relaxed, one arm draped loosely over the backrest.

A servant appeared instantly, efficient, silent.

"Coffee," Lux said without looking.

The servant nodded and vanished.

Solara frowned. "I thought you wanted to stop drinking coffee."

Lux didn’t even hesitate. "I do." A beat. "...But not now."

His fingers tapped once against the armrest. "I’m still a bit stressed."

Understatement of the century.

The cup arrived.

He took it immediately.

Didn’t sip.

Just held it.

Warm.

Grounding.

"What made you guys come here?" he asked, finally glancing at them properly.

Selena set her glass down gently. "We found the source."

Lux’s brows lifted slightly. "You did?"

That was fast.

Too fast.

Suspiciously fast.

Solara leaned forward slightly. "We used... unorthodox methods."

Ah.

There it was.

Lux nodded once. "It’s fine. Good enough."

Translation "I don’t want details. I want results."

Selena continued, voice calm. "The Archon and Celestaria are pursuing them."

Lux tilted his head slightly. "And?"

Solara’s expression tightened just a bit. "The Old Order. And the Marginal Accord."

Lux’s fingers stilled against the cup. "...They’re not killing them."

Selena shook her head. "No solid evidence. No kill authorization."

Ah.

There it was.

The bureaucratic chokehold.

"Interrogation," Solara added.

Lux leaned back slowly. "I see."

Silence settled.

Not heavy.

Not tense.

Just... quiet.

His gaze drifted slightly, unfocused.

Honestly?

It would’ve been easier to just...

Kill them.

Done.

End of problem.

No documents.

No politics.

No negotiations.

Just...

Gone.

Clean.

Efficient.

He exhaled softly through his nose.

Yeah.

Now he understood Varakan.

Wrath.

Why the lord just...

Destroyed.

Because power?

Power didn’t need paperwork.

But Greed?

Greed needed proof.

Contracts.

Records.

Leverage.

And sometimes?

That was more exhausting than war.

"Lux," Solara said softly, watching him. "What are you thinking?"

He didn’t look at her. "Nothing." A beat. "I just want all of this... to end." His fingers tightened slightly around the cup. "This is worse than tax audit season."

That got a reaction.

Solara blinked.

Selena’s lips twitched.

They exchanged a glance.

Then looked back at him. "We’ll get through it," Selena said quietly.

Lux hummed. "Yeah."

Sure.

Eventually.

He took a sip.

Then exhaled slowly.

"...Anyway."

He shifted slightly, posture relaxing again, tone changing, lighter, casual, like flipping a switch.

"I just got a power-up."

Solara’s brow lifted.

Selena leaned in just slightly. "Oh?"

Lux smirked faintly. "I activated my incubus blood." A pause. "Fully."

Another sip.

"I’m 100% Greed and 100% Lust now."

He tilted his head slightly, lips curving just a little more.

"Not a half anymore."

There was a brief silence.

He added, casually, like it meant nothing...

"So yeah... if you wanna bang, call me."

A beat.

"Maybe we can get, you know... perks."

He lifted his cup again.

"All of us."

Sip.

Yeah.

That was a joke.

Obviously.

Clearly.

Painfully.

Obviously a joke.

Lux waited.

For the eye roll.

For the deadpan response.

For Solara to snap back.

For Selena to smirk and deflect.

That was the script.

That was how this worked.

Except, they didn’t.

They just...

Looked at him.

Lux blinked once.

...Twice.

Slowly lowered his cup. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"...What."

Solara’s fingers tapped lightly against her teacup.

Selena tilted her head just slightly.

They weren’t laughing.

They weren’t dismissing it.

They were... Considering it.

Actually.

Genuinely.

Considering it.

Lux’s brain paused.

Not crashed.

Paused.

Like a system trying to process unexpected input.

Wait.

Nope. Abort mission. Reset. Reboot. This conversation was spiraling toward a disaster that no amount of wealth, charm, or demonic dominance could clean up afterward. Lux inhaled slowly, letting the air fill his lungs before releasing it in a controlled exhale. His fingers drummed once against the porcelain cup, grounding himself.

"I was joking," he said at last, voice calm but deliberate. "Don’t overthink it. I didn’t mean to demean you guys."

Silence followed.

Not the awkward kind.

The dangerous kind.