[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati":3,"chapter-harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-165":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Harem Startup : The Demon Billionaire is on Vacation",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1410576,1864,"Chapter 165: Wrong Turn","harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-165",165,"\u003Cp>Chapter 165 – Wrong Turn\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That familiar little cheery chime echoed like a smug ex announcing itself at a funeral.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux blinked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elevator doors slid open with angelic grace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And instead of stepping into the Sovereign Grand’s marble hallway, he stepped into...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...a box?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tiny, dimly lit chamber with paper-thin walls and a wooden chair that looked like it had never seen joy or lumbar support. There was a decorative lattice in front of him—metalwork disguised as piety. A screen, sort of. And beyond it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And a silhouette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another person sat behind the mesh partition, obscured but present. A faint scent of incense clung to the air, mixed with old wood, distant wax, and... was that lavender?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux tilted his head. \"Where the—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the word ’hell’ could finish forming, a gentle, patient voice came from the other side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you want to confess, my child?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eyes flicked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh no.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh absolutely not.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was in a confession booth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a mortal realm church.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Upper Realm had just yeeted him—robe and all—into a space designed to cleanse sins through awkward conversations and repressed guilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Seriously?\" he muttered to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had to be the robe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or Celestaria’s twisted sense of humor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe both.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rubbed his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of all the places to get dropped off after a divine meeting, they chose this one? A box with a priest and a soul-audit window?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you want to confess, my child?\" the voice repeated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man sounded kind. Gentle. Elderly. Like he’d give you cookies after telling you eternal damnation was a hug away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fine!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this was how the night was going to end, then he might as well lean into it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shifted in the creaky wooden chair, draped his robe just right, and leaned toward the lattice with a tone so silky it might’ve required a license in some countries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bless me, Father,\" Lux said, voice low and solemn, \"for I have sinned.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other side was quiet. Receptive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I once almost committed mass economic warfare...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ve seduced over two dozen demons into tax compliance. Angels too. Got them to agree to my stupid clauses. Yeah, it was stupid. I thought the same at the time—but my department needed it. Business.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Longer pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I hacked three separate espresso machines,\" he said, dead serious, \"just so I could spy on my underlings. Make sure they weren’t slacking on quarterly quotas.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Excuse me?\" the priest finally asked, his voice faltering under the sheer absurdity of it all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux inhaled slowly, dramatically. As if even he was exhausted by himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I once rerouted a divine tax meant for a temple,\" he added with a heavy sigh, \"to fund an orphanage. With interest. Because the temple leader was annoying. Reeked of Greed. Which, I know, ironic. Considering it’s my specialty. But still—doesn’t mean I enjoy smelling it on other people.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The priest sputtered. \"I—uh—what?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And Father,\" Lux whispered, eyes half-lidded like he was about to confess to something truly terrible, \"I once made an angel cry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He let it linger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because I rejected her offer for dinner. She wanted me to drink Holy water. At a candlelit dinner table. With choir music in the background. That was ridiculous, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other side went dead silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaned forward, his mouth barely an inch from the partition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Would you call that... divine intervention?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...My child,\" the priest said slowly, clearly questioning both his role in this and the entire architecture of creation, \"are you being serious right now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux’s voice dropped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Low. Smooth. Velvet-wrapped sin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do I sound like I’m joking, Father?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a faint wheeze of uncertainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I—I—this booth is not for entertainment—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux grinned wider.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who said I’m not entertained?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The priest sputtered. His calm was unraveling like a discount robe during a flood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t think this is appropriate,\" he said, almost pleading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—Lux stopped smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like that, all the theater dropped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soft. Flat. Honest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t need forgiveness,\" he said. \"Not from you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A long, strange beat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air inside the confession booth shifted. A little colder now. Or maybe it was just that the priest finally realized this wasn’t your average sinner on the other side of the screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then came the question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one Lux was waiting for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You... you don’t fear Hell?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux let out a low, dark chuckle. Quiet. Weighted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not really,\" he said. \"Hell’s never scared me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But I just don’t want to go there yet.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux sat back, gazing lazily at the lattice between them like he could see through it—and maybe, just maybe, he could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You ever meet someone who knows where they belong, but still doesn’t want to arrive too early?\" he asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The priest hesitated. \"I—suppose?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s me,\" Lux said simply. \"I’ve seen what waits down there. I built some of it. Designed the inflation charts, tracked soul burn rates, created the economic inflation thresholds for Wrath-based purgatories. But that doesn’t mean I want to clock in early.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...You sound like a demon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Close,\" Lux said. \"I’m the son of one. Lord of Greed. I manage Hell’s financial arteries. CFO of the damned.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A choked cough echoed through the lattice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And you’re... in a church?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux shrugged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elevator took a wrong turn.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s—\" the priest stammered, \"that’s not possible.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux smiled. \"You think that’s the weird part?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another beat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quiet. Unnervingly human silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why come here?\" the priest asked. \"If you don’t believe. If you don’t need absolution.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux didn’t answer right away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He let the seconds breathe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, finally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I just wanted to know what it felt like... to be seen by someone who doesn’t already know what I’ve done.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The priest didn’t speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Couldn’t, maybe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And really, what could he say?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here sat a man—a demon prince, apparently—wrapped in holiness, confessing not to cleanse his soul but just to feel something neutral.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be looked at without agenda.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To feel normal, if only for five minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>",1017,"2026-06-05T23:57:11.778Z",1,"novelbin.me","e3dc399bbcb50aea4416f07465d21a8cbb60cd93a7dc77b73c03bba77ba7abb3","harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-166","harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-164",878,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fharem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-cover.jpg"]