"Sairaorg Bael-sama and Finn Balam-sama have arrived!"
The announcer's voice echoed across the sprawling, obscenely opulent venue. Given that tonight celebrated the union of Sirzechs Lucifer's little sister and the third son of the Phenex Pillar, a modest gathering was politically impossible. The Phenex family possessed near-infinite liquid capital, and the Gremory family held absolute political royalty. The result was a grand hall dripping in gold, ancient magic, and sensory excess.
Yet, despite the overwhelming grandeur of the venue and the sheer density of famous High-Class Devils in attendance, the moment Finn and Sairaorg walked through the grand double doors, every single pair of eyes in the room snapped directly toward them.
First, there was their undeniable status. They were the direct heirs to two of the most powerful Pillars in the Underworld. The overall population of Devils was critically low, and the number of true Nobles was even lower—decimated by the ancient Great War and the brutal Civil War against the Old Satan Faction. Any High-Class heir commanded immediate respect.
Secondly, the reputations of their specific Houses were peaking. The Bael House was the undisputed military and political foundation of the Great King Faction. Meanwhile, the Balam House—which had previously maintained a low profile—had recently skyrocketed in infamy. Rumors had aggressively circulated that Finn Balam had personally survived an assassination attempt by the True Longinus and walked away without a scratch.
More importantly, Finn was terrifyingly wealthy. The amount of liquid cash and corporate infrastructure he controlled in the human world was absolutely staggering.
Naturally, a faction of conservative, old-blood nobles glared at him with thinly veiled disdain. To their archaic sensibilities, an aristocratic Pillar heir operating like a lowly human merchant was deeply shameful. Yet, they kept their mouths firmly shut. Why? Because inwardly, they were terrified of him. Finn's holding companies currently own the debts on half of their ancestral estates.
Even Diehauser Belial, the undisputed absolute Champion of the Rating Games, currently owed massive favors to Finn's infrastructure companies. Despite possessing vast tracts of land, most Noble Houses were incredibly cash-poor, burdened by useless descendants who only knew how to squander generational wealth.
Conversely, the progressive nobles who had heavily invested in Finn's portfolios wanted to swarm him. They wanted to shake his hand, offer their daughters, and desperately ask for stock tips—especially after noticing the massive, highly lucrative bounty market Finn had just synthesized to hunt down the Hero Faction. For a single young Devil to possess the liquidity to fund a global mercenary war was awe-inspiring.
However, before the sycophants could make their move, the absolute center of attention intercepted the duo. Riser Phenex, the groom-to-be, spotted them and approached with a remarkably bright, welcoming smile.
"Oh! The heirs of the Bael and Balam Clans have arrived!"
"Riser!" Sairaorg nodded, returning a polite, if somewhat stiff, smile. "I expect you to take care of Rias with everything you have. She is my cousin, after all."
"Don't you worry about a thing, Sairaorg. I will take good care of her with everything I have," Riser replied, a highly smug, slightly lewd smirk curling his lips.
It was an entirely predictable reaction. Rias Gremory was famously one of the most breathtakingly beautiful women in the Underworld. Thinking about claiming such a prize would naturally make any arrogant noble ecstatic.
"Hello, Riser Phenex," Finn stepped forward smoothly. "I believe this is our first formal meeting, but allow me to offer my congratulations on your engagement."
Finn couldn't care less about Riser's arrogant, Playboy personality. In Finn's corporate worldview, people were either profitable assets or disposable liabilities. As a direct descendant of the Phenex House, Riser was a highly valuable asset. Befriending him granted streamlined, wholesale access to Phenex Tears—the legendary, heavily monopolized potion capable of instantly regenerating near-fatal injuries. Finn had utilized them before, and while the healing properties were miraculous, the market price was absolutely extortionate because the Phenex Clan artificially restricted the supply.
"Thank you, Finn Balam! Or rather, may I just call you Finn? I am happy you are attending my celebration!" Riser laughed, looking genuinely thrilled.
Having Finn attend his party was a massive political victory for Riser. Despite being part of the younger generation, Finn's geopolitical standing was entirely unique; he was the undisputed financial mastermind of the Great King Faction. The Phenex House held immense wealth, but they were mostly old-money hoarders. They didn't know how to aggressively multiply capital across the human and supernatural realms as Finn did.
They called Finn the Plutus of the Underworld—the literal God of Wealth.
While Finn possessed only slightly above-average innate magic talent, his business feats were legendary. By perfectly leveraging his meta-knowledge, the Manager, and the absolute security of his Pillar status, he had built an empire where failure was essentially impossible. He played the geopolitical board with massive, aggressive bets, separating him entirely from the other sheltered heirs of his generation.
"I don't mind at all. I will call you Riser, then," Finn smiled pleasantly. He reached into his tailored suit jacket. "I know it might not seem like much compared to Phenex wealth, but please accept this personal wedding gift."
"Oh? What is this...?" Riser blinked in confusion as Finn handed him a smooth, pale pink, egg-shaped crystal. It was undoubtedly beautiful, but wasn't it a bit... feminine for a wedding gift?
Naturally, the surrounding nobles entirely stopped their conversations, leaning in closely, incredibly curious to see what the Plutus of the Underworld deemed a worthy gift.
"It is a highly specialized piece of Rose Quartz," Finn explained smoothly, his corporate salesman persona activating flawlessly. "I imported it directly from a legendary Feng Shui grandmaster in the Eastern Pantheons."
Finn stepped closer, leaning in to whisper conspiratorially into Riser's ear. "It actively manipulates ambient energy to drastically boost a Devil's fertility cycles. Keep it near the bed, and it will guarantee your new wife will become pregnant faster."
"....."
Riser's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Without a single second of hesitation, his hand shot out and snatched the pink quartz, clutching it to his chest like a holy relic.
"Thank you! You are my absolute best friend, Finn!" Riser practically wept with joy.
How does an arrogant noble permanently secure the absolute submission of a rebellious, politically powerful wife and completely crush the hopes of her annoying low-class servants? By making her pregnant with an heir as quickly as possible!
Once I get her pregnant, she won't be able to run away! Riser laughed internally, his face twisting into a mask of pure, unadulterated perversion as he furiously shook Finn's hand, treating the young Balam heir like his ultimate savior.
Finn simply nodded, his polite smile masking his deep internal amusement. He was glad Riser was so ecstatic over a cheap, mundane piece of quartz he picked up casually on the mountain when he went on a journey with Sun Wukong. The effect was real, but it was mostly a placebo.
"...Wait, can that rock actually boost a Devil's fertility?" Sairaorg asked, his voice booming over the quiet music.
The surrounding nobles froze. Due to their extreme lifespans, pureblood Devils suffered from horrifyingly low birth rates. It was the single greatest existential crisis facing their race.
"I acquired it from a legendary Immortal in China," Finn lied effortlessly without breaking eye contact. "The metaphysical data suggest a highly successful yield."
"...Um... Balam-sama, can I possibly purchase one from your company?" an older Duke asked, his voice trembling with desperate hope.
"Wait a moment, I will pay double for it!" a wealthy Marquis shouted, shoving the Duke aside.
"Me! Put me on the waiting list! Name your price!"
"Move! I need an heir!"
"....."
As the dignified high-society gathering rapidly devolved into a rabid, violent Wall Street trading floor over fake magic rocks, a sudden, heavy pressure descended upon the room, instantly silencing the chaos.
"Ahem."
The crowd immediately parted like the Red Sea. All attention snapped toward the three figures who had just approached Finn, Sairaorg, and Riser.
More specifically, all eyes locked onto the man standing in the center. He possessed flowing crimson hair and an aura of absolute, unfathomable authority.
"Sirzechs-sama!"
Along with that deeply respectful, unified greeting, every single noble in the grand hall bowed their heads in absolute submission.
Finn looked up, meeting the calm, terrifyingly deep eyes of the Crimson Satan, Sirzechs Lucifer, for the very first time.