The Hell of Being Male in this Mad World
Living as a man in this insane world surpasses imagination in its misery and despair. Unlike the female demons who wield magic power as naturally as breathing, men are frail creatures who can't even sense a speck of it. That's why, whether it's heavy labor, restaurant serving, or even sweeping with a broom, using women is overwhelmingly more efficient. One burst of magic power lets a single woman finish in the blink of an eye what would take dozens of sweating men. So, bluntly put, men have nowhere to work except as male prostitutes. If a regular workplace insists on hiring a man? There's only one reason: to toss him to the female workers as a stress-relief fucktoy. The boss personally provides a communal dick for them to yank down the pants of and fuck whenever they get horny mid-shift. During breaks, lust-crazed female demons swarm like beasts in heat, mercilessly draining every drop and stuffing every hole. So for a guy like me with all limbs intact to work purely as a cleaner at a major brothel like Illusion's Banquet is nothing short of a miracle. Without the countess's capricious favor, I'd have long since been fucked through every hole, reeking of sticky juices.
In the end, in this world, a man's only options are to sell his body or get sold off into marriage. But marriage is as good as suicide. Due to the extreme gender imbalance, it's nominally polygamy—one man with multiple female demon wives—but in reality, it's the opposite. Those wives with monstrous stamina and infinite lust squeeze you dry day and night until you're left a dried-up skeleton. In fact, the number one cause of male death here is death from overexhaustion during sex. That says it all. Even as a cleaner at a top-tier brothel, that pitiful wage barely gets you out of the rundown one-room slum where thin walls let every nightly moan seep through. You sleep like a shrimp, enduring the crude sex cries from next door every damn day. But 20 gold. Just 20 gold changes everything. You could move to a proper place with sunlight. No—even better, it could be the perfect stake to escape this horny hellhole of a Demon Capital entirely and naturalize in a normal human kingdom. That massive sum slammed into my brain, and I swallowed dryly without realizing it. Amid the tension making every hair on my body stand on end, a cracked, trembling voice slipped cautiously from my lips.
"Uh, b-but... who exactly is coming...?"
To my hesitant question, Lilith let out a sultry "Fufu♡" laugh, looking intrigued.
"None other than Duke Rozena herself~"
The moment I heard that name, a shock like my heart stopping hit me.
Rozena, Duke. No one in the Demon Capital didn't know her. She commanded terrifyingly immense military power, and rumors swirled that her personal strength was second only to the Demon King. And that wasn't all. Tales of her brutality followed her like a tail—ripping limbs off and slaughtering anyone who slightly irked her, the epitome of merciless savagery without a drop of pity. I started trembling like a leaf in the wind.
The noblest guests at Illusion's Banquet were at best barons or viscounts, and aside from Lilith right here, I'd never even seen a count in my life. But one of the seven absolute powerhouses ruling the entire Demon Capital—a duke!
"N-no way...! I absolutely can't..."
As I paled and desperately tried to refuse, it happened.
Clink~
Ten dazzling gold coins spilled onto the desk in front of me with a heavy thud.
"Here's half upfront~"
"Ah..."
I let out a dumb noise, mouth agape and unable to close.
Honestly, Lilith here was a miraculous case among demons where conversation actually worked, but basically, demons—noble or common—were monstrous lust blobs devoid of reason. If I ended up under that brutal Duke Rozena, I'd surely be crushed to the marrow and shredded like meat fodder. I'd die for sure. Warning bells screamed in my head.
But brushing off my visceral fear with a smirk, Lilith drove the wedge home in a lazy whisper.
"I'll raise the pay to a total of 40 gold. How's that~?"
40 gold. Hearing that insane amount blanked my mind completely. The old human-world saying about throwing more money at it if money doesn't work? Perfectly proven here.
"Ahh..."
I groaned in conflict between the terror of gruesome death and overwhelming greed. My brain still wrestled for an escape, but my eyes were locked on those gleaming coins, unblinking.
Confirming my pathetic, greedy state, Lilith flashed a confident, seductive smile and clapped lightly.
"Great~! I'll take that as a yes. Then our pretty Demian, rest up nice through Friday and groom yourself well. I'm counting on you~♡"
I gulped down water with shaking hands.
"Don't worry too much."
Lilith patted my rigid shoulders with a light chuckle.
"The duchess rarely goes past the first round~ Most times she stops after one. Even if it's just that, you'll get the full pay♡"
Just the first round? That meant no bed—just serving drinks nearby, right?
"R-really...?!"
I perked up with a glimmer of hope, eyes sparkling, and she curled her lip slyly.
"Yeah. Because everyone before that pissed her off and died♡"
"Ah... I see... Wait, for real?!"
All color drained from my face in an instant.
"For real~ Though occasionally some lucky ones survive, they never made it to round two either."
Shit. I'm fucked. Blinded by a few coins, marching to my doom on my own two feet.
Watching me shudder, Lilith propped her chin, whispering stickily.
"That's why I'm making you a second offer, my darling cleaner♡"
Her eyes gleamed like a snake eyeing prey.
"Living in that stinky one-room slum must suck, right? Trudging through those nasty back-alley slums every day to work. Big sis worries you'll run into trouble~"
Lilith stood, sidled up to me, subtly rubbing her ample breasts against my arm, and breathed hot into my ear.
"So since it's come to this, how about living with me here? Sleep in my big, soft bed, live together♡"
"Ah... th-that's..."
I backed away slowly, sweating bullets. Her dark intentions were crystal clear. This woman was one of the Demon Capital's top perverts among perverts. Sharing that huge bed? I'd be milked dry around the clock till my bones dissolved. Just imagining it chilled my groin.
"No... my place now is fine enough."
I shook my head firmly, and she smacked her lips disappointedly.
"Fufu~ Too bad. If you'd lived with me and been a good boy, I could've specially asked the duchess to handle our Demian gently~?"
Even her sweet devilish whisper couldn't sway me. I had zero intention of getting deeply tangled with her. My ultimate goal was escaping this mad Demon Capital for good and naturalizing in a human kingdom. Keeping distance from this dangerous, greedy brothel owner was wisest. If my plan leaked, it was over—everything I'd built up to now down the drain.
"Really, I'm good. Thanks for the offer."
I smiled awkwardly, rebuffing her temptation once more.
......
I hurried out of Lilith's office and headed to the staff locker room in the corner of the first floor. As I opened the door to the musty mix of mold and thick perfume, reaching for my worn gray cleaner uniform hanging in my spot—
"Oh my god! Did you see that viscount earlier? He tipped me this ruby ring!"
"For real? Jealous~ I slaved through the night squeezing him dry, thought my back would snap, and he just tossed a few silver coins."
Suddenly, high-pitched, chattering voices erupted from the hall, and a swarm of male prostitutes poured into the locker room. They were all in sheer silk robes exposing their waists or leather hot pants so short their ass cheeks peeked out—pure sleaze. They clapped and squealed among themselves, flaunting gaudy necklaces and bracelets from clients.
The sight of able-bodied men gossiping in thin, girly voices like schoolgirls was still hard to stomach after half a year in this world. Small mercy: every guy in this crazy Demon Capital was blindingly handsome, delicate pretty boys, or shotas. If they were hairy potbellied uncles from my old world in fishnets acting cutesy, my eyesight would've been destroyed long ago.
As I quietly unbuttoned my shirt in the corner, averting my eyes—
Light, slapping footsteps approached, blocking my path. Looking up, there stood Reni with his silver hair swaying, pouty-faced.
He was one of Illusion's Banquet's top ace male prostitutes. Crossing his slender arms arrogantly over his chest, he scanned me head to toe, snorted, and snapped snidely.
"Hmph! A broom-pushing hick like you is taking that huge VIP guest coming this time?!"