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Alex seemed to recall some unbearable memories as he spoke. His body began to tremble.
"I was still a child back then. I could only hide inside the closet and watch my parents and relatives chase that man down the hallway with shotguns and crossbows, brutally killing him."
Soren's expression shifted slightly.
An entire family teaming up to hunt the new groom on his wedding night—this sounded completely insane.
"Is this some kind of family initiation ritual? Or are you performing a sacrifice?"
Soren's gaze sharpened. This twisted logic instantly made him think of demons.
"No… it was to survive."
Alex continued, "The massive wealth of our family didn't come from business talent or luck."
"Generations ago, my great-grandfather Victor signed a contract with a mysterious man named Le Bail to get rich…"
"What does this contract have to do with tomorrow's wedding?" Soren nodded and asked.
"The contract has one unbreakable rule."
Alex said, "Any new member marrying into or joining the Le Domas family must draw a game card from a mechanical box at midnight on their wedding day."
"The entire family must play the mini-game specified on the card with the newlyweds. Only by completing the game can the new member truly be accepted into the family."
He spoke painfully, "Usually the cards drawn are ordinary board games."
"But after thinking about the tragedy from thirty years ago, I became more and more afraid."
"I'm too scared. Even if there's only the slightest chance, I can't let Grace repeat that fate."
Hearing this, a flash of understanding crossed Soren's eyes.
This absurd plot reminded him of a horror movie he had watched in his previous life—
Ready or Not.
He didn't remember the exact details, but he vaguely recalled the setup.
Newlyweds had to draw a card from a mechanical box and play the game on it.
The aunt's husband back then must have drawn the bad card called "Hide and Seek."
The rules of that card: the entire family had to kill the person who drew it before dawn.
If the new member survived until sunrise, the game failed.
Then the contract would backlash, and every member of the family would die mysteriously.
Conversely, if the new member was killed, their soul and flesh would be offered as a sacrifice to the mysterious entity the family had contracted with.
He faintly remembered that the mysterious figure… seemed to be a demon.
"Have you found any useful information about this mysterious Mr. Le Bail over the years?" Soren asked.
Alex nodded. "I checked the family's ancient records and privately consulted some occult researchers. 'Le Bail' is just a disguised variant spelling."
He took a deep breath and continued, "It's actually the 68th demon of Solomon's Seventy-Two Pillars—Belial."
Another Solomon demon?
Soren raised an eyebrow. Had he poked the hornet's nest of Solomon demons lately?
He recalled what he knew about Belial.
This demon's specialty was granting mortals wealth and status, then using those as bait to sign all kinds of unequal "covenants."
Soren's mind stirred.
The demon god Valak that had descended earlier could understand human speech and had some knowledge of hidden human organizations.
Since Belial was also one of the Seventy-Two Pillars, Soren refused to believe it had only signed contracts with the Le Domas family over the years.
It wandered high society year after year, signing covenants by granting status and wealth. It definitely held intelligence on quite a few wealthy and powerful families.
Perfect—Soren had been worrying about finding a new lead to investigate these tycoons.
If he could use this opportunity to have a proper "conversation" with this deal-loving demon, he might obtain fresh clues about "The Darkness Is Coming."
With that thought, Soren said calmly, "I'll take the job."
"But since it involves a major demon from Hell, the price is going to go up."
Alex looked like he had grabbed a lifeline. "How much? Name your number."
Soren raised one finger. "Ten million. Not a cent less."
"No problem." Alex agreed without hesitation, terrified Soren might change his mind.
Soren looked at the man and sighed inwardly.
He had asked for too little.
He hadn't expected a son who hadn't even inherited the family fortune to casually pull out ten million in cash.
But on second thought, Soren understood the loophole.
The mechanical box contained so many ordinary game cards. The odds of drawing the bad "Hide and Seek" card were extremely low.
Spending ten million to buy a top-tier bodyguard for peace of mind was pocket change for the Le Domas family's capital.
And even if the worst happened and his fiancée really drew the bad card, as long as Soren kept her alive until dawn, the older generation would all die from the contract backlash.
Then Alex—who would be on the same side as his wife—could legitimately inherit the entire family fortune.
Ten million would be nothing more than pocket change at that point.
These rich heirs really were ruthless.
...
"From this day forward, I will always have you."
"For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."
Inside a luxurious estate guest room, a blonde woman in a pure-white wedding dress stood before a full-length mirror, repeatedly practicing her wedding vows.
"Hey, on such a beautiful day, why are you already talking about parting?"
A smiling voice came from behind her.
She turned and saw her fiancé, Alex.
"Hi!"
She laughed happily, lifted her skirt, and walked over to give him a hug.
"You look absolutely perfect today."
After a moment of tenderness, Alex gazed at his wife's face and sighed in admiration.
Grace was about to whisper something sweet when her peripheral vision caught another figure—
A young man in a black suit, arms crossed, leaning casually against the doorway outside.
What caught her attention most was the few white strands mixed into his black hair, giving him a slightly roguish look.
"…Who is this?"
Grace asked, puzzled.
"Uh… Soren, a friend of mine."
Alex paused, then quickly introduced him. "This is my fiancée, Grace."
"Soren…?"
Grace repeated the name a little awkwardly.
She had known Alex for so many years and had never heard him mention such a strange friend.
Still, since the man was here as a wedding guest, Grace smiled politely and gave him a small nod.
Soren glanced at her, returned the nod, and said nothing more.
He had taken the money, so he would do the job.
As the bodyguard invited to attend the wedding and provide security, wearing this formal suit was the least he could do to show respect to the newlyweds.
Besides, the suit had been custom-made overnight at a high price by Alex specifically to avoid drawing attention.
His only real worry was whether intervening in the game tonight would anger the demon and force it to step in personally.
That would make things… very bad.