A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 48: Misunderstanding

Honestly, when the head of the black mages suddenly appeared before me, I thought that was the end of everything.

But when I mustered my final bit of courage and rejected her proposal, she simply disappeared—leaving behind only the empty husk of the teacher she had possessed.

‘Come to think of it, no matter how powerful she is, she wouldn’t have been able to directly harm a white mage like me while inhabiting another person’s body.’

That must be why the woman who called herself the "Great Shadow" didn’t press further. She probably tried to intimidate me with bluffs—and now, since I didn’t fall for it, she’s messing with me like this out of spite.

In that case, no matter what, the only way to resolve this is to awaken the Saintess as quickly as possible.

Thankfully, the "curse" doesn’t seem to have any direct effect aside from her voice constantly talking to me, so my plans remain intact.

The bigger issue would be if the Great Shadow had already passed information to the other black mages...

‘...No, that’s unlikely.’

According to what Rebecca (now a lifeless shell) said, the black mages don’t have any form of private communication between them—it’s part of their secrecy measures.

That’s why she had to attend the coalition meetings regularly, then pass on what she learned by word of mouth to the mages inside the academy.

In other words, the black mages within the academy shouldn’t know what happened yesterday.

And even if they did get that information somehow—via whatever strange powers the Great Shadow might possess—it’d be too late for them to act on it.

‘My plan is already in motion.’

The only sticking point is that the ones participating in the tournament today are actually the doppelgängers of Robin, Charlie, and Hayden—while the real ones are likely resting under Sasha’s care.

It was a problem at first since the copies didn’t move at all in the storage room. But when I told them to participate in the tournament, they unexpectedly got up and followed the order.

Fortunately, based on yesterday’s test, they’re definitely inferior to the originals in performance. So they shouldn’t cause any trouble.

Of course, that also means they won’t win the tournament.

Losing those three from the pool of hero candidates... That’s a painful blow.

“Hoo...”

“W-What’s wrong?”

Snapping out of my thoughts as we walked toward the arena, I heard Hestia’s anxious voice from beside me.

“Saintess.”

“Yes?”

“When you awaken, please be good to me, alright?”

It might sound a little shameless, but I need to start planting the seeds early. If I want even a shred of compensation from this nightmare of a quest, I’ve got to hustle now.

“Once you awaken, not even the Holy Pope himself will be able to lay a hand on you.”

“R-Right...”

“You could probably forgive a few minor things that happened at the inn yesterday, yes? Maybe?”

But for some reason, Lady Hestia wouldn’t meet my eyes and kept staring at the ground.

That’s a bit worrying. She’s not the type to throw away the person who helped her, is she?

“If you’d like, I could ask Bergen to sneak wine deliveries into the Holy Nation for you.”

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freёnovelkiss.com.

“...I-I’ll leave it to you.”

Thank God. As soon as I mentioned the name of Bergen—who was probably passed out somewhere by now—I finally got a positive response out of her.

“Saintess, I understand you must be nervous, but...”

“Eek?”

That wasn’t enough for me. I gently reached out and took her hand.

There’s no better way to express sincerity than this—more than even soul-reading.

“No matter what happens, I will protect you until you awaken.”

“.......”

“So please, rest easy.”

As I whispered this with all traces of humor stripped from my voice, Hestia, who had tensed up at first, slowly shifted into a more complex expression.

“You’re... such a strange person.”

It was a surprisingly unexpected statement.

“You give off a shady vibe. Everything you do is suspicious.”

“Excuse me?”

“But your soul... is incredibly pure. Like someone who’s never committed a sin in their life.”

Ouch. My self-esteem about my appearance is seriously taking a hit.

“And one more thing that’s odd...”

Still watching me carefully, Hestia hesitated before continuing.

“For your age... your soul is far too mature.”

“.......”

“Almost like you’ve lived a second life already...”

At that moment, I couldn’t help but think—yep, she really is the Saintess.

“...Ah?”

“Haha...”

“You... couldn’t be...?”

I didn’t think anyone would catch on to my secret this fast.

“Let’s leave it at that for now.”

“.......”

“There’s no benefit to letting anyone know. Right?”

Thankfully, the one who figured it out is someone like Hestia—a beacon of absolute good.

If it got out that I’d once played this world like a game in my previous life... who knows what kind of chaos would erupt.

“...Well then, shall we head inside?”

With that, I glossed over Hestia’s suspicion and turned toward the entrance of the arena, now just ahead.

“Let’s go fix everything.”

At long last, after all the waiting—the Prodigy Selection Tournament was about to begin.

***

“Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for waiting!”

Just like Whitney said, after the previous scandal, the excitement around the tournament’s reopening was blazing hot.

After all, the Prodigy Selection Tournament was essentially a festival with no rival event in the Empire—and for groups constantly struggling with recruitment, it was an absolute must to attend and scout new talent.

To make up for the losses from the previous tournament, they’d even expanded the spectator seating by half. Delegates from the Holy Nation had shown up as well, making the audience more than double what it had been before.

“You’re late.”

“...Haha, sorry.”

“Not that I can blame you. It’s not like the opening ceremony is particularly exciting.”

In the heart of the roaring stadium—ironically the quietest place of all—Whitney arrived and flashed an awkward smile at Lady Meredia, who had already been waiting.

“Anyway, is that...?”

“H-Hello...”

But Meredia’s gaze wasn’t on Whitney. It was locked on the girl beside him—Lady Hestia.

“You don’t look too worse for wear, considering you were supposedly kidnapped. Your skin’s practically glowing.”

“T-That’s...”

“I was just joking, but... you really seem like you’ve been doing well, huh?”

“...S-Sorry?”

Hestia stammered and bowed her head as Meredia spoke with a mischievous grin.

“Don’t worry, she’s actually a kind person underneath.”

“...Is that so?”

“During the engagement debacle, she even started the whole riot to protect—mmph!”

Worried she’d get the wrong impression, I tried to defend Meredia’s reputation as her fiancé. But before I could finish, her hand clamped over my mouth.

“You talk too much.”

“......Mmph.”

“Stop chattering like a fool and focus on your plan, would you?”

Okay, sure—it’s my fault, but isn’t Lady Meredia being a bit too rough with me lately?

She was like this earlier too... If this keeps up, I’m worried she might actually start carrying a whip one day.

“Haha! The two of you are quite the sight!”

As I nervously watched her expression, half-lost in such silly thoughts, a cheerful voice rang out from a distance—by now, a very familiar one.

“But now, the first match of the Selection Tournament is about to begin!”

Today, Princess Katarina, who had paid special attention to her male disguise, swept a hand through her golden bob as she approached us.

“So you two should probably wrap up the flirting... Hm?”

But then, spotting Hestia in her maid disguise beside us, her eyes narrowed as she turned her gaze to me.

“...Lord Whitney, you’re quite clueless.”

“Pardon?”

“You brought a female servant with you, even with your fiancée standing right here. What exactly are you thinking?”

She leaned in and whispered into my ear, and I nearly sighed aloud.

“I know women well, you see. And when a woman’s in love, she can’t help but feel bothered if another woman is standing too close.”

“Um...”

“Come to think of it, your entire staff is women! Your knight, your butler, your maid—are you doing this on purpose?”

I mean... isn’t it normal for a personal maid to be female? And sure, Lunelle might fit that description, but Parsha’s just an edgy kid with a superiority complex!

“Hmph, Lord Whitney, you’re a dangerous man...”

As much as I wanted to see how far she'd take it, Lady Meredia’s expression behind me was... less than forgiving. So I figured it was time to clue the princess in.

“...That’s the Saintess in disguise, Your Highness.”

“Gasp!”

I whispered the truth into her ear, and her eyes went wide—almost cartoonishly so.

“Y-You should’ve told me that sooner...!”

“Haha... You didn’t exactly give me the chance.”

“Ugh...”

Grabbing the hem of my sleeve with her index finger and muttering in a flustered voice, her expression was—though inappropriate to say—quite amusing.

“W-Well! I-I must go to the royal seating area now!”

“Is that so?”

“S-Sorry for causing a fuss!”

And just like that, she flailed through an awkward goodbye and bolted off like a startled squirrel, cheeks burning red.

“...I heard there were rumors that she tried to assault you before you became the Saintess.”

“Huh?”

“Is that true?”

Then, frowning at the princess’s retreating back, Meredia suddenly hit Hestia with an unexpectedly sensitive question.

“Well... There was a bit of a misunderstanding.”

Startled, I turned to listen as Hestia gave a surprisingly honest answer.

“When His Highness visited our territory... I was being punished. In my room.”

“...And?”

“He must’ve entered the wrong room by mistake, and I screamed before I even realized what was happening. I think the story just got twisted from there...”

Good grief. I never imagined that’s what really happened.

I mean, Katarina being a woman in disguise, there was no chance she’d actually assault Hestia. But for it to end up in the Imperial papers... someone must’ve spread that on purpose.

‘Too many suspects to narrow down...’

Even ignoring the Emperor, plenty of people don’t trust Princess Katarina.

Seriously... being royalty must be exhausting.

“Typical of her,” Meredia muttered, shaking her head with an exasperated look.

“But still... something feels off.”

“Huh?”

“...Her behavior. It’s more annoying than usual.”

From the quiet mutter, it sounded like Meredia’s suspicions about the princess hadn’t gone away at all.

“Attention, everyone!”

Just then, the department head’s magically-amplified voice boomed across the arena, ending any chance I had to defend the princess.

“The first match is between third-year students Robin and Charlie!”

And with that, the Selection Tournament—masquerading as a talent scouting event, but truly a stage for choosing the world’s next Hero—was finally underway.

“Starting off with two top contenders! This match is sure to be a fierce one!”

Whether it was because things were going unusually well or not, the department head sounded practically giddy. Cheers erupted as the two students entered from opposite ends of the arena and faced each other.

“All participants, prepare yourselves! For all matches except the finals, the judges will alternate starting with Lord Whitney!”

As agreed, we’d rotate judging duties for every match except the finals—meaning I was up first.

“Ahem. Both sides, ready yourselves.”

When I cleared my throat and spoke from the judges’ platform, the roaring stadium quickly fell silent.

“...Begin.”

With a solemn voice, I signaled the start of the match.

“.......”

And then came an awkward silence.

“...Hm?”

Furrowing my brow, I looked out and realized something strange.

‘Why... isn’t anyone moving?’

Robin and Charlie were just standing there, staring at each other—motionless, even though the match had begun.

“Everyone? The match has started.”

I raised my voice again, just in case they hadn’t heard—but still got no response.

“What’s going on? Why aren’t they doing anything?”

“Shh! They’re both favorites to win. Maybe it’s a battle of nerves.”

“Just fight already!”

One full minute passed with nothing happening. As murmurs spread through the crowd, everyone began growing restless.

‘No way... don’t tell me—’

A thought hit me. A possibility I really didn’t want to be true.

‘Did they... literally only enter the tournament like I told them to?’

Now two minutes had gone by—and the doppelgängers hadn’t moved an inch.

‘...This is bad.’

If the tournament gets suspended again, it’ll be a disaster.

I won’t be able to stop the black mages’ plans, and even if I somehow do, I’ll never shake the accusation of kidnapping the Saintess and provoking the Holy Knights.

“Just move already, I don’t care how!”

And as I muttered that desperately—

“They’re moving!”

“Wooooaaah!”

The two students /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ finally began walking toward each other, and cheers erupted throughout the arena.

“Oh.”

That’s when I realized the harsh truth I’d been avoiding.

“...You’ve got to be kidding me.”

If I wanted to prevent another disaster from halting the tournament... I’d have to manually control those two doppelgängers in real time.

***

Just a few minutes later—

BOOM! KA-BOOM!

That early awkwardness now felt like nothing more than the calm before the storm. Robin and Charlie’s duel was now a high-intensity spectacle.

“Are they really students?”

“Their level’s even higher than last time...”

Even spectators who hadn’t seen the previous Selection Tournament—and those who had—couldn’t help but admire the ferocity of the match.

All eyes were locked on the two fighters as they clashed, blow after blow. Except for one person.

“.......”

Hestia’s gaze was fixed not on the battlefield—but on the man beside her.

“...Robin will raise his shield here to brace for the impact. He’ll be paralyzed, but the opponent’s spell has high mana cost. He’ll try to stall and wait for the chant’s opening.”

“...Haaah.”

“Charlie will retreat the moment his chant ends. He won’t give Robin time to close the distance. Probably start with low-mana spells to keep him at bay... haha.”

Whitney, for some reason, had seamlessly taken on the role of a commentator, delivering eerily accurate predictions to Meredia.

‘I didn’t want to believe it—but it’s true.’

Hestia listened silently, then bit her lip and reached a conclusion.

‘Whitney... you’re a regressor, aren’t you.’

That was the only explanation—his bizarre actions, the glimpse of the future she had seen in his soul. It all made sense now.

“...That’s why you were so desperate to save me.”

Of course, for Whitney—whose brain was on the verge of meltdown from controlling two player characters at once—this would’ve sounded completely absurd.

“I didn’t even realize...”

But regardless, the wheel of fate was already turning—clicking perfectly into place.