A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 54: The Trump Card

“Please tell me... Lady Lunelle. Please...”

Moved by her desperate tone, Lunelle hesitated for a moment, biting her lip, then finally lowered Cecil to the ground and answered in a quiet voice.

“...I can’t tell you everything, but this much I can say for certain.”

“W-What is it?”

“At the very least, with Master’s... I mean, Sir Whitney’s plan, no one will be harmed.”

If she had just ignored her and forced her into the infirmary, Cecil would have leapt right back out.

But she also couldn’t overstep her bounds by revealing too much.

That’s why Lunelle had decided to offer just enough explanation to put Cecil at ease for now.

“Just one more thing, let me ask just one more...”

However, contrary to Lunelle’s assumption, Cecil wasn’t frightened by Whitney’s bloody actions.

“Was my participation in the tournament also part of my brother’s plan?”

Cecil was trembling at the possibility that everything she had thought about Whitney until now had been a complete misunderstanding.

“That probably wasn’t the case.”

“Oh.”

“When you said you were going to participate in the tournament, Sir Whitney was clearly flustered.”

As that possibility grew more certain, Cecil’s face turned increasingly pale.

“Then... was it my fault the plan went wrong...?”

“That’s not it. Sir Whitney’s plan is airtight...”

Lunelle answered as sincerely as she could, staying within the bounds of what she was allowed to say.

– RUMBLE...!

But right at that moment, the academy began to shake with a deafening boom.

Lunelle immediately dropped her serious tone and changed her response.

“...It seems the plan has gone awry.”

“T-Then what’s happening?”

“A demon is going to appear at the Academy—hngh.”

She hurriedly rummaged through her garments but then bit her tongue and quickly clamped her mouth shut.

“Wait... is this the butterfly effect of me winning the match?”

“T-That’s probably not it. I think...”

Lunelle tried to deny Cecil’s words, but her trembling voice made it sound far from convincing.

“A-Anyway! I have to go help my brother right now...!”

“...No, wait. Sir Whitney said he had a contingency plan prepared for something like this.”

Just as Cecil, nearly losing her composure, was about to run forward, Lunelle pulled something from her robes and stopped her, having regained her calm.

“Actually, before we came here, he gave us something in case the plan went off course.”

“W-What is this?”

“It’s called a ‘trick pouch’ or something. It’s supposedly a strategy written by an old strategist from the Eastern Continent? I don’t really know. He told us not to open it unless the plan failed...”

Just as Lunelle said, it was made of high-grade paper, clearly infused with Whitney’s personal taste.

Seeing it, Cecil let out a sigh of relief.

“T-Then let’s open it right away.”

“I was planning to do just that, so don’t worry.”

Though still looking slightly anxious, Cecil urged her, and Lunelle immediately tore open the pouch to check the contents.

“...Gasp.”

A few seconds later, she drew in a sharp breath, her face turning even paler than Cecil’s.

“W-What is it?”

Seeing her visibly shaken, Cecil fearfully looked at the paper that had come out of the pouch.

“Eek.”

She immediately understood why even Lunelle, who wouldn’t flinch with a blade to her neck, had reacted with such terror.

「Final Testament」

What had come out of the pouch that was supposed to contain Whitney’s plan... was none other than his will.

“A-All of it... all of it...”

As she read it, Cecil’s legs gave out and she collapsed to the floor, tears like glass beads falling from her eyes.

“...It’s all because of me.”

***

– BOOM...! BOOM BOOM BOOM...!

The tremors that began to sweep across the entire academy as the demon’s seal was broken grew stronger and stronger.

“...Good thing I had the sub-plan prepared.”

If I hadn’t set up a Plan B in advance for the failure of the original, I probably would’ve started crying by now.

“Parsha, you distributed the trick pouches to the executives properly, right?”

– Of course. I handed them out with zero margin for error!

“Good. I’ll trust you.”

Still, just in case, I checked again through the communication crystal linked to Parsha, then sighed and picked up my pace.

‘If communication crystals were more readily available, I wouldn’t have to keep playing Zhuge Liang...’

Honestly, the Magic Tower monopolizing most of the magical tools is a huge pain. Next time, I should try using the necklace I got from Adel to negotiate.

“...Excuse me. What is this plan you supposedly prepared in advance?”

Just as I was grumbling to myself and heading outside the arena, the Saintess, who had been tagging along behind me, snapped a sharp question.

“If I tell you, will you stop saying I’m the Demon King?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Sigh, just hurry up and explain.”

Honestly, I wanted to grab her and lecture her at length for being so ridiculously mistaken, but there wasn’t enough time for that.

“...It’s simple. I’m going to subdue and enslave the demon that’s appeared in the Academy.”

And honestly, I didn’t know what exactly had changed inside me, but I had made a deal with the leader of the black mages and taken on a double role, so she had plenty of reason to be suspicious.

“That... is that even possible?”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s not possible. I have to do it. The demon that appears at the Academy can’t be defeated by anyone except the Hero.”

Originally, the demon that appears at the Academy in the final chapter of Act 1 is, so to speak, an event boss meant to spotlight the protagonist.

The knight order from the Holy Nation, visiting not for the tournament but to foster diplomatic ties with the Empire, is completely wiped out. Even the top-tier faculty and the headmaster can do no more than buy a little time.

In that kind of hopeless scenario, the protagonist—namely, the player, who is the Hero—defeats the demon and finally makes their grand debut to the world.

“But I know one bug-like playstyle... no, I mean, a trick, something like that.”

Whether it’s a bug or an intentional mechanic, I happen to know one method that completely shatters this unbeatable gimmick.

“If I use that method, I should be able to control the demon that was originally meant to be enslaved by the black mages.”

If it works, I might be able to buy a significant amount of time.

Of course, the risk involved is enormous.

“I don’t know the full details, but it sounds like a very dangerous plan.”

“Oh, it definitely is.”

To Hestia, who keenly picked up on that point, I gave a calm shrug and spoke plainly.

“I even wrote a will, just in case something goes wrong.”

“Ha.”

“It should be around here somewhere... Huh?”

Trying to persuade the Saintess, who’d thoroughly convinced herself that I was some kind of Demon King, I reached into my coat to show her the will I had prepared before even coming to the Academy—but the folded paper was nowhere to be found.

“Where did it go...?”

“Don’t tell me...”

Cold sweat trickled down my back as the thought occurred that I might’ve accidentally left it at the mansion in all the chaos. Meanwhile, the Saintess, who had been quietly observing me, finally spoke in a hushed voice.

“You’re choosing to walk the path of a Demon King?”

“...Sorry?”

“To save the world by becoming a Demon King... It’s ironic, but also noble. Honestly, I see you in a new light.”

No, I mean... sure, her demeanor becoming more saintly is great and all, but isn’t her reasoning wildly off base?

“I’m just a kind-hearted white mage, you know?”

“...Kind-hearted white mages usually don’t talk about enslaving demons.”

“But...”

“And they also don’t go around flashing that wicked smile all the time—no, sorry. Pretend I didn’t say that.”

I tried to defend myself, a little unfairly accused, but her firm response left me sulking with no room to push back.

“Honestly, I’m still confused. I keep thinking this could all be part of some elaborate plan to deceive me—even pretending not to understand.”

“...?”

“But I’ll cooperate. It’s about time I took a gamble too.”

She was still speaking in riddles, but it seemed like her conclusion was to cooperate with me.

“...Actually, this method does require the Saintess’s help.”

Since Hestia’s assistance was essential to break the unbeatable gimmick, I glanced at her and whispered in a low voice.

“I’m in a hurry right now, so I’ll take your help, but that doesn’t mean I’m admitting to any of the things you’re saying.”

“...I figured.”

“Ha ha, there’s your real personality starting to show.”

Would it be too irreverent to say I kind of missed the Hestia from a few days ago—the one who trembled just from making eye contact with me?

“So, what do I need to do?”

“It’s simple.”

Putting aside those silly thoughts, I told her the one and only method to resolve this situation.

“In front of everyone... kill me.”

“...Okay, got i—wait, what?”

Hestia nodded quietly at first, but then froze, her face stiffening as she stared at me and asked again.

“What did you say?”

Of course, that reaction was expected. It was a truly insane request.

But still, I repeated myself clearly and firmly, so she would understand what she had to do.

“I asked you to kill me in the arena, Saintess.”

Because the way to break the gimmick I knew of... could only be triggered if I died at the hands of the Saintess.

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***

“Kyaa, kyahh!”

“Is—Is this an earthquake...?”

As the massive tremor that had started from deep within the Academy’s central core shook the arena, screams began erupting all over the spectator stands.

“E-Everyone! Please remain calm! The faculty is currently investigating the cause...!”

The voice of the Head of Academic Affairs rang out frantically amid the chaos, but no one in a panic could properly hear him.

“Honestly...”

Even in the middle of that chaos, Meredia, maintaining her composure in the judges’ waiting area, furrowed her brow and stood up, muttering under her breath.

“Nothing ever goes properly...”

But her words trailed off mid-sentence just as she began walking toward the arena.

– RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE...!

Because just then, she spotted a gigantic hand bursting through the arena floor.

“W-What is that...?”

“Hi-Hiiieeek!”

Naturally, the entire crowd could clearly see it from the stands, and the confusion in the arena intensified even more.

“That’s... a demon?”

Even Meredia, who had maintained a calm demeanor until now, could only mutter in disbelief.

“That man... What the hell is he trying to do?”

A demon being summoned in the heart of the Empire, and at the Academy during the Prodigy Selection Tournament no less, was an incident that would far exceed the impact of the engagement debacle—it was history-defining.

“L-Lady Meredia!”

“Evacuate the people. I’ll handle that thing... somehow...”

With an unusually tense expression, Meredia gave the order to the Head of Academic Affairs, who had run up to the judging platform, and began rushing toward the arena floor.

“L-Look! It’s Sir Whitney!”

“...What?”

Just then, a shrill voice rang out from the spectator stands behind her.

“T-Thank goodness! He’s a white mage!”

“A-And a hero too...!”

“But wait, who’s that maid next to him?”

As Whitney and Lady Hestia emerged side by side from the entrance where the participants were supposed to appear, everyone’s anxious attention immediately shifted to them.

“...So that’s part of the plan too.”

Watching closely, Meredia saw Whitney’s composed expression and let out a quiet sigh, preparing to sit back down.

– Thunk...

But at that exact moment, the faces of everyone in the arena froze at once.

“Khk...”

The maid beside Whitney—Hestia—had, before anyone could stop her, drawn a dagger from her cloak and plunged it into his heart.

“......”

Silence fell over the arena like a shroud.

“...No!”

All except for Meredia, who, staring in shock, let out a scream without realizing it.