A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 67: Domination

“...Hah.”

As expected, the letter’s design was every bit as bizarre as I feared.

So cluttered with meaningless embellishments that it almost hurt to read, the seal looked like something a black mage would use—needlessly sinister and dramatic.

And to top it off, the handwriting was in some kind of deep blood-red cursive.

“...Sigh.”

Honestly, I wanted to send it right back. But if I did that, there was a high chance Lumen Ordo’s higher-ups would come knocking at the mansion.

And considering my servants were already sour from the recent inquisitions by the Holy Theocracy, if I had to host those people too, we might face a mass resignation.

“Wait.”

“...Ah?”

Just as I was gritting my teeth and bracing myself to read it—

“You were really about to open that? You’ve got a long way to go.”

“Huh?”

—Lady Meredia appeared beside me without warning, her hand gripping my arm, her face tense.

“You said you had contact with the head of the black mages before, didn’t you? This has to be a letter from her.”

“Uh, well...”

“You don’t know what kind of curse might be embedded in that thing. Stand back. I’ll open it instead—”

Well... to be fair, even I had to admit, a letter with this kind of unhinged design probably had at least a dozen curses just lying in wait.

“...Wait, hold on. What?”

“...Ha ha.”

“Why does it feel like this letter is brimming with white magic?”

And yet, no letter in the world could be more thoroughly secured than this one.

“That’s a letter from Lumen Ordo.”

“...What?”

“Judging by all the stacked blessings layered over it, I’m guessing it came directly from the head herself...”

Even from a quick glance, I could recognize blessings to block tracking, obscure perception, prevent tampering, and more. The kind of enchantments nobles would pay a fortune to have cast on anything.

“But why is the design... like this?”

“...Ah. Well. The leader has a bit of an unusual sense of style.”

“You’re not lying? This really is from Lumen Ordo?”

“Ha ha, yeah. I swear.”

Seeing that, I figured it’d probably be safe to open it—so I went ahead and unfolded the letter beside the skeptical Lady Meredia.

“To our kin, the Hero who bears the decree of heaven. The moment your eyes capture these sacred words, you shall respond to my call, transcending time and space.”

And the next moment, I regretted nothing more than opening the letter next to Lady Meredia.

“I, the Absolute of Lumen Ordo, guardian of balance between light and shadow, hereby summon you.”

“AaaaAAAGGHHH—”

Not since I accidentally read one of Cecil’s homemade Hero stories back when we were little had I ever cringed so hard I wanted to fold into another dimension.

Was... was this a curse too? If so, then the leader must surely be the world’s most dangerous black mage in disguise.

“What even is this...”

Even Lady Meredia—who would normally scoff and break any curse without batting an eye—was twitching and wincing with a grimace.

“Therefore, at the place where the eternal starlight’s bond begins and fades, I await the day of destiny.”

Still, I forced myself to read to the end, grinding through every last dramatic word.

I wanted nothing more than to shut it immediately, but there’s a saying—strike while the iron’s hot.

...To be more honest, if I stopped here, I knew I’d never have the guts to pick this up again.

“P.S. – To the familiar who has delivered this message in blood, offer a daily tribute of nourishment. This is the duty you owe to my servant.”

Finally reaching the postscript, I hastily folded the letter and tucked it into my coat before glancing at the Lady beside me.

“...Lady Meredia, what do pigeons usually eat?”

“...Insects or grain. Sometimes bread crumbs.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Sure, the leader might’ve used high and mighty language from the eastern continent, but the eyepatch-wearing pigeon did look a bit tired. I should probably feed it something.

“Give it to me.”

“...Huh?”

“I’ve got bird feed on me.”

And then—just as I was thinking that—Lady Meredia held out her hand.

“I like raising birds, it’s one of my hobbies.”

“...Ah.”

Right—now that she mentioned it, I remembered. Raising pet birds was one of the few hobbies Lady Meredia had.

That day when all my memories came rushing back... I remembered birds fluttering freely in her garden, too.

She didn’t keep them caged. She raised them free.

“By the way, I’ve got a question.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Just as I was wondering if maybe I should gift her a bird someday, the Lady—lifting the pigeon with practiced ease—posed a question.

“These white mages... are they all like this?”

“...Uhm.”

Of course I wanted to say “no”—but my conscience just couldn’t let me.

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

You see, white mages are such a rare resource that they usually live together in tight-knit communities.

Which means they naturally grow isolated and insular, and their social skills... well, they plummet accordingly.

“There are... a few normal white mages.”

“......”

“For example, my father... and... maybe me...”

So, the very few white mages who live outside those closed communities are basically responsible for managing the alliance’s public image.

And now that I’d become a Hero, it was clear I was doing a lot of heavy lifting on that front.

“...Right. Of course you’d say that.”

“They really are good people...”

“For someone who says that, I’ve yet to meet one who actually seems decent.”

Despite Lady Meredia’s skepticism, I could at least confidently say this: Lumen Ordo was the last bastion of conscience in the Empire, and a force of absolute good.

In the game, they actively aided the Hero without hesitation, and even in the worst bad endings, they were the last faction to resist the final boss—Lady Meredia herself.

‘If only they didn’t look like black mage generals or demon lords, they’d be perfect...’

Regardless, now that I’d taken on the role of the Hero, I had no choice but to work with them, like it or not.

‘And honestly, it’s about time I seriously investigate my abilities.’

From the strange phenomena I’d caused at the academy, to the Marks of Subjugation appearing on the executives’ bodies, to the way my magic resonated with Lady ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ Meredia’s curse—at this point, it was undeniable that I had some sort of special power.

And the best place to uncover the truth behind that power... would be Lumen Ordo’s headquarters.

Of course, there was the risk that I’d be mistaken for a heretical black mage wearing the mask of a Hero. But at this point, even that danger was worth facing if it meant understanding what I really was.

Besides, given the Alliance’s in-game history of goodwill—and the fact that we shared the bond of being white mages—I figured Lumen Ordo would treat me with more kindness than the Theocracy ever would.

In any case, once I returned to the mansion, I’d need to send a reply to this... cringe-worthy letter.

“Ah, right. By the way, that demon you requested is scheduled to be delivered to the estate soon.”

Just as I was organizing my thoughts, Lady Meredia—now with the carrier pigeon perched calmly on her shoulder—spoke again.

“The Emperor offered to provide top-grade magical restraints. I turned him down.”

“...Sorry?”

“I specialize in magical restraints myself.”

When she said that, her lips curled into a disturbingly cold smile—and I wisely decided not to ask why.

“Well then. I’ll be heading back to the Ducal Estate.”

Passing along that information, she turned away and began walking back toward the carriage.

“If anything comes up, contact—”

“Lady Meredia. Just a moment.”

I watched her retreating figure for a moment before stepping forward and gently catching her hand, stopping her mid-step.

“What is i—”

And before she could finish her question, I did something I’d always wanted to try just once.

“......!”

“...Haha.”

I pressed a soft kiss to the ring on her finger.

“Safe travels, Lady Meredia.”

The moment the act was done, she turned her back to me in a flash—so I didn’t get to see her expression.

Still, it was a farewell I was quite satisfied with.

“You’re insane... Seriously, you’ve completely lost it...”

Cecil, who had been peeking her head out of the carriage, gasped and covered her mouth, allowing me to imagine what kind of face the Lady was making just then.

***

“Well then... I guess it’s time I went inside too...”

As Meredia’s carriage vanished down the road, Whitney—now clearly exhausted—began making his way toward the mansion.

“W-Welcome back, young master...!”

“We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Y-Yes, truly... It was so lonely without you these past few weeks, young master...”

All the mansion’s remaining servants had gathered at the entrance to greet him.

“You didn’t have to come out like this...”

“N-No, not at all!”

“This is our duty, young master. Haha...”

Ordinarily, they would draw lots to determine who had to go out and greet Whitney—but this time, every single one of them had come of their own will.

And for good reason: despite all their fervent prayers, news that Whitney had officially become the Hero had made headlines.

Their dream of Cecil replacing Whitney and becoming the family head had been shattered. Like it or not, they were now bound to Whitney by fate.

“Seems like... there’s more of you out here than usual.”

“Ah, n-no!”

“We—we’re always this dedicated to you, young master!”

So when Whitney made that idle observation, the servants panicked and rushed to offer excuses—only for something strange to suddenly happen.

—Fwoooosh...

A dark aura suddenly billowed up right in front of Whitney.

“H-Hiiik!”

“W-What... what is that...?”

“S-Shut up!”

The chilling scene silenced the buzzing crowd in an instant. All those years of trained intuition kicked in, and the servants clammed up as an eerie stillness descended over the garden.

“Whitney Ringaarden.”

From within the smoke, a figure emerged—and addressed Whitney in a cold voice.

“I bring a message.”

“......”

“You are to attend the upcoming Shadow Council meeting as my proxy.”

With those words, the mysterious presence slowly faded, melting back into the dissipating smoke.

“...Haha.”

And amid the stunned silence, Whitney calmly stood there smiling, and turned to the frozen servants.

“Could someone prepare some hot water?”

“Y-Yes?”

“I’m... a little worn out.”

“Ah—of course!”

Naturally, not a single servant had the courage to ask what the hell that smoke was just now.

“...Thank you, everyone.”

Especially since Whitney’s already unnerving face was now twisted into something even more unpleasant than usual.

“......”

Once he disappeared into the mansion, the pale-faced servants all turned their heads toward the approaching Cecil.

“L-Lady Cecil! D-Did you see that!?”

“That... that was clearly... b-black mag—”

“S-Should we report this to the Holy Theocracy right away...?”

As they gathered around her, releasing the breaths they’d held in panic, Cecil only responded with a low, dismissive voice.

“Keep quiet about this.”

Unlike the Cecil who once led the charge to get rid of Whitney, she now calmly silenced them all.

“My brother’s the Hero. There’s no way he’d do anything bad.”

“...Ah.”

“O-Oh, right. Speaking of which.”

The servants, stunned by her changed demeanor, all flinched when Cecil followed up with:

“...Which one of you said we should report him to the Theocracy?”

After that day, an additional rule was quietly added to the unspoken guidelines among the Ringaarden household staff:

「※ All previously stated assumptions regarding the young lady are hereby void. The young lady is no longer on our side. Act in accordance with the young master’s methods going forward.」