A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 113: The Runaway Girl
—KUGWAAAAANG...!
The moment I heard that the Crown Princess Katarina was fighting with the knights of the Count’s household, I rushed downstairs in a panic—only to feel a wave of dizziness hit me the moment I arrived, forcing my eyes shut for a second.
“D-Don’t let her in!!”
“She’s some lunatic claiming to be a prince!!”
Never mind that the maids, led by Sasha, were sweating buckets trying to stop the chaos in the garden they’d worked so hard to decorate beautifully—
—this was practically moments away from our brand-new knight order being arrested on the spot for lèse-majesté.
“W-Why are you stopping me!!!”
“......”
“Sir Whitney!!! Don’t tell me you’ve finally abandoned me!!!”
Weren’t our knights elite members who could at least hold their ground against Lunelle for a round or two?
And yet, every time the Crown Princess swung her sword, my knights were flying away like autumn leaves.
“W-Where are the captains!?”
“L-Lady Lunelle is currently training in the yard with the squad leaders!”
“Then go get them, quickly!”
So that’s what was going on—they weren’t here.
If all three captains and Lunelle had been present, they probably would’ve managed to restrain even Katarina by now.
Still, rather than immediately resorting to combat, wouldn’t it have been smarter to report to them first?
Starting my own knight order was great and all, but I guess it’s still in the early stages—these growing pains were to be expected.
“Ha ha, everyone. Let’s lower our swords, shall we?”
No choice. I had to step in personally now.
“M-Master! It’s dangerous...!”
I moved forward to stop my hard-earned knights from being executed for injuring a member of the royal succession, but a young knight rushed to block my path.
“...I said, lower your swords.”
“B-But that intruder is half-crazed, who knows what she might—!”
“Ha ha.”
As I looked at him and let out a soft laugh, he abruptly stopped speaking and took a step back, visibly flinching.
‘What did I do?’
He looked pretty young for a knight—and judging by his eyes, he seemed quite terrified of me.
I’ve been trying to avoid misunderstandings lately, so what’s going on now?
“As knights, we all know that making your master intervene directly is the height of disloyalty.”
Still, I needed to say what had to be said, so I put on the kindest smile I could manage and began.
“But more important than that... is obeying your master’s command.”
“...!”
“Don’t you agree?”
I even smiled with my eyes, but seeing his shoulders start to tremble, I was beginning to think something had gone wrong again.
“F-Forgive me...”
“...What’s your name?”
“D-Daniel. I was number seven at the last interview...”
After a moment’s thought, I softly repeated his name and lowered my voice.
“Daniel, there’s no need to be so tense.”
Normally I’d toss in a compliment or two, but I didn’t have the time, and anything extra might just make things worse—so I kept it brief.
“I’ll be keeping an eye on you.”
“......”
“...Good luck.”
Surely, surely that wouldn’t cause a misunderstanding.
“...You’ve been marked.”
“He’s been marked.”
“Definitely marked.”
Leaving behind the whispering knights—and Daniel, whose face now looked suspiciously like Sasha’s—I turned and approached the Crown Princess, who was still sulking.
“Your Highness. It’s been a while.”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”
“Forgive me, but may I ask why you’re throwing a tantrum here?”
At last lowering her sword, Katarina approached with a pout that practically screamed injustice.
“Sir Whitney! The thing is—!”
“I’m here now, so please, try to calm—”
“These people blocked me from entering the mansion!”
She marched up until she was right in front of me, fidgeting nervously with her hands like a scolded retriever. I couldn’t help but sigh.
“I told them clearly that I was the First Prince of the Empire! If you haven’t abandoned me, then what kind of training are you giving your knights!?”
“...Could it be that no one recognized you because of the way you look right now?”
“Eh?”
Still smiling, I subtly signaled one of the maids to bring her a mirror.
“Ah. Ahhh...”
Her expression shifted as she caught sight of her reflection—a shockingly convincing homeless-person disguise she’d apparently put on herself.
“Oh, right. I was in disguise.”
“Yes. The kind you only see in back alleys.”
Staring blankly at her reflection, then stealing a glance at me, the Crown Princess suddenly beamed.
“...My bad!”
“Ha ha...”
Well, at least she wasn’t throwing around royal decrees about punishing our knights for treason or whatever.
She might be dumb as a brick, but it’s hard to tell if that’s just her natural temperament or actual innocence.
“B-But you see... we, uh...”
“......?”
“...We’re still friends, right? Right?”
As I held back the urge to shake my head, keeping my smile intact, she whispered nervously, eyes glued to mine.
“...Well, are we?”
“What?”
“I mean, for someone who’s supposedly my friend, you never call or message...”
Honestly, I could’ve just nodded and been done with it—but something about that felt like a loss, so I scratched my head and mumbled.
“When you think about it, Your Highness, aren’t you just using me...?”
“Gasp.”
“...Well, I suppose it’s inevitable. Given our vast difference in social status, it’s hard to truly be friends.”
“Sir Whitney!”
She looked up at me with anxious eyes—then suddenly raised her voice in desperation.
“If you wish, I shall grant you the right... to speak informally with me!”
“......”
“A-And also! The right ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) to walk beside me in public!”
...Isn’t that just normal friend behavior?
Even someone like me who spent half his life in a hospital knows that much.
“Ah! Or... should I quit being a prince?”
“...Please don’t. That part’s kind of important.”
“Ah. R-Right.”
The situation was becoming absurdly entertaining, so I decided to let her ramble a bit.
Her flailing gradually turned into a frown.
“S-So... I can’t be your friend anymore...?”
“...Ha ha.”
I’ll admit—I was kind of enjoying watching her squirm.
But I was just about ready to cut her a break.
“I-I even brought a gift for my friend...”
“...A gift?”
She hurriedly untied the strap at her waist and pulled out a sword, handing it to me.
“Here. This is for you.”
“What is it?”
Caught off guard, I stared at the blade—until her next words nearly made me leap out of my chair.
“This is the second Hero’s sword!”
“...What!?”
Why is something that only existed as dummy data suddenly here!?
***
“...This is...”
“What do you think? Lunelle, Parsha.”
I’d rushed back to the mansion with the sword and handed it to the hero expert, Lunelle, and the analysis expert, Parsha.
“Well, I’ll speak first... there’s definitely some evidence it could be the second Hero’s sword.”
“Oooh.”
“While it looks clean and well-kept, this sword was clearly forged at least a few hundred years ago.”
Parsha examined it closely with a serious expression.
“And there’s a sacred aura dormant inside. Would you like to try holding it?”
“Huh? Ow—hot!”
I instinctively jerked my hand back at the sudden zap of power, and Parsha’s lips curved in a sly smile.
“Just as I thought... You really are the Demon King I’m meant to serve.”
“...What?”
“Do you feel the celestial energy?”
“I’m not sure... but I definitely don’t want to touch it again.”
She was muttering ominously again, but then flashed a bright smile as if nothing had happened. I frowned and answered.
“Alright. Then we can’t rule out the possibility it’s truly the second Hero’s sword.”
“I-I may lack the proper expertise, but... if I may speak boldly...”
Next up was Lunelle.
“This is definitely the second Hero’s sword. It matches descriptions from various records and legends.”
Lunelle, who knows more about heroes than anyone I’ve met, spoke with conviction.
I couldn’t help but let out a gasp of joy.
“Then... this is one of the Hero’s sacred relics...?”
In the original game, the Hero’s Relics were the ultimate weapons used to defeat Meredia—who became the Demon King.
But if I had one now, the story could go in a very different direction.
“...No. That’s completely different.”
But Lunelle’s stern response immediately crushed that thought.
“The Hero’s Relic is a supreme weapon that can only be wielded by the Hero of that era. No Demon King can stand against it.”
“Yes. Which is exactly why we must secure and—uh, I mean, use it immediately.”
Parsha almost slipped and said “destroy,” but quickly covered it up.
That wasn’t the point right now.
“Then this...”
“...This sword seems to have lost its power as a Relic. The new Relic must be somewhere out there in the world.”
As I frowned in disappointment, Lunelle gently grabbed my arm and stood on tiptoe to meet my gaze.
“If that had been the real Relic, you might’ve been gravely injured just now!”
“...Really?”
“Of course, I wouldn’t have asked you to touch it if it were!”
Whether she was teasing me or not was unclear—but given Parsha’s sparkly-eyed look, I chose to believe it was encouragement.
“Still, that doesn’t mean the sword is useless.”
“......”
“This sword is an irreplaceable historical artifact—and a top-tier weapon in its own right. I can personally vouch for that.”
Lunelle’s follow-up brought me some comfort.
It was definitely a treasure worth having.
“Ha ha. I never imagined I’d end up with both the first and second Hero’s swords at the same time...”
“But... what are you going to do with it?”
I was smiling to myself when Lunelle’s voice cut in, serious and urgent.
“You can’t just let it collect dust. Some rich idiots buy legendary swords and lock them away in display cases—they deserve to be executed...”
Her voice gradually grew more intense, and by the end she was radiating actual killing intent.
“...Hah. Sorry about that.”
“Ha ha...”
“Still, please don’t waste the sword...”
She quickly reverted to her usual devoted tone, but it was clear—Lunelle was, in every way, obsessed with swords.
“Alright, then. I’ll give it to my sister.”
“...That works too.”
I didn’t want to get beheaded, so I decided to gift the sword to my beloved little sister.
Lunelle’s eyes seemed to droop slightly in disappointment, but she already had the first Hero’s sword. Can’t be greedy.
“Well then... let’s move on to the main issue.”
With the situation finally settled, I turned to the guest who’d been waiting awkwardly this whole time and smiled.
“What can I help you with, Your Highness?”
“Well... you see...”
To be honest, I was ready to grant her anything, considering the priceless gift she’d just given me.
“...I need a place to sleep.”
“...Pardon?”
What came out of her mouth next nearly knocked me off my feet.
“I ran away from home.”
“......!?”
What in the world are you saying now?
