A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 135: The World of Darkness (2)

“Future Demon King, huh.”

“Why? That was the contract, wasn’t it?”

“...Do you really think I’m suited for something like that?”

As I stood silently, staring down into the abyss that split the blackened earth, I furrowed my brows and asked. The Shadow Witch responded with a look that said, ‘Are you serious?’

“Of course. Who else would be more qualified?”

“......”

“No need to pull that sour face. Just stay put—I’ll consult you on everything from A to Z.”

Saying so, she climbed back atop her broom, snickered, and added:

“Oh, first thing’s first—we should probably change your name.”

“...What?”

“The rightful heir to the Demon King’s throne has always used a special name since ancient times.”

With a snap of her fingers, a swirl of gemstones appeared before my eyes, spinning slowly in the air.

“Go ahead, pick one.”

“......”

I had no idea what she was trying to pull, but I decided to play along for now. Almost unconsciously, I reached out and grabbed the gem that hovered at the farthest edge.

“...I’ll go with this one.”

It was amber—the one most reminiscent of Meredia’s eyes. Maybe that’s why I was drawn to it without even realizing.

“Oh dear, that one’s already taken. Can’t have that.”

Looking regretful, the Shadow Witch snapped her fingers again, and the amber in my hand melted like snow and vanished into the air.

“What the hell are you playing at?”

“Oh, it’s not like that. You see, Demon King heirs have traditionally taken names derived from gemstones.”

Slightly irritated now, I pressed her for an explanation, but she answered nonchalantly.

“I’m not making this up just to mess with you. The First Demon King, the Second... they all had gemstone names, remember?”

“...That’s a ridiculous tradition.”

That’s what I said aloud, but something about it stuck with me.

‘Could this be some kind of metaphor... that Meredia was destined to become the Demon King?’

Meredia Embergreen. While it’s not her first name, her surname contains a poetic reference to the distinctive green-amber eyes inherited through the Embergreen lineage. Could it be that the Embergreens carry the bloodline of a vanished Demon King?

‘No, that’s too much of a stretch.’

Catching myself slipping into unnecessary speculation, I swatted away the rest of the floating gems and turned to move forward.

“This really isn’t the time to be playing games.”

“...Oh? Is that so?”

“How do we get down there?”

As I peered into the abyss stretching endlessly beneath the cracked earth, I turned to ask the Shadow Witch.

“Oh, that’s quite simple.”

Her voice came from behind me, light and amused—

“......!?”

And the next instant, my body rose off the ground and dropped straight into the void.

‘...Shit.’

Alright, I’ll admit it now—I’d been tense since earlier. The reason? I have an extreme fear of heights.

It’s something I learned in this life, not the previous one. Hell, even going up that hill with the viewing platform alongside Lady Meredia earlier made me break into a cold sweat. That should tell you everything.

“......!!!”

And now, the Shadow Witch, knowing none of this, had shoved me into a massive pit without any warning. As expected, my body froze instantly—I couldn’t even scream. I just fell, rigid as stone, tumbling deeper and deeper.

‘If I’d known this would happen... I should’ve just stayed with the Lady.’

That was the last coherent thought I had as my consciousness began to fade into the dark.

***

“Ohhh?”

Hovering on her broom and watching Whitney plummet, the Shadow Witch narrowed her eyes with curiosity.

“He really didn’t scream.”

It was an incredibly rude move on her part, but for her, this was a kind of test. Actually, not even that serious a one.

To her, Whitney Ringaarden was like a joker card—an unpredictable anomaly. Even with her ability to read through most people in seconds, he remained largely an enigma.

“But... at this rate, he’s going to die, isn’t he?”

Of course, the Shadow Witch wasn’t the type to just push someone into a hole and idly watch them die. This was just a light experiment to gauge Whitney’s weaknesses and nature. If he were to die or get fatally injured from it, it would be her own loss—after all, she’d chosen him as her meeting partner.

—Screeeeeeeeech...!

That’s why, the very next moment, she dived straight down into the pit at terrifying speed, clinging to her broom.

She was a veteran flyer—barely a few seconds passed before she caught up to the falling Whitney.

“......!?”

Just as she was about to give him a smug little wave, she froze.

‘...What the hell?’

Even at full speed, she’d only just managed to catch up.  ut Whitney’s face was unnervingly calm.

Even superhumans should panic in a situation like this. At the very least, they’d go pale. Yet Whitney just stared at her in eerie stillness, as if the fall didn’t faze him at all.

And those usually half-lidded eyes of his—today they looked even more chilling.

‘What... is he?’

Up until now, she’d considered Whitney as just a superior version of that puppet Maier. But in this moment, she was forced to revise that assumption completely.

‘Could it be... he doesn’t feel fear? No, it’s not that either.’

She’d already figured out, through a few questions, that Whitney’s greatest emotional trigger was Meredia. No matter how dry his tone or sardonic his smile, the moment she mentioned Meredia, his rage was undeniable.

‘But this kind of fear... it’s supposed to be a physiological response.’

Which made his composure now utterly unexplainable. Even the fact that he was maintaining eye contact while falling was...

“Ah.”

Snapping out of her analysis, the Shadow Witch’s eyes widened.

“Shit...”

She’d come down to save him—but in getting lost in thought, she’d missed her timing.

Originally, she’d meant to catch him on her broom. But at this point, if she tried, he might hit the ground before she could even position herself.

“......Dammit.”

She stretched out her hand, intending to soften the ground with magic— 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Then, she grimaced a second time.

“This isn’t a space where that kind of spell works.”

The location where the Shadow Gathering was held was reinforced by a powerful anti-magic barrier to guard against intruders. And the one who had designed it... was none other than herself.

Which meant she knew better than anyone—

Right now, there was no way to bypass that barrier.

Sure, with enough time, the Shadow Witch could’ve easily nullified the anti-magic field using her own power. But with less than a second left? Even she couldn’t manage that.

“Haha...”

Аnd just as that thought crossed her mind—

That final second passed.

“...What a shame.”

Floating back up gently on her broom just before crashing into the ground, the Shadow Witch wore a pout for a moment before muttering:

“This one actually seemed kind of fun.”

Her expression, despite the words, carried no guilt. There wasn’t even the faintest shadow of sorrow on her face. She simply looked like a child disappointed that her expensive toy had broken.

“Well, I guess there’s noth—”

Just as she turned to walk away with that indifferent tone—

“......!”

She turned back, probably intending to move the body out of sight before heading in—

Only for her eyes to go wide in sheer shock.

“.......”

There stood Whitney Ringaarden, perfectly unharmed. Not a single scratch on him. And more baffling still—his expression was exactly the same as it had been mid-fall.

“Hey.”

“......”

“...Hey, you there.”

Momentarily stunned, the Shadow Witch slowly approached and cautiously spoke.

“You okay?”

“......”

“I mean... yeah, I was the one who pushed you, but still—”

But Whitney said nothing.

“...Huh?”

As she scanned him again, her eyes suddenly caught a movement on his arm—and she recoiled in shock.

“Wh-What the hell is that...?”

Even for someone like her—who had summoned some of the most infamous high demons—what she was seeing now was beyond comprehension.

A creature from the Void Realm.

A being not even she had successfully summoned. An entity from the Abyss—the dwelling of the gods beyond the world, and the true source of black magic.

And now, that thing was crawling along Whitney’s arm.

Could it be that this creature was the reason Whitney survived that fall unharmed?

‘...That’s insane.’

Even she, or the so-called Great Shadow, could only ever borrow slivers of their power. Yet here it was—fully manifested. Not just lent power—subjugated.

‘If that’s real, he’s already beyond the level of a Demon King...’

Even if Whitney’s power was "Dominion," this was absurd. It defied all reason. And that’s exactly why the Shadow Witch’s eyes began to glitter.

‘I was planning to use him to pull down the Great Shadow and toss him aside afterward... but no. This isn’t someone I can afford to discard.’

Maybe—just maybe—this man was the true vessel of the Demon King. The destined leader of the black mages.

Perhaps the Great Shadow, and that mysterious woman she had recently bonded with, had seen this future too. And that’s why they had attempted to eliminate Whitney Ringaarden before he could awaken.

If so, then Whitney couldn’t be treated as just another pawn.

Fortunately, she’d already been pretending to play nice to gain his cooperation. If she just kept up that act from here on out...

‘He’s perfect for me.’

The Shadow Witch had no interest in sitting on the throne herself. She was perfectly content being the number two—holding power without the burden of ruling. And now that she’d learned the true objective behind the Great Shadow’s latest schemes, she knew she had to stop it.

But with Whitney... the entire game had changed. If she fully cooperated with him, she wouldn’t just be stopping the Great Shadow. She might even turn the entire world into her own playground.

“Well, look who it is.”

“......?”

Just as she was lost in those thoughts—still awestruck by the brief movement of the creature on Whitney’s arm—a gratingly familiar voice snapped her out of it.

“Tch...”

Her face twisted instantly into a look of pure disgust.

“So you actually came to the Shadow Gathering. Guess you pulled some strings, huh?”

“......”

“Hey, what, cat got your tongue?”

Maier Embergreen.

He had been standing there for some time, apparently speaking directly to Whitney, who hadn’t moved or responded once.

‘...Actually, maybe this works out.’

The Shadow Witch narrowed her eyes for a ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) moment, then smiled slowly. If nothing else, this was a perfect opportunity to cover up her earlier blunder.

“......”

And fortunately for Whitney, not a single soul in that room had realized—that he’d actually been unconscious this entire time.