A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 137: The Great Shadow
The world was silent.
As if even air molecules had frozen, nothing stirred—nothing could be felt.
“......”
Within that halted moment in time, the only thing I felt as I looked at the being before me... was a skin-crawling sense of revulsion.
‘...What the hell is this feeling?’
Normally, when confronted with such an overwhelmingly powerful entity, you can feel something—an aura, a pressure—even if you're not trying to.
That was how it had been with Lady Meredia. The Emperor, too. Even the Shadow Witch exuded a tingling, electric presence.
But the atmosphere emanating from the being now in front of me wasn’t like any of that.
It was discomfort—no, more than that. It was a visceral rejection. A primal revulsion that blanketed my entire body.
“What’s wrong?”
“......”
“Haha. Surprised I came to greet you in person?”
And the more she spoke to me, the clearer and stronger that discomfort became.
It was like that thing called the uncanny valley—the sensation you get when something non-human mimics a human poorly enough to be creepy.
‘...Is she not human?’
The thought crossed my mind, but I had no evidence for it. Not yet.
After all, the so-called “Great Shadow” was a being completely enshrouded in mystery.
No one knew her origins, her background, her abilities—not even her appearance was publicly known.
‘Even players of the original game didn’t expect any of her secrets to be revealed in this title. Maybe in the next sequel or a DLC at best.’
It was far too early to make assumptions about her identity.
For now, I needed to focus solely on one thing—surviving this encounter.
With Meredia or even the Emperor, I could maneuver. But this one? This one required every defense I could muster.
“No need to stand there stiff like that. Shall we shake hands?”
As I tried to calm my nerves, her voice came again. Tilting her head slightly, she extended a hand toward me.
“......”
I hesitated, then silently took her hand—and immediately, that revulsion I’d mentioned surged back. I had to fight the urge to yank my hand away.
‘This is... sickening.’
It was definitely a human hand, warm like any other. But it felt like I was shaking hands with a robot—hard, cold, wrong.
“...Hehe.”
I didn’t say anything aloud, of course. But the Great Shadow let out a soft chuckle, raising the corners of her mouth. She must’ve known I’d react that way. She offered the handshake expecting it.
“If you’ve come to greet me, isn’t it polite to show your face?”
“...Hmm?”
“How long do you plan to keep it hidden?”
I was getting the feeling she was dragging me into something again. So I took the risk /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ and spoke first.
I was also just plain curious. What did her face look like?
She wasn’t covering it with anything. But somehow, I simply couldn’t perceive it. It was like my eyes skipped over it. There had to be a reason she was hiding it.
“Strange. Weren’t you the kind of guy who always used honorifics?”
“I tend to be picky about the company I keep.”
“...Yeah. That’s just like you.”
Answering her question with a faint smirk, I caught her next muttered words—and instantly frowned.
‘...She knows me?’
Sure, we’d crossed paths indirectly during the Academy incident.
But this felt... deeper. Like she’d known me long before that.
“Well, well. I must apologize for being rude to my guest—and my stand-in.”
I was still trying to decipher the face I couldn’t see, when she continued.
“Stand-in?”
“Have you forgotten already? That was the condition of our contract, remember?”
Right—our agreement at the Academy. I was to become her kagemusha. Her stand-in.
But how the hell was that going to work? I’d just arrived, and already four demons were ready to rip me apart.
“With the power of domination, it’s easy.”
“......”
“You’ll be quickly recognized as my avatar. You’ll be able to lead the Gathering without issue.”
Right. That cursed power—Domination.
I still didn’t know how to use it, but it was definitely inside me. Maybe if I got beat to a pulp again, it’d activate on its own.
“Why use me for this?”
“...I’m sorry, but the fact that I’m even here today is top secret.”
Her faint smile returned as she answered.
“Too many people are watching me too closely these days. It's time to shake the lower branches a little.”
“......”
“If I take the head seat, everyone stays quiet... so this time, I need you to help out a bit.”
I flinched slightly at her words—not out of fear, but because something was bothering me.
‘Why does this all feel so... familiar?’
Since the moment we started talking, I’d been getting a strange feeling of déjà vu.
“Either way, you won’t be able to see their reactions firsthand, right?”
“......”
“I’ll be too busy conducting the meeting to remember everyone’s expressions or words.”
It was a vague, unformed feeling, so I set it aside and changed the subject.
“Ah, don’t worry about that.”
But what she did next was completely unexpected.
“This—this is all it takes.”
Spinning gracefully in place, she transformed in an instant—into Sasha.
Not just the body or the voice—everything was exactly the same.
“...Sasha?”
“Eek!”
Even her nervous twitch at my voice was dead-on.
“...Hic, h-heek—pfft. Pffft—hahaha!”
The only difference was that this Sasha burst out laughing, clutching her stomach.
“Right, your true self was always more of a fool than your looks suggested.”
Wiping tears from her eyes, she mimicked Sasha’s voice perfectly, before muttering another strange remark.
Yeah, okay. There’s no way the Great Shadow is actually Sasha.
Even someone like her couldn’t fool Lady Meredia with a disguise like that.
“You spying on me?”
“...Impossible. The Ringaarden estate is protected by ancient magic. No black magic can breach it.”
But then her answer threw me off all over again.
“The Shadow Witch got in just fine.”
“Sure she did. But she couldn’t use any black magic once inside. She was risking her life to enter.”
“...Yet she suppressed my demon easily enough.”
“That wasn’t magic. That was authority. Demons are bound by laws and hierarchy.”
With a wicked grin entirely un-Sasha-like, she stood on tiptoes and whispered into my ear.
I’d heard from Father that ancient magic had been passed down in our family. So the Shadow Witch’s words were likely true.
But then how the hell could the Great Shadow mimic Sasha so perfectly?
Was she impersonating someone—perhaps even as Sasha—and secretly lurking in the Ringaarden estate?
But transformation magic had been outlawed long ago. All its incantations and components had been destroyed.
Even if someone managed to recover them, black mages couldn’t properly use mid-tier or higher spells. Their mana is consumed by black magic too quickly.
Meaning, no matter how exceptional she was—even as an anomaly—there’s no way she could mimic Sasha this perfectly without Meredia catching on.
Not with normal magic, and certainly not with black magic.
And yet—despite all of that—the Great Shadow had flawlessly mimicked Sasha’s appearance and mannerisms.
“If everything you said is true... then how do you know Sasha so well?” 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
“...Who knows?”
Unable to hold it in any longer, I asked—but she only smirked and gave me a vague, evasive answer.
“But...”
“Let’s save those petty curiosities for later. We have more pressing matters to handle, don’t we?”
This time, her suggestion was surprisingly reasonable—so I had no choice but to shut up.
“I’ll resume the flow of time. You use the power of Domination to subdue them and boldly declare the meeting open.”
“......”
“I’ll stay like this and pretend to be your maidservant—while I find out what cute little secrets my subordinates have been hiding.”
Honestly, it was a simple but terrifyingly effective plan.
It required the power to freeze time, wield Domination, and shamelessly act like someone like Sasha. No easy feat.
“...But you still haven’t answered my question.”
“Hmm?”
“What’s your real face?”
Just when things seemed to be wrapping up, I stopped the Sasha-impersonating Great Shadow and asked again.
“Persistent men are the worst.”
“When you’re in a contract, mutual trust is kind of important.”
“Hah, true.”
She made a face like she expected that, then reached up and touched her face.
“...Ta-da.”
She revealed a face that looked like what Parsha might have grown into in her twenties, arms spread as if presenting a gift.
“That’s disappointing.”
“What, am I ugly or something?”
“No. I just know that’s not your real face.”
I’d expected this much.
“I figured someone like you wouldn’t bother replicating the face. You’d care more about nurturing talent than looks.”
I had no proof. Just a gut feeling I’d followed—and it had hit the mark.
“You really are sharp as ever.”
To my surprise, the Great Shadow didn’t deny it. She just smiled again.
“So, we should stop talking now.”
But this time, though she smiled, there was a distinct edge in her tone.
“...I might reveal more than I should.”
And before I could ask anything else, she snapped her fingers—and time resumed its flow.
***
— Goooooooo...
So, I returned to a world where time had begun to move again.
But the scene that greeted me was... bleak.
‘...What now?’
In just a few seconds, the Four Archdemon Sisters would lunge at me—and even if I held them off, reinforcements were bound to arrive.
From deep within the cave, I could already feel the black mages multiplying, radiating bloodlust.
“...Haaah.”
Letting out a sigh, I was just about to prepare myself for combat when—
— Fweeeeeesh...
Another gust of wind blew. And once again—dust got in my eye.
“Agh!”
Crying out, I instinctively opened my eyes wide—then tilted my head in confusion at the thought that popped up.
‘Wait... I always squint. How did dust get in there?’
And come to think of it—how was wind blowing so deep inside this pit in the first place?
“...Huh?”
Anyway, I had my eyes open now. As I raised my hand to wipe out the dust, I suddenly realized something—and froze.
“...What the—?”
Demons. Black mages. Dozens of them—
Were all collapsed in front of me.
‘...Don’t tell me... I blacked out again?’
A terrible memory from the time I’d threatened the Emperor came crawling back, and cold sweat beaded on my forehead.
