A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 141: Exorcism
‘Goddamn it.’
By the time I came to, I had already lost control of my body.
‘What the hell did she do to me?’
It was fortunate I hadn’t lost consciousness altogether, but my body wasn’t responding to my commands—it was moving on its own.
How did it come to this?
My last memory was of the seal etched into my chest flaring up in searing pain...
“Oh my, you're still conscious.”
I was just starting to try and calmly assess the situation when a voice escaped from my own mouth—so unfamiliar that I doubted my own ears.
“Honestly, that’s surprising. Usually when I possess someone, they lose their ego completely.”
It was unmistakably my voice, but the tone, the atmosphere—it all felt wrong. Deeply wrong.
‘She possessed me?’
“Yes, that’s my specialty.”
Only then did I realize how the “Great Shadow” had never once been caught in public, how she was able to stir up so much chaos unnoticed.
Her power was possession. She could inhabit the bodies of those marked with her black magic sigil.
“Hey, do you know what my original goal was?”
‘...What?’
As I began to understand what was happening, the Great Shadow began speaking outright through my mouth.
“That was to take your body.”
‘...Why?’
“You’ve probably figured it out by now, but my original body is... in a rather unstable state.”
Saying so, the Great Shadow turned my head toward a mirror on the wall.
“So I needed to find a perfect vessel. One that could rival my own.”
‘Then my body shouldn’t be suitable.’
In the mirror, I saw a very average man. Aside from the unsettling smirk I was currently wearing, there was nothing particularly remarkable about my body.
Not like Lunelle, with her hardened, combat-trained muscles. But I wasn’t frail either. I was, in every sense, just average.
That said, I had to admit—even with the Great Shadow possessing me, my reflection was... terrifying.
But to want this body so badly—what was she thinking?
“A body imbued with the power of domination? It’s perfect for realizing my plans.”
That cryptic mutter, as she examined my body ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) with growing satisfaction, gave me some clarity.
‘So she was targeting me from the start.’
“Pfft. People might get the wrong idea hearing that,” she quipped, brushing off my realization with a joke.
Then, lowering her gaze from the mirror, she whispered softly.
“Don’t worry. I’ll use your body well. I won’t treat it roughly.”
‘......’
“Oh, and of course, your lovely fiancée too—”
The moment those words came out of my mouth, I clenched my mental teeth and focused.
There was no way I’d let my body be stolen like this—so helplessly, like someone getting pickpocketed in broad daylight.
Maybe in the past, but now... when Lady Meredia was waiting for me? Unforgivable.
“Tsk, you really shouldn’t resist too much...”
Perhaps sensing my defiance, the Great Shadow suddenly began waving my hand and preparing a spell I had never seen before.
“I know very well how to make people submit.”
No—more accurately, it wasn’t a spell. It was a curse. I didn’t know the details, but I was aware that over 90% of black mages’ spells involved either curses or monster summoning.
“...Come to think of it, you used to like Meredia Embergreen quite a bit, didn’t you?”
Though I had braced myself, hearing her name again sent a spike of fury through me.
“All right, how about I peek at your memories?”
Worse yet—if she read my memories, she’d uncover everything about my past life.
If that happened, it was over. All my secrets, everything I had built until now, would crumble.
“I did hear something interesting from Ember recently...”
‘...What?’
“Not that it matters to you anymore.”
But no matter how infuriating it was, there was still nothing I could do—my body was no longer mine to control.
“Let’s see... how about your oldest memory first?”
Just as I heard my own voice speak those unfamiliar words, I closed my eyes in resignation.
“...Huh?”
Suddenly, my body let out a choked gasp, buckled at the knees, and began trembling uncontrollably.
“Kh...!”
As I observed the situation internally, I could feel the Great Shadow’s spirit—previously dominating my body—beginning to violently tremble.
“Ah, ahk...”
‘...No way.’
Then, as my body collapsed to the floor, wracked with pain and sobbing uncontrollably, the reason became clear.
‘This... this is definitely it.’
There was no doubt. The cause was none other than CRPS—Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.
The same wretched condition that had once confined me to a hospital bed in my previous life, and eventually led to my death.
‘But why now?’
It made no sense.
CRPS wasn’t psychological—it was a neurological disorder. And this was a different body. It shouldn’t be possible for it to resurface.
Sure, it was possible my current body also had it—but then the symptoms should have shown up long ago, not at this exact moment.
“Aha... Ahaha...”
As I struggled to make sense of it all, my body—now soaked in cold sweat—muttered with the voice of the Great Shadow.
“My god... You... You’re one crazy bastard.”
‘...What?’
“To go this far for a single woman... I can’t tell if you’re stupid or just a hopeless romantic.”
Her words only deepened my confusion.
“Seriously... what an idiot.”
‘......?’
“That’s why I hate you.”
And stranger still—her voice carried a strange emotion.
‘I don’t know what the hell you're talking about, but if you don’t want to pass out, you’d better return control of this body to me. Now.’
But I had no time to ponder her tone.
‘That kind of pain... no one experiences it for the first time and walks away unscathed.’
“......”
‘The council members will be arriving soon. You sure you want them to see you like this?’
I still didn’t understand what made her so “great,” but this much I did know:
No black mage—or god, for that matter—could endure the pain I was currently feeling.
‘Don’t worry. I’ll continue the meeting. But after that... don’t ever try possessing me again.’
“...Hah... Ngh.”
‘Unless you want to experience that hell again.’
It was a threat aimed at both of us, really—but it was the only way to salvage this mess.
“...Yeah. I must’ve underestimated you.”
A few seconds after I issued my ultimatum, the Great Shadow finally spoke again, her voice trembling through my mouth.
“I don’t want this cursed body anymore. Take it back.”
‘Gladly.’
With that, the immediate crisis was averted.
Though it left me with more questions than answers, I had to focus on the present.
“All right then... What if I go back into that maid’s body from earlier—”
‘Not a chance.’
And sure enough, just as her eyes darted around the room and settled on Sasha—standing there with a blank stare—I spoke firmly.
“Sasha is... off-limits.”
‘......’
“I made a promise. Not to drag her into this.”
Before I knew it, I had started speaking of my own volition again.
‘So... where is she now?’
“Just stay quiet inside me.”
Now it was the Great Shadow’s turn to speak from within my mind.
“Or go back to your original, broken body. Up to you.”
‘......’
“Do whatever you want. I’m conducting the meeting either way.”
With that, she fell silent. And so did I.
She seemed to have accepted the terms. Good enough.
“Whew...”
I leaned against the wall and let out a long sigh, lowering my head.
‘...They’ll be here soon, right?’
Control had fully returned to me. Meaning, I’d be the one to endure the pain from now on.
“......”
But even after gritting my teeth and waiting for several more seconds, the searing agony never returned.
“......?” 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
Strange. The Great Shadow had clearly felt the same symptoms from my past life—and relinquished my body because of it.
Too strange to be coincidence. Yet I had no idea what the cause could be.
‘...Still, maybe I should be relieved?’
Honestly, I had even prepared myself to distance from Lady Meredia if CRPS had truly returned. It felt a little anticlimactic, but also... kind of a relief.
“M-M-M-Master...”
“...Hm?”
“A-A-A-Are you okay...?”
Just then, a familiar voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“...Is it really you, Sasha?”
Worn out, I weakly lifted my head to see Sasha looking down at me, her face full of fear.
“Th-There’s a fake Sasha?!”
Judging by her reaction, it really was her this time.
No matter how great the Great Shadow was, there’s no way she could mimic that dopey expression and tone.
“...Yeah. You’re really Sasha.”
Relieved, I closed my eyes briefly.
‘But the real problem starts now.’
Even though I was already completely drained, the real test—the Shadow Assembly—was just about to begin.
***
“Haa...”
“......”
As Whitney sighed, thinking this mountain had yet another mountain behind it—
‘...Could it be that Master and I were kidnapped?’
Sasha, glancing anxiously between Whitney and the surroundings, trembled at the terrifying thought that had just popped into her head.
‘Yes, that must be it. Otherwise...’
The place looked like a cave bandits might use as a hideout, and Whitney had been screaming just moments ago.
She hadn’t seen clearly, but maybe he’d been tortured by the kidnappers?
“...Eek.”
Shivering, Sasha turned her gaze to Whitney.
‘Then... that thing he said earlier...’
She had just regained her senses when she heard him mutter something in a tired voice.
Something like “Sasha is off-limits,” and “I promised not to drag her into this...”
“M-Master...”
As she replayed those words in her mind, tears welled up in her eyes.
Her master might be more than a little suspicious—even shady. He was gloomy, likely up to dangerous secrets, always surrounded by creepy rumors, and had recently silenced the maids. Seeing him at night was enough to make your legs go weak.
And now, he was rumored to be conspiring with the Empire’s worst villainess to rule the Empire itself.
Still, for the first time, Sasha thought maybe she had made the right choice joining the Ringaarden household.
‘He... did that for someone like me...’
After all, Sasha was a commoner—poor at that. She knew better than anyone how brutal the Empire’s class system was.
She also knew just how absurd her salary and benefits were at House Ringaarden.
And the fact that her master used polite speech with maids and servants? That was unheard of.
Maybe—just maybe—she had misunderstood Whitney Ringaarden all along...
– Step, step...
Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from outside the cave.
“Eek! W-Who’s there?!”
“...Shhh. It’s nothing serious.”
Sasha flinched, but Whitney placed a finger to his lips and whispered calmly.
“It’s just a short meeting with some acquaintances. Just stand quietly against the wall until it’s over.”
“W-Who’s coming...?”
“...Haha...”
When Sasha asked in a trembling voice, Whitney gave a weak smile and sighed.
“The black mage council members.”
“...Ah.”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m just facilitating.”
And just like that, Sasha’s brief theory that Whitney might be a good man was quietly shattered into dust.
“...Please save me.”
“Huh? From what?”
“...Hiii.”
