A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 151: Return
“.......”
A chilling cold seeped through even the coldest corners of the black mages’ sanctuary.
“Great Shadow.”
“.......”
“No, there’s no need to call you that anymore.”
The ones gathered in that place were high-ranking officers of the Shadow Union—or rather, “the ghosts of the previous timelines.”
And the first among them to speak was none other than Lunelle.
“Meredia Embergreen. Why did you choose Whitney Ringaarden as your proxy today?”
Sitting in the gloom at the far end of the room, a demonic figure resembling a Demon King—Meredia—answered in a low, indifferent voice.
“...There’s something I wanted to confirm.”
“Confirm? What exactly?”
“When did we ever become close enough to share such private thoughts, Lunelle?”
The moment her name slipped from Meredia’s lips, Lunelle’s face twisted into a scowl, and she growled lowly.
“...Don’t call me by that name.”
“Then would you prefer I call you the Emperor’s Hound instead?”
“.......”
“Don’t delude yourself. The only reason any of you can exist in this timeline is because of my power.”
Meredia’s voice was void of emotion, her eyes staring blankly into Lunelle’s. The room fell into a tense silence.
“So don’t think of yourselves as equals to me.”
Her voice held no anger, not even emotion—but that made the atmosphere all the more terrifying.
“...So, why did you call us after all this time?”
“You’ve likely guessed by now—it's because of Whitney Ringaarden.”
The slight shift of emotion in Meredia’s voice surprised the others more than her actual words.
“I’ll ask just one question. In your timelines, have any of you encountered Whitney Ringaarden?”
“In the timeline I once lived, there was no such person named Whitney Ringaarden.”
“...The same goes for mine.”
“Uh, well... he died in my timeline. That’s how I ended up like this.”
One by one, the ghosts of the past began to respond to Meredia’s question, searching through their faded memories.
“...I’ve never met him either.”
As their answers came to an end, Meredia spoke once more, quietly—yet a faint undertone of deceit lurked in her words.
“.......”
They were all far too familiar with lies like that. Yet none called her out on it—they simply remained silent, letting the moment pass.
There was no denying it: these ghosts of the past were only able to exist because Meredia, for some reason, existed beyond time.
That meant the moment they angered her, their existence would end.
So, though many harbored silent complaints, just as the Shadow Witch had guessed, betraying Meredia was utterly impossible.
“You and I, all of us here—we come from different worldlines. And yet, in none of them did Whitney Ringaarden exist. That’s accurate, isn’t it?”
“.......”
“...But in this timeline, he most certainly exists.”
Having gathered their responses, Meredia began to organize the situation.
“And surprisingly, his presence has already changed quite a lot.”
With a snap of her fingers, countless figures shimmered into view in the air above them.
“For example, Death Knight. You were originally supposed to be taken in by the Emperor at the slave market.”
“...But in this worldline, Whitney Ringaarden moved before the Emperor could and took in Lunelle.”
The Death Knight, staring blankly at the image of a person who looked so much like her yet was utterly different—being taken in by Whitney—let out a sigh and turned her head away. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
“...I don’t want to see any more of this.”
Even the Death Knight, who believed she had no lingering regrets, found it painful to witness her most agonizing memory and the possible “what if.”
“Next—Bergen.”
“...Can I skip this one?”
Bergen, now the target, kept his voice cold despite the painted clown’s smile stretched across his face.
“You joined the black mages for revenge, only to later discover your daughter had become one of their test subjects.”
“.......”
“...And by then, it was already too late.”
Meredia showed no mercy as she conjured another image.
“.......”
Bergen, staring at his past self cradling his lifeless daughter while weeping, turned away with eyes gone completely cold.
“But in this timeline, the story changed once again—because of Whitney Ringaarden.”
“...Ha.”
“At the very least, you realized the truth before joining the black mages. I don’t know what will happen, but at least your reunion with your daughter may come sooner.”
Meredia’s voice continued without pause—until she turned to someone who had remained silent: Sasha.
“Come to think of it, your fate has changed significantly too.”
“...I don’t want to know.”
“Still, you must see it.”
Sasha, shaking her head violently in rejection, finally caught sight of the image—her crying self from yesterday, trying to manage the maids at the Ringaarden estate—and turned away, wordless.
“And...”
At last, a figure resembling Meredia herself began to materialize—only for her to wave a hand and scatter the smoke. The image dispersed into nothing.
“...So what exactly are you trying to say?”
Unable to hold back any longer, Lunelle raised her voice. Meredia spoke quietly.
“That man... is changing the fate of the world.”
“...We can see that too, you know.”
“But none of us know his ultimate goal.”
Lunelle bristled again at Meredia’s detached tone, but Meredia continued with a new order.
“I’ll give you all a new mission. From now on, you no longer need to playact at faction infighting to stir up the black mages.”
“...Well, that’s a relief.”
Bergen muttered sarcastically, but Meredia’s expression didn’t budge.
“However, this mission... I will not tolerate failure.”
“.......”
“Because this mission is directly tied to my ultimate goal.”
And her words now were more heartfelt than anything she’d said before.
“So what mission could possibly—?”
“Turn Whitney Ringaarden into the Demon King... atop the frozen mountain.”
At those words, the room fell into absolute silence.
“Wasn’t your plan to make that child, Ember, into the Demon King?”
“...That was the original plan. But that was before Whitney Ringaarden appeared.”
“But...”
“I’m not accepting any objections.”
The ghosts who tried to protest fell silent once more at the cold finality in Meredia’s voice.
“Wasn’t your goal to destroy the world with the Demon King’s power?”
“...Who knows.”
Only Lunelle, ever defiant, pushed back in a voice full of resentment. But Meredia’s stance remained firm.
“People’s thoughts... can change at any time.”
“.......”
“If you understand, then go. I want to be alone with my thoughts.”
At her dismissal, the ghosts glanced at one another briefly before silently heading for the exit.
“.......”
In the silence that followed, Demon King Meredia slowly raised a hand.
– Crackle...
Dark smoke coiled from her fingers as she recreated the image she’d scattered earlier.
“...Hah.”
As the image solidified—Meredia and Whitney, smiling at each other on a hill—her expression twisted in fury.
“That bastard... is not someone you should dare to desire...”
Her murmur grew venomous as she distorted only the part of the image where she stood.
“That happiness... was never meant for you...”
– Crackle... hiss...
“That happiness should have belonged to me...”
Finally, as she crushed the space itself, she bit her lower lip and stood from her seat.
– Step, step...
She walked straight to the image of Whitney.
“...You don’t know me, do you?”
She «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» stood there a while, staring at the illusion, and at last, her emotions spilled forth.
“But I... I’ve been watching you. Over and over.”
Of course, the image of Whitney gave no reply.
“Even when you weren’t Whitney Ringaarden, I was always...”
She reached out her hand. As the illusion dissolved into mist, her hand dropped powerlessly.
“...In the end, I have to make you mine.”
And with that, the space around her faded quietly to black, and she disappeared somewhere into the world.
***
At last, the Shadow Gathering had come to an end—somehow.
“...You did very well today.”
“Even I didn’t expect you to be such a perfect fit for the black mages’ leadership role.”
To be honest, I was terrified of the executives’ presence, but thanks to the Shadow Witch and her secret escape route, I managed to get out relatively safely(?).
“...I want to go home.”
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t tell me you expect me to find my own way from here.”
As I replied with a resigned look to the overly cheerful Shadow Witch, she handed me something and spoke.
“Of course not. Here—this has the reverse summoning coordinates. It should teleport you right in front of the Ringaarden estate.”
“...What is this?”
What she gave me was a miniature doll of a witch.
“Oh, and by the way, it has a summoning function too. Call me anytime.”
“...How do I use it?”
“Our senses are linked. Just poke it a little, and I’ll find my way to you.”
Who the hell installs high-grade magic that could startle the entire Mage Tower... into a cheap-looking doll?
“Hey! Don’t just stuff me into your pocket! It’s cramped in there!”
“...Then what should I do with it?”
“Cradle it gently, or just carry it in your hand like a normal person, maybe?”
I wanted to snap that I wasn’t going to pamper a toy, but decided to nod anyway—it was smarter to stay on good terms with her.
“By the way... you’re not taking her with you?”
“...Ah.”
Just then, I noticed Sasha trembling behind the Shadow Witch. I glanced at her warily and then forced a gentle smile, reaching out my hand.
“...Sasha, shall we go home?”
But she only stood frozen, pale and shaking.
“Don’t worry, we’re just going back to the mansion.”
“......!”
“Of course, there’s one thing you absolutely must remember when we return.”
I couldn’t just leave her here, so I gently took her hand and whispered softly into her ear.
“...Everything that happened today is a secret, okay?”
“H-Haha... Ha... hahahaha...”
Her only answer was a pitiful, hollow laugh.
‘...It would’ve been nice to talk more with Alfred.’
With a bitter smile matching hers, I prepared for the return trip, thinking of Alfred, whom I hadn’t had time to say goodbye to.
‘I’ve got a lot of questions for him...’
I wanted to find him again, but I couldn’t afford to linger. The executives might return at any moment.
– Crackle...
Just then, the doll in my hand began to glow blue, ready for the reverse summoning.
“......Young Master.”
Suddenly, from far away, I heard a familiar voice.
“Please... take care of yourself.”
Startled, I turned my head—but the scenery had already changed.
“.......”
I now stood in the rain, outside the Ringaarden estate, scratching my head with a slightly bitter smile. I was still holding Sasha’s hand as we walked toward the door—
“...Huh?”
But before I could even take a step, I stopped in disbelief.
“.......”
For some unknown reason...
“...Lady Meredia?”
Meredia stood there in the pouring rain, without even an umbrella, blankly staring into the garden of the Ringaarden estate.
