A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 177: Standoff
“Hah... Hah...”
“Ugh, I just calmed down, but I feel like I’m gonna puke again...”
“...”
After burning through what little strength we had left, we finally managed to duck behind a nearby tree and conceal ourselves.
“But... can we really fool a dragon’s senses this easily?”
“Uugh... I mean, we should be fine. Probably.”
Even while dry-heaving again, Ember forced a smile in response to my anxious question.
“No matter how strong a dragon is, the stealth magic I used is flawless. I’ve used it countless times—there’s no way we’ll be discovered here.”
“...Then how come we got caught earlier?”
“Well, that’s...”
She glanced toward me with a slightly resentful look.
Or more accurately, she was aiming that look at the Death Knight standing right next to me.
She just didn’t have the guts to make direct eye contact, so her expression hovered somewhere between subtle and awkward.
“You’re good at social maneuvering.”
“Huh? Not at all. I was a total shut-in.”
“...Why?”
“Oh, I was bullied at school for a long time. It kind of made me like this...”
I tossed off a light compliment, but what I got in return was an abrupt detour into her gloomy past.
“There was this one guy in my class kinda like me. He liked some kind of murder game... I can’t remember the name.”
“...”
“I thought we were the same, but then he got some friends and I felt totally betrayed. Haha...”
I don’t care. Not even a little. Why the hell is she telling me this now of all times?
“...Huh?”
As I was thinking that, she mumbled something to herself, then tilted her head.
“But how do you even understand what I’m saying?”
“What?”
“You shouldn’t know what a shut-in even is.”
Ah. Damn it. That’s a word from my past life, isn’t it?
I should’ve corrected her, but the situation caught me off guard and I just nodded along without thinking.
“Miss Ember uses strange words sometimes. I figured the best move is just to go along with it.”
“...You’re so kind.”
Luckily, her suspicion was easily soothed by my natural smooth talk.
At first she’d been on high alert, but the more time passed, the more Ember started to seem kind of clumsy.
“Wait—didn’t you just talk about social skills?”
Never mind. I take it back. If this keeps up, she might figure out I was once ranked number one.
“...Shh. I sense something.”
“Uh, yeah, I do too. But we’ve got perfect soundproofing magic, so it’s not like—mmph!”
Sweat was starting to bead on my forehead, so to avoid exposing any signs of stress, I quickly clamped my hand over her mouth and pulled her closer.
“Mmph! Mmmph! Mmm...”
Luckily, though she squirmed at first, Ember glanced at me a few times with a suspicious look, then turned her attention forward as the tension escalated.
“...”
For a moment she looked so limp that I worried she’d passed out from lack of air, but she wasn’t the type to die that easily, so I decided to ignore it.
***
— KUGUNG...
Right in front of the tree where Whitney and his party were hiding, a deep rumble echoed—and then, something massive emerged into view.
— GRRRRR...
Even in a world overflowing with magic and mystery, this species—though certainly real—is often considered mythical, almost fictional.
An ancient race that, for reasons unknown, once shared the gift of magic with humanity.
Because of this, even magic users who reject organized religion sometimes revere them as sacred.
A living legend.
In a single word: dragon.
“...”
And now, one of those dragons was circling overhead, eyes narrowed as it scanned the skies.
“...Are you sure this magic is really working?”
“...”
“...Wait, did she actually pass out?”
No matter how powerful Whitney was, or how formidable Ember and the Death Knight might be, going head-to-head with a dragon right now would cost them dearly.
So Whitney, intending to double-check their safety, looked toward the limp Ember again—but when she didn’t respond, he fell silent and held his breath.
— Srrrk...
Time passed in unbearable tension. The dragon’s melancholy gaze swept slowly through the forest, then, with a graceful motion, it turned away.
Only then did Whitney release his hand from Ember’s mouth.
“Pffffh!”
Ember gasped all at once, then glared at him like she was genuinely about to explode.
“Excuse me! I almost died just now, okay!? Actually, forget ‘almost’—I did die!”
To be fair, her outrage was justified. She’d just burned through one of the precious “Cat’s Life Scrolls” she’d painstakingly hoarded.
“Now I have fewer than three left... Haah...”
It was a rare item given out during the pre-registration event, back when Blacktail Fantasy 3 wasn’t even popular.
It guaranteed survival in even the deadliest scenarios—but only once per scroll.
Even Ember, who never cared for cash shop items, had that one scroll stashed away in her inventory. And when she was pulled into this world, it came with her and helped her win the Demon King candidate selection round.
But now, one of her last three spare lives had been wasted... just because her favorite person suffocated her.
“So that’s how it is.”
“What do you mean, ‘so that’s how it is’? Isn’t this kind of messed—”
Her voice cut off.
— Goooo...
She stared at Whitney, who was still watching where the dragon had disappeared. But now, he was radiating a strange, overpowering aura.
This... this is...
Ember, who knew Whitney Ringaarden better than almost anyone, immediately grasped the situation.
The Power of Dominion.
It had been odd from the beginning.
Even if Whitney had held her mouth shut, there was no way she would’ve died from that alone.
Humans can breathe through their noses, after all. Even babies know that instinctively.
But suffering from nausea and disorientation, Ember had only just realized this basic truth.
Don’t tell me...
She couldn’t see his expression clearly, but she had a good idea what kind of face Whitney must be making right now.
A sinister grin—one of the most wicked she’d ever seen.
If her guess was right, then being close to him right now was extremely dangerous.
Because the Power of Dominion isn’t something you can control freely. It’s not a convenient superpower.
In most cases, the host is overwhelmed and manipulated by it.
Even the purest saints can become more evil than sealed archdemons once that power spirals out of control.
And if that kind of force was now rampaging inside someone like Whitney—who already looked like a villain...
What the hell was about to happen?
Sure, Ember adored Whitney as her favorite. But unlike some people, she wasn’t the type to sacrifice her life for fandom.
She had to survive if she wanted to keep fangirling.
In short, self-preservation came first.
“U-uh... suddenly I feel really dizzy...”
“...”
“If I puke again, the smell might attract attention. So maybe... let go of me for a sec?”
As she stammered her excuse, sweat dripping from her temples, Ember froze again.
“...Wait.”
Whitney hadn’t been holding her since he let go earlier.
But for some reason, she still felt like his grip was all over her.
“Shit...”
She realized with horror that the sensation was a side effect of his Power of Dominion running wild.
“This... is way above my pay grade...”
Even Ember—who had monopolized nearly every event and reward from both the original game and its DLCs—couldn’t predict what would happen if Whitney fully lost control.
But one thing was clear: with only three lives left, she probably wasn’t making it out of here.
After all I’ve done to get this far...
That thought alone made Ember’s ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) face crumble into a terrified grimace.
She’d always acted cheerful and confident, but that was just a mask—a personality crafted to hide the vulnerable shut-in she used to be.
If only I had a status window. Or cheat skills. Or even just a hypnosis app...
Her real-world self finally peeking through, Ember began tearing at her hair and biting her nails in panic.
No. Don’t give up yet.
She took a shaky breath and slowly raised her head.
He hasn’t fully lost control yet. Maybe I’m still useful. Maybe... maybe I can talk him down.
With that sliver of hope, she forced a smile and opened her mouth.
“Whit... Whitney. Um, listen—”
“Shh.”
Before she could finish, Whitney pressed a finger to her lips.
“Do you want to die?”
Stunned by the sudden action, she looked up—and saw Whitney’s utterly serious, stone-cold expression.
And in that instant, her mind snapped.
“Ah... ah. Aah...”
Which is to say—she’d mentally regressed back into the pathetic, gloomy shut-in she’d been before this whole isekai mess started.
***
“Ah... ah. Aah... A-ah...”
Seriously, what the hell? I told her to be quiet!
I had just whispered for her to calm down, and now she was moaning like a broken record.
I was this close to slapping my hand back over her mouth.
Goddammit, I can’t move my hand.
But I couldn’t. I couldn’t move at all—not even blink.
Because just behind that patch of bushes, mere meters away... was a murderous presence so suffocating it froze me where I stood.
As far as I knew, this was Dragon Fear. The kind of pressure that makes your body seize up like prey in front of a tiger.
We were completely overwhelmed by the dragon’s sheer presence.
“P-please... forgive us...”
“...Why are you saying that to me?”
“Hiiik—”
Even in this dire moment, Ember—who should’ve been doing something helpful—was instead apologizing to me in a panicked whisper.
Shouldn’t she be apologizing to the dragon?
I should’ve come here alone. Hell, maybe I should run for it now.
But if I did, and it tracked me down...
“...Stand aside.”
Just as I was sweating bullets, too frozen to breathe...
“I’ll handle this.”
A cold voice rang out beside me—one that hadn’t spoken for a while.
“You two, fall back.”
With that, the Death Knight drew the spear at her waist and stepped forward.
