A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 51: Contact

“...Still got that mouth on you.”

But even as the two who had brought him in forced him into a chair and bound him, Whitney kept his relaxed expression. One of the black mages, dressed in a maid’s uniform, widened her eyes and approached him.

“Wanna see if you can still talk after I cut out your tongue?”

She took a small dagger from her clothes and aimed it at Whitney’s neck, whispering in a cold voice.

“I doubt any of you have the guts for that.”

“Oh yeah? Is that so.”

As if provoked, her eyes darkened and murderous intent leaked out.

— Crack...

In the next moment, she reversed her grip on the dagger and stabbed it straight into Whitney’s shoulder.

“How’s that? Doesn’t it hurt? Come on, show me some pain....”

“...Mmm.”

“Haa... I love it when snot-nosed nobles like you scream in agony....”

Though a few black mages frowned at her sudden outburst, most simply glanced at Whitney like they’d seen this before.

“......”

“Huh. For some noble pretty-boy, you’re holding up well.”

Seeing no reaction, the maid black mage twisted the dagger hilt with force, an expression of mild surprise on her face.

— Crunch...

It was probably impossible not to react to that, and Whitney finally lowered his head silently.

But still, he didn’t even so much as groan or open his mouth.

“Still holding out? If you cry now, I’ll stop. Hmm?”

“......”

“You bastard...”

Irritated, she climbed on top of Whitney, who was tied to the chair, and gripped his neck tightly, strangling him.

“Forget the scared face—why not let out a whimper at least?”

“......”

“I’ll kill you. I swear I’ll kill you! Huh!?”

Even so, Whitney simply rocked weakly back and forth, showing no sign of reaction, prompting the surrounding black mages to begin whispering.

“...Did he pass out already?”

“I can’t tell if his eyes are open or shut....”

Just as the black mages pulled the maid off him and waved their hands in front of Whitney’s barely open eyes—

“...If I passed out from just that, I’d be disqualified as a white mage.”

Whitney slowly raised his head, a pale smile forming as he finally spoke.

“That aside... I was a little nervous when I heard it’d be torture, but if this is all you’ve got, I guess you’re all just low-level black mages after all?”

“...This one’s got a mouth on him.”

The maid black mage torturing him grinned broadly and stepped toward him again, clearly thrilled.

“Haven’t felt this excited in a while....”

She once again lifted one knee onto the chair and gently caressed Whitney’s cheek, murmuring with a twisted smile.

“Out of all the ones I’ve broken, you might be the most fun to toy with....”

“......”

“Mind if I have him to myself for a bit? Won’t take long. Hmm?”

She turned to the other black mages with a glint in her eye as she said this.

“We don’t have time. We need to proceed with the plan quickly.”

“...Damn it. I said it’ll be quick.”

“...Don’t push it, alright?”

“Tch....”

As her companions, who had been keeping time, began to intervene, thankfully the torture did not continue further.

“Everyone quiet. We’re bringing Lord Pedro now.”

“Back off unless you want to get caught up in something.”

As the room fell into a brief lull, the two black mages who had brought Whitney began drawing a magic circle on the floor and issued instructions to the others.

“Once he’s done with the boy, do whatever you want with him.”

“...Haha! That’s a promise, right?”

Some of them frowned, but at least the maid black mage torturing Whitney happily stepped back.

“As expected... it’s him.”

Just then, Whitney, still catching his breath, smiled faintly ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ and spoke.

“Among the officers, the only one who can cross boundaries without spatial constraints... is him.”

“......?”

“I assume he was part of the plan from the beginning. Right?”

At his leading question, the black mages exchanged glances before responding coldly.

“Where did you hear that?”

“Even we don’t know much about the executives. It’s top secret.”

As if expecting that, Whitney scanned the room and continued with a relaxed tone.

“The Puppeteer, the Death Knight, the Shadow Witch, the Jester, and the newly appointed Pedro Gomez, who doesn’t have a codename yet. Five officers in total, right?”

But there was no reply.

Not because they were struck by the truth, but because no one from Pedro’s faction present could confirm whether he was right.

“...Hmm, looks like I got it right. Too bad, I was hoping for cross-verification.”

Reading the subtle expressions of the black mages, Whitney let out a faint sigh of disappointment and muttered.

“Looks like I’ve got no more business with you lot. Would you kindly summon Mr. Pedro already?”

“...Is he already delirious from the torture?”

“Seriously, just wait a little....”

They glared at the maid black mage with a hint of resentment, but she only shrugged with a look that said, What’s the problem?

“We were going to kill him after we had our fun anyway. What’s it matter....”

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“...No. That’s not your decision to make.”

Suddenly, someone cut her off.

“What the—urk?”

The maid black mage furrowed her brow and began to speak, but never got to finish.

“The right to decide life or death always belongs to my master.”

“What, what!?”

“You’ve lost your mind!?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Because the maid standing right beside her had taken her dagger and driven it straight into her throat.

“Wait, who the hell are you?”

“...Shit. She’s not one of us!?”

“But I definitely felt black mana from her...?”

The black mages stared in confusion, but as the girl casually drew the bloody dagger back and began radiating killing intent, they finally scrambled to ready themselves for combat.

— Hummm...

Then the dagger in her hand began to radiate sword energy.

Only then did they realize something was very wrong, and stunned expressions spread across their faces.

“Lunelle. Leave one alive.”

“...Understood.”

“There’s still information we haven’t extracted yet. Haha....”

And just a few seconds after Whitney’s laughing voice echoed from behind them—

— Crackle...!

Not a single black mage in that storage room was left standing.

***

“Kuh-heuk...”

“...Uh, Lunelle?”

Only seconds had passed since the order was given, and now the storage room, soaked in the blood of the black mages, fell silent.

I timidly looked around, slightly shrinking back, and called out to Lunelle, who was delivering the final blow to the last one still breathing.

“Didn’t I say to leave one alive...?”

— Human, I’m scared...

Lunelle's presence had been so ferocious that the spider creature I had hidden in her clothes to pose as a black mage came scuttling straight toward me, clinging tightly to my leg.

“There is one survivor.”

Finally turning her attention to me, Lunelle pointed toward the wall with the tip of her dagger.

“Grrk, guk...”

“Even when stabbed in the neck, if you control the force properly, it won’t kill instantly. Of course, she’ll lose consciousness soon from blood loss.”

The maid black mage who had tortured me—now clutching her neck and gurgling blood—was writhing weakly on the floor.

“...If my master administers first aid, we should be able to interrogate her briefly.”

Dragging her across the floor like a sack of grain, Lunelle roughly propped her up in the chair I had been sitting in and unfastened the mana restraints from my wrists.

“Here. This might sting a little.”

“...Kyaaaaaaaah!”

“Ah, right. She’s a black mage.”

Going along with it, I instinctively used white magic on her—only for the maid to start convulsing violently, black smoke pouring from her mouth.

I awkwardly scratched my head.

“It’s been a while since I used healing magic. As a white mage, I rarely need it for myself.”

“Uugh, uhhhhh...”

“Well then. Why don’t you start by telling me what you all were up to in here?”

Casting standard healing magic on her neck like nothing had happened, I watched as she regained her senses and glared at me.

“You think I’ll... tell you anything?”

“...Looks like the healing didn’t take properly.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

Truth be told, white mages follow an unspoken rule that prohibits torturing others.

Of course, there are always exceptions.

“AaaaaaAAAAAAGH!”

Such as for the greater good. Or when the victim is a black mage.

“To show mercy even to someone who tortured you... as expected of my master.”

“...You don’t have to go that far.”

I gave her neck another gentle white magic burn, listening to Lunelle’s voice from beside me, and smiled faintly.

“Honestly, I was surprised when the dagger went into your shoulder.”

“......”

“Even a well-trained knight would cry out in pain in that situation. Yet you didn’t even groan. I truly respect that.”

“...Haha.”

It’s a memory I’d rather not recall. In my previous life, I had an incurable disease called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome—CRPS for short.

Just a breeze or a brush of fabric could feel like my flesh was being flayed.

Having lived with that pain from childhood until death, I’d become someone who could endure the pain of a dagger in the shoulder.

Though, to be fair, when I shared the pain of inscribing a soul spell into Lunelle, that was rough.

“I—I’ll talk. I’ll tell you everything I know!”

Looks like the black mage who got off on torturing me was the type to fold the moment the pain came her way.

“You like inflicting pain, but hate being on the receiving end?”

“Guhh. I-I was wrong.”

“Then it’d be wise to spit out everything you know.”

A bit sour from remembering my past, I spoke in a cold voice.

Her body trembling, she immediately began spilling information.

“...W-We were going to summon a demon here and bring in Lord Pedro.”

“And the reason?”

“T-That much I don’t know. I’m just a grunt... Aaaaaaaaagh!”

Her answers weren’t cutting it, so I gave her a little encouragement. Sure enough, the truth started spilling out.

“I-I heard they wanted to make sure the tournament couldn’t continue. That’s really all I know!”

“And who did you hear it from?”

“L-Lady Rebecca! I overheard her talking with Lord Pedro...!”

That confirms it.

The black mages know way too much about the Hero and the Demon King.

And judging by how they even know a hero might appear among the tournament winners—something that wasn’t part of the original game—it’s clear a new variable has been introduced.

“A-Anything else you want to know? Hehe...”

“...Not really.”

“Huh?”

I would’ve liked to press her further, but wringing out someone who’s already said everything won’t yield anything useful.

“T-Then... can I...?”

I glanced silently at Lunelle.

She nodded slowly, her eyes turning cold—

— Crack...

“Ah.”

The dagger stabbed into the same spot as before.

The maid let out a short death cry and slumped forward.

“Um... I know this might sound presumptuous, but I think we should avoid these kinds of missions in the future.”

Watching that final moment left a strange feeling in my chest.

Lunelle gently rested her hand on my shoulder and hesitantly spoke.

“...Losing my purpose again would be unbearable. It would be better if I were the bait instead.”

Her expression, as she looked at me quietly, was filled with unease.

...That was strangely touching.

Sure, at the root of it, she’s just afraid of losing a reason to wield her sword again—but still, no one had ever worried about me like this.

‘...Except for my late mother.’

I never really felt it before, but now it was becoming real.

I had people by my side who could be called my officers.

“Haha, I’ll try my best.”

“...Thank you.”

Grateful for the sentiment, I made Lunelle a promise I probably couldn’t keep.

Then I turned and headed toward the door.

“Well then. The black mages have been wiped out. Time to head out...”

I began quietly channeling white mana into my hand to break the black mages’ seal on the door that prevented outsiders from entering.

“Huh?”

But as I took a step forward, I suddenly turned around, eyes widening.

— Hummmm...

For some reason, the summoning circle the black mages had drawn to call Pedro was glowing darkly and activating.

“Wha—wait, what?”

That can’t be.

It shouldn’t activate without anyone infusing it with black mana.

“...You must leave this place at once.”

Frozen in place at the unexpected sight, I was pushed aside by Lunelle, who stepped in front of me, her voice tense.

“I’ll try to hold them off somehow.”

“No. I can’t let you—”

“Please! The energy I’m sensing... it’s not normal!”

I wanted to trust her judgment.

But Lunelle wasn’t in full condition right now.

Her consciousness still hadn’t stabilized.

She couldn’t even use her full strength.

And her only weapon was a stolen dagger used for disguise.

If she went up against one of the officers like this—even she would be in danger.

— Crackling...

I stood frozen, unable to move, as the black smoke began rising from the circle.

As soon as I sensed a presence emerging from it, I clenched my teeth and prepared for combat.

“...If it’s the two of us, we might be able to manage.”

“Master...!”

If I hadn’t drained my mana controlling the doppelgänger, I might’ve been able to stop the spell from activating altogether.

But that no longer mattered.

What mattered was helping Lunelle, even a little.

“G-Gran...”

“...Huh?”

In that moment, as the tension peaked and I bit my lip, sweat dripping from my brow—

The smoke parted.

Pedro stepped out.

“Great Shadow... you have summoned me...!”

“...!?”

And then—

He dropped to his knees in front of me, trembling violently, head pressed to the floor.

“Ah...”

I stared down blankly at the dumbfounded man.

Beside me, Lunelle slowly lowered her dagger, jaw falling open.

She looked at me with eyes filled with sudden realization and began to mutter.

“...So it was true.”

Wait. What do you mean so it was true?

“Lunelle, this is a misunderstanding—”

“It’s alright. I... will remain your sword until the end.”

Seriously—what the hell kind of image do people have of me to keep jumping to these conclusions?!

***

Meanwhile, at that very moment—outside the storage room.

“What on earth is going on in there?”

“T-That is...”

The Academy headmaster, who had rushed over after receiving an emergency alert alongside teachers preparing for the next match, gasped as he turned to the nurses gathered nearby.

“I-It would be best if you saw for yourself...”

“Wha—?”

Following the nurses’ gaze, the headmaster turned his head and his expression froze.

“Brother! Are you in there?!”

Cecil was pounding both fists against the door as if trying to break it down, her voice tinged with tears.

“Please answer me!!!”

“......”

“BROTHER!!!”