A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 120: Fusion

“KYAAAAAAACK?”

The moment the maids burst in, I had blanked out for a second, but I only snapped back to reality after the squirming thing in front of me let out another grotesque shriek.

‘What the fuck is this.’

But regaining my senses didn’t change much.

The stares of the young maids looking at me were soaked in pure shock and terror—especially the ones that weren’t Sasha or Parsha.

‘Well, I’d react the same way too, probably.’

As always, I was innocent.

Seriously, how does one go from summoning a high-tier white magic familiar... to having this crawl out instead?

Granted, summoning a high-tier familiar is no easy feat, and unexpected failures or incidents are fairly common.

But some grotesque liquid monster I’d never even seen in the original game? That’s not just a misfire—it’s outright deranged.

“Gyuruk...?”

Worse yet, the squirming creature in the magic circle seemed to be trying to communicate with me.

To be fair, that was typical behavior for a summoned familiar.

“M-Mommy...”

“S-Save... us...”

“Hiiik...”

The problem was, even I was creeped out—and the damn thing was putting on a live show for the maids.

“Gyuruk... Gyu...”

And as if it somehow realized this, the liquid monster turned its head (well, I felt like it did) toward the maids.

‘...That’s not good.’

I didn’t know much about it, but I instinctively understood how dangerous that move was.

Most monsters feed on human fear. And once they’re full of fear, they devour the human too—leaving behind nothing but a husk.

Even if this thing was my summon, it was definitely not a white magic-based familiar. So chances were, it operated on that principle.

“Excuse me, everyone.”

After a brief moment of deliberation, I forced a smile and whispered calmly.

“Could I ask you all to close your eyes?”

Thankfully, despite being utterly terrified, the maids obeyed and clenched their eyes shut.

“Gyurururururur...”

What I didn’t account for was that unseen fear—just like visible fear—was equally, if not more, destructive.

“A-Are we gonna die here?”

“Uuuaaaaang...”

“Hi-Hiik... Hiieeek...”

Even with their eyes shut, the maids clung to each other, trembling as the liquid monster trembled in place and let out that eerie low whine.

“...Shit.”

Maybe because of that, the creature—originally just a little taller than me—had grown large enough to touch the ceiling.

And if it kept expanding at this rate, it might devour the entire basement.

No—maybe the entire mansion.

“Haa...”

If I used the white magic secret technique I’d once used on the Emperor—Ability Seal—I could maybe buy some time, but just time. That’s it.

And if I opened my eyes again like last time... I had no idea what could happen this time.

‘Okay, then only one option left.’

Now that it’s come to this, the only way out is to fight.

Seems everyone’s forgotten, but I’m a pure white mage—certified by Lumen Ordo, and the only one of my kind in the world.

There’s no way I’m losing to some slime-like horror— ƒrēenovelkiss.com

“Gyuruk?”

“...Ah.”

Just as I was calmly prepping a white magic cast, that slime freak suddenly flung out a long, sticky tentacle and wrapped it around my arm.

Crackle...!

And from that moment, everything escalated at lightning speed.

“Gyururururu...!”

The tentacled creature around my arm began to tremble—and then started shrinking.

Ziiiiing...

At the same time, a strange, unfamiliar mark began to burn into my arm.

“Eh?”

Only seconds later, the mark completed—and the creature was sucked straight into it, vanishing completely.

“...Huh?”

I blinked, stunned ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ by how quickly it all happened.

Hiccup.

Then suddenly, from ahead—came the sound of a sharp, suffocating hiccup.

“Hik.”

I turned my head—only to meet Sasha’s eyes, staring straight at me between the fingers she’d spread over her face.

Tremble tremble tremble tremble...

A split second later, Sasha’s body began to tremble violently as she hastily tried to cover her eyes with both hands.

“......Huh?”

But the most memorable reaction didn’t come from Sasha.

It came from Parsha, standing blankly beside her.

“S-Something’s not right...”

After staring at me for a long while, Parsha muttered in a strangely shaken voice.

‘If Parsha is reacting like that, something is seriously wrong.’

To me, it felt like one of those scenes where a usually cheerful doctor suddenly calls in the patient’s guardian with a serious face.

‘I should probably ask her directly.’

So, to clean up the situation, I slowly walked toward the group.

“Everyone, please don’t run. Just stay still.”

“......!”

“I can explain everything.”

To my relief, the new maids—who were still bowing their heads with eyes shut—obeyed again, if a little too obediently.

“Haha, ladies. Don’t forget to breathe, though.”

“......”

“...Ladies?”

It wasn’t until a moment later that I realized... more than half of them had passed out on their feet from fear.

***

“Did you finish the emergency care, Sasha?”

“...Y-Yes, Young Master!!!”

Thankfully, with Sasha now a veteran at handling these kinds of incidents, the emergency treatment for the fainted maids went smoothly.

“Good work.”

“...H-Haha. Hahaha...”

When Whitney gently patted her head in recognition, Sasha let out a sound that was somewhere between laughing and crying as she meekly accepted the gesture.

‘I have to forget I have to forget I have to forget...’

The fact that it was that hand—the one the monster got sucked into—patting her, was something Sasha had no choice but to mentally block out.

“Oh, and by the way.”

“......”

“Parsha.”

“...Yes?”

Just as Whitney was quietly patting Sasha’s head, he suddenly turned and spoke. Parsha, who had been standing in a daze, flinched.

“What was that reaction earlier?”

“......!”

“Did you perhaps... realize something?”

Whitney asked directly, and a bead of cold sweat rolled down Parsha’s temple.

It was unlike her—the fanatic loyalist who usually knew no fear or hesitation.

But this time, she had a reason.

‘...I don’t get it.’

Her analysis eye had never once failed in analysis itself—even if she sometimes couldn’t draw conclusions due to lack of info.

But whatever that “thing” was that Whitney just commanded so freely... she couldn’t analyze it at all.

Something so beyond understanding it couldn’t even be analyzed with the Demon King’s power fragments scattered across the world? Was that allowed to exist?

For Parsha—who believed there was nothing in the world she didn’t understand—this alien presence triggered primal fear.

‘Could the Young Master... actually be manipulating something not of this world...?’

Whether it was misfortune or blessing, that fear soon began to morph into awe.

“You don’t have to share it with me, of course.”

“......”

“I always trust you, Parsha.”

Whitney, having slightly lowered himself to meet her gaze, whispered softly.

“...But next time, if you’re planning something—please share it with me too.”

Parsha swallowed dryly at his words, and then trembled as a chill ran down her spine.

‘I’m still... nowhere near good enough...’

Just from what he’d said, she realized Whitney already knew what she was planning to do down here.

It was, depending on how you looked at it, either insubordination or outright rebellion.

And yet, he hadn’t reprimanded her.

But what truly captivated Parsha wasn’t that outcome—it was how he did it.

‘Right... in the face of overwhelming fear, everything else becomes meaningless...’

Whitney could’ve just punished her and ended it.

Instead, he respected her opinion—then offered her a “lesson” far more effective than any lecture: a direct experience of terror.

For someone like Parsha—who had always stood atop informational supremacy and had never once been “taught” anything by another—this method was utterly earth-shattering.

“...Ahh, truly... he’s the best.”

Being acknowledged as both subordinate and closest aide... being taught for the first time in her life—she trembled in awe and bowed her head.

“......?”

Whitney looked down at her with a slightly puzzled face, but since it wasn’t the first time she acted like this, he shrugged it off and turned his gaze to the new maids.

“Hmm, well... this is hopeless.”

He realized that no matter what he said, he wouldn’t be able to convince them.

“P-Please spare me...”

“...Sniff...”

“U-Uuugh...”

The maids who were barely holding onto consciousness—and the ones just now waking up—immediately turned pale the moment they made eye contact with Whitney.

“...Sigh.”

Letting out a quiet sigh, Whitney was forced to settle for the next-best option.

“...Everyone, please listen carefully.”

Ironically, this was the best choice he could make.

“Today, you didn’t see anything.”

“......!”

“In fact, you never even came down here.”

Their minds may have been dulled by overwhelming fear, but their survival instincts were sharper than ever—sharp enough to understand what Whitney was saying.

“I-I’ll take it to my grave!”

“...W-What are you saying? We didn’t see anything.”

“Y-Yes! We don’t know anything!”

Hearing the immediate chorus of agreement from the maids, Whitney smiled quietly and raised a finger to his lips with a playful wink.

“......”

That single motion was enough to silence the maids drenched in cold sweat.

“Aahh...”

From that point on, no one—except for Parsha, who was now gazing at him in bliss—ever spoke about the basement again.

***

“Well then. Let’s wrap things up here—”

But that only applied to the maids.

“U-UAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH...!”

A sudden scream of panic came from the staircase, and everyone turned toward it.

“M-Monster! There’s a monster!!!”

“......”

“I have to report this. This isn’t something the Young Master can handle alone...!”

Having witnessed the whole thing, Ferris—who had been in a daze—suddenly snapped and bolted up the stairs.

“Ahaha...”

Watching her, Whitney let out a dry laugh and slowly raised his hand toward her.

“Someone grab her—”

But before he even finished realizing there was no one in the basement strong enough to stop her—

Kururururuk...

His arm trembled.

His hand turned into a black tentacle and shot out toward Ferris.

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!?”

The tentacle snatched Ferris by the leg and hoisted her up, and a bone-chilling scream echoed through the basement.

“...Unbelievable.”

Thus, yet another rumor was added to the long list of ghost stories about the Ringaarden mansion.