A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 164: Preparing for a Speedrun

“...Haa.”

As the evening sun dipped below the horizon, I returned from the Duke’s estate to the Ringaarden household and slumped into my office chair with a long, weary sigh.

“I feel completely drained...”

Looking back, I’d only been away for two days.

But I’d gone straight from attending the Shadow Gathering to Meredia’s mansion without even a moment’s rest. Physically and mentally, I was utterly exhausted.

‘And to think things would end like that...’

Especially the incident at the very end—it had managed to tighten an already suffocating timeline into something borderline impossible.

Who could’ve predicted that the Duke of Embergreen would take his own life right then and there?

Even Lady Meredia herself had said there was no way her father would commit suicide, which said everything.

‘Still, it was the simplest and most destructive move he could’ve made in the end.’

In the original story, the Duke desperately clung to life, constantly scheming in hopes of regaining his position.

But that was the original narrative. The chain that prevented Meredia from becoming the official head of the house—marriage—had been broken, thanks to my existence.

The Duke had lost his final card to restrain her.

And the man I knew—disgusting excuses for a human aside—was the kind who lived and died by pride and appearances. A fierce gambler.

Someone like that, when backed into a corner with no way out, would absolutely choose to go out with a bang, throwing filth on everything on his way down.

‘...It would’ve been nice if he’d suffered a bit more.’

True, his downfall was a ripple effect of my presence, but that didn’t mean I felt any pity.

Not only had he dabbled in black magic for years, he had also subjected his own daughter, Meredia, to unthinkable abuse.

If it hadn’t been this event, I’d have made sure to deal with him sooner or later anyway.

‘The real problem is... I got caught in his final trap.’

Obviously, it was the Duke himself who reported the Embergreen family’s crimes to the Holy Theocracy.

There’s no way they would’ve obtained the "family head’s ring" as evidence otherwise.

Most likely, he handed over the ring and framed the whole mess as if Lady Meredia had committed those crimes herself.

And to make sure the betrayal landed like a dagger—he went and killed himself right in front of us.

Just imagining that smug face of his smirking from Hell makes my skin crawl.

‘No point in dwelling on the past.’

But I don’t have time to wallow in that now. With a one-week time limit staring me down, I need to figure out my next moves.

Three objectives. All to be completed within that window.

First—infiltrate the Mage Tower, rescue Bergen and his daughter, and free the innocents imprisoned there.

Bergen had already successfully infiltrated the tower. With his support from the inside, the operation shouldn’t be too difficult.

But that leaves two more tasks to complete in the same timeframe.

Second—travel to the Dragon’s Domain in the Northern Continent and seize the Demon Lord’s power.

Whether I’ll claim that power or destroy it entirely—I haven’t decided yet. But if I don’t act, it could fall into the hands of Ember, a member of the “Great Shadow” faction.

The problem? Reaching the Dragon’s Domain via conventional means would take at least two weeks.

The only viable shortcut is the “Shadow Corridor,” a black mage pathway that links distant corners of the world.

But to use it, I’d need to contact black mages and travel under their protection—surrounded by them, in other words.

It also means I can’t bring newly appointed knights or senior officers for safety reasons.

In short: I’d be going alone.

Either way, I’d be fully exposed to danger.

And then there’s the third and most crucial task—one I must accomplish above all else:

Breaking Lady Meredia’s terminal curse.

The biggest obstacle, however, is the curse’s condition for release.

‘...I have to die.’

According to Ember—revealed to be a possession-type transmigrator like myself—my death is the only way to lift Meredia’s curse.

Why that’s the mechanism, I still don’t know. I’d wanted to ask Ember, but she’d been frustratingly evasive about it.

Still, the odds that she’s lying are practically nonexistent.

Sensing my distrust, she’d even sealed her words with a binding contract spell to prove it.

‘There has to be another way...’

Honestly, if it meant saving Meredia, I’d be willing to stake my life without hesitation.

But what if she finds out?

No—forget “what if.” If I die now, Meredia will torch everything she’s built. She’s ready to burn the world down.

Even if I lift the curse, if Meredia reverts to being everyone’s enemy, what’s the point?

Is there no way for both of us to reach a happy ending?

‘...Actually, there is one way.’

Luckily, I do know of a single method.

When I recently discussed it with Ember and cross-checked the theory, it seemed viable.

Of course, it won’t be easy. That method is tightly bound to the true ending of the original game.

‘But I have no choice but to make it happen.’

It’s the only way to overcome the crisis Meredia and I face.

—Knock knock knock.

I was deep in thought, eyes closed, when I heard a sudden knock ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) at the door.

“Come in.”

“...Eep!”

That little scream from behind the door was all I needed to know who it was.

“Sasha, what is it?”

As expected, Sasha peeked in. I gave her a gentle smile.

“Ah, um. That is... well...”

“......?”

“I-I... um, I...”

Today she was more skittish than usual, stammering and fidgeting.

“...v-vacation...”

“Vacation?”

“Y-yes... v-vacation...”

I was wondering what she was trying to say—and it turns out she was here to ask for leave?

She was shaking so hard watching me, I thought something serious had happened.

I mean, it’s not like I’m some tyrant who never gives anyone time off. Why’s she trembling over a simple request?

‘...Or maybe I deserve that reaction?’

To be fair, Sasha did get dragged into the mess during the Shadow Gathering.

I’d meant to explain everything eventually—maybe now was a good time.

“Sasha, about what happened the other day—”

“Heh, heh heh. I don’t know what you mean.”

“...Sasha?”

As soon as I tried to bring it up, she suddenly burst into nervous giggles and started babbling.

“I did laundry yesterday and passed out from exhaustion. I don’t remember a thing...”

“.......”

“Hee, hee hee, hee...”

Wait. Sasha’s broken. That’s... not good.

“...You came to request time off, right?”

“Hee...”

“I’ll approve it. Please hand me the form.”

“Huh?”

I quickly snatched the request from her trembling hand—her expression made my spine go cold.

“You’ve worked hard. I think it’s best if you take it as soon as possible.”

“...Huh?”

“I’ll give you a generous two weeks. That’s an extra week beyond the norm. Sound good?”

Her eyes blinked in surprise, then quickly grew moist.

“I—I know this one.”

“...Know what?”

“Th-this is where you pretend to send me on vacation... and then secretly send assassins after me...”

What is she even talking about? Has she been that stressed lately?

...Then again, I did behave in ways she might misinterpret.

“Haha, if I were going to do something like that, don’t you think I’d pick a less complicated method?”

“......”

“Don’t worry. I’m not that kind of person.”

Saying I’m innocent at this point would just make her more suspicious.

So I had no choice but to play it just intimidating enough to shut her up.

“If Sasha keeps her mouth shut, I won’t do anything. How about that?”

“...Hic.”

“Oh dear. Want some water?”

She started hiccupping again, shivering all over.

“...I-I’m o-hic-okay...”

“There’s no poison or anything. You can drink it.” 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

“......”

“Haha, sorry. I just feel like joking today for some reason.”

She looked so pitiful I couldn’t keep teasing her. I pulled out an official leave certificate from the drawer and handed it to her.

“Well then. Have a nice vacation.”

“......”

“Hope you enjoy seeing your family again. Haha.”

She grabbed the certificate with trembling hands and rushed for the door before I could even finish speaking.

“Oh, right.”

“...Eek.”

She froze mid-step.

“On your way out, could you summon the senior staff?”

“...Y-yes!”

“Thank you. Safe travels—”

She quickly bowed mid-sentence and disappeared out the door.

“...How did it come to this?”

This is all the fault of those damn black mages. I’ve done nothing wrong—seriously, they’re the worst.

***

“So, is everyone here?”

About five minutes later—

“Lunelle, reporting in.”

“Me too!”

Lunelle and Parsha entered my office, glancing around with awkward expressions.

“...There’s fewer people than usual.”

“Yeah. I think we’re missing a few.”

They were right. Bergen and Sasha—who just left on “vacation”—should be here too.

“Bring in the knight vice-captains as well.”

“...They’re still in training.”

“That’s fine. Bring them anyway.”

I figured the more people, the better. But Lunelle’s expression turned odd.

“Ah, well... all three of them fainted. It might be a while before they wake up.”

“Ah.”

So those rumors about Lunelle running brutal training were true, huh?

“I—I’m here too, you know!?”

“...Ah, right.”

“Why’d you even call me if you’re going to ignore me!?”

The grumbling came from Azrael—whose hands were chafed from doing laundry again—but I ignored her and began.

“The reason I’ve gathered you all here is simple: the time has finally come.”

The mood in the room instantly chilled.

“Within one week, we must bring down the Empire.”

Well, I couldn’t blame them for reacting that way. I’d have the same face too if I were hearing it.