A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 25: Strategy Formulation

And so, after days of careful thought, the plan I had devised was—

“Anyway, thank you all for coming here today.”

To hold a secret meeting in my office with my closest aides—Parsha, Alfred, Lunelle—my core operatives.

“Yes, Master!!!”

“...Good grief, Parsha. Please, at least call me ‘young master’ when others are around.”

“There’s no need to thank a tool. I’m just here to be used.”

In truth, the only people present were Parsha, Lunelle, and Alfred, who had just returned and been dragged straight to the office.

Still, these were individuals unmatched in intellect, strength, and competence in this world—surely putting our heads together would yield results—

“U-um, Young Master.”

“Hmm?”

“I-It says ‘Executive Meeting’ on the board over there... W-why am I here?”

Ah, right. I forgot. That makes four—counting Sasha.

“Haha, Miss Sasha. If you’re not one of my core members, then what are you?”

“B-but I’m just your personal maid! That’s all!”

I scratched my head and gave her a vague reply, only for Sasha to flail in panic as she tried to assert her position.

“Sasha, my grandfather and I are just household butlers too.”

“I’m technically a maid myself. If you want to be strict about it, you’re actually our senior.”

“E-even so...!”

Even if Parsha and Lunelle were backing her up like that, it was true that Sasha being part of this meeting was a stretch.

And yet, I had made sure to bring her here for a reason.

‘For some reason, Lady Hestia doesn’t seem to be wary of Sasha at all.’

I didn’t know what happened while I was away dealing with the merit evaluation, but the saintess—currently hiding in the mansion under the alias of a new maid named “Tia”—was on high alert.

She flinched at me and Lunelle, of course, and even when Parsha or Alfred approached to explain the situation, she would only tremble and nod mutely.

So if we wanted to ease her wariness even a little, I needed help from someone she wasn’t afraid of—and who also happened to know her identity.

That left Sasha.

‘I do feel guilty for dragging her into this again...’

I’d told her myself to stay uninvolved in these matters, and yet I kept pulling her into them. I felt a heavy pang of guilt.

Thankfully, the role I needed her for wasn’t something others would see, so her safety wouldn’t be jeopardized.

Still, given her personality, it would definitely be a lot for her—so this time, I needed to support her more.

“Sasha, how many family members are you currently supporting?”

“...Huh?”

“I heard you’ve got quite a few mouths to feed...”

If I had any conscience, I shouldn’t be treating people like cogs in a black-hearted company.

“I could make it so you don’t have to worry about that anymore, you know?”

“...!”

With a gentle smile, I tested the waters—and saw her face stiffen instantly.

“...W-what would you have me do?”

“Haha. It’s nothing serious. Just do as I say when the time comes.”

After a moment, Sasha answered with her eyes tightly shut, and I silently celebrated her agreement.

I lifted my pinky into the air and promised solemnly,

“If you do that, I’ll guarantee your family’s happiness and well-being.”

“Ah...”

“And I always keep my word.”

Hearing that, Sasha shrank even further and nodded rapidly, her eyes still shut.

“Phew. Don’t take it the wrong way from my expression. He’s just saying you’ll get a bonus for doing your job well.”

“...Really?”

“Hmm, probably...?”

Alfred, seated next to her, whispered something under his breath and shot me a disapproving look, which irked me a little. But still—getting Sasha’s cooperation was a huge relief.

“Master! So what’s the plan?”

Just as I was about to get to the main point, Parsha raised her hand with shining eyes and asked energetically.

“What wicked—I mean, brilliant plan are you going to shake the Empire with this time?!”

“Actually, that’s exactly why I called everyone here today.”

She was fidgeting with excitement, swinging her crossed legs, but enthusiasm was never a bad thing. I just smiled and began my explanation.

“My next goal is to safely awaken Lady Hestia—our future saintess—whom we currently have in our care.”

“Haah... I swear, what a thing to deal with in my twilight years.”

“Eh? E-everyone already knew she was the saintess?”

Hearing that, Alfred let out a deep sigh and shook his head, and Sasha looked around blankly before mumbling in confusion. I continued:

“For reference, the key to her awakening is likely one of the finalists from the recent Promising Newcomers Tournament.”

“......”

“The problem is, there was cheating discovered at that tournament, so a rematch has been scheduled.”

At that, silence descended on the office.

“So the finalists—who should’ve met the saintess at the engagement venue—never got to meet her. That’s why I had no choice but to bring her to the mansion.”

I scratched my head as everyone’s gazes gathered awkwardly around me.

“In short, we need to ensure that these finalists meet Lady Hestia at the Academy during the rematch.”

I finished the explanation and glanced around.

“That’s everything for now. Any questions?”

“W-why... do we need to awaken the saintess...?”

Sasha, raising her hand timidly for once, asked in a hesitant voice, shrinking back even as she did.

“Haha, good question, Sasha.”

“Eek. Thank you...?”

Seemed like the incentive of family welfare had motivated her to step up. That was a relief.

“Well, because she’s the only real countermeasure against the black mages’ plans.”

“Hm. Those black mages have certainly been turning up more lately—not to mention the engagement incident.”

As I tried to explain with the gentlest smile I could muster, Alfred, who had been glancing nervously at Parsha the whole time, nodded grimly and interrupted.

“But... the black mages’ plans, Young Master?”

“Hm.”

“We’ve never known what they’re really after. Aren’t they the most secretive bastards around?”

“You’re right. Very few know their true objective.”

I nodded in agreement, mirroring Alfred’s sharp observation.

“Then how do you know, Young Master...?”

“If it weren’t for the information my father secretly gathered, I wouldn’t have known either.”

I offered the perfect vague excuse for this kind of situation—with a big smile.

Sometimes, Father’s absence came in very handy.

“The Count... told you?”

“Alfred, don’t dig too deep. That kills the fun.”

“...Ahem.”

I shot Alfred a subtle warning and continued.

“Anyway, the black mages’ goal is very clear.”

This was originally information only available to the game’s player, but I figured it was best to share it with my people.

Even if no one said it, I knew they were all uncomfortable with having the saintess here.

So if I wanted their support, they needed to understand the bigger picture.

“They’re trying to summon a new Demon King into this world—and plunge everything into an age of darkness.”

As I lowered my voice and revealed the truth, a tense silence filled the office.

Well, of course it would.

After all, I only accepted it because I’d seen it all before as a game.

To the people of this world, though, the Demon King was—

“Th-th-the Demon King?!”

“Haha.”

“D-do you mean the Demon King from the Hero Legend?!”

“Miss Lunelle, I know it’s hard to believe, but...”

Yeah, that was the reaction I expected—treating it like some fantasy story.

“I knew it! I knew it was real! The Hero Legend was true after all!”

“...Eh?”

“I’ve always believed in it! Even when the other knight cadets laughed and called it a childish fairy tale, I never stopped believing!”

I was about to sigh and figure out how to convince them the Demon King was real when Lunelle’s overly excited voice stopped me in my tracks.

I just stared blankly at her, completely stunned.

“My goodness—then that legendary duel between the First Demon King and the First Hero... and the tragic love story between the Second Demon King and the Second Hero... all of that was true too?”

“......”

“Ah, but Sir Whitney, which story do you like best? I personally love the First Hero’s tale, but of course, the Second Hero is the most popular.”

...Wait, is this really the same Lunelle I know?

“I actually tried to study the swordsmanship of the Second Hero on my own when I was younger to incorporate it into my style, but there’s hardly any surviving material...”

The woman players called a slaughter machine was now panting breathlessly, eyes sparkling, rambling on without honorifics—and it was triggering a weird sense of dissonance in me.

“Still, it was definitely worth studying! I wasn’t able to replicate it, but I reached the conclusion that the noble swordplay used a completely different cultivation technique from modern ones—”

“Miss Lunelle, I think you’re getting a little too excited.”

“...Ah.”

It was kind of amusing to see this new side of her, but since we needed to get back on track, I politely interrupted.

Lunelle’s face turned crimson in an instant.

“S-sorry...”

Head hanging low, she apologized in a small voice—it was like watching an otaku getting outed.

“No, no—I like those stories too.”

“You mean the Hero Legends...?”

“When we were kids, Cecil was obsessed with them, so I often played the Demon King in her make-believe games. Haha.”

“I did that with Cecil just a few days ago...”

Trying to defend Lunelle, I blurted out my own embarrassing anecdote. But when her ears turned red all the way to the tips, I realized I probably shouldn’t have said anything.

“In that case, Master—do you suspect that among the finalists in the Promising Newcomers Tournament... there’s a new Hero?”

Just in time to rescue the awkward silence, Parsha asked the question calmly.

“Exactly, Parsha. One of them holds the power of the Hero who will awaken the saintess and stand against the black mages’ Demon King revival plot.”

“......”

“In every age when a Demon King is reborn, there’s always a Hero who rises to oppose him. Isn’t that fascinating?”

Feeling proud of Parsha’s intuition, I nearly slipped and mentioned something I couldn’t blame on my father. I paused to add a quick correction.

“Well, it’s just a theory of mine, of course...”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Aha. I think I finally understand your intentions, Master.”

Of course, Parsha once again managed to convince herself.

“Right. Without a Hero, the Demon King has no glory. It would be boring otherwise.”

“...?”

“Haha... It’s thrilling. Always fresh...”

Her mumbling to herself like that was a bit frightening, but... well, Alfred was right next to her, so it should be fine.

“Well, does anyone else have questions?”

I asked nonchalantly, but no one answered.

“M-Master Butler... that was just an ordinary ‘any questions’ kind of phrase, right?”

“Shh. Just play dumb and nod along.”

“Eek.”

It wasn’t that no one had questions—it was more that they all seemed to realize there was no benefit in asking how I knew all this.

That worked just fine for me.

“Master, how much time do we have?”

It was then that Lunelle, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly asked in a serious voice.

“Hmm, two weeks at most.”

The rematch for the Promising Newcomers Tournament would be held in two weeks. The problem was that the Academy Raid—the highlight of Act One—was scheduled around the same time.

‘In fact, it could very well happen on the day of the tournament itself.’

Security would certainly be beefed up for the event, but that might be the perfect timing for the black mages to strike.

There was no way to be sure, but... I had a bad feeling.

“Do you know which finalist holds the key to awakening the saintess?”

“Well, the tournament hasn’t happened yet, so that’s a bit much to ask.”

Besides, the top three finalists—playable characters—are selected randomly every time.

That’s why speedrunners always reset to try and get characters with the best gimmicks.

“Master! If we had information on the tournament participants, I could narrow it down!”

“Huh?”

Parsha, having glanced between me and Lunelle with a sulky look, suddenly raised her hand and shouted.

“Because I have analysis—mmph!?”

“Watch your mouth, Parsha.”

Before she could finish, Alfred clamped a hand over her mouth and began scolding her in a low voice.

“You got sick last time from using that power recklessly, didn’t you?”

“Grandfather?! Since when did you know about my ability—mmpf.”

“Master, I’ll explain all of this ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) to you privately later. For now, please pretend you didn’t hear anything.”

I was curious about their backstory, but when Alfred rose from his seat and bowed with uncharacteristic formality, I had no choice but to nod.

“Then, excuse us—ow!”

“Can’t breathe!”

Alfred may look like a grumpy old man getting bitten by his granddaughter, but he was once a seasoned veteran.

And as his granddaughter, Parsha probably had a few secrets of her own.

It was only right to respect that.

Besides, Alfred said he’d explain it soon enough—so I’d just wait until then.

“Anyway, back to the matter at hand... it seems our only option is to smuggle the saintess into the tournament on the day of the event.”

As I spoke that final possibility aloud, everyone’s face darkened.

“Even if Miss Sasha handles persuading the saintess... the Academy’s security is no joke, Master.”

“I agree! Unless we get some incredible intel, the chances of success are way too low!”

“If you were planning to ask me for help, I’m afraid that’s not realistic either. The Academy’s staff are a notoriously closed-off group—my influence won’t reach them.”

With Lunelle, Parsha, and even Alfred all voicing their concerns, I smiled quietly—then said:

“Haha. I think you’re all misunderstanding something. Of course the saintess will need a disguise, but we’ll be entering the Academy completely legally.”

“...?”

“And speaking of that, we should be getting a call any moment now...”

I looked away from their confused faces and glanced toward the window.

“Master, pardon the interruption.”

“Ah, speak of the devil.”

At that exact moment, a knock came from the office door, followed by the tired voice of the guard stationed outside.

“Apologies, but there’s someone outside claiming to be a close friend of yours, causing a commotion at the front gate.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“They seem to have worn themselves out and are now sulking just outside the gate...”

Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.

Hearing this, I stood and approached the saluting guard with a faint smirk.

“Of course, this might sound absurd, but do you perhaps know who it is?”

“Yes, he really is my friend. Let him in.”

The guard’s eyes widened in shock.

“A-are you sure?!”

“By the way, he’s quite a high-ranking individual—so please don’t annoy him further.”

“U-understood!!”

As the guard hurried off down the corridor, I watched him go, then turned back.

“Master? Who did you invite to the estate?”

“Oh, just the Academy student council president—who happens to have the authority to assign judges for the tournament.”

“...Wait. Then why didn’t you say so earlier...?”

Alfred, looking a little pale from nerves, asked. I figured I should explain more thoroughly to calm him down.

“Well, they’re technically under disciplinary probation. They’re not supposed to be wandering around freely. I imagine they’re in disguise, so no need for any flashy reception.”

“One moment—what is their name, exactly?”

Alfred, catching on quickly, asked again, his expression tense. With no choice, I revealed the visitor’s identity.

“Hmm. That would be Prince Kendrick.”

Of course, now I suppose I should be calling her Princess Katarina instead.

“U-ugh.”

“Whaaat?!”

Honestly, it probably wouldn’t have mattered which name I gave—either way, Alfred and Sasha both screamed like they were about to faint.