A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 38: Unexpected Situation

Because in the end, it was my job to deal with any monsters hiding in this dark, mana-tainted fog if anything went wrong.

Sure, to the instructors, low-tier monsters weren’t even worth raising an eyebrow. But I had no real combat experience.

Well, as long as I don’t mess up, it should be fine.

Thankfully, I had one major advantage: I was a white mage—one of the rarest assets in the Empire.

Even a washed-up white mage like me, as long as I didn’t get careless, didn’t need to worry about being taken out by a low- or even mid-tier summoning from a black mage.

White mages were basically natural predators to black magic. It’s thanks to generations of our family producing white mages that we’re still treated as a noble house, even when we’re this close to collapse.

“Judging by how quiet they’ve gotten, did they notice I’m here?”

Sure enough, the monsters that had been noisily muttering about souls and skin just moments earlier had gone silent the moment I stepped inside.

...Feels like I’ve turned into some kind of human totem.

Looking at the map, the black dots representing monsters weren’t moving at all. I was starting to understand why white mages were so rare and highly regarded.

Maybe understanding monster language is also something unique to white mages?

That thought popped into my head, and I made a mental note to ask my father about it when he returned.

But just as I reached halfway to Sector D—

“...Huh?”

I spotted something odd on the map and came to a halt.

The gap between me and the monsters is shrinking?

The black dots—representing the monsters—were moving closer. Toward me.

...What the hell?

Monsters instinctively avoid white mana. Even a low-tier summoning will run from a minor white magic artifact.

There’s no way monsters would willingly approach someone like me, who’s practically a walking generator of white mana.

“...Huh?”

Whatever’s going on, they’re approaching at a disturbingly fast pace.

Could they have mistaken my weird, grayish-white mana for black mana?

No, that’s impossible.

My mana might be a little off, but the elders of our house and the Lumen Ordo—the white mage alliance—had officially recognized me as a legitimate white mage.

Even if it gave off a slightly eerie vibe, it shouldn’t attract monsters like moths to a flame.

I should contact the faculty...

At any rate, this was an unexpected situation, so I picked up the crystal orb to temporarily halt the exam.

Bzzzt...

No matter how much I shook it, all I got was static.

...Something’s not right.

Come to think of it, the faculty outside was supposed to be monitoring the maze in real time. For them to not respond even with this kind of visible anomaly meant something was definitely wrong.

Should I prioritize student safety first?

If that’s the case, then right now, I’m the only one in a position to ensure their safety.

But the monsters are all heading toward me?

The problem is... I’m the one in most danger right now.

Shsss...

As that thought struck, I heard it—an eerie sound like insects crawling all around me.

“...Hoo.”

Recognizing the noise for what it was—the sound of bug-like low-tier monsters—I let out a breath and summoned grayish-white mana into my hand.

“Alright... let’s do this.”

Then I spotted them at the end of the corridor. Their grotesque forms finally emerged beyond the fog, and I braced myself for battle.

“...Might as well get some real combat experience now.”

Their horrifying appearance was overwhelming. But I forced myself to stay focused.

***

Time passed. Several dozen minutes had gone by since the exam began.

“Um, Lady Adel? Doesn’t something feel... off?”

One of the students in Team C, walking behind squad leader Adel Felgrave through the maze, finally voiced her unease.

“The maze is... way too quiet.”

“Come to think of it... We haven’t seen a single monster—or even an ant...”

“Th-that can’t be right, can it?”

Their unease quickly spread, and the other students began whispering nervously.

“Hmph. That’s obvious.”

Adel stopped walking and raised her voice with a smug shrug. Instantly, all eyes turned to her.

“I’ve been casting monster-repelling magic this entire time.”

“What!?”

“Y-you can do that?!”

The students gaped as Adel dropped the line like it was nothing, clearly enjoying their astonishment as she continued, full of pride.

“Who do you think I am? And who do you think my father is?”

“Ah...”

“Of course I’d know how to cast magic that repels monsters.”

Her confident tone, her pedigree as the heir to an ancient family of magic tower masters, and the fact that they really hadn’t seen a single monster, made it hard for the others to argue.

Even if they vaguely remembered learning in class that monsters have high resistance to mana and only white magic or physical attacks work consistently... they still found themselves nodding.

“We don’t need to fight those filthy monsters head-on like that brute with the black hair. We’ll head straight for the maze’s core.”

As her teammates’ eyes lit up with anticipation—thinking they might not only avoid failure but even score full marks—Adel wore a smug expression and resumed walking.

“After all, the condition for passing this exam is retrieving the token from the center of the maze.”

“S-so then...”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“If you just follow my lead, we’re not just talking second-year records—we can break the entire third-year record too.”

Her teammates followed close behind like loyal attendants, and a satisfied smile formed on Adel’s lips.

I brought it just in case, but I didn’t think even the Academy’s mana detectors wouldn’t pick it up...

Just as she thought, the reason for the sudden silence in the maze wasn’t some nonexistent “Grand Monster-Repelling Spell.”

Father’s artifact really is incredible. Fufu.

The one creating this effect was the anti-magic pendant crafted by none other than her father—Winston Felgrave—widely regarded as the most brilliant mage currently active in the magic towers.

Since summoned monsters were created using black magic, they still fell under the category of magical constructs. Her idea that the artifact would repel them had proven surprisingly accurate.

Although... this is working a little too well...

Adel’s confident steps began to slow, and her expression grew slightly troubled.

If this keeps up, people might start to get suspicious...

Her original plan had been to activate the artifact just enough to weaken the internal summoning spells—nothing too obvious, just enough to reduce the monsters’ power without leaving traces.

But the artifact was simply too powerful. Not a single monster had shown itself, and now there was a real risk that the faculty—or Whitney—might notice something strange.

Maybe I should lower the output a little... huh?

She quietly reached for her pendant to reduce its power—only to blink in surprise.

Ssshhh...

For some reason, the pendant had turned black, emitting a faint, ominous smoke.

“W-what is this...?”

“Hmm?”

“...Ah, no, it’s nothing. I must’ve seen wrong.”

Adel spoke softly, catching herself in a refined noble tone despite her alarm. She quickly covered the pendant with her hand.

This has never happened before... Why now?

Fortunately, the dense maze fog helped conceal the smoke from the artifact. But that didn’t mean the issue had gone away. Beads of sweat began forming on her brow.

“Ah, look over there! I see the door to the central chamber!”

Just then, a welcome voice called out from the front—a student had spotted something.

“There aren’t even any monsters guarding it! Lady Adel, you’re amazing!”

“Hmph. Ahem.”

Clearing her throat, Adel adopted a calm façade and began encouraging her teammates again.

“Well, this much is to be expected. Now, once we retrieve the token inside...”

RUMMMMBLE...!

“...Eh? Everyone, to positions!”

A sudden tremor erupted beneath their feet, cutting her off mid-sentence. Without missing a beat, she ordered her team into formation, face tense.

“......”

Silence fell, charged with anxiety.

Wooooo...

And then, the surrounding smoke began to swirl # Nоvеlight # and gather in one place. A faint smile returned to Adel’s face.

...Good. Looks like the gatekeeper is being summoned properly. That should throw off suspicion.

She sighed with relief, preparing to cast every offensive spell she had.

Even if it’s a mid-tier monster with high resistance, it won’t stand a chance against Adel Felgrave’s magic.

Grinning faintly, she imagined herself taking down the gatekeeper despite the handicap—setting a record that even Cecil couldn’t touch.

Let’s see if the Ringaarden family can keep looking down on me after this.

As the swirling fog coalesced into a shape before them, Adel and her team braced for battle.

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“...Huh?”

But the confident smile froze on Adel’s face.

“L-Lady Adel?”

“T-that doesn’t look right...”

The students behind her were swallowing dryly, their expressions matching her growing confusion.

Screeeech...

What appeared before them was not an insect-type low-tier monster, nor a beast-shaped mid-tier creature.

“...Isn’t that a humanoid-type monster? That’s at least high-tier, right?”

It was a headless knight clad in cursed black armor, inscribed with ominous glyphs.

“E-everyone, retreat! That’s not something you can handle—!”

The moment the knight slowly turned toward the students, Adel realized something was very, very wrong and began to backpedal, shouting.

Shrring...

But just then, the knight raised its gleaming blade and pointed it toward her.

“Ah—”

Before she could even react—

It lunged straight at her.

Gwooooo...

Or more precisely, at the artifact still hanging from her neck, which was still leaking black smoke.

***

“What the hell now...”

Soaked in sweat, I sat slumped in a corner of the maze, trying to catch my breath. But when I noticed the new ominous marker on the map, my face twisted in a scowl.

“...What kind of cursed signal even looks like that?”

At the center of the map—the exact middle of the maze—an enormous, foreboding marker had just appeared, far larger and more threatening than anything we’d seen before.

Is it related to that tremor just now...?

I stared at the mark, its aura almost radiating off the map.

“Ah.”

Then I noticed something beneath it—clusters of small blue dots.

I jumped to my feet, every hair on my body standing on end.

“...This is bad.”

Those blue dots represented students still inside the maze.

Forget everything else—I've got to go help them first...

Determined, I turned to move—

“......!”

But what I saw stopped me cold. My legs nearly gave out beneath me.

Grrrrk?

Grruuuh?

All around me, monsters I’d already defeated—multiple times—had reappeared in massive numbers, now piled high around me like a wall.

Why... is he running...?

Come... fulfill your duty to us...

Every single one of these grotesque creatures was now bowing low to the ground, crawling toward me... and rubbing their disgusting faces against me like puppies trying to cuddle.

I don’t even know what the hell this is anymore...

Never in my life had I missed a simple monitoring screen more than I did right now.