A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 53: The Demon King

“I—I woke up and heard some suspicious people had taken you away, so I...”

“......”

“I followed and started pounding on the door... Then I brought my sword and smashed it open...”

Yet somehow, Cecil had barged in just by breaking through the door.

She entered the secret space the black mages had set up as their den, with no issues.

And it’s not like someone from the outside had released the seal.

The entrance she destroyed was still blocked by a wall of black smoke.

Is this even possible?

Even someone stronger than Cecil—like Lunelle—wouldn’t have been able to force their way through that seal.

And when I was taken here, no one had even seen me.

“...Let’s get out of here first.”

“B-But. You’re hurt—no, more importantly, these people...?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

There were so many questions, but I decided to deal with the situation first.

I leaned in close and whispered to Cecil, who was staring at me in fear.

“You didn’t see anything here.”

“......”

“Nothing happened in this place. Understand?”

Her face went pale at those words, and it tore at my heart, but I had no choice but to be firm.

‘If the tournament gets suspended now, everything will fall apart.’

For Cecil—who had just taken down Hayden and was a favorite to win—this incident could not be allowed to come to light.

Sure, in doing this, the image she had of her kind and caring brother would be shattered.

To her, I would now become a shadowy figure pulling horrific strings behind the scenes.

But it was too late to undo any of that.

“W-Wait. Brother...”

As I firmly turned and began walking toward the exit, her trembling voice made me bite my lip.

“...Y-You’re bleeding!”

“Cecil, just pretend you didn’t see anything.”

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Even after witnessing all this, she was still worried about me.

She really is too good for someone like me.

“Didn’t you say you’d become the head of the household?”

“......”

“Then you should never get involved in this kind of darkness.”

Which is exactly why I had to push her away.

If she took my side now out of loyalty and something went wrong later, I wouldn’t be able to face our late mother.

“...Hmm.”

With that thought in mind, I walked toward the exit, doing my best not to meet her eyes as she trailed anxiously behind me.

And I quietly scowled to myself.

‘Right... I’m out of mana.’

After controlling the doppelgänger and enduring the mana restraints, I had nothing left.

Lunelle was here, but as a swordswoman, not a mage, she couldn’t share her mana with me.

Which meant... I had no choice but to ask Cecil. One last time.

“...Cecil.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Could you share some of your mana with me?”

My voice was weak as I called out, and she rushed to my side, grabbing my hand.

“Brother...”

“...Hm?”

“Um, so... you know.”

While she gently passed her mana to me, she hesitated for a moment, then spoke hesitantly.

“I think... I’ve been misunderstanding you all this time.”

“......”

“I-I’m sorry. I mean, I just... I didn’t know...”

I was prepared to hear that. But hearing it from her own mouth felt like a knife to the chest.

Then again, maybe this was for the best.

Whether I helped her from the shadows or not, the farther away she stayed from me now, the safer she would be.

“You’re right. I’m not the kind of good person you thought I was.”

“...?”

“I kidnapped the Saintess. I orchestrated the midterm incident. And everything you saw today... it was all part of my plan.”

As I firmly drove that nail in, Cecil blinked with a confused expression.

“Wait, but I already figured that out...”

She mumbled awkwardly, and I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.

‘...She’s still trying to make excuses for me.’

I guess the idea that I could be a bad person had never once crossed her mind.

She was clearly still in shock.

“Cecil, I was the one who manipulated Hayden to try and get you eliminated.”

Only then did she gasp and stare at me in disbelief.

“Then... why...?”

Just as she began to ask with a face full of confusion—

— Hummmm...

The mana she had been transferring had finally merged into my system.

Without hesitation, I undid the black seal blocking the exit and began walking forward.

‘...She must feel so betrayed right now.’

No matter how this ends, there’s no way she’ll walk away from this feeling clean.

***

“L-Lord Whitney... h-heuk.”

“Eek—”

As Whitney stepped out of the storage room, having just given Cecil the cold shoulder in an effort to distance her, the headmaster and several instructors who had been frantically trying to break the seal outside stumbled back, exhaling in shock.

“Wh-what in the world happened in there?”

Anyone would’ve reacted the same way after seeing Whitney—bloodied head to toe, a serious wound on his shoulder.

“Haha. Would you like to take a look for yourself?”

After glancing around for a moment, Whitney smiled brightly and stepped aside, gesturing toward the inside of the storage room.

“See? Nothing happened.”

“...Huh?”

The onlookers, tense with worry, peeked inside—only to find a dusty, untouched storage room like any other. Just as he’d said.

They blinked in stunned silence.

“Then what about those wounds...?”

“Oh, just a little scuffle with my maid.”

“You expect us to believe that?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The headmaster narrowed his eyes, suspicion clear in his voice, and pressed for answers.

“Headmaster... I don’t think you quite understand.”

But Whitney was already several moves ahead.

“Do you realize I’m giving you a chance here?”

“A... chance?”

“They say once is a mistake, twice is a habit, and three times—it’s deliberate.”

And anyone looking into Whitney’s chilling smile couldn’t help but freeze, their words caught in their throat.

“If another black magic-related incident gets exposed during the Selection Tournament, not just you, Headmaster, but the entire Academy will be held accountable.”

“......”

“...Of course, that is, only if you insist on investigating this little misunderstanding. Hah.”

This time, it wasn’t a misunderstood expression or tone that led people to misread Whitney—it was outright, calculated blackmail.

“...I see. So it wasn’t anything serious.”

“Right?”

“...Apologies for the trouble, Lord Whitney.”

The headmaster, already under pressure from two black magic incidents, had no real choice in the matter.

“Oh, and by the way, a few of the staff asked me to inform you that they’ve quit.”

“...Hmm.”

“I trust someone as reasonable as you wouldn’t pry too deeply into the private decisions of a few servants.”

With that, Whitney concluded the one-sided negotiation and pushed past the teachers.

“Well then, I’ll be returning to the judges’ seat for the second round of matches.”

“......”

“Oh—mind if I use the shower room first?”

Peeling off his bloodstained coat as he walked away from Lunelle, Whitney left the others staring blankly behind him.

“Brother, wait a second...”

“......”

“Just one question. Please.”

Cecil, who had followed him out and was now standing behind him in a daze, grabbed his arm, voice trembling.

“If you really tried to get me eliminated... why did you let me win?”

“Why didn’t you stop me from entering the tournament in the first place?”

Whitney paused, as if preparing to answer in a low voice—

“That’s...”

“Found you!”

—Only for a frantic voice to interrupt from the end of the hallway.

“There you are!”

“Lady Hestia?”

Panting and out of breath, Hestia—who should’ve been under Meredia’s protection, waiting in the judges’ area—was walking straight toward them.

“What are you doing here...?”

“We need to talk. Now.”

Startled by her sudden intensity, Whitney threw a quick glance at Lunelle.

“Please follow me.”

“W-Wait—ah!?”

Lunelle, catching on instantly, swept Cecil up onto her back and sprinted toward the infirmary.

“Now then, I’d love to hear why you broke from the plan and came all the way here.”

With the distraction removed, Whitney looked around cautiously and asked with a calm, bored tone.

“Your plan is going to fail.”

“...What?”

At Hestia’s unexpected reply, Whitney’s face hardened.

“The Demon King has appeared. I don’t know how—but he’s here.

And drawn to him, the demon will be summoned.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

Whitney stared at her in confusion, but Hestia only grew more agitated.

“Don’t give me that! You act like you know everything—what’s with the dumb look now?!”

“That’s a bit of a stereotype...”

“Just come with me! The tournament doesn’t matter anymore.

We need to evacuate people—now!”

Hestia, giving up on explaining, reached for his hand to pull him along—

“Wait, you...”

But the moment her hand touched Whitney’s arm, her face went pale.

“What happened to you... just now?”

“N-Nothing serious, really.”

Her question cut sharply, and Whitney awkwardly looked away.

“The darkness inside you... it’s stronger now.”

“...Huh?”

“To be honest... I lied back then. When I said I couldn’t see anything.”

To her, the darkness taking root in Whitney’s soul was now glaringly obvious.

And with growing dread, she leaned in closer to examine him—

“...No way. Then... that presence I felt...”

Her eyes widened in realization.

BOOOOM...!

A sudden explosion rocked the entire stadium.

“Kyaaa!”

“W-What?!”

And then, the entire Academy began to tremble.

***

“Goddamn it!”

I instinctively grabbed the Saintess to steady her, then immediately assessed the situation—and couldn’t stop myself from swearing.

“I thought I wiped out all the black mages...!”

This was the first act’s final chapter: The Academy Invasion.

I had been trying to prevent it, even letting myself be tortured—yet here it was, beginning anyway.

At this rate, a demon far more powerful than even a high-tier monster would appear in the heart of the Academy.

A monster only the protagonist—the Hero—was meant to fight.

‘Did I miss someone?’

If that thing gets summoned without the Hero present, it’s going to be an unthinkable disaster.

“Saintess, I’m sorry, but I need your help—!”

I closed my eyes, trying to focus and detect the presence of black mana—

But Hestia gently stopped me.

“Calm down. No one could have prevented this. Not even the black mages.”

What she said next stunned me.

“The demon was sealed inside the Academy from the beginning.”

“...What did you say?”

“The black mages tried to force it out, yes. But right now—it’s emerging on its own.”

I blinked, speechless, and forgot to ask how she even knew this.

“But even if that’s true... there was no trigger.”

“There’s one.”

Hestia already had the answer.

“Who do you think is the closest person in this world to the Demon King?”

“...Uh, well...”

As I fumbled for an answer, another tremor rippled beneath ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) my feet, cutting me off.

“L-Lady Meredia?”

“She would’ve been. If not for you.”

And then she pointed at me, eyes steady—dropping a bomb.

“The one now closest to the Demon King... is standing right in front of me.”

“...What?”

I stared in disbelief as she continued, voice quiet but unwavering:

“Whitney Ringaarden. You’re the one destined to become the Demon King.”

“...Hah.”

What the hell kind of insane twist was this now?