A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 61: Interrogation (3)

“That is why... Sir Whitney, the Hero. For the sake of peace in these chaotic times and the Saintess’s safety, I ask that you make a decision.”

But the moment the Pope once again directly brought up a marriage between Hestia and me, I snapped back to my senses.

‘If I marry Hestia right now, you’re literally creating the Demon King with your own hands.’

I had to stop this catastrophic scenario—where the Demon King, whom the Holy Kingdom so greatly feared, could be born today.

“No, but shouldn’t we at least hear what the Saintess thinks?”

“......”

“Since Your Holiness has acknowledged her position, she’s no longer someone who takes orders—she’s someone on equal footing with you. Don’t you think it’s wrong to force such a matter on her...?”

Of course, I couldn’t outright explain in front of the Pope that if I married Hestia, Meredia would become the Demon King, so I decided to dig in by championing Hestia’s perspective.

“Um...”

“Yes?”

“...I mean, well. I don’t particularly mind, actually.”

To my surprise, Hestia’s reply from beside me was completely off-track from what I expected.

“L-Like, yeah. It’s not like I’m really into it or anything. Honestly, it creeps me out a little. But... it’s kind of an unspoken rule, right?”

“Saintess?”

“So, you know... For the sake of world peace and safety, maybe it can’t be helped. Maybe... my opinion doesn’t really matter...”

Wait, what the hell is she rambling about? Don’t tell me she showed up here drunk again?

“Haa... For the record, this was a request made very strongly by the Saintess herself.”

“...!?”

I was eyeing Hestia with heavy suspicion when the Pope sighed and calmly drew a line—and all I could do was stare blankly.

“...Uhh? No, that’s not true?”

Hestia, flustered and panicking, shook her head furiously beside me—but from where I was sitting, it looked like she’d just been exposed.

“Saintess... Is that how you were looking at me this whole time...?”

“Q-Quiet! It’s a sacrifice for the greater good!”

“Huh...”

Seriously? I never imagined I’d be the one on the receiving end of a marriage abduction—not from the Emperor, but from Hestia.

If this keeps up, I’m going to get dragged away by holy knights, shipped off to the Holy Kingdom, and forced to wave goodbye to Meredia through a crystal orb...

“Haha... I’d like to request a recess.”

“......”

“If possible, I’d appreciate a little time to think?”

Desperate to stop such a catastrophe, I quickly stood and requested a recess, aiming to contact Lady Meredia.

“...Sir Whitney. Now that you’ve received the title of Hero, you are obligated to follow the Saintess’s orders.”

But at the exact moment the Pope spoke those words in his composed voice—sure enough, the holy knights waiting outside all charged in and blocked the exits.

“If you refuse, we cannot sit idly by.”

As the Pope practically issued his final ultimatum, cold sweat began to bead on my forehead without me realizing it.

“Ahem, hm.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Then, just as the interrogation was escalating, the Emperor—who had remained silent the whole time—suddenly let out a deliberate cough and stepped into the situation.

“I truly regret interrupting such an entertaining scene, but I must formally raise an objection.”

Seeing her narrowed eyes and that familiar, sinister smile curling on her lips—it became clear that the Emperor had anticipated all of this.

‘Wait, but what is she planning to do...?’

Honestly, I thought I’d fallen out of the Emperor’s favor during the last merit reward ceremony, so this was unexpected.

The problem was, I had no clue how she planned to handle this situation.

No matter how towering her authority was, to overturn the Holy Kingdom’s position—which was backed by the cause of world peace—she would need some kind of trump card prepared.

And to be honest, I couldn’t think of any.

“Emperor. Even for you, to raise a personal objection in this situation... I must say, it seems rather inappropriate.”

Perhaps thinking the same as me, the Pope voiced his discontent without even attempting to hide his displeasure.

“That’s something we can confirm right now. After all, like your side, I’ve also brought a witness.”

“What are you...?”

“A witness. Despite that insufferable attitude, they’ve held out this long. So, it’s about time. Come in.”

But the Emperor ignored the Pope entirely, and signaled to the academy officials quietly observing from the corner—swiftly taking control of the situation.

“Emperor! To proceed with something this serious without agreement—!”

“Pope. I’m sorry, but is this not the ancient neutral ground known as the Academy?”

Naturally, the Pope—who couldn’t possibly allow this—raised his voice slightly, but the Emperor cut him off coldly.

“That means, as leaders of two nations, you and I stand on equal footing. If the Holy Kingdom can bring a witness, then I, too, have every right to do so.”

Most people would’ve fallen silent at that point—but the Pope was, after all, the highest authority of the Holy Kingdom.

“...Emperor. This is a matter concerning the Saintess and the Hero.”

“Hm.”

“It may sound rude, but the Empire has no place interfering in this matter.”

And truthfully, if it weren’t for the Saintess’s awakening and the Hero’s emergence, the Holy Kingdom—led by the Pope—might’ve forcibly intervened in the tournament even at the cost of clashing with the Empire.

“Yes, I also respect the Holy Kingdom’s autonomy, which the Empire has recognized for a long time.”

Knowing full well the Pope wouldn’t back down easily, the Emperor sighed and rephrased her stance.

“But if the Holy Kingdom dares to ignore the Empire’s authority outright, then that’s a different story.”

“Are you implying...?”

“For example, conducting surveillance on this ancient neutral ground—the Academy—without permission.”

Of course, it was nothing more than a setup for the Emperor’s decisive move.

“Making such absurd claims without a shred of evidence...”

“Pope. Do you really think I brought this up with no proof whatsoever?”

The Pope opened his mouth with forced composure, even as the priests around him froze at the Emperor’s words—but the faint smile on the Emperor’s face had already vanished, her entire presence turning cold and sharp in an instant.

“You’re not the only ones with eyes and ears everywhere.”

Her eyes, usually never fully open, were now slightly parted.

“And let me be absolutely clear. I have every intention of turning this into a diplomatic issue.”

A presence no one—especially the Pope’s political enemies—would dare dream of encountering, not even in a nightmare. The moment she showed it, the atmosphere in the conference room dropped to ice.

“So I’d like you to choose, right here and now. Will you accept the summoning of my witness, or shall I formally press charges against your twisted little hobby?”

“...Haa.”

Fortunately or unfortunately, both the Emperor and the Pope were being projected through crystal orbs, so there was no chance of physical conflict.

But it was equally clear that depending on what the Pope said next, such a conflict might become inevitable.

“I will acknowledge the summoning of your witness.”

And the Pope, for all his rigidity, wasn’t incompetent enough to take that kind of risk in these unstable times.

“Good. A leader must sometimes know how to bend. Pope.”

The Emperor let out a satisfied smile as if she’d been waiting for this, then added smugly,

“...For once, it seems Your Majesty and I are in agreement.”

And in that very moment, the cold voice of the newly arrived witness instantly seized everyone’s attention.

“Lady Meredia...?”

Wearing the ring I had given her on her left ring finger, the woman stepping forward was none other than Lady Meredia Embergreen.

***

“...Hah.”

As I stood there blankly staring at Lady Meredia entering the chamber, she passed by me with a cold smirk—and I could feel the killing intent radiating from her.

“Consider yourself lucky.”

“Uh...”

“If you had said even one thing out of line, I would’ve let them drag you off to the Holy Kingdom without lifting a finger.”

Her whispered warning sent shivers down my spine.

Even so, one question still lingered in my mind.

‘Can Lady Meredia really overturn this entire situation?’

Yes, she was my fiancée.

But at the end of the day, that was just a legal contract on paper.

Even though I’d proposed in front of everyone just days ago, my relationship with Meredia was still only that of an engaged couple—nothing more.

Whether that was enough to counter the Holy Kingdom’s claim that marrying the Hero and Saintess was for the sake of world peace... was still very uncertain.

“Your Holiness, and esteemed officials of the Holy Kingdom. Given the nature of the situation, I’ll skip the formal greetings and speak directly.”

Yet both the Pope, projected through the crystal orb, and the Emperor who ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ had now stepped back to observe, wore composed, unfazed expressions.

“Whitney Ringaarden cannot be handed over to the Saintess.”

As if they both knew a trump card still remained to flip the entire board.

“Meredia Embergreen. If you’ve taken it upon yourself to speak here, then you must have a logical and justified reason for doing so.”

Apparently believing that to be impossible, the Pope didn’t even bother hiding his displeasure as he fired off a warning.

“Yes, of course. I’ll explain my reasoning now.”

Still maintaining her frosty composure, Meredia cast a brief glance toward me, then began to speak in a low voice.

“Because of your righteous little regulations, Whitney Ringaarden cannot be paired with your sacred and noble Saintess.”

And then silence fell over the chamber like a thick blanket.

“...Surely you don’t mean—?”

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“Since some of the more innocent priests still seem confused, allow me to put it more clearly.”

The Pope lowered his head in despair while the priests and Hestia looked around in confusion. Watching this unfold, Meredia’s lips curled into a sharp smile as she continued.

“He has already been defiled by me.”

“...What?”

“A man who has lost his purity cannot be wed to a Saintess, who must remain untouched. Isn’t that right?”

Of course, this was all news to me.

“Pfft...! Ahahaha, now that’s something!”

And so, in the midst of the returned silence, the only sound that echoed through the conference chamber was the Emperor’s uncontrollable laughter as she clutched her sides.