A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 86: Aftermath

“...It seems persuasion won’t work.”

“Heh, indeed.”

Despite my unwavering response, Salem and the Elder Council’s expressions darkened—but thankfully, there was no trace of hostility in their demeanor. Only clear disappointment was written across their faces.

“I just have one question.”

“...Go ahead.”

To those figures, I suddenly posed a question that had come to mind.

“My power—this ‘power of dominion’—it hasn’t been definitively proven that it’s what alleviated Lady Meredia’s curse, has it?”

“......”

“Couldn’t it also be that it was the pure white magic that eased the curse? If we just studied it a bit more...”

At that, the disappointment on the elders’ faces slowly transformed into confusion.

“...I’m not sure whether we should say this or not.”

“Hiding something now would be even stranger, wouldn’t it?”

“...Is that so.”

Eventually, after exchanging a few words among themselves, their gazes all turned toward me.

“Why do you think the Guardian of Radiance used to frequently visit the Ringaarden estate when you were young?”

Then, after a short pause, Salem took a step forward and asked me a question laden with hidden meaning.

“That was... simply due to my father’s request for cooperation...”

“No. That was merely the public explanation.”

His expression was darker than I had ever seen before, and I, puzzled, mirrored that confusion.

“The first case of the terminal curse was discovered approximately twenty years ago.”

“...What?”

“And the only person ever afflicted with that curse... is someone you know very well.”

As his words continued, a certain conclusion began to form in my mind, and I instinctively clenched both fists tightly.

“No way.”

“The late Countess of Ringaarden was afflicted with the very same curse as Lady Meredia.”

And sure enough, what came from Salem’s mouth was exactly what I had feared.

“...I’m sorry you had to find out this way, Sir Whitney.”

“.......”

“Of course, your father turned to Lumen Ordo for help, and we poured every ounce of support we had into her treatment.”

When I stayed silent with tightly sealed lips, Salem glanced at me before speaking again with difficulty.

“...Roughly ten years ago, we identified the nature and cause of the curse, but after the countess’s death, all research on a cure ceased.”

“Because the host of the curse had disappeared.”

“We wanted to continue the research, but we simply couldn’t.”

Aurora and Celeste, standing behind, offered supplementary explanations while glancing at me, but their words barely registered in my ears.

My mother... died because of the same curse now afflicting Lady Meredia?

In my previous life, I had not received love from my family. That’s why, in this life, I considered my family—these people—my real family.

So now, upon learning the truth behind my mother’s death, I couldn’t even think straight.

“What does that... have to do with the current situation?”

“Countess Ringaarden was the most brilliant and capable curse researcher within Lumen Ordo’s Elder Council.”

Even so, I forced myself to stay calm and asked. Salem sighed as he responded.

“...We were her disciples.”

“We still can’t hold a candle to her brilliance.”

As the two prodigies behind him confirmed, my mother had been an extremely well-known researcher among white mages. That made it all the more unbelievable that she had died to a curse.

“And that Countess left us one request before her death.”

“......”

“She asked us not to use your power for her treatment.”

But as I listened to Salem’s next words, I found myself clenching my lips and closing my eyes.

“She was the one who established the theory that pure-blood white magic and the power of dominion resided within you simultaneously. She was also the one who proposed the hypothesis that the power of dominion originated from an evil god.”

“...Ha.”

“For someone like her... to make such a request...”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

For some reason, I could already imagine what he was about to say next.

“...Are you saying my mother already knew that my power of dominion could weaken curses?”

So I cut him off with a quiet voice, and Salem, eyes gently closed, paused for a moment.

Anyone could tell he was avoiding the answer, but the meaning behind that pause reached me clearly.

“...To be honest, we’re not sure. She deliberately omitted those parts of her research. So we don’t know for certain.”

“.......”

“But... the woman I knew would’ve chosen to sacrifice herself rather /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ than let her son become a demon king.”

And the words that followed... were as good as a confirmation.

“Do you now understand why we’ve been so firm with you, Whitney Ringaarden?”

With my mouth completely shut, Salem looked at me with a slightly weary expression.

“The power of dominion you possess may be so dangerous... that your mother gave up her own treatment to keep it in check.”

“That’s...”

“To honor her final wishes, we are doing everything we can to stop your decision.”

Each word he spoke pierced into my chest like a blade.

“Even now... your decision remains unchanged?”

“.......”

“There’s still time. Think it through carefully.”

As if trying to be considerate of me—or perhaps already knowing exactly what I was about to say—Salem spoke softly, taking a cautious step toward me.

Wait... something doesn’t add up.

Just then, a thought flashed through my mind.

“...There’s still one thing I don’t understand.”

“One thing?”

“My father left me a message through Alfred, the former head butler of our estate.”

I raised my head again and spoke, causing Salem to pause mid-step, tilting his head with a look of suspicion.

“He told me there’s a key to controlling my power hidden in the Embergreen estate.”

“...What?”

“And considering everything that’s happened, it’s highly likely that the key is Lady Meredia herself.”

His expression twisted in growing confusion with every word I spoke.

“You must’ve realized it too—this message contradicts everything you’ve been claiming.”

The same confusion appeared on the faces of the elders behind him.

“Count Ringaarden... isn’t the type to speak without reason.”

“But why would he say something like that...?”

“That’s what I’m wondering. After her death, he...”

“...Shh.”

From the way they were murmuring among themselves, it was clear that my father’s message was new information even to them.

“You see? There are still things even you don’t know.”

“.......”

“Which is exactly why my decision remains the same.”

I pressed that point, and Salem—along with the entire Elder Council—fixed their gazes on me again.

“If you insist that strongly... then it can’t be helped.”

After a brief pause, Salem frowned and held his forehead, as though a headache was coming on.

“We won’t stop you from treating Lady Meredia’s curse in a personal capacity.”

“...Thank you.”

“But we... cannot officially support it. Be clear on that.”

It wasn’t the best answer I could’ve hoped for, but if it meant helping Lady Meredia, it was more than enough for now. I nodded silently and turned my back.

“Then that’s the end of this discussion, right?”

“.......”

“In that case, I’ll be going...”

I began walking toward the direction where Lady Meredia had run off.

“Wait just a moment.”

Salem’s serious voice stopped me in my tracks.

“I said we can’t help officially. I didn’t say we won’t help unofficially.”

“...What?”

Turning back, I saw a complicated and subtle expression on his face.

“We lost one of our most cherished companions because of that damn curse too.”

“.......”

“...Let’s try to find what we can do.”

I wasn’t sure exactly what he was feeling, but the emotion closest to it... was probably sorrow.

“Are you sure? You all know Lady Meredia is considered a potential demon king candidate.”

“Yes, that’s true. Up until recently, we classified her as a high-risk individual.”

Feeling like I was burdening these kind people, I hesitated—but Salem only softened his expression and answered in a low voice.

“But... I don’t think that’s the case anymore.”

“...What do you mean?”

“Who would’ve imagined those words coming from the mouth of that terrifying villainess?”

The moment he said it, the shock from earlier rushed back into me.

“Lady Meredia... she must have used a soundproofing spell.”

“...Pass along a message to her. Don’t rely too much on the power of the eyes.”

“Haha. You know, the ancient spell over Lumen Ordo can neutralize even a demon king’s power?”

Honestly, despite how disorganized they all looked, these people left no gaps.

“Thanks to that, our Guardian of Radiance went into shock and ran off somewhere.”

“Ah.”

“Look, I didn’t want to say it, but... don’t you think that was a little too much, Whitney?”

As I gave a wry smile to these people who had made such a difficult decision for my sake, I froze stiff at the sudden mention of Tiffany.

“I should go and offer some comfort—”

“No, don’t.”

“You really have no tact. Comforting someone who just got rejected? That’s the worst.”

No, seriously, this is unfair.

Who would’ve known that the girl I thought was just a childhood friend had been dating me without my knowledge?

“For now, go back. We’ll look for a way and send a letter when we find one.”

“...Understood.”

There was plenty more I wanted to say, but the chilling looks from the women of the Elder Council forced me to just agree with Salem’s summary.

“Then, I’ll really be off this time—”

“No, not yet.”

Just as it seemed the affairs with Lumen Ordo were finally over...

“There’s one more thing we need to say.”

“......!”

I was quietly walking away when someone suddenly addressed me, and I stopped in surprise.

“It’s about your father, Count Ringaarden.”

It was Alastor, Commander of the North.

The very man who, in the original story, remained silent until he was killed by Meredia during her attack on Lumen Ordo... was now speaking—about my father.