I'm Not the Mastermind-Chapter 59

"Stop."

"Let go of me!"

Smack!

"Ugh!"

In her desperation, Alicia had even forgotten to use honorifics as she struggled to shake off Ines. Despite being a seasoned mage, Ines grimaced slightly from the force and staggered.

"Don’t get ahead of yourself."

Clink!

In an instant, the tip of Ines’ staff shimmered as a spell materialized. Chains formed from mana wrapped around Alicia, binding her in place.

"T-This… damn…!"

Crack! Crack!

But as she attempted to break free through sheer strength, Ines' expression hardened.

Her demonic energy was supposed to be sealed, yet even now, she showed physical strength surpassing human limits. Though hastily cast, Ines' binding spell was already beginning to crack.

No, it wasn’t just that.

Hummmm—!

A faint, ominous magi started seeping from Alicia’s body—a clear sign that her emotions were spiraling out of control.

"…I have no choice."

Even though she was an incomplete half-being with a sealed power, an Overlord was still an Overlord.

Just through her physical strength alone, she was on the verge of shattering a spell cast by someone of Ines’ caliber.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

That said, physical harm was out of the question. Even for Ines, inflicting injury upon an Imperial Princess would bring serious consequences.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Alicia had a weakness. Her fragile mental fortitude.

Exploiting that, Ines opted for a light mind-based spell—Sleep Magic. It was commonly used for medical purposes and, unlike other mental spells, was not forbidden.

Swish…

With ease, Ines’ magic slipped past Alicia’s mental defenses. Letting out a small sigh, she caught Alicia’s collapsing body and quickly raised her communication crystal.

"I should tell them to hurry up and take her away."

By now, the personnel sent by the Imperial family had already arrived via teleportation.

Deciding it was best to hand the princess over as soon as possible, Ines poured mana into the crystal.

"…Professor."

"Hm?"

Just then, Ines heard Alicia mumble something and turned her head toward her.

Alicia whispered, "Yujin… Professor…"

"......"

For a brief moment, Ines looked at her with a tinge of pity.

But in the next instant, she let out a sigh, shaking off the sentiment.

"It’s me. Prepare to receive the princess."

***

Meanwhile, on the first floor of the labyrinth.

‘…Something feels terribly off.’

As he entered the labyrinth to conduct a lecture alongside Reina, Yujin felt a strange sense of unease.

Muttering inwardly about the discomfort, he soon heard Tiamat raise an eyebrow.

『Hmm? You say something feels off?』

‘Yes, I feel like something has gone terribly wrong. Or… is it just my imagination?’

『No, it’s probably not. The instincts of an Overlord aren’t something to dismiss as mere imagination. If you feel that way, then something related to you has indeed gone awry. And if I had to guess…』

‘……’

『It’s most likely about that princess girl.』

At Tiamat’s words, Yujin felt even more uneasy. He had left the matter in Ines' hands, but what if she had taken extreme measures?

He had no intention of facing Alicia again so soon, but he knew that forcefully sending her back to the Imperial Palace without closure would only make her resist even more.

That’s why he had told the headmaster—when Alicia woke up, she should be informed of his true intentions, but not in a way that would push her too hard.

Furthermore, he had arranged for her to receive a means of contacting him, making it clear that he wasn’t trying to cut ties with her completely.

But after hearing Tiamat’s comment, he couldn’t help but worry—had Ines gone too far, blocking Alicia’s path and stirring her emotions recklessly?

"What are you thinking about?"

'Oh.'

At that moment, Reina turned to him with her usual unreadable expression, her gaze piercing. Yujin realized he had been lost in thought for too long.

"Nothing much. Just thinking how novel it feels to bring students into the labyrinth like this."

"……"

Hearing that, Reina’s expression tensed slightly. She seemed suspicious, as if wondering what he was scheming this time.

Yujin smirked internally at her wariness. He couldn’t blame her—this was simply the price of his own actions.

Tiamat added,

『For now, focus on untangling the mess with this girl first.』

'Understood.'

Indeed, Reina’s issue was another potential powder keg.

Back when he had first toyed with her, he thought the misunderstanding would clear up quickly once she looked into it. But one misunderstanding had led to another, and now things had escalated beyond his expectations.

"Even as an Overlord, I still can't seem to see ahead properly."

Of course, Yujin acknowledged his own imperfections, so he didn’t waste time lamenting over it now.

He asked,

"So, what’s the schedule inside the labyrinth? Will the students just be wandering around in groups?"

"Since this class consists entirely of mages, forming parties won’t be particularly useful, but they won’t be moving as one large group either."

Though still keeping an eye on him, Reina continued explaining.

"We’ll be using magical artifacts that interfere with the labyrinth."

In the labyrinth, teleportation anomalies sometimes occurred.

Even if a party entered together, they could find themselves scattered upon arrival.

In severe cases, entire groups could be split apart, but this could be mitigated by using specialized magical artifacts to keep them connected.

However, the ones they were using this time were different.

"Upon entering, students will be separated from the start. We’re deliberately triggering the labyrinth’s teleportation."

"Hmm..."

"As professors, we will cast monitoring spells on each student as soon as they enter, allowing us to observe their adaptation in real-time. We’ll also provide feedback when necessary."

"I see."

"Naturally, they will be equipped with protective artifacts, and we’ll intervene if things become dangerous. Any questions?"

"Just one."

At his words, Reina tensed slightly, as if bracing herself for what he was about to ask.

"Go ahead."

"What happens if students encounter others during the lecture—can they cooperate or compete with different groups?"

"......"

For a moment, Reina looked perplexed.

It was such a normal question that she seemed thrown off.

However, she couldn’t stay silent forever.

"If a student gains an advantage by cooperating or competing with another, they may receive additional points."

"So it’s not restricted."

"This exercise is meant to assess their ability to adapt in the labyrinth. If they show ingenuity in navigating its challenges, they will be rewarded accordingly."

"Understood."

With that, his questioning ended.

Yujin glanced back at the students. They were all preparing to enter the labyrinth.

Reina found herself slightly puzzled. Was that really all he wanted to ask? Such trivial things?

And yet, he seemed more serious than she expected.

...No, come to think of it, this man had always been passionate about teaching.

His first lecture, his speech before the faculty—he had shown remarkable dedication to his role.

Was it just an act? Or was there a bit of sincerity mixed in?

She couldn’t tell, and that uncertainty made her thoughts jumbled.

Regardless of whether he was earnest or not, one thing remained unchanged—he was still a mastermind hiding something.

"Professor, we’re ready."

Just then, a student stepped forward like a representative, addressing Reina.

It was Julian Johannes—the same student who had asked Yujin the first question when he first took the podium.

"...Alright, then we’ll begin."

Reina shook off her lingering thoughts and turned to the students.

"Elemental Magic Department, Class A, we will now enter the labyrinth."

"Yes, Professor!"

With that, Reina and Yujin took the lead, followed by the students.

Yujin observed them and was struck by an unfamiliar feeling.

"Leading others, huh..."

He had always fought from the rear as a mage, yet now, he was standing at the front, guiding people forward.

It was a strange feeling.

"I wonder how the raid leader is doing."

The man who had always stood at the front—the one who had brought him to this world—suddenly came to mind.

***

"…Huh?"

"Han Cheol, is something wrong?"

"Ah, no, it’s nothing."

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Lee Han-cheol, who had joined Hugo’s party, felt a strange sensation, as if something was tickling his ears.

"Weird. Is someone talking about me?"