A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 29: Godfather

“Ah, sorry! I got a little too excited.”

The moment I reminded her of our actual objective—before she could start drafting a plan to assault the Academy—she scratched her head sheepishly and nodded.

“...Still, I do recommend taking control of the Academy as soon as possible.”

“Eh?”

“Plenty of Demon Kings—err, rulers—have failed simply because they couldn’t breach the Academy.”

That made me think of a certain noseless, unnameable Dark Lord who got vaporized after failing to take a school.

But wait a sec—when did she start treating me like a Demon King?

Surely, her total devotion to Meredia in every route hadn’t just been her way of playing some Demon King-raising sim?

“And from a strategic standpoint, it makes sense to start with the education system. That’s how you begin the indoctrination—”

“Haah, Parsha. Let’s stay focused on our current plan, shall we?”

I tried to chide her gently, thinking to myself that simply saving Meredia and reviving my house was already more than enough.

“Actually, the defeat of the First and Second Demon Kings at the Academy siege was a key turning point. I even taught a tactics course at the knight’s school based on a simulation of the Academy assault—”

“Sigh...”

Right on cue, Lunelle chimed in from beside her with a dead-serious expression, and I couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.

“...Therefore, if the young master intends to seize the Academy, he must plant agents inside from the beginning.”

“Wow. I was worried, but you really do have what it takes to be a senior member!”

What happened to the Emperor’s Hound and Meredia’s only tactician? Now I’ve got a wannabe Hero otaku and a delusional middle-school strategist holding a heated war council in front of me.

“...Actually, I believe that was the true hidden intent behind our master’s plan.”

“R-Really? I knew it...”

“Ladies.”

If I listened to them any longer, I might actually have to invade the damn place.

“I am still speaking, you know?”

With a quiet but firm voice—and still smiling—I issued a warning to the two who had started muttering to themselves.

“...Yes, sir.”

“...Understood.”

Flinching, Parsha and Lunelle raised their heads and responded obediently with sullen voices. At least they listened when it counted—maybe that was enough.

“Anyway, now that I’ve been appointed as a judge for the upcoming Prodigy Selection Tournament at the Academy and have the Saintess on board... it’s time to move to the next phase.”

“Ah, wait a minute.”

Just as I was about to shift to the main topic, wearing a wry smile—

“There’s something we’re missing before we move on.”

Parsha raised her hand again, this time with an unusually serious expression.

“And that would be: information.”

“Mmm.”

I had a good idea what she meant, so I listened quietly and nodded in agreement as she spoke.

“First of all, the young master’s name has only recently gained traction in the Empire. Naturally, the Academy board will question your qualifications.”

“...That’s true.”

“Which is why, as a judge, you should at least have background information on the contestants.”

Yeah. When she gets serious, she’s unbelievably reliable.

“We also need to understand the layout of the event site—rest areas, guard assignments, all of it. That way, we reduce the risk of the Saintess’s identity being discovered.”

“......”

“Of course, some of that will be given to us as standard info for judges, but...”

She was pointing out every single weak spot in my plan—word for word.

“...The Academy isn’t likely to be very cooperative, is it?”

“Exactly! To them, you’ll look like a total parachute appointment.”

To be fair, I am a parachute appointment. But she’s right.

“The Academy is a notoriously closed system. They’ll look for any excuse to drag you down, and it’s unlikely they’ll share information willingly.”

“What if we ask the Prince?”

“Hmm. But can we really count on him to bring back reliable intel?”

She’s even figured out not to take Princess Katarina’s information at face value—even if she’s technically on our side now.

Now I was starting to feel guilty for ever calling her a delusional middle-schooler.

“Then... do you have a solution in mind?”

“I could handle the intel gathering if you entrust it to me. I’ll do my best...”

So I asked, just in case she’d come up with an alternative—but her reply was guarded.

“...But information costs money. And right now, with the investments I’ve made using House Ringaarden’s funds, we have very limited assets available.”

So even Parsha found our measly fortune a headache.

“How long until the investments start paying off?”

“Well, it’s a long-term plan, based on your strategy...”

“Right. That doesn’t matter for now.”

Still, it wasn’t like this made things hopeless. After all, Parsha’s specialty wasn’t the legwork—it was analyzing what was gathered. I shouldn’t expect more than that.

“My next plan was always to resolve our greatest weakness: the information gap.”

Yes. That’s why—it was time.

“Let’s get ready to head out.”

“Right now?”

“Yes. There’s somewhere we need to go.”

Not just intel for this operation—but information on the black mages we’ll face in the future, Meredia’s curse, the anomaly in my white magic...

And the countless future obstacles we’ll need to prepare for.

“Our destination is beyond the Empire. The heart of the underworld.”

It’s time for the final piece of my dream team.

“There’s one man out there I need to find.”

It’s time to make contact with the player’s informant—Bergen.

***

Several hours later, in the Empire’s underworld—

‘So, we made it, but...’

After getting off the carriage and walking for quite some time, I found myself standing in the same kind of backstreet I had encountered back when we first recruited Lunelle. I glanced around at the grimy streets of the underworld, sighing as I stifled a laugh.

‘...Yeah. Still hopeless.’

Unlike with Parsha—who could only be secured thanks to a very lucky Alfred intervention—Bergen’s whereabouts were actually somewhat known.

The problem was the number of potential locations he could be in.

To be more accurate, the entirety of the underworld was fair game.

‘He’s probably aimlessly wandering around in despair by now, so I guess we’ll have to check every tavern.’

In the original game, the player first met Bergen in a bar, half-drunk and making a scene during an unrelated investigation.

It was vague and daunting, sure—but the one thing I could take comfort in was that Bergen wouldn’t be leaving this district any time soon.

Which meant, if we spent a few days lodging nearby and investigating every possible spot, I’d find him before the Prodigy Selection Tournament began.

“Well, truly admirable judgment, I must say.”

“Ah.”

“Imagine... the heir of a count’s house stepping foot in this wretched place. Are you trying to give this old man a heart attack in his final years?”

Just as I was about to head off, a sulky voice beside me made me stop with a dry chuckle.

“Haha, Alfred. I’m technically the one in charge of the estate now.”

“And that’s precisely why you shouldn’t be here.”

After knocking Parsha on the head and leaving Sasha’s care to her, Alfred had insisted on accompanying us. I did feel a little bad for dragging him along, but whether it was Parsha or Alfred, neither of them had any business being in a place this dangerous.

“But Lunelle’s with us. That should be enough for basic security, right?”

“I may not be what I once was, but I can still wield sword aura to some extent. It will be fine.”

Honestly, if I hadn’t secured Lunelle beforehand, I might’ve lost hope entirely. Watching her emit sword aura again—even with her mana circuit not fully restored—was enough to make me feel inadequate as a swordsman.

“Still, you mustn’t underestimate this place. Here in the underworld, anything can—”

—Grandpa! I told you, let me go instead!

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“You hush. So long as there’s breath in me, you won’t set foot here.”

Despite his warnings, Alfred was still fussing, irritated by the voice that came out of the communication crystal in his hand—Parsha’s voice.

—Then when you’re six feet under...?

“Tsk, such wicked thoughts for someone so young.”

To search for Bergen, we needed all eyes and ears on alert. Parsha’s surveillance was being handled via one of my father’s ludicrously expensive communication crystals.

Just one of those cost as much as three months of our estate’s operating budget. I could only pray nothing happened to Alfred.

“Alfred, please be sure to stay close to Lunelle and me, alright?”

“...I may be old, but I can take care of myself, you know.”

“Haha. You and your jokes.”

Even so, I insisted again—Alfred only grunted in return.

“So, where will we be heading first?”

“Hmm, let’s try that place.”

Though he looked a bit skeptical, I scanned the area and pointed to the most approachable-looking tavern for our first search.

“But, um... the guys at the entrance look pretty nasty...”

That’s when I noticed two towering thugs blocking the door. I hesitated, unsure.

“If they’re in the way, I’ll take care of them.”

“Mm...”

Of course, Lunelle could handle it. But—

“Are you planning to start a fight the moment we arrive?”

Alfred had a point. Causing a commotion right away could make things more difficult.

‘But just avoiding guarded places isn’t practical either...’

Guards were a given in a place like this. My dilemma deepened—

“You two, wait here.”

“...Huh?”

“I’ll speak with them.”

With a sigh, Alfred suddenly handed me the crystal and stepped forward.

“Wait, Alfred—”

Knowing full well how dangerous this place was, I tried to stop him in a panic.

“...Young master.”

But then, Lunelle grabbed me—a rare look of surprise on her face—as she quietly said:

“I... think it’ll be fine.”

“Come again?”

Whatever she meant, it was enough to stop me in my tracks.

“Alfred... might be able to persuade them.”

I didn’t agree—I was just too stunned to say anything.

***

“You two.”

“...Huh?”

At the same time, Whitney wasn’t the only one with a dumbfounded expression.

“Step aside. I’d like to go inside.”

A robed old man, his long white hair flowing, spoke calmly yet firmly. The two burly men guarding the tavern turned and looked at him with incredulous eyes.

“Pffft. What the hell is this geezer saying?”

“Hey, old man. If you don’t wanna get planted today, you’d better crawl back where you came—”

In the underworld, where corpses were dragged out of alleyways daily, such threats were just routine. But then—

“You didn’t seem to understand me. So let me repeat myself.”

The old man lifted his head slightly, revealing glowing gray eyes beneath his hood.

“If you little minnows want to live another day, I suggest you get out of the way.”

That was the moment the two thugs realized exactly who was standing before them—and their faces went pale, despite their hulking size.

They scrambled aside without a word.

“Young master, they’ve agreed to let us through.”

“...Seriously?”

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Just a few minutes later—

“Haha. Kids these days sure are easy to reason with.”

The news that a retired godfather of the underworld had returned began to stir the alleys of the Empire’s outskirts.