The Teddy Bear Sends the Insomniac Villain to Dreamland - Chapter 18

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 18
Finding my way to the Servants’ Rest Area proved simple enough. Whenever I passed a wardrobe or statue in the Corridor, I could hide beside it and eavesdrop on the servants’ conversations to learn the route.
“Hurry up. We need to rest before Rein arrives. There’s an evening roll call after this.”
“We’re heading to the Servants’ Rest Area, right?”
“Yeah, let’s go together.”
Just like now.
I squeezed myself beside a statue and crept forward, following the maids ahead of me.
Well, even for someone like me, being discovered by the servants in this state would be rather… problematic.
So I decided to be careful.
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
A servant with her hair tied in a single tight knot shrieked in terror.
The servant beside her immediately screamed as well.
“Kyaaaaah! What’s wrong with you?!”
“A ghost, a ghost!”
“Where is there a ghost?”
“The shadow following behind us! Didn’t you see the shadow with ears?!”
Oh no.
The sunset beyond the Corridor window had cast my shadow far too clearly.
One of the maids who had glanced back shuddered at the sight of my silhouette.
“It could just be a rat!”
“Have you ever seen a rat standing on two legs?! And it was much bigger than a rat!”
I pressed myself completely behind the statue, and my shadow vanished instantly.
“S-so scary. You heard that story before, didn’t you? About the bear doll’s shadow wandering the Corridor.”
“Yeah, I heard… but didn’t they say it was the Young Master’s bear doll?”
“Do you actually believe that? The Young Master and a bear doll together? That makes no sense!”
“That’s exactly my point—maybe it’s a spirit possessing a real bear doll that’s wandering around. The Young Master must be under its spell!”
“Hey, watch your tongue! Let’s just hurry to the Rest Area.”
A spirit, of all things?
The title hardly befitted the Western Territory’s representative witch of the Demon Realm, yet I had no time to dwell on it. I hastened after them.
And at the end of their path lay the very scene the 【Blake Misunderstanding Exposure Alliance】 had been hoping for.
Among the servants huddled together in a circle, murmuring with their heads bent close, stood the maid I had seen yesterday.
The one who supposedly had a male servant friend at the Billiards.
“Is this all the notes? Did you check if there were any other notes nearby?”
A maid nearby answered.
“I checked everything, and for now, Molly, what you’re holding is all there is.”
Ah, so that maid’s name is Molly.
Now that I knew her name, I refocused on their conversation.
“So to summarize, the death of the Social Club employee was indeed suspicious, and the cause wasn’t instantaneous death but something similar to poisoning?”
A freckled maid peered at the notes Molly was holding and spoke.
Then, as if something seemed odd, she furrowed her brows and asked Molly again.
“Wait, hold on. Molly, didn’t you say your friend was killed by the Young Master?”
At that, Molly, who had been listening quietly, slowly nodded. Despite the puzzled glances from those around her, her expression remained quite composed and unruffled.
Yet she couldn’t hide the wavering in her eyes, betraying her inner panic at suddenly having her credibility questioned.
“…Ah. Yes, that’s right. I thought my friend’s account was trustworthy because she worked there for quite a long time.”
However, her opinion was quickly met with strong opposition.
“But if you checked the notes, you would’ve seen it too. The blackened skin—one of the hallmarks of poisoning! And just as the notes described, the timing of the collapse and the fact that many other staff members didn’t know the employee’s face—it all points to one thing, doesn’t it?”
The servants murmured amongst themselves.
The freckle-faced maid who had raised her voice declared confidently.
“Therefore, the Young Master didn’t kill that employee!”
“But Molly’s friend who works at the Billiards told us directly?”
Another servant countered. At that, the freckle-faced maid shook her head again.
“Well, Molly’s friend didn’t see it directly either—she only heard about it secondhand. And when you piece together what the notes say, it all makes sense!”
Then Molly, who had remained silent all along, hastily agreed.
“Right. Now that you mention it, it does seem that way. My friend must have misunderstood.”
Her skill at slipping away like a loach was no joke—this maid was far from ordinary.
‘No matter how I look at it, she’s suspicious.’
Still, I could say my plan had been successful so far.
Hidden behind the saplings near the bench in the Servants’ Rest Area, I couldn’t suppress my satisfied smile.
Ah, Ronald should have seen this with me!
As I was savoring this joy.
The servants, still absorbed in their detective work, huddled together and spoke.
“But who left these notes?”
Then a male servant who worked in the Kitchen spoke up.
“It must be someone who knows who the real culprit is. They probably didn’t want the Young Master to be wrongly accused.”
“I knew it! The Young Master is a bit frightening, but he’s not the type to kill people indiscriminately. You all know it too—there’s never been a single servant in this Mansion who was injured or killed and then dismissed.”
That’s right, that’s right.
Exactly that!
Finally, the conversation was flowing in the right direction.
I watched these admirable humans engaged in their heated discussion, and glanced at the paper I was clutching tightly in my fist.
I need to show them this to complete it.
How should I do it?
While I was lost in thought, the two servants who had entered the Rest Area with me also joined the discussion.
This was my chance!
Performing a spectacular forward roll, I crept up close behind them.
This time it was near the trash bin.
With the mana I had accumulated at Blake’s side these past few days, it was finally time to demonstrate magic.
‘It’s been a while, so it feels a bit awkward.’
Still, let me try casting a spell as an experiment.
Snap, snap.
Just then, a rat leaped out from the trash bin and landed on the floor with a thud.
I pondered which spell to use, but the answer came to me immediately.
Now then, little mouse. Deliver this final note to them, would you?
‘Delivery!’
The moment I chanted the incantation silently, magical energy rippled through the air. I could tell at once that it had succeeded.
As though entranced, the mouse approached me and grasped the note between its teeth.
Then, its eyes gleaming brightly, it gave a small nod and scurried toward the servants.
“Squeak! Squeak squeak!”
At the mouse’s raucous cries, the servants who had been chattering animatedly suddenly fell silent, their gazes dropping downward.
The moment they spotted the note clutched in the mouse’s mouth as it darted back and forth at their feet.
“Ah! What is this?!”
“Here’s more evidence! Another note has appeared!”
Exclamations of astonishment erupted from all corners.
The maid who unfolded the final note trembled visibly, her eyes widening.
“Blake Leblanc… actually cherishes his servants more than anyone else…?”
“That’s what it says? Truly?”
“Look for yourself. It’s genuine.”
“Now that I think about it, he simply doesn’t accept many greetings, but he’s never actually harmed us.”
“That’s right. Though the Young Master can be rather brusque, he’s never reduced our wages or benefits….”
“I hate to admit it now, but I’ve never seen a lord who treats his domain’s people better than he does.”
Yet such a man supposedly killed someone over a mere mistake.
Now that I reflected on it, the rumor seemed utterly absurd.
The atmosphere shifted in an instant, becoming solemn.
“Perhaps we’ve been closing our ears and eyes all this time, hearing only what we wished to hear.”
The author of this note understood that, and sought to clear the Young Master’s name.
Leaving behind the soft murmur of their quiet conversation, I slipped quietly from the Servants’ Rest Area.
Walking back toward the Mansion, I fell into contemplation for a moment.
Certainly, the claim about hearing gossip regarding Blake at the Social Club seemed to be a lie.
When I observed the maid named Molly carefully, I could discern her deception immediately.
Ronald had also mentioned that the Social Club employed only female staff.
‘Tomorrow, I should pay a visit to that maid Molly.’
Once I returned safely to my room, I stretched out my legs and drifted into a shallow evening sleep.
The spell had succeeded and the rumors about Blake had been settled—my heart felt considerably lighter.
Perhaps because I slept peacefully that evening, a familiar face appeared in my dreams.
‘Vivian! I hope you’re doing well?’
‘Max!!! I’ve missed you so much!’
‘You’re living up to your nature as always, I see. Still, do be careful not to get hurt. It would be troublesome for me.’
‘I’m doing fine. I’ve made friends and even found a contractor.’
‘Well done. You’ve always been someone worthy of love, after all.’
‘Yes, and my wines are doing well too, aren’t they?’
‘….’
‘…Why won’t he answer me? Max? Hm?’
‘I’ll be taking my leave now.’
‘Hey! Hey! Max, you bastard!’
Max was slipping away.
“Max… don’t you dare touch my wine…”
It had been such a pleasant dream until it wasn’t. I thrashed about in such distress at the thought of Max making off with all my wine that the blankets fell away without my noticing.
“Leave some for me…!”
“…Sigh.”
Yet moments later, it seemed someone had drawn the blankets back over me.
I was too caught up chasing Max through the dream—him shouting that he’d thrown out my wine—to even open my eyes.
In any case, it was the sweetest of rests.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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