The Teddy Bear Sends the Insomniac Villain to Dreamland - Chapter 27

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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 27
“S-so you don’t like the Legion Commander, but is there something you do like? Do you… like soda?”
Nix had apparently made up her mind to discover what I actually enjoyed, shuffling her rear end closer to me.
“You’re curious about that? Why?”
I asked, wondering if she wanted to grow closer to me, and Nix hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“I don’t like being indebted to others. Since you gave me food, I want to repay your kindness someday.”
“You want to repay me?”
When was the last time I’d heard the word kindness?
Even during my years as a wealthy witch in the Western Territory, living without want, I’d rarely heard such a word.
I curved my lips into a small smile as Nix waited quietly, blinking her large eyes.
How could she be so adorable?
“How admirable. Well then, let me tell you—I prefer wine to soda.”
“How sophisticated of you, dear bear doll.”
“That’s right. A sophisticated bear doll, but I can’t drink wine right now. Not in this state. It’s truly disheartening.”
At my dejected expression, Nix fidgeted with her fingers.
To be honest, not being able to drink wine was sorrowful enough, but this helpless state I’d been reduced to was what truly drained my spirit.
If only I could gather more magical energy and return to my human form. I wondered if there was some way to accumulate magic separately.
Of course, I wasn’t despairing or depressed.
There had to be a way.
Now that I had Nix as a reliable ally, I could ask her to look into methods of accumulating magical energy or magical artifacts that served that purpose.
But perhaps to the girl’s eyes, I appeared rather seriously sad.
Nix, who had been watching me quietly, placed her small hand on my plump belly as I lay there.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she considered something, then her lips moved.
“I think… I understand a little of how painful it is to gaze at something you desire while your stomach goes empty.”
Nix whispered with her clumsy, gentle touch.
“There was a time when I had no money to buy food at all. I resented my circumstances, but when I thought of my family, I had to survive. It was truly difficult. My younger sibling was ill, my parents always struggled with poverty… and everything I wanted to eat, I could only draw in the sand.”
I hadn’t expected to hear such a story, so I raised myself slightly with a surprised expression.
Thinking she’d spoken out of turn, Nix flinched in alarm and quickly withdrew her hand from me.
Then, as if she hated herself for saying such things, she slapped her own mouth.
“Ah, that is… I didn’t mean to offer hollow comfort. I absolutely wasn’t pitying you, Vivian…”
“Thank you for comforting me.”
“…Pardon?”
I caught Nix’s hand.
I felt the texture of her palm—soft yet rough.
The girl’s dark eyes fixed on me, unmoving.
“Thank you for understanding that my situation isn’t so good. You care about me quite a bit, don’t you, Nix?”
“…”
“Pity and comfort are both forms of caring, after all. I like your care for me. You’re going to be my friend from now on.”
Ronald had described Nix as a butler and a maid, but that wasn’t how I saw her.
Even though Max’s profession was butler, he was my friend—and Nix was the same.
I was genuinely grateful for the small gestures of care she showed me, lonely as I was in this Human World.
And while it might seem a bit mercenary, this girl was the only person I could comfortably rely on in the Human World.
Her wellbeing benefited me as well, after all.
Nix tilted her head, as if finding my reasoning strange.
“Is pity… the same as interest?”
“Exactly. Whether it’s bad interest or good interest, it means you’re paying attention to me.”
“Doesn’t it bother you? When I think of you as pitiful?”
Even a witch who’d lived as long as I had could quickly sense when someone was really talking about themselves.
But then again, the answer to that question wasn’t difficult.
“Even if others see me as pitiful, it doesn’t matter as long as I’m fine with it. No matter what anyone says, I’m managing well enough right now.”
I felt a bit embarrassed making such a bold claim when I still had unresolved matters piling up, but that was the truth of it.
As I spoke, Nix’s eyes and the tip of her nose began to turn slightly red as she stared at me silently.
…Wait a moment.
Was Nix right now… crying? Could she actually be crying?
‘I made an adorable girl cry!’
Goodness. In all my years as a witch, this was the first time I’d made a cute young girl cry.
If Max saw this, she might call me the worst scoundrel in the world.
‘What do I do? How do I fix this!’
How was I supposed to stop someone from crying, anyway?
If I’d spent more time around adorable young girls, I might have known what to do.
Living alone with a dragon who did nothing but mutter in her sleep and nag me had left me woefully unprepared for situations like this.
This is why environment matters so much.
Flustered and unsure what to do, I rolled my eyes for a moment, then shouted without looking at the child whose eyes were turning red.
“I’ll give you a hug!”
“…Yes? *sniffles*”
Contrary to my cowardly decision to pretend I hadn’t noticed, Nix looked startled once again.
“I’ll give you a hug! Come here and let me hold you. I’m a bear doll that’s warmer and more comfortable than you’d think!”
I couldn’t believe I had to resort to such self-promotion.
Comforting an adorable girl proved more challenging than expected, but only for a moment.
After watching me spread my arms wide and stomp my feet for a bit, Nix slowly opened her own arms.
As she nestled into my embrace, I could hear the rapid beating of her heart.
My human servant’s arms were warm and comforting.
A different kind of appeal than Max’s, but equally nice.
“I really hate being indebted to people…”
“You’re not indebted to me.”
“But you’re comforting me. I hate things like that.”
Even as she said she hated it, Nix’s arms around me were gentle.
Why was this child so mature?
Children should act like children!
Perhaps emotional dishonesty was a trait of everyone in Duke Leblanc’s Mansion.
There’s no stopping her, I tell you.
But there’s something the people in this house don’t know.
“It’s never easy not to owe me a debt. Everyone ends up liking me, you see. So just accept it and get along with me from now on. That’s the fastest way to repay the debt.”
“…Is that an order?”
“Yes. It’s an order.”
Frustratingly rigid in her principles, yet possessing such a pure heart—I smiled brightly at the girl.
“Here, let me show you something so you won’t cry. This is something I’m showing only you. You’ll keep it secret, right?”
“A secret….”
Seeing her uncertain expression, it seemed she was already planning to tell Blake everything I’d just said.
But I already knew this fact, so there was nothing particularly to worry about.
After all, Blake knew better than anyone that I was a witch.
I stepped back slightly from Nix and reached my hand toward the sky, crying out.
“Draw!”
At my command, the pure white clouds drifting lazily across the blue sky swirled and shifted, forming the shape of a bear doll holding hands with Nix.
“W-wow….”
Watching Nix, who couldn’t close her mouth at the sight before her, I smiled with satisfaction.
Moments like these really show her childish side.
With her cheeks flushed red, her hands clasped together, and her eyes fixed on the sky, Nix looked absolutely adorable.
This is exactly why I use magic.
Magical energy could always be replenished, but the sparkle in Nix’s eyes wasn’t something I could see every day.
“Are you… a magical bear doll, Vivian?”
Finally curious about my true nature, Nix asked carefully.
A magical bear doll… I rather liked that.
It was the perfect cover—protecting Nix’s innocence while concealing my identity—so I readily agreed.
“Yes. I’m a magical bear doll who wants to return home.”
“A homesick magical bear doll….”
At the mention of home, Nix murmured my words back to me, her expression full of sympathy.
“How was that? Didn’t I look cool just now?”
“Yes… but how can you return home?”
Nix straightened her posture and asked seriously.
I found myself enchanted, and I winked at Nix, who was holding my hand.
Yes, this was exactly the question I’d been waiting for.
Delighted that the story was unfolding as I desired, I parted my lips with joy.
“You’ve hit the nail on the head, Nix. And that’s where I need your help.”
“What is it?”
Sensing something significant in my demeanor, Nix’s eyes filled with anticipation, wondering what command would come next.

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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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