The Teddy Bear Sends the Insomniac Villain to Dreamland - Chapter 70
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 70
***
Ah, I shouldn’t have laughed.
The gazes of both men fixed upon me.
One of them, who had been staring intently at me nestled in Blake Leblanc’s arms, muttered under his breath.
“…Did that doll just laugh at us?”
The man beside him answered quietly.
“It appears so….”
Blake Leblanc observed the two men quietly before turning his gaze toward me. His eyes asked why I had laughed.
But a gang leader, of all things.
I’d heard practically every title imaginable—military commander, young master, noble heir—but a gang leader!
Anyone could see that his appearance was noble and elegant, befitting a distinguished aristocratic heir, so the designation of “gang leader” struck me as absurdly amusing.
In any case, it was my mistake. I quickly nestled against his chest and whispered a soft apology.
Noticing my slightly dejected expression, he gently stroked my head before lifting his gaze.
“What are you staring at.”
At those words, both men bowed their heads deeply. It appeared they were Blake Leblanc’s loyal subordinates.
Even after learning my true nature, Blake Leblanc seemed resigned to it rather than genuinely concerned.
He adjusted his hold on me and spoke.
“She’s my doll.”
He said it without anyone asking.
The two men looked startled. It was painfully obvious they were seriously wondering if their leader had lost his mind.
“Elio, Jikan. Keep what you’ve learned about this bear doll to yourselves.”
“Understood.”
“I will remember this well.”
Their responses carried the weight of military discipline.
The absolute determination in their vow not to speak a word brought me considerable peace of mind.
Blake Leblanc, sensing my worry, gently stroked my head and assured me it would be fine.
In any case, my affectionate charger.
Should I greet them?
As the two men slowly lifted their heads, their intense gazes making me hesitate, I raised my hand slightly.
“Hello?”
Though their shoulders trembled slightly, they bowed respectfully to me.
“Greetings. I am Jikan, action commander of the Mekain Cartel.”
“I’m vice-leader Elio.”
Blake Leblanc signaled them with his eyes, indicating the pleasantries were over and they should get to the main point.
“So, Elio. What brings you all the way here from the Eastern Region?”
“Ah, yes! It’s urgent, leader.”
The red-haired man called Elio responded.
“Demon Beasts have appeared in the Eastern Region.”
“I see.”
Blake Leblanc showed no surprise. He simply regarded the two men calmly and asked again.
“Is it near the region we anticipated?”
“Yes, sir. A small number of Demon Beasts have appeared so far, and our organization members have eliminated them all. However, there’s a significant possibility of a large-scale outbreak soon.”
“It would be wise to move quickly.”
Jikan, the man with the closely cropped green hair standing beside me, added his thoughts.
Demon Beasts in the Eastern Region.
Exactly as Nix had said.
I asked quietly.
“So they appeared in a place you predicted without any prophecy?”
“Yes.”
Just as I thought.
Blake Leblanc had located where the Demon Beasts would emerge without Ophelia’s prophecy.
And he would leave for that place soon. I could tell without even hearing it.
Blake Leblanc slowly lowered me onto the sofa. Then he rose from his seat.
Elio and Jikan followed suit, getting to their feet.
“Prepare to depart immediately. You two are to return to the Eastern Region and stand by near the Demon Beast outbreak area.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And if there’s a Demon Beast that devours hearts, capture it alive without fail and bring it before me.”
“Ugh, did you just say a Demon Beast that devours hearts?”
Jikan’s face contorted with disgust.
“That’s right. Whether it tears hearts from corpses or feeds on the hearts of living people doesn’t matter. Capture it alive the moment you find it.”
“Understood, sir.”
Elio and Jikan nodded solemnly and stepped back.
They bowed to Blake Leblanc and gave me a brief nod of acknowledgment.
After they left, silence settled over us.
“….”
“….”
His eyes, which had been softly relaxed, had turned fierce.
“Blake Leblanc. Are you leaving right now?”
I asked even though I already knew the answer—I couldn’t explain why.
At my question, he stopped his walk toward the wardrobe. His violet eyes had darkened considerably.
“I have to.”
“To protect the people who will be sacrificed?”
“Not exactly such a noble purpose. It’s simply what I do.”
His words were plain and unadorned.
A man who received no praise as a hero, who was treated as an enemy of the Temple, yet remained unwavering.
That’s why I loved him. That’s why I was afraid.
In the original story, Blake Leblanc dies in the end.
Not at this point in time, but the predetermined flow of the original narrative filled me with dread.
“Take me with you.”
The words tumbled out reflexively.
Of course. Wherever Blake Leblanc went, I had to follow.
Where my charger goes, I go too!
But he rejected me outright, as though I’d uttered something absurd.
“Absolutely not.”
“What? Why!”
“That’s where the Demon Beasts are appearing.”
“I know that. That’s exactly why I need to come with you. You said those Demon Beasts seemed suspicious, didn’t you? If I step in and use magic, I can dispatch them in no time.”
“You have no idea how many there are.”
“It doesn’t matter how many. As long as you’re there, I can use magic whenever I need to.”
I spoke with confidence, but it made no impression whatsoever. He draped a military jacket over his shoulders and set his sword on the table.
I glanced sideways at the blade.
If Blake truly refused to take me with him….
I silently chanted a simple spell within my mind.
Using silent magic consumed more mana than I’d anticipated, but it succeeded without fail.
‘Since I’ve cast a shield spell, it should be fine.’
A protective magic to unfold in life-threatening emergencies.
It was a spell that would activate only once, in a moment of true mortal peril.
If he was really going to leave me behind, at least this would ease my mind.
Blake picked up the enchanted sword again. I was glad I’d cast the spell beforehand—he spoke to me with even greater resolve.
“I can’t drag you into such a dangerous war. And you absolutely cannot use magic. Besides, there are already people searching for you, so you need to keep a low profile.”
“Me? Who’s looking for me?”
He seemed to regret saying it the moment the words left his lips. His mouth clamped shut before opening again with a sigh.
“Mages.”
“Why would Mages be looking for me?”
“They’re tracking the magic you used in the last Demon Beast incident, apparently. So you need to avoid drawing attention right now.”
Already prepared, he stood at the door.
It seemed he was leaving immediately.
As a last resort, I cried out desperately.
“You’ll sleep better if you take me with you!”
He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then chuckled softly and grasped the doorknob.
“I can sleep well enough when I return. You’ll be here to welcome me back, won’t you?”
Of course I’d be here.
His words were bound together with trust, brimming with faith.
Before I could say anything, he grasped the doorknob and stepped out of the room.
“Hey, wait….”
“I’ll be back soon.”
The door closed with a bang. And so Blake Leblanc departed.
Leaving me behind in this place.
***
A few days later.
Rumors spread that Blake Leblanc had departed for the Eastern Region, and the newspapers ran stories about him daily.
“Commander Blake Leblanc ventures to a place without prophecy. Is it the instinct of a commander who has led every battlefield to victory, or a grave miscalculation?”
“Who wrote this?”
“Letters Newspaper.”
“Ha! I knew it. They’re hoping the Commander won’t find the Demon Beasts. That way, it’ll be more sensational.”
Nix ground her teeth.
With Blake gone, the Leblanc Mansion fell into a somewhat somber atmosphere.
Of course, others might not have noticed, but I welcomed this change.
It meant that the servants who had feared and dreaded Blake’s presence now felt reassured simply by knowing he was in this mansion.
“They’re going on and on about how the Leblanc Family is openly contradicting divine prophecy and must be watched carefully! It’s absurd!”
After finishing the newspaper, Nix slammed it onto the table with a sharp sound.
With each passing day, her temperament seemed to grow more like mine.
Nix, who once expressed her anger with vigor, now scoffed and muttered under her breath.
“They’re all ridiculous. They’re grateful when the Commander deals with the Demon Beasts and keeps them safe, yet they don’t want him to gain any fame from it. They’re desperate to tear him down.”
“They’re all keeping him in check. The Leblanc Family has always been a powerful swordmaster house, and the Imperial Court fears their military might.”
“It’s unfair. We ordinary citizens think it’s incredibly reassuring when the Commander takes care of the Demon Beasts for us.”
“That’s probably one of the reasons they’re keeping him in check too. Winning the hearts of the people is always the hardest thing to do.”
“Good people suffer in this world.”
“That’s just how the world is.”
I folded my arms and shrugged my shoulders.
“That’s why people like us are needed. To remember those who do good and righteous deeds for a long time.”
I stood up with a flourish, and Nix asked where I was going.
I spoke in a subtle and secretive manner.
“To learn more about the Leblanc bloodline—so virtuous and pure-hearted.”
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————