The Teddy Bear Sends the Insomniac Villain to Dreamland - Chapter 76

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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 76
Ophelia’s pace quickened as she exited the Royal Palace.
The Advisor’s words echoed in her mind.
‘It was an independent action without a deployment order, so I looked into it—apparently she went to prepare for Demon Beasts.’
Heading to the Eastern Region without any prophecy?
To anyone else, it would have seemed absurd. But for Ophelia, the meaning was entirely different.
Because this Demon Beast was indeed scheduled to appear in the Eastern Region.
Ophelia entered the Temple and went straight to her bedroom, settling herself upon the magic circle.
The magic circle hummed with resonant power.
Soon, the sound of Demon Beasts crying out echoed from beyond the circle’s dimensional gateway.
‘They’re in transit.’
The Demon Beasts were already moving. She immediately checked her own magical reserves.
Dark mana surged toward her in response, yet it remained woefully insufficient to alter the paths of so many Demon Beasts.
Moreover, her recent consumption of mana to create Demon Beasts had depleted her reserves far more than usual.
“How troublesome.”
Ophelia murmured with a hardened expression. Beneath her elegant voice lay a faint tremor born of fury.
Though she revealed nothing outwardly, Ophelia was becoming unbearably anxious.
Ever since Blake Leblanc departed for the Demon Beast War ten years ago, the mana she could obtain had declined dramatically.
The Demon Beasts were her subordinates and her means of channeling mana to herself.
‘Kill humans and convert their life force into mana.’
It was a survival method she had desperately devised to endure in the Human World with her feeble magical power.
‘How long it took to discover this.’
She had been born with a meager mana vessel.
No matter how much she tried to contain it, mana leaked from the cracked vessel like water.
A mutant witch with almost no mana—that was Ophelia’s other name.
For ages, Ophelia had cursed and resented her own magical power.
‘Stronger mana, greater strength.’
How long had she searched for these things?
So when the portal closed, Ophelia felt quite content. Unable to return to her homeland—it mattered not at all.
Her homeland had never been a paradise to her.
In a place ruled by witches far stronger than herself and dragons, Ophelia could only endure ridicule and inferiority.
But the Human World was different.
With the portal sealed and the Demon Realm severed from the Human World, a being with mana was extraordinary.
No matter how feeble the power, here it was something unique that no one else could replicate.
Eventually, she developed both the magic and intricate rituals to extract mana from humans.
Magic that converted the life force escaping from a corpse at the moment of death into mana.
At first, she used the lives of executed humans; then women and the elderly; and finally, she discovered the subjects from which she could extract the most mana.
Young children with tender hearts.
If she asked impoverished, struggling humans to offer sacrifices, children were what they would most readily surrender.
Especially when she consumed their hearts, she obtained mana that was far more potent and concentrated.
It was something precious, created by breaking the taboo against laying hands on life itself.
“And you dare attempt to destroy it?”
The bloodline of the Leblanc Family—one she could not kill—kept grasping at her ankles.
She swept her black hair back, sinking into contemplation.
If Blake Leblanc had already gone to the Eastern Region, he would soon encounter the Demon Beasts.
‘He’ll find them one way or another.’
Blake Leblanc was inherently a reckless man.
He differed from the start from those who staked their lives on a single prophecy and made donations swearing to change their fate.
‘The fact that he went to the Eastern Region before the prophecy even emerged means he already knows where the Demon Beasts will appear.’
He could not have merely learned that they would appear in the Eastern Region and left it at that.
“He must have discovered the pattern of the Demon Beasts’ emergence.”
Blake Leblanc was an intelligent man, after all.
Much as I hated to admit it, no one in this Empire possessed instincts as sharp as his.
His judgment surpassed even both princes—Edwin and Ian.
From the way he spoke of the ‘Demon Beast that devours human hearts,’ he must already be hot on its trail.
I had to sever the tail before it was discovered.
Ophelia’s long nails dug painfully into her palm as her fist clenched without her noticing.
But how?
I had considered it, yet no plausible solution came to mind.
Blood beaded atop the crescent-shaped wounds in my palm.
Black blood.
A heart already stained pitch-black by dark magic produced black blood.
I infused my power into the black blood, and the magic that had been rolling about and gradually growing in my hand soon became a massive sphere.
I hurled the condensed magic into the empty air.
A crimson force began to undulate around the writhing magic. The red, growing without restraint, engulfed the pitch-black sphere of power.
“Beautiful, no matter how many times I witness it.”
I murmured in an elegant tone, quietly observing the magic.
Beautiful yet simultaneously filthy and corrupted power.
Yet it was everything to me.
‘No one can ever take this power from me.’
Then, I recalled a peculiar spell I had long contemplated.
A spell I had attempted continuously for 150 years, only to fail each time and abandon it.
A spell to inject corrupted magic into humans.
The human heart gradually becomes contaminated by the magic, slowly consumed, and eventually turns pitch-black.
Once blackened, the heart becomes a puppet that obeys only the one who corrupted it.
The hollow husk of a body becomes a vessel to contain the corrupted magic, allowing me to extract power whenever I wish.
Like a lunch box.
However, the act of staining a human with magic is an extremely difficult dark spell—one I have never successfully performed.
Despite countless attempts, the fragile human body shattered and crumbled the moment it absorbed even a little corruption.
I recalled the last experimental subject I had used.
That girl was living on borrowed time, afflicted with an incurable disease.
The young girl who had come seeking Ophelia’s healing seemed to regain her vitality after I first infused her with magical power.
But her fragile body could not withstand the corrupted mana.
“S-Saint Ophelia. Something is wrong with my body. I’m developing cracks in my skin, and it keeps itching….”
“Endure it. That’s how you become stronger.”
“Really?”
“This is all part of the process of growing stronger.”
“…Ugh, ugh. Aaaahhhhh!”
The girl died with her body torn to shreds.
It was pathetic.
To think she couldn’t even withstand such mana and perished.
Had she survived, she would have become my loyal servant and lived much longer.
After that, I abandoned this experiment. The efficiency fell short in every way compared to the mana I had to expend. Instead, I chose to create Demon Beasts.
The Demon Beasts born from the dregs of corrupted mana obeyed my power absolutely.
But this time, I had no choice.
If Blake dares to gather those who oppose the prophecy and threaten me, shouldn’t I create my own puppets to stand against him?
Knock, knock—
A Priest called for me as the time for worship drew near.
“Saint Ophelia. It is almost time for worship.”
One of my many loyal Priests.
My eyes settled calmly.
“Would you come in for a moment?”
At my gentle call, the Priest hesitated before slipping through the open door. I curled my lips into a smile to reassure him.
The Priest, momentarily entranced by my beautiful smile, hastily lowered his head.
“I-I apologize. What did you wish to speak with me about?”
“Priest. How long has it been since you came to my Temple?”
“It has been five years now.”
“Have you ever thought about becoming stronger?”
Stronger?
It was an unfamiliar word for a Priest who served God. Peace and love would have been more fitting.
The Priest’s eyes rolled earnestly as he tried to comprehend the meaning.
“I’m not entirely sure what you mean. I do wish to serve God better and become a messenger of God like you, Saint Ophelia.”
“…I see.”
It wasn’t the answer I wanted. But I didn’t mind much and waved my hand.
Closing the door and stepping closer to the Priest, I breathed slowly.
At the sudden closeness, the Priest trembled.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m helping you hear God’s voice more clearly.”
“I-It is an honor.”
“Close your eyes.”
I bit my finger with a crack. Black blood began to flow from the torn wound.
The Priest, eyes closed, was about to open them as the metallic scent of blood brushed past his nose.
“Don’t open your eyes.”
Ophelia was faster.
She infused her mana into the flowing blood.
Grasping the condensed, pitch-black mana in her hand, she immediately raised it above the Priest’s heart.
The mana swirled violently, sucking itself into the Priest’s heart.
“…Kugh!”
Gazing down at the Priest’s crown as he collapsed to the ground, Ophelia exhaled a breath that was neither sigh nor laughter.
“I wonder how this will turn out.”
Truly, I’m worried.
“I hope I didn’t waste my mana.”

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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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