The Teddy Bear Sends the Insomniac Villain to Dreamland - Chapter 84

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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 84
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The morning sun was scorching.
The sun had risen again over the Eastern Region.
“How many days has it been now?”
Sunlight poured through the gaps in the sky between the dense, towering trees of the forest.
Blake Leblanc blinked his weary, parched eyes as he gazed upward at the heavens.
The sky was brilliantly clear, indifferent to all else.
Five days in the Eastern Region.
That meant the same amount of time had passed since I departed from the Leblanc Mansion.
Blake Leblanc slowly rose from where he had been leaning against a tree.
“Where are you going?”
Rein, barely managing to keep his half-closed eyes open, sensed the movement and immediately asked.
“Reconnaissance.”
“I’ll come with you.”
Rein struggled to keep his eyelids from drooping as he attempted to stand, insisting he would accompany me.
But Blake Leblanc was faster. He shook his head firmly.
“It’s just a simple patrol. Don’t follow me. You need to rest.”
This was a brief respite they had finally found after spending the entire night in battle against the Demon Beasts, only to rest once the sun had risen.
Blake Leblanc, knowing full well how exhausted Rein must be from cutting down the endless tide of Demon Beasts, stopped him from coming along.
Rein, unable to refuse, sat back down. And no wonder—despite his pride in his steel-like constitution, even he was aching all over from wielding his sword in constant combat.
Rein laughed sheepishly and bowed his head in gratitude.
“Thank you.”
“Call me if you see any Demon Beasts.”
“You absolutely must call for me. You cannot handle them alone and return.”
“I understand, now rest.”
“Yes, sir.”
With that, Blake Leblanc quietly slipped away from the camp, leaving Rein to fall soundly asleep once more.
The forest carried a peculiar scent—a mixture of the metallic stench of blood and the fresh aroma of grass.
Last night, the battle against the Demon Beasts had been fierce.
I had anticipated Demon Beasts would appear in the Eastern Region, but I never expected so many to emerge.
‘It’s certainly different from the number of Demon Beasts that appeared in the Capital.’
The battle I had engaged in by blocking the Demon Beasts’ path as they moved toward the town had resulted in heavier casualties than expected.
A considerable number were injured, and the wounded continued to accumulate.
The only saving grace was that no one had suffered a fatal wound thus far.
The Temple had issued no prophecy yet.
Contrary to what I had expected—that Ophelia would soon issue a prophecy demanding sacrifices for the Demon Beasts and drag children away as offerings—she remained silent.
“…I wonder what scheme she’s plotting.”
This time, I intended to identify the common thread among those who would become sacrificial victims and track them down.
Of course, tracking would be far from easy.
The way Demon Beasts disappeared was peculiar.
They burst through magic circles that might have been activated from anywhere, and afterward, when sacrifices were offered, they would vanish beyond the magic circle with their captives.
I had once thrown myself after the magic circle as it disappeared with its sacrifices, but the circle had expelled all humans who tried to follow.
Only Demon Beasts.
It was a magic circle that allowed only Demon Beasts, humans caught in their grasp, and those they carried to pass through.
I was curious where they vanished to, but no one was mad enough to allow themselves to be caught by a Demon Beast just to find out.
Even Blake Leblanc wouldn’t commit such a reckless act.
He believed that staying alive meant another opportunity would come.
And now, finally, a chance had emerged to follow the Demon Beasts’ trail.
The heart-eating Demon Beast.
It seemed deeply connected to the cause of the Demon Beasts’ outbreak.
According to Vivian’s explanation, that Demon Beast had also vanished through a magic circle.
But where was the heart-eating Demon Beast?
I hadn’t encountered it even once during yesterday’s entire battle. Would it appear among today’s Demon Beasts?
‘If the heart-eating Demon Beast appears, capture it alive—don’t kill it.’
‘Yes, understood! But… Commander.’
‘What is it.’
‘How can we tell if a Demon Beast eats hearts or not? We’d only know if someone gets captured, wouldn’t we?’
Rein was right.
To let a Demon Beast eat a heart, I’d either have to let it devour a corpse’s heart or wait until someone was captured and the moment before their heart was extracted.
How could I possibly time that?
My thoughts grew heavier.
During my reconnaissance and walk through the forest, the woods remained silent the entire time.
As I wandered through that quietness and returned to the camp, I found myself thinking of Vivian.
If I were with her and that small bear doll, she wouldn’t be able to bear this silence and would chatter away noisily.
Every day she would grab me and check if I had any injuries.
When night came, she would insist I sleep, gripping my hand tightly and refusing to leave my side.
“…There’s no way to contact her, so my heart burns with worry.”
Not sleeping, fighting Demon Beasts all through the dawn covered in blood—none of that was difficult.
It was bearable, something my body had grown accustomed to.
But Vivian’s absence was something I couldn’t grow used to.
How long had I even known her, anyway?
I found myself absurd, yet strangely fascinated by my own feelings.
‘I wonder if she’s doing well.’
I’d heard that the Mages were watching for an opportunity to make their move, which made me even more anxious.
I’d given Ronald and Nix clear instructions, so the Mages wouldn’t dare set foot in the mansion.
‘Why can’t I trust them?’
Both Ronald and Nix seemed loyal to me, but when it came to Vivian, they showed such ridiculous behavior, completely won over.
Nix was one thing, but even Ronald had started acting that way lately, which was infuriating.
Still, surely they wouldn’t have shown Vivian to the Mages.
‘Sigh… I should have just brought her along.’
Thinking of Vivian, I realized I’d already completed a full circuit of the reconnaissance perimeter. Fortunately, no Demon Beasts had appeared throughout the entire patrol. I returned to the camp with measured steps.
That was when Rein rushed toward Blake the moment he spotted him.
“Commander! One of the Cartel operatives stationed near the town just contacted us. We’ve received word from the neighboring villages—Ophelia is heading toward the Eastern Region.”
“Ophelia herself is coming personally? Not just a prophecy?”
It was unexpected news. Why would Ophelia venture all the way to the Eastern Region?
“Yes. There was no prophecy involved. We’re told that Ophelia is coming to the Eastern Region directly, accompanied by Priests from the Temple.”
“What’s her purpose?”
“That’s…”
Rein recalled the absurd news he’d heard moments ago and ran his hands through his hair in frustration.
“She claims to have discovered a method to completely annihilate the Demon Beasts. She’s saying that the Divine has granted the Priests the power to punish them.”
“What?”
A method to completely annihilate them?
Blake couldn’t suppress the bitter laugh that escaped him.
The timing couldn’t be more absurd.
“Just when I thought we were finally grasping the Demon Beast’s tail, she announces a complete method of annihilation.”
This was precisely when I’d been considering that Ophelia had deep connections to the Demon Beasts.
So why would she come forward claiming to have found a way to completely erase them from this world?
“I don’t understand her intentions. Could our assumption that Ophelia is connected to the Demon Beasts be completely wrong?”
“…No, that can’t be it.”
Ophelia and the Demon Beasts.
These two entities were undoubtedly entangled in some way.
“Rein. When will Ophelia arrive in the Eastern Region?”
“At the earliest, today. At the latest, tomorrow morning.”
“Before then, we find the Demon Beast that devours hearts as quickly as possible.”
“Huh? B-but… how do we find it? We don’t even know where that Demon Beast is, and as I mentioned before, I can’t serve as bait…”
“I’ll be the bait.”
Rein’s eyes widened.
“That’s absolutely not acceptable, Commander.”
Soon after, he shook his head firmly, declaring it impossible.
“If you serve as bait, Commander, who will capture that Demon Beast? This is absolutely, absolutely unacceptable.”
“I need to confirm it. Why that Demon Beast consumed human hearts. Only then can I uncover the reason the Demon Beast appeared in the first place. I have a strong premonition about this.”
Rein trusted Blake’s premonitions.
Everything he said was correct, and even if it weren’t, he was prepared to lay down his life for him.
After a moment of hesitation, Rein steadied his breathing and spoke with a firm voice.
“Then I’ll do it.”
“What?”
“If that Demon Beast appears, I’ll throw myself into the fray before Ophelia annihilates it. I’ll offer my heart.”
It’s just a heart anyway—I have no destined recipient for it, so I might as well offer it this time.
Blake didn’t laugh at the casual words.
“Stop spouting nonsense, Rein.”
Blake spun around sharply, declaring that the operation was complete and they would move back toward the town.
Rein followed silently in Blake’s wake as a peculiarly cool summer breeze swept across them.
The unit Blake commanded departed, leaving behind the rustling sound of forest trees swaying as if dancing.
Their plan was to rendezvous with the Cartel operatives stationed in the town where the Demon Beasts had appeared yesterday.
It would be the site of their final battle before Ophelia arrived in the Eastern Region.

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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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