Chapter 4
What am I supposed to do now?
The reality that I had fallen overnight from being the Witch of the West to a stuffed teddy bear was overwhelming.
I had to find a way.
A way to escape this ridiculous teddy bear body and return home.
But how?
No matter how hard I racked my brain, I couldn’t think of any solution.
There wasn’t a single person who knew my true identity, nor anyone who could save me.
Unaware of my panic, Blake suddenly snatched the teddy bear in Rain’s hand—no, me.
Under the pale glow of the moonlight,
the image of the man in a gray vest seemed to enter my vision in slow motion.
And then, in that instant—
Huh?
I felt a thrilling surge of magic filling my entire body.
It was like someone pouring spring water into an empty vessel.
This feeling!
It was definitely mana.
Without question, it was mana.
But how could my mana be replenishing?
It only lasted a moment, but the sensation of mana returning was unmistakably vivid.
Feeling the tingling pathways of magic within me, my eyes rolled slightly.
It wasn’t enough to fully restore my power yet, but—
It’s definitely mana replenishment.
I could clearly feel mana slowly flowing into me from the person holding me by the legs.
Huh? I can move my limbs a little now, too?
Meanwhile, the two men, completely unaware that the confused teddy bear (me) was desperately rolling her eyes, were engaged in a heated discussion.
“…Sometimes you act as if you have two lives to spare. My patience isn’t that great. You know that, don’t you?”
There was a faint irritation hidden beneath his slow speech.
Sensing it, Rain took a cautious step back and spoke in a smaller voice.
“B-But that gift is really inappropriate.”
“Is this gift really that bad?”
“It’s just too different from ordinary gifts! If you want to make a good impression on Lady Everett, another gift would be much better.”
The answer was so firm that Blake was left speechless.
He glared at Rain for a moment before letting out a deep sigh.
“I never intended to do something this pointless in the first place. Besides, why should I be trying to impress Lea Everett?”
His indifferent tone was so cold that it almost sent chills down my spine.
Rain fell silent.
A pointless thing.
That calm attitude as if nothing in the world mattered.
That old-man-like way of speaking as though dying tomorrow wouldn’t bother him.
What the heck?
Even I, who had been completely focused on replenishing my mana, couldn’t help but stare.
Blake, that guy…
He’s the type who accumulates all his bad karma through his mouth alone.
“Deal with this yourself.”
In the icy atmosphere, he casually tossed me back to Rain.
The moment I landed in Rain’s arms, the flow of mana instantly stopped.
Huh?
As soon as Blake got farther away, the mana stopped flowing!
It felt like having a fine wine snatched away right as I was savoring it.
I checked my mana channels again.
Sure enough, the mana I had felt earlier was completely gone.
Could it really be a coincidence?
Or…
Does that man have some kind of mana-supplying ability?
Nah, impossible.
Even I nearly laughed at my own ridiculous imagination.
A mana replenishment ability.
It was something I had only ever heard about in legends among the other races.
They said that once every few hundred years, a human would occasionally be born with the innate ability to supply mana to others.
Honestly, I had never believed it was real.
I had lived my entire life as a witch and had never seen such a person.
But my mana definitely replenished just now.
If he truly possessed such an ability, he would be an absurdly precious resource to beings like witches and dragons, whose lives depended on mana.
“Understood. Then I’ll have one of the servants dispose of this somehow. Should I send a knight to a jeweler and prepare another gift instead?”
So if Blake really was a mana replenisher—
“Do whatever you want. I’m heading back to the LeBlanc estate. Deliver it yourself.”
“What? You’re leaving without even meeting Lady Everett? Prince Ian is supposed to arrive soon—”
“That’s exactly why I’m leaving. If Ian shows up, those idiots over there will start spouting nonsense again.”
As Blake coldly turned away, my gaze fixed on his fingertips.
Then suddenly, alarm bells rang in my head.
I need to follow Blake!
Really, just maybe—
I knew it was an absurd possibility.
But if he truly was a mana replenisher…
Blake might be the only person who can get me out of this miserable situation.
I needed Blake.
More than anyone.
And before I realized it, I shouted desperately.
“Don’t go, Blake!”
His name escaped my lips.
“…?”
“Rain.”
The terrace fell silent.
Blake slowly turned around.
“Have you finally lost your mind? You’ve been speaking casually to me all evening—”
“It wasn’t me! Why do you keep blaming me?! I didn’t say anything!”
“Then who did?”
He raised an eyebrow while scanning the terrace, where only the two of them stood.
“I don’t know either! But I heard it too. Wasn’t it a woman’s voice?”
“A woman’s voice?”
Rain looked offended that Blake hadn’t even noticed the difference.
At this point, he seemed genuinely frightened.
Apparently neither of them even considered the possibility that I had spoken.
Hmm.
Why not?
Was my voice too quiet?
Tilting my head, I took a deep breath.
Then I shouted at the top of my lungs.
“Blake LeBlanc! Over here! Over here!”
Both men flinched.
Their gazes slowly dropped toward the source of the sound.
Oh! They’re finally looking at me!
“Where did that voice come from…?”
Rain lifted my body and laughed loudly.
“Hahaha! I must be losing my mind. I swear I just heard this doll call the Commander’s full name.”
“Wait a minute, Rain. That teddy bear is moving.”
“As if a teddy bear could move—”
Then he spotted me blinking my little pea-green eyes.
“…”
“Hello?”
“AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”
Rain’s scream echoed through the terrace.
At the same time, Blake hurriedly drew the sword at his waist.
“Rain!”
“T-The bear! The teddy bear is talking! It greeted me!”
“Calm down.”
“AAAAAH! It’s a ghost!”
Pale as a sheet, Rain hurled me across the terrace.
Hey! Watch it!
I slammed into the wall with a thud.
The world spun around me.
Violent, aren’t we?
At least it got me out of his hands.
After regaining my balance, I staggered toward Blake.
The moment I stood before him, I became certain.
The powerful energy radiating from him was unmistakable.
Mana replenishment.
Blake LeBlanc was definitely a mana replenisher.
And an incredibly powerful one.
“H-Hey! Hey!”
Rain pointed at me in panic.
For the first time, Blake truly looked at the moving teddy bear.
His beautiful violet eyes widened slightly.
He froze as if he had just seen a ghost.
Looking at the greatest swordmaster in the Empire, I greeted him brightly.
“Hello, my savior!”
Blake LeBlanc.
The finest sword of the Kasdonia Empire.
The eldest heir of House LeBlanc and a man whose appearance attracted attention wherever he went.
He possessed every quality people envied.
Yet if one were to summarize his life in a single sentence, it would be this:
A nightmare experienced with open eyes.
Even though Blake LeBlanc was considered a genius among the prestigious LeBlanc ducal family—a family so renowned for its swordsmanship that even the Imperial Family treated them with caution—
people occasionally pitied him.
Because of the LeBlanc family’s Curse of Sleeplessness.
The Curse of Sleeplessness.
An ancient curse passed down through the LeBlanc bloodline.
And one of the greatest mysteries no one had ever solved.
Who had cursed them?
When?
And where?
No one knew.
Without knowing the cause, there was naturally no cure.
“The price of talent granted by a demon.”
Some people described the curse that way.
They claimed the LeBlanc family’s superhuman swordsmanship had been purchased by selling their souls to demons.
Swordsmanship beyond mortal limits.
Perpetually dark circles beneath sleepless eyes.
A blunt, irritable personality.
A family that rarely appeared in high society.
The LeBlancs were always surrounded by rumors.
“Did you hear? The LeBlanc family wiped out the McCain Cartel. People are saying they’re practically running it now.”
“The McCain Cartel? The mercenary organization that controlled the eastern region?”
“Exactly. Those bastards ruined one of my businesses before!”
“Be careful. I’ve heard there isn’t a single organization or cartel in the Empire untouched by the LeBlanc family’s influence. If you want to do business, you have to watch their reactions.”
“Ugh… and how exactly am I supposed to do that?”
Terrifying cartels and criminal organizations.
All of them were said to be under the LeBlanc family’s control.
Their eyes and ears were everywhere.
Anyone who crossed them vanished without a trace.
That was the rumor spread throughout the Empire.
Of course, every bit of it was true.
However, there was one thing people didn’t know…
The ruler of the underworld.
The man rumored to be violent because of his curse.
Blake LeBlanc was actually—
…Sleepy.
A man suffering from such extreme sleep deprivation that he lived in a constant state of exhaustion.
