Chapter 5
The deep fatigue and listlessness born from sleepless nights.
Those feelings had turned him—already a man of few words and little expression—into someone utterly indifferent to the world.
To the point that even attending the birthday banquet of one of his only two friends, Leah Everett, felt like a nuisance.
There was no particular reason he wanted to go home.
It hadn’t been long since he had returned from the war against the demonic beasts, and his body felt as heavy as lead.
Besides, throughout the entire campaign, he had barely slept.
A mere thirty minutes.
If someone had survived for over six months on nothing more than brief naps where they barely closed their eyes, surely people would understand.
At least, that’s what he thought.
Unable to achieve deep sleep, it had become normal for him to feel dazed and dizzy at all times.
To Blake, whom I miss dearly.
Blake, have you been doing well? How is it over there? I heard you’ll be returning soon. Don’t you think it’s time for you to rest as well? At this rate, you’re going to collapse.
…(omitted)…
Oh, and I’m planning to hold a birthday banquet. Since it’s been so long, I’d really love to see you there. I know you’ll be tired, but if you have time after your return, would you come?
I miss the way things used to be.
– Your eternal partner-in-crime, Leah Everett.
If not for that heartfelt letter from his friend Leah, he probably wouldn’t have left the estate at all.
To be honest, he had only planned to show his face briefly before returning home.
And if not for his aide insisting that bringing a gift was necessary to preserve the dignity of the ducal family, he wouldn’t have bothered with that either.
Then, by chance, while leaving the estate, he encountered an old peddler woman who strongly recommended a teddy bear.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t a bad choice.
“Young man! Don’t you need this teddy bear?”
“…No.”
“Such a prickly fellow. Trust me, you need it! This teddy bear can change your world.”
“You have no shame, old lady. Just look at the condition it’s in.”
“Ahem, hahaha. W-Well, yes! But this isn’t an ordinary teddy bear. Sometimes you need to look beyond appearances. What’s important is what’s inside.”
“…Inside?”
That was how he had impulsively bought the bear.
Of course, he had hesitated a little.
Even he knew it was rather far from being a normal gift.
But beneath the blazing spring afternoon sun, tempted by the efficiency of not having to spend any more time shopping and overwhelmed by exhaustion, he handed over the money without further thought.
“I’ll take it.”
And now, while trying to give away that teddy bear, he had been dragged onto the terrace by Rain.
His plan had been simple: hand over the bear and escape this chaotic banquet as quickly as possible.
Yet—
“Hello, my savior!”
The teddy bear was waving cheerfully and bouncing up and down.
…What exactly was that?
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Was it some creation of the mad magicians of the Kasdonia Empire?
Or perhaps one of those moving dolls that toy shops were supposedly selling these days?
Had that junk-dealer granny sold him a magical artifact?
Or maybe…
A demonic beast?
His sword flashed instinctively beneath the moonlight.
“What are you?”
“Vivian. I’m Vivian Holloway!”
The teddy bear introducing itself as Vivian looked incredibly excited.
Perhaps it was his imagination, but its cheeks even seemed slightly flushed.
Still, a cute appearance wasn’t enough to lower his guard.
“Are you some wicked creation of magicians? Or a demonic beast?”
At the word demonic beast, focus returned to Rain’s emerald eyes, which had been frozen in shock.
Drawing his own sword instantly, Rain radiated an aura that suggested he might cut the teddy bear down at any moment.
“I’ll sever its head immediately, Commander.”
“I’m not a demonic beast! I don’t even have any magic power. That’s so unfair!”
The bear protested indignantly before suddenly holding up a round paw.
“Wait! Maybe if I show you something you’ll believe me. No, wait… with the amount of magic power I have left, that’s impossible. Ugh, what should I show you?”
It bustled about frantically, scribbling on the ground, pressing a paw against its forehead, and generally making a fuss.
“…What is it doing?”
“No idea.”
For perhaps the first time in a while, Blake was genuinely confused.
“I don’t think it’s a demonic beast…”
“Agreed. Demonic beasts don’t possess intelligence. Whatever that thing is, it clearly has a mind.”
“Then what is that teddy bear?”
At last, having seemingly reached a decision, the bear’s round eyes curved into crescents.
“Alright, I’ve decided! Let me introduce myself properly. I am Vivian Holloway, the Great Witch of the West from the world of witches!”
The moment she finished speaking, she thrust her stubby arm toward the sky.
“Fireworks!”
Pop! Pop!
A tiny, pitiful firework burst above her little paw, scattering colorful sparks.
Calling it a firework was almost embarrassing, given how small it was.
“……”
“Wow.”
“Hehe.”
Apparently pleased by Rain’s little gasp of admiration, the teddy bear crossed its arms and nodded proudly.
“Now do you believe me? I told you I’m a witch! I’m just trapped inside this teddy bear because I’ve lost most of my power.”
The bear drooped sadly.
“I used up almost all my remaining power on that firework. Please believe me.”
Rain was already looking at it with fascinated eyes.
Blake, however, remained unconvinced.
His sword stayed pointed at the bear.
“A witch? That’s nonsense. Witches disappeared centuries ago. Are you some insane magician?”
“A magician? Those people who borrow mana? We’re completely different! I draw out my own magical power!”
Shaking her head, the bear paused to think before holding up a paw again.
“Wait a second. Just wait.”
“Why should I?”
“Good things come to those who wait.”
The shameless reply made Blake blink in disbelief.
He wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep.
And yet, somehow, he found himself waiting for the teddy bear.
With lips pressed tightly together, Vivian rolled her eyes around before finally slamming a paw into her palm.
“Ah! That’s right. I can put you to sleep. Can magicians do that?”
“…You can do what?”
The shadows beneath Blake’s eyes seemed to darken.
“Oof. That’s a forbidden phrase.”
Beside him, Rain muttered under his breath and began fidgeting nervously.
I can put you to sleep.
That was definitely something magicians couldn’t do.
They could create magical artifacts using incomprehensible formulas and calculations.
They could manipulate fire and water.
They could cast defensive spells.
But they couldn’t make him sleep.
No magic and no medicine had ever succeeded in putting him to sleep.
And now this thing claimed it could?
A faint, mocking smile curled Blake’s lips.
At last, he lowered his sword.
“And how exactly do you plan on putting me to sleep? By hugging me and patting my head? Singing me a lullaby?”
“Hmm. Is that what you want? But that’s not why you can’t sleep, is it?”
The ridicule vanished from Blake’s gaze.
In an instant, his eyes became sharp enough to slit throats.
“You know about my curse?”
Vivian flinched.
Avoiding his gaze, she answered as casually as possible.
“Witches know everything. And I’m Vivian, the Great Witch of the West. I can help you.”
“…”
“But you have to help me too. I need you. Together, we’ll be unstoppable.”
A scammer.
Or a trap sent by someone targeting me.
That was Blake’s assessment so far.
First, the bear had used fireworks to grab attention.
Then it relied on its harmless and adorable appearance to gain favor.
And finally, it offered something impossible to refuse.
A suspicious teddy bear that suddenly produced fireworks, claimed it could break his curse, and introduced itself as a witch.
“Commander, no matter how I look at it, that doll is incredibly suspicious. Wouldn’t it be best to dispose of it right now?”
Rain was right.
By every measure, the whole situation was absurd and suspicious.
Yet Blake couldn’t get the junk dealer’s words out of his head.
“This teddy bear can change your world. Sometimes you need to look beyond appearances. What’s important is what’s inside.”
“If someone else comes onto the terrace, things could get troublesome. I’ll just cut it down imme—”
Rain never finished his sentence.
“Fine.”
“An excellent decision, sir. Then I’ll dispose of that strange teddy bear immed—”
“No. Fine. I’ll take it with me.”
“…What?”
“Huh?”
“Why are you the one who’s shocked? I’m agreeing to what you wanted.”
The teddy bear’s round, pea-like eyes blinked slowly.
Once.
Twice.
