A deep sense of lethargy and exhaustion from being unable to sleep.
Those feelings turned him—who had been quiet and taciturn by nature—into someone completely indifferent to the world.
To the point that even attending the birthday banquet of one of his only two friends, Lea Everett, felt like a nuisance.
There wasn’t any particular reason for wanting to go home.
It hadn’t been long since he returned after ending the war against the demonic beasts, and his body felt unbearably heavy.
On top of that, he hadn’t been able to sleep properly throughout the entire war.
A mere thirty minutes.
If someone lived for over six months on nothing but short naps—barely enough to close and open their eyes—surely people would understand.
At least, that’s what he thought.
Because he couldn’t fall into deep sleep, his mind was always hazy and dizzy—it had become his normal state.
To Blake, whom I miss.
Blake, are you doing well? How is it over there? I heard you’ll be returning soon—shouldn’t you get some rest too? At this rate, you’re going to collapse.
…(omitted)…
Oh, and I’m planning to hold a birthday banquet. It’s been a while, so I’d really like to see you. I know you’ll be tired, but if you have time after returning, could you come?
I miss how we used to be.
—Your eternal partner, Lea Everett.
If it hadn’t been for that earnest letter from his dear friend Lea, he probably wouldn’t have stepped outside the estate at all.
To be honest, even then he had only planned to show his face briefly and leave.
That is, unless his aide hadn’t insisted that preparing a gift was necessary to avoid disgracing the ducal house.
And as it happened, the teddy bear strongly recommended by the peddler granny he encountered on his way out of the estate turned out to be quite a decent choice.
“Hey, young man! Don’t you need this teddy bear?”
“…I don’t.”
“What a prickly young man. You will need it! This teddy bear can change your world.”
“You’ve got no shame, granny. Just look at the condition of it.”
“Ahem, ahaha. W-well, yes! But this teddy bear is no ordinary item. Sometimes, you need to look beyond appearances. It’s the heart that matters.”
“…The heart?”
That was how he ended up impulsively buying the teddy bear.
Of course, he hesitated a little.
He knew it was quite far from being a typical gift.
But under the hot midday spring sun, weighed down by fatigue and the efficient conclusion that he didn’t want to spend more time on a gift, he handed over the money without further thought.
“I’ll take this.”
And so, he came to the terrace—having been stopped by Rain while trying to give the teddy bear.
His plan had simply been to hand it over without issue and quickly leave this chaotic banquet hall.
“Hello, my savior!”
The teddy bear, hopping around and waving cheerfully…
What on earth was that?
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Was it something made by the mad mages of the Kasdonia Empire?
Or one of those moving dolls that were supposedly trending in toy shops these days?
Did that junk dealer granny sell him a magical item?
Or…
‘A demonic beast?’
The sword he drew instinctively gleamed coldly under the moonlight.
“What are you?”
“Vivian. My name is Vivian Holloway!”
The teddy bear introducing itself as Vivian looked extremely excited.
Was it just his imagination, or were its cheeks slightly flushed?
But no matter how cute it looked, he couldn’t let his guard down.
“Is it some sinister object made by mages? Or a demonic beast?”
At Blake’s mention of a demonic beast, Rain—who had been frozen stiff beside him—finally regained focus in his green eyes.
He drew his sword just as quickly, radiating killing intent as if he might cut the teddy bear down at any moment.
“I will behead it immediately, Commander.”
“I’m not a demonic beast! I don’t even have any mana right now—this is too much!”
The teddy bear protested indignantly, then suddenly held up its round paw as if telling them to wait.
It began fidgeting—scribbling something on the floor, grabbing its head, bustling about.
“Will they believe me if I show this? No… but I don’t have enough mana charged for that. Haah, what should I show them?”
It looked deep in thought, moving its tiny paws busily.
“…What is it doing?”
“I have no idea.”
Blake stared at the bear in confusion.
“It doesn’t seem like a demonic beast, does it?”
“Right. Demonic beasts don’t have intelligence. That clearly does.”
“Then what is it?”
As if reaching a decision, the bear’s round eyes curved into crescents.
“Alright, I’ve decided! I’ll introduce myself properly. I am Vivian Holloway, the great witch of the West from the world of witches!”
As soon as it finished speaking, the teddy bear raised its short, chubby arms high.
“Fireworks!”
With a pop-pop, tiny, pitiful fireworks burst into light above its small paw.
Of course, the light was so faint it was embarrassing to even call them fireworks.
“……”
“Wow.”
“Hehe.”
Seemingly pleased by Rain’s small exclamation, the bear crossed its arms and nodded.
“Now you believe me, right? I’m a witch! I’ve just lost most of my power right now, so I’m stuck inside this teddy bear.”
“That firework earlier used up all the little power I had left. Please believe me,” it added, drooping its eyes.
Rain now looked at the teddy bear with fascination.
But Blake did not.
He still kept his sword trained on it, eyes full of suspicion.
“A witch? That’s nonsense. Witches disappeared hundreds of years ago. Are you some mad mage?”
“Mage? Those people who borrow mana? I’m completely different from them! I draw out my own magic power!”
The bear shook its head, then paused as if thinking again before holding out its paw.
“Wait a second. Just wait.”
“Why should I?”
“Good things come to those who wait.”
At the shameless reply, he blinked slowly in disbelief.
He wanted nothing more than to go home and rest.
Yet somehow, at that brazen gesture, Blake found himself waiting.
The teddy bear rolled its eyes around before suddenly striking its palm with its fist.
“Ah! Right. I can make you sleep. Can mages do that?”
“…What did you say?”
Blake’s dark circles seemed to deepen.
“Ah… that’s a forbidden phrase.”
Rain muttered nervously beside him, fidgeting.
‘Make me sleep.’
It was true—mages couldn’t do that.
They created magical items or conjured fire, water, and defensive spells using incomprehensible formulas and calculations—but they couldn’t make him sleep.
No magic, no medicine had ever been able to.
And yet, what?
A faint smirk curled at his lips as he sheathed his sword.
“How exactly would you make me sleep? By patting me and holding me? Or singing a lullaby?”
“Hm, is that what you want? But the reason you can’t sleep isn’t because there’s no one to hold you.”
The mocking look in his eyes instantly turned sharp enough to cut a throat.
“You know about my curse?”
The bear flinched, then deliberately looked away and replied casually.
“A witch knows everything. And I’m Vivian, the great witch of the West. I can help you.”
“……”
“But in return, you have to help me too. I need you. If we’re together, we’ll be invincible.”
A scammer. Or a trap sent by someone targeting him.
That was Blake’s overall assessment of Vivian.
First, it distracted him with sudden fireworks.
Then, it used its harmless, cute appearance to gain favor.
And finally, it offered something impossible to refuse.
A suspicious teddy bear that popped fireworks out of nowhere and claimed to be a witch who could lift his curse.
“Commander, no matter how I look at it, that doll is extremely suspicious. Shouldn’t we just deal with it right here?”
Yes—it was suspicious no matter how you looked at it.
But for some reason, the junk dealer granny’s words lingered in Blake’s ears.
“This teddy bear can change your world. Sometimes, you need to look beyond appearances. It’s the heart that matters.”
“If someone comes onto the terrace, this could escalate. I’ll cut it down right now—”
Rain’s whisper trailed off.
“Alright.”
“An excellent decision. Then I’ll immediately dispose of that strange teddy bea—”
“No. Alright. I’ll take it with me.”
“…What?”
“Huh?”
“Why are you surprised? I said I’d do what you wanted.”
The round, pea-like eyes blinked slowly in disbelief.