Weiss And Leopin (16)

Time went back a little.

Weiss and Leopin were wrapped in the new teacher’s cloak, inside the darkness.

From outside, the bandits’ angry roars and earthquake-like impacts from their kicks continued without stopping.

The two painfully understood that those things should originally have been directed at them.

“He’s a teacher whose face and name we didn’t even know, and since he was Vice Principal Mothers’s son, I was sure he would be an unpleasant teacher…”

“We misunderstood Teacher! We have to save him somehow!”

Leopin twisted his body with brute force, somehow trying to loosen the rope binding his body.

However, with a child’s strength, there was no way he could escape from the restraints of adults, and wicked men who were experts at tying up other people at that.

“Damn… it’s no good at all…!”

“All right, leave it to me.”

Weiss, who was in front of him, said that and reached his hands around Leopin’s back.

“Huh… eeeeeeeeeehーーーーー!?!?”

Leopin nearly screamed without thinking, and his mouth was covered.

“Shh, be quiet! If you make a fuss, they’ll notice.”

After Weiss scolded him, Leopin lowered his voice and asked.

“H-how did you slip out of the rope? No matter how much I try, it won’t budge.”

“When I was tied up, I made space behind my back. That creates a gap between both arms, so it becomes easier to loosen the rope.”

“Wh-where did you learn something like that…?”

“It was written in a book at the library.”

As Weiss said that, he loosened Leopin’s rope partway.

Then he took out a cloth from his pocket.

“That is… the Evil Remains Cloth?”

“Yes. When we began searching for Kanoko-san, I started carrying it around in case of emergencies. Listen, Leopin. I will put this over myself and vanish.”

Until now, this pair had made various plans whenever they pulled pranks.

From Weiss’s tone, Leopin realized it was an explanation of the plan, and he obediently nodded back with a “Yeah.”

“When Teacher on top of us is gone, the bandits will make a fuss, saying that I disappeared. I will not actually have disappeared; I will still remain there. Also, even if I vanish from sight, my shape will still remain.”

“So if they touch you, they’ll find out.”

“Yes. Also, we are surrounded by bandits, so it will be difficult to escape without being found out. That is why, Leopin, you will act as the decoy. While the bandits are surprised, run toward the outside of the barn.”

“Then the bandits will chase after me, so Weiss will be free.”

“Exactly. During that opening, I will get up, save Kanoko-san while still invisible, and recover the foot-pedal cart. Until then, Leopin, somehow make it outside the barn. After that, if we meet up with the foot-pedal cart…”

“We can escape just like that! But…”

“What is it?”

“That Evil Remains Cloth will turn into ordinary cloth if you use it one more time, won’t it?”

“Yes, it probably will.”

“Is that okay? Won’t your old man get furious at you?”

At Leopin’s words, Weiss’s father’s face crossed Weiss’s mind.

His expression clouded for an instant, but he immediately regained his usual fearlessness.

“Do not make me say it again. Once I become the heir, this cloth will become mine too. Besides, my life is in danger this time as well. Father will forgive me.”

And then, a few minutes later.

Weiss grimaced as he imagined his father’s face after learning that the Evil Remains Cloth had become ordinary cloth.

However, that was immediately interrupted.

“Looks like Leopin isn’t the only one playing hero!”

The bandits came noisily out of the barn and surrounded Weiss in the forest clearing.

“This one’s seriously weird too! Sacrificing himself to let a commoner brat and a Saint escape!”

“Normally, it’d be the other way around! You’d abandon the commoner brat and get cozy with the Saint!”

“Well, either way, the result’s the same! Both you and the commoner brat are getting caught and killed!”

“Hey, bring out the horses! Chase after those brats! With horses, we should catch up before they reach town!”

Just as one of the underlings tried to mount a horse, a cold voice stopped him.

“It seems you do not value your life.”

Weiss pierced the bandits with his fearless upward gaze.

The bandits stared blankly for a moment, then let out that vulgar laughter again.

“Gyahahahaha! Did you hear that just now!? He said, ‘It seems you do not value your life’!”

“That’s our line! Don’t tell me you think we’d get scared by something like that!”

“Looks like fear has driven him crazy. Gyahahahaha!”

Without minding their mockery, Weiss looked around at the bandits with an expression as though he pitied them.

“Hmph. This is why base people are troublesome. If I felt like it, burying all of you would be simple. Have you forgotten why the hostage you were supposed to have captured is standing here?”

His tone was so full of confidence that the bandits’ laughter began to quiet down.

“Ha ha… ha… N-now that you mention it, this guy did disappear…!”

“He disappeared, then teleported and saved the Saint…!”

“That was magic! He said he was a Sage, after all!”

“Th-that’s it! That’s why he said he’d stay here alone!”

“If this brat gets serious, then even against this many people, he could easily…!?”

The bandits trembled in fear and backed away.

Weiss’s expression was cool, but inside, he was hot.

—Good…! Just one more push…!

If I push a little more, they should misunderstand and think I can use magic, then run away…!

However, as though mocking that thought, a laugh rained down on him.

“Gahahahaha! That’s a bluff!”

When the underlings turned around, they saw the leader, who had just come out of the barn.

“Think carefully! It might be true that he disappeared, but why would he do something so roundabout!? If he could bury us easily, killing us would have been quicker!”

—He saw through it…!

Weiss ground his teeth in secret.

However, he did not show it on his face and continued the negotiation.

“Then I shall turn you into cinders first.”

“Oh, is that so! When I worked as a gardener, I saw plenty of guests at the mansion! There were magicians among them too, and sometimes they showed off magic in the garden! The more powerful the magic, the longer the chant it requires! Even if you can use magic, all we have to do is pin you down before you finish chanting!”

The leader provocatively raised his thumb, then jerked it downward, saying, “Then you’re finished!”

He cut off Weiss before he could answer and one-sidedly rattled on.

“Or are you saying you can use high-speed chanting!? Are you saying you can use a skill that only a handful of high-ranking magicians have!? Then let’s see it!”

The leader jabbed his chest with the thumb he had raised.

“Come on, try it! That magic that turns me into cinders or whatever! You can’t do it anyway! Gahahahaha!”