Weiss And Leopin (18)

The bandits tied each other up and became linked together like a string of beads.

The leader was left for last, but Weiss decided to tie him up himself.

“You seem quite quick-witted for a base person. I can understand why you were never caught until now. As a special exception, I shall personally guide you to your end.”

“Ugh… Please be gentle, Lord Sage…”

The leader had completely become meek and held both hands out to Weiss.

Weiss looped the rope around both of his wrists, but in the next instant,

…Thud…!

an iron fist sank into Weiss’s cheek.

“Gwah!?”

That full-power blow sent Weiss’s body flying like a leaf.

The underlings were astonished. “Eeh!?”

“Boss!? How could you do that to Weiss-sama!?”

“If you do something like that, you’ll be turned to cinders!”

However, the leader had regained his original boldness.

“That flame just now was a bluff! This bastard tricked us!”

“Eeeeh!?” The underlings were shocked a second time.

The leader headed toward Weiss, who was crawling with a groan, and pinned him down from above.

“Wh… what are you doing!? I will really turn you into cinders!”

“Try it if you can, you damn fraud!”

The leader thrust his hand into Weiss’s pocket and took out two stones.

When he rubbed them together in his hand like walnuts…

…Boom!

a familiar flame surged up.

“This is it! This is the truth behind the fraud!”

Shock ran through the underlings.

“B-Boss, how did you figure it out!?”

“When this fraud was tying up my hands, I looked at his fingertips! Then I saw something like powder stuck to the index finger and thumb of his right hand! That’s when it hit me! Maybe this guy put something like gunpowder on his fingers!”

Yes, Weiss had once again been bluffing.

It was the flint Leopin had lent him when they made soup in the mansion’s kitchen.

After using it, Weiss had forgotten to return it and had put it into his pocket.

Using that item, he had staged chantless magic, and by using his position as a Sage, he had succeeded in making them believe he was a genius boy of magic, but…

One more step…!

At the very, very end, the tables had been turned on him…!

The underlings he had finally tied up were also freed, and Weiss was surrounded once again.

The men, who had turned into wild beasts, enjoyed human soccer with lanterns in hand.

“Heh…! Now that we know you’re a fraud, we’re not scared anymore!” Bash! “Ugh!”

“Come on, what’s wrong, Lord Sage!? Weren’t you going to turn us into cinders!?” Thud! “Guh!”

“You piece of crap! We’ll make sure you learn good and well what happens when you fool us!” Kick! “Agh!”

Kicked and tormented by all of them, Weiss curled up like a turtle.

The leader watched the scene, and once Weiss began letting out screams that sounded as though he were vomiting blood, he stopped his underlings with, “That’s enough!”

“If the brats who escaped have returned to town and reported this, the guards should come by dawn! We’re going to start preparing to clear out!”

“Huh? What are we doing with this brat? Surely we’re not just leaving him like this…”

The leader said, “As if,” shoved his underlings aside, and crouched beside the fallen Weiss.

He grabbed Weiss’s hair and forced him to face upward.

“Ugh…!”

“Heh, you’ve become a fine-looking man. Besides, you’re the first guy who’s ever cornered me this far. So I’ll let you choose.”

“Wh… what…?”

“Die here, or come with us… Choose whichever you like.”

The underlings doubted their ears. “Boss!?”

“You’re taking a brat like that with us!? It’s not like he’ll even sell for anything!”

“This one is several times smarter than you lot. And normally, when people deceive others, they feel guilty somewhere in their hearts, and that shows on their faces. But this one doesn’t think anything of deceiving people. He’s a natural-born fraud. Raise him, and he’ll become the finest villain.”

“But that won’t set an example!”

“Yeah. That’s why he won’t be one of us. We’ll keep him as a slave. We’ll tie him with a collar so he can’t run away, and make him do everything, from taking care of us to dirty work.”

“That’s great! Being able to make a Sage into a slave is the best, isn’t it!”

“As expected of you, Boss! You’re sharp as ever! We’ll follow you for life!”

The leader raised the corners of his mouth and said, “Right?” then asked Weiss again.

“Now then, Weiss, beg me to make you my slave, and lick my shoes.”

If he were the boy from several years later, faced with this much injustice, he would have immediately bawled his eyes out, licked the soles of the shoes, and begged for his life.

However, the boy now was not that fragile.

“D… don’t be ridiculous…! I… I am… a Sage…!”

“Is that so? Then… will you die?”

With the blade pressed against his neck, the boy became conscious of death for the first time.

Feeling the trembling through the blade, the leader became certain that Weiss would break with one more push, and cornered him further in an intimidating voice.

“Then first, apologize for defying us. And swear that you will never disobey us again, that you will become an absolutely obedient slave.”

The boy’s trembling grew so strong that it was plain to see even from the side.

From his moist eyes, tears mixed with blood spilled over.

Before long, he let out anguished sobs, as though his intestines were being dragged out while he was still alive…

“U… ugh…! Ughhh…! I… I’m sor…!”

The leader could not stop grinning, thinking he had won.

However, as though throwing cold water on him, a voice came from somewhere.

“There is no need to apologize.”