Weiss’ Departure [Complete?]

“Ugh…! Ohh…! I… I was wrong…! Forgive me for everything until now! Forgive me…! Leopin…! Uwoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon!!”

The tears Weiss shed from the bottom of his heart were a downpour, as though the weather outside had taken possession of him.

Like a child given his favorite towel, Weiss firmly clasped Leopin’s hand and cried forever.

Before long, the sound of rain striking the log house roof disappeared, and only sobbing remained inside the room.

That too eventually became sleeping breaths, and from outside the window came the cheerful chorus of frogs.

Leopin let go of Weiss’s hand after its strength loosened, took off the coat he was wearing, and placed it over the sleeping Weiss in place of a blanket.

When he looked out the window, a sky full of stars spread overhead.

“The rain finally stopped. Looks like it’ll be clear tomorrow.”

Leopin muttered that and lay down on the floor.

The two boys were bathed in the moonlight shining through the window.

Weiss was biting his nail alone in the bed.

—Because that soup was better than expected, I carelessly let my guard down…!

-And of all things, to think I cried that much in front of Leopin…!

-For me, this is the greatest blunder of my life…!

Weiss clicked his tongue in annoyance and rolled over.

From above the bed, under the floor, he could see Leopin pleasantly lost in dreams.

—This trash…!

-What do you mean, “This time, I’ll protect you”…!

-But now I finally understand…!

-The reason this trash did not quit the academy even after being oppressed…!

-He was this desperate because he wanted to return to the relationship we had before…!

-To go out of his way to find and nurse me after I wandered through the rainy forest for three days and three nights after being expelled…!

-Just how much does he adore me…!

-But you have already been abandoned by me…!

-What fool would pick up a toy that bit him and was thrown away…!?

Weiss bit down hard on his nail with a grating sound.

—No, right now, this trash does not matter…!

-I must make a comeback no matter what…!

-The fact that my younger brother Pais came to this academy means Father has given up on me.

-No matter what, I must regain Father’s trust…!

-How can I do that…!?

-As long as the Heroes are here, there is a limit to how much I can deceive that foolish principal…!

-Then I should use that skill on the Hero…

-The cooldown from when I used it on Toinette should be ending soon…

-No, that will not work!

-With those Student Council members, even I, a Sage, cannot stand against them at my current level…!

Weiss clicked his tongue toward Leopin, as though spitting on him.

—If only I also had power on the level of Leopin, perhaps…

-Even though Leopin was jobless, the moment he entered this academy, he performed so well that even I was forced to groan in admiration.

-Where lies the secret to that…?

-As Weiss searched through the house, he found a single coat.

-It was something Leopin always wore like a trademark, and inside the dim room lit only by moonlight, it gave off an unnaturally strong presence.

-That coat was far too black.

-It was so black that even the pitch darkness spreading around it looked bright.

-It was a coat that absorbed the surrounding darkness, as though even absorbing one’s gaze.

Behind Weiss’s glasses, which were cracked like a spiderweb, his eyes glittered.

—I see…! The secret of Leopin’s strength was in this coat…!

This coat is made from “Flying Dragon Leather,” and there are even rumors that it has the protection of a Saint.

It would not be strange at all if it granted great power to jobless trash…!

The outside was strangely noisy, and I woke up.

The sound of hooves running around and trailing loud laughter were circling around the house.

“Wh… what in the world…?”

It was still night outside.

I rubbed my sleepy eyes and went out of the room.

Then, an unbelievable sight spread out before me…!

Straw was piled on the roof of the house, and it was burning fiercely.

And not only my house. Straw had been piled on the roofs of every house in the village, and everywhere, flames were rising as though scorching the heavens.

In the center of it all, the one laughing like a madman was…

“Weiss!? What are you doing!?”

Weiss was straddling the white horse I kept.

When he noticed me, he twisted his body like a crescent moon and roared with laughter.

“Fuhahahahahahaha! Leopin! Your legend, full of falsehoods, ends here!

As the finishing touch, I will clean up this village full of fakes you made!”

Illuminated by the dark red flames, Weiss pointed the black coat at me from horseback while wearing an evil smile.

“This coat that created your many legends… it is wasted on trash like you! It is fitting only for me, a Sage!”

I could not understand the meaning of Weiss’s outrageous act at all.

“Coat? Legends? What are you talking about!?”

“Do not play dumb! As a Sage, I have long since seen through the fact that the source of your power is this coat! As long as I have this, I can start over in a new land…!”

“A new land!? Weiss, don’t tell me you’re…!?”

“That is right! As of tonight, I bid farewell to this academy full of trash! And I will become a true Sage…! You will lose everything and return to being a jobless man with no redeeming qualities! Live lonely and all alone again! Fuhahahahahahaha!”

“Wait, Weiss! My power does not come from the coat! Besides, if you take that coat with you, something terrible will happen!”

“Ahh, that’s it, that’s it! I have always wanted to see that face of yours! It has been since the entrance ceremony, hasn’t it, that face of yours! Back then, if you had acted meekly, I might have mercifully reached out my hand to you…! And yet you kept doing nothing but getting in my way…!”

“I never got in your way! I only…!”

“Well, none of that matters now! You have already been completely abandoned by me! After I have taken everything from you, that is! Fuhahahahahahaha!”

Weiss turned the white horse around and rode off, holding the coat aloft like a silk banner.

I put all my points into “Agility” and tried to catch up to him, but,

“Cluck, cluuuck!?” “Baaaaa!?” “Moooooo!?”

The livestock left in the burning stable were rampaging, so I had no choice but to go save them.

“Burn, burn, buuuuuurnーーーー! This is the finest finale, worthy of my new departure! Fuhahahahahahaha! Haaaa-hahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaーーーー!”

I shouted with all my might toward his fleeing back.

“Not that coatーーーーーーーーーーーーーー!!”

The reason I was only worried about the coat and did not pay much attention to other things during my exchange with Weiss was nothing else.

First, every facility in Leopin Village had fire resistance, so even if they were set on fire, they would not burn.

Since straw had been piled on the roofs and lit on fire, it looked as though they were burning spectacularly, but the houses themselves were completely fine.

Even so, the livestock were frightened by the fire and rampaging, so I had no choice but to put out only the stable fire.

And the reason I was worrying so much about the coat was because of a certain reason.

It was not because the coat Weiss carried away was my precious only good outfit.

Rather, it was something I had hidden away so I would not wear it by mistake…

It was a coat I had failed to duplicate, which I had planned to dispose of tomorrow…!

“U… ugyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー!?!?”

A death scream like something being torn apart echoed through the darkness of night.