Weiss was released from the infirmary and staggered along the school corridor.
On the way, there was a bulletin board surrounded by a large crowd of students.
A new notice about Class 1-T had already been posted there.
Class 1-T D → D–
Incidentally, if the smuggling of the Black Panther had been fully exposed, a single rank demotion would not have been enough.
However, this matter had been quietly buried in darkness.
The reason was that the education committee had shown consideration for Weiss's father.
If it became known that the great sage had secretly supported his son, it would have caused a major scandal.
Weiss tried to walk past the bulletin board without looking, but the murmurs inevitably reached his ears.
"Hey, look! Class 1-T got demoted again!"
"Eh, again!? What did they mess up this time!?"
"I heard Weiss got attacked by his own pet during the Tamer class and got injured!"
"Uwaa, lame! How can a Tamer get attacked by his own pet!?"
"Normally that's impossible, but with that useless sage, it's not surprising, right?"
"And rumor has it he was saved by that unemployed garbage! Otherwise he might have been killed!"
"Uwaa uwaa uwaa, uwwaa~! Being saved by unemployed garbage is way too lame!?"
"Yeah! If it were me, I'd be too embarrassed to stay at the academy!"
"And if they get demoted one more time, they'll drop to E rank and enter the bottom group!"
"Yeah! If it were me, I'd be so embarrassed I'd die!"
"Uuu… Uwaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"
Unable to bear it, Weiss broke into a run.
That day, his figure screaming and running around the school building and residential district was witnessed everywhere.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
It was already completely dark when Weiss returned to the house of Class 1-T.
In the dining hall, his classmates had just finished dinner, and a completely cold meal sat at the head seat reserved for him.
Weiss, with his dirty face unwashed and his tattered sage's robe still on, didn't even sit down as he spoke.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Monsoon, lounging in a nearby seat, answered without changing his posture.
"What do you mean, what do you mean?"
"The rule was that meals start only after I declare it.
So why did you all eat without permission?"
"How should I know? Everyone except you was already here."
"Don't mess with me. I am the leader of this class."
"You're the one messing around. You haven't done a single thing a leader should do."
"Besides, we got demoted again because of you, right?"
Carol, sitting across from Monsoon, twirled her hair as she spoke.
"I was fighting to punish Leopin.
That guy is far more evil than any of you can imagine and is trying to throw this academy into chaos.
The reason our class's development is delayed is all because of him…"
"Enough already!" Monsoon stood up so forcefully it looked like he might flip the table.
"The reason our class's development is delayed is all because of you!
Since the great sage doesn't seem to know, let me tell you—how do you think we cleared the rubble!?
Who do you think built this house!? Who do you think prepared this food!?"
Monsoon spread his palm and gestured at the classmates seated at the table.
"It was all us! We used Slave Tickets to buy everything!
You're the only one who hasn't contributed a single Slave Ticket!"
Weiss hated being ordered by others more than anything, so he had always found excuses to avoid providing Slave Tickets.
With a furrowed brow and an extremely displeased expression, he said,
"That's only natural. I am a sage. Sweating and working hard is your job…"
"Then act like a sage and guide us properly!
All you're doing is dragging our feet!"
"If anything, it would have been better if Leopin was still here."
At Carol's words, the classmates began to agree one after another.
"Yeah, maybe Carol's right."
"The houses Leopin built for Monaka-sama and Kotone-sama were amazing."
"Aaah, if Leopin was still here, we might be living in houses like that by now…"
"Now that I think about it, Leopin is even growing sweet potatoes, right?"
"Yeah! I got to try a little and it was super delicious!"
"Aaah, if Leopin was here, we wouldn't have to worry about food…"
Weiss slammed his fist on the table with a loud bang.
"Take it back, Carol! You said it would have been better if Leopin was here!?
That is absolutely impossible! You must be out of your mind!"
Carol stood up defiantly.
"You're the one who's out of his mind!
Just accept it already! That you are far, far inferior to Leopin in every way!"
"You're saying that unemployed garbage is better than this sage…!?"
"Yes! And Leopin cared about us many, many times more than you ever did!
He didn't just watch from above—he worked harder than anyone for the class!"
The classmates were completely intimidated by Carol's outburst.
"W-what's wrong, Carol-neesan!?
You've never once praised Leopin before…!"
"I-I'm not praising him! I'm just saying out loud what everyone else is thinking!"
Weiss kept his head down, clenching his fists tightly.
"Take… take it back… Carol…! Your words carry the second most influence in the class…!"
"I already told you! I'm not listening to you anymore!"
"Then this time it's truly punishment!"
With bloodshot eyes, Weiss tried to punch Carol.
But his cheek was brutally smashed by a fist as hard as rock.
Weiss flew sideways with enough force to nearly snap his neck.
He crashed into the back door with such momentum that he smashed through it and was thrown outside, landing with a loud thud in the garbage dump.
As Monsoon closed the door, he said,
"I told you I won't forgive anyone who hits a girl. Cool your head out there for the night.
I've had enough of you, just like Carol."
Bam!
The door slammed shut like a final break.
Crawling among the garbage, Weiss shed tears of blood.
"Guh… gugigigigi…! Why… why…!
Why is everything being taken from me…!
The class rank, the house I built, the feelings of my classmates…!
Carol, Monsoon, even my pet and my father…!"
An unprecedented sense of defeat and humiliation threatened to crush him.
Yet the flame in his eyes had not gone out.
It burned even brighter.
He roared toward the sky as if spitting out that flame.
"…Leopin!!!"