Chapter 657: Never Abandon, Never Give Up

I'm so pissed off!!!

After the apple was pulled from its mouth, the Black Goat spat out the sauce, then roared inside Leon's soul in fury:

I'm a demon! A great demon! That bastard Wilde dared treat me like this? Don't stop me! When we get out of here, I'm going to tear it apart limb by limb!

Yeah yeah yeah, you're a pathetic 8-point trash, tearing apart a 16-point one is child's play.

Ignoring the Black Goat's impotent rage, Leon grabbed its horns stuck with two buns, tossed the sauce-covered creature onto an empty dish meant for trash, then ate the other side dishes while studying the lip movements of the male and female leads across the room, carefully deciphering their conversation.

According to the plot summary the Princess had given him, the male lead, Elijah, had originally come to this small town just to escape a loveless arranged marriage.

But after being drawn in by Agatha's warm, cheerful personality and boundless energy at the tavern, he invited her to show him around town; over eleven days of wandering, their hearts grew closer, and after Agatha was kidnapped and they met again at the wedding, they became inseparable partners.

After reviewing the plot in his mind, a flicker of thought passed through Leon's eyes.

So here's the question: even if Agatha isn't really a waitress, just working here temporarily, there are no other servers in this tavern—how could she just vanish for over ten days without the boss firing her?

Also, from the male and female leads' dialogue, though both are a bit love-struck, valuing love and freedom above all else, they aren't the careless or frivolous type.

The male lead, still bound by his engagement and unsure whether to flee it, wouldn't invite a strange beautiful woman to tour the town with him; and Agatha, the female lead, is a relatively "reserved" type—she'd hardly accept such an intimate invitation to spend eleven days alone with a stranger.

So something must have happened in this tavern's opening scene that rapidly drew them closer—enough to establish at least initial trust and mutual attraction, if not full mutual recognition.

Having deduced the possible shift in the characters' attitudes during the first scene, Leon observed the tavern's patrons and their states, forming some guesses about what would happen next.

The most likely scenario: some trouble broke out in the tavern, the male lead tried to help Agatha, but she still lost her job—so he invited her to be his guide as a form of financial compensation.

Agatha, moved by the male lead's righteous defense or some other gesture, developed trust and affection for him; with her departure in two weeks approaching, she gladly accepted the guide job—everything fits.

As for the source of the trouble…

…

"Bullshit! I've got a damn good liquor capacity!"

Under Leon's thoughtful gaze, a table of patrons, faces flushed from drink, finally erupted beside the couple discussing poetry.

A sailor, face crimson, rolled up his sleeves and slammed a fist onto the tavern's broken wooden table, glaring and shouting:

"I can still down five more! Even if you two collapse, I'll still be standing!"

"Stop blowing smoke!"

The two sailors across from him laughed and scolded:

"Five more? With how you're swaying, two more and you'll be flat on your back!"

"Haha, not wrong—if you drink five more, you'll definitely be lying straight, just on the floor!"

"Shut your damn mouth!"

After being mercilessly mocked by his two companions, the already unsteady sailor snapped, leapt to his feet, and shouted:

"If I fall, I'm your grandson! This little bit of liquor? It's less than a drop of what I usually drink!"

"Alright, alright, I believe you—I believe you could drink an entire barrel!"

"Haha, yeah yeah, you usually drink like a champion—today you're swaying because of the sea breeze, not the liquor at all!"

"I… I'm telling the truth! If I'm lying, I'm a dog!"

After being mocked again, the drunkard, thoroughly humiliated, glanced around, then grabbed Agatha's arm by force, yanking her over, and slurred:

"A… A whatever-your-name-is! You're the waitress—tell them how much I usually drink here!"

Suddenly yanked away while she was deep in conversation, Agatha was startled.

But whether due to her nature or the Princess's influence, the female lead quickly calmed down and replied softly:

"Sir, you're quite drunk—perhaps you should…"

"Haha, hear that? She says you're drunk!"

"You're asking for witnesses? Anyone can see you're done for—why keep pretending?"

Agatha's response might have been fine under normal circumstances, but to a burly man whose pride was tied to his drinking, it was like pouring oil on fire.

Hearing his two companions roar with laughter, the drunken giant's eyes turned bloodshot; he grabbed Agatha's shoulders with both hands and snarled:

"I'm not drunk! You little bitch—"

"Let go!"

At that moment, Leon felt the threads yank sharply on his body, pulling him upright from his seat; he roared with fury:

"Take your hands off her! Don't you dare harass my Agatha!"

Huh? Is this my job? Shouldn't the male lead be the one stepping in now? As Leon puzzled over this, the drunken giant across the room glared, snatched an empty bottle from the table, and hurled it straight at Leon—it shattered against the table beside him!

"Aah!"

Amid the shriek of "Mr. Joseph," who narrowly avoided being hit, the drunken giant twisted his thick neck, glaring:

"You pretty boy, get lost! I'm asking this girl a question—what's it to you? Just keep your balls tucked in! Open your mouth again and I'll break your face!"

Under the threads' control, the "righteous hero" known as "Mr. Joseph" actually followed the order—clutching his legs, pale-faced and trembling, he sat back down.

Got it… this sudden twist is meant to contrast the male lead's courage by showing my cowardice.

Under Leon's slightly annoyed gaze, the drunken giant turned back—only to find another patron standing up, arms crossed, sneering:

"You three are sailors from the merchant ship 'Sea Sparrow'?"

"So what?"

Seeing yet another person intervene, the drunken giant pointed at him, impatient:

"Didn't I just tell you to mind your own business? Don't interfere—or I'll…"

As his hand was slapped away, the drunken giant flew into a rage, ready to punch—but the handsome man across from him frowned:

"I know the first mate of the Sea Sparrow well. If you cause trouble here, I'll tell him exactly what happened today."

"Heh, you threatening your old man with him?"

The drunken giant, enraged, staggered forward, face twisted with malice:

"So what if he's first mate? He can't tell me how much I drink… AHHHH!!!"

In the stunned silence of the crowd, a shiny patent leather shoe with a false heel poked out from between the drunken giant's legs… or rather, the flamboyantly dressed, previously cowering youth had slipped over unnoticed and delivered a precise kick to the giant's groin.

"Run!"

Taking advantage of everyone's shock, Leon—having torn off the threads—rushed over, executed the legendary female cop's "crushing kick," then scooped up "Agatha" in his arms and bolted for the door as she screamed.

Even more absurdly, before fleeing, he kicked over the table, dumping every leftover dish onto the drunken giant's companions; before the three could react, he vanished around two corners.

"…"

Watching the woman he'd been talking to flee, the male lead stood frozen, bewildered.

"…"

Watching the sudden chaos unfold, the 【King of Drama】, still holding the threads, stared blankly.

"There's still one left here!"

"Beat him!"

In the stunned silence, the three sailors recovered first—realizing they were too drunk to chase the pair outside, they clenched their teeth and surrounded Elijah, preparing to vent their rage on him.

"Wait… wait! Don't hit me!"

Sensing disaster, the male lead abandoned all pretense of hiding his identity, face pale:

"I'm a guest aboard the Sea Sparrow—and I'm also…"

"Crash!"

As Elijah prepared to reveal his identity and perhaps avoid the beating, a door slammed open behind him—the pretty boy who'd carried off Agatha had just kicked the door back in!

Amid their stunned stares, Leon—dressed like a colorblind pheasant—rushed to the counter, snatched up the dog lying on it, then dashed to his former seat, grabbed the uneaten dishes still on the table, and leapt cleanly out the window, vanishing again around the street corner.

"…"

The three burly sailors stared, dumbfounded.

"…"

The 【Master of Drama】, clutching the threads, gritted his teeth.

"…"

As for Elijah, trapped by the three drunken sailors, his expression was worse than crying.

Wait—you didn't just take the dog, you even took the leftover food… what about me? I'm a full-grown human being here—couldn't you at least save me?!

(End of Chapter)