OP: Lord of Mischief C14 Farewell and promise

The pirates behind Vargo gritted their teeth, cursing under their breath the moment they saw Augustus standing before them.

"Tch. A brat dares to look at us like that? Does he have a death wish?"

"Oi, kid! Why the hell are you staring at us like that!?"

They were offended—Augustus’ calm, condescending gaze was grating on their nerves.

Vargo was just as pissed.

He had spent hours trying to break free, but nothing had worked. Being chained like this was humiliating.

His initial instinct was to curse Augustus out again—maybe scare him off.

But then—

A cunning idea sparked in his mind.

A slow grin almost formed on his lips, but he held it back, instead putting on an act.

With forced irritation, he turned to his men and shouted, "Shut your damn mouths! Do you want to get us in trouble!?"

His crew froze, confused.

Vargo snapped again, "You idiots better not scare this kid away! Do you want to get hurt!?"

His men exchanged baffled glances, but seeing their captain’s expression, they quickly shut up.

Augustus, meanwhile, raised an eyebrow.

This was… interesting.

‘What’s he scheming now?’

Vargo turned to Augustus, forcing what was meant to be a warm, kind smile—but it came off more like a smug smirk.

His gravelly voice softened, attempting to sound gentle. "Apologies for their behavior, young man. They’re a bit… rough around the edges."

Augustus frowned. ‘Isn’t he the one who started it?’

It was obvious Vargo was up to something.

And sure enough—

Vargo sighed dramatically, shaking his head like a disappointed father. "You see, young man… we're actually the victims here!"

Augustus tilted his head, amused. "Victims?"

Vargo nodded rapidly, like a chicken pecking grain. "Yes, yes! We were captured by these scary pirates! Right now, they’re threatening the village, doing whatever they please! Only we can stop them!"

The moment his crew caught on, they barely stopped themselves from grinning.

"Yeah!" one of them chimed in, "Those bastards are terrorizing the villagers! We have to stop them!"

"You’re our only hope, kid!" another added, feigning distress.

Augustus clicked his tongue in amusement. ‘Quite shameless, aren’t they?’

But he played along.

"Just helping you escape, right?" Augustus said casually. "Sure. Why not?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key.

The Vargo Pirates’ hearts skipped a beat.

‘It’s working!?’

They watched, wide-eyed, as Augustus unlocked the makeshift prison.

The closer the door creaked open, the faster their hearts pounded.

Then—Augustus walked toward Vargo and started untying his ropes.

Vargo’s grin grew wider and wider—like a tiger ready to pounce.

The moment the last rope fell loose, Vargo threw his arms forward, stretching out his muscles.

"Hehehe… now you’re dead, kid!" he sneered, grinning wickedly.

His crew cheered, their celebration roaring through the air.

But—

Before they could fully rejoice—

CRACK!

Augustus suddenly swung his fist upward, landing a brutal uppercut to Vargo’s chin.

"Gah—!"

Vargo bit his tongue, his eyes rolling back as his body stiffened.

Then—

He collapsed.

Knocked out cold.

Silence.

The remaining Vargo Pirates stood frozen, their jaws unhinged, eyes bulging.

"...Wha—?"

Augustus cracked his knuckles, his expression unbothered.

"Nice acting, everyone." His voice dripped with mock approval. "Unfortunately, it doesn't work on me."

Without hesitation, he grabbed Vargo by the collar, dragging him away like a sack of potatoes.

The crew watched in horror as Augustus locked the prison door behind him.

The reality of the situation finally hit them.

"W-wait… HEY! DON'T LEAVE US HERE!"

"Come back! We were just kidding!"

"Please! I’ll give you my entire stash of gold—just let us out!"

"Good sir! Handsome young man! Gentleman! PLEASE!"

Augustus, without looking back, simply waved them off as he walked away.

"Enjoy your stay, boys."

---

Augustus dragged Vargo’s unconscious body toward the boat and dropped him like a sack of potatoes. The mighty pirate had been a terrifying force, but exhaustion had weakened him. And, of course, Augustus had another secret weapon.

Moments before the final punch, he had done something he’d never imagined wasting TP on so soon—he converted 100 TP into 1 Strength Point.

Just a single point.

And yet, it was enough.

With just that minor boost, his fist had knocked out Vargo like a falling log.

Now, standing over the defeated pirate, Augustus reached into his pocket and pulled out what seemed like a simple rope. But in reality, it was anything but ordinary.

It was the "Slapstick Rope," a purchase from the Pranking Tools Shop for only 10 TP.

"I wouldn't have wasted my points on this if not for the mission," Augustus muttered.

As if responding to his thoughts, the system notification popped up in front of him.

[Mission: False Hope]


Objective: Make Vargo believe he can escape… when in reality, he never stood a chance.


Reward: 100 TP


With a smirk, Augustus casually tossed the rope onto Vargo's body. The moment it landed, the rope sprang to life, twisting and wrapping around him like a snake.

"Damn, that's convenient," Augustus mused. "As long as there's a target, this thing ties itself up."

Vargo groaned in his unconscious state, but Augustus paid no attention.

Without another word, he set sail. No grand farewell, no emotional send-off.

Only when he was already on the open sea did he feel a small twinge of regret.

Then—

"AUGUSTUS!"

He turned.

Turning toward the shore, he saw them—Elias, Matilda, Olf, and the Silver Hook Pirates. The villagers stood beside them, waving wildly.

"That idiot didn’t even say goodbye," Elias grumbled, but there was no malice in his voice.

"Goodbye, kid!" Olf bellowed, tears glistening in his eyes.

"Have a great adventure out there!" Matilda called, her voice filled with warmth despite her injuries.

"I'm looking forward to seeing you again!" Elias added.

Augustus paused, his heart unexpectedly heavy. He smiled, raising his hand in return, his gaze lingering on Matilda, then Olf, and finally, Elias.

Then, with a deep breath, he grinned and declared to the world:

"I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THE DAY I CONQUER THE SEAS!"

Elias and the others froze.

Was he saying… was he declaring his ambition to be the Pirate King?!


But before they could react—

"I WILL become the King of Tricksters—and I’ll make this world laugh until they’re gasping for air, until they drop to their knees, until they can’t take it anymore—until they die of laughter!"

Silence.

Complete silence.

The villagers, the pirates, Elias, Matilda, Olf—every single person stared at him blankly.

Even the waves seemed to pause.

Then, as Augustus continued waving and shouting from his boat—

"I'LL MAKE THIS WORLD LESS BORING! REMEMBER THAT, GUYS!"

—someone snorted.

Then a chuckle.

Then laughter.

Like a domino effect, one after another, the villagers, the pirates, Elias, Matilda, and even Olf burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"What did he say?! King of Tricksters?!"

"That's a new one!"

"I can't believe it—he's completely insane!"

Elias, still chuckling, watched Augustus’s boat disappear into the horizon.

But then, his laughter softened. He exhaled, shaking his head in amusement before muttering:

"…Hah, that kid might actually do it."

"After all… he already made us laugh. Soon, he'll just keep spreading it across the world."

—In the distance, Augustus wiped a single tear from his eye.

Then, his grin returned.

He set his gaze forward.

The sea stretched before him, vast and endless.

And so, the Great Age of Tricksters was about to begin—

Cough. No.


—To Be Continued.