Don’t get involved

“You’re at your wit’s end, aren’t you?”

Pond’s heavy breathing gradually slowed, indicating his physical functions were recovering.

Cohen, on the other hand, was still panting, his vision blurring, a bitter taste flooding his mouth, and a wave of nausea surged towards the top of his head.

Cohen really wanted to give up; he’d rather lie down than endure the humiliation.

But he couldn’t. Not under the Princess’s gaze. If he did, he might not only be beaten to death by Pond, but also, if he spoiled Viola’s fun, he’d still end up dead.

Since he was doomed either way, Cohen could only go all out and stop hesitating.

Cohen’s mind raced. What other options were there? What else…

As he pondered, Pond was already before him, his fist the size of a sandbag heading straight for Cohen.

Cohen didn’t have time to dodge; merely twisting his body was a struggle.

Ultimately, he still took a punch and flew backward.

“Blergh—”

“It’s over…”

Pond exclaimed to the heavens.

“You fell for it! This is my escape route! Pond!”

“What?”

“Doesn’t this direction look familiar? Now it’s my turn!”

Time to draw cards!

The direction Cohen was flung towards was the very spot Pond had overlooked.

The corner of Cohen’s backpack.

That’s right! Besides the essentials he’d brought, there were also other items Remiande had prepared for Cohen.

Surely there would be something to defend himself with! And now, the card-drawing phase.

Activate!!

“Cough—cough…”

Cohen quickly stirred up a cloud of dust upon landing.

He felt terrible after taking that punch, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, a metallic taste spreading.

“Is there anything useful in here…”

Cohen frantically rummaged through the oversized bag, but the items he pulled out left him utterly disappointed.

Soap, clothes, a first-aid kit… and finally, a pink lunchbox.

Huh? Wait a minute…

Why is there a lunchbox in the bag?

Cohen stared blankly at the lunchbox.

A pink, square box with a pink heart-shaped note stuck to the lid, containing some caring, rather ambiguous words.

Looking at the lunchbox, Cohen’s eyes gradually lit up, as if he had grasped at a lifeline, and he couldn’t help but smile.

Because Cohen had found his winning strategy.

The note on the lunchbox held a crucial piece of information.

The name on the note: Remiande.

What Cohen held in his hands was a lunchbox made by Remiande herself!

The contents within were comparable to the creations of a chemical genius.

Remiande was like a concept-level being incapable of cooking, and even mice wouldn’t dare eat her dishes.

If he were to eat it, he would definitely meet his great-grandmother…

“Haven’t you fooled around enough!”

Pond no longer wanted to waste time. Cohen’s attitude towards the battle was too casual, actually rummaging through his bag for food during the fight.

It was disrespectful to him as a warrior.

Pond charged towards Cohen once more, determined not to give him another chance this time.

Seeing the newfound resolve in Cohen’s eyes, Pond thought that Cohen was finally taking the fight seriously, and he began to get excited.

“Come on!!!”

Cohen looked at the approaching Pond, placing his hands behind his back, getting ready to meet the attack.

As Pond approached within range, Cohen waved his left hand, flinging a cloud of powder towards Pond’s eyes.

It was the soap he had found earlier, which he had used some force to crush into powder.

A strong man and soap, a philosophical combination.

“More tricks? Will you ever stop!”

Pond was enraged, putting all his strength into a punch aimed at Cohen’s head.

Cohen immediately gathered energy in his legs, using Divine Speed to kick Pond in the groin with all his might.

“Eat my Instant Decision Kick!”

Pond quickly blocked Cohen’s foot with his legs, adjusting his posture. His fist was inches away, but at the moment it was about to strike Cohen’s face, Cohen used lightning speed to smash the lunchbox he had hidden in his right hand into Pond’s face.

“Ah!!!”

Both men roared, putting all their effort into this final blow.

“Bang!”

“Ptooey—”

Cohen’s lunchbox and Pond’s fist landed simultaneously, Pond inevitably getting the contents of the lunchbox in his mouth.

“This… urgh!”

Pond instantly felt dizzy, sensing his nerves rapidly losing sensation.

“To… use poison… how despicable…”

With a loud crash, the massive Pond collapsed.

Cohen, struck by the heavy punch, used his last shred of consciousness to witness this far-from-glorious victory.

Despicable or not, being alive was all that mattered…

Cohen then lost consciousness.

Viola, watching all this from the platform, waved her hand, and those around her moved into action.

His eyes fluttered open, and Cohen was greeted by a field of white.

He woke up to find himself in an unfamiliar room.

“Where is this?”

“You’re awake? Classmate?”

A sweet voice rang in Cohen’s ears.

“Huh? What…”

“I suggest you lie still. It’s quite rare that such a handsome face wasn’t disfigured.”

Cohen wanted to sit up, but the aching in his body tormented every nerve.

Cohen turned his head and saw a stunningly beautiful face.

At the bedside, Viola was propping up her beautiful face with her jade hand.

Although her eyes seemed to be narrowed, if you looked closely, you could still see a slight opening through which she was watching Cohen.

“Is there anything you need, Princess… Classmate?”

Crap, it came out too easily.

“Your performance was wonderful~ I really enjoyed it.”

Cohen managed to speak with difficulty:

“I’m glad you liked it—”

“I didn’t mention my identity, did I? So why are you using honorifics?”

“Uh…”

Exposed.

“Please forgive me, Your Highness…”

“As I thought, you recognize me~” Viola chuckled.

As she spoke, Viola placed her right hand on Cohen’s chest.

This seemingly intimate gesture made Cohen break out in a cold sweat.

In her right hand, she held a knife, the tip pointing directly at Cohen’s heart.

Cohen couldn’t help but swallow hard.

“Tell me, who sent you to approach me?”

“No… no one.”

The tip of the knife scratched across Cohen’s skin again, leaving a shallow bloodstain.

It was a warning.

Cohen shook his head violently. It really wasn’t him! No one sent him!

Viola smiled at Cohen’s expression, toying with the knife in her hand.

“Of course, I know you’re innocent. After all, you have no parents, and your background is as clean as a blank sheet of paper.”

“…”

Cohen was silent, unable to guess what the Princess was thinking.

“And I, happen to need someone like you. So, would you consider joining the student council of the Physical Arts Department?”

Huh? What the hell? He had just escaped the labor abyss of the Magic Department, and now he was going to risk his life for others again?

He would rather die, jump from here, than enter another exploitative hellhole.

“I must decline, Your Highness.”

Viola’s eyes began to sharpen.

“That’s naturally your choice. Then, about the compensation for the weapons you damaged.”

Viola listed an itemized bill, which was full of weapons Cohen had broken during the duel.

“Hiss—”

Cohen gasped, twelve weapons in total. What made Cohen sweat wasn’t the quantity but the price.

These quality weapons actually cost 500,000?!

Selling both my kidneys wouldn’t be enough!

“This… this…” Cohen stuttered.

“If you can’t pay, you’ll have to sell yourself, Classmate Cohen~

You should know what I do to those who break their promises, right~”

Damn, he was still caught.

What Cohen didn’t know was that Viola had many ideas.

If Cohen could pay off the debt, she had many ways to get Cohen to submit.

Royal decree, life-threatening threats, even seduction were all within her capabilities.

Because Cohen was extraordinarily important to her, she needed someone like him.

Someone so clean and pure would soon be dyed in her colors.

It was mouth-watering, but she still had to deal with potential rats.

On a distant rooftop, someone was observing the events in the infirmary.