As a villain, I really don't want to be pursued by the heroine.

Lyanna pretended to be casual and said, "The coffee in the student union is pretty good too. You should like it."

"...Didn't we agree on this? Let me think about it for a while." Roy turned his head and replied calmly, "Besides, I'm a member of the Lionheart faction after all. Even if we want to join forces, there's no need for me to join the student union."

"Sorry, I was abrupt."

Lyanna wasn't too surprised by his refusal.

As Roy said, they had agreed before that they would give him some time to think about it until the situation changed.

Whether it's Hydra's relics or the things that the "false king" is suspected to need, there's no need to rush.

However, the subsequent loss caught the usually steady young man off guard.

Lyanna awkwardly picked up the cup, but found that it was already dry. She had no choice but to put it down and stare blankly at the bottom of the cup where not even bitterness remained.

Even the girl's slightly lonely look is like a masterpiece of a classical master, melancholy and beautiful, like a gloomy work of art.

Unfortunately, Roy has never been interested in art. He prefers the most ordinary clear sky to the shocking dark clouds.

This can't be her pretending, right?

Roy smiled bitterly in his heart and changed his tone: "But it's not impossible to consider it."

"Ugh?"

Getting too close to Lyanna now would only irritate Jason.

Roy was not afraid of going to war with the South China Sea faction, but the confrontation between factions would inevitably consume a lot of energy. If he missed the chance to become the king, it would be more trouble than gain.

After a while, when the Lionheart faction has established itself and no longer needs my help, it won't be too late for me to officially join forces with Lyanna.

"The Lionheart Faction and the South Sea Faction have been arguing with each other recently. How about I wait until I've dealt with this matter and then slowly discuss cooperation with you?"

"Okay." Lyanna responded lightly, and the gloom on her face dissipated a little.

However, a dangerous cold light flashed in those purple eyes for a moment, which even Roy did not notice.

South China Sea faction...

I already thought they were a bit of an eyesore, so I might as well take this opportunity to get rid of them.

Chapter 44 Some Happy Things

"The student council favors the Lionheart faction, and Lyanna has a private meeting with Roy. What do you think of the connection between these two things?"

The prince of the South China Sea stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the lake outside the balcony. His eyes were so deep that they seemed to be the bottom of the lake where no light could penetrate.

Behind him, a group of core members of the South China Sea faction looked at each other in confusion.

Most of them are children of powerful people in the South China Sea, or they are confidants promoted by Jason himself.

The dark-skinned young man Kuran, who had been locked up for a full half month and became a laughing stock both inside and outside the faction, was the first to draw a conclusion.

"Your Highness! That pair of bastards must have teamed up! Rumors have long circulated that Roy Ironblad, that scumbag, is adept at pleasing women. He must have used sweet words to deceive her and secretly formed an alliance."

Jason frowned slightly.

Kuran is quite capable, but he always thinks things are too simple.

Seeing that His Royal Highness did not comment, another member of the South China Sea faction replied cautiously, "Not necessarily."

"If they really are forming an alliance, it shouldn't be limited to the student union. Instead, the two major factions should directly join forces to deal with us."

Only then did Jason nod slightly: "Do you think they will form an alliance?"

"This...isn't it?"

"No, these two have met privately many times. There's no way they could possibly form an alliance, right?"

"But the two major factions have yet to show any signs of cooperation! They simply have no common interests!"

Amidst the debate, Kuran couldn't help but grumble, "No, these two bastards are drinking coffee together. Isn't it obvious that they're forming an alliance?"

"Shut up, you useless piece of shit!" "That's right, forming an alliance is such a big deal, do you think it's like falling in love?!"

Everyone laughed at him, and Kuran was so angry that his face turned red, but he was helpless.

Jason looked at the arguing crowd and smiled slightly, shaking his head, saying, "You all don't understand."

No orders were needed, as His Highness' words were a symbol of power. When he spoke, everyone fell silent.

Jason also gave his analysis at this time.

"You don't know Roy, and you don't know Lyanna."

"These two possess the same extraordinary and unfathomable strength. To have reached this point without any backing, they are definitely not ordinary people, and they will definitely not be inferior to others. It is precisely because of this that like repels like. They will form an alliance, but they won't do so so quickly."

Unlike Douglas, although Jason was not involved in the struggle for royal power, he relied on his own strategy to compete with the nobles and wealthy tycoons in the South China Sea for many years, and he had a very clear understanding of such matters.

Knowing yourself and knowing your enemy can help you win a hundred battles.

There was a sharp glint in Jason's eyes.

He had gathered a great deal of intelligence about Roy and learned lessons from Douglas, who had fought him before. As for Lyanna, needless to say, after fighting her for a whole year, he believed he had already seen through the witch's true nature!

"There's no direct benefit from factional cooperation right now, but as long as they join forces to defeat me, there will naturally be benefits to be shared."

Jason glanced at the neatly arranged chessboards beside him. "However, while there's the possibility of an alliance, these two are like two cunning hedgehogs, wary of each other's threats! That's why they're limited to this kind of superficial contact, rather than formal talks!"

"Right now, they haven't formed an alliance yet!"

After listening to Jason's analysis, everyone suddenly understood.

"What do you mean, Your Highness?"

Jason turned around and smiled confidently, as if he was sure of victory.

"When three face off, defeat the weakest one first."

"And with that witch's shrewdness, she wouldn't be unaware of what to do at this moment."

As long as Roy's Lionheart faction was defeated, Lyanna wouldn't need to join forces with them. On the contrary, she could seize the opportunity to carve up the Lionheart faction's territory at minimal cost. Why not? Factions didn't form lasting alliances, so rather than opposing them, the immediate benefits were clearly more practical.

It won’t be too late to fight it out after they have dealt with the Lionheart faction together.

After hearing what Jason meant, the core members of the South China Sea faction showed understanding and admiration on their faces. They admired the wisdom of His Royal Highness the Prince and even more so their understanding of the enemy.

However, at this moment, Kulan reminded him: "Your Highness, please allow me to remind you that you still missed something!"

Jason was slightly stunned: "Oh?"

He never missed the advice of any of his subordinates, even the simple-minded Kuran.

Kulan gnashed his teeth and said sternly, "Have you ever considered that if they really were having an affair, they would form an alliance regardless of the cost?"

As soon as the words fell, the crowd laughed and cursed.

"No, brother, please stop listening to school gossip!"

"A man and a woman having an affair, do you think this is a romance novel?"

"Let's not even consider whether Roy's family will kill him, but Lyanna's side is out of the question, right? Do you think that witch will be blinded by love?!"

The world didn't know that Lyanna and the Witch were the same person, but their South Sea faction had fought against the Witch many times, and they deeply realized that she was a being who would ruthlessly abandon any of her subordinates and only pursue interests, and she was worthy of the name of the Witch.

It's possible that she'd take a fancy to a man for fun, but joining forces with him just for the sake of male beauty is as outrageous as a tyrannical king neglecting state affairs for a common village girl.

However, when Jason heard this, his eyebrows twitched and he felt a sense of incongruity.

He was certain the two had not yet formed an alliance.

But after all, why did Lyanna repeatedly contact Roy privately? Even if they wanted to form an alliance, it should have been a formal meeting.

Are they really in a relationship?

The moment this thought flashed through Jason's mind, he almost couldn't help laughing out loud.

Roy was no ordinary man. But Jason couldn't imagine how skilled a flirt he must be to keep two important figures in his family in check while still flirting with other women. He couldn't even imagine Lyanna in love! If that witch were to wantonly flirting with men, it might be possible.

Thinking of this, Jason said decisively, "No need to discuss it further, this matter is settled."

"We will take action against the Lionheart faction in the near future. As for Lyanna, I will keep her under control."

Jason walked to the chessboard and casually flicked his finger, knocking the white king aside.

"The game is set."

----------

"Pfft."

Amidst the faint scent of incense and the gloom, accompanied by a hissing sound like a chilling wind, countless pairs of cold eyes slowly trembled. Surrounded by countless serpent monsters with twisted postures and eerie curves, the witch, seemingly seated on a throne, suddenly sneered.

Beside her, Claire, who was already drowsy, stared with eyes wide in disbelief, as if she had seen a giant dragon descending from the sky, filled with horror.

Having followed Lyanna for many years, she had long been accustomed to this place filled with snake monsters that could scare an ordinary girl to death, the pitch-black darkness, and the witch's sneer lurking in the darkness.

When the witch smiles, life and death are unpredictable.

Whenever Lyanna sneered, it meant that someone was going to be in trouble, and most of those who were targeted by her were calculated into it and ended up in a miserable way.

The previous priest of the School of Undead is an example.

However, it was precisely because of this that Claire felt the scene before her was even more bizarre.

Lyanna had been like this since she read the letter from the Southsea faction.

Why is my student council president, [Snake-Eyed Witch], caressing her cheek with a gentle and sweet smile, as if she's just encountered a belated first love?!

But doesn't the president like Roy? Why would he smile at the letter from the South China Sea faction?

Claire couldn't help but be curious, so she bravely asked cautiously, "President, may I ask what's in the letter?"

Ryan didn't even raise his head, just smiled faintly: "Nothing, just some happy things."

Chapter 46 Roy's Slander

The attack by the South China Sea faction began almost instantly.

Inside the academy, the South Sea faction constantly challenged the Lionheart faction with various excuses, even finding faults, and vandalized their shops. Outside the academy, they even directly mobilized their members to destroy the Lionheart faction's strongholds and attack their territory.

The peaceful daily life suddenly turned into a raging storm, catching the Lionheart faction completely off guard.

One was a newly emerged faction, weak and yet to establish itself. The other was one of the three major factions, well-established and numerous. The difference in power was palpable.

That is to say, the Lionheart Kingdom values ​​martial arts, and most of its students have experience on the front lines, which allows them to react to such a sudden attack. Otherwise, if it were other first-year factions, they would probably be completely defeated by the South Sea faction in just one day.

But even so, under the highly organized attacks of the South Sea faction, the Lionheart faction fell into an overwhelming defeat.

Most of the Lionheart faction members were either injured and on leave, or had to stay in various strongholds for defense. After a week, the members were exhausted and their morale was getting lower and lower.

Charlotte had long anticipated the strength of the South China Sea faction, but she did not expect that the prince of the South China Sea would take action so soon.

When the enemy comes, they will fight back. All they can do is to grit their teeth and endure it.

However, when an invitation was delivered to her desk on a weekend evening, even Charlotte could not sit still.

"Negotiation? Humph, isn't that just a threat?" Charlotte clenched the letter in her hand. Fire erupted from her palm, reducing it to ashes. Then, she gritted her teeth, "If he thinks this can defeat the Lionheart faction, he really underestimates us."

The red-haired princess turned to look at her trusted aides and slowly stood up. Though petite, she exuded the aura of a figure standing proudly atop a mountain. She said coldly, "Reply to the letter and tell them that the battle has only just begun. Even a lion will fight a rabbit with all its might. They've pushed us to this point. Even if they lose, they will pay an unbearable price!"

The girl's eyes burned with an unquenchable fighting spirit, and as if infected by this fighting spirit, the Lionheart members' eyes also had fire again.

"Make them pay!"

Everyone shouted in unison, like knights ready to die!

But at this moment, a sudden call broke the passionate atmosphere.

"Wait, wait, Charlotte, don't be so impulsive!"

Roy emerged from the crowd and came directly to Charlotte, saying, "We should talk to him."

Charlotte's eyebrows immediately darkened when she heard this: "Are you asking me to admit defeat to him?"

Aren't the South China Sea factions just trying to get them to surrender and launch a surprise attack? Wouldn't negotiating now be playing into their hands?!

Sensing the scorching heat in the air, all the members looked at each other in surprise and fell silent.

He has to be the Oathed Knight.

In fact, it’s not that no one has thought about giving up temporarily and avoiding the limelight.

But if anyone else dared to contradict Charlotte's decision in person, they would probably be slapped and kicked out - with a fireball.