Chapter 293: Are you finally ready to crawl between my legs?
With the mention of the name Talon, Adelyn thought the problem was already half solved.
Surely, Karl would finally understand the trap lying ahead and willingly back down.
However ...
What Karl said next rendered her completely speechless.
"Talon?" He blinked at her before asking, "Who are they, Sister-in-law?"
Adelyn slowly tilted her head to one side and stared at him blankly.
Was he ... being serious?
He didn’t even know Talon ...
... yet he had been confidently talking about taking the students of his own academy to international tournaments?
Karl blinked back at her, waiting expectantly for an explanation.
Just then—
Pier spoke from behind Adelyn.
His eyes were glued to his phone screen, and his tone was filled with disbelief, as though he couldn’t quite process what he was reading.
"Talon is a prestigious martial arts and swordsmanship academy from Emberwell, Sylvane."
Adelyn glanced at him before quietly letting out a breath of relief.
At least ...
Someone here still possessed a functioning brain.
"A martial arts and swordsmanship academy?" Karl repeated while rubbing his chin thoughtfully, trying hard to remember the name. "Then it must be some less popular local academy abroad. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it. It cannot be any famous, legit academy."
He casually glanced toward Steve and the three similarly dressed foreigners standing behind him.
"So these punks are from that small academy."
"You really need to learn how to estimate your own limits, kiddo," Adelyn said, no longer entertaining his exaggerated confidence. "If a star looks tiny to you, that doesn’t make the star tiny. It’s simply the distance between you and the galaxy that makes it appear that way."
Karl paused, trying to decipher the deeper meaning behind her words. Before he could fully process them, Pier spoke again.
"Brother Karl ... Talon isn’t some local, unpopular academy."
His voice became increasingly serious.
"It has gotten an internationally renowned reputation. Every year, students from Talon compete in national and international tournaments, bringing honor to both their academy and their masters."
He suddenly stopped.
His eyes slowly lifted from his phone toward the ring, carefully comparing Steve’s face with the one displayed on his phone screen.
"And ..."
"And what?" Karl urged impatiently.
Pier swallowed. "And ... the man who threw you out of the ring earlier isn’t just anybody." His expression became increasingly complicated.
"He’s Steve Orlow."
"Steve Orlow?" Karl repeated.
Pier nodded immediately.
"He’s the—"
Before he could finish, Adelyn calmly continued for him.
Turning fully toward the ring, she crossed her arms, her gaze sharp and unwavering.
"Steve Orlow —the vice-captain of Talon’s team. Their second-in-command. An internationally renowned third-grade tournament qualifier."
She shifted her gaze toward the remaining three.
"And not just him," she said, jutting her chin in the direction. "The girl and the other two men standing behind him are also from Talon. Tressa. Denis. Pete."
"They’ve all qualified for and won multiple tournaments overseas."
She revealed everything in one easy breath.
Concealing their identities had never been her intention. It was simply that this troublesome brat hadn’t given her the chance to explain anything earlier.
Karl’s expression finally changed. His earlier nonchalance disappeared completely, getting replaced by unmistakable excitement.
He turned to look at Steve once again.
But this time, the contempt in his eyes had vanished. Instead, there was unmistakable admiration.
"A third-grade tournament qualifier?" His eyes widened. "He’s actually that good?"
He looked back toward the ring again.
"No wonder he managed to throw me out so easily. So ... it wasn’t some lucky trick. It was an actual tactic."
The resentment lingering in his heart from earlier instantly diminished by more than half.
However, another question suddenly surfaced in his mind. Turning back toward Adelyn, he asked curiously,
"They’re all internationally recognized. How do you know them, Sister-in-law?"
Adelyn didn’t even need time to think. The answer was already waiting on the tip of her tongue. She had thought it through.
"I’ve been practicing swordsmanship for my upcoming movie." She answered naturally. "So, to improve my techniques, stances, and combat awareness, I researched various international competitors."
"I watched quite a few recordings of their tournaments too."
The explanation sounded perfectly reasonable.
Karl listened before nodding in complete understanding.
"Oh ... You almost scared me there, Sister-in-law." He chuckled awkwardly.
"For a second, I actually thought you were some terrifying sword master yourself."
Adelyn glanced sideways at him as the corners of her lips lifted into a faint smirk.
For once ...
The kid had accidentally guessed the truth.
Too bad ...
He lacked the confidence to believe what was actually correct.
Her identity as Onyx wasn’t merely formidable. It had once stood at the very pinnacle. Even after disappearing from that world for years, there were still countless people who hadn’t forgotten her.
"Shouldn’t you be the one who’s still scared?" Adelyn suddenly asked.
Karl blinked. "Huh? What should I still be scared of?"
She fixed her eyes on him. "You’ve finally learned who they are. But your bet hasn’t disappeared. The conditions still stand. So does your reputation."
"Holy sh*t!" Karl’s face immediately crumpled in horror.
The bet.
How ...
How had he forgotten about the bet?
That’s right.
It was still valid.
He slowly turned to Adelyn again.
"They’re international tournament qualifiers ... And they actually came all the way here just to fight me?" His expression became increasingly aggrieved. "Are they even serious, Sister-in-law?"
"What exactly did I ever do to offend them?" He looked genuinely wronged. "Why are they bullying me like this?"
Adelyn merely glanced at him calmly.
"Shouldn’t you be the one answering that?" Her voice remained perfectly composed. "After all, weren’t you the one underestimating them earlier? You were confidently saying you’d defeat all of them single-handedly."
Karl blinked. His face immediately became innocent. "Did I really say that?"
He scratched his head as though he couldn’t remember making such a bold declaration.
Adelyn nodded mercilessly.
"You did."
She didn’t spare him the slightest bit of sympathy.
"And weren’t you also proudly talking about all your achievements? The students lining up to become your disciples."
Karl immediately straightened his back.
"Those parts are true, Sister-in-law." He looked almost wronged. "You don’t believe me? You think I’m lying?"
Adelyn knew he wasn’t lying about that.
So she simply shook her head. "I believe you. And that’s exactly why I’m asking."
Her gaze stayed fixed on him.
"What are you going to do about the bet? Have you thought of any way to nullify it?"
Karl stared at her.
"You ... believe me, Sister-in-law?"
Seeing her expression remain unchanged, he swallowed before speaking again.
"Then ... will you also believe me if I tell you, there’s absolutely no way to nullify this bet?"
Adelyn’s brows slowly furrowed. She was just about to say something—
When a mocking voice suddenly interrupted her.
"What’s wrong, Young Master Karl?" A sneer echoed across the arena.
"Are you finally ready to crawl between my legs?"