Entrance Examination

Bernal lowered his head slightly, as if thinking, weighing, and deciding.

After several breaths, his hoarse, indifferent voice rang out. "Come find me here in three days. Joining the Ring of Law requires an entrance examination, so prepare yourself."

"Selena doesn't live in Krog Castle. I arranged for her to stay somewhere safer. If you want to see her, you can do so in three days."

A trace of relief and the pleasure of finally getting what he wanted appeared in Dago's eyes. Their exchange soon ended. He had not even taken a sip of the host's water. What a stingy bastard.

"I hope you old geezer keeps your promise. Otherwise, you'll get a fist as big as a sandbag."

After saying that, Dago rose and left, leaving Bernal sitting on the sofa with a baffled expression, wondering what an old geezer meant.

Before long, he reached the manor's rusted iron gate and looked back as the castle doors slowly closed before his eyes.

The days passed like that, orderly or disorderly, like grass turning green in spring and yellow in winter.

In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.

Dago stood by one side of Oak Street, as still as an exquisite statue.

He took out a brass pocket watch from his storage ring and opened it. The hands had reached ten in the morning. He closed it again and put it back into the ring.

Again and again, his gaze turned toward the tightly shut manor gate across the street.

An hour and fifteen minutes had passed since he sent word into the manor that he had arrived, yet the person he was waiting for still had not appeared.

Dago had not lost his patience. He was merely considering the best way to carve Bernal into