Siderius grabbed the wooden rod and lifted it up with all his strength. The rod bent slightly to either side as the stone plates pulled down by gravity.

Beads of sweat rolled on Siderius' face. His muscles tensed and strained as they summoned all of their physical strength.

The wooden rod was much longer than necessary. Almost one and a half times bigger than what a metal bar would be.

Siderius had deliberately chosen to use wood instead of iron to create his training equipment. Iron was very valuable and he was not in the situation to be using iron that freely yet. Armor, weapons, and the defensive mechanism for the castle all needed iron.

Using wood proved a more significant threat than using metal because of their durability. Metal would only bend when there was a lot of force. Wood would snap and potentially harm the trainee in the process.

Siderius used a type of hardwood and coated it with a special oil to minimize the risk to the minimum. The rods were also longer to provide a more stabilized center and lower the chance of snapping.

As for the weights, Siderius used cutstones instead of metal, similar to his previous training equipment in the Underground Hideout. However, he didn't use Mercury to shape them this time.

With the help of some former miners, Siderius had ordered them to make stone plates for his training.

Ashe walked into the training room.

The newly furnished training room was once a praying room inside the monastery. It once had a hard stone floor with chairs laying all around. Now, almost everything was cleaned out, leaving only the spacious room.

The stone floor was replaced with a softer wooden floor with a thin line of cheap dark fabric on top. Racks were placed next to the wall with stone weights on them. A few training weapons made from wood were hung on the wall for ease of access.

The closed glass windows of the monastery were replaced with openable wood windows that allowed more air into the training room. Tall cressets stood at corners of the room, ready to be lit in case there wasn't enough light. Cressets were large metal stone bowls fixed to three wooden tripod legs.

Siderius was wearing very minimal clothing when Ashe entered. He had only a short pair of pants on him. A unique piece of clothing that didn't exist in this world that he made to train easier, letting his skin breathe.

Ashe was unfamiliar with these types of 'naked' training clothes so she covered her eyes with the letter, hiding the blushing cheeks from Siderius.

"You have a letter, Master."

Siderius dropped the wooden pole on the ground gently. The stone weights landed on the wooden floor.

"Let me see."

It was a letter with a big red seal on top. Siderius recognized this symbol. It was the symbol of the Fisher Clan, or more precisely, the symbol of the Baron of Scalize.

"He has finally answered."

Siderius sent a letter to Jude right after the death of Germort. He had been waiting for a reply for half a month. The Baron surely took his time.

Siderius broke the seal open and read the content of the letter inside.

"Hmmm." Siderius' eyes scanned the piece of paper. He folded it and put it back into the envelope once he was done.

"May I ask what was it about, Master? I was just curious... so you don't need to answer if it's important, Master." Ashe said but quickly added on as she's afraid she might've stepped out of line.

"It isn't a secret. It's the Baron's reply about what the Royal Court would do."

"Is it regarding the Bailiff?" Ashe raised her eyebrows. Her ears stayed attentive.

Siderius nodded. "Basically, Jude said there might be an issue. The Royal Treasurer would come and collect their tax every quarter. When the time comes, they would know Germort was killed. And when the Royal Treasurer knows, the Royal Court would know.

A Bailiff is a failed witch so they won't care much about his death. But in the end, Germort was still a high noble and he was protected under the laws of the Royal Court.

Killing him is a crime."

Ashe's face went pale. "Then... Then what should we do, Master?"

Siderius pat Ashe's head and smiled. "Calm down. Things aren't that grim. I have already expected it would be like this the moment I killed Germort.

But breaking the laws meant nothing. Especially in this kingdom."

Ashe's eyes went wide. "Why is that, Master?"

"Sit. Let me teach you a lesson." Siderius pointed to the ground.

Ashe nodded. They sat down on their knees and opposite of each other.

"Politics is always presented. With enough people, you can create a community. Wherever a community exists, a society forms. Santa Roberto has become a small scale society of its own with its own rules and sub-cultures.

Now, in this witch-filled society. What do you think is the most important value?"

Siderius slowly explained. Ashe rubbed her temple and her thoughts deepened.

"While I was in Mucktown, I thought it was coins. Coins can help you accomplish a lot of things. But then I changed my mind and thought they were titles. Noble, High Noble, Baron, Count, Duke. These titles evoke power without even a lift of a finger.

But then I changed my mind again. In front of a blade, these titles would mean nothing. So I thought maybe it is strength, or... magic prowess.

So if I have to say what is the most important value... Is it strength, Master?"

"That is a question." Siderius smiled.

"It is strength, Master." Ashe rectified her answer.

"You are correct. But you are also incorrect. In this kingdom, the most important value is power."

Ashe's brow furrowed. "Isn't power the same as strength, Master?"

"Not quite. A cutthroat has a lot of strength, but he has no power. Have you ever seen a noble afraid of a cutthroat before?"

"Actually, I did. But that's only when the noble is facing the cutthroat alone."

"That's correct. But what if the noble has multiple bodyguards?"

"Then the one who needs to be afraid is the cutthroat."

Siderius nodded at Ashe's answer. "Power isn't just your physical strength. Power is your wealth, your influence, and your strength. A noble has a lot of influence but no strength. A cutthroat has a lot of strength, but no influence nor wealth. A high noble has strength, influence, and wealth. But each high noble is different and they may have more strength than the other, but less influence or wealth."

Ashe swayed her head. A particular habit of hers when she tried to absorb information.

"So the answer is all of them?" Ashe said.

"No. The answer is belief." Siderius said.

"Belief?"

"Power lies in those who people believe they have. I killed Germort. But he killed my mother. Isn't that also a crime?"

Ashe nodded.

"A witch kills a commoner is within their right because a commoner has no right in front of the Royal Court."

"So we can't use this argument..." Ashe mumbled.

"No. We can. We can because I am also a witch. Or at least that's what they will think. And if I show them enough reasons to befriend me instead of dealing with me. The Royal Court will keep a blind eye."

"I understand what you're saying, Master. But how can we do this?"

Siderius didn't answer and only smiled. He got up and continued with his training.

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