Chapter 3: Aethelgard

This continent was named Aethelgard by an ancient king whose identity had been long forgotten by its people.

This town was called Mucktown, a rural area at the edge of the Eldoria kingdom.

In this world, magic users existed and they were the backbone of the kingdom. Some would say they were even more important than the monarchs.

But Siderius thought otherwise, there were reasons why the rulers stayed as rulers instead of being entirely overwhelmed by magic users.

The hierarchy of this world splitted into six levels: Slaves, Commoners, Citizens, Noble, High Noble, then the Monarch.

Slaves were people with no right nor freedom. They were simply objects to be owned and controlled.

Commoners were people like Snow, a free person but with no protection of the kingdom. If he had died in the street, no one would bat an eye. Similar to how he was framed and denied of any trials.

Citizens, people with the rights of protection under the Royal Court. These people may not be noble but they may originate from a noble family or that they had done great feats to be granted citizenship.

Noble, the aristocrat of this world. They were wealthy, powerful and usually a ruler within their own lands.

High Noble belonged to magic clans. Families that had the power to manipulate magic and use it to their benefits. This was the background of Lyara Starcrow.

The royal family, the Monarch, was the king and queen, and anyone that had blood connection with them. They held unimaginable power to them and many Noble, High Noble clans at their hands to command.

After learning the world, Siderius dived deep into Snow's memories. He saw everything that Snow had gone through. The yearn for stage, the wish of freedom, and the pure heart of gold.

Snow was the exact opposite of Siderius. He had ambition, but his dream lay in the spotlight and a fulfilling life of helping those he cared about.

Snow had a flexible soul. One that would be a great candidate to become a witch hunter or even a Knight of the Holy Order. If he had been born in Siderius' world, his life would be so much different. A grand wealthy life that would not end pathetically.

Then Siderius saw what had happened. The chase of the witch. The promise of love and pleasure. All was denied by Snow.

Siderius understood exactly what the witch was after.

Based on the short encounters Snow had with Lyara, Siderius could deduce that the witch wanted to sacrifice him. Possibly for a coming-of-age ritual, a process that would make Lyara become a powerful witch.

Each witch had a desire, a sin or an obsession that defied their identity and their power. Lyara had a very obvious one, Lust.

The circus boy had a good hunch. If he had agreed to her term, his fate would be worse than death. His mind would be consumed and he would forever become a slave to her lust.

Siderius had seen many witch servants like this. They all became monsters in the end.

Then the death of his mother. The false crime he was accused of. And the death sentence that didn't even have a trial to decide.

Everything was clear as day.

Siderius opened his eyes. His gaze was calm, cold, and ancient for his youthful appearance. He knew everything there was to know of this world and everything that was Snow.

One could say you could barely tell the difference between the two anymore. Siderius was Snow. And Snow was the witch hunter.

Now, Siderius needed to get out of here. Or the gallow shall find him soon.

Siderius put his finger deep inside his throat, provoking the gag reflex. His stomach churned and immediately, he vomited out everything inside his empty stomach.

It wasn't much but it made the entire prison cell stinked. The smell spread to the outside, making the guard disgusted.

Siderius laid on his belly and closed his eyes, pretending to be dead.

A guard went to check on him.

"What did you do, lowborn?!" The guard covered his face and looked into the cell. He couldn't handle the smell.

Once he saw the mess Siderius had made and his motionless body, his eyes widened.

"Come here, quick! That boy is dead!" The guard shouted.

Another guard arrived. They opened the door and rushed over to check on Siderius.

A guard sat him up and checked his breathing while the other observed the mess.

"What the? Did you spill any poison in his food?" The standing guard covered his nose to avoid the smell.

"What do you mean?! The High Lady wants to see this bastard hang. Ain't no way I'm going to kill him before that."

Suddenly, Siderius opened his eyes. He grabbed the sword on the waist of the nearest guard and sliced his throat.

Everything happened so fast that the guard wasn't even able to react. One swift motion and the blood was gushing out. The guard widened his eyes and fell down to the floor.

"You?!" The other guard grabbed his sword and intended to draw it out.

Siderius flexed his left arm, the bracer appeared. He drew a V in the air with a horizontal line cutting through it.

That was the sign to activate the Vertigo Sigil.

The other guard immediately felt the world spinning. His vision shook and he couldn't unsheathe the sword.

Siderius rushed to him and with a definite thrust, pierced through his clothes and flesh, slipping through his ribcage and cutting into his heart.

A terrifying strike with extreme precision. The guard didn't even understand what had happened as he was shoved to the ground.

His last image was the cold expression of Siderius. He had not even a tiny emotion when killing the guard. It is as if he was nothing more than an ant.

The second guard drew his last breath.

Siderius swung the sword to the side, splashing the blood to the floor. He slid the blade over his bent forearm, wiping it clean.

Vertigo was a basic Sigil that could evoke the vertigo effect on any target, making them dizzy and lose their balance. Perfect to open up a target and deliver a devastating blow.

Siderius switched clothes with a guard and left him inside the cell. He let him lay face down so in hindsight, no one would be able to notice it wasn't Snow.

As for the other guard, Siderius pulled him to the guard quarter. He sat the guard at the table with his head on the table.

There were a few bottles of alcohol on the table. Siderius poured the alcohol all over the place and onto the guard, making it seem like he was dead drunk.

Then he grabbed a bottle and tucked it inside his shirt. This alcohol would be useful later down the line.

Siderius walked out the prison. His guard uniform guaranteed that no one would question him and block his way.

It was also in the middle of the night and no guard was there to check his identity.

Suddenly, a prisoner reached his hand out to him. It was a middle-aged man with long dark hair. He wore only a pair of pants with no shirt. His upper body was muscular. This prisoner was definitely a heavy worker.

"Wait, Snow! Help me out too!" The man said.

Siderius looked at him. He recognized the man. He was George, the blacksmith.

"How did you end up here?" Snow asked.

George shook his head in defeat. "I took a customer that was way above my status."

"I can release you. But I would need you to do something for me." Snow said.

"Yes? Tell me!"

"I need tools. A pair of shovels. A pair of pickaxes. A pair of axes. A pair of knives. One big and thick knife used for hunting and skinning. One small and sharp knife for delicate acts.

Do we have a deal?"

George was flabbergasted by Siderius' request. But he had no other choice but to agree.

"Deal!"

Siderius took the key of the guards and opened his cell.

"Wait here for half an hour. Then leave. It will bring less suspicion to both of us. I'll leave first." Siderius said.

George nodded, "How do I find you?"

"Don't worry about that. I'll find you. And remember our deal."

"I will."

On his way out of the prison, he saw a storage room with its door wide opened. Inside, a silver coated knife lay on the table.

That was the knife that had killed River. It was a gift from a fellow merchant that found Snow's acting to be superb. He gave him that knife as a token of appreciation.

The merchant had no idea it would be the cause for the downfall of his favorite actor.

Siderius picked up the knife. The hair on his skin raised up simply by holding it. It was the part of Snow inside him that was screaming out in rage.

"Don't worry, Snow. I always fulfill my part of the deal. And I can promise you. I shall use this very knife to kill the witch that caused it all."

Siderius soothed himself, his body calmed down and he tucked the knife onto his waistband.

With that, Siderius disappeared into the night.