System in Assassin's Creed

Chapter 40: Chapter 39: Jonathan Hugh

[Current Balance: £2,300,571 11s. 1d.](73,618,290R)

---

”Oh my!”

”Caroline!”

Alaric watched as Caroline was approached by Bernard and Linette. He could see that they were hugging her when she told them the reason why she was here.

Deciding not to bother the three for now, Alaric moved to Leonard and Eleanor, who were spectating from a distance within the Grand Hall.

”Ah... ’Laric, son.” Leonard smiled as he saw how amazing his son turned out to be. ”You’ve helped our family once again.”

”Nah... I’m just doing what needs to be done.”

”No, son,” Eleanor shook her head as she grabbed Alaric’s arm and hugged it while looking at Caroline and her in-laws. ”You’ve been helping us all from the start.”

”Yeah,” Alaric was a little bit uncomfortable with her affection but didn’t mind it. He didn’t have a mother growing up, so he was going to value these kinds of interaction with his family.

’I’m going to protect the family that Kami has given me. I didn’t have one in my previous life, I’m sure as hell not going to lose this one here.’ He thought as he spectated the crying Caroline. ”Poor woman... I get the urge to fucking punch that bastard Edward in the gut.”

”Language, ’Laric...”

”W-What? I’m eighteen.”

”I’m your mother.”

”...”

---Minutes Later---

*Knock Knock*

”Come in, Jonathan.”

”Ah- yes, Master...”

Alaric was calmly sitting behind his desk as the butler walked towards him, and stopped in front.

”Is there anything you need, Master?”

”I’m just going to ask you one question,” Alaric smiled as he played with his quill pen. ”First... introduce yourself to me... tell me of your origins.”

”Yes,” The buttler nodded and cleared his throat.

”I am Jonathan Hugh, twenty-five years of age. I was born and raised in a modest household in Cardiff, Wales. Following the passing of my parents, it was my elder brothers who took on the responsibility of raising me. I have never attended a formal school; however, I passed multiple examinations during my seven-year apprenticeship as a butler, which I commenced at the age of fourteen.”

”I went on to serve as a butler for the Jenkins family in Cardiff, under the household of John Jenkins, the family head. During my second year of service, a most disgraceful incident occurred... the head butler committed a grievous act, peering upon the lady of the house in her chambers during the night. The household was thrown into alarm, with only a single clue to the culprit’s identity: he had been seen wearing a butler’s uniform.”

”When we were all gathered for questioning, the head butler himself was the first to accuse me, shouting my name and pointing the blame in my direction. Though I protested my innocence, the family head would hear none of it, and I was cast out from their service. With no other recourse, I journeyed to London in search of a new household to serve. Yet, as I soon discovered, securing employment as a butler was no simple task, even in a city abundant with affluent families. Thus, to sustain myself, I took up work as a tavern keeper in London.”

”Years passed, and at last, I had saved enough to make my way here to Bristol. It was then that I had the great fortune of being hired by Sire William Penn to serve as your butler.”

”Hmm... that’s quite sad,” Alaric, who was patiently listening, commented.

”Ah- yes...” Jonathan smiled. ”However, I am here now... eternally grateful for being able to serve a family such as yours, Master Kenway.”

Alaric nodded, then sighed.

”You... had a question Master?”

”...”

Jonathan smiled and Alaric looking at him silently. ”Sire?”

”Yeah... I was touched by your story, Jonathan.”

Alaric stated as he finally stopped playing with his quill pen and smirked at the Jonathan.

”But tell me... what’s an Assassin like you, playing butler?”

Jonathan could only widen his eyes in response, but then furrowed as he reached for the insides of his butler’s coat, wanting to grab a small dagger to throw.

However, he widened his eyes again as he couldn’t pull out the dagger hidden inside his coat.

Not wasting his time pulling it out, he ran towards Alaric and used the momentum to leap, charging towards the blonde while triggering the mechanism of his hidden blade.

Until... it didn’t.

”Huh?” He couldn’t feel the blade coming out of the mechanism. However, he had no other choice as he was mid-air so he decided to just lunge himself towards his enemy.

”UGH!” Both Alaric and Jonathan grunted as they fell on the floor.

Alaric kicked Jonathan’s face as the latter winced in pain. Doing what best in this situation, Jonathan got up from his position while Alaric did the same.

”You templar dogs!” Jonathan yelled as he kicked the desk as it crashed towards Alaric, who grunted once more. ”I’ll have you all killed!”

Alaric widened his eyes he ducked against a punch to the face as the Assassin was on top of the desk. Not wasting time, he punched Jonathan’s ribs, earning him a gasp in return.

He then pushed the desk, breaking Jonathan’s balance. Alaric ran towards the seats, away from the desk as Jonathan finally got up and recovered his breath.

”Why the hell are you targeting me!?” Alaric spat as Jonathan ran towards him with gritted teeth.

The Assassin flicked his forearm as the mechanism finally activated, revealing the hidden blade that didn’t work minutes ago.

Alaric who didn’t know what to do, ran towards the bookshelves behind the seats and grabbed some books to throw towards Jonathan.

However, this distraction did not work as Jonathan could be seen unaffected as he neared the blonde.

”Die, Templar!!!” Jonathan screamed as he plunged his hidden blade unto Alaric’s chest, where the heart was located.

Alaric widened his eyes as he saw looked at the wound, then raised his head to meet Jonathan’s gaze.

”I wish you eternity in hell,” Jonathan sneered as he retracted the hidden blade, while the blonde’s body fell on the floor.

*THUD*

With that Jonathan sighed a deep breath as he glared at the lifeless body. ”Alaric Jonathan Kenway... dead.”

”I heard there was a slave in one of the rooms, I need to free him,” Jonathan murmured as he adjusted his hidden blade and the hidden dagger within his coat.

Planning to use the windows to climb down, Jonathan inspected his hidden blade one more time before turning around.

His eyes widened as he was met with a sight that he couldn’t believe, even if he saw what he was seeing.

Alaric Jonathan Kenway, the man who he killed was in the same position as to when he had entered the office.

Sitting behind the desk.

Alaric was playing with his quill pen, spinning it around his fingers while his eyes were shining blood red with some sort of pattern spinning slowly.

”...”

Jonathan couldn’t even gasp, grunt, shout, or let out a single noise as his he couldn’t control his lungs not breathing due to fear.

”...”

He was then able to notice that there were no damage on the surroundings. There were no signs of fighting, no books were scattered... nothing.

Jonathan slowly looked behind him. Underneath... were no body.

”HAAAA!”

He could finally yell while gripping the sides of his head, as his reality was going upside down.

Alaric was quietly spinning the quill pen as he was having a crisis with his own perception.

’WHAT IS GOING ON!? WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING!? WHY’S HE SITTING THERE!? WE FOUGHT! I KILLED HIM! HIS BODY WAS RIGHT BEHIND ME! I USED MY HIDDEN BLADE TO KILL HIM! I DON’T UNDERSTAND! I DON’T UNDERSTAND! I DON’T UNDERSTAND! I DON’T UNDERSTAND! I DON’T UNDERSTAND! I DON’T UNDERSTAND! I DON’T UNDERSTAND! I DON’T UNDERSTAND! I DON’T UNDERSTAND! I DON’T UNDERSTAND! I DON’T UNDERSTAND! I DON’T UNDERSTAND! I DON’T UNDERSTAND! I DON’T UNDERSTAND! I DON’T UNDERSTAND! I DON’T UNDERSTAND! I DON’T UNDERSTAND! I DON’T UNDERSTAND! I DON’T UNDERSTAND! I DON’T UNDERSTAND! I DON’T UNDERSTAND! I DON’T UNDERSTAND!”

He finally yelled as he gasped, he couldn’t breathe from all the thoughts that were bouncing in his head.

”Of course you don’t...”

Jonathan raised his gaze to meet Alaric’s, only for him to see a smirk.

”Anyways... I like your story. It’s good that you were honest with the introduction,” The blonde said as he finally placed the quill pen aside. ”You do your butler duty from early morning until 5pm. After that, you’ll train with Reuben and Thulani.”

”H-Huh?”

”Your skills are... below than my expectations,” Alaric continued as he got up from his seat and walked towards Jonathan. ’I wonder why an Assassin’s targeting me... shouldn’t they know of my identity through Solomon or Helena? That’s weird.’

The Assassin’s gaze never left the blonde’s as he finally saw the towering figure of Alaric after the latter neared him.

”Byebye now...”

Was all Jonathan heard as Alaric’s smile was the last thing on his vision before everything went dark.

”What did you do to him?”

Reuben, who was behind the curtain the entire time, finally got outside of his cover.

”I don’t know, he suddenly went crazy after introducing himself,” Alaric grinned while the former bald-head shook his head.

”Anyways, you bring this guy to his quarters... I have things to do...”

”Ughh... fine.”

Consider buying me a coffee!

patreon.com/kulark

I’m uploading dozens of Chapters ahead there!