Chapter 41 Chapter 41 It turned out that it was his own world that was destroyed...

"Is it possible," Sean said quickly, "that this sparkly little ring is what Juno used to resurrect her husband?"

He looked around. No one raised any objections. At least, no one seemed to be inclined to do so.

Rebecca, his good partner, was measuring the specific values ​​of the "Lord of the Rings" with a deaf ear, the instrument in her hand beeping; she looked at it as if she was seeing the Animus for the first time, gritting her teeth for the disaster it caused, but at the same time she couldn't help but be moved by the convenience it could bring.

Galahad, a Templar, was also in the room for some reason. He didn't bother finding a seat, but simply leaned against the wall, yawning in the area farthest from the Ring. Noticing Sean's gaze flicking over him, the Templar gave him a polite nod, indicating he was listening.

Elio, the rookie assassin who had brought the Ring—of course, after hearing what he'd done in recent months, calling him rookie wasn't quite right anymore, but he still had a lot to learn, at least that's what Sean thought. The kid sat there, his nose bandaged, his chin resting on the back of his chair, staring at the Ring in a daze.

"Keep going, Sean," Alvin glanced at him, "I'm listening."

"Thank you, brother." Sean patted his shoulder. "As we all know—I'm assuming you've all read The Lord of the Rings, but if you haven't, you really should check it out—in the Second Age, Sauron infused his power and will into the Ring, and throughout the books, he's been trying to obtain it and restore its substance. Does this sound familiar?"

"You mean 'Zoron' could be Juno's husband Aita," Alvin concluded.

"It's not the first time she's tried to resurrect her late husband." Sean spread his hands. "I think this sounds like something she would do. You know, like transferring his form or some Isu concept we can't understand to the Lord of the Rings cloud drive and then downloading it when the opportunity arises."

"Then someone tried everything to prevent his resurrection," Rebecca continued, distractedly copying down data. "They threw the Ring into the crater. I have to say, that was a pretty good idea, considering the era they lived in."

"So Frodo is an assassin?" Elio said, drawn to their discussion. "Or are all the members of the Fellowship of the Ring assassins?"

"Now that you mention it," Alvin stroked his chin, "I must say the Hobbit's stealth setting sounds a bit like Assassin."

"And the accuracy of their stone throwing," Rebecca added.

Sean was about to add his opinion when the Templar leaning against the wall finally couldn't help but interrupt.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I don't mean to interrupt this impromptu Tolkien fan meeting you've set up," Galahad drawled, "but rather than writing about 'The Lord of the Rings: A Comparative Study of Isu History and Literary Creation,' I'd like you to notice another characteristic of the Rings."

"Oh, that's awesome!" Sean said in a dramatic voice. "Which one?"

Elio almost thought it was a conversation between two British people. One was British in accent, the other in tone and ancestry, and the two were staring at each other with a subtle expression. Honestly, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became so intense that Elio was a little uncomfortable with it. He looked around. Rebecca tugged at Sean's arm, and Alvin covered his face. "...So which one is it, Syl?"

"It controls the properties of the lesser rings, and much more." Galahad glanced at him. "'The One Ring, the Ring that controls all; the One Ring, the Ring that seeks all; the One Ring, the Ring that guides all, the Ring that binds all in darkness.' This ring, which Elio has brought back, can attract, find, and even control the other rings. That is what I mean."

"The other rings?" Rebecca looked up sharply. "No offense, Mr. Galahad, but you sound like you're pretty sure there are other rings scattered around the world."

Under the gazes of all the assassins, Galahad nodded gently but firmly.

"Great," Sean rolled his eyes. "We just found this ring, and we get the good news that there are a bunch of smaller rings out there. They're like golden apples, aren't they?"

"Yes, Mr. Hastings." Galahad raised an eyebrow. "And there are probably more of them than you imagine."

He walked forward and took off the jeweled ring on his finger. When he did this, everyone's attention was focused there, and they had expected it, but when they actually saw the ring flashing next to the magic ring, they could not help but be shocked.

Except for Alvin. He already knew, of course.

Except for Elio. Galahad had told him before he left. The television, which was left on, switched to the news channel. Elio heard the key words and stood up and walked over.

"In the beginning, all of these rings formed the cornerstone of maintaining world stability, guarded by dedicated individuals from generation to generation." Galahad's voice gradually faded as he explained the rings. "At the same time, they can also stimulate the user's special combat abilities. In recent years, scientist Verdi has studied and replicated them, creating rings with similar combat properties. This one of mine is one of them..."

Elio walked over to the TV.

"...Mr. Mitchell's body was found, and scattered around him were evidence of his secret human experiments," the host reported solemnly. "According to witnesses, Mr. Mitchell was covered in scorch marks, suggesting he had been burned. But strangely, the police found no trace of a fire in the room..."

"Who did this? Rumors abound."

Elio stood there, watching the TV. The camera switched to popular posts online, flashing some texts with a lot of likes, such as "I thought we finally got a real philanthropist!" "Come on, this is Blüdhaven, not Metropolis"...

“This must be God’s punishment fire. Look at all the bad things he did!” “God doesn’t provide evidence of guilt. Hasn’t anyone noticed any connection between our recently deceased celebrities?”

"Looks like we have a new vigilante. The last time Nightwing flew past my window, I photographed two figures." "Seriously? It was so dark? All I could make out was Nightwing's butt!" "That's the essence of the whole picture, bro."

"His code name is 'Assassin'. I heard it. And this guy is capable of killing people, so everyone doing odd jobs should be careful."

Elio crossed his arms. Alvin, noticing this, came over and put an arm around Elio's shoulders.

"There's currently no clear evidence of Mr. Mitchell's death, and police are still investigating, along with the incriminating evidence reported by anonymous sources," the host said. "Furthermore, his sudden death and rumors of human experimentation have caused significant turmoil for Mitchell Biopharmaceuticals."

A data graph appeared on the screen. The line representing the stock price was experiencing a cliff-like drop.

"His only son, Leopold," the host said, "inherited this crumbling business. Unfortunately, he declined an interview with our station, citing his busy schedule. We have no way of knowing what this young man thought of this unexpected life change."

Amidst the throng of people, Leopold, dressed in a black suit, surrounded by bodyguards and assistants, waved to the cameras. Without a word, without a change of expression, he calmly stepped out of the car and up the steps. The reporters' shouts and questions seemed futile; whether the questions were gentle or pointed, business or personal, he didn't answer a single one.

Leopold walked through the revolving door without a pause or hesitation, as if nothing could stop him or knock him down. The media's cheers were blocked outside the door, and Leopold's figure disappeared there.

Elio stared at the screen, lost in thought. Alvin patted his back comfortingly, saying nothing. Elio didn't even notice when Alvin walked away. The news ended quickly and the commercials went out, but Elio didn't notice either.

He was only thinking of Leopold.

After coming out of the "mine," Elio immediately called him. The first few calls didn't go through, but on the fifth, a sleepy Leopold answered. Although surprised, he agreed to Elio's request to meet immediately without hesitation.

"…I'm still dreaming," Leopold yawned as he walked onto the rooftop. "So what's the emergency?"

"Leo, I have something to tell you." Elio went straight to the point.

Leopold was stunned for a moment. An ominous premonition sounded a warning bell in the Templar's heart. He noticed that Elio's expression was more serious than ever before, but it was other details that really made him realize that something was wrong.

Elio's hand, resting on the railing, was trembling slightly. When Leopold covered it with his own, Elio nearly flinched from the cold. Elio, about to speak, was interrupted by his gesture, and he took a deep breath, then shuddered even more.

This was even stranger. After all, it was already a warm spring day.

"Whatever it is you want to say, Elio," Leopold squeezed his hand, trying to bring him some warmth, "I don't think you're in the right situation to say it."

"…I have to say this," Elio whispered. "Leo, I have to tell you this. It's urgent."

But he didn't say it directly. It must have been difficult to bring up, the Templar easily sensing the Assassin's intense struggle; he'd gripped Leopold's hand, so tightly it hurt. Elio most likely didn't want to talk about it, but some sense of necessity forced him to do so.

But the decision was too difficult. Elio looked at him painfully with his wet eyes, as if asking for help.

And Leopold had never been able to refuse him. At least, not before.

"You look scared, Elio. Do you know how you look?" Leopold slowed his tone and tried to comfort him. "You need a cup of hot tea, and you need a good sleep. Don't say it, Elio, and tell me when you wake up. Unless the world is about to end, I don't see why you should do this now."

But Elio was clearly not convinced by Leopold. He continued to look at her, his lips moving as he spoke. His voice was trembling, and Leopold didn't catch it for a moment, staring back blankly.

Elio spoke again, but Leopold still could not make out what it was. In the silence, the sound of phantom winds whistled by, hindering the Templar's understanding of the Assassin's intentions. However, Leopold soon realized what Elio was saying.

"It's about your father." This was the first sentence.

"He's dead." This was the second sentence.

The Templar stood there, stunned, staring at the assassin who brought the news of his death. It seemed like only a second had passed, and it seemed like a century had passed before Leopold heard a loud bang.

It turned out that his own world was destroyed.

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Author's words: *Sean Hastings & Rebecca Crane, assassins of the Brotherhood, are regular characters in all the Assassin's Creed games.

**Verdi, one of the three great mafia scientists, from "Katekyo Hitman Reborn".