When I traveled through time and became a player, I just wanted to commit suicide

"why?"

Hearing Altaïr's question, the Archbishop of Sloth smiled faintly and sat up slightly.

"Isn't the answer obvious?"

Altaïr bowed his head and remained silent.

After a long while, he slowly asked, "You are the Archbishop of Sloth during the day, and you are here to formulate a hunting plan against the Assassin's Resistance?"

"Yes."

"You are the leader of the assassins at night, formulating evacuation and concealment plans for us at the main base to avoid being hunted by members of the Order of Sloth?"

"Yes."

"Do you have any other identities?"

Bishop Sloth smiled slightly and said, "I am also the city lord's administrative advisor, assisting his administrative agency in dealing with the slave riots."

Altaïr fell silent again.

"It seems that you have indeed inherited the legacy of the Hidden Ones." Before Altaïr could speak, the Archbishop of Sloth took the initiative to say, "Otherwise, you would not have been able to find this secret passage with just Roland. That guy doesn't know about my relationship with the Assassin's Resistance Society."

"You were able to find this place probably because you relied on the rumored 'sixth sense' of the invisible ones."

He does not seem to know the true name of Eagle Vision.

"The Hidden Ones..."

Altaïr came back to his senses and looked up at his former "leader" again. Then his eyes fixed like a sharp sword on the golden spherical object in the other's hand.

"The Golden Apple... why is it in your hand? Where is Ezio?"

"Of course he gave it to me personally." The Archbishop of Sloth looked at Altaïr meaningfully. "It took a lot of effort to gain his trust, and it was thanks to you."

"But don't worry, he's still alive. I can't bear to kill him. After all, you two may be the last two Hidden Ones in the world."

"I never thought that the Hidden Ones, a destroyed force, would reappear in the area I am responsible for."

Altaïr took a deep breath and asked, "So this was just a trick all along? The Assassin's resistance never existed? The beliefs we uphold are just a joke?"

"Use?" The Bishop of Sloth sneered and waved his hand, "Don't say that. You are an important force that helps me control the slave forces in Olin City."

"Because of your existence, I was able to bypass the cult and clean up some disobedient subordinates and uncooperative slave traders. Without you, how could the underground forces in Orin City have been stable until today?"

At this point, the Archbishop of Sloth sat up straight and said seriously, "We, the Assassin Resistance, are an important force in maintaining order. I told you this, and I am not lying to you."

"Moreover, the Assassin resistance will always exist and will be an important force under my command in the future."

As soon as he finished speaking, figures dressed in assassin robes walked out silently from behind the statues on both sides of the secret hall.

Some wore white robes, and some wore black robes.

They were wearing hoods, so it was impossible to see the expressions on their faces.

The atmosphere was eerily quiet.

Soon, more than a dozen assassins knelt on one knee facing the Archbishop of Sloth to express their submission, without exception.

During this process, no one turned their heads to look at Altaïr behind them.

Altaïr stared at the familiar figures, his pupils trembled violently, and his mouth felt bitter and astringent.

He involuntarily took two steps back, as if he was resisting this outcome deep down in his heart.

"Except for the brothers who were not summoned back, these are the last elite forces in the guild." Archbishop Sloth sighed, "This purge was indeed a bit harsh, but there is nothing I can do about it. After all, these are the only brothers who are willing to submit to me sincerely."

"If you don't surrender, you will die."

"Now, it is your turn, Altaïr."

The Archbishop of Sloth looked up at the bewildered white-robed assassin, then slowly stood up, still with a faint smile on his face, but his eyes were extremely sharp.

"Altaïr, I know you are not a traitor. After all, only those who have wronged you know how wronged you are. Now you have a chance to return to the Assassin's Resistance, to become part of my order again, and even... become its new leader."

"After what happened this time, I think it's a good thing to have a capable subordinate to take charge of the Assassin's Resistance Society on my behalf."

Altaïr breathed heavily and remained silent.

After a long while, he changed the subject and said, "I want to know the truth about that night."

"That night?" The Bishop of Sloth was slightly stunned, then quickly recalled, "Oh, are you talking about the time when I sent you to assassinate Roland to prove that you were not a traitor? That was just a real dream, hehe..."

He smiled and took out a purple flower made of paper from his arms.

"Some time ago, an adult who was good at creating dreams stayed at my place for a few days. When he left, he left me this nightmare flower. The power of that adult is beyond your imagination, so it is normal that you cannot see through that dream."

"However, now that you have inherited the legacy of the Invisible Ones, with the help of your mysterious sixth sense, you may be able to see clues from the dream."

"Of course, at that time, I did use your hands to kill an uncontrolled black-robed assassin. After all, he was a rare assassin without a slave mark on his body."

The Archbishop of Sloth took the flower back into his arms with great care.

This flower has a limited usage, and can currently be used twice more.

"Then why... do you have to treat me as a traitor?"

"Because only you, and only you, are the one who will bring Ezio back." The Archbishop of Sloth said slowly.

In order to win over this former subordinate, he didn't mind explaining everything clearly.

"Among the members of the resistance, Ezio has the highest level of trust in you. If you are in danger, he will most likely come to your rescue."

"If you hadn't been wrongly accused of being a traitor, why would he have saved you?"

"If he doesn't save you, how can I put pressure on him as a leader?"

"If we don't put pressure on him, how can we make him obediently and voluntarily hand over the golden apple?"

"You may be wondering, since I've already brought Ezio back to the Assassin's Resistance, why don't I just take it from him? Or why don't I spend a little more time gaining Ezio's trust and then trick him into handing over the Golden Apple?"

The Archbishop of Sloth held the golden apple in his left hand, with a sneer on his face.

Altaïr lowered his eyes. "Because you are afraid. You are worried that the golden apple you took by force is fake. You are also worried that Ezio does not have the golden apple with him, which will make your plan fail. You are also afraid that Ezio, who has inherited the legacy of the Hidden Ones, will one day see your true face."

"So you planned something like this, to break his heart in a short period of time and force him to hand over the golden apple. This way, the golden apple you get is likely to be real, and you don't have to worry about him having time to grow up..."

"Not bad, not bad. I was right about you. It's rare that anyone among my subordinates can understand my thoughts."

The Archbishop of Sloth looked approvingly at the white-robed assassin not far away.

"To ensure that I can achieve my true goal, what's the harm in taking a few more steps? I have been planning to get the Golden Apple since I captured Miss Yuna from the Auditore family. Now, I have finally got it, the last legacy of the Hidden Ones."

"I heard it's an ancient artifact. Look how beautiful it is. Even if I don't hand it over, I still have a chance to develop my own real power with it."

The Archbishop of Sloth held high in both hands the golden apple that was glowing faintly, his eyes revealing a look of intoxication.

"You planned to auction Miss Yuna twice. Your real purpose was to lure out the escaped Ezio and get the Golden Apple from him?" Altaïr stared at the Archbishop of Sloth.

The Archbishop of Sloth withdrew his gaze from the Golden Apple and looked back at Altaïr. "Yes, I asked Lorant and his men to auction Yuna and publicize it, while I arranged for you to go to the rescue. For his sister, it is very likely that Ezio will show up. Whether he is captured by the Cult or chooses to contact the resistance, in the end -"

"It will all fall into my hands!"

"And now, my goal has been achieved, and it's time to close the net."

"Altaïr, I did not expect you to be able to obtain the legacy of the Hidden Ones and break free from the control of the Slave Seal. Otherwise, I would have used my control over the Masterless Slave Seal to bring you back to me."

"Haha, you don't really think that the so-called magic of reducing the aura of slaves in the resistance society is really useful, right? It is just a mark that makes slave hunters and members of the cult turn a blind eye to you. This so-called magic is simply a privilege I deliberately opened to you."

"After telling you so much, my patience has run out."

"Altaïr, surrender or die!"

"I won't say it a third time."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Archbishop of Sloth suddenly put the golden apple back into his sleeve, sat back on the throne, and looked down at Altaïr.

At the same time, the assassins who were kneeling on one knee slowly stood up and turned to look at Altaïr.

Under the hood, there were numb and indifferent eyes.

Altaïr silently watched these former brothers. Among them, he even saw the two white-robed assassins who had accused him in the hall before.

The Archbishop of Sloth sat on the chair, looking at Altaïr quietly, without urging him, and slowly waiting for him to make a choice.

It can be seen that he really values ​​this former subordinate. He gave him chances several times and even patiently explained to him everything that happened from beginning to end.

Time passes slowly.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

Altaïr bent down slightly, slowly put his hand to his waist, grasped the hilt of the sword, and remained silent.

"Really? Is this your choice?"

There was deep disappointment in the eyes of the Archbishop of Sloth.

"Have you also been brainwashed by the Hidden Ones' free speech?"

"In your opinion, is there really such a thing as freedom in this world?"

"Look at those people outside. Those with slave marks are enduring endless slavery. Are those without slave marks really free?"

"Aren't they also wearing invisible shackles and invisible slave marks?"

“Nobles are enslaved by so-called glory and status, merchants are enslaved by their inner greed and money, scholars endlessly pursue knowledge and are ultimately enslaved by knowledge, and those common people who have no ability to resist life are enslaved by life itself!”

"Do you think that without the slave mark, slavery will really no longer exist?"

"The slave mark will never disappear, it will just be branded on the body in a different form."

"Even I am enslaved by the desire for power in my heart."

"The so-called freedom you pursue is simply a false thing!"

"How many years have you served me?"

"Are you going to fight me for something so fake?"

"Altaïr!!!"

The Archbishop of Sloth scolded him angrily for not fighting back.

This was his third chance for Altaïr.

It's also the last chance.

Altaïr took a deep breath and slowly drew his sword.

The sword body is straight and slender, and the sword light is snow-white and bright.

This is also the answer he insisted on.

The only true inheritance he received from the golden apple was the word "freedom".

......

------Dividing line------

Thanks to Yunluokanri, Liujiefa of Elonggu, Jiangbei of Guyuehe, Cishengningkuangfang, Yuanxing., Nanxiangzhuofeng, D.K., and Zhang Meng who likes fish carving for their tips!

o(*≧▽≦)ツ