Reincarnated as the Villain's Butler

Chapter 13

A/N: Welcome back everyone its been awhile! ^-^;;

Happy New Year, and thank you to all of you that were patient and supportive despite my long absence. Hopefully I will be back with more chapters to come! In the meantime, please enjoy a drawing of present Altair :D

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The morning sky was a bright muted grey, illuminated by the sunlight that had been scattered by the thin blanket of clouds. The air was now bitingly cold, and Altair could see the gentle winds whisk his breath away. In just a couple of days it will be officially winter, and snow will likely start to fall in just a week or two.

Despite the chill, the woods echoed with life. As he breathed in the crisp morning air, he smelled the tracks of deer that had passed not long ago, taking to the direction of the nearby creek. When he listened, he could hear the thinning branches of trees swaying slightly in the breeze, while the undergrowth bristled with movement from small critters. He let out a small content sigh.

"Something put you in a good mood, kid?"

Altair glanced up from beside Antonio, who continued to walk along the paved dirt road, eyes locked into the road ahead. Despite their destination, he looked as disheveled as ever. From his dark cloak and iron plated leather armor, to his messy dark hair and short beard, every part of him looked rugged and harsh— all apart from his eyes, which despite their tiredness, turned to peer down at him with gentle curiosity.

Altair chuckled softly, turning his gaze back towards the landscape. "I suppose you can say that. Things have just been... working out well recently."

Despite Altair's lack of elaboration, Antonio replied back sincerely. "That's good to hear. Kids your age should be nothing but smiles in this day and age."

Altair let out a fond huff. "You make it seem like I never do, Sir."

"Not your smile, Altair," Antonio chided, his hand reaching down to pat his head. "You're much too sharp for your age."

"A fair assessment," Altair replied cheekily.

Eventually, the dirt path that connected their remote barrack joined with a central, cobbled road. In the distance, they saw a massive structure that jutted out from the rest of the landscape, large and imposing.

"There it is— Gordon Hall," Antonio stated.

It was the great central military hall that has trained and housed the knights, squires, and common soldiers for generations. There was no opportunity to come when it wasn't him escorting Scorpius to his training site, but nothing stopped him from accompanying Antonio on one of his errands.

"Keep an eye out." Antonio instructed. "You won't be able to train the way they do, but you can learn by watching and applying."

As they continued to approach the building, Altair slowly assessed his surroundings, from the formidable structure of the building made out of stone, to the activities around it. Seeing as this was the back entrance, there were an abundance of common soldiers. Aside from the guards, some were hauling wooden crates from wagons, while others were socializing in small groups, likely on break.

"Morning, Sir." Walking up the stone stairways, the armored guards at the entrance gave Antonio a bow, who gave them a quick nod back.

Entering the towering building through the statuesque arched doorways, inside was a grand hallway leading into different rooms, halls, and courtyards, all lit with beautiful morning light streaking through the tall glass windows. Despite the stone brick walls being harsh and clearly aged, it was in no way crude, the scale and intricacies of the architecture rather making it feel timeless.