บท 13: Chapter 13: Responsibilities
Words: 2,393
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"…A fire occurred, after which the body of a young millionaire, the founder and head of LexCorp, was discovered."
The news anchor from the Daily Planet reported on it in the morning. It was indeed significant news.
"Oh god…"
Lena whispered when she heard the news while covering her mouth with her hand.
"Well, maybe he was having a party with fireworks?"
I tried to lighten Lena's mood, but I didn't feel much better myself.
"Tony, that's not funny. He's still our brother…"
"Just don't tell me you're going to cry over this?"
I raised an eyebrow.
"Of course not. I didn't really know him. It's just not right to be happy about someone's death."
Throughout the morning, all the news networks were buzzing with the news, including me and Lena because we were Lex's only living relatives.
It wasn't long before there was a knock on our apartment door.
It was lawyers and others who simply informed us of the death of the sole owner of the company.
Lex didn't have a will and there was a lot of paperwork that had to be done. This took more than a day.
The cops didn't have any clear suspicions about us because LexLuthor died of carbon monoxide poisoning not an attack or something similar.
There were no signs of forced entry or any other evidence showing foul play.
It was also easy to figure out where the fire started.
An electric door that wouldn't open was due to a circuit short on the floor which meant that the fire may have started inside the wall.
There were no other signs that pointed to anything other than an accident, so that's how the case was ruled.
The whole day was eventful.
Lena and I had to go to university and also do the normal procedures following the death of a relative, like identification and signing various documents.
There was no one willing to give us the entire company right now, but Lena and I were Lex's only relatives, so it wasn't a secret that we would be the next heads of the company.
In addition, we would each get fifty percent ownership of the company since there were two of us.
Cortana already mentioned that some investors wanted to pressure us, but she dealt with it the simplest way—through blackmail.
Now, I genuinely feel like a jerk just like my brother was.
The books Hermione sent had all been copied by Cortana by evening, and I sent them back to her through Group Chat's mail.
I had added some interesting spells to my list, but I had them on hand just in case.
I don't have any use for these charms at the moment.
In the Group Chat...
Shinoa Hiragi: I've never heard of vampires who could destroy an entire city or mountain.
Rias Gremory: Vampires in my world aren't particularly powerful either, and I don't know much about them. They don't get much attention from demons. I do have a dhampir in my pair.
Shinoa Hiragi: Dhampir?
Rias Gremory: A half-vampire. I read the book you sent me, and your magic is quite interesting. The idea of cursed weapons that have the soul of a living is really interesting to me. It reminds me of Sacred Gear but in a simpler version.
Anthony (Administrator): Weapons often have different abilities ranging from simple enhancement of physical characteristics to creating energy blades.
Rias Gremory: Tony-kun, you haven't been active much today. Are you busy?
Anthony (Administrator): Yes, I have things to do. Since we're talking about books would you mind sending me something about your magic?
Rias Gremory: Hmm, I don't mind.
Anthony (Administrator): What do you want for this? You're a real demon and must have already thought of something to ask from a mere mortal.
Rias Gremory: I don't need anything right now, but I'll consider your offer later when I have some ideas.
Anthony (Administrator): Thank you, Rias :)
Shinoa Hiragi: The Administrator-kun is trying to seduce Rias, but he ignores me whose underwear color he knows.
Hermione Granger: Hello, everyone!
Hermione Granger: Anthony, I had another magic lesson and heard a story about alchemists. One of them I heard about most often even in the first year played an important role in our quests—Nicolas Flamel. You said you're also an alchemist. Do you know much about the Philosopher's Stone?
Shinoa Hiragi: Am I being ignored?
Anthony (Administrator): Yes, I can call myself an alchemist—a pretty good one. I can't say for sure about the Philosopher's Stone in your world because things can vary depending on the world and the people creating them. I know about Nicolas Flamel from the history of your world and if I'm not mistaken, he's over six hundred years old.
Anthony (Administrator): And it takes a huge amount of pure energy to make something so powerful as a life elixir that can make an ordinary person live for so many years and change the properties of things at the molecular level. In theory, this stone could even be used to bring someone back to life who has just died assuming it really does have that much power. I see only two ways to create it in your world either using dragon veins if they exist in your world, or with the help of human sacrifices and souls.
Hermione Granger: Resurrecting the dead?!
Hermione Granger: That's dark magic!
Anthony (Administrator): Hermione, stop thinking by the standards of British wizards and remember who you're within the Group Chat.
Rias Gremory: Is this Philosopher's Stone similar to our Evil Pieces?
Anthony (Administrator): I can't say it with a hundred percent certainty. I talked theoretically about the Philosopher's Stone. I haven't created or held it; the same goes for the Evil Pieces. As far as I remember, they were created by the smartest of Satans, Ajuka Beelzebub. But if we take the version from Hermione's world, I doubt it will be as valuable as the Evil Pieces.
Hermione Granger: But... dark magic corrupts the soul.
Anthony (Administrator): Any kind of magic can somewhat corrupt you. You have to know how it works in order to be able to protect yourself and resist it. You have the Room of Requirement, and you've already taken books from there. Are you still not getting this? Also, you do know that you have Legilimens in your school.
Hermione Granger: I can understand your point of view, but... dark magic is dangerous.
Hermione Granger: What is that?
Anthony (Administrator): You can explode a person with Bombarda. Brackium Emendo can easily remove a person's bones while causing death. The same Depulso can push a person away so hard that they break their neck. That's just the first thing that comes to mind.
Anthony (Administrator): Look for books on Legilimency in your library.
After checking the mail where Rias sent a couple of books, I immediately grabbed one.
The next day was the last day to come to the university and talk with the professors.
This time even the rector showed up and expressed admiration for the young mind.
Of course, he tried his best to show how good he was and how much he cared about the university.
After all, now it's widely known that Lena and I will be the next leaders of LexCorp.
I just smiled and tried to be friendly to everyone who approached me.
Seeing Lena talking nicely with a guy near the exit didn't make me feel good.
It's not the conversation itself that bothers me but it's the way the guy looks calculating.
"It wasn't difficult to pass, and you just needed to listen to the professors."
Lena said to the guy "innocently" smirked, and shrugged modestly.
"True, sometimes lectures are so boring that I fall asleep. We've known each other for a year now, and I know so little about you. What do you even like to do? Are you up for a walk?"
"Oh!"
It was evident that the question caught Lena off guard, and she didn't even know what to answer.
"I... I"
"If you're busy, I'll understand. It's just rare to meet someone you can talk to so easily."
The guy said.
"Lena, I see you're having a conversation here."
I approached them.
"Oh, you're Anthony, right?"
He realized and friendly extended his hand, and I took it but didn't let go immediately and started squeezing slightly harder.
"Yes, I'm this wonderful girl's brother."
The man's face turned a little red as I nodded and didn't let go of his hand.
It looked like I wasn't squeezing too hard, but eight percent Albedo is more powerful than anyone might think.
"You look kind of sick, and maybe you need to see a doctor?"
I politely asked while still holding his hand, and he shrank away from me.
"Uh, yeah, maybe."
He lowered his gaze.
"Alright, sis, let's go."
I stood behind Lena and pushed her wheelchair.
"Who's that jerk?"
"Tony, are you going to scare away all my acquaintances?"
Lena smirked.
"Those who are only after your money, yes."
"No one else would choose someone like me. Who needs a cripple?"
Lena said it with a self-destructive smile.
"But at least I'll know what it's like to be a woman."
"Lena."
I stopped and walked around Lena to sit in front of her and meet her gaze.
"You're beautiful, and these leg problems can be treated. Especially when we'll have money soon, at least this piece of crap did something good."
"Brother..."
Lena wanted to say something, but I just hugged her. I didn't pay attention to the people around us or the sound of a camera clicking.
"People like that guy are gold diggers. What's the point of ruining your life for them? You'll find someone who will love you with all their heart, not for your money, but for who you are."
I said seriously looking into her eyes.
"Things turned out the way they did, and as a human being, I feel sorry for Lex, but as a brother, he was a piece of crap, so I don't feel sorry for him. I'm even grateful because I'm sure our lives will become easier now, and the chance to cure you has become much greater. You're my only family in this world, and I don't want to see you suffer."
"I... I'm sorry."
Lena sniffed and wiped away her tears, and there was a beautiful smile on her face.
"Let's go home. I feel uncomfortable when people stare at us."
Lena spoke a little quieter. I nodded, and we headed back to the apartment. Lena was silent the whole way.
"I'm acting pitifully, aren't I? What would our parents say? Tony, thank you."
Lena smiled genuinely.
"Ah, I'm your brother, and you're my family. Of course, I'll support you."
I replied from the kitchen.
"Are you going to eat? We have dishes from that same chef."
"Really?!"
Lena said it with a joyful exclamation.
"Of course I will! But there are definitely no drugs there, right? Last time... it's embarrassing to think about it."
"There's nothing there just pure skill and are you talking about that sexual moan of yours?"
I said it teasingly and pulled out the dish that Erin sent us from the Group Chat Mail.
She's a great cook and obsessed with it, and she's been experimenting more often with new ingredients from other worlds.
"Shut up!"
Lena exclaimed while blushing.
"Hehe, you have nothing to be ashamed of."
I placed another dish on the table, and Lena's eyes immediately lit up. It was hard for me too to resist that smell.
After spending time with Lena in the kitchen, we decided to watch a movie in the evening and settled on the couch, where we fell asleep.
So, I woke up in the morning feeling an extra weight on me.
It was a bit awkward when Lena also woke up and noticed that she had literally slept on top of me.
A few days later, the news of Lex Luthor Sr.'s death started to go down, and Lena and I were given all the documents we needed to sign to become owners of LexCorp.
We had equal rights, but neither Lena nor I were particularly worried about that.
After all, we had been living together for years and trusted each other.
"Just a week ago, we lived in a two-bedroom apartment outside the city, and now we're moving to the penthouse on top of the main LexCorp building."
Lena said as we rode the elevator to the top floors of the building.
The fire didn't affect the whole floor because of Superman. The only thing affected was the office, and the penthouse was in great shape.
"Well, sometimes unexpected things happen."
I said it lightly. Lena and I were alone in the elevator, and Cortana had already taken control of the building.
"But the thought that our older brother died nearby bothers me."
"And why did you have to say that? Now I'll be thinking about it too."
Lena grumbled.
"We should have chosen a different place to live."
"Well, judging by all the documents, we can live in many places. There's a country mansion, for example..."
"Yes, but now we're the heads of the company... and I'm scared. I'm a student, and what do I know about running a company?!"
Lena blurted out clearly out of nerves.
"Don't worry, the two of us will make it through."
"Without Lex, the company's profits have dropped by four percent and continue to fall. It might not seem like a big deal until you realize that four percent is over three hundred million dollars."
Lena said it quietly.
"We'll make it through."
I said this again while fully relying on Stark's knowledge who also managed his own company.
Anyway, I want to focus on my own abilities and make something new with technology. I don't want to worry about all these papers anymore.
Since magic is also interesting, I have already returned Rias' books, and they were informative.
There's a technological department in LexCorp's Metropolis division where scientists work on Lex's projects.
Also, we need to change the name of the company... LuthorCorp sounds better at the moment.
...
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