Looking at the government agent in front of him, Raiden fell silent and tried to remember if he committed some kind of crime or something recently.
The government agent, seeing he was being misunderstood again, said in a resigned voice, "Don't worry, it's a good thing for you. It's related to the inheritance your parents left behind for you. May I come in?"
Hearing this, Raiden's face lit up as he hurriedly ushered the guy inside.
"Come in, please come in. Consider it your own home, actually. What will you have? Tea? Coffee? Cold drinks?"
This was the first time the agent had seen someone changing their colours this fast, and he wasn't used to it.
A second later, he got back to his senses and sat down on the sofa, with Raiden pulling a chair and sitting in front of him. Sylvia, who arrived silently sometime between their conversation, also pulled a chair and sat together with Raiden, after handing the guy a glass of water.
After thanking them politely, the agent drank the glass of water and looked at the kids in front of him and felt bad for a second about the news he had to give them, but a job was a job.
"Well, so what did our smelly parents leave us? Is it money?? Please tell me it's money."
Sylvia, who was sitting beside her brother, started to feel ashamed as she covered her face with her hands before silently moving her chair a little bit farther from this guy.
"Ahem, I am here to discuss that. According to the laws, you turned 16 yesterday, correct? That makes you an adult and therefore eligible to inherit all the things they left behind."
Pulling up a small projector-like device, he put it on the table before continuing to talk as the device came to life and showed them a floating 3D hologram of the document.
"As you can see, they left behind two significant assets. One of them is this trust fund under the name of 'Our Precious Sylvi~' that is worth 10 Million Credits and-"
Cough. Cough.
"How much?!" Raiden asked in a shocked voice.
Sylvia felt similarly shocked. Having lived through poverty in the past six months and watching Raiden work so many jobs to support them left her feeling heartbroken and more determined to excel in life.
Now it all felt like a joke. If they had so much money, why wasn't it given to them before?!
"10 Million Credits. It was left under the name of Sylvia Ashford."
"Cash it. I want to cash this immediately!" It was Sylvia who spoke this time, slamming the table, feeling more spirited than ever before.
"Unfortunately, you cannot access these funds. At least not before you are an adult, that is, 16 years old."
Hearing this, both Raiden and Sylvia felt speechless.
What kind of bullshit was this?!
It was like sitting on top of a gold mountain, but not being able to touch any of it.
"Wait, you just said they left behind two significant assets. What about the other one? Is it another trust fund, in my name?!" Raiden asked immediately.
Just thinking about inheriting so much money left Raiden feeling much better about them.
"Ahem. Ahem. Well, they did leave a trust fund under the name of 'Good Luck Raiden~', but it's not the... significant asset I wanted to talk to you about." The agent coughed, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Well? How much is it? I know it will be less than what Sylvia has. She was their favourite after all. Don't worry, just tell me directly. I can take it."
Raiden said, feeling unconcerned. Any money was better than no money after all. Even 10% of what Sylvia's fund will make their lives infinitely better.
"Well, it's just...50,000 Credits." The man said, feeling embarrassed.
"Pfft—Hahahaha. Gold. This is literal gold. Tell me honestly, big brother, are you adopted or something? Hahahaha." Sylvia broke into a laughing fit after hearing the amount as black lines covered Raiden's forehead.
He honestly started to wonder if he was adopted, too. If he wasn't, why was there such a big difference between the treatment of the two siblings? He wanted to sue them.
"I got it. Can you please transfer the money directly to my bank account? As for the second asset, let me guess. Is it the farm?" Raiden spoke expressionlessly.
Hearing Raiden's words, Sylvia also slowly stopped laughing and sat up straight. She also knew about the farm and the soul-crushing debt of 100 Million Credits.
"That is correct. Located around half an hour away from the city, your parents bought a massive farmhouse that is 1,000 sq. kilometres."
The man said, pulling some images of the farm and showing them to the siblings, who weren't surprised by it. They already knew about the farm after all. And debt with it, too.
"Unfortunately, it comes with a catch. As you probably already know, your parents took a loan to buy this place, a loan of 300 Million Credits. They already paid back 200 Million Credits, and 100 Million Credits of the amount is still pending to be paid back."
Switching the device to flat tabletop mode, the man continued to speak as he showed them two different documents.
"Now, you have two different future paths before you. Number one is that you sell us the property. With the market valuation of around 700 Million to about a Billion Credits, you will earn more than enough money to pay off the debt and live your life comfortably."
Seeing no change in their expression, the man continued to speak.
"Option number two, you will be able to inherit the farm, with everything inside it included. Along with it, you will also inherit the debt your parents left behind. Since you just inherited it, the government has intervened on your behalf and gained a 6-month grace period during which you don't have to pay back anything to the bank."
"And for the next year after that, you only have to pay the interest that occurs monthly. It is only after 1.5 years that you need to start paying back the principal amount. If you are unable to repay the amount within the given time, your land will be seized and sold to pay it off. So, what will you choose, Mr Raiden Ashford?"
A silence fell over the room, as none of the people spoke for a minute, and two siblings thought long and hard about their future.
"Inherit. I will take over
'This Damned Inheritance.'"
Raiden finally broke the silence, his voice filled with conviction and stubbornness.