Chapter 41

[Alex'sPOV]

In a dark cave with hordes of bats on the ceiling. The sound of a body falling onto a stone floor sounded…

"Damn! How painful!" I groaned, getting up and rubbing my bruised back. Opposite to me stood a red-haired girl in a fighting stance.

"Barbara, did I already tell you that this tight tracksuit suits you very well?" I asked in a flattering tone.

"Not in words, but your look was telling me so throughout our entire sparring. I think we should take a short break." Barbara said with a slight smile on her face.

As you may have already understood, I am currently training hard under Batgirl in the Dark Knight's cave.

It's been very hard to catch Batman these days. He keeps showing up and then disappearing. I think the situation with Talia and Ra's al Ghul is still unresolved. I don't know what's going on there.

Bruce is extremely taciturn. And while Gotham City's protector is constantly away, Nightwing and Batgirl replace him. The latter, however, is much less common... Well, she is a busy person, after all she is the director of "Alritex mobile", moreover she wanted to start devoting more time to her daytime life, rather than her nighttime one.

Having wiped the sweat off herself, Barbara sat down at the supercomputer and began to drink mineral water. At this time, Alfred was quietly cleaning, waving a short broom.

"Would you like some tea?" the butler asked casually.

"Thank you, Alfred, no need," the girl refused, tapping on the keyboard. I didn't want to hang around either, and sat down on the chair, stretching my legs.

Oh, what bliss…

"Barbara, what are you doing?" I asked, casting curious glances in her direction.

"I'm looking at the results of your album. It's been three days since its release. It's interesting to see how everything is going. I've been busy all this time and haven't been keeping an eye on it."

Hmm, I don't know about the situation with my album either. With difficulty lifting my butt, I trudged off to look at the monitor. In 72 hours, sales of the album "Mariage d'amour" exceeded 2.5 million copies.

The threshold for a gold disc was overcome instantly, and platinum was expected soon. But I was more attracted by the rating. Users could rate albums or singles purchased on Saxophone Music.

The rating meant public opinion. At the moment, the album "Mariage d'amour" had 9.6 points. Many listeners gave their ratings and left comments. And 90% of all reviews for this album were positive.

Some liked the composition "Mariage d'amour", some liked "Una Mattina", some liked "Für Elise", and some have already listened to "River Flows in You" many times, and it still does not get boring for them.

A user under the nickname "Master 999 Music" left the following review: "I am delighted! I have already heard 5 compositions by Alex Reath, and I really hoped that the other five would also please me. After buying them, I listened to them and they not only pleased me, but made me shed a tear! These masterpieces are so touching"

Another user "Niki Spoki"wrote: "I am amazed! What kind of talent, what kind of inspiration does it take to come up with something like this? Each piece is captivating in its own way and makes you immerse yourself in thought. I will eagerly await the future works of this brilliant young composer."

There were many similar reviews.

"Even better than I expected," Barbara said, slightly surprised.

"There is nothing surprising in this," Pennyworth took the floor. "Mister Alex's creations are truly worthy of the highest praise. They are able to reach the very depths of the human soul ... I still have not thanked you for Master Bruce. That night, when he heard your performance in the restaurant and returned home, I saw his soul liberated for the first time. As if he had cast aside all worldly worries. I am glad that Bruce has a friend like you."

"Thank you, Alfred…"

"So, is our great musician ready to continue his studies?"

"Always ready, ma'am!" And as we stomped back to the training ground, Miss Gordon cast a thoughtful glance at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Alex, why do you want to learn the art of combat?"

"Well, I need to be able to protect myself and those dear to me."

"Are you ready to do anything to gain power?"

"No, far from anything... If it will cause me or my loved ones harm, I will give up this power without a second thought, even if it will make me a powerful being."

"But you still want to gain power, right? In the future, you will look for various amplifiers, great artifacts, or even learn magic... But do you know that the stronger you become, the more dangers will lie in wait for you at every step. Is that what you want? Or will you still remain just a genius and delight the world with your creations?"

"You know, one wise man once said: "The greater the power, the greater the responsibility." I know about the dangers that await me in the future. I know them very well… They will await me even if I continue to remain an ordinary person. Therefore, I would rather become someone who can move the chess pieces than just be one of them. I want to help save this world and the people living on it, to give them hope in the hour of the great Crisis!"

"And how far do you want to go? How much risk?" she asked with heaviness in her voice.

"As far as I can…"

"But you don't have to! This is not your calling, Alex."

"You're right, I'm not going to become some kind of superhero, no. I'll become someone else… something else."

She continued to look at me with uncertainty. Well, it's time to fix that.

"Barbara, our conversations have added even more gloom to this already gloomy place," I glanced around the cave. "But this had its plus, I suddenly found some inspiration. Would you mind if I sing you a song I composed myself? You'll be the first one to hear it."

"A song? Are you going to compose and sing a song right now?"

"Yes! When I look at you, I just want to pour out what's accumulated in my heart." Taking out a digital piano from my inventory, I activated the recording function, and began to play a melody. To the sound of the keys,I brought out the tune I needed.

Barbara, sitting on a chair, listened to the music, continuing to watch me. There was no longer that heaviness in her eyes, now a feeling of anticipation sparkled from there. Alfred also stopped cleaning and joined as a spectator.