Chapter 558

"I’ve made up my mind. Starting today, I’m no longer employing you as my health consultant."

Once everything had finally ended without further disaster, Evenson hadn’t gone home. Instead, he’d continued hanging around Tony’s place.

After all, he was being paid by the day.

If he could squeeze another day or two out of the arrangement, why wouldn’t he?

Unfortunately, Tony Stark had apparently decided that his freeloading career had reached its natural conclusion.

Evenson stared at him in confusion.

Seriously? My hard-earned long-term paycheck just got canceled with no notice?

"Refusing to seek treatment isn’t a good habit," Evenson said seriously. "Your mental state has only just begun improving. If you abandon treatment now, there’s a good chance your condition will worsen. In fact, I’d say your resistance to treatment may itself be a sign that you’re getting worse."

"I completely agree."

To Evenson’s surprise, Tony nodded without hesitation.

"Which is why I’m continuing treatment. I just don’t need you anymore."

Tony pointed to the side.

"I hired someone better."

A middle-aged man with a slightly goofy smile walked over.

Bruce Banner.

The Hulk’s human alter ego.

Evenson’s eyes narrowed.

You stole my job?

No wonder you’re still single. Although, technically, the Hulk probably shouldn’t count as a bachelor.

"Dr. Banner, huh?" Evenson said. "If I remember correctly, he has seven doctorates, but psychology isn’t one of them. You really think he’s more qualified than me?"

"Absolutely."

Tony didn’t hesitate.

"Honestly, I’m having trouble remembering what use you were in the first place. You couldn’t even cover for me properly."

"Cover for you?"

Evenson’s eyes shifted.

He immediately knew what Tony meant.

That night, during the final battle, Tony and his armor had put on an elaborate little performance to make everyone believe Tony had handled everything himself.

"Things don’t always go according to plan," Evenson said. "Besides, we managed to get away with it in the end, didn’t we?"

Tony turned his head away.

"Yeah. Sure."

The memory had brought something else back to him.

His beloved Aunt Peggy had pulled him aside that night and spoken to him with such heartfelt sincerity that Tony had nearly cried.

"Tony, I’ve always had very high expectations for you. But now I realize those expectations may have placed too much pressure on you. For that, I owe you an apology."

At the time, Tony had nearly been moved to tears.

Then Peggy’s expression had changed.

Her voice had gone cold.

"Failing to live up to my expectations is something I can forgive. Lack of ability can be made up for with time and effort."

She had paused.

"But you’re a grown man. You used lies to cover up your mistakes. You’re family, and you deliberately deceived another member of your family."

Her eyes had hardened.

"That is something I will never forgive."

Tony’s expression had frozen instantly.

Sweat had poured down his forehead.

JARVIS had immediately cranked the temperature control inside the armor as high as it could go.

Tony hadn’t even managed to come up with a defense before Peggy continued.

"Do you really think I’ve forgotten your little habit from childhood? Whenever you lied, you always had a tell."

Her gaze had sharpened.

"Or do you think my eyes aren’t good enough to notice how suspicious that battlefield was?"

Tony’s heart had dropped.

"And after everything you fired into that place, do you honestly believe you managed to cover up the smell of Evenson’s magic?"

She had practically spat the last word.

"That awful, unmistakable smell."

Tony’s expression had gone blank.

Then Peggy had given him one final chance.

"So I’ll give you an opportunity, Tony. Admit everything openly now, and I won’t blame you."

Thinking about it now still made Tony’s eye twitch.

"She could smell the magic?"

He looked genuinely horrified.

"She could actually smell it? And you! When you cast spells, do you ever think about air pollution?"

Evenson stared at him.

"...I do, actually."

He had always been careful to minimize the amount of lingering mana left behind after casting spells.

Unfortunately, Peggy wasn’t exactly an ordinary person anymore.

As a Demon Hunter, her sensitivity to fel energy could sometimes be even sharper than a Warlock’s.

"So you really confessed everything?"

"Yeah."

Tony sighed.

"I couldn’t take the pressure."

"And she didn’t punish you?"

Tony let out another long sigh.

Then he pointed at his own eyes.

"Look at them."

Evenson leaned closer.

There wasn’t anything particularly unusual.

The bags under Tony’s eyes were simply much darker than usual.

"Still having trouble sleeping?"

"No."

Tony looked like he might cry.

"That’s the problem. I desperately want to sleep."

He gestured helplessly.

"But I have to submit a two-hundred-thousand-word confession report as soon as possible. If she decides it’s not thorough enough, or that my self-reflection isn’t sufficiently sincere, I might have to rewrite the whole thing."

He stared into the distance with the hollow expression of a man who had seen the abyss.

"My college thesis wasn’t even that long."

"That’s rough."

Evenson patted him sympathetically on the shoulder.

At the same time, he couldn’t help feeling a little annoyed with Peggy.

Didn’t you say you weren’t going to spoil him?

Going back on your word in front of a child is terrible parenting.

Tony suddenly stepped aside, apparently making a deliberate effort to put some distance between them.

"It’s fine. I’ve thought things through."

His expression became more serious.

"What I really need isn’t a therapist."

"I need someone I can talk to. Someone who can also help me with my work."

He glanced toward Bruce Banner.

"As long as I can focus completely on my work and keep making progress, my anxiety will gradually improve. And Dr. Banner is obviously much better suited for that role than you are."

"Work?"

Evenson raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you said you were done being Iron Man."

After the crisis had ended, Tony had shared a passionate kiss with the newly awakened Pepper before destroying every suit of armor he owned.

He had decided to abandon the identity of Iron Man.

The battle had finally forced him to understand something he’d spent years avoiding.

Iron Man wasn’t just his problem.

Every time he put on the armor and went charging off to play hero, the people around him could get dragged into the danger too.

Evenson had never taken Tony’s declaration particularly seriously.

Once someone got used to flying through the sky, it was difficult to convince them that walking everywhere like an ordinary human being was perfectly acceptable.

Tony’s promise was never going to last.

Sure enough, Tony shrugged.

"I only decided to stop being the old-fashioned Iron Man."

There it was.

Evenson almost smiled.

"I want to develop more advanced armor and an entirely new combat philosophy. Something that can protect me while also protecting the people around me."

Tony paused.

"And... what you told me during my first treatment actually gave me a lot to think about."

This time, the gratitude in his voice was genuine.

Evenson blinked.

"Really?"

He shook his head with a faint smile.

"Funny. I’m starting to regret saying those things."

He glanced at Tony.

"But it looks like you really don’t need my help anymore."

"I really don’t."

Tony nodded emphatically.

"In fact, I’m begging you."

He pointed toward the door.

"Please leave. Ever since you showed up here, I swear my bad luck hasn’t stopped."

Evenson’s expression changed.

That’s a pretty direct accusation.

He couldn’t exactly deny the evidence.

The first day he’d arrived, Tony’s friend had been blown up and hospitalized.

The second day, Tony’s house had been blown up.

The third day, Tony’s wife had been kidnapped.

And then Tony himself had been kidnapped.

But still.

"What does any of that have to do with me?"

He sighed.

"Fine. I’ll pack my things and go."

Tony visibly relaxed.

He didn’t even ask what Evenson had to pack.

He certainly didn’t bother seeing him off.

Perhaps he was simply afraid that one more farewell might somehow trigger another disaster.

Later, after finishing his treatment for the day, Tony finally decided it was time to get back to work.

His treatment had consisted of forcing Dr. Banner, who apparently wasn’t even remotely afraid of the Hulk transforming, to listen to Tony recount the events of his past three times in a row.

Banner had survived.

Tony considered that a successful session.

He headed into the laboratory.

Then stopped.

Something felt wrong.

Tony looked around.

He couldn’t immediately identify what was bothering him.

A few seconds passed.

Then it hit him.

"My security door..."

He stared at the entrance.

"My two-million-dollar security door."

He looked around in disbelief.

"Where the hell did it go?"