The truth was, Lance had always considered himself a nihilist.
He denied existence itself, questioned the authority of morality and religion, and was both a thorough pessimist and a complete materialist obsessed with money.
He denied everything except himself.
In his original world, becoming a lawyer had been his chosen path. Questioning others, disrupting their rhythm, even completely denying the meaning of their lives, that was how he engaged with the world.
Many people had called Lance a madman who did not care about consequences.
They were right.
Just as he once believed he cared about nothing but money, he had always thought emotions like fear, anger, and sadness were nothing more than outlets for the weak.
For someone like him, such useless emotions would only be a burden.
So when he realized that he was actually experiencing emotional fluctuations because of a comic book character, and even feeling anger because that person did not act according to his expectations, his first reaction was panic and confusion.
That fear made it impossible for him to suppress his emotions in front of Spider-Man and Daredevil. And when Tony Stark himself appeared before him, the backlash only intensified.
Arrogance always comes at a price.
Just like every scam eventually finds its victim. The only difference is whether you have encountered the one designed for you.
Even now, Lance found it strange.
He could not understand why he was interested in people like Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne.
One could even say he had actively involved himself in their lives.
There was no such thing as some grand hand of fate pushing him forward. That was nonsense. If he did not want to act, no one could force Lance Prescott into anything.
When he first arrived in Gotham, he could have turned around and left.
But he did not.
Just as when he woke up in New York, he still went to see Tony Stark, even if only half willingly.
Why?
Because he was arrogant?
Because he believed he understood these so-called superheroes, knew their past, present, and future, and could insert himself into their lives, even deciding their future for them?
He knew what would follow after Iron Man said that line.
"I am Iron Man."
He knew the crisis that would descend on him and those around him. He knew how both he and his armor technology would become targets coveted by governments. He knew how he would gradually lose himself. The identity of Iron Man would bind him completely to public scrutiny, until Iron Man consumed his entire life.
Yes, that confession would create the complete Iron Man.
But it would also destroy Tony Stark.
From the very beginning, Lance had been feeding Stark that line about choosing his own life, about being himself.
But that was never what he truly believed.
He believed he was saving him.
He wanted to create a different kind of Iron Man.
One where Iron Man and Tony Stark were completely separate in the public eye.
He tried to pull the man out from beneath the weight of Iron Man's legacy. He isolated his abilities, helped him win his lawsuit, and convinced himself that everything he did was for Stark's own good.
Reality answered him with a hard slap.
Iron Man was Iron Man.
Tony Stark was Tony Stark.
No one in this world could make choices for someone else.
And no one was anyone's savior.
Admit it.
Lance told himself.
You are arrogant, cold, and self-righteous.
The moment you tried to impose your version of salvation on someone else, you walked straight into your own trap.
"Hey. Are you okay?"
Stark, who had just taken a whiskey bottle to the head, had been furious at first. But what unsettled him more was the sight of the culprit slumped on the sofa, lost in thought.
To be honest, it made him uneasy.
He had never imagined that someone who constantly talked about money and profit above all else could look like this.
For some reason, he did not dwell on the insult or the intrusion. Instead, he asked again.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine…" Lance took a deep breath and sank further into the sofa.
He had always mocked Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark for being arrogant and insufferable.
Now he realized he was no different.
But there was nothing to be done. Since he was the one who had made the mistake, a bit of self-reproach was enough. He could hardly punish himself beyond that.
"I just realized something…" Lance said.
"Like what? That you're an asshole?" Stark replied casually as he walked over to the liquor cabinet, already reaching for the most expensive bottle.
"More or less," Lance said.
Stark froze.
The hand holding his glass trembled slightly.
"Who are you?"
He turned sharply, the weaponized arm of the Mark V raised and aimed at Lance, who remained slumped on the sofa.
"Where did you hide Lance Prescott?"
Just like that, all the earlier sentiment vanished.
"Heh~" Lance rolled his eyes at the ceiling.
"I'll give you three seconds," he said calmly. "If you're still pointing that thing at me after that, I'll send the bill directly to Miss Pepper. I charge by the second. Given your current behavior, my rate is ten million dollars per second."
Stark immediately lowered his arm, visibly relieved.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack," he said. "For a second there, I thought someone had replaced you."
"You nearly gave me one too," Lance replied flatly. "How do you raise a weapon at an ordinary person without hesitation?"
"You? Ordinary?" Stark arched an eyebrow.
"As ordinary as it gets," Lance said. "Today made me realize I'm just another person in this world. Nothing special."
Stark laughed.
"Buddy, ordinary people don't have Tony Stark as a friend."
"So you admit I'm your friend?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Stark," Lance said, "being stubborn doesn't make you more appealing. As far as I know, Miss Pepper doesn't like that."
"Lance Prescott!"
Stark clearly had not expected that response. His shout nearly shook the ceiling of the law firm.
"I can hear you," Lance said lazily, shrugging.
It did not matter.
Looking at the still energetic Tony Stark, Lance thought quietly.
Lance Prescott is never wrong. And if there is a mistake, it belongs to someone else.
As for Iron Man, he is Iron Man.
A minor character should not concern himself with the protagonist's affairs. He had more important things to consider, like the lottery chance he had yet to use from Bruce Wayne.
As for saving others, that was God's business.
And Lance Prescott had never believed in God.
Nor did he have any intention of becoming anyone's sacrifice.
____
Hi, if you didn't understand, he just realized that he's nothing special—just another character inside a comic book. That was enough to trigger a little midlife crisis for someone as self-important as him.
Read 12 chapters ahead of WN:
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