Homelander: New Legacy

[146] : Mystique Stirs Trouble

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.....

"Ugh..."

Lying in the bedroom Charles had arranged for him, Roger let out a long sigh.

What he thought would be a simple task of retrieving a stone and leaving had now turned into a significant dilemma.

Charles was right—taking something that didn't belong to him came with responsibilities, regardless of whether one was a hero or not. This was just basic decency that any reasonable person would uphold.

The Soul Stone wasn't Roger's to begin with, nor were the other stones in his possession.

Of course, these stones didn't originally belong to anyone, so there wasn't much harm in Roger taking them. But the Soul Stone was different—it was the cornerstone and protective barrier for two worlds, as set by Andrea. Taking it could lead to catastrophic consequences.

Therefore, this required serious thought.

"Come to think of it, I'm not even sure if this multiverse crisis Andrea mentioned is real..."

It was only now that Roger began to question Andrea's claims. The crisis in the multiverse was solely based on her words, and Roger had yet to encounter any world-ending calamities.

So far, everything he had faced was still within the bounds of the original narrative. Nothing had gone significantly off track.

This gave Roger reason to doubt Andrea's warnings. Maybe she had been mistaken, or perhaps the multiverse's impending collapse had resolved itself and didn't require his intervention.

But while he had no proof that the multiverse was collapsing, he also had no evidence to prove that it wasn't.

Having collected three Infinity Stones already, only now did Roger start doubting their implications. This was pure escapism on his part.

Deep down, he knew he simply didn't want to shoulder the responsibility of protecting two worlds.

After all, "responsibility" was one of the hardest burdens to bear.

Knock, knock, knock.

While Roger was mulling over the Soul Stone dilemma, a knock came at the door. Using his x-ray vision, he saw Jean standing outside.

Adjusting his thoughts, Roger put on a smile, opened the door, and asked, "Jean? What's up?"

Jean didn't reply. Instead, she stepped into the room and, quite suddenly, hugged Roger!

"???"

The unexpected embrace left Roger momentarily stunned. While he'd hugged women before—Maeve, Himiko, Nebula—those were during flights. But a hug this sudden and out of the blue? That was a first.

Caught off guard, Roger gently pushed Jean away and asked, "Jean? Are you okay? Are you feeling unwell, or... did someone bully you?"

Jean's unusual behavior made Roger think she'd been mistreated at the school. However, recalling their reunion earlier, she hadn't seemed upset or troubled...

Roger couldn't make sense of what was happening.

Though the lighting in the room was dim, Roger's enhanced vision allowed him to clearly see Jean's expression.

Her cheeks were flushed, and there was an unusual shyness in her demeanor. After a moment, she softly said, "No, I... I just missed you so much."

"...Huh?"