Marvel: The Psychologist Who Stole Wanda and Gwen's Hearts!

When Tony saw Lorien chop through three logs with a single swing, he knew he was done for.

But Tony had a stubborn heart that refused to lose or give up, so he quickly grabbed the alloy axe and kept chopping.

Of course, Lorien cutting three at once wasn’t because Tony could only manage three—it was because the alloy axe itself could only cut through that much. Lorien wasn’t even using his ability, just a bit of his natural physical strength. And even that little bit was terrifying.

The three women in the kitchen heard the sound of chopping and curiously came outside. They found Lorien and Tony hacking away at the logs.

Chop~!

Thud!

Tony needed two or three swings to split a single piece of wood. Lorien, meanwhile, split three logs with one strike.

By the time Tony had managed to cut two logs, Lorien had already propped his wood upright, preparing for the final vertical split.

Under the women’s gaze, both men’s muscles strained against their T-shirts, sleeves tightening around their arms. The short sleeves especially showed off their strength—true displays of masculine presence.

Pepper glanced at Lorien’s perfectly sculpted physique, then at Tony’s more ordinary build, and laughed.

"Tony, you’ve already lost when it comes to physique."

"What?"

Tony straightened his back, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and took a moment to rest. At her words, he turned to look at Lorien.

As Lorien swung the alloy axe, the muscles across his body tightened and pushed his shirt taut. The outline of his build was clear through the fabric. And when he lifted both arms, the shirt rose slightly, exposing a line of abs and side muscles along his waist.

Tony had never noticed before, nor had he cared. But since Pepper brought it up, he took another look—then compared himself to Lorien.

Ugh...

"Oh..."

Tony let out a sorrowful sigh.

He glanced at the wood Lorien had chopped. It had only been a few minutes, yet Lorien was nearly done splitting three whole logs.

While Tony was still catching his breath—

Thud!

With the last vertical split, the axe buried itself neatly in the chopping block.

Lorien clapped his hands.

Clap clap~

Then he looked at Tony, who was still panting mid-break.

"I’m done. You’re on grill duty tonight."

Tony turned his head and saw Pepper still laughing. With a helpless sigh, he admitted,

"You win."

As everyone knows, when a friend says "you win," it means they’ve lost—and it’s the highest praise. Saying "you’re awesome" doesn’t always mean it. But "you win"? That means total surrender.

Tony didn’t bother finishing his last log. Lorien had already chopped enough wood for several rounds of barbecue. The contest ended early, with Lorien the clear victor.

Tony could only bring out a table, then fetch the Prime+ beef he’d boasted about earlier, piece by piece.

When he finally laid the meat out, Lorien stepped up, examined it, and nodded in approval.

"Not bad."

Tony raised his brows, satisfied—it was indeed the good stuff.

Lorien pressed the beef with his hand. From the ratio of fat to lean, to its color and texture, this was meat so rare that money alone couldn’t easily buy it.

While Tony busied himself with preparations, Wanda and Pepper went back inside to continue with dinner. Before leaving, Wanda gave Lorien a wink—"well done."

Gwen walked over, looked at the beef, and said,

"Meat of this quality is rare even at George’s banquets. We’re just going to grill it?"

"What else?" Lorien smiled. "This is meat made for grilling or roasting."

Gwen thought about it. She knew he was right, but it still felt a little strange—mostly because the meat was too good. Usually, you’d hesitate to use something like this so casually.

Soon after, Tony brought over other cuts, utensils, and seasonings.

Lorien spotted a handheld flamethrower, picked it up, and prepared to light the fire.

Tony, arranging the chopped fruitwood in the grill, reached out.

"Give it to me first. These logs need to burn for a while before they catch."

Lorien didn’t bother answering. He simply snapped his fingers.

Snap~

Whoosh—

The logs in the grill ignited evenly at once.

Tony froze, then sighed again, closing the rack in preparation.

Life was unbearable. He really did need to learn magic. One snap, and the fire was lit—it looked so damn cool.

After that, Lorien picked up a kitchen knife, took a sirloin cut, and began slicing.

The slab was thick, at least three to five centimeters. Normally, meat this thick was best pan-seared; grilling would ruin it under high heat.

But with one clean motion, Lorien sliced it neatly in half—then chopped it again into smaller cuts, each one about 1.5 to 2 centimeters thick.

Tony watched, helpless, and sighed.

"You’re so extravagant, using the best cuts of beef just for cubes."

Lorien casually set the knife aside.

"It’s all going to end up in our stomachs anyway. Better to prepare it well so it tastes even better."

Gwen had been watching his every move with wide-eyed curiosity.

When Lorien finished cutting the slab into neat pieces, the table was piled with small cubes of marbled beef. They looked mouthwateringly good.

Next, Lorien pulled over a bowl. Yes, a bowl.

He poured in a little olive oil, sprinkled some black pepper, and added a touch of other spices. Just a touch—too much would ruin the flavor of the beef.

Once the seasonings were ready, he tossed all the cubes inside and mixed them by hand until the surface of each piece was lightly coated in oil.

Then he grabbed a baking tray, spread the beef cubes evenly across it, wiped his hands clean, and picked up the handheld blowtorch.

With a whoosh~~~ he turned the flame to high and began searing the surface of the beef cubes, running the torch back and forth.

The pieces were thin, so after just a few minutes, he shut the flame off, covered the tray with a lid, and said,

"Alright, let it rest for three minutes before eating."

"Huh?" Gwen was practically drooling. "Why three minutes?"

"Because you need to let the meat rest so the juices settle and the center finishes cooking to medium-rare," Lorien explained.

"Ohhh..." Gwen nodded in sudden understanding.

Three minutes later, Lorien lifted the lid.

A burst of rich aroma filled the air as the perfectly seared beef cubes were revealed, glowing at the peak of flavor and appearance.

Gwen couldn’t help but swallow hard.

It looked way too good.

She quickly grabbed a fork, handed one to Lorien, then stabbed a piece for herself and popped it into her mouth.

"Mmm~~~!"

The moment it touched her tongue, her eyes widened like a startled fawn’s. She hurriedly swallowed and urged,

"Quick, try it, Lorien—it’s amazing!"

Lorien picked up a piece and tasted it.

As expected, the instant he bit down, he knew: whether a dish was good or not depended not just on the chef, but on the quality of the ingredients themselves.

And Tony had brought Prime+ beef. Even if you just boiled it and dipped it in oil or soy sauce, it would still be delicious.

But with Lorien’s touch, it became something extraordinary.

Tony, watching the two of them devour the meat, couldn’t resist. He dashed over, grabbed two pieces, shoved them into his mouth, then ran back to tend the grill.

"Ah—hot! Mm... wow!"

First the heat hit him, then the flavor. By the time he swallowed, his face lit up in delight.

All the while, he kept grilling with one hand and eating with the other. Dedication at its finest.

Hearing Tony’s cries, Pepper and Wanda carried dinner out from the kitchen.

Setting the dishes down, Pepper asked, "Tony, what are you yelling about?"

Tony pointed at the tray. "Just try one of Lorien’s grilled cubes and you’ll know."

They each picked one up with a fork.

Sure enough, the moment they tasted it, both women’s eyes lit up in surprise and praise.

"Come on, eat up," Lorien said, picking up more for himself. "Grilled beef is no good once it cools."

At that, Gwen, Wanda, and Pepper all hurried to join him.

Tony grew desperate. "Pepper! Feed me a piece!"

"It’s fine, Tony," Lorien said calmly. "There’ll be some left on the plate for you. Tonight, you’re the grill master. Do your job."

"Fuck!"

Tony groaned. Inviting Lorien over today was clearly a mistake—yet it was the kind of mistake that would change his future.

When Tony finally finished grilling the rest, he carried the platters to the table, dripping with sweat. He wiped his forehead with one hand and stuffed pieces of beef into his mouth with the other.

"How is it?" Lorien asked, tasting a piece of Tony’s grilled meat. It was surprisingly good.

"It’s good," Tony admitted honestly with a nod.

"If it’s good, eat more."

"...?"

Tony paused, then shrugged. Nothing wrong with that. He kept eating.

"Dinner’s ready!"

At last, with Pepper raising her glass, everyone lifted theirs high under the fading sunlight.

"Cheers!"

Glasses clinked, and they all drank deeply.

Pepper glanced at Gwen afterward, worried she might not handle alcohol well. But Gwen downed her drink in one go, perfectly in sync with her.

Of course she could. She was already used to drinking lightly with Lorien. Before exam season, she’d come to his place every few nights to "train" her tolerance—though it was more like having fun.

A little alcohol was nothing to her now.

Then again, when you’re with someone you love, even water can make you feel drunk.

No one knows why.

...

They had arrived at 5:15. By the time dinner was served, it was just past six.

The sun had only begun to set, and the group ate and drank together against the glow of dusk—laughing, toasting, and devouring the feast.

Tony, exhausted from the day, stuffed his mouth full of meat and raised his glass toward Lorien.

"Swallow what’s in your mouth first."

At Lorien’s reminder, Tony quickly chewed and swallowed—but it went down the wrong way, and he choked.

He hurriedly clinked glasses with Lorien, then gulped down a whiskey worth at least ten thousand dollars a bottle.

"Phew~~~"

He exhaled deeply.

"Almost choked to death."

"You’re really something," Lorien said with a helpless sip.

Wanda was chatting with Pepper. Women’s conversations always wandered freely, across anything and everything. In truth, men weren’t that different—they just drifted from politics to tech, then to international relations, weapons, and so on.

After some time, Tony suddenly remembered something and asked,

"A while back, my satellite picked up several high-energy fluctuations on Earth, but most of them were in the ocean. Do you know about that?"

In the ocean? Lorien thought for a moment. Could it be Godzilla?

He tapped into the Phoenix Force to sense past events. After confirming Tony was indeed talking about Godzilla, he nodded.

"I know. It’s fine, just a small matter."

It was nothing more than Godzilla’s energy breath causing massive fluctuations—and Gwen’s absorption of that energy making waves as well. That was all.

"Good."

Hearing it wasn’t a threat, Tony relaxed.

Even while living in seclusion, he still cared about Earth. After all, it was his home.

From discovering his own company’s missiles being used in Iron Man 1, to the changes he made for Pepper, to carrying a nuclear bomb into space—Tony Stark had always carried a strong sense of responsibility.

To think he’d abandon Earth’s crises completely? Impossible. That wouldn’t be Tony Stark. Without that, Marvel wouldn’t have his unforgettable mark.

...

The setting sun cast its glow across the table and over the five of them. Clouds in the sky were painted crimson by the dusk light.

But suddenly—

Lorien felt a premonition and looked toward the red clouds.

The others thought he was admiring the beautiful sunset and followed his gaze.

"It’s beautiful," Pepper said with admiration.

The next moment, the clouds split apart—like a giant blade cleaving them down the middle!

The entire sky tore open, the clouds scattering left and right.

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In an instant, the crimson-streaked heavens vanished.

And a colossal head appeared outside Earth!

It had six enormous red eyes.

Like a mahjong six-circle tile... cough cough...

"Mark!"

The instant Tony saw it, he shouted the name of his armor.

Panels in the lawn around the house snapped open, and dozens of suits launched into the air.

"What is that?" Pepper asked, fear creeping into her voice.

A head larger than Earth itself—who wouldn’t be terrified?

Only Gwen and Wanda, who had already seen far greater spectacles alongside Lorien, remained calm.

"The Judge of the Celestials—Arishem," Lorien explained evenly.

Just as he finished, the Celestial’s eyes glowed.

Lorien spotted several black shadows streaking upward toward Arishem—it was the Eternals.

At the same time, a glowing ring wrapped around him and Gwen, trying to drag them along as well.

"Lorien! Look out!" Tony shouted.

Lorien raised his hand and swiped.

Ping!

The rings shattered like glass.

Far above Earth, Arishem froze.

"Hm?"

Someone on Earth had broken his control? Who was this?

Gwen stepped up beside Lorien, looking at the massive head.

"He’s the Judge? So he wants to judge us? Why? Is it because of that seed I killed?"

The resemblance was there—the seed she had slain looked similar, and both were tied to the Celestials.

"Judge us?"

Lorien chuckled softly.

Who was trying to destroy whose home?

He shook his head, then turned to Tony and Pepper.

"Stay here. I’ll take care of this and be right back."

He planned to bring the two women along, to broaden their horizons and let them witness more of the Marvel Universe firsthand.

Tony looked at Arishem and knew his suits were useless here. He could only meet Lorien’s eyes and nod seriously.

The meaning was clear without words.

Lorien nodded back, snapped his fingers.

Snap~

"Let’s go."