"Fury, that's not cool."
Hermione put her hands on her hips, glaring at Fury indignantly.
"I just rooted out an alien spy who'd been hiding in S.H.I.E.L.D. for years. Do you have any idea how much potential damage I prevented?"
"What, you think you can just brush me off with one batch of magical materials?"
Natasha, standing nearby, chimed in: "Fury, Hermione really did us a huge favor. S.H.I.E.L.D. should show proper appreciation."
"Besides, those magical materials were already the payment we promised Hermione."
Fury groaned inwardly.
Hermione's interference had completely ruined his carefully arranged body-double plan.
Now not only was his double gone, but he also had to pay out a huge batch of magical materials.
But to keep the Skrulls' secret hidden, he could only grit his teeth and swallow it.
"Miss Wizard, rest assured—S.H.I.E.L.D. never shortchanges those who've done us service."
Fury forced out an ugly smile.
"The magical materials we promised you—we'll continue searching for them."
"And next time we need your help, we'll double the payment. How's that?"
Only then did Hermione nod with satisfaction.
"That's more like it."
She glanced at Fury, secretly pleased.
Smart man.
Fury's mouth twitched.
So angry. But must keep smiling.
Afterward, Hermione followed Natasha to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s classified storage.
Along the way, Natasha praised Hermione effusively.
"Little Hermione, you're amazing."
"If not for you, who knows how long that alien would've kept fooling us."
Hermione lifted her chin proudly.
"Of course. No monster or demon can escape my eyes."
Arriving at the classified storage, Hermione began her "raid" without ceremony.
She waved her wand, muttering incantations.
One rare magical material after another disappeared into her collection.
Throughout the process, Natasha turned a blind eye.
These things were useless to S.H.I.E.L.D. anyway.
Might as well give them to Hermione and earn some goodwill.
Fully loaded, Hermione left S.H.I.E.L.D. with satisfaction.
Stark Tower.
Tony was buried in his workshop, focused intently on researching Mark armor upgrade plans.
Suddenly, a cool breeze blew overhead.
Tony instinctively looked up.
A mass of black-red "demonic wind" swept in through the window.
The "wind" spiraled and danced through the room as if alive.
Tony was startled by this bizarre scene.
His instinct was to suit up, but on second thought, something felt off.
The color and form of this "wind"—why did it seem familiar?
"Hermione?"
Tony called out tentatively.
The moment he spoke, the black-red wind instantly condensed.
Hermione's figure appeared before Tony.
Tony finally relaxed.
"I knew it. Who else would be this bored besides you?"
He looked her up and down, asking curiously: "What was that just now? New magic?"
Hermione smiled proudly.
"Pretty cool, right?"
"This is my newly mastered Ancient Magic: Element transformation. I can turn myself into wind—way faster than a broomstick."
Tony curled his lip.
"Tch, big deal."
"Once I finish upgrading the Mark armor, I'll fly faster than you."
He changed topics: "By the way, I saw you at the explosion site earlier. You dismantled Ivan Vanko's armor, didn't you?"
Hermione nodded.
"Yep, that was me."
"I was worried that whip-swinging guy would kill you."
Hearing this, Tony immediately bristled.
"Are you kidding?"
"I'm Iron Man. How could I lose to some half-trained amateur?"
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, you're amazing. The most amazing."
"By the time you finished dragging your feet, Pepper would've been blown to ash."
"If you ask me, you should've just killed that guy at the Monaco racetrack and saved everyone the trouble."
Tony fell silent.
He had to admit—Hermione had a point.
Pepper's near-death this time had truly shaken him.
Maybe he really should change his approach.
Rather than seeking revenge afterward, eliminate threats beforehand.
"Maybe I should build a robot army to protect the world."
Tony murmured.
A bold idea gradually took shape in his mind.
Just then, Pepper rushed in.
"Hermione, you're back!"
She'd received Jarvis's notification that Hermione had returned to Stark Tower and immediately hurried over.
Pepper hugged Hermione tight, checking her over carefully. Only after confirming she was uninjured did she relax.
"Thank goodness you're alright."
Pepper's eyes were full of concern.
"How was the alien planet? Was it dangerous?"
"You can't be so impulsive in the future. You're still young—you need to protect yourself."
"If anything happens, remember to discuss it with me and Tony."
Tony pursed his lips nearby.
He thought this "black-hearted" little brat was far more dangerous than those aliens.
But seeing Pepper's worried expression, he swallowed those words.
"By the way, Hermione, what's Asgard like?"
Tony suddenly asked.
"What happened to you guys?"
Hermione briefly recounted her experiences in Asgard.
Of course, she omitted her collusion with Loki and the erasure of the Frost Giants.
Listening to this magical adventure, Tony's eyes flashed with envy.
But on the surface, he maintained his dismissive attitude.
Hermione saw through Tony's thoughts.
She knew that despite his words, Tony was extremely interested in these unknown matters.
He just couldn't admit it due to pride.
"That old man Odin is completely senile."
Tony began his commentary.
"Thor is basically Asgard's traitor."
"Only Loki truly cares about Asgard."
Hermione nodded emphatically.
"Exactly what I think."
Tony was somewhat surprised.
This was the first time Hermione agreed with him so completely.
Who knew this annoying brat could sometimes say pleasant things?
Pepper wasn't interested in these alien matters.
She only cared about Hermione's safety.
"Hermione, thank you for the necklace."
Pepper touched the golden snitch necklace at her neck.
"If not for it, I probably..."
Just as Hermione was about to respond, Jarvis's voice suddenly rang out.
"Sir, Miss, S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Sitwell is here to visit Miss Hermione. He's currently waiting outside."
───── ⊹ ⊹ ─────
📖 80+ chapters ahead — full story available
🔍 Search "patreon.com/DarkGolds
───── ⊹ ⊹ ─────