This Is What Matters Most

Dictator.

The word was full of derogatory meaning in this country. It was considered the opposite of civilization, and everyone would condemn it vocally and in writing.

Tony had never imagined that one day this word would be applied to him.

He felt more lost than ever before.

"Pepper, I've seen what a truly powerful civilization looks like. Its hierarchy is rigid, the emperor's will is the will of everyone, and everything belonging to the individual seems insignificant. Could an ideology like Hydra's actually be the correct path?" Tony's eyes were indeed filled with confusion.

Knowledge was not always beneficial.

A person's beliefs were formed by the knowledge they continuously acquired while growing up.

It taught people what was right and what was wrong.

But over the past year, Tony had lost his bearings. The various kinds of knowledge in his mind had made everything complicated and left him confused.

After all, there was simply too much of that knowledge. It was too diverse and too powerful.

Aside from technology, finding something within that knowledge that he could accept required time and talent. The smarter a person was, the more likely they were to get caught in a dead end.

"Whether it's the right path doesn't matter to me." Pepper gripped Tony's hand tightly again. "But you haven't smiled in a long time. Even after making your favorite mecha, you weren't that happy, because you weren't sure whether the mecha you created would be used to help others."

"But my personal will is insignificant before the entirety of human civilization."

"You're putting too much pressure on yourself, Tony. Human civilization can't be carried by you alone."

"Maybe it couldn't before, but now I possess knowledge that surpasses this civilization."

"Tony..."

The conversation became awkward again. They had already had countless