The Lady of the House's Emergency Bell
The morning at Black Mane Mountain Stronghold always began with Rodin's heavy labor, just like any other day. He scooped up a massive pile of freshly harvested cabbages, filling both arms completely. A quick glance showed the load would have required at least five or six grown men to even budge, yet Rodin's steps remained as light as a feather. Each time his foot met the earth, the ground sank with a heavy thud, proof of the Mercenary King's overwhelming leg strength.
"Whew, these cabbages are packed solid this time," Rodin muttered, wiping away the beads of sweat dotting his forehead. The heat radiating from the legendary Mercenary King made the air around him shimmer like a haze.
That was the exact moment it happened.
Whoosh—!
A white figure shot toward him like lightning and latched onto his left bicep with a death grip.
"Ooh, Cult Leader! Are your noble muscles screaming in the agony of labor? Allow my sacred warmth to purchase your fatigue!"
It was Ivona. Her behavior was anything but fitting for a Saintess. Her ample chest pressed fully against Rodin's rock-hard biceps without the slightest hesitation. Through the point of contact, her soft, yielding texture and faint lily scent teased his nerves.
"Hey... get off me. I'm sweating and it's hot. This is such a pain," Rodin grumbled, swinging his arm to shake her loose. But Ivona clung like rice cake, refusing to budge. Her eyes gleamed with a fanatical reverence.
"This is no mere sweat—it is holy broth! Now, can you feel the waves of my healing? Your muscles are growing firmer, like freshly baked baguettes with crisp exteriors and moist centers! Oh, Lord! Behold this wondrous elasticity!"
"Baguette or whatever, I can't move the cabbages with you stuck to me. Let go already."
"I must not! Healing reaches its peak only through complete adhesion! This is a sacred devotion solely for the Cult Leader's health! Lord, grant me the strength and endurance to support this mighty arm!"
Ivona instead leaned all her weight onto his arm, hanging on even tighter. Rodin stood in the middle of the field with a mountain of cabbages in one arm and the Empire's greatest Saintess dangling from the other, his face twisted in clear exasperation.
Crack—!
At the same time, on the second floor of the stronghold's main building, in the office. The quill snapped miserably in Veronica's hand as she reviewed the ledgers. Her gaze was fixed on the cabbage field outside the window. More precisely, on the white Saintess fluttering about like a butterfly in a flower garden while clinging to Rodin's bicep.
Veronica's eyes shook violently left and right. Inside her head, an enormous siren—far beyond any measurable decibels—blared at full volume.
That... that thieving cat?! How dare she freeload on my man's muscles that I've worked so hard to polish?
Her lips trembled. To Veronica, Rodin was far more than a benefactor. He was the sanctuary she had staked everything to protect, her "man" whose place at her side she would one day claim properly.
And now some starving Saintess had shown up, spouting nonsense about cult leaders and crossing every line.
"Saintess? Don't make me laugh. That's no Saintess—that's a starving lioness! I must immediately eliminate those wicked forces of light targeting my Rodin!"
Veronica shot to her feet. Blue mana flickered behind her.
"This is an emergency. A crisis greater than the Empire's destruction. Veronica, get a hold of yourself. If she's using 'sacred buffs' as a weapon, I'll counter with 'meticulous wifely support'! I'll show that freeloader exactly what the dignity of the true lady of the house looks like!"
She grabbed the apron lying on the desk. It was time for the secret weapon she had prepared especially for Rodin that morning.
"Rodin, you've worked so hard. Here, I brought the meat dumplings I made myself!"
Veronica, wearing an apron adorned with fancier lace than usual, set the tray of dumplings on the table. Steam rose in fragrant curls from the freshly steamed dumplings, tempting everyone's appetite.
Ivona's nostrils twitched instinctively. Her gaze, which had been fixed on Rodin's arm, snapped toward the dumplings in a fraction of a second.
"Oh?! Is that... the dumpling blessed with the grace of meat juices?! Lady Veronica, sharing is the highest virtue of the Lord! Please allow me to partake in that blessing as well!"
When Ivona loosened her grip slightly to reach out, Veronica gracefully pulled the tray back.
"My, aren't you busy healing Rodin, Saintess? Someone who fills their stomach with prayer shouldn't crave such worldly meat. Please continue your work. The dumplings and I will finish these with Rodin before they get cold."
"Lady Veronica! Such heretical words...! Feeding the hungry is also a priest's duty!"
"Hey, hey. Both of you shut up and hand over the dumplings. I'm starving to death here."
When Rodin reached out, Veronica quickly picked up a dumpling and fed it directly into his mouth.
"Here, say 'ahh.' Rodin."
"...Mm, the seasoning's perfect."
As Rodin chewed and swallowed indifferently, sparks flew from Ivona's eyes as she watched from the side. She latched onto his other arm again and cried out.
"How cowardly! Trying to bribe the Cult Leader with food! Cult Leader, through the sacred energy in my lips, I shall let you taste the dumplings twice as strongly!"
"Why are you two like this? What a pain..."
Rodin's sigh scattered amid the heated atmosphere between the two women in the dining hall.
Once Rodin left for the next field, the temperature in the dining hall plummeted below freezing. Veronica sat with her arms crossed, glaring coldly at Ivona across the table. Ivona, with a scrap of dumpling wrapper still stuck to the corner of her mouth, chewed the last remaining dumpling with great care, her eyes wide.
"Saintess. Don't you think you were being a bit too blatant earlier, clinging to Rodin's arm like that? No matter what you call him, there are still such things as manners."
"Survival takes precedence over manners. My spiritual hunger cannot be satisfied without direct contact with the Cult Leader's sacred energy. This is part of the healing process."
"Do you really think I can't tell spiritual hunger from selfish ulterior motives? Rodin is under my care. As an imperial princess, I have officially claimed the position of 'lady of this stronghold.' Keep your hands off what isn't yours."
At Veronica's words, Ivona shamelessly puffed out her chest.
"Care? The Cult Leader is the savior of all mankind. It seems you, Lady Veronica, are the one fallen into the heretical emotion of possessiveness. Repent! With such a narrow heart, you cannot understand the true depth of broth!"
"This is unbelievable...! I gave you the benefit of the doubt because you're a Saintess, but you just keep pushing it? Starting tomorrow, you'll be doing mountain runs with the bandit trainees! You have to earn your keep!"
"Mountain runs?! A Saintess's legs are meant only to walk toward holy ground..."
"Be quiet! We have no need for freeloading parasites in this stronghold!"
The two women's fiery gazes clashed in midair, crackling with tension.
Veronica's plan was meticulous. She decided to use Ivona's own 'abilities' as an excuse to separate her from Rodin.
"Saintess, many of our elite soldiers are badly injured in preparation for the next battle. Please apply your excellent 'physical enhancement buff' to all fifty of them personally. This is all to protect our home, isn't it?"
Ivona had no grounds to refuse. In the end, she was forced to stand in the middle of the training grounds, surrounded by sweaty bandits, pouring out her divine power.
"Haa... haa... Lord... why did you bestow so much muscle upon these crude men... My power is running dry..."
"Ooh! Saintess! My body feels light as a feather! This axe feels like paper!"
"One more time! Saintess, please cast another blessing over here!"
Dagan, Gil, and the other bandits cheered as they clung to her. After injecting her power into all fifty men one by one, Ivona's face had gone half-blank from exhaustion.
From a distance, Veronica watched the scene while elegantly sipping tea.
Yes, use up all your power like that. That way you won't have any strength left to bother Rodin at night. Hehe.
"Hey, Princess. You seem to be in a good mood today. Even humming to yourself."
Rodin had approached without her noticing. Veronica slightly narrowed her eyes and smiled brightly.
"The territory management is going very smoothly. For dinner tonight, I'll make that thick meat pie you like, Rodin. Very specially—just the two of us, quietly."
"Oh, meat pie? That sounds pretty good."
At Rodin's indifferent reply, Veronica smiled in victory.
Deep in the night, after finishing his exhausting labor, Rodin was just about to crawl into bed when—
Knock knock.
"Rodin, are you asleep? I brought warm milk. They say it's good for deep sleep."
Veronica's gentle voice came from outside the door. The moment Rodin reached out to open it, another urgent voice cut in from the opposite side.
"Cult Leader! I have brought the gospel of spicy chicken feet to break the silence of the night! A soul weary from training must be governed with heat! Let us keep the night alive together with gourmet cuisine!"
When he opened the door, Veronica stood on the left in white pajamas, holding a warm cup of milk. On the right stood Ivona, dark circles under her eyes, carrying a tray piled high with chicken feet.
"Saintess, why are you here at this hour? If you've used up all your power, shouldn't you be sleeping peacefully?"
"Taking care of the Cult Leader's late-night snacks is my spiritual instinct! And Lady Veronica, milk? Isn't that rather childish?"
"What did you say?!"
Just as the two women's sharp exchange was about to ignite again, Rodin frowned and roughly grabbed the door.
"...Ugh, seriously! Neither of you is leaving?! I need to sleep, you two! I have to plow the fields at dawn tomorrow!"
Bang—!
With the heartless slam of the door, silence fell over the hallway. Veronica and Ivona glared at each other as if ready to devour one another before retreating to their respective rooms.
Veronica lay in bed, clenching her fists tightly.
I absolutely won't let her take him. Not this stronghold, not that blunt man! Tomorrow I'll have to issue an official no-approach order.
While her jealousy painted the night sky, beyond the stronghold in the dark forest, a mysterious silhouette brimming with enormous power slowly stepped toward the stronghold under the silver moonlight.
"Mercenary King... I've finally found you."