The Iron-Walled Man's Flat-Out Rejection
An early morning when the dawn fog clung damply to the roofs of the mountain stronghold. Instead of the usual lively clamor, a heavy silence filled the living room of the main building. The thick mist beyond the windows seemed to mirror Veronica's tangled emotions. She sat at the dining table, staring blankly at the bowl of porridge sending up curls of steam. Normally she would have been chattering away to Rodin about the day's tasks, but now she merely stirred the porridge in meaningless circles with her spoon.
Rodin stood in the corner of the living room, sharpening the blade of his pickaxe against an old whetstone. Scrape. Scraaaape. The steady metallic rasp broke the quiet. Though his face remained indifferent as he inspected the pickaxe's edge, his razor-sharp senses had already locked onto the dining table. The slower-than-usual rhythm of her spoon. The way her slender shoulders curved inward. Even the faint tremble of Veronica's eyelids. Without needing to ask, Rodin knew her mood had hit rock bottom.
"Porridge's getting cold. If you're not eating it, give it to the dogs."
Rodin's blunt voice rang off the living room walls.
"Ah… I'm sorry, Mr. Rodin. It's just… the weather's been like this lately, so I feel a little sluggish." Veronica forced a smile, but she couldn't hide her pale complexion.
Rodin set the pickaxe down with a rough clack and pulled a paper-wrapped bundle from his pocket, tossing it in front of her.
"It's not sluggishness. You just look dumb. Here, eat this."
"What is it?" Veronica unfolded the paper with a puzzled look. Savory aroma rose from the glossy jerky.
"The bandit boys snatched it from the market yesterday. Moving your jaw should get your brain working again." Rodin deliberately turned his head and fiddled with the pickaxe handle once more.
But Veronica knew the truth. The bandits hadn't stolen this jerky—Rodin had gone to the village market himself yesterday and picked out the finest cut.
"You're such a tsundere… Mr. Rodin really is kind, aren't you."
"Kind my ass. If you get sick I'll have to nurse you, and that's a pain. So chew it already. It's tough enough to break teeth, so you won't have time for stupid thoughts."
Rodin grumbled irritably, but only after he confirmed Veronica had taken a bite and was chewing did he resume sharpening the whetstone.
BANG!
The peaceful breakfast shattered as the main building's door flew open hard enough to nearly splinter.
"Rodin! Consider yourself lucky today! This is an opportunity that could rewrite the history of the continent!" Lize burst in, silver hair streaming behind her. In her hands she carried a parchment scroll emblazoned with ornate golden magic crests. Right behind her came Saintess Ivona, drooling at the mouth while clutching a monster encyclopedia tightly to her chest.
"Oh Lord! Look at the description of the sacred 'Golden Boar' written here! Its fat is as white as platinum, and its meat is said to be like the clouds of heaven! This request is nothing short of a pilgrimage!"
Veronica's eyes widened mid-chew at the sudden uproar. Rodin picked at his ear with a finger, looking thoroughly bothered, and glanced at the scroll Lize thrust forward.
"Mana core, pork fat—none of it has anything to do with me. Go play somewhere else. I have fields to plow today."
"You stupid bandit! You think this is some ordinary request? It's a special-class quest to retrieve a mana core from an ancient ruin the Magic Tower discovered after hundreds of years!" Lize slammed her hand on the table in excitement. "The reward is ten platinum coins! That's enough money to buy an entire decent territory! With that, you could turn this pathetic mountain stronghold into a grand mansion in the imperial capital!"
"Lord Rodin! I'll even add ten uses of my holy water shower privilege! Please come with us! The Golden Boar's hind leg is calling my name!" Ivona grabbed the hem of Rodin's pants and began hanging off him.
Ten platinum coins. The number floated through the living room. Veronica's eyes wavered. That was an enormous sum—enough that Rodin would never have to bother with any of the "troublesome tasks" he hated for the rest of his life.
Yet Rodin's response was the same as always.
"Holy water, my ass. It stinks, so take it away. Not interested."
"Rodin! Come back to your senses! This is a job that can't be finished in a single day without someone of your strength!" Lize refused to give up and waved her staff. A brilliant illusion of the ancient ruins appeared in the air. The dazzling sight of gold, silver, treasures, and intricate magic tools pouring forth was magnificent, but Rodin only yawned as he watched.
"Castle or whatever, it'd just be a pain to clean. I'm comfortable with this old house. You can't even tell when dust piles up."
"Oh Lord! Guide this stubborn man! We must save the Golden Boar's hind leg before it is roasted in the flames of hell!" Ivona rolled on the floor and wailed.
But Rodin's gaze remained stubbornly fixed on one spot. Veronica, head lowered, fidgeting with her fingers. Her unusually low energy seemed to bother him.
"Veronica! You persuade him! This man would even pretend to die if you asked!" Lize turned to Veronica for help.
Veronica looked up, startled. "Huh? Ah… Mr. Rodin, if you're hesitating because of me, I'm really fine. With ten platinum coins you could buy mountains of that premium fertilizer you've always wanted. You can go…"
Her words died unfinished. Rodin had stopped sharpening and was staring straight into her eyes.
"Why would you be fine? Your face has 'I'll cry if you leave me alone' written across it in giant letters."
"T-that's…!" Veronica's face flushed bright red in an instant.
Rodin stood up with a grumble. He slung the pickaxe over his shoulder and lightly flicked away the request form that Lize was desperately holding out. His eyes were as resolute as when he picked out the largest rock in the field.
"Not doing it. Too bothersome. I have to pull cabbages tomorrow."
"What?! Cabbages?! Rodin, have you lost your mind? You're throwing away ten platinum coins for some stupid cabbages?!" Lize clutched the back of her neck in shock. To a 7-circle archmage, this was economic heresy beyond comprehension.
"Stupid cabbages? Those are my children. I water them every morning, pick bugs off them, and even spread stinky poop fertilizer. Pulling weeds is a hundred times more important than retrieving your mana core." Not a trace of hesitation colored Rodin's words.
"Oh Lord! The Golden Boar losing to a scrap of cabbage! This is grounds for a religious war! It's blasphemy!" Ivona shrieked, but Rodin ignored her and poked Veronica in the side.
"Hey, princess. Stop spacing out and grab a basket. You're pulling them with me. No work, no food."
"Y-yes! I'll pull them with you! Um… are you really not going because of the cabbages?" Veronica's voice trembled faintly. A mysterious warmth bloomed in her chest.
Rodin deliberately avoided her eyes as he walked out of the living room. "What other reason would there be? Cabbages suit my taste more than money, so don't overthink it."
Watching his retreating back with ears slightly reddened, Veronica felt her heart pound as if it would burst.
Outside the living room door, Dagan and the other bandits had been eavesdropping and were already drowning in tears.
"Krrgh… Boss! As expected, a true man protects his wife using cabbages as an excuse! Did you see that iron-wall rejection?!" Dagan wiped his eyes with a dirty sleeve and sniffled.
"Hell yeah! We all know you're just worried about leaving sister-in-law alone, whether it's the Magic Tower or some ruins! Boss, you're truly the last romantic of this age!"
"Shut up, you idiots! I told you it's really because of the cabbages!" Rodin kicked Dagan in the rear as he stepped outside, but the bandits had already fallen into an emotional frenzy.
"Yes sir! We'll guard the cabbage patch so not even an ant gets through! Boss, enjoy a cozy time pulling cabbages with sister-in-law! We'll manage the hunger ourselves!"
"These bastards really…" Rodin scratched his head in annoyance, but the clear sound of Veronica's laughter from behind made him stop any further violence.
Veronica stood before the mirror, cooling her flushed cheeks.
The cabbages are just an excuse… He saw I looked down and decided to stay by my side, didn't he? Choosing time with me over ten platinum coins. Mr. Rodin really is a blunt romantic…
Her misunderstanding had already deepened into something as vast as the Milky Way stretching across the continent.
After the storm of commotion passed, the stronghold settled back into peaceful noon. Rodin stood in the middle of the kitchen garden, carefully lifting each cabbage leaf for inspection. Veronica trotted after him, carrying a small basket.
While pretending to be indifferent, Rodin secretly slipped more of the jerky he'd brought from the living room into the corner of her basket.
"This one's got bugs. We'll have to thin it out tomorrow or the rest will get ruined too."
"I'm not very good at catching bugs… but if you're beside me, Mr. Rodin, I think I can find the courage to try." Veronica smiled sweetly and lightly caught the edge of his sleeve.
Rodin barely held back the smile threatening to slip out and answered gruffly.
"If only you couldn't talk. Don't lift a finger—just hold the basket. Don't touch the cabbages and damage their roots."
"Hehe, thank you, Mr. Rodin. Truly."
"For what? Is pulling cabbages together that wonderful?"
"Yes. I like doing anything as long as it's with you, Mr. Rodin. Far more than even the most expensive mana core in the world."
At Veronica's sincere confession, Rodin brushed the dirt from his hands and looked up at the sky.
But the peaceful scene lasted only a moment. From beyond the thick bushes at the stronghold entrance, a gaze steeped in unpleasant killing intent reached them. Rodin's brows furrowed instantly. Power flowed into the fingers gripping his pickaxe, thick veins standing out.
"Sigh… more bothersome bastards have shown up. I clearly told them I have to pull cabbages tomorrow."
The flash of unfamiliar blades between the bushes. A shadow intent on disturbing the peaceful harvest was silently drawing closer to the stronghold. A chilly gleam settled in Rodin's eyes. This particular weed looked like it would be quite stubborn.