Magical Tool Master Dahlia Never Compromises ~ Starting Today: Life as a Freelancer ~

Just like the last time we met, he had all his gray hair combed back and wore silver-rimmed glasses.

The furniture in the room was mostly white with plenty of gold accents. The non-glare gold jewelry gave it a calming feel, but considering the price, I was afraid to bump into it. The blue carpet was bright and vivid, spotless, making me afraid to step on it. Honestly, it was so clean that it was actually unsettling.

In this tense atmosphere, three women stood side by side beside Oswald, all wearing the same engagement bracelet with a silver background and multiple diamonds.

Wolf, Dalia, and Ivano stood opposite them in order, nodding to each other.

"My wives said they wanted to come meet you all and say hello..."

"Wives" - Dalia had never heard anyone say this in her daily life and found it very fresh.

He said he wanted to say hello, but in reality, he probably wanted to meet Wolff, who was known as the "most beautiful young man in the royal capital."

"I'm Katrina Zora."

The middle-aged woman with blond hair and deep green eyes spoke first, smiling. It seemed she must be the eldest lady.

The bright blue dress and gold necklace suited her perfectly. Judging from her temperament and graceful movements, she must be of noble birth.

"I'm Fiore Zola."

The next person to speak was a woman with red hair and light green eyes. She seemed a generation older than Dalia.

She was wearing an ivory, puffy dress that perfectly matched her. When she smiled, the corners of her eyes drooped slightly, making her look adorable despite her age. It was she who had just come out to greet her.

"I'm Amelinda Zola."

Finally, there was a woman who was older than Dalia, but still only in her twenties.

She had black hair and scallion-colored eyes, and like Dalia, she was tall. She wore a simple, non-reflective black dress, and her figure was perfectly curvaceous. If she were born in Dalia's previous life, she would have been discovered by a scout and become a model.

All three were undoubtedly beauties, but each had distinct features, and it was impossible to tell what Oswald preferred.

Then the three people from the Roseti Chamber of Commerce also greeted each other in a commonplace way.

Dahlia was nervous and stiff, and Wolf and Ivanor also looked uneasy. Perhaps they were stunned by the three beautiful ladies.

After everyone introduced themselves and greeted each other, they were finally seated.

"Then please wait for me at home, Amelinda will help look after the store."

After the ladies smiled and nodded and left, the room suddenly became much quieter.

"Sorry for the delay. Let's get back to the point. Regarding the Royal City etiquette, you only need to memorize a few unique rules and movements, so you can learn it in just four or five sessions. I'll provide the notes this time, and from the second time on, Ms. Dalia, please practice with me, Katarina and Mr. Mercadante."

"Thanks."

"Let's review these notes today. Lord Wolffred, please stay and review them together."

Oswald took out three thick stacks of papers from his heavy red suitcase and piled them on the table. They were as thick as the magic theory textbooks in the academy.

The size and thickness of the papers were beyond the level of "notes". The pile was even higher than Dalia's fist.

"Each sheet of paper has a rule written on it. Please put aside what you've memorized and review the things you don't remember. It's just like an academy exam. It might seem like a lot at first glance, but it's actually not that much."

Although the amount of information on each piece of paper is only a little, the total amount is definitely not just "okay".

Dalia flipped through a few pages, most of which she didn't know. The thought of writing them all down made her dizzy.

Glancing at the people around him, Ivano was already looking helplessly into the distance.

She looked at Wolff, thinking he knew everything, but he also looked embarrassed. When their eyes met, he froze in embarrassment.

(Illustration 005)

"...There's a lot I don't know. I'll reflect on it."

She couldn't laugh at all when she heard the other person's whisper.

"Anyway, as long as you remember this level of knowledge, it won't be too rude. There are more advanced things to remember after you've memorized them."

Oswald, still smiling, casually referred to this knowledge as "this level." Was that too much to ask? Dalia didn't want to think about what "deeper" might be for the time being.

"Today I'm mainly going to give you my notes. Please write them down and then decide on a time for next time. If possible, I'd love to have dinner with you all, but unfortunately I have other plans later."

"No, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to teach us."

After discussion, it was decided that Dalia would arrange for Oswald to be free in the future and choose a day when Ivano could go with him.

Wolff, from the Monster Suppression Force, didn't join due to time constraints. After all, he was only a guarantor for the Chamber of Commerce, not a member. It wouldn't be nice to take up his rest time.

Ivano wrote down the tentative date on paper, and Oswald looked at Wolff.

"Master Wolffred, the glasses you are wearing are endowed with 'Fairy Crystals', right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Could it be that Mr. Carlo Rossetti made it?"

"no."

"Whose work is this? I'm only asking out of my own interest as a magic tool master. I would never share information about a client's personal belongings with anyone else. If you must keep it a secret, it's okay if you don't answer."

"This is……"

"I did it."

Seeing that Wolfe didn't dare to speak clearly, Dalia answered for him.

Fairy crystals are also used in the magic tools at Oswald's shop. Fairy crystals are rare materials. If they become unavailable in the future, perhaps we can discuss this with him. So, Dahlia decided to tell him the truth.

"So it's Ms. Dahlia's work, absolutely flawless. Have you already mastered the art of crafting 'Fairy Crystals'? That's truly remarkable."

"Thanks."

Dahlia breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the other party.

When I spoke to Oswald today, I always felt like I was talking to a teacher at the academy.

"Please allow me to ask one more question. Lord Wolffred's bracelet... Oh, the bracelet is quite personal, so you don't need to tell me who made it or where you bought it. But the magic power is very rare. Is it made from the teeth of a silver wolf?"

"...It's a Skoll fang."

"Tianlang...?"

The narrow silver eyes narrowed even further, and the smile suddenly disappeared.

"Excuse me, Miss Dahlia, what is your magic power value?"

"Eight units."

"If the Sirius Fang on the bracelet was given by you, never do this again. It could easily lead to death."

“Eh!”

Wolff was the first to exclaim.

"What does it mean?"

Ivano, who had been listening silently, also asked anxiously.

Seeing that their expressions suddenly became serious, Dalia hurriedly explained to them.

"It's okay! My magic power is almost exhausted, but I'm not going to die..."

"Normally, exhaustion of mana would only cause a person to faint, but the Sirius Fang is different. Even after the person's mana is exhausted, the Sirius Fang can sometimes continue to absorb mana. The amount depends on the size of the Sirius Fang and the magic power of the Sirius itself. In serious cases, it can even cost a person's life. In fact, someone in the country has died from this. Unless your mana value is above nine, you shouldn't take this risk."

“I don’t even know…”

Dahlia's face turned pale. She was more than injured; she had nearly died in her own bed.

There were waves of silent pressure coming from her left, and she was too scared to look over there.

"Didn't Mr. Carlo teach you about Sirius?"

"Yes...I haven't learned that."

"Don't you think it doesn't even have the characteristics of a fairy crystal?"

"I've only heard that fairy crystals are a rare material and difficult to process. It also requires a certain amount of magic power. That's all."

"This is really surprising..."

Oswald sighed deeply and unconcealedly.

"Mr. Carlo probably passed away before he could teach you... So, did he teach you about the dangers of rare materials like Sirius, how to use them, how to increase magic points, and how to combine them?"

"I only learned to give efficiency, nothing else."

"Where are the other disciples?"

"I'm not sure, probably not. Well, there's no way to confirm it right now..."

"I heard—what a foolish man."

"Mr. Oswald?"

Halfway through his words, his tone and voice suddenly became cold, and Dalia couldn't help but call out to him.

"Sorry, I accidentally let my feelings out."

The man said with a perfect smile, and Wolfe asked him a question.

"Mr. Oswald, would you be willing to teach this to Dalia?"

"Wolf, sir, this may be difficult. Magical toolsmiths' skills are usually only passed down within the same family or fellow disciples, and are not taught to outsiders..."

Dahlia reluctantly added the word "sir" and answered Wolf.

Most highly skilled magic tool masters will not pass on their special technical knowledge to apprentices or people other than their fellow disciples.

To Oswald she was just a friend's daughter, and he had no obligation to teach her so much.

"Sounds interesting... I've been a magic tool maker for quite some time, and I do have something to teach Miss Dahlia. I don't know how long it will take, but I can train her to become 'Mr. Carlo's successor, as I recognize him.'"

Those silver eyes stared at Dahlia. Behind their glasses, it was as if they were examining a half-finished magical tool. Perhaps because they were both magical tool makers, she felt that way.

"Miss Dahlia, are you willing to accept my instruction as a magic tool master? I'll pay you fifty gold coins, which you can repay in interest-free installments once you've mastered everything. Magic tool masters must abide by confidentiality, so there will only be two of us in the workshop. If this makes you uncomfortable, you can refuse—"

"I'm counting on you."

When she came to her senses, she realized that she had already lowered her head and begged before the other person finished speaking.

"Dalia!"

"Ms. Dalia!"

"You answered so quickly. You're exactly like Carlo-san in that respect."

The silver-haired man ignored the two panicked people and just smiled at Dahlia.

"Mr. Mercadanti, it's fine if you stay in the room next to the studio. Do you need a few more people? My wife will be there, too."

"...That's fine. I apologize for being rude, but I've heard a lot of rumors."

"I see. Those are mostly 'false rumors'."

Ivano adjusted his forward leaning posture and looked at Oswald carefully.

He had seen this man many times at the Trade Guild, but there was a subtle difference between him and the man he exuded now. His silver eyes were even more captivating than usual, tinged with a hint of mischief. Though he was quite different from Wolff, he was also surrounded by numerous romantic rumors.

"Isn't President Zora of the Merchants Guild concerned about those 'false rumors'?"

"I don't mind at all. Let the swallows and skylarks sing if they want. It's like advertising for me."

"I really wish our Chamber of Commerce had enough strength to say that..."

"It's okay. Your strength will grow unnoticed. Just keep visiting the royal city. Once you get used to it, you can let the swallows and skylarks continue to sing, or get rid of them."

The other party said it easily, but Ivano took a slight breath.

Oswald has been involved in a variety of romantic rumors since he was young.

I don’t know which ones are true and which ones are fabricated “false rumors”.

But Oswald said that they didn't need to worry about the rumors. As long as they continued to go in and out of the royal city, they would gain a certain level of strength. Then, they could choose to continue to use those who spread the rumors or eliminate them.

As for how to "get rid of" it, Ivano didn't want to know too much detail.

"By the way, Mr. Mercadanti, I suggest you get a puppy as soon as possible. It will be more beneficial for your future development."

"Puppy?"

"Yes, as long as you train them properly, you can raise an excellent and loyal dog. But I didn't train them well myself, and I ended up getting bitten back."

He was probably suggesting that Ivano hire a young man and train him to be a loyal employee.

"Being bitten back because of poor training" probably refers to the time when his most trusted employee betrayed him and eloped with his wife.