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

Even the famous Zora Merchants Guild President, Oswald, is like this. "Training" is indeed a difficult thing.

The sudden topic of the family dog ​​left the other two stunned.

"Oh, that's a good suggestion. I'll give it some thought and see if I can make this protruding belly a little thinner."

After Ivano finished speaking, all four of them laughed.

However, Dahlia was probably the only one who really laughed out loud.

"Ms. Dahlia, regarding the terms of the lesson, could we please move to the next room to discuss them in detail?"

"Sharing a room with a single woman seems a bit..."

Wolff said this with a straight face, making you want to complain, "Do you have the right to say that?"

"If you're concerned, we can discuss this topic next time. In the meantime, I can go sign the temple contract, promising not to harm Miss Dahlia."

Oswald's words stunned both Ivano and Wolff.

"No need! I trust Mr. Oswald...ah."

“…Dalia?”

"Uh, I'm not worried about that at all. So don't worry..."

In panic, Dahlia recalled her previous slip of the tongue in the Trade Guild.

"I trust Mr. Fortunato. I leave everything to you." - These casual words held great significance for the noble.

"When a single noblewoman says this, it means the man is worthy of being her knight, and it carries a message of respect and affection."

"Noblewomen and men would also say this when they spent the night together for the first time. It was a popular saying for a while."

She really wanted to yell to an unknown person, "Who knows about this kind of thing?"

I hope Mr. Oswald won't notice──Dalia's desperate prayer seemed to come true, and the other party stood up without changing his expression.

"Don't worry. I'll be using anti-eavesdropping devices, but this door will remain open. Ms. Dahlia, please come with me to the next room and discuss this for about fifteen minutes."

He said this, not knowing whether he wanted to reassure Wolf or Ivano.

The man, who looked like an elegant silver fox, opened the door and let Dahlia go first.

After Dahlia went into the next room, Oswald turned around.

“…Leave it to me.”

The whispering sound could probably only be heard by Wolff.

A teasing smile appeared on the man's face.

After Oswald and Dalia went to the next room, the third lady, Amelinda, walked in immediately.

The two men declined the wine she offered them, accepting instead the cold sparkling water, and she left the room again.

I could hear Oswald and Dahlia talking in the next room, but because they were using a magic device to prevent eavesdropping, I couldn't hear the conversation clearly.

"...Master Wolfe, do we have any here?"

"Yes, I just activated it."

Hearing Ivano's question, Wolff answered with a hint of displeasure.

He also activated the anti-eavesdropping magic device hidden under his knight's uniform.

“…They really do look alike.”

"Not at all."

"If we only look at some of their features like eye color and temperament, they look quite similar, don't they?"

"Not really."

Neither of them said explicitly who looked like whom, but they could still communicate.

All three of Oswald's wives have green eyes, similar to Dalia.

The young man lowered his golden eyes, feeling even more unhappy. Ivano couldn't hide his bitter smile when he saw it.

"Ivano, you're outdone."

"Yeah, not only am I less experienced than you, but my level is also way behind. Things have been going so smoothly lately that I've become a bit complacent. This is a good opportunity for me to reflect on myself."

In the eyes of Oswald, who was almost fifty, Ivano, who was in his thirties, was just a young boy. The previous conversation hadn't even faltered Oswald's expression; he even offered him advice. Despite the disparity, he no longer felt any resentment.

It seems that Oswald, the president of the Zora Merchant Guild, is not only a first-class magic tool maker, but also a first-class businessman.

"Master Wolfe, you've been teased too."

"Taunting...?"

"Yes, that should be correct."

Ivano was unwilling to admit that he was also being teased and tricked.

At first, he'd worried Oswald might be interested in Dalia, and he'd been wary of him. But then his guard gradually dropped. The man's tone of voice, reminding Dalia of something, was like a teacher's, and his gaze was like that of his own daughter. When he mentioned Carlo, Ivanor knew he could stop worrying.

At least it is certain that Oswald will not be an enemy of Dahlia, nor will he deliberately harm her.

But it's hard to say about Ivano and Wolff.

"Why is he teasing me? It's not fun to tease me, is it?"

“No, well…”

He almost said, "That's fun," but quickly shut up. Whether Wolff hadn't noticed or didn't want to admit it, his concern for Dahlia was obvious.

"Maybe he enjoys teasing young people."

This didn't seem to comfort Wolff, so Ivano decided to pass over the topic.

"By the way, I didn't realize until just now that the job of a magic tool master is so dangerous."

"I've heard a little bit about it, but I didn't expect it to be this serious..."

Wolf stared at the platinum bracelet on his left hand. The bracelet imbued with Sirius material seemed to be quite dangerous.

However, neither Ivanor nor Wolf could remind Dahlia, and they didn't know how to deal with it if something happened.

If she wants to ensure her safety, she can only rely on the professional magic tool master Oswald.

"Has the Oswald Merchant Guild been coming in and out of the royal city for many years?"

"Yes, it's been about twenty years. We've also shipped some to the Knights."

Oswald was originally born into a viscount's family, but after becoming a magic tool maker, he set up his own business.

He later found a successful guild of commerce, began frequenting the royal city, and rose to baron status through his own efforts. Rumors suggested he might soon become a viscount. Ivanor also wanted Dahlia to follow this path.

If possible, Ivano hoped that he would not only teach Dahlia about magical tools, but also offer advice as a senior guild leader. However, the young man beside him might become even more troubled and uneasy.

"There are so many things I don't understand, and I can't stand my own ignorance."

"But that's a good thing, right? If you don't know your own ignorance, you won't realize you've made a mistake, and you won't be able to deal with it if something goes wrong."

"That's right..."

Wolff looked like he was drowning his sorrows in alcohol as he drank his sparkling water.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

The structure of the room next to the reception room is almost the same as that of the reception room.

The two men sat across the table from each other, and Oswald took off his cufflinks.

"Excuse me, this is a magic device to prevent eavesdropping. Please allow me to activate it."

He placed a round red gem on the table. Its light, when activated, contained no magical fluctuations. If he hadn't told her, Dahlia wouldn't have realized it was a magical device designed to prevent eavesdropping. Perhaps it was a highly confidential item specifically for the nobility.

"Let's review the course terms. I will teach you to the point where you can confidently practice independently. This will include information on rare materials, methods for increasing magic power, compound magic power, and more. The tuition fee is fifty gold coins, payable in interest-free installments upon completion. Are these terms acceptable to you?"

"Yes, please."

"The class will be held in my workshop. There will only be the two of us in the workshop, but we can have the members of the Chamber of Commerce stay in the next room. My wife will also be there."

"I'm so sorry to bother you. I wish I were a man."

"No, if that were the case I probably wouldn't have bothered to do anything."

Oswald's tone was clearly joking, and Dalia couldn't help laughing.

"Let's start the class after we've finished learning the Royal City Etiquette. After all, we each have our own duties at the Merchant Guild and as magical tool makers. How about one class per week, about three to four hours, at a time when both of us are free?"

"Okay, I'll try to accommodate your schedule. But...is it really okay for you to teach me these?"

After hearing Oswald's proposal just now, Dahlia was thinking.

She was neither Oswald's apprentice nor a member of the Zora Merchants. Even if she spent fifty gold coins, she would not be able to obtain his teachings.

"It's true that knowledge about rare materials and special gifts is only passed on to apprentices. But if you fail and die while gifting a rare material, you'll probably be scolded by Mr. Carlo when you meet him in the afterlife, right? I don't want to be blamed by Mr. Carlo in that world either."

"...Thank you so much."

Something had gone wrong when she had been given the Sirius Fang, and she couldn't deny it. Her father might indeed be furious.

There was another thing that concerned her.

"Um, your apprentice wouldn't mind, would he?"

His successor might be unhappy about teaching Dahlia.

If this ruins the master-disciple relationship, no amount of apology will be of any use.

"...It's embarrassing to say, but I've taken in three magical tool master apprentices, and none of them turned out well."

There was a look of resignation in Oswald's downcast eyes.

Judging from the etiquette notes just now, perhaps his requirements were too high. They might have left on their own initiative because they couldn't meet his requirements.

"That's... what a pity."

"Yes, it's a pity. I cultivated them with all my heart, but the first one eloped with my ex-wife, and the second and third tried to pursue my current wives, so I expelled them from the sect."

"I'm sorry, I don't know what to say..."

After accidentally asking about his ex-wife's elopement with someone last time, I stepped on his landmine again this time.

All three disciples actually did this kind of thing. This is not because they have offended the peach blossom curse, but the disciple curse.

"No, there's nothing I can do about it. My wife is just too charming."

Facing the panicked Dalia, Oswald calmly praised the beauty of his wives.

"...How should we sign a confidentiality agreement? A temple contract?"

"No, there's no need to sign a temple contract. I'll teach you the methods and procedures for bestowing gifts, and you can apply them to your magical tools in the future. You can also find trusted assistants to assist you. If you ever take on an apprentice, I'll teach them as well. That's up to you."

"Thank you very much, but the tuition I paid seems too low..."

"It is a great loss to the Rossetti family that Mr. Carlo's knowledge cannot be passed on. I only hope to be of assistance to you. In return, I also have a favor to ask of you..."

Oswald paused mid-sentence, his silver eyes slightly shadowed behind his silver-rimmed glasses.

"If something happens to me, could you please train my son to become a magic tool master? I will prepare the relevant documents in advance and will pay your tuition at that time, the same amount I collected this time. Please also inform Mr. Ivano and the others of this."

"Do you want me to teach your son?"

"Yes, my eldest son has enrolled in the Magical Equipment Department of the Advanced Academy. He aspires to become a capable magic tool maker in the future. If anything happens to me, please pass on what I taught you, as well as the knowledge you've acquired about magic tools, to my son."

"Mr. Oswald, are you feeling unwell?"

"No, I'm perfectly healthy. But as I'm getting older, some things are difficult to bestow. For example, the combination of Sirius materials could kill me if I'm not careful."

Dahlia couldn't help but worry about whether he was seriously ill, but it seemed her worry was unnecessary. He casually mentioned the composite gift of Sirius material, which seemed to require not only magic but also physical strength. Moreover, she was somewhat concerned about what he mentioned.

"Is 'Compound Granting' really that difficult?"

"There are many ways to combine them, but the easiest is to sandwich Magic Sealing Silver in between."

"Magic Seal Silver?"

Magic Sealing Silver is one of the special mineral materials, mainly used in magic sealing boxes.

However, logically speaking, Magic Sealing Silver should not be used on objects that have been imbued with magic.

"Yes. It's not about layering it on top of already-imparted materials, but shaping it to suit the connecting parts. While it requires subtle adjustments in magic power, all you need to do is block the joints with magic silver and then 'fix' them. With only a small amount of magic power, it can be concealed."

"What should I do if my magic power reaches a certain level?"