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

Each person received a plate with two large fried shrimp, tartar sauce and vegetables on the side.

When you bite into the hot fried shrimp, you will find that the shrimp body is extremely elastic and tender, and the rich shrimp flavor spreads in your mouth.

If you ignore the heat and dip it in plenty of tartar sauce, the two flavors will blend together and taste even better.

"...These are definitely not common shrimp. They should be eaten by nobles or wealthy merchants..."

Someone was mumbling something to the shrimp, but Dalia was busy eating the shrimp herself and decided to pretend she didn't hear.

After eating the fried shrimp, Dalia went back to the kitchen.

She cooked a quick garlic-fried pasta dish by adding the pasta to pre-boiled water, adding extra salt, chili pepper, and garlic.

Later, she felt a sense of accomplishment when she saw Wolf and Dolino enjoying their meal.

They both ate two plates and looked very satisfied.

But Randolph refused to have another plate and did not drink alcohol, drinking boiled water instead.

It really doesn't suit his taste, does it? I feel bad for him to eat common people's food.

"I made bread pudding for dessert. Would you like some? It's pretty sweet though."

"Sorry, I can't eat anymore."

"Me too. These dishes are so delicious, I accidentally ate too much."

"...Can I have one?"

The other two refused, but Randolph politely asked for one.

Perhaps out of consideration for her feelings, he reluctantly agreed. Dalia felt even more sorry.

She hurried back to the kitchen to heat it up, placed the steaming earthenware containing the bread pudding on a small wooden plate, and placed it in front of Randolph.

He thanked me and started eating, reducing the amount he scooped out to half from the second mouthful onwards.

Dahlia was worried that he would find it difficult to swallow, and was about to tell him that it was okay to leave some, but then she gave up.

Because she noticed that Randolph was so happy that his eyes drooped slightly. He was a big man, holding a spoon that looked very small in comparison, and savored each bite with great care.

Maybe Randolph actually has a sweet tooth? Perhaps the reason he drinks less alcohol is because he prefers sweets to alcohol.

"Lord Randolph, there's another serving of bread pudding. Would you like some?"

"Uh... okay, thank you."

His face lit up instantly, like a shy teenager, and Dahlia decided to secretly add more honey to his drink.

Then she added a small dish of honey to the bread pudding and gave it to Randolph. He added all the honey to the bread pudding and ate it all.

Fortunately, this meal included dishes that Randolph was used to eating. Just as she was thinking this with relief, Randolph suddenly picked up the bottle of red wine.

"Ms. Dalia, all the dishes today are delicious. Thank you. Please allow me to pour you some wine."

"Thank you."

She was a little scared when the other party said this suddenly.

Wolff, who was standing beside her, narrowed his eyes and looked at her.

When a noble offered wine to someone of lower status, it seemed to be a gesture of gratitude and encouragement. There should be some etiquette book explaining this behavior, but Dalia couldn't recall it at the moment.

"Oh, just sit down. No need to be polite here."

After stopping Dahlia from getting up, Randolph stood up.

He came over and filled Dahlia's cup with red wine, which tasted comfortingly sweet.

(Illustration 007)

"Okay, now that we've had enough food and drinks...it's time for a quick revelations session, instead of self-introductions."

"Hey, are we going to have a gossip-revealing tournament?"

"So the president of the Roseti Merchants Guild also knew about the exposé. No need to explain any further."

Dolino narrowed his blue eyes and gave a mischievous smile.

"Dolino, although knights often use a "disclosure meeting" as a substitute for self-introduction, it's not appropriate to do so in front of women, right?"

"But I want to play. Anyway, let me reveal something. I thought Wolf was a nasty guy at first!"

Dolino was practically spilling the beans, nearly choking Dahlia. She had a hard time putting down her half-finished drink.

"On our first meeting, he only exchanged standard greetings, his smile felt fake, and he returned a girl's love letter without even touching it. He even interrupted her confession, leaving her where she was even when she cried. I thought this guy was too arrogant, but it turns out he's just like that."

"Dolino, what does 'this' mean? This is the third time I've heard you say this."

Wolff added with a wry smile. It seemed they had already discussed this topic among their friends.

"I want President Rossetti to get to know you better, and there aren't many topics I can discuss with her. You should know what I'd generally discuss, right?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Dolino. Those things are not appropriate to talk about in front of girls."

"Then let's talk about the women who've harassed you. Let's look back at the top three most shocking, or the top three most shameless."

"Stop talking, the wine is becoming unpalatable!"

Wolff shouted, accidentally dropping the radish salad he was about to put into his mouth. The flower-shaped radishes fell back onto the plate, spraying mayonnaise onto his hands and sleeves.

Rather than what was just mentioned, Dalia was more concerned about whether the mayonnaise on his sleeves could be washed off.

"Wolver, do you need help cleaning?"

"It's okay, I'll just go wash my hands..."

He walked out of the living room quickly with a stern face.

"President of the Roseti Merchants Guild, we came here to apologize, and you even treated us to a delicious meal. Thank you so much. It's not enough as a thank you, but if you have any concerns or questions about Wolfe, you can ask me."

"No, if there is one, I'll ask him personally."

She understood Dolino's intentions, but instead of listening to others, it would be better to ask the person directly.

Knowing Wolff, she understood how facts could be distorted by rumors, and she had experienced it firsthand.

"Is that so? Then let's continue the exposé while Wolfe is away."

"Breaking news about him while he's away is a bit..."

"Uh, I don't want to hear anything that would upset Wolfe."

Dolino wanted to expose Wolfe's secrets right after he refused, but Dalia interrupted him.

But he drank the wine in the glass and continued speaking.

"You'll hear about it from others soon anyway, so I'll start by telling you about a few famous events in the royal city. Last year, there were rumors that Wolfe had brought a woman back to the barracks, but it turned out to be a brave man who tried to climb into Wolfe's room through the window in the middle of the night. His room was on the third floor, by the way."

"...You're quite courageous."

A man confessing his love to a woman from outside her home—though there were such scenes in the story, this was the first time she had heard of a woman actually doing it. That girl was really capable of taking action.

However, the room is on the third floor, so you may have to climb over from the emergency ladder along the balcony, or bring your own ladder.

"Luckily, Wolf wasn't in the room, and the woman didn't fall over the window railing. The only people hurt were the tree she used to climb up to the third floor, which was uprooted after the incident, and me in the next room, who was scared to death when I opened the window."

"...How sympathetic."

Opening the window in the middle of the night and seeing a stranger climbing up to the third floor is, in some ways, a horror story.

If this happened in the Green Tower, she would definitely scream and throw magic stones used to fight monsters.

"...I feel bad saying this when my friends aren't around, but I'll spill the beans anyway."

"So you're going to reveal this too!"

Dolino couldn't help but complain, but Randolph's expression remained unchanged. He clasped his hands on the table and looked at Dahlia seriously.

"There's been a lot of talk lately about Wolfe and a junior named Kirk being close. Astorga-senpai is even helping to cover it up. You might hear about this later."

"Oh, Kirk's been hanging around Wolfe a lot lately. Astorga-senpai went on a mission with Wolfe during the Battle of Bicorn, so he might have mistakenly seen Kirk..."

Dolino muttered to himself when he heard this, and Dalia didn't quite understand what he was saying.

"Sorry, I accidentally brought up something about our team. Kirk is a junior on the team. He's very kind and considerate of his teammates. He always follows Wolff around because he respects him. Wolff also trains with him and takes good care of him."

"Isn't it a good thing to get along well with the younger generation?"

Whatever Wolff did attracted attention, and even the smallest thing was discussed.

"President of the Rossetti Merchants Guild, I can guarantee that Wolfe is attracted to women. No, it doesn't seem right for me to make that guarantee..."

"Well, I don't have any prejudice against people being attracted to the same or opposite sex. Having a good relationship with a junior is a good thing, and I don't mind it."

Although the proportion is not high in this kingdom, love and marriage are not limited to one man and one woman.

And no matter who Wolfe dated, she had no right to interfere.

The conversation stopped abruptly. When she came to her senses, she found Randolph staring at her with his reddish-brown eyes.

"I see. Is this what our countrymen call 'the wife's margin'?"

"What?"

"Randolph, be quiet. I'll ask Wolfe to explain it to you in words you can understand later."

Dolino held his forehead and looked at Dalia.

"President of the Rosetti Chamber of Commerce, I apologize. Randolph's words and feelings tend to favor those of his neighboring country. His understanding of this term may not be correct."

The term "the first wife's margin of leeway" should not be used for the unmarried Dalia.

She did not understand the language of the neighboring country, so she could not guess what Randolph originally wanted to say.

"Don't take it to heart. Um, I feel embarrassed to keep calling me the Chamber of Commerce President..."

"Then you can call me Dolino, not Master. And I'll call you Miss Dahlia, okay?"

"OK."

Not only did the other party omit the title of Chamber of Commerce President, he even stopped using her last name. However, Dalia didn't feel uncomfortable. Instead, she felt that this was long overdue.

Dolino was also a good friend of Wolf's. Now that the misunderstanding has been resolved, Dalia hopes to maintain a good relationship with him.

"Thank you. I'd like to apologize again for what happened today. It seems to me... Wolf has become very much like a family dog ​​lately, as if he has just been given food and a warm shelter for the first time in his life."

"Is Wolfe like a dog..."

"No offense. But he used to be like a lone wolf, never talking about his own affairs, even hiding his injuries during expeditions... He was injured once while protecting me, and I didn't know about it until I returned to the royal city and heard him being scolded by the doctor. I approached him repeatedly, and it took three years for him to become as close to us as he is now. That's why I was so suspicious. I'm sorry."

The word three years triggered her memories.

She had been friends with Wolff for a while, but not as long as the two people in front of her. Dolino had supported Wolff for a long time, both professionally and personally, so seeing Dahlia suddenly appearing around him made her worried.

"Please don't apologize anymore, I really don't take it to heart."

"Thank you. By the way, did you get the stain off your skirt?"

"Uh... I dyed it again."

"Re-dye it? Did you dye it yourself?"

"Yes, I happen to have some dark green dye at home, and it dyes it beautifully."

After returning to the Green Tower from the Royal City, she couldn't wash the ink off her skirt, and she was troubled by Dolino's words. After a while of wandering thoughts, she finally decided to use the dye used for magic tools to re-dye her skirt to get rid of her worries.

The dye is called "Deep Blue". The raw material is a kind of moss collected from the East Country. It is not easy to fade after dyeing.

The dress had transformed into a rich, dark green and was now hanging in the shade to dry. She was looking forward to the finished product.

"Is there ink on the chair?"

"Actually... a maid bumped into me and said she had wet my skirt and was trying to wipe it with a rag, but it looked like it was dirty."

When the two heard this, their expressions suddenly became serious.

"On behalf of the Monster Suppression Force, I apologize. If you remember what the maid looked like, please let us know. I'll inform the captain, and we'll handle the matter. I'll also pay you the compensation you deserve. I think this matter may be related to Wolf..."

"Thank you, but I can't remember what he looks like, so I won't delve into it."

She only remembered that she had brown hair and was wearing a maid's uniform. It would be difficult to find her based on these characteristics.

"We just need to call all the maids in for identification. We can also invite a knight who can use the 'intimidating aura' to be present. That way, we should be able to tell from their expressions. If anyone shows disrespect to the head of the merchant guild that supplies the goods, we will reduce their salary or even fire them."

Randolph spoke quietly, his tone colder than ever before, causing Dahlia to shake her head nervously.

"Thank you both for your kindness. But it's possible that this was an accident. I'll just be more careful next time."