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

A knight would only give his sword to the one he recognized as his master or the one he loved.

Although she knew he was joking, Dalia was still so scared that she called out his full name.

"Dalia, let's talk about how we can use this cloth! You can stay over at my house tonight! Or I can go to the Green Tower!"

(Illustration 008)

"Rukia."

Rukia hugged Dalia's arm, and her eyes were not only shining, but even fierce, which was a little scary.

But she knew much more about fabrics and clothing than Dalia.

Maybe I should have a detailed talk with her as soon as possible to discuss how to use it and what can be improved.

"It seems like this kind of fabric has a lot of uses. It could be used to create different products depending on the wind's strength... By the way, why don't you two come over to my house later? We can discuss it there, and I have a workshop where we can experiment with fabrics and materials. We could even have a trusted tailor come over and try out each one individually. That would be really fun."

"Good idea, Lord Fortu!"

"Also, out of interest, I have a collection of cloth and silk threads made from monster materials. I have quite a few of them. Would you like to see them, Miss Dahlia?"

"Cloth and thread made from monster materials..."

"Various butterflies, spiders, magic silkworms and magic sheep from neighboring countries, cloth made from sleipnir and unicorns, and even more exotic, silk thread made from the tentacles of giant lobsters."

"That sounds so appealing..."

Dahlia originally wanted to step on the brakes for them, but she herself became the oiled wheel and was sucked in.

"It's going to be fun. We can chat all night long even without drinking."

Fortu smiled not as the head of the Clothing Guild, but as a costume designer.

Just as Fortu showed a boyish expression, Ivano quietly moved his chair back a little.

He could no longer get a word in.

Ivano already knew that Lucia's personality was similar to Dalia's, but he still thought that Fortu would pull him into the discussion based on considerations of interest and pull the other two people aside at the right time.

However, it turns out that he also loves to create. Although he alternates between the expressions of aristocrat, businessman, and dressmaker, his dedication to fabrics and clothing is no less than that of Rukia.

The three of them were talking to the point of losing control, and Ivano alone could hardly stop them. Besides, talking about this was also beneficial to business development, so he didn't say anything to stop them.

He turned his head with a stiff smile, slightly raising the teacup in his hand.

The person who came to add more tea for him was not a maid, but Fortu, the servant who was waiting nearby.

Seeing helplessness and understanding in the other person's eyes, Ivano drank his tea silently.

An hour later, the three decided to spend the night at Fortu's mansion, but Ivano and his servants tried their best to stop them.

Although he didn't make it to Fortu's house, that night a light was still on in a room in the Clothing Magic Workshop, and cheerful conversations were heard until late at night.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

In the afternoon, the Monster Suppression Force building in the royal city was unusually filled with a bustling crowd.

"It's so cool! This way we won't feel the heat and humidity during summer expeditions!"

"You won't slip and lose your aim!"

"Breezebu, you are truly the savior of the Heavy Knight..."

"I won't get any more prickly heat on my buttocks..."

The cheers of the players rose one after another, making the corridor even a little noisy.

After changing in another room, they gathered in the large conference room and lined up in two rows. At the front stood two tables. On one side sat Fortu, Lucia, and the vice-captain, their sketchbooks spread out. On the other, Dahlia, Ivanor, and Wolff, their notes in hand.

"After wearing the hood, the helmet is not so hot, but there seems to be something wrong with the wind direction. It blows into my eyes."

"Astorga-senpai, is your headscarf on the wrong side?"

"Oh, that's possible. I just find it strange. I hope it can be made into a hat with the front and back marked."

"Okay, I'll add labels that are easily identifiable."

Each team member would sit at one of the tables and describe their thoughts and hopes after trying out the Breeze Cloth. Dalia would proactively ask questions if she had any questions.

"I hope there's a detachable breeze sheet that can be attached to the back. It would be even better if the wind was stronger."

The armored soldier holding the shield said so.

"It's slippery when worn inside gloves. Can it be sewn directly onto the gloves?"

The archers on the team asked seriously.

"During battle, a scarf should be pinned or tucked inside armor. It would be terrible if it got caught on something and strangled my neck. Also, I hope the wind is weaker and I can remove it freely. It's too cold for someone my age."

The middle-aged team member said with gestures.

"This is awesome, but my back is itchy..."

There were also young team members with tears in their eyes.

Everyone's experience is different. Perhaps we should design a few different types based on wind strength, to best suit their needs, and let each team member choose.

At the next table, Fortu and Rukia were chatting with their teammates while sketching new designs in their sketchbooks. Clearly, there would be more and more varieties of Breeze Cloth in the future.

A while ago, Dahlia went to the Clothing Magic Workshop every day for nine consecutive days, discussing with Rukia and Fortu from morning to night, and repeatedly trying with different craftsmen employed by the Clothing Guild, including magic tool makers, clothing designers, dyers, tailors, etc.

The next day, she taught the magic tool makers and magicians at the Clothing Magic Workshop how to apply the magic, but applying the green slime evenly in a grid pattern on the cloth proved difficult. It took them several days to create the desired product.

During the process, Fortu and the craftsmen expressed their desire to try dyeing and fixing methods, so Dalia taught them while working hard to make breeze cloth.

After only three hours on the first day, she ran out of magic power. Seeing this, Fortu brought a large box of magic potions. The magic potions were very expensive, costing two gold coins per bottle.

Dahlia initially declined, but Fortu explained that the potion was from the Costume Guild and would not cost her money, so she could drink it. Furthermore, he poured the potion into a large glass and placed it before her. Once opened, the potion was difficult to preserve. In the end, Dahlia resorted to drinking the magic potion like tea, sipping it while she worked.

But it was a potion after all, so it didn't taste very good.

The healing potion has a grassy taste, while the magic potion has an inexplicable astringent taste after drinking it.

It tasted very much like astringent persimmon juice diluted with water, and she could never get used to it no matter how many bottles she drank.

"Captain Gulat, don't you try anything else besides the scarf?"

"I wear everything inside. Underwear, boxers, and kneepads."

"Fully armed..."

"It even feels a little cold standing still like this."

The captain of the monster subjugation force, Gulat, and a slightly older knight were sitting on chairs behind Dahlia and the others, talking.

Regarding the matter of entrusting Gulat to serve as the window of the royal city, not only Dalia, but even Ivanor did not show up.

The Roseti Chamber of Commerce wrote a letter to greet Goulart first. It happened that Fortu was going into the city that day, so he took the letter for them. When he came back, he brought Goulart's letter of consent.

Dalia asked Fortu what he had said, and he replied with a smile, simply wrapping the scarf around Gulat's neck.

Later, they decided to let those who were interested in the team try it out when the official contract for the expedition furnace was signed.

But she never expected that all the team members would be interested.

Then I heard that the magical tool makers, mages, and craftsmen of the Clothing Guild were "working as hard as they could to finish the work."

I said "heard" because Ivano would take Dalia away every evening, not allowing her to stay there to work overtime or work in the Green Tower. He said that if Dalia wanted to work overtime, he had the right to do so, so Dalia had to restrain herself a little.

Today, they finally prepared a certain number of breeze cloth scarves and underwear for the team members to try out in turn.

"Even if we ask them to speed up the work, it won't be ready for shipment before the next expedition..."

"After experiencing the beauty of Breeze Cloth, the expedition is really hard to endure."

The other team members pricked up their ears and listened to the whispered conversation between Gulat and the Knight.

"Can't they provide this batch of samples first?"

"If that happens, everyone will probably go all gung-ho over the Breeze Cloth..."

"We will provide each person with a scarf immediately after signing the contract."

Hearing the conversation between the team members in front of him, Ivano interrupted in a cheerful tone.

"Captain Goulart..."

"team leader……!"

The team members all turned their gazes towards Gulat. Their eyes were no longer filled with anticipation, but with pleading. Seeing this, the man smiled wryly and replied,

"Alright, let's sign the contract. Anyway, the budget for this expedition improvement has already been allocated. After purchasing the expedition furnace, we'll move on to the breeze cloth."

Gurat's answer drew cheers from the team members. Dalia, though surprised, smiled as well.

"President of the Roseti Merchants Guild, I want to confirm something."

When her name was suddenly called, Dalia quickly stood up. Ivano followed suit.

"Do you really want me to be the window of the royal city? Why not apply to become the official chamber of commerce of the Knights? That way, your budget will be increased and your value will be higher. Your chamber of commerce has developed so many products for us. If you want to apply, I can be your referral."

"Thank you for your kindness, but our guild does not yet have the resources to do so, and the quantity of our merchandise is limited. To avoid disrespect, we have also entrusted the royal family and nobles with the assistance of Lord Fortunato."

Dahlia told Ivano what she had discussed in advance, and then Fortu came over from the next table.

"Captain Goulart, if you want to ensure every member of your team gets a piece of Breeze Cloth, you have to be the window person. Otherwise, the Breeze Cloth might be completely snatched away by the ladies."

"lady?"

Fortu leaned closer to Gulart, as close as he could get, and whispered in his ear.

"Breeze cloth can be used as the lining for corsets and tights. It's said that with it, it makes walking in a formal dress easier and prevents makeup from smudging. This is the first time my wife has begged me so eagerly."

"...Can you handle the lady part?"

"No problem. I'll prioritize those with letters of introduction. Leave it to me."

Fortu responded with a smile and returned to the table with a relaxed look.

Dahlia was stunned, and Ivano beside her sighed deeply.

"Sorry for the tangent, I'd be happy to serve as the window."

"Thank you. We will do our best to meet your team's expectations."

After Gulat turned around and finished speaking, Dalia and Ivano lowered their heads together.

"If any other organizations would like to contact you, please contact me. By the way, you two can call me Gulat. Can I also call you 'Rosetti'?"

"Okay, thank you."

"And you are 'Mecadanti', right?"

"Please call me 'Ivano'. With all due respect, why don't you just call our Guild Master by his first name?"

Gulat frowned, seeming to be hesitant to speak.

"...I'm a little hesitant to call her that. My wife's name is 'Dalyla'."

Wolfe, who was sitting in the back, felt his shoulders tremble slightly, but said nothing.

As everyone was talking happily, a servant walked in quickly from the door and whispered a few words to Gulat. He frowned slightly and replied, "Let him in."

"Excuse me everyone, I heard Captain Gulart is here."

The person who came in was a man about the same age as Gulart, with blond hair mixed with white hair.

He wore a dark grey three-piece suit, the style worn by civil servants, with a gold double-feather brooch pinned to his collar.

He must be a noble of high rank. When Wolf and the other team members saw him, they immediately stood up and nodded in greeting. Dahlia also stepped back a few steps and, along with Rukia, exchanged a long salute.

"You're the president of the Roseti Merchants Guild, right? What a coincidence! I'm here to return the budget for the expedition furnace."

"return?"

Gulart asked with an annoyed look on his face, and everyone's eyes were focused on the man.

Dahlia's first thought was, could it be that the price of the expedition furnace was beyond their budget? After all, expedition furnaces were not cheap.

"Officials have a lot of complaints about this, and they don't see why it's necessary. Haven't you managed to survive without a furnace on your expedition?"

"This part should be left to our troops to decide. Shouldn't this be included in the expedition improvement funds?"

"Yes, but the expedition furnace is more expensive than the regular small magic furnace."

"If it's to be taken on an expedition, it will have to undergo many modifications, changing its shape and reducing its weight. I think these modifications are reasonable."

It's definitely related to the budget, Dalia thought with emotion. Budget issues have always been a major challenge in both her past and present lives.