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

"what……"

A small cry of surprise escaped Dahlia's throat.

Ivano was right. She had initially developed the stove simply because Wolfe wanted it, never intending to sell it to the troops. Now, she hoped the troops would purchase it to make expedition life safer and more comfortable.

I think this way because of Wolff.

She could never forget the day they first met, when he was covered in wounds and blood.

"The expedition stoves will indeed improve the troops' meals, and the soldiers will no doubt be grateful for your kindness. However, business between the Chamber of Commerce and the troops should be a matter of equal effort, not charity. If we unilaterally cut profits, they will sooner or later feel humiliated. After all, they are knights, and men too."

"…I'm sorry, I didn't think enough."

Dahlia lowered her head towards Ivanor and bit her lower lip.

She brings her feelings for her friends into her work, has a narrow vision, and is driven by her inner expectations. She is truly unqualified to be the president of the Chamber of Commerce.

"Please don't be discouraged. I can be harsh sometimes..."

"No, thank you. I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't said anything."

"Actually, there are many ways. For example, we could first lend the expedition furnaces to the troops as trial units, then charge them the full price once they're fully mass-produced. However, I doubt the Finance Minister would agree so easily."

He scratched his mustard-colored hair, obviously worried about Dahlia and making her feel bad.

There's no time to get discouraged. Tomorrow I have to go into town to present the product to the Finance Department.

"If you insist on lowering the price, then consider whether there's something else you can offer as the price. Something that benefits the guild or the magic tool master."

"Ivano, is this okay?"

"It's just a thought, it won't cost you anything. If you really want to lower the price, convince me first, President. Otherwise, that 'cunning old man' won't agree and will definitely find fault with you."

Ivano called Gildor a "cunning old man" and smiled his usual smile.

She was deeply grateful that the man in front of her was a member of her own business.

"Tell yourself there's always a way, and think about it from different angles. It doesn't hurt to spend more time on it."

The words my father said when he was making magic tools came to my mind.

The immediate solution was to find a way to lower the price of the Monster Suppression Force while maintaining the Roseti Chamber of Commerce's profits. This required the approval of merchant Ivano and the nod from Gildo of the Finance Department.

She was willing to sacrifice the interests of the Chamber of Commerce to fulfill her own wish, which could even be said to be a willful wish. Therefore, she must have racked her brains to the point of a headache.

"Let me think about it."

"Okay, I'll wait until the last minute."

Dahlia laid out five sheets of notepaper on her desk, writing down whatever came to her mind. She moved her pencil quickly, tearing open the paper wrapping the pencil again and again. The rough surface of the notepaper quickly filled with words.

As I was writing intently, I suddenly realized I was biting the nail of my left thumb. A long-forgotten childhood habit had unknowingly resurfaced.

To help her break this bad habit, her father painted her nails with pepper spray. The red bottle of pepper spray had a label with the words "For Dalia" written in large letters.

The memory of eating something spicy that made her cry as a child made her feel a numbness on her lips, and she couldn't help but chuckle.

That's when she had an idea.

"...Ivano, can I discuss something with you?"

"No problem. Should we talk to Miss Gabriela? Or Master Wolfe... but there are some things that I wouldn't be comfortable asking him as a member of the team. Alternatively, we could talk to Master Fortu. He seems very familiar with these matters and should be able to help us privately."

"No, I just want to discuss this with you."

"Excuse me. Please continue, President."

Ivano straightened his collar, which was not at all messy, and Dalia straightened up and faced him.

If Ivano cannot be persuaded, the price cannot be lowered to facilitate the deal, and the goods cannot be sold to the monster-suppression troops for them to use without worries.

"I'll start explaining now."

She scribbled on the new paper and told her story.

So, the Chamber of Commerce President and the Chamber of Commerce members talked in detail for a long time.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

The next day, on the carriage to the royal city, Dahlia repeatedly clenched and unclenched her right hand. Her fingers were noticeably trembling. Gabriella, sitting next to her, gently held her hand.

"Dalia, put on some lipstick and smile."

"what?"

"How can you let yourself be crushed first? Aren't you going to stew those men in the magic furnace later?"

“…Stew?”

"You can fry, boil, stir-fry or deep-fry as you like, just don't burn it too much."

Gabriella said this seriously, and Dahlia couldn't help laughing.

She and Dahlia and the others took a carriage from the Merchant Guild to the Royal City. She must have been worried that Dahlia would be too nervous.

Ivano, who was sitting opposite them, had no spare energy today. He didn't even glance at them, but was frantically flipping through the documents in his hands.

Dahlia took a deep breath and carefully reapplied her lipstick. She looked into the silver mirror. Her face was a little stiff, but she still had a businesslike smile.

Today she wore a navy blue gown with a bluish hue. While long, it didn't drag on the ground, and there were no cutouts at the chest or back. This ballroom-style gown, resembling a ballroom dance number, was the pinnacle of attire for a baron's daughter. The fabric had an incredibly lustrous, rich texture, and felt incredibly fine.

Fortu had prepared the cloth on the day he had the argument with the Minister of Finance. Lucia was in charge and spent two days sewing it with the tailors.

Dalia wanted to pay the production fee, but they said it was a trial work for Breeze Cloth and would not charge her.

The dress accentuates the slenderness of her neck and wrists, and even the waist, a point of particular concern to Dalia, is accentuated with hems. Furthermore, the dress stays put when she raises her arms, the neckline remains open when she bends, and the wide hem allows for easy walking. The lining is crafted from a soft, aqua-blue fabric, with breeze-resistant fabric sewn under the arms and at the back.

She desperately thanked and apologized to them, but Fortu and Rukia shared the same expression and said:

"This is the battle uniform you wear when entering the city. Feel free to say what you want to say."

"Yes, it's a battle suit! You must defeat that cunning old man!"

Dahlia obediently accepted the dress from the unexpectedly belligerent pair.

There was another person cheering her on.

The night of the dispute, Wolfe provided a wealth of public information about the Royal City Knights, gathered during his time with the team. The following evening, he sent flowers and cookies to the Green Tower to thank her for her hard work. Last night, he had even rushed to the Commerce Guild to discuss the report with Dahlia.

Wolfe repeated, "I hope you won't push yourself," and Dahlia smiled and nodded. Even she herself couldn't tell if that smile was genuine or just a business smile like the one in the hand mirror.

If she thought about it carefully, today's briefing was just an opportunity she had fought for.

Even if the Finance Department rejected her explanation, it would only reduce orders for expedition furnaces. Goulart had already filed a plan for an installment purchase. Even if the report failed, the Chamber of Commerce would remain unaffected.

Although she was furious about what Finance Minister Gildo had said, she put it aside for now.

All she could do was to calmly carry out her preparations.

"I'm leaving, Gabriella."

"Have a good time, Dahlia. I wish you success."

Gabriella raised her hand and said this, Dalia smiled back and stepped out of the carriage.

In the spacious conference room of the central building of the royal city, about fifteen civil servants were sitting on chairs.

For some reason, the monster subjugation force also dispatched an almost equal number of people.

Initially, it was announced that only eight Finance Department officials and three Monster Suppression Team members would be present. However, the number of people suddenly tripled.

"I'm sorry for the extra attendance... The members of the Monster Suppression Team also said they wanted to attend the briefing. I think they might need to review a copy of the materials you prepared."

The civil servant who claimed to be today's assistant bowed his head in sweat and apologized.

"It's okay, I prepared some extra, please send them."

Just as the Merchant Guild Master, Leone, had predicted, he said that if they were going to bring the materials to the Royal City this time, they'd better prepare three times the estimated number of people, as the number of people might increase significantly.

Therefore, they mobilized as many people as possible in the guild to copy the information yesterday, but they still almost couldn't finish it.

"I'm Dalia Rosetti of the Rosetti Chamber of Commerce. Thank you all for taking the time to come today. Next, I'll explain the purchase of furnaces for the monster-suppression force."

There was a raised podium against the wall of the conference room. Dahlia bowed deeply on the stage. After a brief greeting, she began to introduce the expedition furnace.

"Please take a look at the exhibits on your tables. Compared to the small magic furnaces, the expedition furnaces have been improved to be even smaller and lighter."

On the table were small magic furnaces and actual furnaces for expeditions. Seeing some people enthusiastically touching the furnaces, Dahlia continued:

"Flip the metal lid over and it can be used as a shallow pot and frying pan. It weighs about the same as a wine skin. Besides, not everyone on the expedition needs to carry it. If there's not enough space in the luggage, the team members can take turns, using one pan."

Those who listened and nodded were all members of the Monster Suppression Corps, such as Wolf, Gulat, and Randolph. Although they didn't say anything, their presence in the conference room was enough to make Dahlia feel at ease.

"Having a complete ration of food during an expedition will allow the members to better care for themselves, thereby improving the efficiency of the expedition and the march. Furthermore, on a long expedition, even the most well-trained knights may experience food that doesn't suit their appetite, or experience stomach upset, colds, and the like. An expedition stove can provide them with the food they need, thereby boosting the morale of the entire team."

Dahlia looked directly at Gildor and said.

Although his words and actions in recent days were infuriating, Dahlia still wanted him to understand the advantages of using furnaces for expeditions.

"...It does sound quite effective."

Goulart responded in a flat voice, without the expected rebuttal or sarcasm.

"Expedition stoves can be used in places where it's difficult to light a fire, such as swamps, grasslands, deserts, and arid regions. If you have to eat locally sourced food, it's safer to cook it first."

"Sometimes an expedition takes longer than planned, leading to a shortage of food. In such cases, we must eat wild beasts or monsters hunted locally."

Goulart added helpfully. The young officials in the Finance Department began to murmur among themselves. It seemed they were unaware of the situation.

"As for the fire magic stones used in the furnace, they don't need to be replaced frequently. During the expedition, you can ask team members who are proficient in fire magic to replenish the magic stones."

After briefly introducing the functions of the expedition furnace, Dalia adjusted her breathing.

The following content is not for the monster-suppression team, but for the Finance Department.

"Please refer to the information at hand and turn to the next page. The top shows the current meals, and the bottom shows the meals that may be provided in the future. The price difference is also attached."

"Won't that significantly increase the food expenses?"

“Yes, but there will also be considerable economic benefits.”

Dahlia raised her voice slightly.

"Expedition stoves can improve food supplies and encourage team members to take better care of their health. This, in turn, could reduce the rate of Monster Suppression Corps members requesting transfers or early discharges. Furthermore, if health management is maintained during expeditions, the rate of injury and illness can be reduced, leading to lower rest time and medical expenses. If the incidence of injury and illness decreases, team members' service time could be extended. Wouldn't that be beneficial for aspects like 'human resources' and 'budget'?"

The Monster Suppression Corps was the first and most likely to retire early from the Knight Order, and many of them also requested transfers.

As Dahlia explained, Ivanor and the assistant clerk held up a large piece of parchment behind her.

"Please look at this picture."

"What's this?"

"This circle represents the total number of troops, and the red portion represents the percentage of early discharges. Next to it is data for the Magical Corps and other knight orders, shown in green and blue, respectively."

"The circular form gives it a different feel. I didn't expect so many to quit the monster-slaying team..."

"There's a lot of red...it's easy to understand this way."

The crowd was more interested in the pie chart than Dalia's description. While this world had line graphs, it didn't have pie charts. For some reason, when they wanted to show proportions, they usually used a square, drawing a grid inside it and then coloring it.

She then brought the topic back to the data, using charts to illustrate the number of injured and sick patients, the number of separations each year after joining the team, and the number of veterans at different ages.

Although the Knight Order had published this information, comparing the Monster Suppression Force with the First Knight Order immediately made the problem clear, a point that felt ironic. The difference was particularly pronounced among those over the age of forty-five.

"Adding an expedition furnace to your expedition equipment is indeed a significant expense. However, it will effectively save you money in the long run."

After speaking, Dahlia asked Ivano and the civil servant to hold up the last parchment poster.

She gritted her teeth and began to explain what was on the poster.

"This is the number of people who have traveled to the Land of Honor over the past twenty years. In order, they are the Monster Suppression Force, the Magic Force, and other Knight Orders."

"Going to a place of honor" refers to those who died in the line of duty.

Each red dot represents a member of the Monster Suppression Team who died in the line of duty.

The magic troops are shown in green, and other knight orders are blue.

Some of the Knights had died defending borders, fighting invaders, or in accidents. However, the difference between them and the Monster Suppression Squad was enormous.

Seeing the red dot covering more than three-quarters of the poster, everyone present fell silent.

"Such a severe loss of life truly needs to be taken seriously."

Dahlia turned towards the members of the Finance Department and looked directly at them.

She was well aware that such content was not suitable for shouting.