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

But these things do lead to "cost gaps," which is what the finance department is most concerned about.

"Pensions and stipends for the bereaved, funeral expenses for the knights, the costs of hiring new knights and training them to be battlefield--how much more important are these than the expenses for the expeditionary improvements of the monster-slaying troops? Please carefully consider this matter, everyone in the Finance Department."

“…I understand.”

Finance Minister Gildo said with a forced smile.

"President of the Roseti Merchants Guild, I fully understand the benefits of the expedition furnace. However, this product is not cheap."

"In this regard, I would like to propose a new solution."

Ivano and the assistant civil servant had intentionally omitted one sheet from the earlier handouts, and it was only now distributed to everyone. It contained the product description and price of the expedition furnace, specifically designed for the monster-suppression force.

"Why is it so low...?"

"How can we get the price down to this level...?"

The civil servants in the Finance Department who received the information were all confused.

Even the monster subjugation team members began to get restless.

"We will sell the expedition furnaces at the price listed on the document, and only to monster-slaying forces. This way, we won't exceed your budget and will make purchasing easier."

She lowered the price to a level close to that of a small magic furnace.

This is a number that Ivano has calculated more than ten times and barely avoids losing money.

"That's a huge reduction. Won't your profit be too low?"

"No, while I'm lowering the price, I want to make a condition as the price of the goods."

"what would you like?"

Do they want to sell other products? Or do they want to be recommended and become the Knights' Royal Merchant Guild? Or perhaps they want to exchange it for a title of nobility—

Everyone's eyes were focused on Dalia.

"Please allow me to engrave the name 'Rosetti' on the back of the expedition furnace."

"Carving a name on the back of a stove? What's the point of that?"

Gildor asked with a look of genuine confusion.

"When powerful monsters appear, ordinary people are not only unable to fight them, but even escaping is difficult. Everyone says that the king is safe, but there have been towns and even countries destroyed by monsters in the past. The reason we can live in peace is because of the monster-slaying troops of the Royal City Knights who risk their lives to protect all the citizens of the Kingdom of Odine, including me."

She still remembered the day they first met, when Wolfe was covered in blood and bruises.

I also saw the scarred armor and worn-out shoes of the members in the Monster Suppression Force Building.

The red dot just now represents a team member and a life.

To this day, we don’t know how many people have lost their lives and how many relatives and friends have been heartbroken.

They risked their lives battling monsters, overcame arduous journeys, suffered serious injuries, endured bland meals and sleepless nights—all for whom?

For the people of the capital, and the citizens of the Kingdom of Odinye, including Dalia.

She was incapable of fighting monsters and couldn't even protect one person.

However, as a magic tool maker, he can create magic tools for the monster-slaying army.

Even if it's just a small gesture, you can still support them.

This was the "price" she expected.

"As a magic tool master, I want to have my name engraved on the magic tools used by the monster subjugation team and enjoy this honor."

The clear and powerful voice seemed to swallow up all the sounds present.

All the team members in the meeting room were stunned.

Half of the civil servants in the Finance Department were stunned, while the other half stared with wide eyes.

The Monster Suppression Squad of the Odinie Kingdom Knights is a group of knights who fight monsters with all their might and are determined to win every battle.

Although popular among the common people, his status within the Knights Templar is not high.

The Knights privately refer to those who are involuntarily assigned to monster-slaying units as "Lottery Winners."

Each time, you have to endure a difficult journey and fight against unpredictable monsters such as large monsters and mutants.

The mortality rate among the Knights, led by Chi Kai, was alarmingly high. Some continued to suffer from illnesses contracted during the expedition even after leaving the service.

This job requires frequent travel. Many people become estranged from their families, break up with their fiancées or girlfriends, and even miss the chance to see their parents for the last time.

Despite working so hard, they were still described as "a bunch of reckless men who have no ability to fight humans and can only fight monsters."

Defeating monsters is a matter of course, victory is a matter of course, but if the monsters are not completely eliminated, you will be severely punished.

However, the magic tool master said that they were the protectors of the country and affirmed their contributions.

He would rather sacrifice his own interests to provide magical tools to the monster-suppressing forces.

And consider such behavior an honor.

“…Thank you for your words…!”

Gulat managed to squeeze out a word, then stood up with the older knight and placed his right hand on his left shoulder.

Then Wolf and the vice-captain also stood up, followed by the other team members.

No one ordered a salute, but everyone, at the same speed, placed their right hand on their left shoulder.

That was a knight's way of showing the highest respect.

The person they saluted was not a guest from the royal city, nor a high-ranking noble, but a magic tool master.

After everyone saluted in unison, Marquis Gulat, the leader of the monster subjugation force, bowed deeply to Dahlia.

"We are willing to purchase the expedition furnace at your terms."

"Captain Goulart, this isn't something you can decide on your own..."

"It's not just the Monster Suppression Force that will benefit. I believe the Finance Department also understands the benefits of purchasing expedition furnaces for personnel management and budget management. Now that the price has been lowered, there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

The man interrupted Gildo and glared at everyone in the finance department.

"If anyone in the Finance Department has any objections, please raise them immediately. If this still doesn't get the budget passed, I intend to invite the entire Knight Order and the Ministry of Administration to an emergency meeting, or even petition the King directly."

Magic power slowly emanated from Gulat's body.

The air in the conference room suddenly grew thin. Although he tried to control himself, his menacing aura was about to burst forth.

"I agree that the Monster Suppression Force should purchase furnaces for the expedition. I'd also like to hear President Rosetti's opinion on how to use the expedition improvement funds."

Surprisingly, the first person to speak was the Deputy Minister of Finance.

"I agree. I'd like to learn more about the Chamber of Commerce president's thoughts on human resources."

The man next to him also smiled and said. More and more voices of approval were heard.

Many of them expressed their desire to hear Dalia's opinions.

"Rosetti, are you really willing to make a deal on these terms?"

"Yes."

Dalia looked back at Gulat who was looking straight at her, smiled and nodded.

"It is my responsibility to protect the members... If I give in here, it will inevitably lead to greater casualties. Now that I have found a way to improve it, I will execute it without hesitation."

Gulat murmured in a sad voice, but it was unknown to whom he was talking.

Gildor didn't respond, just stared at him with his amber eyes.

"Ivano, bring me the contract."

Ivano placed the relevant documents on the table, and Gurat immediately signed the three documents.

Gildo refused to use the pen offered by Goulart, took out his own pen, and signed all the documents without saying a word. His subordinates then used a hair dryer to dry the ink and sent it to the relevant departments.

Dahlia watched the scene silently, surprised by the speed.

Ivano, who was folding parchment in the back, whispered to her, "That's great."

She proposed this idea to Ivano at the Commerce Guild yesterday.

This product was inspired by a red bottle my father prepared for me to break my nail-biting habit. It was labeled "For Dalia."

Whether in past lives or present, most products were labeled. However, in this world, only the product name and store name are marked. The label itself, or the product itself, generally does not have advertising or brand recognition.

So she proposed to Ivano that they engrave the words "Rosetti" on the back of the expedition stove as an advertisement for the Chamber of Commerce. The reduced price would be equivalent to the advertising and publicity fees.

If more people knew that the monster-suppression troops used Roseti Chamber of Commerce's products in their expedition, the Chamber of Commerce's reputation and credibility would increase, both among the aristocracy and the common people.

As the reputation of the Roseti Chamber of Commerce spreads throughout the capital and the nation, its profits will surely increase.

After hearing the explanation, Ivano looked dumbfounded.

Dalia originally thought that he would try his best to stop her, but unexpectedly he agreed directly.

She was very grateful that the other party compromised and accepted her willful request.

Just as she was breathing a sigh of relief, Gurat walked up to her.

"Rosetti, although it may not sound nice, please allow us to claim you as our own."

"what?"

She had no idea what the other person meant when he suddenly whispered this.

Just as he was about to ask, Gulat stood beside him and announced loudly to the men in front of him:

"What I'm about to offer is neither a consideration nor an exchange, but rather a personal, earnest wish. Everyone present is a witness, is that alright?"

Gulart immediately knelt on one knee in front of her and stretched out his right hand with a serious expression.

There was light and heat in her red eyes.

"I, Captain of the Monster Suppression Force, Gulat Bartolone, hereby request that Dalia Rosetti, President of the Rosetti Merchant Guild, serve as the Monster Suppression Force's official merchant guild and advisor to its magical tool masters."

It took her three seconds to understand what this meant.

He spent another three seconds looking around hesitantly, and when he saw Wolf's bright smile, he made up his mind.

It took him three seconds to finally place his hand on Gulart's palm.

In this moment of surprise, confusion and bewilderment, she was able to hold back from crying out loud. She really hoped that someone would praise her for this.

"...Jiu, I couldn't ask for more."

Dahlia tried hard to squeeze out a response, but it was severely frustrated.

(Illustration 010)

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"Well then, please try the expedition meals here."

After the briefing, a dinner was held for the participants in the large lounge of the central building.

For some reason, Wolf took the initiative to lead the servants and maids.

While preparing the report, Dahlia had requested a live demonstration of the operation of the expedition furnace. However, such a space was difficult to find in the central building, so she had to give up.

Why were there so many small magic furnaces on the table besides the expedition furnace? The number clearly exceeded the number of people attending.

She turned to look at Ivano, who shook his head silently. It seemed that he also didn't know what was going on.

"This is the current expedition rations, and the other is the rations we'll be providing in the future. Please try both and compare them. Then try the other ingredients and give us your feedback."

Wolf's actions no longer resembled those of a member of the Monster Suppression Corps, but more like those of the Roseti Chamber of Commerce.

His explanations were fluent and easy to understand, and his reporting skills were much better than Dahlia's, which made her a little unwilling.

There were two trays on the table, one containing the bland expedition fare and the other containing more delicious-looking ingredients. The drinks were provided in bottles and glasses, not in leather bags as on the expedition.

The reactions of the civil servants in the Finance Department varied. Some were surprised to see the hard and dry black bread they had eaten during the expedition, while others kept chewing the dried meat with a look of confusion because they couldn't bite through it.

Instead, the team took a bite of their expedition rations and then began grilling smoked bacon and sausages, all with smiles on their faces. Dalia was even a little worried that grilling too much would leave a smell in the lounge.

The two sides ate and chatted, gradually getting closer.

Dahlia's briefing has come to an end here.

But in addition to the report, she had another thing she had to do today.

It was to make Gildor retract his accusation of being a "house cat."