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

"Welcome, Dahlia! You're really early."

As Dahlia finished her second cup of green tea, Wolfe entered the reception room, barely knocking.

Dahlia wondered if this was proper etiquette, but Guyd's expression remained calm.

"Thank you for the invitation. I arrived a little early and am enjoying tea and cake."

"elder brother……?"

Wolf seemed to sense the hesitation in Dahlia's words. He turned to Guid with a puzzled look in his golden eyes.

"We were just eating cheesecake. Didn't I tell you that you should let the chef show off his skills once in a while? After all, you don't really like sweets."

Guid said this calmly, then turned to Dalia.

"Ah, Miss Rossetti, you can tell Wolff everything later. Don't worry."

"that……"

"Don't worry, I'm serious."

Although Good said this, his slightly troubled expression was somewhat similar to Wolff's.

"Lord Scafarot, if it's not impolite, I'd like you to convey this directly. If I were to relay it, I'm afraid it would make things even more distant."

"Distant?—I see, that's true. I shouldn't have told you this. Wolf, sit next to Miss Rossetti."

Wolf, who had been watching the conversation between the two with a puzzled look, finally sat down.

"I asked Miss Rossetti to arrive an hour before you. I wanted to speak to her privately."

"Why are you doing this, brother?"

"I want to confirm the true nature of this merchant guild leader, your guarantor and the designated supplier and advisor to the monster subjugation force. No, that's just a superficial reason—she could be your weakness. I want to see Miss Rossetti for herself, and I also want to confirm what kind of person you are to her."

"Well, why don't we just ask after we're all here? There's no need to call Dahlia alone..."

"I asked Miss Rossetti this question: 'If I want you to leave Wolff, how much would you demand?'"

"elder brother!"

In an instant, a biting chill came from beside me like a sharp blade and spread rapidly.

The attendant instantly took his place beside Guid. He had grasped a sword in his left hand, his right on the hilt. He bent his knees slightly, ready to draw his sword at any moment.

Dahlia gritted her teeth, but the constant intimidation still made it difficult to breathe. A chill rapidly spreading from her fingertips to her toes left her unable to move, and she could only stare straight ahead.

However, Guid and the attendant across the table remained expressionless.

"Miss Rossetti replied, 'Nothing.' She said she didn't need money or a replacement for your Chamber of Commerce guarantor. She said if you wanted to end our friendship, that was it. If she was causing you any trouble, she would distance herself."

"I don't want to sever ties with Dahlia, nor do I intend to distance myself from her."

"That's good. This friend isn't drawn to you out of personal gain, nor is he drawn to your appearance. As your older brother, I understand how precious such a friend is to you. I'm truly happy for you to have such a good friend."

Good replied with a kind, brotherly smile on his face.

The cold and heavy breath gradually dissipated, and Dahlia was finally able to breathe smoothly.

"Thank you very much... However, please do not put Dahlia in any more trouble, and please refrain from doing anything that would overwhelm my heart."

"If you're talking about a broken heart, I'm afraid it's me. Your 'intimidating aura' seems to have reached a new level, huh?"

After Guid finished speaking with a smile, the servant beside him quietly left and walked lightly to Dahlia.

"Excuse me, your hair looks a little messy, please allow me to help you fix it."

"Ah, thank you so much."

The servant extended his white-gloved hand, and Dahlia placed her hand on it without hesitation.

Then, she pretended to be calm and slowly stood up.

The servant led Dahlia out of the room quietly and solemnly.

Wolfe, who was about to stand up, was stopped harshly by those rust-colored and blue eyes.

"Um, Dahlia...?"

In the room the two had left, Wolff asked with a mixture of confusion and displeasure on his face.

The brother in front of him sighed deeply.

"Wolf, you should learn more about how to treat women properly. You should consider how a non-knight woman would feel when you release such a strong intimidating aura around her. Fortunately, Miss Rossetti seems to have some resistance..."

"If I make Dahlia uncomfortable, I must apologize immediately!"

Wolfe was about to stand up when he saw icy frost emanating from Guyd's right hand. He paused involuntarily, only to hear his brother's deep voice say:

"Wolver, sit down. Stay right here."

"But where is Dalia going?"

Guid coughed lightly and turned his gaze to the window.

"...Maybe he went to the bathroom."

*

"well……"

Dahlia sighed deeply.

She desperately needed to go to the bathroom because of Wolf's freezing intimidation, so she was very grateful to the attendant for bringing her out.

However, when the maid said, "I heard you spilled the green tea," and suggested that she change into a complete set of clothes including underwear, she tried her best to refuse.

She really hoped that this misunderstanding would not happen, but she did not want to explain that it was actually a misunderstanding.

The thought that Wolfe might have misunderstood something made her want to rush back to the tower immediately.

As a result, she was so upset in the bathroom that it took her fifteen minutes to adjust her expression and come out.

Afterwards, the maid took her to a villa in the garden outside the mansion.

The villa is about the size of an ordinary house, surrounded by greenery on both sides and flowers blooming at its feet. It feels like a small villa in this vast mansion.

Inside the room, Wolf was smiling as he placed four small magic furnaces on the white table.

The food beside her was piled high with ingredients she was familiar with. She knew what he wanted to make without even asking.

Dahlia decided to stand as close to the wall as possible to avoid making eye contact with him.

"Brother also said he wanted to try using a small magic furnace to dine, so I think it would be more interesting than a tea party."

"There are some things on the table that I don't see very often. What are they?"

"This is red bull skewers, dried kraken feet, overnight dried green squid, vegetables, and sauce."

Dahlia knew that Wolf had recently become obsessed with all kinds of dried goods and pickled products.

The two tried grilling many kinds of food in the tower.

However, even though this was a annex to the mansion, it was definitely inappropriate to use four small magic furnaces for cooking in such an exquisitely furnished and expensive-looking room. Furthermore, Red Bull was fine, but was skewers suitable for the nobility? And were dried goods and preserved foods suitable for the dining table?

Although it was Wolf who prepared the ingredients and arranged the dishes, Dahlia inexplicably felt a sense of responsibility.

Dahlia walked towards Wolf and spoke.

"Well, if I grill it here, it might make the room smell..."

"Oh, is that so? Then how about opening all the windows?"

"No, even if you do that, the carpet and walls will still get a lot of odor."

This fluffy, soft aqua blue carpet is definitely not suitable for the smell of dry goods.

Paintings of flower fields hang on the walls, ivory wallpaper is embossed with butterflies, and the place is surrounded by ornate, predominantly white furniture. Grilling food here, producing fumes, is a blasphemy.

"Why don't we grill in the garden? If we do it on the west side, we won't be seen by anyone in the mansion even if we eat while standing. Besides, I've already had the area cleared, and with Jonas and Wolff here, there's no need for extra guards."

"Master Guid, eating while standing is still a bit..."

The attendant standing behind him whispered a warning, but this could not stop Goode from making his decision.

"Well, let's call it a 'standing party'. As the head of the Royal City area, I can't go on an expedition with the monster-slaying troops. I've always wanted to try eating food and skewers while standing outdoors with Wolf."

Good smiled happily, and at this moment he looked even younger than Wolff.

Wolf, who was standing next to Dahlia, was nodding with a bright smile.

She felt as if she had taught something extremely indecent to people who shouldn't have learned it.

Dalia was speechless, unsure how to stop him. Confused, she looked around and saw the servants also had a troubled expression. Their rusty eyes flickered towards her, a subtle glint in their gaze.

Although she wanted to do something to change the situation, she was powerless to do so. Although she was speechless, Dahlia felt that there was a kind of tacit understanding between her and the servant.

In the end, the four decided to hold this "standing party".

On the sunny lawn, the breeze makes people feel comfortable.

At this moment, behind the annex, an indescribable standing party is about to begin.

A little further away from the table, Jonas stood quietly. As a servant and bodyguard, he had not originally planned to attend the dinner.

"Mr. Jonas, please come too."

When Wolff addressed him as "Sir," the red-haired woman showed an undisguised look of confusion on her face.

That woman was Dahlia Rossetti.

Jonas had originally thought that as the president of a newly emerging guild, and one who had received Wolf's special attention, Dalia would be a dazzling beauty. However, the woman before him, aside from her slightly eye-catching red hair, appeared quite calm and reserved. While not unattractive in appearance, she would likely appear ordinary in the royal city.

"No, thank you. I'll stay here and wait."

After Jonas answered this, Wolf explained to Dahlia that Jonas was a great teacher who taught him swordsmanship.

Jonas thought that Wolff must have trusted this woman so much that he told her the inside story so easily.

For someone like him who even hid his sword skills from his family, Wolf's trust in Dahlia was even difficult for him to understand.

"Mr. Jonas, I don't think there will be any problems here. There are guards patrolling the mansions."

"Lord Wolfe, I'm afraid it would be impolite to allow Miss Rossetti to sit at the table with a servant possessed by a demon."

After Jonas answered this, Dahlia looked at him with wide eyes.

It seems that she is unaware that she is possessed by a demon.

"Are you curious, Miss Rossetti? Although Jonas is also from a viscount family."

"No, that's not the case. Well, in that case, I, a commoner, should avoid this situation..."

"Ms. Rossetti, as our guest, has said so. Jonas, please join us at the table."

“…As you command.”

To be honest, it was really troublesome for Jonas to dine with guests and be so careful, but he couldn't disobey the host's orders.

In desperation, Jonas had to stand next to Guy and join in the toast with white wine.

"Brother, Mr. Jonas, please."

After the toast, the first thing handed over was a skewer of thickly cut red beef.

Jonas actually preferred to eat raw, uncooked meat, still dripping with blood. But to accommodate the crowd, he turned on the small magic furnace and placed the meat on the grill. He waited until the surface of the meat turned slightly white before removing it, dabbing it in the thick, dark brown sauce, and putting it into his mouth.

"This tastes really good!"

Guid praised it profusely, adding more sauce as he ate. It seemed to suit his taste perfectly, and even his eyes drooped slightly. Seeing this, Wolff smiled broadly and handed him another skewer of meat.

Jonas thought that he really should reduce Goode's dinner tonight.

For Jonas, the sauce's flavor interfered with the meat's natural flavor. He preferred to eat the meat just as it turned white. Although the flavor was less intense, it was still acceptable. He could do nothing about this difference in taste.

The next thing handed over was overnight dried green squid.

The Green Squid is a squid roughly the size of two palms, more accurately a demonic creature. It can cast moderate wind magic, befitting its green body. However, this magic is primarily used for flight across the ocean surface. It's said that fishing requires the combined efforts of multiple boats to easily capture it with a net.

Although it has no fishy smell, this ingredient is not favored by the nobles because of its unique color and hard texture.

The green squid in front of me, dried overnight, has a wrinkled appearance that makes it look unappetizing, even like moldy and stale squid. However, the smell is surprisingly not unpleasant. What a puzzling ingredient.

"This dish goes very well with Eastern wine."

Since everyone's wine glasses were empty, they replaced them with ceramic cups suitable for drinking Dong wine.

It seems that even a woman like President Rosetty can handle stronger liquor without feeling drunk at all.