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

"Thank you very much for what you did just now."

After they left the restaurant and walked for a while, Dahlia thanked Wolf.

"You don't have to thank me. I just wanted to leave as soon as possible. But will what I just said cause any inconvenience to your work or life? If so—"

"Not at all. I'm just a little surprised by how smoothly you said it."

"But I didn't lie. I invited you to drink last time at the city gate, but you refused. When the carriage arrived, I also said, 'I still want to chat.'"

It turned out that the sentence she didn't hear when the carriage came from behind was "I still want to chat together."

Dalia had the same idea, so she was very happy to hear it.

"I'm sorry, it was raining so I didn't hear it. I'm also sorry for pretending to be a man and deceiving you..."

"You don't need to feel guilty at all. If I had known you were a woman, I wouldn't have bathed in the water. My eyes would have hurt even more. I wouldn't have eaten with you or drank your baijiu either."

Wolf stopped and looked at Dahlia with a frown.

"But... you probably want to be alone right now, am I disturbing you?"

"No, I just went out for a meal. Even though the engagement was broken off, the marriage was actually decided by both parties' fathers. Before the wedding, the other party said he had found 'true love' and left."

"'True love'... I don't understand it at all."

"Me too."

Seeing that Wolfe did not hide his surprise, Dahlia nodded.

"True love" expressed in this form does not seem to be very popular among the world.

"No wonder you have no attachment to him."

"Yes, not at all."

"Fortunately, this happened before we got married."

"Yes, I believe so from the bottom of my heart."

Dalia nodded and said with a genuine smile.

"Honestly, what happened just now has ruined my mood for enjoying the wine. I haven't talked enough, and I haven't drunk enough. Would you like to accompany me to the next shop?"

The other party was a man she didn't know well, and he was a noble.

If it were the original Dalia, she would probably refuse even if she was not engaged.

She almost lowered her head again and was about to refuse, but the desire to chat with the other party for a while pushed her from behind.

Dahlia raised her head and responded to Wolf.

"Okay, I want to eat something too."

After the two started walking again, they suddenly seemed to remember and let go of each other's hands.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

Dahlia and Wolf walked for a while and headed south of the central area.

They were going to the store recommended by Wolf, a popular store that offered a wide variety of alcoholic beverages and heavy-flavored dishes.

After entering the red-roofed tavern, Wolff asked the waiter to sit in the innermost box.

It was not a closed box. It had walls on three sides and a screen on one side.

"Finally, I can enjoy my meal. What kind of wine would you like? We have a wide selection of red wines here, but I hope you won't order anything on tap."

She took the thick menu and was quite surprised to find that half of it was alcohol.

"Barreled wine... they really do have it."

At the end of the menu are three types of barrel wine: red wine, white wine, and rosé wine.

"That's what we ordered for a large gathering."

In this world, common people do not have the custom of wearing formal attire for weddings.

Newlyweds usually invite relatives and friends to their home or restaurant for a meal and hold a celebration party on a holiday shortly after registering their marriage.

However, she didn’t get a chance to experience this activity and broke off the engagement.

"I want White Ale."

"Then I'll order a dark ale. What about the food? Do you want to order a few more dishes to share?"

"Okay, that way we can eat more variety."

The waiter came to take the order, and they spread out the menu and ordered while looking at it.

"One black and one white ale, two seafood skewers, a fried pork and vegetable platter, and poached chicken. Where's Ms. Dahlia?"

"I'll have black pepper crispy potatoes and roasted broad beans."

After the clerk left, Wolff suddenly sat up straight.

"Excuse me, could you please let me put up a bug-proof device?"

He took out a small silver triangle from his pocket. It was a magical anti-eavesdropping device commonly used by nobles and wealthy businessmen.

"Please let it go, but we won't reveal any secrets."

"I wouldn't use it to tell secrets, but rather to chat with teammates."

Wolfe touched it lightly with his hand, and the silver triangle emitted a faint blue light.

"I have a favor to ask of you first. In the event that I pass out drunk, please have the carriage take me back to the military camp in the royal city, and tell the driver to pay upon arrival."

"Okay. If I can't move, please send the carriage back to the Green Tower in the West District."

At first glance, you might think they are doing this on the premise of being drunk, but in fact, it is because they are not familiar with each other that they have to discuss this matter first.

If you don't know where your partner lives, you won't know where to take them back. Near shopping streets and downtown areas, there are taxi-like "shuttle cabs" (likely taxis) that can take you home. It's best to hire one to take your partner home.

"I've never been drunk before, how about you?"

"I never passed out because I never drank too much."

"What's the most alcohol you've ever had?"

"I can still function normally after drinking four bottles of red wine."

"Wow, this is already a king snake in the eyes of ordinary people."

The king cobra in this world is equivalent to the word python used in Japanese in the previous life to refer to a drunkard.

The king cobra is a desert monster that is easily attracted by the smell of alcohol and is a heavy drinker. It is said that people would fill large pots with wine to lure it out and then capture it while it is drunk.

"I rarely drink more than that. How much can Mr. Wolff drink?"

"I drank double-digit bottles of liquor and was fine."

"Two digits...it's a sea serpent."

Two digits means more than ten bottles.

Sea snakes can drink more than king cobras, and they refer to people who "basically can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk."

Whether it was due to physical differences or magical power, many people in this world could hold their liquor remarkably well. Dahlia's drinking capacity was much better now than in her previous life, but it wasn't exceptional in this world.

"There are many sea snakes in the Knights."

"It's expensive to treat them to drinks, right? Let's just pay for our own meal."

"I think I said something wrong. Please let me take it back. But if you want to drink the cask wine, we'll pay for it separately."

It seemed that Wolf had made up his mind to invite Dahlia today, and she decided to accept it honestly.

"Celebrating our reunion once again."

"Celebrating the reunion."

As the wine and food arrived, they toasted with ale.

The iced white ale is light, but the aroma of hops is palpable, mixed with a hint of bitterness that flows down your throat, leaving a refreshing aftertaste. There aren't many bubbles in the beer, but they complement the flavor perfectly.

Wolff was drinking a black ale. He had already finished the first glass in a toast and would soon finish the rest of the bottle.

"By the way, can you relax and chat with me? As long as you use the anti-eavesdropping device, you don't have to worry about being overheard by others."

"You're the son of an earl, it's not right to do this..."

"Although I'm a member of the Scafarot family, I'm the youngest, and my family leaves me alone. There's no one protecting or monitoring me. My mother is a third wife of no status. I grew up in a villa and now live in a military camp. So, I'm not used to serious conversations. Can you please relax a little?"

The golden eyes looked at Dahlia with watery eyes.

He was obviously a handsome young man, but for some reason he reminded Dahlia of the medium-sized dog she had in her previous life.

"...Alright, since I'm a commoner and don't know the etiquette of aristocrats, I'll try to be casual. By the way, how does this anti-eavesdropping magic device work?"

"The magician in the city said it uses sound to drown out the original sound, making them cancel each other out. While it won't eliminate the entire conversation, it will muffle the sound irregularly, making it difficult to hear from too far away. However, if tables are too close together, it will sound unnatural and won't work."

"I see. So, I can't deal with someone who can lip-read."

This magical device doesn't seem to be able to completely prevent eavesdropping, it can only make the sound difficult to be heard.

"Hey, Ms. Dahlia, are you also involved in this kind of work?"

"I'm not sure what you're referring to. I only make household magic tools at the Merchant Guild. Things like hair dryers and waterproof sheets. Making anti-eavesdropping magic tools is more the domain of a magician than a magic tool maker."

"I see. I thought magical tools were mostly made by magic tool makers."

They split the freshly roasted broad beans in half, washing them down with ale. The beans were hot and took a while to peel, but the beans inside were warm and fragrant, with a sweet aftertaste. These broad beans, generously salted and roasted to a crisp, tasted just like they had in their previous life.

"Mr. Wolff, you were like a completely different person just now. I was shocked."

"I think that would help me get out of this situation. That's what I use when I want to show my nobility. Do you want me to talk that way?"

"Don't do that, or I will definitely...do my best to stay away from you."

"Great. That's my real voice. It's tiring to use that tone all the time. I wish my appearance was as casual as my personality."

Most men would probably want to protest loudly when hearing this.

But handsome men also have their own troubles.

When Dalia was studying at the academy, she had a close friend who also encountered a lot of troubles because of her beautiful appearance.

"You must be hit on a lot, right?"

"I was approached three times today while walking from the barracks to the restaurant."

"I can't even walk properly..."

"That's why I usually wear a hooded cape or glasses when I walk alone. Today, I was thinking... you might recognize me, so I deliberately walked in a way that would attract attention."

"I'm sorry... I should have told you my full name so you could contact me through the Merchant Guild."

"I'm sorry for letting you see my embarrassing side. I don't blame you, I just wanted to chat with you more..."

Wolff scratched his head.

"We've finally met again, let's change our mood and start eating."

"Right."

Wolfe gave half of the seafood skewers to Dahlia, and she began to eat in order.

The plate included prawns, small fish, scallops, and kraken, each grilled in salt.

The shrimps are round, the meat is very elastic, and they are as big as a fist and taste very good.

The fish was whole, a bit like a smelt, but red. The sweetness of the flesh and the slightly bitter taste of the entrails were a perfect match. This might also be a monster.

The scallops were average size, but still sweet and soft after being grilled.

The most amazing thing is the Kraken.

Kraken is a kind of monster. Fishermen and mercenaries regularly form large fleets to go out to sea to fish for it. Therefore, there are cheap and abundant Kraken on the market as food and ingredients.

The Kraken on the plate had been cut into small pieces, just a part of it, but in terms of appearance, one side was slightly reddish-brown, very similar to octopus, but it tasted very chewy, very much like grilled squid.

I heard that Kraken has a bad smell, but I don’t know if it’s because of the way this store handles it or the proper seasoning, but Dalia didn’t notice it at all.

"Have you ever wondered whether the Kraken resembles an octopus or a squid?"

"I understand. It looks like an octopus, but tastes like a squid. That might not be a big deal if you're just eating it, but a single Kraken can feed several people. It's a truly enormous creature."

"Yeah, it's so hot out here, I really want to cheer up the ice magic mages."