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

Perhaps her father had asked Irenaeus to give her this gift for this very reason, but she did not want to dwell on it any further.

She never planned to have children, hoping her heavenly father would dissuade her from doing so. However, she wanted to take in a disciple who could inherit the title of Magic Tool Master, striving to preserve the "Rosetti" name.

"I'm thinking, in a sense, a unicorn horn also has a triple gift, right? If I use it as the gift material for a bracelet, can magic be attached to it?"

"I haven't heard of any unicorn horns being enchanted. But I've heard that they can be cut into pieces and used as pendants or bracelets."

"That's true. I don't think it's likely to be used as a gift material..."

Unicorn horns are expensive and, like fairy crystals, difficult to obtain. After pre-ordering, there's a long wait to receive one, or else you have to search frantically for one. If she fails, she'll be devastated to the point of tears.

But when it comes to the experience of failure, Dalia has cried hundreds of times so far.

The magic stone went wrong, causing the shell to crack, the hair dryer to spurt out fire, and when it was tried as a cooling fan, it blew out a violent wind.

Even when she was developing the slime and providing it with materials, she cooked several pots in vain, sometimes even burning the slime, before finally turning it into powder.

Not to mention common materials, even the failure experiences with rare materials were countless. Thinking of these things, she began to reflect on herself again.

"Well, I heard that male unicorns can be trapped by beautiful girls or women, but I wonder what it's like with female unicorns."

Dahlia wanted to change her mind and asked this question. Wolf replied calmly:

"They also tend to approach boys, so they're probably trapped there too. But it only works on innocent children."

"You don't have any experience in this area, do you?"

"When I was eight, I went for a walk with my mother, my third brother, and the knights. We encountered two unicorns near a forest spring. They had pale golden horns and deep red eyes, resembling beautiful, slender white horses. They also exuded a sweet floral scent and could communicate with humans through telepathy using single words... But now, if it became necessary to subjugate unicorns, I would kill them without hesitation."

"what?"

Why did he suddenly want to kill them when he described them so beautifully?

And could you please not give me that slightly cold look?

"I was so careless when I saw their beautiful appearance that I walked over and touched them."

"Why do I seem to have brought up your sad story? Let's end this topic, shall we?"

"No, let me finish! They said they wanted to share me and take me home as a decoration, but my mother was so angry that she hacked them to death!"

"Unicorns are scary!"

Dahlia's impression of unicorns was completely shattered. Their thoughts and actions were too scary.

It's understandable that Wolff's mother did this to protect her son, but hacking an animal to death is still a bit scary.

"They say unicorns' eyes are usually black or dark blue, so red eyes must be a variant. This also made me afraid of unicorns."

The young man sighed and said, "It's really pitiful."

It seems Wolfe isn't just attracted to human women. If there were a shrine in this world, Wolfe would be judged to have a "women's affliction," a circumstance that could be resolved through warding off evil. Unfortunately, the temple doesn't offer such a service.

"I didn't expect even unicorns..."

"That's all, Dahlia. Other monsters have never coveted me, so they should hate me now."

As a member of the monster subjugation corps, being favored by monsters would be a problem, right?

She imagined Wolff wearing black armor, riding a black eight-legged horse, a black bicorn standing beside him, and a line of black slimes at his feet—if they were all black monsters, it wouldn't seem so strange. It would actually look quite handsome. However, she kept this fantasy to herself.

"I'm going to consult with the Trade Guild tomorrow. What are your plans?"

"I'll go with you. The captain asked me to give you my full support to expedite things, and I personally want to help as much as I can. However, I know nothing about business... By the way, if Mr. Dominic is here, I'd like to ask for advice on how to formulate a contract that would benefit both you and the army."

"I agree. I'll ask Mr. Dominic for advice when he's free. I'd also like to consult with Vice-President Gabriela. If they're busy, let's make an appointment and wait there."

Dahlia's life suddenly became busy.

Having never run a chamber of commerce before, the only thing she could do was to consult with others.

The thought "If only my father were still alive" flashed through her mind, but with so many people around her helping her, it would be rude to think so.

In order to let her father rest in peace in the grave, she decided to put this idea behind her.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow morning."

"You've taken a long detour coming from the royal city, haven't you? I'll just take the public carriage."

"This is military duty. I'll use the royal palace's carriage. After all, we're the ones who asked you to do this, so let me pick you up. I'll be wearing formal knight attire, so a carriage will be more convenient."

"Are the official knight uniforms different from the subjugation uniforms?"

She remembered that when they first met, he was wearing a dark gray top, tattered crimson armor, and leather boots.

"Our formal attire is the same style as the Knights' ceremonial uniform, but the colors are different. Ours is black with silver trim."

"It feels really cool, but won't it be hot in the summer?"

"It's incredibly hot. It's okay in the winter, but if you stand in the sun all the time in the summer, it gets so hot you want to scream, 'Whoever designed this, get out!'"

"No summer uniforms?"

"No. I'll change out of my knight uniform when this is over. As for tomorrow's meeting at the Merchant Guild..."

Wolfe lowered his eyes slightly, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

When he had something to say that he couldn't, his voice would become slightly deeper and his eyes would wander - Dahlia unconsciously remembered these habits.

"What's wrong? It's okay if you just say it."

"My funding for the Roseti Merchant Guild will certainly make it easier for you to obtain materials, but... it may also bring you unflattering rumors. I'm sorry I only realized this so late. When we go to the Merchant Guild, should I pretend that I'm only funding for the money and keep my distance from you?"

Despite the hesitation in his words, Dahlia understood them clearly.

"The moment I decided to be your friend, I already considered the potential gossip. It doesn't matter if people say you're playing me or keeping me as a mistress. As long as I achieve results at work and do business with people who agree with me, that's all that matters."

“Dalia…”

Wolff froze after calling her name.

She had figured these things out that day, but Wolff seemed surprised.

Once word of this deal with the Knights spread, her name would undoubtedly surface, and gossip about her would increase. Even she, a naive woman, could guess this.

Despite this, she still didn't want to distance herself from Wolf and change their current relationship.

But if Wolfe wanted to change the way they got along, she couldn't stop him.

Dalia was a little scared, but she still thought it would be better to ask clearly.

"Rumors aren't just spread in the Merchant Guild... If you don't want to be gossiped about, then don't come to the Green Tower anymore, and don't walk the streets with me, okay?"

"Sorry, I don't want to change this way of getting along..."

He immediately objected, much to Dahlia's relief.

"I always cause you trouble. How can I protect you?"

"It's okay, just don't worry about the rumors. If I were an outsider, I might misunderstand the situation. There are some things you won't know unless you've been with someone in person."

This was the experience she learned in her previous life.

A married manager known for his "loving wife" once made her an unreasonable offer, which made her so angry that she wanted to beat him up.

A senior taught her sternly. She thought she was hated, but later she realized that the senior was encouraging her.

There are such people in this world as well.

Some people are said to be self-willed and difficult to approach, but in fact they are worried about hurting others.

Some people appear strong, beautiful and well-loved, but in fact they have been hurt before and therefore deliberately keep their distance from others.

Dalia doesn't gossip and tries not to judge others by appearance. She wants to, but in reality, it's hard to do so.

"Putting aside the gossip, what are you planning to do at the Trade Guild?"

"I want to openly say that I'm your friend and I support your creation of magical tools. I don't want to hide this."

"Thank you……"

Dahlia was delighted to hear this, but she also felt something was amiss. She must have been drunk; her eyes felt sore.

"Then please show yourself to the Merchant Guild as my friend. I will also do my best to live up to your expectations."

Fortunately, the voice did not tremble.

In order not to worry the young man in front of her, she continued cheerfully:

"You helped me collect trial reports and sold my products to the Knights. You're like a member of the Rosetti Merchants Guild."

"In addition to being the investor for the Chamber of Commerce, can I also serve as a guarantor? This will make it easier for you to trade with the Knights. Although there will be more rumors, if any rumors that are unfavorable to us appear, I can also intervene."

He was right. If there were any rumors that would implicate him, it would be better for him to protest. Dalia was not very capable of doing such a thing.

"Okay, thank you for your help. But you don't have to pay any extra money. I will convert the funds you provide into a security deposit. If there are any rumors that bother you and I can't handle them, I will ask you to intervene again."

"Understood. Although I have no power, I still have the aura of the Knights and the Scafarot family above me. If anything happens, I will do my best to deal with it."

This way she would cause Wolf less trouble. Dahlia sighed softly.

Speaking of guarantors, she remembered something.

Wolf had already bought a small magic furnace, which was the same thank-you gift as the guarantor's.

"My thank-you gift to the guarantor is a small magic furnace, but you already bought one. Do you need a second one? Or is there anything else you'd like?"

"Then I hope you can spend more time with me making the magic sword."

Wolfe relaxed his tense expression, narrowed his golden eyes, and smiled happily.

If he had claimed that his world revolved around the sword, Dahlia would not have doubted it.

"You really like... the Demon Sword."

The brief pause between words made Wolfe so nervous that he held his breath, but Dahlia didn't notice.

Volume 2 ◆ Consultation with Trade Associations

Early the next morning, Dalia was preparing to go to the Merchant Guild.

She selected a few pages from the Knights' report to take with her and examined the specifications for the toe socks and dry insoles.

Then I put on my makeup and changed into my usual shiny black dress, paired with a vanilla jacket. The weather's getting hotter these days, so maybe it's time to buy some summer outfits.

She stood outside the gate waiting, and soon saw a black carriage with silver patterns.

The side of the carriage was painted with a dragon and sword. The dragon symbolizes monsters, and the crossed swords represent the monster-slaying army. The carriage itself was quite handsome, but the thought of riding it to the Trade Guild made Dahlia's expression turn a little awkward.

"Good morning, Dalia."

Dahlia was about to reply when the man who got off the carriage grabbed her attention.

He wore a dull black knight's uniform, his coat longer than usual. While the color might seem heavy at first glance, the collar and cufflinks were embellished with dark silver thread, adding a nice touch of color. Atop the slightly wider collar was a gleaming garnet collar patch. Dahlia later learned that the red collar patch represented the Red Armor, while the other members wore silver.

His long legs were accentuated by slightly shiny black leather boots.

This outfit really suits the tall, slender, handsome young man with black hair and golden eyes.

If this heroic figure were painted as a portrait, it would surely sell well even at a high price. It would even make more money than ordinary magical tools.

"Good morning, this uniform looks very handsome."

"...Yeah, but it's a little hot."

Wolfe replied with a wry smile.

The sky was blue today with only a few clouds in the sky, and Dalia prayed in her heart that the day wouldn't be too hot.

Wolfe helped Dahlia carry her luggage with one hand and helped her into the carriage with the other.

She was no longer as flustered when she saw Wolff reaching out his hand. Habits were a terrible thing.

"Our captain has already informed the Merchant Guild, so the wait shouldn't be too long."

"Thank you, but is this okay?"

"It's our unit that's asking for your help, so don't worry. The captain also said he's in charge of everything and will formally greet you later."

"No need to greet me!"

Gulart had wanted to come, but Wolff had difficulty dissuading him after repeatedly telling him that he only wanted to meet with the Trade Guild today.

"Once I arrive at the guild, I'd like to first complete the procedures for becoming a guarantor for the Roseti Chamber of Commerce, and then consult with Mr. Dominic and the guild leader."

"I think this is better, but I'm sorry to bother you."

"It's not a bother at all. This is my job. Don't take it to heart."