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

Sales strategy—she had heard this term before in her previous life, and therefore felt that the man in front of her was a genuine businessman.

"Well... although it's not a magical tool, I'm working with Mr. Fermo of Gandolfi's workshop to improve the bubbling bottle. Next, I want to make the small magic furnace smaller and the waterproof cloth lighter. And I'm experimenting with making a two-in-one refrigerator with a freezer on top and a refrigerator on the bottom. I'd also like to make a cheaper refrigerator and freezer. I'd also like to make magical tools to keep clothes dry during the rainy season and winter, and pots that make cooking easier. Oh, and I'm also thinking about making a winter heater... I'm also experimenting with making an artificial magic sword, but I don't plan to sell it. Right now, I've only achieved a weak dual-imbuing effect."

Dahlia had originally wanted to keep the man-made magic sword a secret, but since Ivanor was managing the guild for her, she felt it would be disrespectful to him. Furthermore, he might find out later when she was searching for materials. So she told him the truth.

"...I understand. Go ahead and do whatever you want. As long as you complete the design drawings and specifications and complete the safety checks, you'll be fine. We'll register each item you complete, and I'll do my best to sell what's salable. I'll handle the mass production system and distribution channels. The artificial magic sword you mentioned last time was probably made for Mr. Wolf, right? I suggest you keep it a secret."

"It's not appropriate to use my profession as a magic sword, right?"

Artificial magic swords are weapons. Weapons are usually made by the combined efforts of blacksmiths and magicians.

If you really want to use it, you must check its safety.

Because Wolf was there, Dahlia took on the challenge without any prior knowledge, and ended up creating a hand-corroding "Demon King's Dagger" on her first try. Naturally, others would think she was overstepping her bounds as a magic tool maker.

"That's not what I meant. I'm worried that if you're not careful, you might be kidnapped by bad guys or powerful people."

"Eh, me? It's called an artificial magic sword, but it only has a weak dual power. It's not as strong as a real magic sword."

"That's the case now, but if you keep trying, the situation may change. Once your skills reach a certain level, even if you can't rival a mage skilled in offensive magic, you could potentially use them to bolster the military strength of nobles or criminal organizations. You might even end up selling them to countries with fewer mages."

“…I hadn’t thought about that.”

Dalia vowed to herself not to tell anyone. Then she remembered something.

Is Wolf, wearing the Sirius bracelet, participating in the training in the royal city, running in the air?

Although the bracelet could only be used by Wolf, if something like it were used maliciously, the consequences would be disastrous.

"Um... I also made a Sirius bracelet. It has wind magic effects and can be used as a jumping aid. It can only be used by people without external magic power. It has already been set up for red blood, and it is now Wolf's exclusive bracelet."

"If it's Mr. Wolf's exclusive bracelet, then there's no problem. It seems like you're all progressing smoothly, that's great. Did you give him the bracelet first?"

"I'm not going to give it to him as a gift, but rather sell him the bracelet I made..."

"Ah, sorry, I misunderstood..."

Ivano apologized quickly. Dalia thought back to the previous conversation and began to panic as well.

"You misunderstood! That's not an engagement bracelet, it's purely a combat bracelet! It doesn't even have gemstones!"

"I think so... because my wife gave me the bracelet first, that's why I have this association."

"Mr. Ivano, was your bracelet given to you by your wife?"

"Yes. After a family member passed away, I was in a state of depression. My wife said, 'I'll be your family!' and put the bracelet on my arm. I didn't even have time to respond."

"You, your wife is really enthusiastic."

Dahlia hesitated, not knowing how to respond. At this time, Ivano opened the black leather paper tube and took out a piece of parchment from it.

"Please accept this. Mr. Wolff and I went to the temple yesterday morning to sign the contract."

The temple contract parchment faintly exudes magic.

It was branded with the words "Ivano Bardoll would never do anything bad to Dalia Rossetti or her Chamber of Commerce."

Ivano's signature was attached below, in dark red, which made people look a little scared.

Dahlia stared at the contract speechlessly.

"You hastily hired me as a voluntary merchant, and I doubt I'll be able to trust you right away. I hope this contract will put your mind at ease."

"Mr. Ivano, thank you. I'll take good care of it. Um... sorry for my ignorance, but do guilds of commerce usually sign temple contracts?"

"Most people do. After all, honesty is paramount in business."

In reality, the Chamber of Commerce only signed temple contracts when doing business with nobles, and merchants rarely did so among themselves, as doing so was costly and would bring pressure and fear of "not breaking trust" to both parties.

However, Ivano decided not to say so much.

"I'm really looking forward to your number of registered magical tools surpassing Mr. Carlo."

"My father's registration number... that's a long shot."

"He registered twenty-eight items. Before you were born, there were twenty-two items, including the enhancements, and after you were born, there were six items."

"After I was born, his login count decreased...it's all my fault."

Even with the presence of the maid, her father still spent a lot of time with young Dalia.

Her father often took her out to play during his free time and taught her all the knowledge a magic tool maker needed. Although he worked hard, he would have been able to invent more things if he didn't have this daughter.

If he had not raised Dahlia and chosen to remarry, he might have been able to do more work as a magic tool maker.

In this way, he would not only be Dahlia's father, but would also be able to become famous as the magic tool master "Carlo Rossetti".

"I'm sorry, Miss Dahlia, that's not what I meant. The magical tools he made after you were born have become more commonplace. Nowadays, every household has a water heater and a hair dryer. I just wanted to express this... I was speaking in the wrong order."

"No, I misunderstood. I can't help but think that if my father had more time to work, he could have created more different things."

"That's not true. For a father who loves his daughters and wants to spend more time with them, it's actually a happy time. I'm like that too, I'd rather sacrifice sleep to spend time with my lovely daughters."

Seeing Dalia's annoyed face, the man smiled fatherly and said.

But what concerned her most in this sentence was the word "sleep time" he casually mentioned.

"Mr. Ivano, please don't overwork yourself with the Guild's work. Please return home on time when the Guild closes, and take a break every five days. Please also take a break during the Summer and Winter Festivals."

"No, I don't need to take so many days off. I'm in good health, and my wife won't be angry about it. I'm mentally prepared and plan to work without sleep until the Chamber of Commerce is back on track..."

"Absolutely not! This will reduce the time you spend with your wife, and your daughter will grow up without a father by her side. Furthermore, if Mr. Ivano falls ill, it will be very bad for your family and me. So you must rest well after work. If you're too busy, reduce the scope of your business, or wait until profits increase before hiring more people."

In her previous life, Dalia died of overwork, leaving her parents to die young. In this life, she was devastated by the sudden death of her father.

She didn't want any of this to happen to the man in front of her.

"Both those left behind and those who leave will be sad..."

Dalia was frightened by the sound of her own sobbing.

"I'm sorry, Miss Dahlia... I understand. I'll work hard and get enough rest. I'll hire help when I can. Um, I'm in good health, so don't worry."

"good……"

After Ivano finished speaking, she quickly forced a smile.

However, her vision was blurry and her smile must have been forced.

She began to miss the black-framed glasses she used to wear.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

After the meeting with Ivano, Dahlia came to Gabriela's office.

Gabriela took the documents from the Rosetti Chamber of Commerce and examined them as the agent of the Chamber of Commerce President.

At the invitation, Dalia sat on the sofa and stared at Gabriela who was flipping through the documents.

"That's all that's left. Since Ivano has checked it, there shouldn't be any omissions. We'll handle the cooperation with other guilds."

The other party put the document away after reading it only once, and then Dalia finally spoke.

"Gabriela, regarding Mr. Ivano..."

"I've already set that man free. Even if you want to give it back to me, I don't want it."

Gabriella had already anticipated what Dalia was going to say and gave her a calm smile.

"No, I just... I feel sorry for causing you trouble because of this sudden incident."

"As for the trouble, our guild has indeed lost a member of its fighting force, but this will not shake us. This was his own choice, and you don't have to apologize for him."

"However, the main cause of this trouble is still me..."

"Hey, Dahlia, I'm the acting guild master. I prioritize the interests of the guild over those of the Roseti Chamber of Commerce."

"of course."

"You're too naive. I could have just treated you like a cash cow and prevented your guild from growing stronger. That way, the guild would have continued to profit."

"Even if you do that, I probably won't notice. No, even if I do, I can't do anything about it. I can only accept it."

"Yes, so you need Ivano."

After the woman said this affirmatively, she put away her smile.

She moved her hands to her legs, lifted her other foot, and faced Dalia.

"Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Even if you start learning business, you never know how many years it will take to master it. Ivano can fill that gap."

It was said that when her father collapsed in the Merchant Guild, Ivano was the first to arrive.

She remembered Ivano's apologetic deep blue eyes when he said, "I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do" at his father's funeral.

"I'm very grateful to you, and I'm also very grateful to Mr. Ivano for joining the Chamber of Commerce out of concern for me."

"Dalia, make no mistake. Ivanor is not such a sentimental man. He chose to follow you because he had the dream of becoming a businessman."

"But I'm the only one in the Roseti Chamber of Commerce. If I want to do business, I should go to a bigger chamber of commerce..."

"Once he joins your Chamber of Commerce, he'll be able to personally handle business-related matters. Your products and business opportunities will increase, and no one will question his work. Isn't this the best working environment for a businessman?"

"But my guild isn't very profitable. Costs are high, and trials often fail. Selling the toe socks to the Knights this time was just luck."

If Wolfer hadn't introduced five-toed socks and insoles to the Knights, these two items would have remained largely unnoticed. She had no idea that they would improve the Knights' shoe environment and athlete's foot problems.

"Even if you can't see the business opportunities, Ivano can still make money. If you trust him, leave all the business matters to him, and you can just focus on your work as a magic tool maker."

"Mr. Ivano said something similar just now. He said, 'Do whatever you want.'"

Her father and Tobias often questioned her about the magic tools she was making, and more than once or twice, they'd stop her from making them. They'd ask her if the magic tool was necessary, if it would work, if it was safe, and how many people would need it. After being asked so many questions, Dahlia would sometimes lose interest and give up on making them.

Now, someone told her, "You can do whatever you want and invent things freely." This made her feel incredible.

Then she remembered that her father's favorite thing was making magical tools, but his production speed had dropped significantly after she was born. It must be her fault.

"...Gabriela, I want to ask you something about my father."

"What's wrong? Do you want to know about Carlo's past?"

"Excuse me... has my father ever considered remarrying?"

"Not that I know of."

"Is it because I'm here that he can't find a partner?"

"No. You're his daughter, so maybe I shouldn't say that to you... But Carlo is actually quite popular with women, and he also has a female hostess shop. It's just that he hasn't considered remarriage."

As she listened to Gabriella's words, she pictured her own wardrobe and dressing table, delicately carved with lilies of the valley and birds. Their owner, Dalia's mother, had never returned to the Green Tower where her father lived.

"...Is it because of my mother?"

"I never heard Carlo mention 'that person'. All I know is that Carlo loves you dearly."

"I'm sorry for asking such a strange question."

Dahlia bowed her head in apology. Life had been so busy and eventful lately, and perhaps she was feeling sentimental. A part of her mind kept wondering what her father would have done, what he would have done.

However, Gabriela's reminder woke her up.

"I have a favor to ask of you. Please don't repay the 'favor' you owe my father to me."

"What's the meaning?"

"It's me, not my father, who owes you a 'favor.' I don't know how many years it will take, but one day I will repay you."

“…I’m really dumbfounded.”

Gabriela was silent for a while before she said only this.

Dahlia thought her words had displeased the other party, so she lowered her head again.

"I'm sorry! I said something so presumptuous. But—"

"No. I told you, Carlo once said to me, 'If Dahlia has any problems with magic tool masters or women in general, please give her some advice,' right? There's a follow-up to that."

"What's next?"

Carlo then said with a look of pride, "However, if our Dalia owes you a favor, she will find a way to repay it herself."

"Dad, he..."

"You now...have truly fulfilled Carlo's prediction."

Carlo not only helped Gabriela, but also anticipated that his daughter would be independent and self-reliant, so he arranged this in advance.

Dalia was very happy that her father had such expectations of her, but it was also setting a high standard for her. The bad thing was that she didn't think she was capable of meeting it now.