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

She had made it a while ago, a white horn with a rose pattern carved into it. Unicorn horns have pain-relieving properties.

"It should provide some relief from the pain of the erythema."

"But, such an expensive magical tool..."

Dalia walked towards Barbara, who wanted to refuse, and forced her to hold the pendant.

Magic power slowly flowed, not knowing whether it was Barbara's magic or Dahlia's magic──the white pendant began to emit a shining light.

"Eh...it doesn't hurt as much anymore."

Barbara said this with her eyes wide open, and Dalia let go of her hand with relief.

"Please wear it around your neck, letting the pendant touch your skin directly. If you remove the pendant, the pain may return. You can also wrap it around your wrist. The pendant is not susceptible to getting wet by water or sweat, so if it gets dirty, just wipe it with a soft cloth."

"But—"

"Excuse me, can I borrow yours for a moment? Ah, are you okay? Are you in pain anywhere?"

"I'm fine. That was my prototype. I don't know how long its effects will last, so I'll give it to Ms. Barbara. Please help me try it out."

"Ms. Dahlia, what is this made of?"

"...A unicorn's horn."

"I'm sorry! Thank you so much. I can't pay you right away, but I'll definitely pay you back in installments."

Fermo seemed to know that unicorns were rare materials, and he bowed deeply in thanks.

"Really, I don't need it. But I'd like to know when it expires. If it doesn't, please let me know."

The magical tool master's book doesn't mention the expiration date of the painkilling effect of unicorn material. If it runs out of effect, new ones must be made.

"That's not worth it for you, is it? Unicorn horns are not cheap."

"Well, then... if there's anything I don't understand about design, I'll ask you for your advice. I'd also like to discuss it with you when developing new things. Design is also a very important part of magical equipment."

"Okay, I'll tell you everything I know. If even I don't understand, I'll ask my colleagues. Also, if you want to outsource any work while making magical tools, as long as it can be done by someone with less magic power, feel free to let me know. I can handle both rough work and odd jobs."

"Thank you. I'll be happy to help you when the time comes."

If Dahlia declined, Fermo might feel even worse. So she deliberately added the words "you're welcome."

Barbara was surprised that the pain disappeared, and then she came to her senses and said:

"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Dahlia. However, women are prone to illness as they age, and your mother might need this pendant. You should keep it for yourself..."

"It doesn't matter. I don't have a mother."

"Oh, sorry, your mother passed away? You must have been very lonely at such a young age."

"No, I'm not lonely... because I don't have any memory of my mother..."

Dalia was thinking about her mother in her previous life, and then she thought about the mother she had never seen in this life, and her thoughts were a little confused.

Speaking of her mother, all she remembered was her mother's hazy face and voice from a previous life, so long ago that she no longer felt lonely. However, she couldn't explain it, nor could she think of a way to gloss over it.

Seeing Dahlia's panic, Barbara also became annoyed.

"I think I asked the wrong question, I'm sorry. But this must be very expensive, right? Is it really okay for someone like me to use it..."

"Magical tools should be used effectively by those who need them. Feel free to use them."

This is what Dalia really said.

Barbara needed the pendant more than she did right now.

And she hopes that the people she works with can always smile.

She is the client who entrusted the work to Gandolfi Workshop.

If a pendant can improve the other person's motivation and efficiency, then in the end she still wins.

"Well, I have a selfish motive too! I want to ignite Mr. Fermo's enthusiasm so that he can do a better job."

"...I was completely enraged. It even felt like I was struck in the chest by a fire demon stone."

"Mr. Fermo!"

Dalia couldn't help but exclaim. "Hit in the chest by a fire demon stone"—this phrase usually means "falling in love" in this country.

Then there was a loud slapping sound.

It turned out that Barbara slapped her husband hard on the head.

"I'm sorry, Miss Dahlia. This person is so rude..."

Barbara said with a smile, while Fermo beside her held his head and wailed.

Dahlia silently hoped that the welcoming carriage would arrive sooner.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

They chatted casually about work for a while, and then the carriage to greet Dahlia arrived.

After watching her leave, Fermo patted his gray head.

"It still hurts... It's been ages since I've been spanked so hard by you."

"Who told you to say such nonsense to Miss Dahlia?"

Although Barbara's tone was quite fierce, the corners of her mouth curled up.

"Ah~ It was an accident. But, it would have been nice if I had met her when I was younger."

"You're still talking? Are you going to declare war on me?"

"No, no, no, put your right hand down. That's not what I meant. I just think that if I had known a fellow craftsman like that when I was younger, I might have been able to create more different things. It's a bit of a shame..."

"What are you talking about? You're still young. I can move around freely now, so you can do whatever you want from now on."

Barbara said this briskly, moving the empty cup onto the tray with the same swiftness she had before she fell ill. Seeing this, Fermo smiled with delight.

"You seem quite happy too."

"Of course, I can move now. Ah, I really want to give birth to a daughter as lovely as Lady Dalia. We are all self-righteous boys here... Oh, by the way, I didn't dare to ask just now, how much does the unicorn horn pendant cost?"

"I've seen bracelets of the same size at other workshops before, and they cost three gold coins. This one has a magical flower pattern on it, so it should be even more expensive."

"Let's work hard and return the money to them as soon as possible."

"Okay, you have to pay her back with interest, otherwise it will bring shame to the studio."

Firmo recalled the day he inherited the workshop from his father, gently stroking the scratches on his long-used workbench. Nearby, there were new scratches made by his apprentice. The white workbench had turned a maltose color over the years, but it was still very usable.

He will be writing specifications and designs for various sparkling bottles at this table tonight, and he will finish them all even if he has to stay up all night.

"By the way, I have two units of mana, can I attach it too?"

Barbara stared at the Kraken tape with the same craftsman's passion as Fermo's.

"I'll teach you. Come and give it a try. When my apprentices come back with their deliveries, let them try it too. I remember their magic powers were three and four respectively, so they should be able to stick more than me..."

There are more things that can be done, which is extremely joyful for craftsmen.

In addition to how to apply the Kraken tape, Fermo also wanted to tell them about Barbara's recovery and Dalia as soon as possible.

He waited for his disciples to return and handed the Kraken Tape to his wife.

Volume 3 ◆ Subjugating the Harpy

We took a carriage for a day and then rode a horse on the mountain road for a day.

Thirty members of the Monster Suppression Force and five magicians headed from the royal capital to the northeastern foot of the mountain.

It is said that the harpies built their nests in caves in the mountains and in the dense woods outside the caves.

It would be fine if the harpies only lived in the mountains, but the problem is that the village at the foot of the mountain makes a living by raising sheep.

At first they caught stray lambs, then adult sheep, and eventually they became addicted to it and came every day to catch sheep.

The helpless villagers asked the country to fight against the banshee, and the monster-suppressing force was sent here.

"Did you see the harpy?"

"Yes, it's a small group of thirteen."

The black-robed magician unfolded a red magic circle on the large glass plate for confirmation.

This magical tool can magnify the field of view, and unlike a telescope, the image is not easily distorted.

Unfortunately, only the person who is injected with magic power can see the picture, and other people can't see anything even if they are nearby.

"It should be a normal harpy, not a mutant."

The banshee that took off from the front of the lair had green hair and ivory skin.

From head to chest, they resemble young human women, but have no hands below the breasts, and instead have green wings like eagles.

The exposed breasts looked somewhat erotic, but none of the team members were happy to see them.

If you’ve actually fought them, you’ll know that they, like other flying monsters, have high evasion abilities and terrifying claws and fangs.

"Even if they're not mutants, we still have to be careful. They have wings after all. It would be great if we could call in a dragon knight just in case..."

"The prerequisite is that the number of dragon knights must reach double digits like our neighboring countries. Otherwise, it will be difficult to invite them to join the expedition."

The neighboring country's animal and monster farming is very prosperous, and there are more than ten small flying dragons in the army.

However, in the Kingdom of Odine, there are only a handful of dragon knights capable of controlling small flying dragons, and all of them are members of the Royal Guard. Due to their small number, dragon knights often serve as liaisons in emergencies rather than combatants. Unless it's a major emergency, they won't accompany monster-suppression forces.

However, if someone in the army is missing, the dragon knight will be dispatched to help search for him, which is still helpful to the army.

"Since we're going to defeat the harpies this time, we also need to eliminate their nests. What suggestions do you have?"

"Vice-Captain, may I speak?"

The black-haired man raised his hand, and Vice Captain Griselda nodded. Wolff continued:

"How about having all the mages and archers attack together at the outset? Once the banshees have fallen to the ground, the team members can deal with them. Then, we'll clear out their nests. Finally, seal the cave entrance with earth magic so they can't nest again. This is the safest approach."

"That makes sense. Let's do that later."

Wolff had spent the entire carriage ride frantically formulating a plan based on the intelligence he had received. He breathed a sigh of relief when his proposal was approved.

To be honest, rather than the achievement of the subjugation, he was more eager to finish the mission early and return to the capital.

This expedition will take at least five days. This place is too far from the capital, and even a letter cannot be delivered to the Green Tower.

A month ago, he didn't care about the distance between the expedition site and the royal capital, but now it seems so far away.

After the team members were ready, they hid in the nearby woods to avoid being discovered.

Half an hour later, most of the banshees in the group returned.

Perhaps because they eat lamb every day, each harpy is plump, with shiny hair and green wings.

They also have sheep in their claws.

Although the villagers wanted to protect the sheep, there were too many of them and they could not take care of them all.

Besides, the sheep eat the grass around the house. You can't keep all the sheep indoors all day long.

"A harpy is still a harpy after all..."

"What else do they look like to you?"

The harpy's face looks like a human, but perhaps because its expression is different from that of a human, it has a feeling of being neither human nor inhuman.

When their mouths are opened, they are much larger than humans, with red tongues and long white fangs inside their blood-red mouths.

"If only the harpy were cuter..."

"Dolino, what do you seek from the monster we are going to defeat?"

"Let's get started."

They moved their lips and chatted, their voices so low that they could hardly be called whispers, while waiting for instructions from the senior who was in charge of the command this time.

"Attack begins!"

Boom! The distinctive sound of wind magic echoed, followed by ice, water, and earth magic.

Several wind magic spells streaked across the sky, followed closely by ice needles, water lances, stone arrows and other magic spells.

Although these spells were effective, the harpies, as monsters, also had a certain degree of magical defense. They also used wind magic to evade the attacks and attempted to escape to high altitudes.

At this time, the archers shot arrows together, dealing a fatal blow to the banshees.