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

"I'm not worried about that. So your last name is Mercadante. That's the first I've heard of it."

"Yes, there shouldn't be anyone with that surname in the royal court. It's quite rare."

"Mecadanti, the pronunciation sounds very cool, it suits you very well."

"yes……"

Ivano smiled. No, he just forced a smile.

The deep blue eyes suddenly turned cold, making Dalia a little nervous.

"Ms. Dahlia, although it's not very glorious, please allow me to tell you a little bit about my past... I was the eldest son of a merchant guild leader in another town. When I was nineteen, the guild collapsed, and I lost my family. My wife and I fled our hometown and came to the capital. Since then, I've changed my name to my wife's, 'Badoer,' and have been working in the guild ever since."

“…I see.”

"My father's guild is gone, but we have no relatives with the same last name. If I don't change it back to Mercadanti, it will disappear. I'm only now starting to think about this. Mercadanti is also the name of the bankrupt guild. Can I really change it back?"

"Of course. Any questions?"

"What if someone knows the name Mercadanti and thinks it's unlucky? Or why would the Roseti Chamber of Commerce hire such a useless person?"

"Just ignore them. Mr. Ivano is clearly very capable."

If you worry about good luck or other people, the worry will never end. Dalia now has a deep understanding of this.

The same thing had happened when the female staff members had asked about Wolff earlier. They'd been beating around the bush and asking if Dahlia was his temporary lover or mistress, or if the Chamber of Commerce had actually provided him with assistance. Dahlia had said she was a friend, and they were asking her to introduce someone to someone else. It was ridiculous.

Don't pay attention to outsiders' comments.

Ivano worked for her, so his words were more credible.

"Besides, wouldn't it be fine if you just made a name for yourself in the capital with the name Mercadante?"

"...Yeah, that's true. People might say later, 'The Roseti Chamber of Commerce has a Mercadanti,' which wouldn't be bad."

He closed his eyes and nodded, then gave his usual soft smile.

Then, Dahlia took over a stack of documents regarding the sparkling bottle, all of which were submitted by Fermo from Gandolfi's workshop.

She confirmed the content and signed each co-developer's signature. This progress was much faster than she had expected.

"Mr. Fermo is very fast at making things and writing documents."

"Yes, even though I listened to his explanation when I received the documents, I was still shocked by the number and content."

"It was a good idea to consult with someone familiar with design. Mr. Fermo created a design I hadn't thought of, and he also taught me a lot about design. He really helped me a lot."

"Is that so? That's great."

Ivano nodded, then turned serious. He coughed, his deep blue eyes fixed on Dalia.

"Ms. Dahlia... no, President of the Roseti Merchants Guild, as your subordinate, I have something to say. It might make you unhappy, but could you please listen to me?"

"Yes, go ahead."

Dahlia sat up straight in her chair.

She didn't know if it was about the development of the shoe dryer, or the problems she had with Fermo, or maybe it was because her performance when she entered the royal city was too poor, which made the people in the city dissatisfied. There were too many possibilities, and she couldn't figure out what it was.

"Ms. Dahlia, you're being too humble."

"what?"

The unexpected words made her exclaim.

"Before you came to the office, you were stopped by the female staff at the stairs, right? From now on, if anyone asks you about Mr. Wolff, you don't have to answer anything. If you encounter any difficult questions, just brush them off with the phrase 'too much talk would be rude.' I'll alert the guild. Such behavior is disrespectful to the Chamber President and the House of Count Scafalot. Employees using work time for idle chatter also indicates a problem with guild management. If they continue to pester you, please tell me. I will protest as a member of the Rosetti Chamber of Commerce and teach them a lesson as a member of the Chamber of Commerce."

"……OK."

"Also, please call me 'Ivano'. You might find it strange to call an older man like me by my first name, but it's customary in the Chamber of Commerce. My goal is to become the president's right-hand man, so please get used to it."

"I understand, Ivano..."

Gabriella was also like that at the time; calling people by their first names was surprisingly difficult. It might take Dahlia a while to get used to it.

"Next, Gandolfi Workshop works for our Guild. It's okay for you to be close to Mr. Fermo, but when referring to him within the Guild, please avoid referring to him as 'Master' or 'Teacher'. This will cause unnecessary misunderstandings."

"What misunderstanding?"

"Some might say that while you're nominally co-developing, it's actually Mr. Filmore who's developing it, and you're just a figurehead. Unfortunately, there's a lot of hostility towards young women succeeding in technology or development. Seriously, the hostility is double, no, triple, the average."

"I'll be careful..."

Dalia learned from Fermo, so naturally she felt like he was her "teacher".

It never occurred to her that her attitude could be misinterpreted in this way.

"Finally, I hope you'll be careful with your prototype. I heard you gave Mrs. Gandolfi a pendant-shaped magical tool, and she said she wants to pay you back."

"That's not the Chamber of Commerce, but me personally..."

"I understand. You gave it to him out of kindness. I heard all the details from Mr. Fermo. But you must have spent a lot of money on materials and time on making it, right?"

"But that's not a commercial product, it's a prototype. I'm not sure how effective it is yet, nor how long its effects will last. And my father said you shouldn't charge for prototypes..."

"He's talking about the job of a magic tool maker, right? I roughly understand. But now you're not only a magic tool maker, you're also the head of the guild. You have me as a member of the guild by your side, and you're also the guarantor of the guild. As your customers increase, you'll have a responsibility to earn a profit."

"good……"

"I'm not saying Mr. Carlo is wrong, nor am I forbidding you from giving gifts to others. I just want you to understand that the person you're giving to isn't your 'family.' This time it's Mr. Fermo, and perhaps it will be helpful in the future. But what if someone takes advantage of your kindness? If someone says they're in trouble and asks you to give them a sample piece, do you always give it to them for free?"

"No……"

The Chamber of Commerce president should prioritize profits—she understood this, but perhaps because she often gave her prototypes to her father and Tobias in the past, she still had this habit.

Looking back, there were several times when she just wanted to help others without thinking deeply.

"Besides, Ms. Dahlia, you are a professional magic tool maker, right?"

"I am."

"Since it's a prototype made by a professional magic tool maker, you should have explained its functions to them, agreed on a trial period and reports, and then handed it over after a certain process, right? Even if it's a prototype, you can't just throw it away on the spot. Have you ever considered that they might think it's 'a charity' or 'you look down on them'?"

"what……"

These words seemed to pierce Dahlia's chest, leaving her speechless.

She was just trying to help Wolfe.

When she saw Fermo's wife, she thought of her mother in her previous life and wanted to relieve her pain.

This wasn't charity, nor did she look down on others. But she really didn't know what the other person was thinking.

She suddenly felt uneasy at the thought that she might hurt someone unknowingly.

“…That’s it. Sorry for being so harsh.”

She might look very unhappy.

When I came to my senses, I found Ivano bowing his head and apologizing.

"No! No need to apologize, thank you for telling me. I didn't consider the interests and the other party's feelings... If it's a prototype, the trial method should be mutually agreed upon. If it's a commercial product, a price should be charged. I shouldn't force things on others, I should have discussed it with them..."

"That's what I thought, but that might just be imposing my opinion on you. So the final decision should be made by the 'President'."

“‘President’…”

"Should I still use the current popular term and call you 'Boss'? I think 'President' is more suitable for you, but 'Boss' sounds younger."

"Neither..."

The bewildered voice made Ivano laugh.

Influenced by his smile, Dalia finally relaxed her tense expression.

"Ms. Dalia, do you no longer want to be the Chamber of Commerce President?"

"I……"

When Dahlia heard Ivano suddenly ask this, she was stunned.

"No, I can do more now than before, and I feel very happy."

"If you can't hold on any longer, you can hire someone to take your place. If you're truly suffering, please tell me. The work of a magician is more important than being the guild president. There's no need to exhaust yourself physically and mentally for the guild."

"Okay, if I feel like I can't hold on any longer, I'll definitely tell you."

"If you don't understand something, please feel free to ask. Even if I don't understand, there's always Miss Gabriela to ask, and we can also find an expert. I'll do my best to help. If you make a mistake, just correct it. I might make a mistake too, so please don't hesitate to blame me."

After he finished speaking, Ivano silently apologized to Dalia's father Carlo in his heart.

In his opinion, Carlo educated Dahlia in this way because he wanted her to stand in a safe position, rather than make enemies by making less profit, and even be protected by people in the same camp.

With her father and husband standing in front of her, and colleagues by her side, she doesn't have to over-exaggerate her talents or endure hardships. Perhaps this is the safe and stable life that Carlo hopes for.

As the guild grows, this protective wall will gradually be destroyed. While Dalia receives sunlight, she also has to endure wind and rain.

However, Ivano neither intended to protect her nor felt that he was capable of doing so.

All he could do was to support this professional magic tool master and chamber of commerce president from behind.

All that’s left is for Dahlia to increase her strength and become stronger.

But he still hoped that Dalia would not get hurt as much as possible, perhaps because he had a daughter of his own or because he was thinking of Carlo.

"Uh, Ivano, you look distressed..."

Dalia was worried about him and said it hesitantly, and he stopped his confused thoughts.

"Honestly, I don't really know how to admonish or reprimand others...even scolding my children at home requires some courage."

"That's surprising. I thought you were like a 'teacher', good at teaching and instructing others."

She was not just being polite, but really meant it, which made Ivano feel a little embarrassed.

"Don't praise me like that, 'Boss'."

"Mr. Ivano, are you sure you want to call me 'Boss'?"

Dahlia started to panic and started calling him "sir" again, and he couldn't help but laugh.

Ivano wanted to laugh with her more than scold her or give her advice—nevertheless, he made a decision.

If necessary, no matter how harsh the matter is, I will tell her clearly and remind her constantly.

He would prioritize the Roseti Chamber of Commerce, Dahlia, and Wolfe, and act in the best way for them.

In this way, the Chamber of Commerce will grow and thrive, accumulating credit and gold.

"There's a Mercadanti in the Roseti Chamber of Commerce."

He hoped that one day he would be able to hold his head high and say these words, and truly get back the surname he had abandoned.

Volume 3 ◆ The Second Creation of an Artificial Demon Sword ~ ​​The Crawling Demon Sword ~

"I feel like I haven't been here in ages."

"I think so too. Maybe it's because I've been too busy lately."

Dahlia and Wolf were in the Green Tower's workshop, each holding their work clothes.

In front of them were detachable daggers and various materials.

On the day Wolf returned from his expedition, he sent a messenger to her and arranged to meet her at the Green Tower after noon the next day.

It had been almost a week since they last saw each other, but it felt like they hadn't seen each other for a long time.

It's incredible that we didn't know each other a month ago.

"How was the expedition?"

"We took down a group of harpies. They attacked the sheep in a nearby village and kidnapped a child during the raid. Fortunately, the mission was successfully completed."

"Is the kid okay?"

"Luckily, the magician also used healing magic to help him heal the wounds from the banshee's scratches. The child was very lively and said that the adults had been prohibiting him from going out to play recently, so he ran away secretly. His mother scolded him."

"I'm glad you're okay. I'm glad you're not hurt."

"Well, to be honest... I got Randolph hurt."

"what?"

Wolfe hesitated as he finished speaking and glanced at the Sirius bracelet on his left hand.

"I saw the child abducted by the banshee about to fall, so I quickly asked Randolph to grab the large shield so I could use it as a springboard to jump into the air. Although I successfully saved the child, Randolph's wrist was broken... The magician immediately healed him with healing magic, but I also have to reflect on my poor control of strength."

"It's an emergency, after all."