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

"I have something else to tell you. A superior from the magic corps who came to support me asked me if I had 'reverse magic power'. I told him it was 'action-assisted magic tools'. I showed him the Sirius bracelet, but didn't let him touch it."

"That can't be helped."

If anyone doubts that it is after-effect magic, a test will reveal that he has no external magic.

Therefore, he would definitely be asked about the Sirius Bracelet. It would be safer to explain it as an auxiliary magical tool as soon as possible.

"I'm sorry I was so thoughtless. They didn't ask how I got it, but if anyone did, I would say it was given to me by my family. I won't cause you any trouble."

"Don't worry. Even if someone finds out, I can just explain the recipe and say it can only be used by people without external magic power. They'll stop asking questions, right? I don't have enough magic power, so it's hard to make something similar. The recipe for this bracelet isn't that special..."

"It's true that with so few people who can use it, it's difficult to deploy it widely. It's even harder to find someone in the Knight Order without external magical powers. But I seem to be getting you into trouble quite often, so I'll be more careful."

Wolfe said with a wry smile, and began to dismantle the dagger with practiced movements.

He placed the disassembled parts on the table in order.

"I don't think I've been implicated. It's you who's been implicated, right? You're the guarantor for the Chamber of Commerce, and you're even helping me promote the Monster Suppression Force."

"Well, I'm really happy with what I've done. I'm so excited to do more—Okay, I've finished dismantling everything."

After talking about a paragraph, Wolfer took apart the dagger in one go and played with the screws happily.

This time the dagger is divided into five parts: blade, tsuba, hilt, scabbard, and screw.

"By the way, the hair dryer uses both Fire Magic Stone and Wind Magic Stone magic, but they don't conflict with each other. Why does the magic sword do that?"

"The hair dryer doesn't use endowments, but rather magic circuits made of magic stones. The same goes for the cooling and cooling fans. During assembly, we try to prevent the circuits from interfering with each other, so that different magic stones can be controlled separately. The magic sword we're making now has endowments applied to each component. The hilt has a water magic cleansing function, and the blade also has magic that can be activated at any time... Well, to put it simply, it's the same principle as not being able to harden an endowment on an already completed hair dryer."

"I finally understand how impossible it is to ask you to make a magic sword..."

"No, it's not impossible. It just requires finding the right materials and using them correctly, and drawing a more detailed circuit. After all, there are indeed magical tools with multiple endowments in the world."

Her knowledge, magical power, and skills must be insufficient.

If only her father were still alive, he would teach her—this thought suddenly popped up in her mind, but she quickly put it aside.

"It's taken so long to get to the second round, let's get started with today's magic sword trials."

"What are we going to do today?"

"Last time, I used black slime to make a dagger that couldn't be held barehanded. This time, I want to try using yellow slime with earth magic. When making magical tools, we use similar materials to coat them, such as coating metal with earth magic. I think the same can be done for magic swords."

"Use earth magic to cover it...but the yellow slime will still melt the metal, it just takes a while."

"Yes, but unlike black slime, it loses its solubility once ground into powder. I've done experiments on it before at the academy."

As Dalia spoke, she took out a box of yellow slime powder from the shelf.

"Excuse me, this powder is very fine. Please wear a mask. It could choke you if you breathe it in. Also, please wear gloves."

"it is good."

They each donned masks and gloves and carefully opened the box. Dalia filled the cup about halfway with the pale yellow powder, then poured the powder and liquid into the silver cylinder.

"Excuse me, Wolf, but please help me stir the potion slowly. I'll be working on the dagger. Um, I'd like to do the same as last time: make the blade non-sharpening, use water magic to cleanse the tsuba, enhance the hilt's speed, make the scabbard lighter, and enhance the screws' hardness. Is there anything else you'd like to change?"

"No, that's good. We can compare it with the results from last time."

"Then I'll get started."

Dahlia took the dagger's parts and enchanted them one by one. She had gotten the hang of it from her previous attempt, so this time she moved quickly. The longest part was making the scabbard lighter, but that took only half as long.

She also hardened the screws, but the screws were so small that it was difficult for her to check whether the hardening had been successful.

Wolf's golden eyes stared intently at the silver tube as he stirred the liquid with a glass rod.

The liquid turned a grayish-yellowish color and thickened. Dahlia placed the finished dagger parts into the tube and cast the enchantment. So far, it was almost identical to last time.

"Can we put it together now?"

"Thank you for your help."

After Dalia made sure that the magic was completely covering it, she handed the part to Wolf.

He inserted the blade into the hilt and nodded.

"No problem. There's no mutual exclusion, so we can continue assembly."

She replied, "Great," breathing a sigh of relief. It seemed the yellow slime, like the black slime, could block certain magical energy, preventing the dagger from shattering.

This way, the magic sword now has one more coating agent.

The assembled dagger is gray with a hint of light yellow, and from certain angles it looks like gold powder has been added.

The previous dagger is mainly black, with a red and black handle, giving it a magic sword feel.

In comparison, it wouldn't be surprising to see this dagger being sold in a weapons shop.

“What a shame…”

Wolfe touched his dagger and said depressedly.

"What's wrong?"

"The tsuba won't release water, and the scabbard hasn't gotten any lighter. Perhaps the magic power is completely blocked."

"Alas, all the magic power is trapped inside. We failed..."

It seems the yellow slime completely enveloped the dagger's enchantment, rendering it ineffective. This means that even if I had enchanted the dagger in various ways, it would be meaningless.

"Using black slime will corrode the swordsman's hand, and using yellow slime will completely absorb the magic power... I guess we'll just have to use different materials."

"I should try a unicorn horn. I'll grind some into powder next time. If that doesn't work, I'll have to consult a magician. I'll also look for monster materials with magical defenses."

Most of the bestowal magic used by mages, alchemists, and blacksmiths is kept secret.

Dahlia could only look up information about monster materials from books and her father's notes. Besides imbuing magic, she had no idea which metals could be used to forge swords, and she had never actually made one.

All we can do now is keep trying, there is still a long way to go.

"Thinking back, the first attempt at making the 'Demon King's Dagger' went incredibly smoothly. I was able to assemble it on my first try, and it still worked perfectly."

Wolfe reluctantly put down his dagger and glanced at the shelf.

The silver magic box on the shelf held the short sword from last time. If one accidentally touched the sword, it would corrode one's hand, so Dahlia kept it in the box. Thinking carefully, if the sword could be touched, it would be a successful work.

"I was thinking, as long as the dagger from last time can be touched, there shouldn't be any problem with the production method, right?"

"Even if the production method is correct, it is still dangerous."

Dalia couldn't help but finish her words, but Wolfe immediately refuted her.

It's not like she wanted to hold the sword with her bare hands.

"Earth magic can fight against black slimes, right? Do you think the yellow slime's potion can hold the dagger? Will the metal underneath melt? Or will the yellow slime successfully wrap around the black slime, allowing the person to hold the dagger?"

It's fun to think about these things, but hypotheses are just hypotheses. You have to try them out to find out.

"Using earth magic against black slimes is indeed effective... But, Dahlia, has anyone tried it with yellow slimes?"

"If you enchant yellow slime onto stone or brick to make walls and floors, they'll be stronger. However, it's simpler and cheaper to ask a magician to enchant them with 'hardening' magic."

Most mages who possess earth magic can cast large-scale hardening magic, and their magical power is enviable.

The hardening magic of senior mages is even more powerful. It's said that only they can create an "impenetrable wall" that even large monsters can't break.

"Stone or brick...Have you tried it inside the tower?"

"You guessed it, Wolf. My father tried it on the roof. After burning the black slime, he used yellow slime to prevent the stone floor from becoming brittle."

"Isn't there traces of slime everywhere in this tower?"

"It's not that exaggerated..."

Come to think of it, when she was experimenting with the waterproofing, she'd spread a lot of slime everywhere. Some of it had dried and stuck to the walls and floor, so maybe it really had left traces.

She had the urge to search for traces on the workshop floor, but she quickly forced herself to forget about it.

"Anyway, let's try the Yellow Slime's potion, shall we?"

"...Dalia, you really do enjoy challenges."

"I'd love to, but I don't get to try it often. My dad and, uh, ex-fiancé often try to stop me when they're around."

"Considering safety concerns, should I stop you as well?"

"Just be honest, do you really want to stop the challenge to develop the magic sword?"

"No, I want to give you a push. But I can't let you take any risks..."

Wolf was in a dilemma, and Dahlia tried her best to explain to him.

Compared to other slimes, yellow slime has a lower dissolving power. Even handling it with bare hands won't cause immediate damage, unlike black slime, which can cause severe damage upon contact. They donned protective gloves, prepared a piece of meat to verify safety, and placed a healing potion on the table. After taking every possible risk-reduction measure, they finally began the experiment.

The "Demon King's Dagger", which had been placed in the silver magic box after the last trial, still lay in the box as it was.

Fortunately, black slime powder does not dissolve metal.

Dahlia put on gloves that were safer than before and soaked the dagger in the yellow slime's potion.

The liquid medicine wrapped around the dagger, without splashing or causing any strange reactions.

However, after Dalia cast the enchantment magic, the color of the yellow slime liquid almost completely disappeared.

The dagger changed from black to dark gray, looking like an old sword that had been used for a long time.

"Did the Yellow Slime lose?"

Wolff's words made her smile bitterly.

They just applied a new layer of liquid, not letting the slimes fight each other.

However, this statement is correct in some ways. The effect of black slime is indeed stronger than that of yellow slime.

"I'll put some meat on it and try it out."

She placed the piece of meat on the dagger as she had done last time.

Last time, the meat melted immediately, but this time, after waiting three minutes, it still didn't change. She moved the meat several times, but it remained fine.

"It should be fine."

"Then I'll try with my bare hands. I won't let you do this job."

Before Dahlia could reply, Wolf grabbed the dagger with his bare hands.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's totally fine. And the scabbard is light and will release water. We succeeded!"

"I'm only halfway there, but at least I know this method works!"

Wolf placed his sword in the center of the table, raised his hands, and cheered.

"Anyway, we finally figured out how to make a magic sword. Wanna go out for a drink to celebrate?"

"OK!"

"Dalia, is there any place you want to go or anything you want to eat?"

The two chatted about restaurants and wine for a while. Dahlia inadvertently glanced at the dagger and stepped back in fright.

"Wolf, if I'm not mistaken... the dagger seems to have moved?"

"I noticed it, too. It was only a little bit, but it really moved. It was like it was alive."

"No, it can't be alive. It must be the magic powers fighting each other!"

The dagger on the table moved towards the tip of the sword bit by bit at a speed slower than a snail.

The magic effects of the black and yellow slimes repel each other, causing the magic to flow in a specific direction. This must be the reason why the dagger moves.

"It feels like a living thing crawling over here... Uh, I have a strange question. Is it possible for a soul to accidentally attach itself to a magical tool?"

"I haven't heard of such a thing... But, isn't it possible for spirits, holy spirits, or heroic spirits to possess weapons or armor?"

"Yes, that's what I heard."

"What exactly lives inside that Dullahan you mentioned earlier?"

"...Souls, huh? Uh, so, in that case, there might be souls in magical tools..."

After Wolfe finished speaking, Dahlia felt a chill down her spine.

Is it possible for a soul to inhabit a magical tool during the crafting process? The mere thought of it is terrifying.

"Could it be that... the thing inside the Dullahan's armor lives here?"