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

"What?"

"Ivano?"

Ivano suddenly changed his tone to a cheerful and casual one, and the other two looked at him in surprise.

"We don't have much time, so I'll be frank. Mr. Fermo and Mr. Wolfe are not supporting Miss Dahlia. They are good friends and also partners in the Chamber of Commerce."

"Mr. Ivano, why are you saying this now?"

"There are a lot of rumors circulating in the guild right now. Mr. Fermo must have heard some strange rumors and is worried about Miss Dahlia. After all, Mr. Wolf is so handsome."

"Ivano, how do you want me to defend myself?"

Wolfe frowned and couldn't help but speak the truth.

Seeing his reaction, Fermo scratched his graying brown hair.

"Is that so... I'm so sorry, I heard a lot of gossip in the guild today and I'm not very happy."

"Mr. Gandolfi, could you please tell us what kind of 'gossip' this is?"

"Yes, but it sounds terrible. Ah... not very pleasant, Master Scafarot."

Fermo, who had been about to return to his usual tone, quickly changed his words. Wolff saw this and shook his head.

"Let's talk casually. I'm usually like that too. Too much formality is just annoying. You can call me Wolf."

"But……"

"Don't worry, Mr. Fermo. I also speak like this when I'm alone with the guild members. I want to understand the gossip too, please."

"...I get it. No matter how hard I try, there will always be a flaw. You can call me Firmo too."

Fermo unbuttoned the first button of his shirt and sighed softly.

He had no need to hide anything, so he told them everything he heard.

"I heard people in the guild say, 'Miss Dahlia prioritized her career as a magic tool maker, broke up with the second son of the Orlando Chamber of Commerce, and voluntarily became Lord Scafarot's mistress in order to establish the Chamber of Commerce.' 'Miss Dahlia tried to curry favor with Lord Scafarot to raise funds for the establishment of the Roseti Chamber of Commerce.' 'Lord Scafarot heard that Miss Dahlia's engagement had been broken off, so he took the opportunity to support her.' At the horse farm, I heard, 'Dahlia also seduced Mr. Ivano and poached him.'"

"Please tell me later what those people looked like, what they were wearing, and the exact location where you heard the rumor. But these people really have imaginations, and what they say is completely different from the facts."

"Why did things turn out like this? When I met Dalia, she was already the head of the Chamber of Commerce. We were just friends."

One of them bent the pen in his hand with a smile on his face, while the other one did not hide his disgust and sighed deeply.

Firmo looked at the two people with completely opposite reactions and asked:

"Miss Dalia is an upright person, why are there such strange rumors?"

"Some of those rumors were spread by the Orlando Chamber of Commerce to protect the second son, with Miss Dahlia's consent. But that only applies to the story about her breaking off her engagement to pursue a career as a magic tool maker. The rest were likely exaggerated and made worse. Furthermore, the fact that a single woman became the guild president, running the guild successfully and allowing her to travel in and out of the royal city, coupled with her status as an outstanding magic tool maker, sparked envy."

Women who repeatedly asked about Wolff, hoping to get to know him.

Those who heard that this young woman, Dahlia, was not only a capable magic tool maker but also founded a guild and were jealous of her.

Those who look with envy on the surface but gossip in private.

They are all likely to distort facts and spread rumors out of jealousy.

"So that's it..."

"Mr. Fermo, I probably shouldn't be saying this, but I hope you understand the truth. Miss Dalia's ex-fiancé was the second son of the Orlando Chamber of Commerce. He had a woman outside and broke off the engagement with Miss Dalia the day before their wedding."

"That's outrageous."

"That's right. Miss Dahlia was no longer able to purchase materials from the Orlando Chamber of Commerce, so she founded her own chamber of commerce to acquire magical tool materials. You know she has a strong development capability. Later, her friend Mr. Wolff became the guarantor of the chamber of commerce. I also wanted to do business with this chamber of commerce, so I volunteered to her and asked her to let me join. Miss Gabriella can attest to this."

"I have something to say, too. Dalia did nothing wrong. All the bad things said about me are my fault."

The golden eyes looked at Fermo earnestly. Seeing that upright look, Fermo completely understood that the rumors were false.

"Got it. Next time I hear a rumor, I'll correct it."

"Don't pay any attention to them. I just want you to keep me informed of the information about those who spread the rumors. As for the rumors about Miss Dahlia being kept by Mr. Wolf, it will actually protect her."

"Wait, Ivanor, what about Dahlia's reputation..."

"Preventing damage is more important than reputation right now. As the chamber of commerce grows, its reputation will naturally improve. It's only been a month since she broke off her engagement, and other chambers are eager to do business with her. And within three months, she's already received blind date requests. If you two clarify to the outside world that you're 'just friends,' wouldn't the offers pour in?"

Ivano said this with a smile, and Wolff turned his neck slightly.

"...Dalia has a blind date?"

"Yes, haven't you heard? Someone made an invitation through Miss Gabriella, and Miss Dahlia rejected it on the spot. She also said that she would refuse all future blind date invitations."

"...Who made the invitation?"

"Viscount Bartolini wants to arrange a blind date for his son."

"……Right."

Ivano turned his gaze away from Wolff, whose expression vanished, and said to Fermo with a smile:

"By the way, Mr. Fermo, I really want to ask you something."

"What's up?"

"Are you a breast or waist person?"

"Hey, we're not drinking, why are you saying this? You're so rude."

Firmo said in disbelief, and the mustard-haired man smiled back.

"This is the quickest way to find out what kind of person a man is. So, which type are you?"

"Chest style, but if I had to say it, it would be 'neck style'..."

"Neck style is really rare... No wonder your wife always wears her hair up."

"...Mr. Ivano, I'd like to ask, how do you know what hairstyle my wife 'usually' wears?"

The deep green eyes stared at Ivano sharply.

"...Ivano, aren't we supposed to strengthen our relationship?"

"No, because Mrs. Gandolfi comes to the guild often, I see her often! Remembering the appearance of guests is also one of the guild members' responsibilities."

"I see. Then what factions do Mr. Ivano and Mr. Wolff belong to?"

"I'm a breast person."

"Waist style."

After hearing the two people's answers, Fermo nodded.

"By the way, what is the acceptable age range for you two? Especially Mr. Ivano."

"No, no, no, you misunderstood. I'm only in love with my wife!"

"I……"

Wolff suddenly looked up as he spoke.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Dahlia just opened the door to the second floor."

"Mr. Wolff, you have such good ears..."

"I just learned from last time..."

The last time he was talking to Ivano about the topic of breast and waist, Dalia happened to hear it.

He would never forget Dahlia's sneer at that time.

Wolfer was filled with remorse, even wanting to erase this past. Therefore, he used his physical strength this time, paying attention to the sounds upstairs while chatting.

To be honest, ever since he started talking about this topic, he has already turned on the anti-eavesdropping magic device in his pocket to the maximum.

"Let's talk about the expedition!"

"Okay, I'm all ears!"

“Really…”

Seeing how quickly and well-coordinated they switched, Fermo smiled slightly.

Rumors really can't be believed.

After hearing the rumors, he imagined a noble man who was superficial and annoying, and a former member of the guild who was attracted by the interests of the guild.

After actually meeting and talking with them, I found that they were all honest and trustworthy people.

Fermo wholeheartedly agreed with their staying with Dahlia and understood why she trusted them.

They looked so happy that Fermo wanted to join them.

"Okay, let's talk. It seems quite interesting."

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

When Dalia came back with the tea, the three of them happily chatted about the expedition.

The tension had dissipated, and Fermo and Wolff quickly switched to addressing each other by their first names, their tone becoming more relaxed. Listening to the men's cheerful, high-pitched voices, she felt a little envious.

"Mr. Fermo, it's great that you two can chat."

"Thanks to Mr. Ivano bringing up the topic, I'm not so nervous anymore."

Dalia smiled back at the smiling Fermo, relieved and served the tea to everyone.

"This is an improved furnace, tentatively named the 'Expedition Furnace'."

After taking a sip of red tea and taking a breath, she took out two modified small magic furnaces from the shelf.

The men stared at the stove that Dalia brought to the table.

"Amazing! It's become so small..."

"It should be convenient to carry."

"Can I touch the stove?"

"Please, it's okay to take it apart. The stove lid also serves as a pot."

Fermo took off his coat and hung it on a chair, then opened the pot that served as a stove lid. He then disassembled the magic stone holder and the knob for adjusting the heat, examining them one by one.

“This lightweighting method is really clever.”

"Thank you. I consulted the book you lent me."

Dalia was very happy to hear Fermo's praise.

Wolf, who was standing by, showed a subtle expression when he saw the pot.

"Wolver, what's the problem?"

"It's okay, it's not a big deal. I just think the pot is a little small. Many people on our team have big appetites. But the food can be prepared separately, so it won't be a problem."

The members of the Monster Suppression Corps were all adult men, and their active expeditions required large pots to cook their meals. Dahlia, preoccupied with shrinking the stove, had completely forgotten about this.

"Ms. Dahlia, could you make the pot a little deeper?"

"This will make the whole thing taller and easier to carry..."

"All we need to do is make the sides of the pot retractable using thin S-shaped plates. We're using a mixture of iron and copper, so it should be possible to process."

"Mr. Fermo, the processing fee is not cheap, right?"

“It’s definitely a bit expensive…”

Connecting thin S-shaped sheets to form a flexible bellows is a common method for processing metal water pipes. This process involves bending and connecting the S-shaped sheets, which is labor-intensive and time-consuming. While a good idea, the cost is somewhat high, considering the craftsman's processing fees.

"Mr. Wolfe, is it really necessary to shrink the furnace so much?"

"This size is perfect. A bigger size wouldn't be a problem..."

To make the pot bigger, you just need to make the stove bigger than it is now, but this will increase the weight and volume, which is a headache.

"If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask."

"It's okay if it's a little heavy, I'd like a lid for the stew pot. A frying pan would be even better, but that would probably be difficult..."

"How about using a thinner metal plate as a frying pan that also serves as a lid?"

"Why not make a set of pots? A shallow pot and a deep pot, stacked together. That way you have two pots, and the shallow pot can double as a frying pan."

The pot sets that Fermo mentioned are pots with slightly different sizes. This way they can be stacked, but the weight problem is still not solved.

"How do you make the handle on the pot?"