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

"Not even one."

"You're a newbie in love... What about Dalia?"

"Dalia and I are friends. I—am not worthy of her."

Wolff paused for a beat, and it didn't sound like he was joking. There was a look of hesitation and resignation in his eyes, leaving Marcella at a loss for words.

"There are many meanings to not being worthy..."

His wife whispered so that only he could hear.

Marcella nodded slightly, carefully studying the man with golden eyes.

He had been uneasy since he first met this man.

Dahlia had just been jilted not long ago, and he didn't want to see her get hurt again and again.

If he had the chance, he would like to find out more about this man.

"Mr. Wolfe, are all the members of your Monster Suppression Team quite strong?"

"I think so, but I'm not that strong on the team."

"Would you like to wrestle with me as a commemoration of today?"

"wrestling?"

"Yes, now go down to the yard and play for a while."

"It's possible..."

Wolff said this with a troubled expression, clearly unwilling to do so.

Marcella pretended not to notice and stood up excitedly.

"It's settled. We'll be back soon."

"Hey, where are Wolfe and Marcella?"

Dalia came from the kitchen to the living room with a plate and asked Irma who was walking towards her.

She was not wearing the loose gray dress she had worn until last year, but a refreshing aqua blue dress, and she wore a white apron over the dress that Irma praised so much.

"They're going to the courtyard for a wrestling match. They'll be back soon, don't worry."

"Why wrestling...?"

"It's just a joke between the boys. Marcella said she and Tobias had a fight when they were out drinking before."

"I haven't heard of that."

Tobias didn't look like a wrestler, nor was he any good at it. The main issue was that he and Marcella were so physically different. Dalia couldn't understand why he would do such a thing.

"It's just that Tobias didn't tell you, right? Because he only lasted ten seconds."

"What ten seconds?"

"He only lasted ten seconds before his back hit the ground. In wrestling, if your back hits the ground, you lose. After all, Tobias is a magic tool master and doesn't rely on his body for a living, so it's only natural."

"Eh, but Wolf..."

Wolf is a member of the Monster Suppression Corps, and his usual targets are not humans, but monsters.

Honestly, she felt that no matter how good Marcella was at wrestling, she would never be able to beat Wolf.

"In the entire time I've known Marcella, his back has never touched the ground."

"But Wolf is a knight in the monster-suppression force, and he usually fights monsters..."

Seeing that Irma looked calm, Dalia began to worry about her.

It would be bad if Marcella got injured, and the atmosphere might be awkward after the game.

"They should have a lot of fun, then. We'll ask who's the best later. Now, let's cook. We have to finish it before they get back."

Irma smiled cheerfully and placed her hand on Dahlia's shoulder. On her wrist was a golden engagement bracelet, its kite-colored gem gleaming.

"Our Marcella will never lose."

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

Wolf and Marcella came to the open space behind the Green Tower together.

On the grass-free ground, Marcella did some simple stretching exercises to warm up.

"Let's compete right here. Mr. Wolf, you have the ability to strengthen your body, right? I have some as well. But could you please refrain from using offensive magic?"

"I don't have any external magic."

"Is that so? That's no problem then."

"Wait, let me take off the bracelet."

Wolf took off the Sirius bracelet, wrapped it in a handkerchief, and placed it on a nearby stone.

Although the chances are slim, it would be no joke if he accidentally used the Sirius magic on Marcella.

"I'd better take off my bracelet too. Irma might scold me if it gets bent."

Marcella took off her gold engagement bracelet with garnets and put it in her back pocket.

"Let's grab each other, and whoever's back touches the ground first loses, okay?"

"Okay, no problem."

How far should I go to avoid getting him hurt? Wolfe thought as he stood opposite Marcella, frowning slightly.

"Are you wondering how much strength you should retain?"

"I was worried you might get hurt."

"No matter who is injured, just borrow some healing potion from Dahlia and drink it."

I didn't expect Dalia's friends to be so belligerent.

Or was this just a common occurrence for civilians? Wolff couldn't tell.

There were also civilians in the army, such as Dolino, with whom he had fought in training, but he had never wrestled in civilian clothes.

Wolff had had some experience of getting into fights with people in taverns, but the situation was different now.

Marcella had no hostility and was a friend of Dalia's. He didn't want to hurt her.

"Okay, let's get started."

Though shorter than him, the other man's width and thickness were considerable, and he was likely much heavier. His tanned face and muscular frame made him look every bit as powerful as a member of the Monster Suppression Corps.

However, Wolff did not sense any hostility or murderous intent from him, and was therefore somewhat at a loss as to what to do.

"Are you ready?"

"We can start anytime."

Marcella moved as Wolff answered, his incredible speed causing him to panic.

Seeing the other party reaching out from below to grab his collar, Wolfe waved him away with his left arm and grabbed the other party's shoulder with his right hand.

Then, all he had to do was grab him, spin him halfway, and deliver a sweeping kick. He would fall backward, and the fight would be over. He couldn't use too much force, lest he get hurt. The moment Wolfe thought this, Marcella's body dropped slightly. Wolfe quickly released his shoulder and tried to jump back.

Unexpectedly, this time, it was his arm that was easily grabbed by the man. He was so strong that he couldn't easily shake it off, so he had to deliberately push his arm forward.

Marcella then released his arm and grabbed his other hand, holding his elbow firmly in place.

Wolff didn't know whether to play it safe and call a timeout, or to activate his body strengthening to pull back his grabbed hand and continue wrestling with his opponent.

"You really don't take me seriously as your opponent..."

Marcella released his elbow, which still ached slightly, and looked at him with regretful eyes.

Wolf felt deeply ashamed of himself for thinking that he had to let the opponent off the hook to prevent him from getting hurt.

Now it is Marcella who is letting himself off the hook.

"I'm sorry, but could you please let me test it?"

He activated his physical strength and extended his palms toward Macela. The man didn't respond, silently clasping his hands. The two men locked arms, a test of strength. Wolfe exerted considerable force, but couldn't move Macela. Their strength was nearly equal. Their toes dug deep into the ground, leaving the courtyard a mess.

"Not bad, Mr. Marcella. You're in pretty good shape."

"You too. Sorry to add one more rule, but are punches and kicks below the shoulder permitted? As long as no bones are broken."

Seeing the other party say this with a ferocious smile, Wolfe understood one thing.

Marcella seemed delighted to know she no longer had to worry about anything, but there's no need to dwell on how Wolff felt about it.

"Okay, but I apologize if I hit you too hard. If you break any bones, go to the temple."

"Then let's listen to the two beauties preaching together."

"No problem, let's get started."

Bang! An incredibly hard sound echoed. The sound of both sides' bodies clashing against each other was dull and deep. Like the sound of tree trunks colliding, the sound echoed continuously.

(Illustration 006)

Could you please use a little more force? Could you please go a little faster?

When I came to my senses, I found that both sides were gradually increasing their strength and speed.

Marcella's fist connected with Wolfe's blocking arm.

Despite activating his body enhancement, his bones still trembled. The powerful force and pain made Wolfe curl his lips.

He kicked back, but it was also blocked by Marcella's leg, which was as hard as a green oak. Even with the reinforcements, the deep bones in his leg still creaked.

The close combat inflicted by others, the weight of bare-handed blows, the quick and powerful kicks—these were all feelings Wolff had never experienced on the team. It felt more like a fight than a training session, and it was completely new to him.

There is no threat to life or death, there is nothing to protect, and you don’t have to care about other people’s opinions or your identity.

Although it was a bit painful, he found this playful fight, which he had never experienced before, even more fun.

In the process of fighting and dodging each other, there was a wonderful feeling that the breathing of both sides gradually became consistent.

Play it a little longer, a little longer—just as the two were thinking this, the sound of cloth tearing made them stop.

"Oh, sorry, I got caught on your clothes..."

"Don't worry, the fabric is thin."

It seemed that Marcella's fist had slipped and ripped the fabric, leaving a large hole in the chest of Wolff's shirt.

When I came to my senses, the sun was almost setting. The two of them were so engrossed in the fight.

"Mr. Marcella, you're so strong. Would you like to work in our army?"

"I'm a coward. I might cry if I see a monster, so forget it."

"The monster should be crying..."

Wolfe laughed as he picked at the badly damaged fabric.

"It seems like I overdid it."

Marcella examined his arms carefully. Both of them had several spots on their arms that were almost bruised, and there was a dull ache in their feet. Wolfe didn't want to roll up his trouser legs to confirm.

“What are you doing!?”

Hearing the angry voice, Wolfe quickly turned around and saw the red-haired woman standing there panting.

“D-Dalia…”

“Ah, Dahlia, we’re…”

"I heard a loud noise and ran down to see what was happening. It wasn't wrestling, it was a physical fight!"

The men were all talking at the same time when Dalia interrupted them with an angry voice.

Wrestling has indeed evolved into a sparring match that is close to fighting.

"No, we didn't fight. This was part of our wrestling training..."

"After all, we men communicate with our fists..."

"What if we get hurt fighting with bare hands?"

Neither man could continue speaking and could only stand there.

Neither of them had ever seen the woman so angry.