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

Irma responded with a smile, but later was stunned for a while when she heard that Wolff helped wash the dishes every time he came.

"Sorry for the wait."

A few minutes later, Dalia brought the still sizzling fried chicken to the table.

"These are fried chicken nuggets, and they come in two flavors. You can try both and pick your favorite."

Fried chicken nuggets can be found in restaurants and izakayas and are not a particularly rare dish.

But the aroma of spices and the color of deep-frying still make people's mouths water.

At Dahlia's urging, Wolfe picked up a piece with his fork and put it in his mouth.

"Ah, everyone, please brush your teeth carefully when you get home, because there's a lot of garlic in the fried chicken."

Wolff listened to her and quickly took a bite while it was still at its tastiest.

The crispy sound of the dough made even my lips feel warm.

First, he tasted the aroma of garlic and ginger, and then the sweet gravy burst out. Because it was a little hot, he chewed it a few times quickly. The slightly salty seasoning was actually a good finishing touch.

After carefully tasting and swallowing the fried chicken, my hand naturally reached out to Black Aier.

The cool beer flows down my throat, washing away the meaty flavors and fat, leaving a refreshing bitterness in my mouth. The delicious taste of the ale is also highlighted, which is quite interesting.

"It's this combination again, I'm sure I'll keep eating it..."

The man beside him drank up his black ale and sighed, and Wolfe agreed deeply.

The other pile of chicken nuggets was a more brownish-brown color than the previous one. Wolfe had expected a hint of burnt flavor, but after taking a bite, he was surprised by the tenderness and sweetness of the meat. While the gravy was just as juicy, it tasted completely different.

The sweet aftertaste that emerges after chewing for a long time and swallowing it also goes well with ale.

It’s easy to get tired of eating too much fried chicken nuggets, but with these two flavors paired with Black Ale, you can’t stop.

"Dalia, what did you use to pickle this?"

"Honey and fish sauce, with a hint of lemon. This is delicious even when it's cold, so it's perfect as a side dish for a bento."

"Can you give me the recipe later?"

"Okay, I'll write it to you later."

The four of them cleared out the fried chicken nuggets in a few words.

The red-haired woman looked at the empty plate and smiled with satisfaction.

"Can you guys still eat more? I have some marinated chicken pieces. I'll go fry them."

"Dalia, I love you the most!"

"Thank you so much. I'll send over some live chickens next time."

"Come on, I don't want to raise chickens."

Dalia's response to the Marcellas' joke was amusing, but Wolff felt he had to express his opinion as well.

"I want to eat too, please."

"If you help me wash the dishes later, I'll fry a big plate."

"How can I just wash the dishes? If it's more convenient, I'd like to wash the magic furnace and the sink as well."

"Then I'll paint the kitchen walls and floor until they look like new."

The two men's tone was so serious that Irma laughed.

"That's great, Dahlia. Your kitchen will be so clean."

"Haha, I'm really looking forward to it. I'm going to go fry some more chicken nuggets. It'll be ready soon, just give me a minute."

The red-haired woman walked quickly towards the kitchen.

Would she serve the same two kinds of chicken nuggets as before? But given her personality, she might serve something different—Wolf was looking forward to it.

Coming to the Green Tower, with Dalia as his companion, chatting with others and enjoying fine food and wine, he had never experienced such a life until recent months. On the one hand, he felt happy, but on the other hand, he was a little scared.

If someone asked him to go back to his old life, he would never be able to do it.

"...I really want to drink with you guys again."

"Okay, come to our house with Dalia next time."

Marcella heard Wolff mutter and immediately responded.

"I've been waiting for you. This time, I'll show off my skills and cook for you."

"Thank you. If it's not too much trouble, I'd really like to go."

Wolff was happy to chat with them.

But they must be feeling very troubled, right? Thinking of this, he couldn't help but lower his eyes.

"...If you're worried about being spotted near our house, how about we call you 'Wolf' when you're wearing glasses? We can just say you're hiding your identity and we know nothing about it, and that'll make sense to everyone."

"Good idea. If you're still worried about wearing glasses, you can wait until evening before going out. That way, you won't be so conspicuous."

"Thank you both."

The two of them saw through his thoughts completely, which made him feel embarrassed but relieved.

The couple were both considerate and trying to find a solution for him.

"You won't run into anyone you know in this alleyway in the middle of nowhere, right? Where we are, you can drink without worry, even outdoors. No one cares about anyone else, and there's a lot of cheap alcohol to choose from. But the tables and chairs are stained with alcohol, the environment is a bit dirty, and there are drunks wandering around. I wouldn't recommend that place for ladies..."

"It felt quite fun."

"Oh, you don't mind! Then let's go to places only men go, like those alley taverns that serve unidentified mixed drinks, and those dingy stand-up bars. Let's drink in one place after another, 'Ulf'."

"Well, I look forward to that day, 'Marcella'."

Seeing that the two were talking more and more excitedly, Irma narrowed her reddish-brown eyes suspiciously.

"I always feel like my husband is deliberately leading Mr. Wolff astray..."

"Why, ma'am, don't you know?"

Marcella, holding a dark ale in his hand, said in a serious tone:

"As an older male friend, it's my duty to teach him some naughty games."

Volume 4: The Fourth Artificial Demon Sword Creation - The Demon Sword of Lament -

Wolf and Marcella were responsible for cleaning up after the meal, and it was done in no time.

They not only washed the dishes, but also scrubbed the walls and floors clean, which made Dahlia very nervous.

After cleaning, the couple had to leave reluctantly because Irma's beauty salon had an appointment with a customer early the next morning.

Dahlia and Wolf were the only ones left in the house, so they went down to the workshop on the first floor of the Green Tower.

After a while, she finally got to craft the artificial magic sword today. She had already made the general preparations during the day, so now she just had to try the compound gifting technique.

"I heard Mr. Oswald talk about several methods of compound empowerment, and I want to try the simplest one. This dagger has the same structure as the one that failed us last time, so is it okay?"

"No problem. I hope the gift will take effect after we team up."

The dagger with its screws has been disassembled and placed on the work table.

The lead-colored blade has been made wear-resistant, the hilt is equipped with a water magic stone for cleaning, the hilt is equipped with a wind magic stone for acceleration, the scabbard is made lightweight, and the screws are made harder.

On the first attempt, the dagger could not be assembled due to magical interference causing the parts to repel each other.

Later, the yellow slime was used to successfully avoid mutual exclusion, but the magic could not be activated.

In view of this, she planned to use magic silver for compound endowment this time.

She prepared herself by pulling a slender golden bracelet from her pocket.

"This is the bracelet Mr. Oswald lent me. It has protective properties and can be used when given. It's said to protect against poison, prevent confusion, and even render sleeping pills ineffective."

"Is it common for a magic tool master to give or lend a bracelet to his apprentice?"

"No, it's not common. Rare materials are different from ordinary materials and may cause abnormal conditions, so he lent me this bracelet for safety. I agreed with him that I would return it to him when I was able to make such a bracelet myself. Ivano also suggested that I wear it when I go out."

"Can you lend it to me to take a look?"

"Look. The inside of the bracelet is inlaid with various materials. The white one is a unicorn's horn, the black one is a bicorn's horn, the red one is a fire dragon's scales, and the green one is the heart of a forest snake. The magic circuits connecting the materials are intricately carved..."

Wolfe looked at the bracelet and listened quietly to Dahlia's detailed explanation.

"I thought this was a gift from Oswald."

"You misunderstood. This thing is expensive. I even feel like I should pay him rent."

As Dalia spoke, she took out a box from the shelf, which was the size of two palms.

Although the box was small, it was surprisingly heavy. Inside was a thick, silver magic seal.

Magic Silver is a metal known as a special mineral. When imbued with magic, it transforms from a liquid to a solid. Because it is impervious to magic, it is often used to make boxes for materials or protective shields.

"To perform a composite imbuing, Magic Sealing Silver must be applied to the joints."

"Is it the magic silver used in magic sealing boxes?"

"Indeed, Magic Sealing Silver is famous for being applied to Magic Sealing Boxes, and it's also used on magical tools to prevent the escape of magic. It's said that this prevents magic swords from repelling magic. Normally, it's impossible to enchant something multiple times, but by using Magic Sealing Silver as a connecting component, this problem can be solved."

Dahlia used a glass spoon to scoop out some magic silver from the black box.

Magical silver dripped onto the blade, its color slightly brighter than mercury. She gathered the liquid into a round droplet the size of a cherry, then used the magic power of her fingertips to roll the magical silver across the blade. Once it reached the designated spot, the liquid spread and flattened.

The magic silver covers the part where the blade and the hilt are embedded, forming a hard film.

"This step doesn't require much magic power, so I'll just do it in one go."

Dahlia then added texture to the joints of the tsuba, the inside of the scabbard, and the threads of the screws. Under her fingertips, the small silver spheres rolled back and forth, like comical yet adorable creatures.

"Dalia, could this thing actually be a small silver slime?"

"This is just ordinary liquid metal. I'm not some fairy tale 'Monster Tamer'."

"That's right. If you think about it, you're the 'enemy of slimes'."

"Does the term 'monster's mortal enemy' have the right to call me that?"

Dahlia completed the gifting while arguing with him, and then it was Wolf's turn to assemble.

He deftly joined the blade and tsuba together and inserted them into the hilt. Although the parts bounced slightly when he tightened the screws, they still came together smoothly.

"The scabbard alone feels quite light, so that part is fine. Let's try the speed enhancement part."

Wolfe swung the sword with one hand, making a strange "whoosh" sound.

Dahlia subconsciously shrank her body, and Wolfe quickly turned to her.

"Sorry, I didn't expect it to be so fast. It seems the hilt's speed enhancement has taken effect as well."

"What about the cleaning function?"

Wolff pressed the tsuba of the sword, and a thin stream of water flowed down the blade and dripped onto the table. It looked like just ordinary water, but it was not enough to clean the dagger.

However, Wolf said that this amount of water was enough to wipe the sword with a cloth, and Dahlia finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After the dagger was bestowed, it was successfully put back into the scabbard.

"It worked! I didn't expect it to work so quickly."

"Excellent! Compared to the previous swords, this one is much more peaceful and harmless."

It might seem strange to call it a "peaceful and harmless magic sword," but compared to the three previous swords, this one is truly a success. Most importantly, it won't harm the wielder.

Although they had only completed a few simple tasks, the two of them still smiled happily at each other.

"Would you like to name it?"

"It looks like it's crying when it emerges from the water. How about calling it 'The Lamenting Demon Sword'?"

"Why are you coming up with this demon-king metaphor again? Why not just call it 'Izumi Demon Sword'?"

"That makes it tea or coffee, right?" (Note: "水出し" in Japanese means cold brew.)

Her naming taste is terrible, and Wolf only comes up with devil-like names.

No matter what I try, I can't come up with a decent name.

"Can I have this one? Swords like this are allowed into the barracks."

"Of course I can, but since you're taking it away, I'll make you a better one."