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

"……Thank you."

The voice thanking Wolff became a little quieter.

The food used for the expedition training session was quite rich.

Black bread with cheese pot, smoked bacon, ham, eggs, and various dried goods. Dried vegetables and a large amount of dried meat are mixed with salt and spices beforehand, and just thrown into the pot and cooked. It is a delicious hot soup with a lot of ingredients.

Considering the possibility of capturing animals or monsters, there's also a mountain of raw meat. Judging by its appearance, it's definitely high-quality meat for barbecue. It's a fine, marinated meat.

"President of the Roseti Merchants Guild, sorry to bother you."

"Okay, what's the problem?"

Dahlia and Ivano went together to answer questions for the team that had them.

"The fish has become dry and hard, not as tender as the fish I just got."

"Please grill it over high heat and take it off the stove early. This way the meat will be softer."

Grilling dried fish requires some skill. If you are afraid of burning it, grilling it on low heat for too long will accidentally dry it out.

"This kind of meat is difficult to roast and burns easily."

"For thicker meat, it might be better to wait until one side is cooked through before flipping it over and covering it and steaming it."

"I see. This way it won't be too hard."

The team members cooked and learned from their mistakes, and everyone had a lot of fun.

"This sauce for dipping meat is delicious. Will you give us the recipe later?"

"There are three sauce recipes at the end of the instructions. Ah, this is the first one."

"Oh, thanks. I'll try making this at home. My son will probably like the taste."

Seeing one of the team members showing his fatherly side, Dalia couldn't help but laugh. Ivano next to her also laughed.

After a round of inspection, the two returned to where they started.

"Good, it's grilled pretty well!"

Not far away, on a tarp, Dolino and his friends were roasting salted kraken, heating vegetable soup, and enjoying a cheese pot.

Dolino and Randolph often dined with Wolff, so they were very familiar with him.

"I can eat this every time I go on an expedition, right?"

"Yes, it's delicious and luxurious."

The team members asked as if to reconfirm, savoring the hot food carefully. Everyone had a happy smile on their face.

"Just dipping the black bread in this melted cheese makes it delicious."

"This salted kraken is delicious too. I can't believe it's food for expeditions..."

Hearing their exclamations, Randolph nodded vigorously.

Dolino stood beside him, arms folded across his chest, kneeling solemnly on one knee—the proper posture for a knight in prayer.

"It looks like a joyful consolation party being held by the river. Thank you so much."

"Dolino, I want to pray to God, too. Thank you so much."

"What are you talking about? Of course, I'm praying to Miss Dalia."

Dolino's words caused a burst of laughter.

As for Dahlia herself, she was discussing business matters with Wolf, Ivano, and Vice Captain Griselda, who were also sitting on the waterproof sheet.

On the tarpaulin, three wine skins had been emptied.

"I have a question. Why do the other knights look down on the monster-suppression troops?"

"The First and Second Knight Orders have many high-ranking nobles. This is the main reason."

"Monster-suppression troops rarely participate in knight battles. Even if they do, humans and monsters are different, so we're likely to be accused of being bad at fighting humans."

Griselda and Wolff answered Ivano's questions somewhat helplessly.

"Aren't monsters even more terrifying? Anyone who says the monster-suppression forces are weak will understand once they join you on the expedition."

Dalia couldn't help but speak the truth. The image of Wolff, covered in blood, from their first encounter came to mind.

"No, they probably won't come. Expeditions are tiring, and everyone knows that."

"How about just being humble and praising them highly? Then, pretend you need to discuss something with them and ask them to come and help you, no matter what. How about that? They've made so many promises, so they can't possibly not come. And since it's just this once, maybe they'd be willing to consider it."

"You still have this trick..."

Hearing Ivano's suggestion, the deputy captain rested his chin with his hand.

"Ivano, if anything happens to the people who came here, we will be in trouble."

"Eh, why? They're motivated and confident, and it's their own free will. Why not just let them handle it themselves? As a knight, going to the battlefield is a 'noble self-responsibility'. Also, if you're in a place with important people around or a lot of people around, as long as you get their consent first, even if something unexpected happens later, it won't be a problem, right?"

The negotiations went smoothly, so Ivano drank a little too much and became talkative unconsciously.

"I see... When you meet someone with a lot of disagreements, you can proactively approach them for consultation and assistance—you can do that. Your name is Mercadante, right? Could you accompany me over there for a 'private chat'?"

Griselda smiled and grabbed Ivano's shoulders.

Ivano's shoulders were firmly fixed by the huge palm, unable to move a step. He replied:

"Okay, okay, no problem. Miss Dahlia, I'll be leaving for a moment."

“Ah, um…”

Although Griselda had her usual smile on her face, she emanated an indescribable chill that made people want to keep their distance from her.

Dalia just watched the two of them leave.

"It seems Griselda has taken a fancy to Ivano. This might take some time... Ah, I don't think there are enough forks. I'll go get some."

Wolff walked quickly towards the carriage carrying the tableware.

Dalia, who was left alone there, began to flip the thicker slices of meat in the pot.

The meat in front of her looked like red bear meat. Wouldn't it be expensive? No, they said they sometimes caught monsters to eat during their expeditions, so there would definitely be a chance to use this kind of meat. She thought as she checked the cooking temperature.

"Um... President of the Rossetti Merchants Guild!"

Hearing the voice calling her, Dahlia turned her head and saw four knights who had never spoken to each other standing side by side.

All four were younger than Wolf—no, younger than her. Judging from their brand-new armor, they were likely new knights.

"Is there a problem?"

"Please allow me to ask a very rude question. Is the Roseti Chamber of Commerce President and Mr. Wolffred in that kind of relationship?"

"We are very good friends."

She did not understand the purpose of the question and gave an answer that would not offend anyone.

"Um... has President Rossetti been busy lately?"

"Yes. I got a good job."

She answered the strange question with her standard work smile, and then the middle-aged knight asked a question. He wanted to know how to replace the magic stone in the expedition furnace. Dahlia took out the magic stone first and explained it in detail.

The four new knights were unable to continue their conversation with Dahlia and returned to the tarpaulin where they were just now.

They started the expedition furnace and the small magic furnace, heated up the vegetable soup, and began to grill the meat.

"I really want to talk to Miss Rossetti more..."

"A capable magic tool master and guild president, she's got a great figure and is expected to be knighted. Although she's a bit older than us, she's got great qualities."

"And even with Scafalot-senpai beside her, her attitude hasn't changed at all. She seems to have a good personality too..."

"It doesn't matter what age or title you have. I feel like everyone is treated fairly. I wonder if she'll mind my appearance or age? I hope not..."

"Being 'good friends' with Scafalot-senpai doesn't mean there's no chance, right? Isn't it worth a gamble?"

"Then I need to find a way to get closer to her, starting with being friends..."

A group of people were whispering to each other when a long black shadow suddenly appeared before their eyes.

"You two seem to be having a good time chatting?"

"S-Skafalot-senpai..."

The black-haired man had silently come to the four of them, smiling. More accurately, his facial muscles were stretched into a smile, but his golden eyes held no trace of it.

A cold and heavy pressure that froze the whole body suddenly hit me head-on.

The four of them immediately couldn't breathe, and their mouths opened and closed like little fish.

"She's an advisor to the army and a valuable magic tool maker. If you dare to be disrespectful, the guarantor of the Roseti Merchant Guild—Viscount Leone Jedda, the president of the Merchant Guild—and I will strictly hold you accountable. Please bear this in mind."

As soon as he finished speaking, the pressure that was coming at him instantly dissipated.

“I’m so sorry—!”

"I, we'll be careful!"

The four of them bowed neatly and apologized sincerely.

The senior smiled beautifully and nodded, then quickly returned to Dalia.

"Just now, Scafalot-senpai released a 'threatening aura' on us, right?"

"Hmm. I thought I'd pee. Scarier than a monster. As expected of the Demon King of Death..."

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and finally managed to speak. Some people's legs were still shaking.

Wolfer's threats had truly frightened them. Though they were new, they had at least received basic training and field training, and were accustomed to battling monsters. But just now, they were so frightened that they couldn't even move a finger.

"Could it be that the president of the Roseti Merchants Guild is supporting Senior Scafalot?"

"No, considering the financial resources of the Scafarot family, Senior is richer, right?"

"Huh, so it's the other way around?"

"Come to think of it, isn't Scafalot-senpai dating the former Duchess?"

"You can have two relationships at the same time. They are different types."

"But considering Scafalot-senpai's conditions, he can choose his partner, right? Even though we have a working relationship, I don't think he would choose someone with an 'above average' appearance..."

The four of them lowered their voices, making the sounds of the barbecue in front of them even clearer.

"Hey! You guys, training starts tomorrow and you're in for a treat!"

"You deserve it. Take responsibility for what you said."

"What?"

The two seniors who were carrying the meat suddenly spoke to them, and the four of them stopped.

The blue-haired man didn't hide his wry smile and continued:

"Let me tell you, Wolf has very sharp ears. He probably heard everything you just said."

“Eh!”

Everyone looked into the distance, at the back of Wolf next to Dahlia.

He just turned around at this moment, showing an overly bright smile, and knocked his chest twice with his fists.

"Congratulations. He said he'd train with you and told you to come on over."

"I'm sure it will be very beneficial."

“Ehhh!”

The young knights let out cries that sounded like wails.

The next day, some members of the Monster Suppression Force underwent two consecutive days of independent training.

The content was so intense that even the ground of the training ground was riddled with potholes, but not a single participant mentioned it.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

After completing his inspection, Gulart finally sat down on the tarpaulin near the campfire.

The vice-captain who had initially been working with him was chatting and laughing with the male members of the Roseti Chamber of Commerce not far away. Perhaps they were even more compatible than he'd imagined.

"Captain Gurat, please."