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

Marcella exclaimed, holding a chicken skewer and a black ale. He seemed to like it very much.

"Marcella, I think Dalia's yakitori is best with the sweet sauce! Paired with a white ale, it's a refreshing summer treat."

"No, that's good too, but I still recommend the salt and sauce flavor with dark ale!"

Then they began to seriously discuss which combination would be more delicious and suitable.

Dalia thought it was fine to eat both and there was no need to decide which was better, but this might be the pleasure of communication between them as a couple, so she didn't say anything to interrupt.

She simply quietly placed some more bottles of white ale and black ale on the table.

"Dalia, it's time for you to savor it. I'll grill it this time."

Wolff said this and began to place the chicken skewers on the small magic furnace. Dahlia watched from the side and gratefully decided to let him do it.

"Wolver, which combination do you like best?"

She asked, thinking about preparing more of the flavors he answered next time she made yakitori.

He thought seriously and then smiled.

"Grilled chicken and ale."

It felt a bit broad, but it wasn't wrong. Dalia couldn't help but laugh too.

She decided to prepare a variety of yakitori next time.

“Ah, it’s burnt!”

Maybe the fire was too strong or there was too much sauce, and we were chatting while grilling, so the chicken skewers were a little burnt.

"It's okay. It's delicious even if it's a little burnt."

Dahlia smiled at Wolfe, who sounded a little regretful, and picked up two skewers and put them on the plate.

She paired it with a white ale and found Wolfe's roast to be even better than her own.

But even so, Wolfe apologized to her and said, "I'm sorry for the trouble."

Afterwards, a considerable amount of ale and grilled chicken kebabs went into the stomachs of the four of them.

"Marcella, I'm sorry, I can't do it anymore!"

“Really, you…”

When everyone returned, Irma was unable to walk down the stairs of the tower, perhaps because she had drunk too much or eaten too much.

Marcella smiled and said, "There's really nothing I can do about you," then easily picked her up and walked forward.

Dahlia suggested calling a carriage to pick them up at the foot of the tower, but Marcella said, "We don't have much with us, we can just take it to the stables," and then left.

After watching the two leave, Dalia and Wolf returned to the roof again.

Wolff expertly rolled up the tarpaulin that lay on the ground.

There isn't much to pack today, so all I have to do is move the table out of the way.

Dalia sorted the pancake wrappers while thinking about what she had done during the summer festival last year.

Her father had just passed away, and she must have gone to his grave to pay her respects. She only remembered the color of the bouquet she had bought.

However, I couldn't recall anything about watching the fireworks at the summer festival, or what I ate or drank.

"I hope we can drink together like this next year."

Wolfe's sudden words startled Dahlia. After a moment's thought, she asked him:

"Would you like to reserve the tower for next year?"

"Please do this, please."

Because Wolf suddenly used honorifics and bowed deeply, Dahlia also responded seriously.

After they stood up, they looked at each other and couldn't help laughing.

"Would you like to drink some more? This is a rare summer festival after all."

"Okay, thank you."

Dalia looked at Wolfe, who smiled gently under the starry sky, and thought to herself—

Unfortunately, she couldn't be sure whether the appointment for next year would be possible.

Wolff might have a sudden expedition or other arrangements.

After his family was made a marquis, it might become more difficult to come here.

Despite this, there was one thing Dalia was certain of.

Next year’s self will definitely remember this year’s summer festival.

She wouldn't forget it completely like she did last year's summer festival.

Volume 5: Magical Tool Master Teacher

On a glaring afternoon, Dahlia visited the mansion of Oswald Zora, the baron and president of the Chamber of Commerce, her predecessor as a magic tool master, and now her teacher. Ivano, a member of the Chamber of Commerce, also came with her.

His mansion, located on Noble Street and close to the central district, covers a considerable area.

Surrounded by gray walls, there are beautiful green lawns and courtyards, and buildings with a white base. Although not luxurious, it is undoubtedly full of aristocratic atmosphere.

Dalia and others were guided into the mansion. Whether it was the interior decoration or the furniture, it was obvious at a glance that they were high-end products.

She felt uneasy every time she walked down this corridor where one couldn't help but ask if they could enter with shoes on.

Oswald's workshop within the mansion was more of a workshop than a room. Although connected to the mansion by a corridor, it projected toward the garden, forming an independent building.

As soon as you enter the workshop, you will see a large room, which is used for rest.

There were also large, well-designed tables and chairs, as well as a large sofa that looked like it could be used for a nap.

"Mr. Oswald, I look forward to your guidance today."

After Dalia and Ivanor finished their greetings, the silver-haired man in his prime and the young black-haired woman smiled and returned the usual greetings. Today's teachers were Oswald and his third wife, Amelinda.

Because Dalia is a single woman, she has to have a companion in the next room when she takes a private lesson with Oswald.

It seems that Ivano and Amelinda are waiting here together today.

Ivano said that he brought the documents to deal with it and it would not affect the business of the Chamber of Commerce, but Dalia still felt a little sorry.

It would be better to add more business members as soon as possible and ask them to be responsible for accompanying.

"Time is limited, so let's get started. Today's practical application will be using the lungs of a sea snake."

"The lungs of a sea serpent?"

Hearing Oswald's words, Dalia couldn't help but raise her head.

Speaking of sea snake lungs, they're a very rare material. She hasn't worked with them yet. It's really exciting.

"Mr. Mercadanti, we'll be using anti-eavesdropping devices, but if you think something's wrong, you can always open the door."

"Understood. President, please be careful."

"Okay." This time it was Dahlia who responded to Ivano's reminder.

She had recently suffered some minor injuries while challenging herself to make the Sirius bracelet.

And after that, Oswald also reminded her that "the magic bestowed by the wolf could be fatal."

Wolff and Ivano were present at the time. They were shocked when they heard it and were also worried about her.

Although she decided to be more careful in the future and told them so, they still seemed worried. She felt very sorry again.

Dahlia vowed in her heart to pay special attention to safety while doing her homework and stood up from her seat.

Then, she and Oswald went to the next room together.

The studio in the back was also spacious, with the floor area alone easily exceeding ten times that of her Green Tower workspace.

There are dark grey marble floors and flawless white, smooth walls.

The furniture and decorations are mainly black and silver, creating a very simple and neat atmosphere.

Two walls were lined with black bookshelves that stretched from floor to ceiling, filled with books, magic seal boxes, and glass and metal storage boxes.

The contents of the storage box were probably magical tools or materials. The magic power flowing slowly was very thick.

The large windows overlooked a green lawn, and the red and white sage in the flowerbeds was in full bloom. The brightly colored flowers were lovely.

Looking at the flowers swaying in the wind, Dalia remembered the day she first came here.

*

Dahlia first stepped into Oswald's workshop shortly before the expedition furnace was introduced in the royal city. She walked into this luxurious workshop with extreme nervousness.

Although she had studied under her father, Carlo, a magic tool maker, she still had much to learn about handling rare materials and the dangers they pose. Oswald agreed to become her teacher out of concern for her.

Generally speaking, a magic tool master will not pass on advanced techniques or knowledge to anyone other than his apprentices or family members.

It is quite rare for Dalia to be able to learn from Oswald.

Even sitting in the chair she still couldn't calm down, her eyes falling through the window on the red and white sage that was just beginning to bloom.

Perhaps sensing Dahlia's nervousness, Oswald smiled gently and looked towards the courtyard.

"I planted those sage plants for my son, but no one picks them anymore."

"Could it be that they planted it just to drink the nectar from the sage?"

"Yes, my eldest son loves to drink nectar, so I planted a lot without realizing it. When we found out later, Katharina scolded me for it."

Dahlia recalled the sage that bloomed in the Green Tower gardens of her childhood and the taste of its nectar.

Dalia felt a little more relaxed as she imagined Oswald drinking nectar with his young son.

"Mr. Oswald, did you also drink sage nectar when you were a child?"

"No, Mr. Carlo taught me how to drink nectar when I was a student collecting materials. He recommended sage, honeysuckle, and milk vetch."

"It's my father..."

It turns out that it was her father Carlo who taught her.

Why would his father teach Oswald, a nobleman, such a thing?

And why did Oswald teach his son?

She couldn't help but look into the distance at the rows of blooming sage outside the window.

"Ms. Dalia, haven't you learned this?"

“…I’ve learned that.”

"I love milk vetch nectar the most. I've switched to bottled honey now, but honestly, it still can't compare to the taste of the old days. It's probably because of the freshness."

Hearing Oswald say this nonchalantly, Dalia found it increasingly difficult not to laugh.

Before she knew it, her nervousness had disappeared.

"Well then, let's start the class."

Oswald sat down across the table from her.

"What did you call Mr. Carlo in the workshop?"

"I always call him 'Dad'. My fellow practitioners always call him 'Master'."

At the mention of "Senior Brother," memories immediately surfaced in Dahlia's mind, like thorns piercing her fingertips. She quickly shook them off and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Um, Mr. Oswald, can I call you 'teacher' here?"

Although he said he wouldn't call her "disciple", as someone who was learning from him, it felt a bit strange to call her by her name directly.

So she thought of the title "teacher".

"'Teacher'...that sounds really fresh."

He narrowed his silver eyes slightly and raised the corners of his mouth elegantly.

"Please treat me as a worthless student and just call me by my first name."

"Then, Dahlia, I will teach you as a 'model student.' However, my teaching methods seem to have some problems—as several of my previous apprentices have since left. If there are any issues, please feel free to let me know."

Dalia recalled the thick stack of flashcards she'd used when learning etiquette in the royal city, and inexplicably felt a sense of understanding. The difficulty of that class was so great that she even dreamed about it. Oswald's expectations of his disciples must have been quite high.

"First, this is for you."