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

"Thank you very much—this is the spellbook, right?"

The silver magic seal box she accepted contained a thick book bound in crimson leather.

The cover of this book is inlaid with a beautiful red magic stone, surrounded by a detailed magic circle.

"This thing is like a brand new, blank notebook. To ensure that only you can open it, please perform the Red Blood setting on the magic stone. I've set fire magic inside. If anyone else forcibly opens it, it will immediately burst into flames."

"Burn immediately..."

Such a mysterious appearance and mechanism made her heart very excited.

Although she had heard of books that granted fire magic, this was the first time she had seen one with her own eyes.

She couldn't take her eyes off the book the moment she got it, and couldn't help but look at the back cover and spine.

"You seem to find it quite novel. Don't you have any books like this?"

"Yes, this is the first time I've seen an entity."

She borrowed a silver needle and gently inserted it into her left pinky finger. Although it was a little painful, she didn't care at all.

She dropped a small drop of blood onto the red magic stone, spread it with her magic power, and waited for the blood to seep in.

The magic circle on the book flashed red and then slowly disappeared.

"You've completed the Red Blood settings. Now, please write down what you want to record. By the way, how do you save this information when you're conceiving magical tools or drawing design sketches?"

“I write it down in a notebook or on paper and then put it in a leather folder.”

"Is that folder a magical tool? Where did you store it afterwards?"

"No, it's just a folder. I put it on the bookshelf in my work area."

Oswald narrowed his silver eyes slightly, and his expression became extremely solemn.

Dalia tried to think if she had said something wrong, but she had no idea.

"Isn't that a bit too reckless? I suggest you put it in a special safe. By the way, how did Mr. Carlo keep these documents?"

"He...would bundle his notes into a bundle and place them on his desk. Once he'd accumulated enough, he'd put them in the box at his feet."

She remembered her father placing whatever materials he could find on top of the pile of notes to help them stay put. Because he never sorted them out, even when they piled up like a mountain, Dahlia would throw them into an uncovered wooden box when they became too big—but the atmosphere now made it hard for her to speak.

"I now fully understand that Mr. Carlo and those around you are truly trustworthy..."

Oswald's tone revealed more dumbfoundedness than surprise, which made Dahlia understand a lot of things.

Come to think of it, she had been so particular about keeping secrets in her previous life, but now she had no such concept at all.

Apart from my father, myself and Tobias, there was hardly anyone else coming in or out of the work area.

The business owners who occasionally came to the Green Tower were all people she had known since childhood and with whom she had been in contact for a long time.

She has never felt any danger and has never taken any safety measures.

"As the Chamber of Commerce expands, you must be more vigilant against intruders and visitors. I recommend that you thoroughly manage the security of your residence and product information."

"Thank you. I will be extra careful."

Just when she thought her first class was turning into a lesson about safety management rather than magical equipment, Oswald's silver gaze fell on her left hand.

"That ring is a magical tool, right?"

"Yes, this is the antidote ring."

The gold ring on the left hand is the detoxification ring given by Wolf.

She's been wearing it more often lately because she's been dining out more often.

"Looks like we need to replenish a little more."

Oswald walked to the bookshelf along the wall and picked up a small silver magic seal box.

Inside was a rather slender gold bracelet, which exuded an elegant luster and was clearly a carefully crafted work of art.

"Please wear this for self-defense. Although it's secondhand, it's quite effective. It completely protects against poison, confusion, and petrification. It also negates sleeping pills, paralysis drugs, and aphrodisiacs. As the head of the Chamber of Commerce, it would be wise for you to carry something like this with you."

“Um… is this really necessary?”

"Nobles usually adapt their bodies or take countermeasures to prevent the possibility of even mild poisons being added to their food or wine. After all, for the sake of their family's interests, some are willing to take drastic measures, some even taking pleasure in setting traps. If a little lamb like you were to enter such an environment, you'd probably be devoured to the bone."

"Little Lamb..."

In a world where people become adults at sixteen, Dahlia has been an adult for several years. Even so, she still seems to be called a "little lamb." Furthermore, the inner workings of the aristocracy are terrifying.

Although she can rely on her past life experience, she still needs to reflect on her naiveté when it comes to crisis management.

"Although it may not be effective in all situations, it's best to wear it for safety when dealing with nobles."

"Yes, then I will borrow it with gratitude..."

As soon as she took the bracelet, she felt a strong fluctuation of magic power, so she observed it carefully.

From the outside, it was just a simple gold bracelet, but inside it was inlaid with four small stones: white, black, red, and green. She could feel that each one exuded a different magical power.

"What are these materials?"

"The base is made of gold for added strength. As for the inner materials, the white is the horn of a unicorn, the black is the horn of a bicorn, the red is the scales of a fire dragon, and the green is the heart of a forest serpent."

“This is truly amazing…!”

This was a bracelet filled with rare materials. She examined the materials on the inside, gazing at the surrounding magic circuits with fascination. Such a finely detailed circuit structure was truly rare.

However, the more she looked, the more she felt that some aspects were worthy of concern.

"Um...excuse me, could you tell me approximately how much this bracelet is worth?"

"The materials cost fifteen gold coins. I'll lend you the bracelet. If you can make an identical one, return it to me."

Even though he'd just lent it to her, the material cost he'd casually mentioned was still quite alarming. Adding the processing fee, the selling price would probably be more than three times that. She felt a surge of anxiety at the thought of accidentally breaking it.

"I can't borrow such a valuable bracelet—"

"It's not new, so don't worry too much. Also, I forgot to explain earlier, even magic tool masters need something like this when you start handling rare materials. If you get distracted or fall asleep while processing materials here, it will actually cause trouble for me."

What he said was indeed reasonable. If he fell into an abnormal state here, it would cause great trouble to the other party.

"How long would it take to make a bracelet like this myself?"

"With your current abilities, it will probably take one to several years. I look forward to the results of your efforts."

"I'll try to return it to you as soon as possible..."

Although Oswald said this with a smile, Dahlia still felt a heavy pressure.

Those apprentices left probably because they couldn't stand the pressure from Oswald.

Then, there was another issue that concerned her.

"Um... the original owner of this bracelet no longer needs it?"

"Looks like it's no longer necessary. Ah, if you mind it being second-hand, I can make you a new one."

"No, that's not the case—"

Considering past experiences, she felt that asking further questions might not be a good idea.

Maybe the original owner of this bracelet was an apprentice who had left.

When she lowered her head silently, the man in front of her smiled as if he understood.

"You don't really need to take it so seriously. It was just a gift I gave to someone I was dating, and she gave it back to me when we broke up."

This was a completely unrelated topic. Why did he have to explain it in such detail? Dahlia was so embarrassed that she didn't know what expression to show.

However, it seems that the rumors about Oswald's amorous nature are true.

As a result, he got three wives, so regardless of the relationship, his love can be said to have come to fruition.

Just as she was desperately trying to think of how to respond, he continued with a relaxed tone:

"Without attachment, it's just a tool. Okay—I'd like to explain some rare materials. Is there any material you'd particularly like to learn more about?"

"Please tell me about the Sirius."

In response to Oswald's question, Dalia mentioned the material that interested her most.

This is the monster material used in Wolf's bracelet.

Sirius - a wolf-like monster with a pitch-black body and golden or silver eyes.

It was said to be able to fly, preying not only on birds and beasts but also on other flying monsters like cockatrices, unicorns, and Pegasus. She had never even seen a part of it other than its teeth, let alone the real thing.

"Although the Heavenly Wolf looks like a wolf, it's actually a flying monster. It can perform powerful wind magic and sonic attacks, making it quite difficult to defeat."

"Sonic attack?"

"Yes. Although it's not listed in the Monster Encyclopedia, its roar seems to have an intimidating and disorienting effect. This is what adventurers who have fought against the Heavenly Wolf said."

Dahlia was very surprised to hear that it was adventurers rather than the Knights who were fighting against Sirius.

Would the adventurers ride some kind of creature into battle like dragon riders? Or use wind magic to fly, or even use magic to shoot down the wolves? These all made her very curious.

"The wolf's fangs protect against wind magic and sonic attacks, its fur provides physical defense, and the magic stone in its heart is used for magical defense. Its claws are sometimes used to enhance the strength of weapons. These are all very difficult and expensive materials to obtain."

Oswald took out a magic box and took out a wolf's tooth from it.

The tooth, shining with silver-white light, looked more like jewelry material than the fang of a wild beast.

"All I have right now is the tooth... A fragment this size, if its magic value is nine, can be magically empowered. Ten would be even better."

This tooth is slightly smaller than the one Dalia used to make the bracelet.

She realized how dangerous her reckless behavior was, and cold sweat broke out on her temples.

It’s great to be able to live in peace.

"Since the magic of a celestial wolf cannot be stopped midway, it can sometimes cause physical discomfort. When crafting magical tools, someone must be in the same room with you. Male celestial wolves require more magic power to be imbued than female celestial wolves. Be sure to confirm their gender and whether they are special individuals or mutants. These individuals may require several times more magic power. If you cannot confirm, although it will increase the financial burden, it is best to find a powerful high-level magician to identify and divide them before use."

"How powerful is a so-called powerful high-level mage?"

"The magic power measurement value must be at least 15, or it would be safer if it is unmeasurable. They are usually people related to the marquisate, dukedom, and royal family."

Dahlia's pen stopped writing on the magic book.

These people who could be asked for favors were simply unattainable to her. She simply couldn't find such people.

"If you need identification or division, please consult me ​​or Viscount Jedda, the head of the Commerce Guild. I can write you a letter of introduction. Ah, there's a quicker way. Simply ask Lord Wolfred to introduce his brother."

"Master Wolfe's brother?"

"Yes, Lord Guid Scafarot. He serves as the captain of the Magic Corps in the Royal City. The Magic Corps has many powerful high-ranking mages, and I believe they should be willing to provide assistance."

"...I'll take it into consideration."

Although Dahlia answered Oswald in this way, she probably wouldn't ask him for help.

She was a friend of his brother, and a commoner at that. Honestly, it would be very troubling for him.

"You should have understood from Lord Wolffred's experience that the Heavenly Wolf can imbue itself with powerful wind magic. However, even with a small amount of magic power, the effect is significant, making it a very difficult to control 'fierce horse'."

"A 'Fierce Horse', huh?..."

It was clearly a wolf, but he compared it to a horse, which made Dahlia almost laugh.

However, as someone who had been hurt by not being able to control the Sirius Bracelet, she had to admit that the metaphor was very apt.

"It is best to use it after setting the red blood setting on someone who can fully control magic power, a knight with a very low maximum magic power, or someone without extracorporeal magic power. However, please carefully consider who you will be making or selling it for."

"Okay. I'm not considering selling it."

"That would be best. The use of this kind of magical tool is difficult to predict. It could be used to assist the knights and protect the country from monsters, but it could also be abused by assassins and cause unrest in the country."

Oswald spoke these words calmly, sending chills down her spine. He seemed to have anticipated her reaction, his silver eyes fixed on hers.

"Please consider carefully who you would like the magic tool you crafted to be used by, and how it should be used."

"Yes, I will be very careful..."

Oswald's words were harsh but to the point. Looking back now, she had so much to reflect on.

"Dalia, what are your initial and current magic points?"

"It was originally eight, but it should have increased slightly now."

Dahlia's initial magic power was 8. Later, as she became a magic tool maker and learned to bestow magic, her magic power increased.

"Then let's try to get our magic power up to around ten. It would be better if we could actually achieve that."