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

"Um... can magic power be increased so easily?"

She had always believed that magic power increased naturally through continuous magical empowerment.

She had no recollection of learning any methods of artificial enhancement at the academy, and her father had never mentioned it.

"Artificially increasing magic power isn't a secret technique. The reason we don't teach it to minors or students is to prevent them from increasing their magic power before their bodies are ready, potentially damaging themselves. Furthermore, if magic power exceeds one's control, it can lead to 'magic overload syndrome'."

"Magic excess syndrome" is a condition in which the body cannot cope with its own magic power.

I've heard that some people may experience cardiac arrest or breathing difficulties as a result.

It was said that this condition occasionally occurred in young children of the nobility, but she had no idea that artificially increasing magic power could also cause this symptom.

"The method of increasing your strength is simple. Once your height stops growing, use up all your magic power, drink a magic potion, and use magic again. This will trick your body into thinking you still have strength left, slightly increasing your tolerance. Repeat this process ten to fifteen times, and your magic power will increase by one unit."

"Magic potion?"

He made it sound simple, but a bottle of magic potion cost two gold coins. Ten to fifteen times, according to Dahlia, that would be roughly two to three million yen. This wasn't a method that could be easily implemented.

"Nobles or wealthy merchants with a certain level of economic power would use magic potions to increase their children's magic power by one or two units as soon as their children stopped growing."

“I don’t know any of this…”

"Generally speaking, the maximum amount of magic a person can increase is three points above their starting value. This is also true for daily magic use. Even those who are accustomed to using magic can only increase it by four points. So, Dahlia, your starting value is eight. You can increase it to eleven within a safe range, and then, at most, twelve is the limit."

"Eleven?... If I don't push myself a little, I won't be able to catch up with my father."

"What? Excuse me, what was Mr. Carlo's magic power before he died?"

Oswald's expression was puzzled, and his voice, in a rare display of hesitation, was filled with doubt.

"It's twelve."

"But as far as I remember... Mr. Carlo's magic power was seven when he was in the academy."

"what?"

"The human body is also a container for magical energy. Continuously subjecting it to a flow of magical energy exceeding the permissible amount will often damage the body. The same principle applies to the use of magical tools. There is a limit to how much magical energy can be artificially increased. Increasing it by more than five units is dangerous. Mr. Carlo's twelve units of magical energy is, from a common sense perspective, nothing short of a desperate act."

Dahlia had never heard her father say this. When had he done such a risky thing?

While Dahlia was in the Green Tower, she never saw her father drink the magic potion.

Did her father, in his youth, recklessly increase his magic power without any problems? Or did he secretly increase his magic power while she was at the academy or when she was away from home?

Looking back now, when her father had given her the Sirius Fang, he had said he had given the large water heater a "wind magic-effected thermal runaway prevention" function. She remembered hearing that doing so would require "twelve units of magic power."

Rare materials, large magical tools—was he pushing himself a little too hard as a magical tool maker for these things? Was this a job he'd be willing to take such a risk on?

Even if she wanted to ask her father, she could no longer hear his voice.

"My father...maybe he wants to use the wolf material to make a large magical tool."

"Just because he wanted to try making it? In a sense, that's very much like Mr. Carlo's style. But if that were the case, he shouldn't have taken the risk of leaving you alone..."

“…You’re absolutely right.”

Hearing his undisguised regret in his voice, Dahlia couldn't help but nodded.

The words on the magic book looked a little blurry. But Dahlia only blinked and continued:

"If I use up my mana on my own, then drink a mana potion to increase it to eleven units, will that work?"

As her magic power increased, the amount of magical tools she could create and the effects they could impart would increase. If she could, she would definitely do that.

"Exhaustion of mana can sometimes cause people to faint. Please don't do anything risky alone. Do you want me to regret telling you this?"

"sorry……"

She immediately apologized at the unexpected harsh tone.

However, Oswald shook his head and sighed softly.

"I should be the one to apologize. I accidentally linked you to Mr. Carlo. Obviously, you're the one who's been hit harder..."

"No, my father...should I say he just does what he wants? He always does what he wants."

Looking back now, my father has always been very independent.

Dahlia respected him both as a magic tool master and as a father, but he would sometimes do things in his life that were worrying.

She remembers complaining to her father every time he came home drunk from hanging out, but his behavior hardly changed.

"If my magic power is only eleven, then I won't be able to make magic tools like you, Sensei?"

Dalia asked this as she thought about her magic power.

If you want to use rare materials to make magic tools, you usually need more magic power.

Even her father had raised his magic power to 12. As a noble, Oswald's magic power might be even higher.

"My magic power is only in the early teens, less than eleven. Even so, I can still make most of the magic tools in the shop."

"Is this true?"

This unexpected answer left her at a loss as to how to respond.

"I come from a viscount family, but I have the least magic power in my family. Even if I increase it by four units from my original value, it's still only this much. Because of my lack of magic power and physical strength, I can't become a mage or a knight, so I chose to become a magic tool master. Even with this level of magic power, I can still handle this job."

"But... isn't it a good thing that you, Mr. Oswald, became a magic tool master? After all, you are a very remarkable magic tool master now!"

Hearing Oswald's calm and plain explanation, Dalia couldn't help but raise her voice.

"A truly remarkable magic tool master..."

Oswald repeated what she had said and froze, as if completely frightened by her words.

"S-Sorry! My explanation sounded childish and a little strange..."

"...No, I was just a little surprised because when I heard the words 'an exceptional magic tool master', I thought of Carlo-san."

Oswald smiled as usual and took another magic seal box from the bookshelf.

"By the way, we also need to talk about the 'Fairy Crystal' used in Lord Wolffred's glasses, right?"

"Yes, please."

"It's said that fairy crystals are condensed from the magical power fairies use to conceal themselves. They can also be used in items like phantom lamps, but their most common uses are camouflage and interference."

When Dahlia had previously explained to Wolf how to use the fairy crystals, he had asked her if she had any connection with the Intelligence Department.

This may be a very reasonable concern.

"Recently, the military forces of the Royal City and other countries have begun to have similar needs, so the related materials are gradually attracting attention. If you want to order multiple fairy crystals at once, it is easy to be seen as a trade with the Royal City or high-ranking nobles, or for military purposes. If you don't want to attract attention, it's best to be careful about how you purchase."

"what……"

It was too late. She had already ordered several fairy crystals from the Orlando Chamber of Commerce.

Then she recalled that when she went to order the fairy crystal, Orlando Chamber of Commerce President Ireneo had said: "I see, is that the direction you want to develop in?"

He probably thought that Dalia wanted to develop in the royal city or military-related fields.

After all, she does go in and out of the royal city now, so she might have been misunderstood.

"Excuse me, I have something to ask you. I've ordered four fairy crystals from the Orlando Chamber of Commerce to make Mr. Wolfe's glasses..."

"Four? That's a bit too much to call research..."

Oswald closed his silver eyes and put his fingers to his chin in thought.

"Just say you're making fairy crystal lamps for the Zora Chamber of Commerce. I'll go along with that. From now on, it's best to let Mr. Mercadante handle matters concerning the Orlando Chamber of Commerce."

"Thank you very much. I'm really sorry to have caused you any trouble."

"No, it's not a big deal. If you have any questions about rare materials like fairy crystals, please consult with me, Viscount Jedda, and Lord Wolffred, just like with the matter of Sirius. It could be dangerous to ask other guilds casually."

"Okay, I'll do that..."

As a result, Dalia still had to rely entirely on Oswald's help.

She had been a very troublesome student since her first class. Should he ask her to increase her tuition?

"Let's get back to the point. Fairy Crystals can be bestowed starting from seven units of magic power, preferably eight. They have a special property, and each grant consumes approximately half of the grantor's magic power. Because there's a high chance of fainting, avoid bestowing them twice in a row without a magic potion."

As Dahlia wrote down these teachings in the magic book, she broke out in a cold sweat.

"When I made Wolf's fairy crystal glasses, I added two lenses in a row without drinking any magic potion." She couldn't say such words at all.

"Fairy crystals often cause hallucinations when bestowed. If you lose concentration due to hallucinations during the bestowal process, the crystals will scatter into powder. While the powder is still usable, the crystals are more effective. You can try it yourself in the future to feel the difference between bestowing crystals and powder."

"I see."

As Dalia wrote down her notes, she thought of her father.

What kind of hallucination did the father see when he tried to give it to the window of Dahlia's room but failed?

"Dalia, what did you see when you were making the glasses? Can you tell me?"

"Well, I saw the fairy appear and die... I still remember we exchanged a few words."

"Did you see the goblin?"

"Yes. Also, during the gifting process, I felt my father's presence beside me. If it was an illusion, I really wish I could see his face more closely..."

Dahlia said these words carelessly and shook her head quickly. If she continued like this, her tears would fall again. It was really dangerous.

"So, is there anything you don't understand or feel uncomfortable about so far?"

"No, you explained it very clearly and I found it very interesting."

"That's good. It seems like a lot of people don't like me saying 'Please think for yourself'. If I could be as kind as Mr. Carlo, maybe things would be different..."

Oswald's instructional style was both kind and detailed; how could anyone possibly think he was unkind?

"I take it for granted that 'please think for yourself'. Although my father speaks like a commoner, he often asks me 'What do you think?' and 'Which one do you think is right?'"

"...Thank you. You taught me a lesson, too."

"What?"

"I've always taught people the way I learned, but my way of speaking might not be suitable for them. I'm so ashamed to have only just realized this at this age..."

Oswald seemed to be drawing his own conclusions. Even when she thought back on the conversation, Dalia still couldn't figure it out.

Just when she was confused, Oswald looked at her with his silver eyes.

"It may be a bit presumptuous to say this, but it seems that breaking off the engagement was the right decision, Ms. Dalia."

"Um...why do you say that?"

"I deliberately didn't explain it clearly just now. The most common hallucination experienced by fairy crystals is seeing important people die or disappear. The victims are mostly husbands, wives, fiancés, lovers, and then family and close friends."

"But what I saw was a goblin?"

What Dahlia saw were translucent fairies. Although she had memories of her past life, she didn't recognize any fairies.

"Those are probably the memories of the elves themselves, stored in the fairy crystals. They say that if you can focus enough to resonate with them, you can see them. Unfortunately, I've never seen one myself. My master said he saw them several times in his youth."

After hearing that it was the fairy's memory, Dalia finally understood.

When she was giving the glasses, she saw the fairy's death. That was not an illusion, but the fairy's last memory.

It was hunted by monsters, feeling terrified and desperate, and finally met its death after using invisibility magic.

So the memory did not fade away, and asked her to take herself to the "other side of the rainbow".

Had the fairy gone to the other side, or to another world like herself?

Although she couldn't confirm it, she sincerely hoped so.

"Um, teacher, have you ever had hallucinations due to fairy crystals?"

"Yes, I do. All I see are the wives leaving."

"That... feels very painful."

"Yeah, even if you know it's an illusion, it's still hard to get used to it. And giving fairy crystals will make you more likely to have nightmares, so it's best to find someone to accompany you on the night of the gifting."

"For someone like me who lives alone, this is a bit difficult to do..."

Another option is to ask Irma or Rukia. If you invite them to stay the night, they'll probably agree.

But she felt a little guilty about having asked Irma to come for something like this and leaving Marcella at home alone.

As for Rukia, she would definitely bring a bunch of clothes and then, using the excuse of preventing nightmares, have a dress-up party all night long. So, let's not even consider that idea.

"Dalia, how about placing a 'guard dog' in the tower? Borrowing it just for that night is an idea. A big black dog or something would be good, right?"