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

"Throw that pride into the slime's feed."

After Oswald finished speaking, he poured wine into John's glass. Although a lot of wine splashed onto the table, neither of them paid much attention to it.

A red scorpion from an empty bottle was placed on a nearby plate, stacked with the white scorpion already there.

"...How should I start?"

"I recommend you apologize first, then detail how you plan to improve. If you find it difficult to express yourself, you can write down the key points on paper. However, please avoid empty promises like 'I'll try my best' or 'I'll pay attention next time'. This will only come across as a rehash of the same old story and further strain the relationship. And, absolutely avoid making promises you can't keep."

"……Understood."

John felt a pang of pain in his heart when he heard this, because these words hit him sorely.

John let the scorpion wine flow down his throat, allowing the burning sensation to spread to his esophagus.

Their glasses were nearly empty, so they opened a new bottle of scorpion wine. This time, the scorpions in the bottle were a dark and exquisite color.

"What did your wife say before? Did she have any wishes?"

"She hopes I won't push myself too hard at work. She wants me to come home early, saying she'd be happy if I changed jobs, accepted help from her family, or had them introduce me to a new job. She hopes I can spend more time at home."

"Isn't this a very nice lady?"

"But I got angry when she mentioned her family's support and job placement... She's a woman I'm not good enough for."

"Why use the past tense? As a former high-ranking adventurer, don't say such cowardly things. Take tomorrow off and go find her right away. Seriously... looking at you is like seeing my past self. It's so annoying."

"Mr. Oswald?"

Faced with the sudden harsh tone, John could only shout out the other person's name.

"When I was young, I was also busy with work, mistakenly thinking that providing my wife with a comfortable life was enough. I let her make clothes freely, took her to the opera and the theater, and did not interfere with her socializing with friends. Every year, I would buy jewelry from popular stores for her birthday, have a florist send a bouquet of flowers for her anniversary, and never forget to send gifts to her family. Everyone around me praised me for being a good husband, and I foolishly felt proud of it."

"But you did so much for her, wasn't it because you loved her? Then why...?"

"None of what I did really reached her heart."

Oswald just smiled faintly, with only the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

"After my wife left, I learned from the maids that she actually didn't like jewelry that matched her eye color, and she complained that it was the florist who chose the flowers, not me. She was also troubled by her family's requests for more help, and she was worried that my busy schedule was affecting my health, so she sought advice from my apprentice."

"...Even so, this shouldn't be a reason for her to betray you."

John couldn't help but mutter to himself.

John found it hard to accept that Oswald, who had three young wives and held the status of a baron and a head of the guild of commerce, still considered his first wife's elopement with his apprentice to be his fault.

"Mr. John, you are such an honest man... and I had given up. I didn't understand her, and she didn't understand me. Neither of us tried to understand each other. By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late. That's all."

After Oswald said this, he skewered the scorpions on the plate and handed half to John.

He placed a small magic furnace on the table and turned it on. The two of them roasted the scorpion in silence. Once it was cooked, they removed the scorpion's legs and tail, sprinkled them with salt and black pepper, and then savored the thin slices of scorpion meat.

Then I took a sip of the wine, and what remained on the tip of my tongue was the aroma of roasted scorpion, not the fishy smell.

After this heavy conversation.

John tried to change the subject, looking at the small magic furnace in front of him and thinking of the red-haired woman.

The woman who introduced Oswald to him seemed to be close to him. Oswald even talked about his wife who had left, which made John a little concerned.

"Excuse me for asking this question while I'm drunk... Lord Oswald, would you consider making Miss Dahlia your fourth wife?"

"That's impossible. She's Mr. Carlo's daughter and a very talented magic tool maker. As the president of the Chamber of Commerce, we do have some dealings, but do you think I'm pursuing her?"

"No, it's just that—there's a rumor in the Adventurer's Guild that Oswald-sama prefers women with green eyes."

"Ah, that's true."

"As I see. Could it be because your first love was a woman with green eyes?"

The alcohol was already taking over, and curiosity served as a lubricant, causing the words to slip out of his mouth carelessly.

The man in his prime raised the corners of his mouth slightly and turned his gaze to the darkness outside the window.

"...My first love was a woman with brown eyes. However, she ultimately played me off and then dumped me. Ever since then, I've been resistant to eyes of that color."

"I see……"

"I later dated a woman with purple eyes, but she tragically died young, which was incredibly difficult for me to handle... After that, I dated a woman with black eyes, but she completely deceived me and caused me a lot of pain. I was a bit of a self-destructive person in my youth, so I had a few affairs."

The rumors about the amorous man seemed to be true. Although I felt a little envious, judging by his gloomy tone, if I asked John if he wanted to be that kind of man, he would definitely refuse.

"My relatives couldn't stand it anymore, so they persuaded me to go on a blind date. I completely changed my ways and vowed to spend my life with my ex-wife. She had blue eyes, but that marriage didn't work out. It was a process of elimination, so to speak, and ultimately, it was green eyes that brought me peace of mind."

"what……"

John tried to say something but couldn't come up with anything, so he just made a strange sound.

He gave up and silently drank the wine in his hand.

"Being affectionate doesn't mean relationships will always blossom. I've cried a lot over this myself."

"I envy you for having so many love stories to tell."

"Oh? You actually said that. As a high-ranking adventurer, you should be quite popular, right?"

"My ex-wife is my adventuring partner, and she's also a high-ranking adventurer. We've been together since we were rookies. If you're not careful, she'll stab you."

He had been distracted a few times in his youth, but she was the woman who would take practical action to stop him.

When he was carried into the temple, the dumbfounded expression on his face when the priest who treated him asked him the reason for his injury has now become a memory that makes him smile knowingly.

"Being stabbed... Then why did you separate from such a passionate wife?"

"After we got married, she left me because I was away on a long business trip. I thought I could finally give her a stable life, but she said... the waiting time alone was too hard to bear."

"Have you ever considered working together again? Or, you should have kept her, right?"

"I just want her to stay home and live a safe life. And, as a man, how can I do something like begging a woman?"

"Oh. You chose to prioritize preserving your dignity as a man, but you still feel regret and reluctance."

“Well…”

John couldn't answer, so Oswald handed him a skewer of grilled black scorpions.

The distinctive smell of scorpion, drenched in alcohol, brought back John's memories of desert nights when he was an adventurer.

Back then, John would always drink strong liquor like Scorpion Wine with his friends. To his left, his ex-wife, then his lover, would always sit, smiling brightly. Even on the cold desert nights, he never felt cold.

"Honestly, I do regret it. I feel very sorry. At that time, I believed that working hard to give her a good life was a husband's responsibility and also her happiness."

"I thought I understood the other person's feelings, but in reality, I didn't fully convey them. I should have spoken directly, but I couldn't, and instead said unnecessary words. Even if a couple is close to each other, they can't understand each other's feelings. People like me are still desperately trying to avoid being abandoned."

These unexpected words significantly altered John's image of Oswald. However, compared to his always neat "Silver Fox" face, he preferred the smoke-blackened look of him roasting a scorpion. It seemed more realistic and more appealing.

"This is truly unexpected. I never thought I'd be able to discuss these topics with Lord Oswald."

"I'm so sorry to disappoint you. I'm actually quite timid."

"No, I'm not disappointed. Besides, it's hard to believe you'd call yourself timid. You always give off an air of...comfort and confidence."

"If I were truly confident, I wouldn't need to take stomach medicine. Besides, outward confidence is all based on appearance and disguise in the first place."

"Is that a fake?"

"If you stick with it for ten years, it'll become second nature. Ah, taking care of your appearance is indeed very helpful. A good hairstyle and a well-fitting suit are the best introductions to yourself. A business smile is also very important. With about ten hours of practice in front of the mirror, you can develop a decent business expression."

“I haven’t considered this at all…”

Next, they turned to work-related topics and the two were very engaged in the conversation.

Oswald is indeed a person worth discussing.

"Ah, is it that late already?"

John suddenly noticed the light outside and turned to look out the window. The sky in the distance was beginning to turn pale.

They had already finished six bottles of wine.

Perhaps because they drank too much and their throats burned, their voices became low and hoarse.

"This wine is truly delicious. If it's convenient, how about we drink it together next time? I'm not being polite."

"I'm very pleased. Um, Mr. Oswald, if it's not disrespectful... may I address you as 'Sensei'?"

""teacher"……"

Oswald couldn't help but smile when he heard John's drunken words.

"Of course. This is the second person to call me that after Miss Dahlia."

"Then please call me 'John'. Are you also teaching Miss Dahlia something?"

"I'm teaching her some of the etiquette of the royal city, which is something a guild leader needs to know. But when it comes to magical tools, I've actually learned a lot from her."

"Did she foresee that I would become your student and that's why she introduced you to me?"

"Probably not. She's probably just worried about you. After all, she's a very serious and kind person."

"Ah... Her dangerous behavior is like stepping barefoot on a fire demon stone."

John couldn't help but laugh as he remembered talking about installing the Fire Magic Stone on the small magic furnace a few days ago.

Oswald held the wine glass in one hand and smiled bitterly as he listened to this.

"This incident reminds me of Miss Dalia's father, Mr. Carlo, who had a similar experience."

"Mr. Carlo?"

"Yes. Long ago, a group of adventurers got into a dispute in front of the guild over an uneven distribution of rewards... When I went to mediate, I found a young man who was dissatisfied with his small share. Mr. Carlo took the initiative to give the child some silver coins. He said, 'I was helped by a senior in my time of need and received silver coins. So, I will make up for this beautiful junior's share.' It was only when he said this that I realized the child was a woman. Later, a staff member asked Mr. Carlo how he could tell, and he just smiled and said, 'Just look at the feet.' Then he cleverly changed the subject."

"...This is indeed in line with Carlo-senpai's style."

However, what really surprised John at the time was what happened next.

"This may be a bit rude, but the next time that girl came to the guild, she was indeed very beautiful. I don't know what happened next."

"Mr. Carlo is truly a lovable yet worrying sinner..."

Oswald smiled gently, probably recalling Carlo's past.

As friends, they probably have many fond memories together.

"Ms. Dalia is very similar to Mr. Carlo. Both kind and gentle, but sometimes worrying."

"I felt the same way. But I'm really grateful that she introduced me to the teacher."

If Dalia hadn't introduced Oswald to him, John might not have decided to go to his wife's parents' home today.

He might just cling to his male pride and lament the inevitable separation alone.

He not only owed a favor to Oswald, but also to Dahlia.

Although he didn't know how to repay them, he knew in his heart that he must thank them well.

However, before he could thank Dahlia, John had something else he had to do first.

"Today I will go to my wife's parents' home. I will consider the direction of the future and write down on paper what I can do as a proposal. Of course, I will only promise things that I can actually fulfill. I will also tell her everything about you, the teacher, and Miss Dalia. If that doesn't work—please join me for a glass of sad wine."

Hearing his words, the teacher nodded seriously.

"I understand. I sincerely wish you success. But be careful. When speaking to my lady, never dwell too long on Lady Dahlia or praise her excessively. If this leads to misunderstandings and jealousy, things could get awry."

"No. The age gap between me and Miss Dahlia is too big. Besides, my wife is definitely not that kind of person."

John denied it with a smile while recalling the images of Dalia and his wife alternately in his mind.

However, there was a cold glint in the teacher's silver eyes as he stared at him.

"There's still some time before dawn. John, let's have a make-up lesson on 'Understanding Your Wife's Heart'."

Volume 5: Letter Mountain and Merchants

"What's with these letters...?"

In the room rented by the Nerosetti Chamber of Commerce, Dalia was staring at a stack of letters on the table.

The letters were divided into three hills of different heights, and it looked like the number was at least in the triple digits.

Ivano, who was sitting opposite, reached out and picked up the highest stack of letters.

"This is the largest stack. They're all letters of greeting and congratulations, as well as messages expressing hope for future business opportunities."

"Congratulations... Is it because you've become the designated supplier for the Monster Suppression Force?"

"That's part of it, but the main reason is that the president has been appointed advisor to the monster subjugation force, and he's almost certainly going to be made a baron."