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

"Why should I learn from Oswald, Ivanor? I don't need a second or third wife."

Hearing Ivano's words, Wolfe responded with an extremely displeased expression.

However, Ivano showed no intention of lightening the mood. He simply narrowed his blue eyes and stared back at Wolff silently.

The atmosphere between the two became unusually tense, and Dahlia hurried to intervene.

"Ivano, Wolf doesn't need to go!"

"Oh, Miss Dahlia, do you think so too?"

“Dalia…”

"Yes, with Wolff's conditions, there's no need to go there specially. If he wanted, everyone from the First Lady to the Tenth Lady would probably come to him easily."

Under the gaze of the two, Dahlia said firmly.

Given Wolff's situation, I'm afraid the second and third ladies are simply not good enough.

As long as he showed a little willingness, it would be easy for him to become the twentieth or thirtieth wife, not to mention the tenth wife.

"Tenth Lady... Lord Wolfe, you are greatly praised..."

"For some reason, I just can't feel happy at all..."

The two men could only laugh helplessly.

Volume 5: Big Pig Ranch and Big Wild Boar

East Street is the main traffic artery to and from the royal capital, with frequent traffic of people and goods and excellent road conditions.

This road had been reinforced with earth magic, and the surface was smooth and well-drained. The carriageway was wide enough for large carriages to pass, and there were carriage stops at regular intervals. If one were to compare it to a previous life, this road could almost be compared to a highway.

The carriage they rode in today was also quite remarkable.

This large carriage with a black body and silver decorations was prepared by the monster-slaying force for the guests and was pulled by two eight-legged horses.

The stability of the carriage is amazing, and one can't help but wonder how it works.

The interior of the carriage is decorated in an elegant white color, with a row of gray velvet-covered chairs connected together.

At this moment, Dahlia was sinking into one of the soft seats, feeling as if she was sitting deeply surrounded by the backrest and seat cushion.

How could it turn out like this──She could only look out the window helplessly, unable to concentrate on appreciating the scenery along the street, her eyes seemed a little dazed.

It all started with Wolff. Two days ago, he came to the tower and said to her:

"The new riders have completed their horseback riding training, so we've decided to go on a run under the guise of checking street safety. We'll also be picking up some smoked bacon from the pig farm on East Street and having lunch there. The captain thought this would be a good opportunity and would like to invite you to come along. What do you think?"

This wasn't an expedition, but rather the final test of horseback riding training. It was more like a picnic on the ranch. The group was small, and casual attire was acceptable. These conditions were meticulously considered.

Moving on the streets was minimally dangerous, and with the protection of the Monster Suppression Team—in fact, this was probably the safest way to move she could imagine.

To deal with possible emergencies such as food poisoning, a priest capable of performing healing magic would be accompanying them, so a carriage was arranged. Dalia was also suggested to ride in this carriage, and she gratefully accepted the offer.

What made Dahlia hesitate was her choice of clothing. She'd been told to dress casually, but considering her position as the president of the designated guild for the monster-suppression force and her position as an advisory magician, dressing too casually seemed inappropriate. However, wearing awkward clothing to the ranch would also cause trouble.

After some distress, she finally chose a light blue shirt with dark blue long skirt pants, and prepared a coat of similar color in case of weather changes.

Then, today came.

She sat in the window seat, and to her right sat the Monster Suppression Corps Captain Gulat, who was sitting in an empty seat.

Opposite her was a middle-aged priest wearing a white robe and a silver-embroidered shawl.

To the right of the priest sat Gildovan Diels, the finance minister of the royal city, who was wearing a dark grey three-piece suit and a golden double-feather brooch on his collar.

Outside the royal city gates, Gildor transferred from an unremarkable carriage to this one and greeted Dahlia politely. Dahlia's face paled as she responded to his greeting, and she wondered if she should have dressed more formally.

Even Captain Gulat was a little nervous under the circumstances, while Dalia had to ride in the same carriage with a high-ranking priest whom she was meeting for the first time, and Gildor, who had a lot going on recently - no, too many things going on.

Although everyone in the car was discussing the heat this summer, Dalia was always nervous.

Ivano, whom she wanted to rely on, could not go with her today because he had a meeting that could not be postponed.

I heard that Wolf was leading the team with three new recruits. He was the Red Armor, the one who led the charge into battle. This was his duty as a senior, so Dahlia couldn't expect him to stay by her side.

She felt a dull ache in her stomach.

"Gildo, how does that smoked bacon taste? It should go well with the bar."

"not bad."

Gildor narrowed his amber eyes, his corners drooping slightly, and it seemed that he was very satisfied with the taste. Dahlia understood his reaction, thinking that this must be just what he liked.

"It tastes delicious. The problem is that you can end up drinking too much without realizing it."

Hearing this, Dahlia couldn't help but turn her gaze towards the speaker. It seemed that this priest had also tasted the smoked bacon.

Perhaps noticing Dahlia's gaze, the silver-haired priest gave her a friendly smile.

"Three days ago, I heard that the monster subjugation team needed priests to accompany them, and their destination was a pig farm, so I applied along with other priests. The competition was quite fierce."

It is said that in the temple, priests wearing embroidered shawls all hold important positions.

If someone like that applied, the others would probably just give in. Or perhaps, conversely, no one would dare to stop him from participating? Although these questions swirled in her mind, Dalia couldn't bring herself to ask them.

"How did you manage to stand out among such fierce competition? Did your new collar take effect, Erard?"

"Of course. Thanks to God's blessing, I won the rock-paper-scissors game."

The priest called Erard replied with a smile.

Dalia had just heard his self-introduction. She heard that priests serving in the temple only gave their names but not their surnames.

It was said that this was because in places where gods were worshipped, titles and family background were unimportant. This surprised Dahlia.

"Didn't you say you've been so busy lately that you can barely leave the temple? This is perfect. Wouldn't it be nice to get some sun?"

"Yeah. At least we should get out for a walk and not get moldy."

Gulat and the priest seemed close enough to joke with each other. Gildor, observing the two, coughed lightly.

"I'm sorry, Rosette. I'm a little late in introducing you. This is my relative. We've known each other since we were kids."

"I learned most of my bad habits from Master Gulat, but every time I did something bad, Master Gildor would scold me."

Hearing the priest's joke, Dahlia didn't know whether to laugh or not and was in a dilemma.

"You two, this is in front of the president of the Roseti Merchants Guild, so please be mindful of your words and actions."

Gildor responded with a hint of displeasure. It seemed the relationship between these three people was quite casual.

"By the way, I've heard that wild boar smoked bacon has a richer flavor than regular pork, and it's especially delicious when grilled. Have you tried it?"

"I haven't eaten it. Where's the president of the Roseti Merchants Guild?"

"No, I haven't either."

"Unfortunately, I haven't tried it either. I heard that the ranch we're going to today didn't have any wild boars last year, so they're out of stock. They might be available this year, but it's still summer after all..."

Was it an illusion? He sounded very excited.

If a giant wild boar appears in the autumn, Gulat, wielding the magic sword "Gray Hand," would surely be happy to hunt it.

"Master Gurat seems to have good luck with monsters, so let's put our hopes on this autumn."

"That's right. Our team has already encountered the 'Green King' twice this season."

The "Green King" that Gulat nodded to was referring to the forest snake.

This type of monster is ranked as the one that travelers and members of the transport guild absolutely do not want to encounter.

Although the chance of encountering one is low, it's incredibly powerful, and once encountered, it's difficult to escape—this is what Marcella, who works at the Transport Guild, told Dalia. However, this time, it was the forest snake that suffered the most.

Of course, as the one who obtained the heart of the forest snake, Dalia had no right to sympathize with it.

"Gulart, encountering a giant forest snake twice in a row isn't good luck, it's just extremely bad luck, right?"

Today, Gildor made Dahlia feel a rare resonance.

Although Dalia didn't say it out loud, she agreed deeply in her heart.

After a while they arrived at the pig ranch, which was located in a grassland a little deeper from the street.

In front of a row of sturdy-looking wooden buildings, the burly rancher and his employees greeted them warmly.

"Welcome, members of the Monster Suppression Force!"

"I'm sorry to bother you today. I've brought a group of monster-slaying troops who love smoking bacon. Please be kind."

"It's our honor!"

The Monster Suppression Team consisted of thirteen members, two mages, and a priest. For some reason, the Finance Minister and herself, a magic tool maker, were also accompanying them, but they were all introduced as the Monster Suppression Team. This made Dahlia feel uneasy.

After some pleasantries, they were led to an open area behind the building.

A vast meadow unfolded before my eyes. Several large, light-brown pigs lazily lay amidst the green grass, surrounded by fences and swaying gently in the wind.

These giant pigs were indeed worthy of their name, each one almost as big as a cow. Occasionally, a large pig would stand up, but they would just slowly move to another place and then lie down again, looking extremely leisurely.

"It's really big, and there are quite a few of them."

"These large pigs will be shipped soon. Those forty large pigs over there are all sows. Although they look very large, they are actually smaller than boars."

"Is this still considered small? If they're all sows, don't you have boars?"

"There are about three in the pigsty, but they're still piglets."

"Isn't boar meat tasty?"

"The taste isn't much different, but the meat is tougher. Since tender meat is popular in the capital right now, sows are more expensive. Also, the big boars fight fiercely for leadership."

"Ah, it's just like the behavior of a wild boar."

"Yes, because they are of similar breeds. Sometimes young, large wild boars come from the mountains to the east to 'marry'."

It is said that large wild boars form groups of one boar and about twenty sows. Young boars that lose a battle for territory in the eastern mountains sometimes descend to seek new territory and new sows near human settlements.

As a result, some large wild boars even come to the pig ranch in search of mates.

Those healthy pigs with large bodies and shiny fur seem to be very attractive to wild boars.

It is said that the fence is destroyed every two years, and four years ago fifteen large pigs were even taken away.

"The debt caused by that incident was finally paid off this year—" The ranch owner's eyes looked very confused when he said this, and the whole team felt deep sympathy for him.

While they were talking, a large table with clear wood grain began to be placed with various dishes and bottles of black ale, followed by wine and cheese.

Then everyone raises their glasses of dark ale or wine and toasts together.

Originally, it was planned that only the members of the Monster Suppression Team would have lunch together, but Gulat had someone use his own carriage to deliver bread and other foods suitable for pairing with wine, cheese, sausage, and ham, and invited the people at the ranch to enjoy it together.

Everyone on the ranch seemed very happy.

"Being able to drink with the Monster Suppression Team is an honor I'll be able to talk about to my grandchildren!"

They all said this, some even crying with excitement. This made Dahlia deeply feel the extremely high popularity of the Monster Suppression Team.

The green grass swayed gently in the summer breeze and the luncheon was in full swing.

According to Gulat's request, a free-moving buffet format was adopted with no fixed seats. Everyone sat on round stools around the round table during the meal.

Dahlia obediently sat in the suggested position.

The dark ale she took was slightly warm, the aroma of malt gently spread in her mouth, and the soft bitterness slid down her throat.

She took a bite of a pickled cucumber, supposedly made by a nearby farmer. The perfect balance of saltiness and sourness brought a refreshing summer experience. Next came the carrots and radishes, each pickled to perfection. Without realizing it, she drank a few more sips of wine.

Beside her, the one making the crisp sound was the priest Herald. He seemed to enjoy it.

"Dalia, thank you for your hard work. Please use this."

"Thank you. You've worked hard, too, Wolf."

Wolff came over and handed her a plate of pale red ham. Dahlia felt relieved to finally hear his voice.

"Aren't you tired of leading the team?"

"Not at all. It's pretty close here, I just have to be careful not to let everyone run too fast."

Following his gaze, he saw the newcomers, wearing intact armor, toasting with dark ale. They looked to be around seventeen or eighteen years old, looking rather immature compared to the surrounding team members.

"Wolf, Miss Dahlia, come here, this is pork and vegetable soup."

"Thank you."

Dolino brought deep bowls of soup. The steaming soup exuded a very tempting aroma. Randolph was distributing soup to the other captains.