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

Gulat handed the black sword to Gildor and walked towards the wild boar.

Dalia, who stayed where she was, asked Gildor beside her about the questions she had always had.

"Um, by 'follow-up', do you mean the boar might move again?"

"No, I mean the boar's mate might come."

"I see……"

I don't know if she's worried about her husband, or if she's seeking revenge. Regardless, female giant boars seem quite affectionate. Thinking of this, I can't help but feel a bit of pity.

"...President of the Roseti Merchants Guild, your thinking may be a little off."

Gildor spoke to her in a low voice.

"What's wrong?"

"A female wild boar doesn't come to worry about her mate. If there's a male who can defeat her mate, she'll sometimes come to 'woo' him. In a group, stronger males are what they desire. Weak males may even be driven out of the group."

Correction, that sounds really sad.

She looked at the fallen wild boar with sadness and saw that the bleeding operation had already begun.

The bright red was too glaring, and Dahlia involuntarily looked away. At that moment, three black beasts rushed in from the broken fence.

“Eh, why…?”

All three beasts were running straight towards this side.

Although they were only a little more than half the size of the big wild boar just now, they were already scary enough.

"Because there's a pigpen out back, it could be the smell left by the young boar or the boar that was here before. President of the Roseti Merchants Guild, don't move."

Gildor said this lightly, drawing his sword and stepping forward.

One of the three wild boars was pinned to the ground by Gurat's sword, and another was cut in half by Wolf. The smallest and fastest one managed to bypass the knights and rushed towards this side.

Although it was a female and smaller, it was still a large boar. Dalia was frozen with fear.

"Gildo-sama!"

Dalia couldn't help but scream in worry, but the figure in front of her didn't look panicked at all.

"Don't worry. I'm from the Knight Department—"

A bunch of sharp pebbles flew out from his left hand and hit the face of the charging wild boar.

The stone struck the boar's eyes, slowing it down and disorienting it. Just then, Gildor swung his sword and struck it.

The wild boar fell silently to the ground and began to bleed from its neck.

"I can fight Goulart on par with him."

Gildor turned around and smiled. At this moment, he looked more like a real knight than the Minister of Finance.

Then all the free men were put to work in the bleeding and dismemberment.

Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, and apart from the dismemberment scene, the whole process went on quite smoothly.

Homework ends around tea time and resumes at lunch.

The meat of a large wild boar is being cut into pieces suitable for steaks and roasts.

A portion of the internal organs was purified by a magic spell cast by the priest, and the ranchers began to fry them. It is said that this dish is full of wild flavor and deliciousness, and people are looking forward to the final product.

"This is long-aged, top-grade pork! It's only for the royal castle, but please try it!"

The rancher brought in a bucket of red meat piled high like a mountain, covered with just the right amount of frost marks.

"Although it's just spare parts, it's also a valuable item for the Royal City. Let our team, no, let me buy it personally."

The ranch owner shook his head at Gulat's proposal.

"Captain, we can't fight the giant wild boars. They only come every few years, but once the fence is breached, we can only shiver inside the building and wait for them to return to the mountains. Furthermore, we can only call in the monster-suppression troops after damage has been done. This time, you stopped them before any damage was done, and we are truly grateful."

Listening to the ranch owner's earnest words, Gulart showed a confused expression on his face.

"Thank you for your kindness, but this will still be a burden for you—"

"Captain Gurat, we gladly accept this kind offer. As a return gift, we'd like to give you the female wild boars we just hunted. How about that? This will also help our future cooperation go smoothly."

Gildor suddenly adopted a typical civilian demeanor and manner of speaking, causing some of the team members to look at him in awe. Dahlia almost lost her composure, but quickly adjusted her expression.

Entering finance minister mode, he continued to speak eloquently and eventually convinced the ranch owner.

"Thank you very much. Well then, please feel free to enjoy it."

Seeing the ranch owner bowing and thanking us again and again, although it felt a little embarrassing, it also made people feel friendly.

In addition, three extra wild boars were hunted and processed into a new flavor of bacon, which was given to the team in large quantities as a trial product. By the time the team members tasted this delicacy, it was already late autumn.

"Besides wild boars, are there any other wild animals coming to this ranch?"

She asked this question casually when the ranch owner came to persuade Dahlia to drink black ale.

"Sometimes wild boars come at night to steal the feed of the big pigs. If this continues, we will add sleeping pills to the feed to catch them."

"Sleeping pills...wouldn't this feed be effective for the wild boar?"

"Wild boars won't forage in pastures, and if they find a female they like, they'll come day or night. Even with a fence, the consequences are still what we saw today. Usually the damage is most severe in autumn, but this year they haven't even bothered with the season..."

Dalia understood the rancher's frustrated tone. Dealing with the wild boar was indeed extremely troublesome.

It would be great if we could set up an electric fence, but unfortunately there are no thunder magic stones in this world.

“We sometimes boil black pepper in water and sprinkle it on the fence to keep wild boars away, but the downside is that once the scent fades, the effect disappears.”

"Do wild boars hate black pepper?"

"Yes, both wild boars and boars hate it. If you splash black pepper spray on their faces, they'll run away immediately. But some smart individuals will avoid feeding in leather bags and won't break the bags. Even some boars ignore the black pepper spray completely."

"I see……"

Is it passionate or stalkerish? Either way, it's deeply disturbing.

"To deal with wild boars, we would tie a small leather bag filled with black peppercorns dissolved in water to our arrows and shoot them, but wild boars are too agile to hit... As for the big ones, we wouldn't dare get close to them."

For ordinary people, this reaction is normal.

The only special members of the monster-slaying team are those who treat the giant wild boar as food.

However, both wild boars and boars hate black pepper and will flee if it is even dissolved in water and poured on them.

If the smell of black pepper dissipates, it will be ineffective. If black pepper dissolved in water could be stored and sprayed automatically──

"Can I use a black pepper sprayer as a trap?"

"Are you talking about those sprays used for ironing clothes or repelling insects? But the smell will dissipate quickly, right..."

"I mean, it's not sprayed on the fence beforehand, but the mechanism is activated when a wild boar or a large wild boar approaches..."

Because wild boars and hogs move differently, it can be difficult to tell at what distance you should spray.

However, assembling the device itself shouldn't be too difficult.

"I understand. But wouldn't it be difficult to install these traps along the entire fence?"

"Then perhaps we could make the fence into an 'enticement' type."

"Randolph, what does 'seduction' mean?"

"We'll create valleys in certain sections of the fence to lure animals in. It's best to design it this way from the beginning, but you can also cut into the existing fence to create a lure space. Using the existing gaps in the fence, we can lay thin boards horizontally to create a valley-shaped lure area. That should be enough for a while."

"Will wild boars really come to that place?"

"Most wild animals, including wild boars, don't like to run into corners or jump over obstacles they can't see ahead. They instinctively seek out gaps and easy access. To be on the safe side, you can add some metal to the mountain-shaped part or sprinkle some iron powder or rust on the thin plate. This will make the animals avoid that area, making it easier for them to enter the baited area."

"You really know a lot about these things..."

"There are many monsters and pests near the border, such as gray wolves and wild boars. Pastures are often targeted by them. The most dangerous of these are the demonic sheep."

This is something that only Randolph, who grew up in the border and neighboring countries, can say with experience.

"Lord Randolph, what kind of traps did you use on the ranch against the demonic sheep?"

Dahlia asked expectantly, perhaps more effective traps had been developed closer to the border.

"Usually, we use 'foot clamps,' but the demon sheep are clever enough not to be fooled. If they attack in large groups, some will still slip through. So, we set up a sturdy fence to create a large bait area, leaving a passage just wide enough for a wolf to pass through."

"Eh? Randolph, wouldn't the gray wolf be able to come in from there too?"

"Gray wolves attack at roughly fixed times, so we wait and fight them with the dogs. In our territory, wild animals, including gray wolves, are important resources."

"As expected of a border count, the natural environment and the people are so harsh..."

It's said that there are many deep mountains and dense forests near the border, and there are also many wild beasts and monsters. It seems that protecting the ranch is indeed a difficult task.

However, it was impossible to keep the knights stationed on this pig ranch for long.

"I don't know if it will work, but could you let me give it a try? If I modify the water heater, maybe I can do it."

Dahlia meant that there would be a chance to try again in the future—but Wolfe immediately stood up.

"There's an insect sprayer for horses in the carriage. I'll get it."

"Ms. Dahlia, I have Kraken tape and a complete set of magic stones."

"I have undiluted black pepper water, large pork rinds, and a spare water heater. I'll get them."

"Ah, thank you."

She is well aware that initiative is crucial in research and development.

However, everyone moved too fast today, causing Dahlia to fall behind.

Dahlia completely disassembled the borrowed water heater and scraped off the magic circuit of the fire magic stone.

In addition, she also removed all unnecessary parts such as unused water pipes, temperature control parts, etc.

This was a product she had developed with her father, and since she understood its construction perfectly, she had no hesitation.

The only thing that bothered her was that some of the wiring on the borrowed water heater's magic circuit was misaligned. It was obvious the maker had cut corners, which annoyed her a bit.

The construction of the automatic sprayer is simple: water is drawn from the water magic stone of the water heater, mixed with concentrated black pepper water, then connected to a nozzle that can produce a mist rather than a shower effect, and finally the mixed liquid is sprayed out forcefully.

First, she fashioned a leather bag out of large pig skin and Kraken tape to hold the highly concentrated black pepper water.

Next, she reassembled the disassembled water heater and established a water flow path from the water magic stone to the external nozzle.

The water heater isn't cheap, but it's a much better deal than having the housing rebuilt.

Moreover, after starting up, you only need to replace the water magic stone and black pepper water. From a cost perspective, it should be not bad.

When she completed the initial assembly and saw a small rainbow appear in the mist sprayed from the nozzle, cheers rang out around her.

"This is amazing! Such quick movements, and with such a powerful function... As expected of the Magical Tool Master who advises the Monster Suppression Force!"

The device hadn't been fully successful yet, but the ranch owner praised her like this, and Dalia didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Then, the topic continued to develop.

"This device doesn't have to contain black pepper water, right? How about using an instant poison?"

"That's too dangerous! Even a wild boar that size could be poisoned, but it would kill anyone instantly!"

"It would be dangerous to set it up or change it. And it wouldn't be possible to make smoked bacon."

"How about a strong sleeping pill? That way we can process it while it's asleep and make it into bacon."

"Sleeping pills that can put wild boars into a deep sleep are also dangerous to humans..."

"What about the paralysis drug? Once it's immobilized, we'll process it and make smoked bacon..."

"Most paralytics are plant-based. The boar might be resistant to plant poisons. And they're even more dangerous to humans."

Next to Dahlia, everyone was making various suggestions to satisfy their appetites.

She at least understood that most people were drawn to the idea of ​​bacon smoked from a giant wild boar.

"I've got a great idea! Make a love potion specifically for giant wild boars, tame them, and eat them!"

"Dolino, who can make it? And who will it fall in love with?"

"Even if someone falls in love with it, they'll just get crushed in the end."

After hearing Randolph's decisive words, everyone smiled bitterly and nodded in agreement.

However, Dolino's proposal is not entirely wrong.