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

Just like last time, they stood in the kitchen and worked together.

Dahlia decided to ask Wolff for help.

"I'll prepare the hot pot ingredients. Can you please grate the radish?"

"Grated radish?"

Wolf took the white radish and the mortar, staring at the things in his hands with curiosity and confusion.

Is it really okay to ask someone from the Earl's family to do something like this? Dahlia put the question aside, desperately telling herself, "The tower is my territory." Otherwise, her thoughts would be pulled back to reality, and the pressure would be so great that she almost had a stomachache.

"This is a 'grinding machine.' Put the radish on it and grind it like this. Be careful not to get your hands scratched."

"I see. I'll give it a try."

Wolf rolled up his sleeves and answered, his momentum and power beyond her imagination.

He nearly cut his finger while cutting and stopped quickly. His nail was slightly abraded.

"Wolf, you don't have to grind so hard!"

"Dalia, please don't do this. The mud grinder is too dangerous. You have to use your body to strengthen it."

"You don't need to strengthen your body to grate radish! And don't cling to it!"

Both the instructions and the implementation were difficult, and just grinding the radish took a lot of time.

As for the ginger, Dalia secretly ground it into a paste using a small grinder without telling Wolf.

After finally grinding the radish, she started roasting the eggplant on the grill of the magic furnace.

When the skin turned brown, she moved the eggplant to a plate and flipped it over, waiting for it to cool before peeling it with a bamboo skewer. Wolff asked her how to do it, and despite the eggplant still being hot, he peeled it off with ease.

Seeing Dalia's surprise, Wolf said, "I peel the skin off charred meat when I'm on an expedition, so I'm used to doing this." What a sad reason.

Dahlia thought seriously that one day she would let him go on an expedition with a lighter, smaller magic furnace.

After they finished cutting the vegetables and taking out the wine glasses, they set up the magic furnace on the table in the living room.

"This is a different kind of wine from the one you brought last time. Sorry, it's a little small. Let's have the wine after you finish it."

This time the Dong wine is packaged in a small white bottle.

Although it was the same cloudy white wine that Wolff had brought, this one was stronger.

"I'll buy some wine next time."

"Okay, thank you for your help."

"I probably won't have time to buy cups for Toushu tomorrow."

"Yes, I have to go to the Trade Guild tomorrow. But I'm very grateful for the job. Cheers."

As Dalia spoke, she suddenly wondered how many times they had toasted, and how many more they might toast. This sudden thought made her grip on the glass tighten.

"Uh...thank you for giving me the job. I pray for the prosperity of the Knights and the Merchants Guild. Cheers."

"Thank you for always treating me to delicious meals. I pray for the prosperity of the Knights and the Merchant Guild. Cheers."

This time, their toast was a bit long, and they finished it before toasting.

She deliberately kept the bottle of Dong wine refrigerated for a longer period of time. Despite this, the aroma and flavor were still very distinct.

After the cool and spicy feeling passes through the mouth and throat, the rich aroma of wine rises, and the unique burning sensation of alcohol hits you at the same time. The moment all the feelings disappear, you will want to take another sip.

"This kind of wine... is dangerous."

"Really, you should drink it from a smaller glass... This wine is called 'Blowing', probably named after the aroma it gives you after drinking it."

"I see. Although spicy, it has a fragrant aftertaste. I didn't expect that there would be such a flavorful sake..."

It was a joy to try a wine she had never tasted before, but she was gradually becoming like her father's alcoholic, so she had to be careful. From now on, she would have to abstain from alcohol once every four days—Dahlia thought as she took a sip of the wine.

While waiting for the hot pot soup to boil, she ate some snacks made from rabbit ham and black pepper cheese.

The horn rabbit is a ferocious territorial monster. If anyone inadvertently enters its grasslands, it will threaten them with its horn. There have been reports of horn rabbits invading farmland in villages outside the capital.

"This is a horned rabbit. Have you seen it during the subjugation?"

"We've seen them, but there's no need for us to do anything. Usually, villagers or adventurers cast nets to catch them."

Dalia had assumed they were hunting with bows or swords, but she hadn't expected them to be hunting with nets. This reminded her of the fishing she had seen in her past life.

"So when you say casting a net, do you mean casting the net over the rabbits?"

"Yes, spread a metal net or tie a net to an arrow and shoot it. Just make it immobile."

The horned rabbits move very fast, but they can't cast magic, so as long as you restrict their movements and be careful of their horns, they won't be that dangerous.

Dalia tasted the pale pink ham, which was a bit like chicken ham, but with a richer flavor. Even though it was ham, it was chewy and went well with the black pepper cheese on top.

They chatted about monsters for a while longer, and white smoke began to rise from the pot.

"The soup is boiling... Today we're having 'Pork Shabu-Shabu'. You need to blanch the pork like this."

She threw the thinly sliced ​​pork into the pot.

"When it changes color completely, you can pick it up and eat it with grated radish and fish sauce or a little salt. If you're afraid to eat grated radish, there's tomato sauce here. You can also add some lemon juice and pepper."

Ketchup is her father's favorite. He also likes grated radish, but ketchup is his favorite.

Dalia's tomato sauce is simple: diced tomatoes, salt and black pepper, and a little olive oil. Carlo not only uses it as a dip, but also eats it as a main course, wrapping it in slices of meat.

Irma, by the way, also likes tomato sauce, but she also adds diced onions, while Marcella prefers lemon juice and pepper salt to go with her dark ale.

She then recalled Tobias's preference for grated radish with salt. It's funny how everyone has different preferences.

She likes them all.

Wolf looked back and forth at the various small plates in front of him.

“You can try them all and see which ones you like.”

"it is good."

"Ah, try the first slice with just fish sauce or salt, and then a sip of wine."

Wolfe shuffled the meat slices with a serious expression. Dahlia ignored him and started eating.

The pork was of excellent quality, with a fresh, sweet fat. While it was almost greasy due to the amount of fat, it faded after being shabu-shabued. It was softer than it looked, and the flavor was refreshing.

She took another sip of the wine and found that the spicy feeling when it entered her throat was different and the aroma was more distinct.

It's so nice to find that the wine and food go well together and suit my taste.

I thought Wolf, who was sitting opposite me, would chew more, but he didn't.

He ate the salted meat and drank some wine. Then he ate the meat with grated radish and drank some more wine. After repeating this several times, he suddenly froze.

"Um, Wolf, what's wrong with you?"

"It's delicious. The pork tastes even sweeter after drinking the wine, and the wine is even easier to drink after eating the meat. I drink a lot without realizing it... I have to take a break, otherwise the wine will be gone quickly."

"This combination is truly irresistible. But after finishing the Dongshu, there's also the non-sweet white wine. It goes really well with shabu-shabu."

"Why don't restaurants sell this kind of food?"

Wolf looked at Dahlia, a trace of resentment in his golden eyes. She could do nothing about it, as the small magic furnace had only recently been invented.

Many restaurants in the capital sell boiled pork slices, but they usually serve the pork cold and with vegetables, a summer cold dish. This is completely different from the way it's cooked and eaten.

"Dalia, you chose the wrong career... No, you didn't, but you should open a restaurant as a side hustle."

"It seems easy to open a restaurant with a small magic furnace. Just put the hot pot on the table and serve the ingredients and seasonings."

"We'll also prepare temperature-controlled ale, distilled liquor, and eastern liquor, and sell them by the glass."

"If there's a restaurant like that, I'd love to go too. But it's not a restaurant, it's a bar... It would be even better if they had a variety of snacks to go with the drinks, like pickled or fried food."

"You can put a frying pan on the table for people who like to fry."

"Or you can put a one-person hot pot at the bar for solo guests."

They ate slices of meat, chatted casually, and dreamed of having a perfect restaurant that could satisfy the wishes and ideals of wine lovers.

After chatting for a while, they switched to drinking white wine and added new ingredients to the pot.

"Add salt and vegetables first, then add these wheat balls later to replace the bread."

"So wheat balls can be cooked."

"Don't you like it?"

"No, I've never eaten them cooked in a hot pot. I thought wheat balls could only be fried."

"Oh, you mean those sweet dumplings sold at the stalls? They're delicious even when cooked. Before you cook them, let's try some grilled eggplant."

"Even though I peeled it, you can't really tell it's an eggplant from the outside..."

The young man tilted his head and stared at the roasted eggplant with his golden eyes.

The white with a hint of light green might have seemed strange to him.

The grilled eggplant was tossed with ginger and fish sauce. Dalia asked Wolf to try it first. Unfortunately, there was no soy sauce in the world, so she had to use modified fish sauce instead.

The sweetness and aroma of eggplant, the soft texture, and finally the spicy taste of ginger.

She had just begun to like this side dish in her previous life when her life ended. In this life, she has been making this dish frequently since she first started learning to cook. Both her father in this life and hers loved it.

“…I think I kind of like it.”

Dalia really wanted to ask him why he said "seemed", but seeing that he was chewing more frequently, she didn't ask any further questions.

Her father in her previous life believed that "people who like roasted eggplants usually like to drink." This argument may be correct.

Then they ate the vegetables and the wheat balls soaked in the broth. Wolff also liked them and ate all the balls.

Come to think of it, this was their fourth time dining together in the tower. The young woman in front of her might not have been counting, but three of those four times had been hot pot, and one had been grilled fish. She really should reflect on her laziness.

When she was thinking about what to do for the fifth time, she suddenly noticed that Wolff opposite her was smiling.

"This is the fourth time I've eaten your cooking."

Wolf seemed to have heard her thoughts. She didn't know what to say and just nodded.

"Wolver, have you ever seen a 'female unicorn's horn'?"

Dalia asked this as they took a break with their after-dinner drinks.

Wolfe, who had loosened his collar, returned the look with a puzzled look.

"I've seen it before, but do you need this kind of material?"

"No, I already have one. I heard it's good for detoxification, water purification, and pain relief. I was wondering if your troops use it often during expeditions."

"The water we use during the expedition is provided by members or mages who can manipulate water magic. We also carry water magic stones. If water purification or pain relief is needed, the mages or priests will be responsible."

If you think about it, this is only natural. Magic stones are easier to obtain than unicorn horns, and their cost-effectiveness is far superior.

"But I heard that before Water Magic Stones became common, troops did carry them on expeditions. Also, before a battle that might cause severe pain, we would strengthen our bodies and take strong painkillers."

"Is there such a painful monster?"

Not only does one need to strengthen their body, but they also need to take strong painkillers to fight. What kind of monster is so strong? Even shields and armor are useless?

"Some monsters that spit acid, like the armor crab, are quite troublesome. The acid seeps through the cracks in armor and corrodes skin. As for plants, the nettle devil is probably the best. This monster will entangle its prey and suck its blood until it dies. But it looks like a black vine, making it difficult to identify. Its thorns are barbed, making them difficult to remove and causing you to cry in pain."

“That’s so annoying…”

"As long as you can't walk it's not that bad."

"Hey, are there plants that can walk?"

"It seems there are. The most famous one is the flower demon (alraune). The upper body is a beautiful woman, and the lower body is a flower. The Western Kingdom has defeated this kind of monster, but it has never appeared in our country."

"I thought flower demons only existed in stories."

Dalia was very happy to know that the monsters in the story of her previous life actually existed in another country.

She planned to go to the bookstore to look for foreign monster encyclopedias, perhaps she would find something new.

"By the way, the 'female unicorn's horn' seems to be quite popular among married noblewomen."

"Because of its health and beauty benefits?"

"Women wear it when they are pregnant. It is said to have the effect of ensuring a safe delivery. It is usually given by mothers to their daughters or as a magical tool to brides."

"This is the first time I've heard of..."