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

The men began to carry the luggage into the tower.

Many members of the Transport Guild used magical fortifications to strengthen their bodies. They easily carried the boxes and furniture that Dahlia struggled to lift and climbed the Green Tower's steps. The few pieces of luggage were moved in no time.

"Is everything moved in? Could you please sign your name?"

"Thank you...you really helped me a lot."

After Dahlia signed the document confirming the move, the two transport guild members said goodbye to her and returned to the carriage.

Marcella remained where she was for some reason.

"You don't have anything to eat at home, right? Do you want to come to our house for dinner?"

"Thank you. I still have some long-lasting food at home, and I want to finish packing today."

"...Don't push yourself too hard."

Dahlia originally wanted to stand at the door and watch them leave, but Marcella returned to the carriage and got a big bag of things for her.

The sack contained her favorite walnut bread and red wine.

"Irma said that if you don't come to our house, I have to give you this bag."

"Thank you. She's such a good lady."

"Are you a 'good friend'?"

"right……"

Dahlia suddenly felt a lump in her throat.

But if she cried here, Marcella would definitely take her home at all costs.

She didn't want to cause them any more trouble.

Irma has a strong intuition.

She must have guessed that Dahlia wanted to stay in the Green Tower alone today and didn't want to go out even if she was invited.

Irma was Dalia's childhood friend. She originally lived near the Green Tower, but later moved to the Central District to train as a beautician. There, she met Marcella and later married her. Her attitude towards Dalia remained the same, both during her time at the academy and after Irma's marriage, for which Dalia was deeply grateful.

"I'll get the house in order quickly. Once I'm settled, you and Irma can come and have dinner with me."

"Okay, we will."

Dahlia forced a smile and watched the carriage leave.

If she sat down and felt sorry for herself at this point, she would lose, so she decided to put her luggage back in place bit by bit.

She put the items in the boxes back into the laboratory and warehouse on the first floor, then went to her room on the third floor and put the items back into the wardrobe and dressing table.

She didn't want to use the wardrobe and dressing table directly, so she unpacked her favorite soaps and put a few in there. In a few days, the wardrobe would be filled with her favorite scent.

The objects were innocent, and these were her father's treasured furniture, so she decided to forget the bad memories.

By the time we finished unpacking and packing, it was past midnight.

Dahlia ate her late dinner in the living room on the second floor, which was connected to the kitchen.

She sat on the sofa, drinking red wine and biting into walnut bread. The bread was filled with many crispy walnuts, which went well with the red wine.

After finishing her walnut bread, she took out some nuts and dried fruits from her emergency food bag and continued drinking her red wine.

What a busy day.

The engagement was broken off on the day he moved to the new house, and he moved back to the Green Tower after completing the formalities at the guild.

What surprised her most today was that Tobias had cheated on her.

She had thought that his serious nature would make him a good husband after marriage, someone who would work alongside her on the path to becoming a magical tool maker. Although he had never expressed strong feelings for her, Dalia simply hoped to live a peaceful life with him.

Unexpectedly, he brought his partner back to his new home the day before their wedding. This was beyond Dalia's tolerance, but because of this, she had no attachment to him.

"I didn't cry."

This could be considered a broken heart, but she didn't shed a single tear.

She sipped red wine from her glass and chewed some dried fruit.

As he drank, he thought about Tobias, but all he could recall were the conversations they had had about magical tools, the work they had done together, and some discussions about shipments and quotes—other than that, he couldn't recall anything else.

It turned out to be the case.

She had never loved Tobias.

She shed some tears after drinking, but not because of the breakup.

But because I miss my father who is no longer alive.

If Carlo were still alive, they would be able to get angry together, have a big drink, and finally laugh it off.

She became a little fragile, which must be because she drank too much red wine.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

Dalia woke up the next day in the worst condition.

She was awakened by the sound of a bell, not the one outside the gate, but the bell of the tower itself.

Few people can open the door. She thought it was her childhood friend Irma who came to visit, but when she answered the door, rubbing her sleepy eyes, she saw Tobias.

She tidied up until late last night and drank some red wine, so she didn't go to bed until early morning, so her cheeks were swollen and her hair was messy.

She complained in her heart, "Don't come so early in the morning," but when she looked up, it was already noon.

"Um...excuse me, could you please return my engagement bracelet?"

Dahlia was already feeling uncomfortable enough, and her ex-fiancé dealt her another blow.

Engagement bracelet.

The "engagement bracelet" is equivalent to the engagement ring and wedding ring in the previous life. In this country, it is usually given by the man to the woman, or given to each other.

However, this token has another meaning in this world.

When a man gives a bracelet to a woman, the bracelet's value must be enough to support her for at least two months, so that if something unexpected happens, she can sell the bracelet to support herself for a while, acting as a kind of security. Even if the marriage is broken off, the recipient usually still keeps the bracelet.

When Tobias gave Dahlia the engagement bracelet, he specifically reminded her not to scratch it, so she kept it in a jewelry box and only wore it when she went out with him.

When she moved yesterday, she was worried that the bracelet would be damaged, so she put it in the box. To be honest, she didn't think about it until now.

"...It's rare for people to ask for the engagement bracelet back."

"Sorry, I wanted to make an engagement bracelet for Emilia quickly, but time and everything else are lacking..."

Dahlia was relieved from the bottom of her heart that she didn't have to marry this man.

I don’t know if Emilia is his new fiancée or bride now, but it’s really pitiful to receive old things - Dalia mocked in her heart.

"All right."

It’s troublesome to sell the bracelet and it’s also troublesome to ask him for money.

She really didn't want to see this man now.

"I'll get it, you wait here."

Dahlia closed the door and rushed to the third floor at full speed.

She dug out her jewelry box in her room and grabbed her engagement bracelet and earrings.

Then he picked up a random bag, put it in, and went downstairs to give it to Tobias.

"Here, the bracelet. I'll give this back to you, too."

The bracelet's colors match Tobias' chestnut hair and almond-colored eyes.

The thin gold ring is inlaid with brown carnelian, and the style is elegant. Dalia likes it very much.

The earrings are made of whole orange garnets.

When people in this country get together, they wear pendants, earrings, or rings that match the other person's eye or hair color. This was a gift Dahlia received on her last birthday. Tobias told her not to wear it at work, so she's only worn it a few times, but she won't wear it again.

Tobias accepted the bag and nodded, then pulled a small white box from his jacket pocket.

"This is back to you."

That was the gem that Dalia gave her in return for the earrings she received on her birthday last year.

Although the ruby ​​was small, it was free of impurities and emitted a beautiful red glow.

Tobias said he needed to think about it before deciding whether to make it into a ring or bracelet, so Dahlia gave him the whole gem. She never saw the gem again, and now the one she received has no traces of processing on it and still shines in its small box.

Dahlia accepted the small box and thought it was ridiculous. It seemed that Tobias had no feelings for her anymore.

"...I'm so sorry for hurting you."

Tobias lowered his head, and Dahlia closed the door without a word.

My throat felt sore.

Dalia didn't know whether to be angry or sad.

She walked over to the control panel in her workshop and logged Tobias out. This way, he could no longer open her door. She tossed the ruby ​​locket carelessly into a cabinet.

Then she rushed into the bathroom and filled the bathtub with hot water using magic tools made of water and fire magic stones.

She took off her clothes, soaked in the still low water, and washed her face several times.

She has decided not to compromise.

There was no need to cry for Tobias, it wasn't worth it—she kept telling herself this.

After calming down a little, she got out of the bathtub and rinsed her body and hair carefully.

In this royal capital, every home has ample water for its kitchens, bathrooms, and flush toilets, as water magic stones are cheap and the water supply is stable.

According to her father and what she learned at the academy, the royal family had carried out a "major water supply reform" more than 20 years ago.

The king issued a decree to ensure that every corner of the country had a minimum supply of water. The viscount, who managed the sewers, began research and mass-produced water magic stones. For this achievement, the viscount was promoted to earl.

The Earl's family is currently responsible for the production and management of Water Magic Stone, as well as the water supply and purification of the capital's sewers. It is said that the next generation is expected to rise to the rank of Marquis.

Having plenty of drinking water, being able to take a shower every day, and having a flushing toilet - this is truly precious to Dalia, who was Japanese in her previous life.

She reentered the bathtub and examined the spare water stones. They were small, enough to fit four at a time in her palm. They were dark blue, oval in shape. The cut of the stones made them instantly recognizable as magic stones. A single small water stone could produce the equivalent of several bathtubs' worth of water. Because they were mass-produced, they could be purchased for just a few copper coins.

This fantasy world is full of "magic elements", and magic can be cast by following certain steps.

However, the reason why the Water Magic Stone can produce water is whether it collects moisture from the air, transfers water from elsewhere through magic, or creates water out of nothing - there is no complete theoretical support and it has not been verified.

When Dahlia was studying at the academy, she casually asked this question to the professor of magic, and the professor enthusiastically invited her to be a researcher.

In addition to monster materials, she also frequently used Fire Magic Stone and Wind Magic Stone. Now that the money from her new family was back in her hands, she might be able to use it to research Water Magic Stone.

She suddenly noticed the usual soap.

Illustration p057

Soap was common in this world, but while this country had soap and soapy water, it lacked a bubbler bottle to squeeze out foam. She vaguely remembered the structure of a bubbler bottle and had disassembled and reassembled it before. While a bubbler bottle wasn't a magical tool, it would be much more convenient to bathe and wash hands.

Why didn't I think of this before? I have to make a note of it. Dahlia immediately got out of the bathtub.

The matter of Tobias had vanished like a bubble without anyone noticing.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

After noon, Dalia came to Irma's beauty salon.

She knocked on the door and walked into the store. The female customer inside had just finished her haircut and was about to go home.

"Irma, thank you for yesterday. This is for you to have with dinner."

She placed a large package of ham and sausage on a table in the waiting area.

"Thanks, Dahlia. I'll take it, but it's quite a large portion. You should have dinner before you leave."

"I'm glad you invited me, but I still have some work to do. I'll come over for dinner next time."

After Dalia finished speaking, she glanced at the large mirror in front of her.

Dark brown hair tied up casually, black-framed glasses on a tired face without makeup. Such a gloomy woman was looking back at her.

"Irma, does anyone have an appointment later?"

"There are no customers today."

"Could you please do my hair?"