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

The two men placed the hot clams on plates and picked up the clam meat with their forks.

She put the clam meat into her mouth, almost burning her tongue, and then the sweet and rich broth gushed out. There was no sand in it, allowing her to savor the springy and salty flavor of the clam meat.

She then took a sip of the chilled white wine, and the saltiness of the clams immediately dissipated, and her tongue became cold.

After drinking some wine, eat some hot clams, and a chain reaction of happiness will begin.

When the chain reaction finally slowed, she ate the garlic bread, savoring the different textures. Because the clams were in season, the bread had no fishy smell even after soaking up the broth; it was simply delicious.

The white wine went really well with the garlic bread, and her glass emptied quickly because of it.

Across from him, Wolfe started chewing more, but Dahlia decided not to disturb him.

The two of them enjoyed their meal in silence until all the clams were gone.

"Where are these clams from? Or are they a different species? These are the best I've ever tasted."

After eating, the young man stared at the mountain of shells and asked curiously with his head tilted.

"They're probably the clams you get at regular stores, but they're fresher."

"Wouldn't it be less delicious if you removed the shell or let it cool down a bit? It's also important to open the lid when you're ready to eat. Clams are best eaten straight out of the pot, right?..."

Dahlia couldn't help but laugh when she heard Wolfe begin to ponder how to eat clams.

"Wolf, it's better to consider the occasion. Eating it straight from the pot is rude."

"So this can be called 'Green Tower Limited Edition White Wine Steamed Clams'?"

"... Maybe next time we can try making the 'Green Tower Limited Edition Steamed Clams with Tonjiu'."

"Huh? Can Dongshu steam clams?"

"Sure, that's delicious too, and sake-steamed dishes go really well with Japanese sake."

"I'll just buy clams and tonkatsu next time, okay?"

Wolff's expression turned extremely serious.

Dalia was happy that he was satisfied with her cooking, but why was he suddenly so obsessed with this dish?

"It takes time for clams to spit out the sand. A few days before you came, if I saw any fresh clams, I would buy them and keep them there."

"Okay, then next time I come, I'll buy the best Dong wine in the store."

"Don't buy the best, that would be a waste. Just use regular sake for sake-steamed dishes."

"Whether it's steamed clams with white wine or Dongjiu, using a better wine would make them taste better, right?"

“I don’t think so…”

Seeing that the young man might buy too expensive wine just to eat steamed clams, Dalia had to explain it to him with great effort.

Drinking after meals has gradually become their habit.

The two sat on the sofa, Dalia put cheese, soda crackers and dried fruits on the coffee table, and asked the other party to open the bottle of apple brandy.

They poured the wine into shot glasses and toasted for the second time of the day. Dalia frantically thought of a toast.

"Um, I wish Madam Atya, who sent us the brandy, good health and good luck tomorrow. Cheers."

"Pray for good luck tomorrow. Cheers."

Dahlia thought the brandy would be strong, so she prepared herself mentally and took a sip, but it was unexpectedly sweet.

She had never smelled apple blossoms before, but a sweet, rich aroma like roses reached her nose, followed by a fruit wine-like flavor that spread through her mouth. While it had the burning sensation of brandy in her throat, it wasn't overpowering. It was so delicious that she didn't want to drink water to clear her mouth of the smell for the time being.

"The taste and aroma are wonderful..."

"I heard these apples are grown in the Duke of Gastoni's territory, and the princess likes them very much."

Dahlia was still immersed in the emotion brought by the apple brandy when she suddenly heard this unattainable name.

"Your Highness the Princess?"

"Yes, the Duke's family sends wine to the princess every year. The princess is the sister of Lady Atya's late husband, but they are not related by blood."

"Will you let me know about this?"

"It's all right. This is a well-known fact. The princess's family's status is not equal to the royal family's, so she was first adopted by the Duke of Gastoni before marrying into the royal family. Many nobles would become adopted children in order to ensure a good match when they marry."

Every time Dalia heard such aristocratic talk, she felt that it was an "unknown world."

Wolff said it lightly, but this bottle of wine was indeed of great significance.

She didn't know how many times she could drink this kind of wine in her life, so she had to savor it in small sips.

She took a sip of wine and ate some dried dates when she suddenly became aware of a gaze.

Dalia looked up and saw Wolf shaking his shoulders and trying hard not to laugh.

"What's wrong?"

"You eat like a squirrel, so funny..."

"What squirrel... I just want to savor it!"

"If you like it, I'll buy it for you next time."

"It's okay, I understand. This kind of wine is too high-end for me to drink easily and often."

It was fine to drink some fine wine occasionally, but wine that she couldn't buy at will was not for her after all.

It is also very rude to keep accepting wine from others.

“…It smells really good.”

Wolff's golden eyes stared at the amber liquid in the wine glass. The contrast between the two colors was picturesque.

You wouldn't have guessed that this person had just been desperately struggling with the clam shell.

"...Is it time to buy a set of brandy glasses?"

"I'm also thinking about buying a cabinet specifically for wine and wine glasses..."

Once wine lovers start to be particular about wine, they will easily start spending money on wine-related products.

Dalia thought to herself that she must work harder during the day.

"It's going to get busy from now on."

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to help you when I gave you the toe socks. I didn't think too much about it..."

"You don't have to apologize. I just thought it was useful and shared it with my friends and the captain... I didn't expect it to turn out like this."

They chatted about the origins of the commotion, gradually finishing their glasses of wine. The sweet aroma of the wine made them talkative without realizing it.

"I think you can be proud of your position as a magic tool master. It's a great honor to be able to provide something that so many people need."

"Thank you for saying that, but I'm so embarrassed that I'm always causing trouble for those around me... By the way, are there really so many people in the army who suffer from damp and hot shoes?"

"It's not just the troops, it's probably quite common throughout the entire Knight Order. When we're training or on guard duty, our feet are bound to sweat, and leather shoes are stuffy. And yet, we can't wear sandals or cloth shoes while on duty. Thankfully, we have the insoles you made; just using them alone would have made a huge difference."

That's right, if the Knights wore sandals, not only would their combat effectiveness decline, but they would also look unbecoming. Furthermore, the Monster Suppression Force would be fighting outdoors, so of course they needed sturdy, waterproof boots.

"Do you clean boots and shoes, or perform purification spells?"

"Leather is damaged by water, so we rarely wash it. I haven't heard of anyone casting purification spells on shoes. We only wash our shoes after an expedition to the swamps, but they're hard to dry. If it rains for days, we ask a wizard who knows wind magic to help dry them, but the toes are hard to dry and they stink easily."

Their shoes are rarely washed and have poor breathability, making them stuffy and prone to mold growth, which increases the risk of athlete's foot. Shoes that dry slowly also cause the leather to deteriorate faster.

"Have you ever used a hairdryer on your boots?"

"The hair dryer is too hot for leather. I tried it, but it burned the surface. I'd better lower the temperature."

"We can lower the temperature by modifying the hair dryer a little. I'll go try it in the workshop."

"Well, I'll go with you. It's fun to watch you work."

They finished their drinks and went to the workshop on the first floor.

"What temperature do you need to dry shoes?"

Dahlia took out a box of spare hair dryers from the cabinet.

"If it's warm enough for your hands to touch, the leather won't get burned."

"So compared to a hair dryer, the temperature is lower, but the air volume is higher, right?"

"It would be nice if it could blow out some cool air. Sometimes I need to get rid of the stinky smell in my shoes."

Dahlia followed Wolfe's advice and adjusted the circuit of the Fire Stone, changing the temperature of the hair dryer to lower the upper limit. As for the air volume setting of the Wind Stone, she added a strong wind option.

The three-stage temperature setting includes cold air, warm air that is neither too hot nor too cold, and warm air that is slightly hotter.

To prevent fire, she sets the temperature to a level where prolonged use is not dangerous. It would be better if the hair dryer automatically stops if the temperature rises above this level.

She prioritized safety, infused magic power with her index finger, and drew a magic stone circuit on the new crystal plate.

She told Wolfer that the slightly higher temperature setting could be used to dry slippers and cloth shoes. However, she set it this way because the hair dryer already had three stages, and she wanted to use the original parts directly.

She only adjusted the temperature and air volume settings on the hair dryer, so even with Wolff's advice, it only took her fifteen minutes to finish.

"This temperature is just right. But can I have it blow air into the front of my boots?"

"I'd try installing a water heater bellows pipe at the air outlet and then poke a few more holes in the pipe. That should do the trick."

She thought about it as she responded to Wolff's suggestion. The bellows were originally used for water heaters, but by poking a few more holes in the middle and front of the pipe, air could be blown out. This process took her only a few minutes.

"This way the tube can bend and direct air to the toes of the shoes. They should be able to dry them out."

"Anyway, let's find a pair of boots and try them on."

Dalia opened the shoe cabinet in the entrance hall and took out the men's black boots stored in the box.

She kept her father's best boots as a memento, and after he died she polished them twice so they still shine.

She was about to insert the shoe dryer tube into the toe of the shoe, but frowned.

“Dad, what are you doing…!”

How could you ball up a pair of worn socks and stuff them inside the toes of your boots? Those socks had been there for over a year, they looked like unearthed artifacts. And they were in both boots.

Dahlia took out her socks, her shoulders trembling. The young man asked worriedly:

"Um, Dahlia...would you like to keep these socks as a souvenir?"

"I'm going to burn it."

Dahlia said firmly.

Without hesitation, she threw the two socks into the trash can and inserted the shoe dryer hose into her boots.

Then I blew warm air on the shoe for a while and lightly touched the toe of the shoe. It felt quite warm.

"Wolver, what do you think?"

"It's just the right size, and it works with shoes of all sizes."

Wolf, who was standing by, was also very satisfied after confirming it, and happily touched the tube of the shoe dryer.

"Would you like to take it back to the barracks and try it out? Then tell me what you think."

"Thank you. But I feel like there was a similar situation and conversation not long ago..."

"Eh? Is there something wrong?"

Seeing Wolfe's smile fade away and his brows furrowed, Dalia asked him this.

"I've made various requests, and you've easily adapted them... If this were used in the military, would it lead to a repeat of the situation with toe socks and insoles?"

"No, I just slightly modified the hair dryer. You can ask the magic tool makers in the royal city to modify it accordingly."

"No, it's difficult for an ordinary knight to ask the royal city's magic tool master. And when we were trying out the toe socks and insoles, didn't you and I expect things to get so serious?"

"That's right..."

"Just in case, you should write the specifications first and go to the guild to discuss it with Ivano."

"Okay. I personally think it's fine... I'll just discuss it with him for now."

Neither of them expected that this incident would more than double Ivano's workload the next day.

"As long as there's a shoe dryer, I can take turns using it with my teammates."

"Well, clean shoes are fine, but if they're worn, it's best not to share them with someone with athlete's foot. You have to be careful, or you might get athlete's foot too..."

"Huh? Is athlete's foot contagious?"