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

"Brothers, burn all the doormats and communal towels!"

"yes!"

Wait! Please don't make it sound like you're going to set the enemy on fire! Dahlia panicked.

She was terrified by the team members' full support in following the captain's orders.

"Please wait! Just wash the floor mat and towel and they'll be fine! After that, let everyone use their own..."

"No, at times like this we must eradicate the problem completely!"

The other party's firm statement troubled her. The doormat and towel were innocent. What could she say to make him listen?

As Dahlia racked her brains to explain, the youngest knight present tilted his head and spoke.

"Captain Goulart, the source of the trouble should be our feet, right?"

"That's true."

"I've come up with a perfect solution! Just cut off the foot and let it regrow. That would cure athlete's foot completely!"

The young man finished speaking loudly with a smug look on his face, and Dahlia couldn't help but yell:

"Absolutely not!"

She didn't understand why she had to yell when she first entered the royal city.

How did this terrifying and extreme solution come about? Who will implement it?

And why didn't anyone speak out to stop it except her?

"puff……!"

Wolff chuckled naturally, then burst into laughter. It looked like he was done with the act. Shouldn't he be speaking up for Dahlia as the Chamber of Commerce's guarantor or friend?

Some of the other knights laughed, while others gave awkward smiles, leaving her at a loss.

"Walfred, sir...!"

"Sorry... I couldn't help laughing... but thank you for all the hard work."

"what?"

"Don't you live with your father? Speaking of contagion, isn't it..."

"You misunderstood, I didn't!"

"I'm sorry! I won't speak of this again!"

"You must have misunderstood!"

(Illustration 010)

All the etiquette and honorifics she had worked so hard to practice were gone.

Dahlia tried desperately to explain to Wolf, but the others looked at her with lukewarm eyes.

After that day, everyone present was inexplicably friendly to Dahlia, or particularly nice to the Roseti Chamber of Commerce, but the reason was unknown.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

In her previous life, Dalia learned about athlete's foot from her father.

It would be a good thing to be able to use this knowledge to help those who are troubled in this life.

However, when she first entered the royal city, she suppressed her nervousness and tried her best to cope, but Wolff made her mess everything up. Her words and attitude were completely exposed.

Seeing her panic, Captain Goulart lectured Wolff: "Wolfred, I know you want to lighten the mood, but don't take the joke too far."

Fortunately, they only confirmed the contract, talked about the business guild and ended the party.

But Dahlia's heart was still severely traumatized, so severely that she never wanted to come to the royal city again.

When she said goodbye to everyone and was about to leave, Captain Gulart did not call Wolf, but assigned another knight with copper hair to escort her.

She and the knight left the building and boarded a carriage, but her frustration remained.

The knight before her was taller than Wolff and had a very strong physique, making her feel that the carriage was becoming a bit crowded.

"I'm Randolph Goodwin. President of the Rosetti Merchants Guild. Can I speak with you?"

"Yes, go ahead."

The knight kindly introduced himself to her a second time, and she sat up straight and listened.

"When being led by a knight in the royal city, you should walk diagonally behind him, not directly behind him, and keep a closer distance. Also, during meetings, you don't need to bow to someone asking a question. If you're not sure about these rules, you can ask the merchant guilds that frequent the royal city."

"Thank you for telling me this. I will do as you say. I apologize for the inconvenience."

Dahlia bowed her head. It seemed that last-minute preparation wasn't enough. She hadn't even considered the proper distance to keep behind the knight.

"No, it's a minor matter, not disrespectful enough. If you're only dealing with monster-suppression troops, you don't have to worry about it. However, some units in the royal city are very particular about details. The Roseti Merchants Guild carries the name of Wolfred Scafarot, so you'll easily attract attention, both in a good and bad sense. You'd better learn these things, for Wolf's sake and for your own protection."

"Thank you so much, Master Goodwin."

Dahlia was grateful to the knight for reminding her, and even more happy that he said that.

Wolff said he only has a few friends on the team who he can talk to. This friend is obviously very kind to him and will share his worries and troubles.

"You're also a friend of Wolfe's, right? ...There are a lot of people named Goodwin in this city, so just call me Randolph."

"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Randolph."

"Can I call you Miss Dahlia? If you find that disrespectful, forget it."

"It's okay to call me by my name."

Randolph put his hand to his chin, adjusted his breathing, and spoke again.

"What Wolfe said just now may have been rude to you, but I rarely see him like that. He looked so different from usual that I was shocked."

"Isn't he usually like that?"

"He's a calm knight in the castle, a model player on the team, trustworthy when chatting with friends, and like a demon lord when fighting monsters."

"Demon King..."

She had a feeling that this last item was a little different from the others. The word "demon king" was usually used to describe monsters, not humans, right? But she put that thought aside for the moment.

"Is that Wolf's true appearance?"

"Rather than calling it his true face...it's more like that's just one side of him."

Dalia was often around the unassuming Wolf, so it was natural for her to think so. But on reflection, it was also natural for him to present a different persona while working.

People are multifaceted, changing depending on the situation. She presents different faces when working as a magic tool maker, playing the role of a guild leader, and relaxing.

Even people you see regularly have different sides.

"Is he always so rude in front of you?"

"No, Wolff may have spoken carelessly just now, but he certainly didn't mean any harm! ...Ah!"

Seeing Randolph asking with a serious expression, Dahlia wanted to speak for Wolf, but accidentally called his name.

"Sorry! I was rude."

"You don't have to apologize. I may not be in a position to say this, but thank you for being Wolfe's friend."

"No, that... I also think it's great that Wolfe-sama has a friend like you."

Dalia was a little flustered after hearing this. She wanted to convey what was in her mind, but her honorifics became a mess.

Randolph was stunned for a moment, then he smiled with his red tea-colored eyes.

"Thank you. I hope so."

The two looked at each other and smiled bitterly, and at this moment the carriage arrived at the parking lot.

With Randolph's help, Dahlia got out of the carriage, nodded in greeting, and left in the same way she came.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

"Wolfred, there are some things in this world that can be said, and some things that cannot be said."

“…I’m reflecting on this.”

After Dalia and others walked out of the reception room, Gulat immediately stared at Wolf with a stern look.

"No matter how close we are, you can't say things like that to a young woman."

"Captain Goulart, excuse me, but aren't our comments rude? ... We were just trying to find out how to prevent athlete's foot, but we ended up asking you about it."

“…I admit that.”

"But it's a good thing I asked, otherwise athlete's foot would have continued to spread among us."

The young knight's words cast a shadow over everyone's expressions. Just imagining it was terrifying.

"...Everyone, listen up! This is the captain's order of silence. What the Roseti Merchants Guild President just did, you must not tell anyone, even at death."

Everyone responded "yes" in unison.

"Wolfred, you must reflect deeply."

"You really can't say that. If I were a woman, I'd definitely cry if I heard that."

"Wolfred, you really went too far..."

"If you make such an extreme joke again, you might get dumped one day."

"No... President Rossetti and I are just friends, not that kind of relationship..."

"Yeah, then she might avoid you from now on."

"Huh? Avoiding me?"

The young man then asked back, and the other party gave him a subtle look in response.

"Wolf, if you make a girl unhappy, she'll hold it against you for a long time. Will you continue to interact with the Chamber of Commerce?"

"Of course...I think so."

"Wolfred, it would be disastrous if this incident affects future transactions. You'd better bring something to apologize to her."

"I see. Um...does anyone have any recommendations?"

Wolfe asked, and the older knight twitched his eyebrow.

"Hey, you should know this better than us, right? If you can't think of a gift, just buy the flowers that the president of the Rosetti Merchants Guild likes and ask the store to arrange them into a bouquet for you."

"...I don't know what kind of flowers she likes."

"I can't help you. Then buy her her favorite dessert."

“…I don’t know that either.”

"Why don't you ask her? You've known each other for a long time, right?"

Dolino looked dumbfounded.

"I really should ask her..."

In fact, they had known each other for less than a month, and Wolff calculated clearly that today was their ninth meeting, but he couldn't say such a thing.

"Wolfred, first go to a popular flower shop and buy a bouquet suitable for young women. Remember to use red as the main color. Ask the staff to help you choose the right one. Then go to the dessert shop on Noble Street and buy some cream puffs and shaped sugar for black tea. These are some consumable items and you should have no problem giving them as gifts."

"Thank you, Alfio-senpai."

"As expected of Alfio-senpai, he really knows how to deal with girls."

"I have four daughters, so I know the consequences of sending the wrong thing..."

The man's burnt brown eyes gazed off into the distance, and the other men fell silent. It seemed everyone had experienced the wrong delivery.

"Wolfred, the store will close if you're any later. I'll let you leave early today."

"Thanks……"

Wolff thanked Gulart, but his heart was no longer here. His eyes drifted, his attention fixed on the door.

"Alright, let's disband."

After the captain finished his orders, Wolfe walked out silently. The middle-aged knight looked at his back and smiled bitterly.

"This is so unlike him. I'm surprised."

"Wolver has also fallen... and he doesn't seem to know it?"