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

This strange atmosphere was probably caused by the wall-like differences in habits between the nobles and the common people.

The two of them awkwardly agreed to meet at the parking lot later, and then each took the left and right roads.

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The cemetery of Count Scafalot's family is located on the edge of the noble district.

Their family was originally a viscount, so the cemetery was not large, but it was still incomparable to the commoner's cemetery. Wolf climbed six stone steps and came to the sacrificial space slightly above the ground.

He walked towards two pure white cylindrical tombstones side by side.

A bouquet of fresh lilies, wet with rain, lay before the tombstone. He placed the bouquet of white flowers he had brought beside it, placed his handkerchief and wine glass on the low table before the grave, and carefully poured the white wine into the glass.

He took off his fairy crystal glasses and activated the anti-eavesdropping magic device.

"Mother, long time no see..."

He had never spoken in front of the grave, but today he wanted to talk to his mother.

"I spoke with Brother Guid the other day. I heard that Father would come to see you as well. I... was so childish. If you were still here, you would definitely scold me."

Wolff thought that no one else would be sad for his mother, and he was the only one who was sad.

He kept his distance from people and avoided trouble for fear of getting hurt.

Although he has grown up, his mental state is still the same as that day.

However, he didn't want to be so childish anymore and didn't want to escape anymore.

Last night, Dahlia's tone was calm, but her eyes showed hurt.

Despite her tough exterior, she revealed a hint of timidity and vulnerability, a look Wolff didn't want anyone to see.

"I have a friend I want to protect."

Like the first drops of rain, Wolff murmured these words.

"She saved me from my helplessness and even crafted a magical tool to protect me. Perhaps she'll be able to create a powerful magic sword someday. I'm always causing her trouble now, but I hope to protect her one day. Before that, I must become strong enough to defeat you."

When he was a child, his mother once asked him, "What kind of knight do you want to be?"

At the time, he thought his mother was referring to combat types, such as attack or defense, strength priority or speed priority.

But he now thinks that may not be what his mother meant.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting so long. When you asked me, 'What kind of knight do you want to be?', my goal was to 'protect those I want to protect.' As a knight, it might seem unbecoming of me to give such an answer, but that's my wish."

The sword my mother had used that day was wrapped in a dark blue cloth.

The sword, originally broken and scarred, was carefully repaired and stored in my mother's weapons room.

Wolfe did not untie the cloth, but simply held it up with both hands and saluted the tombstone.

Legend has it that a knight who dies protecting someone will continue to protect his loved one with his soul after death.

This may be a legend unique to their country, or a way to comfort the living.

However, if the legend is true, Wolff has one wish.

"I am capable of fighting. If possible, I would like this protection to be transferred to my friend Dalia—"

Wolf closed his golden eyes and prayed for a long time.

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Looking around, each of the cylindrical tombstones washed by rain was shining as if it were new.

Dahlia stopped at a place where there were many identical gray tombstones.

This was the small cemetery where her grandparents and her father were buried. The column on the cemetery was exactly as thick as the circle she had made with her hands.

It seemed someone had come to see my father. A small bottle of his favorite wine was placed in front of his grave.

Cremation is popular in the royal capital, and the powdered ashes are buried under tombstones and returned to the earth.

After her father passed away, she handed the coffin over to the temple for disposal. The next day, the priest gave her a palm-sized amount of pure white ashes. She removed the stone slab in front of the tomb and scattered the ashes in a glass box under the grave.

She still remembers that some of the ashes were blown away by the wind, leaving her at a loss.

Dalia hasn't visited the grave for a month and a half.

She was supposed to come with Tobias on the day of their marriage registration, but she was later broken off from the engagement. She made new friends, founded a guild of commerce, and even visited the royal city, leading a busy life.

She placed a bouquet of red flowers in front of the grave and poured two glasses of red wine, one of which was placed in front of the grave.

She picked up another glass and gently clinked it against the glass in front of the grave.

"Dad, Tobias and I are done. If you saw what happened, you wouldn't be mad, right?"

If the father only saw the process, he would definitely scold Tobias; but if he saw how well she is doing now, he would probably say, "It's unavoidable, but it's a good thing" and laugh it off.

"I founded the Rosetti Chamber of Commerce, and Mr. Ivano volunteered to join and help me. I even went to the Royal City. Unexpectedly, my first sales were five-toed socks and insoles, but they were very happy. I only wanted to make them for you, it's incredible..."

Dalia spoke softly, shaking her wine glass slightly.

"I didn't know you were so fond of 'selling favors'. You've helped Viscount Jedda, Gabriella, and Mr. Oswald... maybe even more people."

The president and vice-president of the Commercial Guild, and the owner of the magical tool shop "Goddess's Right Eye".

Dalia never dreamed that her father would do favors for these people and ask them to take care of his daughter.

She wanted to rebuke her father for being so protective of his daughter even after his death, but that was just her father's style.

"You're usually such a lazy and casual person, but you're secretly doing something so cool. That's really unfair."

She couldn't help but pout and complain at the tombstone. If her father were there, he would definitely give her a wry smile in response.

"But...thank you, Dad..."

She murmured, touching the tombstone.

A drop of transparent water fell beside the wine glass.

It had been a year since her father passed away, and to be honest she hadn't fully come to terms with his death until recently.

After her father's death, she lost her sense of reality and lived in a daze.

She restrained her emotions and just wanted to live a simple life.

She cooperated with her ex-fiancé and strangled herself to be an ideal wife, but was later broken off.

The father in the grave must be very worried about his daughter and unable to rest in peace.

"...Thank you for thinking so much about my future, but I can't always rely on you. Otherwise, I'll always be an immature daughter who causes you worry."

Since she was a child, Dalia believed that she would never be able to become a magic tool master who surpassed her father.

Her father's magic power, technology, design skills, and knowledge of magical tools were far beyond her reach.

At some point, she began to tell herself that as long as she followed in her father's footsteps and her fiancé's footsteps, she could live a peaceful and stable life.

Perhaps it was because she died of overwork in her previous life, and there was no one by her side when she died. She was too lonely and scared to have such thoughts.

However, she has changed a lot since the day she was jilted and decided not to compromise.

She still loves her father deeply.

After her father passed away, Dalia deeply realized how much he loved and protected her.

As a daughter and a magic tool master, Dalia is grateful from the bottom of her heart for her father's careful cultivation.

However, she also knew that she could not always follow in her father's footsteps and rely on his protection.

She felt fear, anxiety, and confusion in her heart.

Nevertheless, only by making your own choices, using your own feet, and moving forward on your own path can you become an adult.

Only by becoming an adult can I let my father rest in peace.

"My magic power and skills are far from enough. I don't know how many decades it will take, but..."

Dahlia raised her eyes, looked at the tombstone, and declared in a clear voice.

"I want to be a magic tool master who surpasses my father."

Thinking of her father's broad back and the powerful colorful magic emerging from his fingertips, she couldn't help but feel that this dream was out of reach.

She had so many ideas because of her past life and was praised.

Her knowledge is not enough and her skills are far inferior to her father's.

However, it’s nice to have such a goal while you are alive.

"I've found a valuable friend who's willing to support me. I'm not alone, and I'm going to be okay."

Dahlia tried to smile brightly at the tombstone.

Wolfe is a very important friend of hers and truly supports her work as a magic tool maker.

Irma and Marcella, Ivano, Gabriela, Dominic and many others also supported her.

Thanks to their help, Dahlia was able to come all the way here without compromising or stopping.

Although she still has many problems and worries, she can finally smile sincerely and greet every day with a positive attitude.

So, Dalia hopes her father will stop worrying about her.

She was no longer her father's "little Dahlia".

Even if she falls, she can stand up by herself.

"One day, I will become a magic tool master even more powerful than my father... Please look forward to it."

She raised the wine glass to the same height as the tombstone, and a rainbow of seven colors was reflected on the glass.

(Illustration 011)

Volume 2 ◆ Extra Chapter: A Father and Daughter's Record of Magical Tool Development ~ Waterproof Cloth ~

"Dalia...is she asleep?"

Carlo was often scolded by his daughter for accidentally falling asleep in the studio, but today his daughter fell asleep on her work table.

On the work table was a large white cloth and bottles of blue and green powder. These were powders made by blue and green slimes.

Carlo was worried that she might inhale the powder, so he carefully capped the open glass bottle.

Dahlia recently wants to use slime as a material to make waterproof cloth.

But she wasn't going too well.

Carlo rarely heard of people using slime, which has weak magic power, as the material for making magic tools.

There is little research literature on slime, whether in bookstores or college libraries.

When Dalia ordered slime from the Adventurer's Guild, they were surprised. Initially, they gave her a batch of slime covered in mud, which was stale and smelled foul. Not only was the variety lacking, but the quantity was also insufficient.

Later, problems continued to arise, such as the blue slime that was not completely dead escaping from the bottle, the green slime that was drying on the roof was taken away by birds, and the slime rotted due to rain for several days.

Dahlia was also in danger.

She kept coughing while grinding the slime into powder, and Carlo told her to drink the recovery potion without saying anything.

The red slime powder might have burned her throat, which could have put her vocal cords at risk. However, she wasn't happy about wasting expensive recovery potions when she was clearly fine.

When Carlo faced the black slime that was not completely dead, in order to maintain his father's dignity, he pretended to defeat the slime easily, but in fact he was terrified.

However, his daughter continued to research and experiment, and never thought of giving up.

She is a little slow to react and is rather introverted when interacting with others, but she is a magical tool maker who is brave enough to try new things.

In other words, it can also be said to be reckless.

Carlo knew exactly whose personality her daughter resembled, so she was too embarrassed to stop her.

“Dalia, Dalia…”

Carlo called softly and shook her daughter's shoulder, but she didn't respond. She seemed to be fast asleep.

Ten years ago, he could still carry his sleeping daughter back to her room, put her on the bed, and coax her to sleep. However, his hair is now more white than black, and he no longer has the energy to support his daughter who is attending college.

Fortunately, the weather was still warm. Carlo gave up trying to wake his daughter and covered her with his coat.

The moment he put on his coat, he felt a sharp pain in his right wrist. Perhaps he had been working too hard recently and his arthritis had flared up again.

He's also been having heart palpitations lately, probably because he drinks too much and is getting older.

"Little Dahlia", who used to be completely covered by a coat of the same size, has grown so big.