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

"I don't think so. This is a tower. If something gets in, it'll be yours... No, it's okay."

"My father and other ancestors will definitely not live there!"

If it was my father's soul, it would at least be better than a stranger's soul.

No, no matter whose soul it is, Dalia will try her best to avoid it.

She tried desperately to sort out her confused mind and think about her next step.

"The yellow slime can be peeled off by freezing it. Once I'm done observing it, I'll put the sword and the Ice Magic Stone into the box and peel off the outer layer..."

She was a little scared, but she still wanted to observe and take notes.

With Wolff by my side, nothing should happen for a while.

Just drink some wine at night and sleep with the magic lamp on.

After all, magical tools shouldn't be possessed by strange things. She had never heard her father say such a thing.

So it won't happen. Definitely not. Absolutely not.

"Next time, I'll bring my own sword for self-defense, in addition to the one I was given. Can I leave it here?"

"Okay. I'm not sure if it's necessary for self-defense, but I'll wear two extra bracelets."

But even with all the preparations, could the magic on the sword and bracelet really protect against ghosts? Would ghosts pass through easily? As Dalia spoke, her thoughts began to wander again.

The more you tell yourself not to think about scary things, the more likely you are to think about them.

At times like this, you should just speak your mind and laugh it off.

"If we fail to bestow it, and instead accidentally create a demonic sword inhabited by a soul, or give rise to a new type of monster, that would be a serious matter."

"A demon sword with a soul inhabiting it is fine, but if it's a new type of monster... that's really bad, hahaha... If it moves on its own, it might be called a 'crawling demon sword', right?"

"'Crawling Demonic Sword'... Wolf, if the demonic sword moves, will it target monsters...?"

She and Wolff were both laughing, but each was staring at the dagger, not daring to look at the other.

I wanted to just laugh it off, but my thoughts turned to something even worse.

"If a new type of monster is born, not only will we be hunted by the capital, but we'll also become the public enemy of all mankind, right?"

"Yes, and then one of us will become the Demon King."

"I'm going to give this title to you..."

"Then you can be my witch..."

Looking at the slowly crawling demon sword, both of them felt heavy-hearted.

Volume 3 Swallowing the Cup and the Starry Sky

The second attempt at an artificial magic sword resulted in a "crawling magic sword." After carefully examining it, Dalia placed the sword and the ice magic stone in a box. The yellow slime potion and water froze together, and she peeled it off.

Dahlia finished her homework with trepidation, and the sword turned back into the "Dagger of the Demon King's Men."

She sighed, put the immobile dagger back into the magic seal box, and found a metal plate to press on it.

"Dalia, should we go for a drink?"

"Okay, let's go."

She immediately agreed to Wolff's proposal.

They achieved temporary success in their trial and agreed to go out for drinks to celebrate.

Unexpectedly, in the end, not only did they make a dagger that was useless, but they also made a crawling magic sword. It was a double failure.

It would be better to go out and change my mood. Fortunately, it's almost tea time now.

"By the way, how about going to the South District to buy some glasses for the East sake? We should have just the right time to go eat after we buy them."

At Wolff's suggestion, they finally implemented the long-delayed plan to purchase the East Wine Cup.

There's a port in the southern part of the royal capital. Besides domestic goods, there are also shops selling imported goods, as well as many glassware and pottery shops. I'm sure you'll find wine glasses suitable for Eastern wine.

"Shouldn't we use a small glass for drinking Dong wine?"

"Yes, pottery is also suitable."

As they chatted, they changed public carriages twice and headed to the shopping street in the southern district.

Today was also very hot. The air conditioner in the Green Tower workshop was on, but outside the sun was shining brightly and there was no wind.

Wolf looked up at the sun through his fairy crystal glasses.

"What's wrong?"

"It feels like it's going to be very hot this year, and I'm praying that there won't be too many expeditions."

Expeditions can be arduous if the temperature is too high. The battles are exhausting, and even the marches are exhausting, making it difficult to sleep at night.

"Did you sleep in your tent wrapped in a sleeping bag during your expedition?"

Dahlia suddenly thought of this question and asked.

“We do sleep in tents, but in the summer we just sleep directly or under a thin blanket.”

"Won't you be cold?"

"When it's cold, we cover ourselves with a thick blanket or use a wearable sleeping bag. Our hands can move freely, and the legs are open. In the past, we had to cut open the sleeping bag to get out of the way in an emergency, but that was too wasteful. We commissioned a company to improve it, and it gradually evolved into the current style."

Changing from a "sleeping bag" to a "wearable sleeping bag" seems to be a necessary evolution.

It would be really bad if a monster attacked me while I was lying in my sleeping bag and couldn't move.

"The elders say that expeditions are much easier now than before, with wearable sleeping bags and waterproof sheets, and the number of horses has increased. The food, however, remains the same."

"I hope this small magic furnace can help you. I'm trying to make a furnace that's even smaller and lighter than the current one, and I'm still experimenting."

The design book sent by Fermo is very valuable for reference.

She is now experimenting with various options, such as changing the material, changing the stove from square to round, or reducing the curvature and lowering the height.

"How much lighter than now?"

"Ideally, it would be about the weight of a wineskin. Although the magic stone would be less efficient, I'd like to remove the stove rack and allow the pot to touch the stove directly."

"If it's as heavy as a wineskin, everyone can carry one. Oh, and don't worry about using up your Fire Magic Stones. If you do run out, you can always ask someone skilled in fire magic to replenish them. People skilled in fire magic don't have much power left in the forest, so they say they'll have plenty of it."

"I see. Then I'll try to reduce the magic stone's efficiency to the minimum and work towards reducing its weight."

They chatted as they walked from the carriage stop to the entrance of the shopping street.

The closer you get to the shopping street, the busier it becomes, and you can feel the warmth of the people. You can even faintly smell the scent of the sea.

The hawking sounds, the negotiations between customers and store clerks, and the conversations of passers-by mixed together and sounded like music.

As soon as I entered the shopping street, I saw shops on both sides of the street, and the middle street was full of people.

In the crowd, you won't see any couples gently supporting each other to protect each other; most people are holding hands or arm in arm.

However, in principle, nobles would only hold hands or link arms without gloves when they were with close relatives or close lovers.

Therefore, it was difficult for Wolf to suggest to Dahlia that they walk arm in arm.

"...Dalia, before we leave the crowd, just grab my sleeve, okay?"

After much deliberation, he finally chose "grabbing the sleeves."

Fortunately, he was wearing long sleeves today, and by letting his sleeves down he could use them as "handles" for Dalia to grab.

"Then let me grab it...it makes me look like a child."

Dalia said this with some embarrassment. Wolf couldn't help but imagine what she looked like when she was young and quickly held back his laughter.

"At least this is better than getting lost. Just be patient."

"Okay, I'll be careful not to get lost."

As Dalia walked into the crowd, she noticed something.

In fact, with Wolff's height, he could be spotted even in a crowd. As long as you followed him, you wouldn't get lost.

But she was too embarrassed to say it out loud now. She was a little worried that Wolfe's sleeves would be stretched too long by her.

"Oh? Isn't this Dalia?"

A heavyset man with sandy hair stopped in front of them.

"Good afternoon, Marcella."

"Good afternoon. Um, who is this?"

"He's the friend I mentioned earlier, and also the guarantor of the Chamber of Commerce, Wolf."

In order not to block others, the three of them moved to the side of the road and continued chatting.

"My wife and I are friends of Dalia's. My name is Marcella Nuvolari. I'm a member of the Transport Guild and also a guarantor for the Chamber of Commerce. Please advise me."

Marcella introduced herself with a different tone and style than usual, lowering her head.

It was the first time Dalia had seen Marcella conversing with a noble. His response was very natural, perhaps because his work for the transport guild required him to frequently go in and out of noble residences, so he was used to it. Dalia found it a bit novel.

"I'm Wolfred Scafarot, a member of the Monster Suppression Force. Please guide me."

Wolff uses the model of a business conversation.

After all, it was their first meeting, and both sides were a little nervous.

"Last time I asked you if you wanted to drink with my friend, that friend was Marcella."

"So that's it."

Wolff relaxed first. He said to Marcella with a handsome smile:

"Although I was born into a noble family, I now live in a military camp and am more like a commoner. We are all related to the Chamber of Commerce, so it's okay for you to talk to me freely."

"When everyone is free, let's have a drink together?"

"I have no problem with that...but Irma and I don't know etiquette, so we might do something disrespectful."

"I don't mind. After all, the last time Dalia brought out the 'Green Tower Limited Edition Sake-Steamed Clams,' I ate them straight from the pot and enjoyed them immensely."

"Eh? So the customer back then was..."

"Thanks for the treat. Those clams were really delicious..."

Seeing Wolfe's look of nostalgia, Marcella couldn't help laughing.

"Is that so? That's no problem then. Next time I see good clams, I'll buy double the amount and bring it to Green Tower."

"Then I'll take the good wine to the Green Tower."

"Wait a minute, my house isn't a place for gatherings."

Wolf and Marcella both laughed when they heard this.

They seemed to get along well, and Dalia felt relieved.

"Is Marcella here to buy something?"

"A colleague of mine got married, and I came here on behalf of everyone else to buy gifts. I won the rock-paper-scissors game, so I became the 'lucky mover.'"

Marcella had already finished shopping and was holding a large white wooden box in his right hand. The ropes used to tie the box were stretched straight, making it feel very heavy.

"If I win the rock-paper-scissors game, do I have to buy the wedding gifts?"

"In a way, that's true... People who win the lottery or the rock-paper-scissors game are considered lucky, so they're called 'lucky carriers'. They're responsible for buying gifts and delivering them to the newlyweds for good luck."

"I see. I've never heard of that."

It seems that this kind of celebration is only enjoyed by common people, not by nobles.

Dalia was used to this and never realized it was a custom unique to civilians.

"Marcella, what are you buying for the newlyweds?"

"They wanted tableware, so I bought plates, soup plates, cups... a complete set. I'm sending it to the new couple now."

"Marcella from the Transport Guild has become the 'Lucky Transporter'. I think she'll bring a lot of luck to the newlyweds."

"Isn't it wonderful? The carriage is coming soon, so I'll be leaving now. I look forward to drinking with you soon."

"I'm looking forward to it, too."

Marcella and Wolff said goodbye with a smile, their attitude so natural that it didn't seem like the first time they met.