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

"Yes, I'm an only child, so I've always wanted to have siblings. With brothers and sisters, we can do a lot of things together, like making magic tools, eating together, chatting all night long, and occasionally quarreling..."

"Except for quarreling, I think I've done everything with you."

"Yeah, if I had a brother like you when I was a kid, I would have been very happy."

Playing with little Wolf in the workshop, eating together, making trouble together, and being scolded by dad together.

Dalia imagined it and couldn't help but smile.

If they were siblings, they wouldn't have to worry about other people's gossip when they were together, nor would they have to care about each other's gender and identity.

Even if they wished to remain friends, they still had to deal with the gap in status between nobles and commoners, as well as their respective jobs. Perhaps one day, for some reason, it would be difficult for them to continue to be together.

And if one day she accidentally falls in love with Wolf, their relationship will end there.

Wolfe might have thought Dahlia was just like every other woman he had met so far, felt hurt, and distanced himself from her.

This was what Dahlia wanted to avoid most.

"If I had a sister like Dalia... my childhood would have been very happy."

Dahlia fell into deep thought unconsciously, and at this time Wolfe chuckled and spoke.

"A brother and sister who played, made noises, and occasionally read books, and who boldly crafted magical tools and swords since childhood."

Wolfe finished speaking in one breath, and then he and Dalia looked into each other's eyes, thought about it, and both smiled bitterly.

She had intended to make a hair dryer but ended up making a flamethrower, a slight increase in the fan speed would mess up everything in the room, a black slime that corroded her fingers, and the magic sword she had made so far—the images that emerged in her mind were all too dangerous.

“Even I feel it’s dangerous.”

"Well, being our parent must be tiring."

The topic of siblings came to an end.

"Sorry for the wait. This is the red steak. It's a little red, but don't worry, it's cooked through. You can add ginger to the oxtail soup if you like."

The assistant manager brought the food over on a cart and said with a smile. He quickly brought the food to the table and placed two small plates on the side.

"Here are the treats. Wolfe's is a black pepper cookie, and the lady's is a Red Bull cheesecake."

"Thank you, we'll have it as a snack after dinner."

"Thank you. This is the first time I've seen pink cheesecake. It's so cute."

"As long as you like it. Once Red Bull production increases, I plan to add this dessert to the menu. So please enjoy your time at Black Pot."

They watched the assistant manager bow and leave, then toasted each other with their glasses of carbonated whiskey with a slice of lemon and cider garnished with apple slices.

Dalia tilted the cup, the sound of bubbles became stronger, and she could smell a faint apple scent.

She took a sip. It was surprisingly light, with the carbonation stimulating the tip of her tongue before the aroma of apples slowly emerged. It felt like a dry cider.

"It's still really red after frying. Maybe it's the color of the meat itself."

Wolff had already cut the red steak open.

Its appearance is much redder than ordinary beef, but the color of the outside and the middle of the cross section are different, which shows that it is fried.

"Can Red Bull use fire magic?"

"No, they only strengthen themselves physically. But I heard that if they enter Red Bull's territory, they will charge at full speed, which is extremely dangerous."

The cows use their full strength to charge at you, which is as dangerous as being hit by a car. The people who raise cattle are also very hardworking.

“How do people catch Red Bull?”

"I heard they spread sleeping pills on the grasslands, captured them, kept them in a safe place, and fed them delicious food. After several generations, they finally became domesticated animals. Even so, they are still difficult to raise."

They already have cattle, but they still domesticate red cattle. You can understand why the neighboring country is known as the "livestock country".

Incidentally, the Kingdom of Audine is often referred to as the "Kingdom of Magic Stone" due to Audine's exceptionally high export volume of magic stones.

The reason why it is not called the "Magic Country" may be because each country is proud of its magic and has its own ideas about magic.

"I'm about to start..."

Dahlia murmured, picked up the red meat with a fork and put it into her mouth.

The meat was too red, so she didn't notice it at first, but after eating it, she realized it was the perfect texture of marinated meat. It was soft and springy, and every chew gave it plenty of juice.

The taste is similar to sirloin beef, but with a fresher feel of chicken.

Red beef seems to be unexpectedly healthy.

After taking two bites of the original steak, Dalia poured the sauce made from Red Bull cheese on it. The cheese sauce was the same red color as the meat.

She took a sip of cider before eating the meat dipped in cheese sauce, which had a very rich taste.

As both are Red Bull products, they go really well together. The red beef with lots of cheese sauce is delicious.

The thought of heat flashed through her mind, but she decided not to think about it for now.

"The red steak goes really well with the cheese sauce. I'd like another slice, would you?"

"I don't need it. This size is more than enough. You can order it."

Maybe it was a treat from the restaurant, but their red steak was a size larger than regular steaks, and Dalia couldn't finish two slices. There were also grilled vegetables and sliced ​​fruits on the table.

"You have a very small appetite."

"No, I can eat and drink more than the average girl."

She wasn't being polite when she was dining and drinking with Wolf. If this was considered a small appetite, what were other girls supposed to do?

After Wolfe ordered some red steak, the two of them enjoyed oxtail soup together.

The appearance of oxtail soup might put you off, but this bowl of oxtail soup is boneless, with the meat sinking to the bottom. The broth is savory and rich in fat, which complements the spices well.

The soup was so delicious that she wanted to grab the bowl and drink it all in one gulp. Perhaps influenced by her past life experience, she thought this soup would also be perfect for noodles.

"I think red oxtail can also be made into red wine stew..."

"Yeah, that should be suitable."

Red oxtail has such a rich flavor that even stewing it in sweet red wine shouldn't change its flavor. She'd love to try cooking it someday when red oxtail is available at regular markets.

"Dalia, have you ever been to a monster cooking shop?"

"No, I've only eaten the usual monster food available on the market."

"If you're okay with eating monsters, would you like to come with me later? Last time I had roasted basilisk and kraken mousse."

"I'm not opposed to it. Let's go together. Is the snaketail chicken delicious?"

In the fantasy stories of the past life, the cockatrice and the snake-tail chicken have similar images.

However, the current snake-tailed chicken has a body like a large black snake, with four thick legs endowed with sharp claws. This monster is highly venomous. Dalia was curious about what it tasted like.

"The meat is a bit tough, but it tastes like chicken and is delicious. Krakenmousse... has a very unique taste..."

The Krakenmousse didn't seem very tasty. Wolff frowned deeply, but had the good grace to avoid saying the word "unpalatable."

Kraken should be delicious baked. Dessert kraken might have sugar added. Dalia was also curious about what it tasted like.

They ate their meal leisurely, chatting about monsters and magical tools.

Although Dahlia had learned about monsters at the academy and read about them in the monster dictionary, they were not quite the same as actual monsters.

Especially since monsters come in all sorts of variations, and the examples in the book are just the tip of the iceberg. There are actually many interesting stories out there.

The characteristics and magic used by mutant monsters often differ from the original monsters. Using them as magical tool materials may have different effects.

The rarer and more expensive mutant monster materials will also be collected by the monster subjugation team.

However, these materials are usually managed by the royal city and are relatively expensive, requiring a certain level of financial resources and status to obtain. Dahlia secretly hopes that these materials will appear more frequently in the future.

Dalia ate her cheesecake and noticed the starry sky outside the window. Before she knew it, it was already dark.

Wolfe was taking a short break after finishing his several glasses of carbonated whiskey.

"Um, I have something to ask you..."

To be honest, she didn't really want to ask about this, but she cared a lot about it.

She probably owed Wolff an apology.

"Please tell me. Is this about monsters? Or the army?"

"No, I want to ask... Wolf, have you ever felt that I was giving you 'alms' or 'looking down' on you?"

"No, I just felt like you 'helped' me. Did anyone say anything to you?"

Wolfe sobered up from his drunken state and squinted at Dahlia.

The other party is both her friend and the guarantor of the Chamber of Commerce, so it would be better to explain it clearly - Dahlia thought as she sat up straight and told him about the advice Ivano gave her a few days ago.

Wolfe placed one hand on the table, nodding occasionally as he listened.

"...After reflection, I realized that I was not thoughtful enough."

Under Ivano's instruction, she agreed with Ivano, but was quite depressed after returning to the Green Tower.

Even though she knew Ivano was right, she was still sad. She felt so naive.

"As far as work is concerned, Ivano's idea is right. But your kindness has benefited many people, including me, so I don't think what you did was wrong."

"But maybe I don't have 'good intentions'. I just want to be a 'good kid' praised by my family."

Dahlia clasped her hands and replied as if confessing.

Her only family is her father, her maid Sophia, who has been with her until she is old enough, her senior brother Tobias, and a few select friends. Her world is small and closed.

She had only recently realized how much she had been pampered and how dependent she had been on that pampering.

"Even so, I'm still very grateful for what you did. I feel like I've been 'saved' by you. From the day we met in the forest until today, I've always been helped by you."

"Me too. Not only did you help me with my work, but you also made my life so enjoyable that I didn't have time to feel down despite everything going on."

"We've only known each other for almost a month. I hope we can be happier from now on."

"I hope I won't be too stressed out in the future... But you're right, the future is also worth looking forward to. We haven't created the ideal magic sword yet, and I have many magical tools I want to make."

"Yeah, I still want to talk to you. There are still many drinks I want to drink together and places I want to go to together."

“These are also very exciting.”

Wolf smiled slightly after hearing Dahlia's answer and closed his eyes.

"I should be thanking the dragon that captured me that day. Let's pray for its happiness in the other world... but it was me who killed it."

"Okay, let's pray together."

Dalia closed her eyes, clasped her hands in front of her chest, and prayed for the dragon.

It was lucky for her to meet Wolff.

However, death is a terrifying thing for both humans and monsters. She hoped that the dragon could rest in peace and be reborn soon. She hoped that it would be reborn into a peaceful world and live a happy life.

Perhaps it is because she is a reincarnated person that she made such a simple wish.

"..."

Wolfe wanted to call out Dahlia's name, but couldn't.

He had expected her to smile wryly or even scoff at him after he mentioned praying for the dragon, but he hadn't expected Dalia to pray so sincerely.

As Dahlia prayed silently, Wolf could only look at her in silence.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

They didn't prepare to go home until late at night.

Public horse-drawn carriages have stopped running, and the only way to get there is to take a taxi-like shuttle bus.

There were too many people at the carriage shop on the busy street, so they decided to walk to the next area to catch a ride.

Along the way, you'll occasionally pass by staggering drunks, men singing while walking with their arms around each other's shoulders, and women in gorgeous clothes.

Wolfe was walking and talking as usual, but suddenly he leaned towards Dahlia. Before Dahlia could even react, he lowered his voice and said:

"Dalia, calm down and listen to me. It seems we're being followed."

The light on Wolf's anti-eavesdropping magic device was on, indicating that it was working. Dahlia caught a glimpse of the light from the corner of her eye and asked, facing forward:

"Uh, is it a robber?"

"I don't know. They seem to be just two people, so they should be fine, but I don't want anything dangerous to happen."