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

In fact, the safest way is to ask the user to remove the magic stone, but this is too troublesome, so she chose to install a safety lock.

She finished building all the devices, imbued them with lightweight magic, and installed the small magic stone. Then she checked all the functions and heat levels.

So far so good, she was a little nervous as she measured the weight of the stove.

“…It’s still a bit heavy…”

It was 10% more than her target. Although it was only 10%, the weight of the expedition luggage was crucial.

And then there's the pot on top. The size and weight of the pot creates an extra burden, but without it, there's no way to cook soup.

In order to allow the troops to boil water and heat soup during the expedition, it is better to have a pot.

"Even if I give the pot lightweight magic, there's still a limit..."

Dahlia was at a loss. As she was humming and thinking hard, she suddenly heard a clicking sound.

She turned back in surprise, realizing the sound came from the magic box containing the prototype "Demon King's Dagger." Upon closer inspection, she saw the metal plate above it had slid open.

"It didn't move on its own..."

The image of the magic sword slowly crawling towards her suddenly appeared in her mind, and she quickly shook her head.

The more you think about it at times like this, the more scared you become.

She stood up suddenly, told herself that it was okay, and opened the lid.

There was no change in the dagger. After confirming that everything was fine, she closed the lid of the magic seal box and pressed the metal plate on it again.

"……ah!"

After closing the magic seal box, she thought of something.

She had always considered the small magic furnace and the pot to be two separate things, but the pot could actually be used as a furnace cover. It could be carried as the furnace cover, and turned over to become the pot, so the two could be combined.

Alternatively, perhaps instead of having a magic stone slot on the back of the furnace, the magic stone could be inserted into the furnace from above, and then the pot could be placed in. Of course, it would require some effort to reinforce the various places so that the pot does not directly touch the magic stone, but this would save a lot of weight.

"Hehe... that should work..."

It is a great pleasure to be able to put good ideas into practice.

Dalia prepared two new boards, one to make a stove and one to make a pot.

Since no one was watching, she simply didn't hide the smile on her face. It was nice to be able to work alone at a time like this.

After the furnace was formed, she looked through her notes again and saw the description about the handle.

She had completely forgotten the handles, which made it impossible to hold the hot pan without them, but also got in the way when carrying it.

She made the handle detachable and foldable so it can fit inside the pot.

"not bad……"

Dahlia excitedly measured the weight of the second prototype.

It is also 10% more than a wine bag, but this time it includes the weight of the pot.

It was slightly larger than the circle she'd made with her hands, and about five centimeters thick, about the same size as a commercially available small pot.

Next, she would conduct durability tests, then disassemble the furnace again to confirm the weight of each component to see if it could be made lighter, and conduct a safety check. Then, she would draw up a design and consult with Wolf, Ivano, and Fermo. At this thought, her stomach growled.

"what?"

Looking out the window, she realized it was already dusk. She had forgotten to have lunch or afternoon tea.

She felt very thirsty and her vision was slightly shaking, so she was a little panicked.

If you frequently stay up late, neglect your diet, and work relentlessly, like you did in your previous life, your body will not be able to handle it. It might happen once or twice, but if you do this for a long time, even the youngest person will likely fall ill or die suddenly.

She reflected deeply on this and decided to place an hourglass or magic timer next to her.

After simply tidying up the workshop, Dalia went to the second floor.

She took out her favorite walnut bread, milk, and the cheese and ham she had in stock from the kitchen and prepared to eat.

Maybe because Wolfe had accompanied her yesterday and they had walked together through the bustling shopping street, she always felt that the house was particularly quiet.

The Green Tower is too big for one person to live in.

She was planning to move out of here when she got married, sort out her personal belongings, and use it as a warehouse or rent it out to someone else.

However, she couldn't rush to accept an apprentice just because the house was too big. She wasn't qualified to accept an apprentice yet.

"Sharing a room is also difficult..."

Not only do they have to share the kitchen and bathroom, but they also have to pass through the workshop on the first floor when entering and leaving the house. She can only rent it to someone she trusts and gets along well with.

She stopped trying to tear the walnut bread in half.

The scene when Wolfe came to the Green Tower suddenly appeared in his mind.

Whether chatting, eating or working, she felt no pressure and was happy just being with Wolf. He might be just the right person to be her roommate.

"But this place is far from the royal city..."

Although there are horse-drawn public carriages nearby, they only run at limited times.

The Green Tower was located near the city walls in the western district, a less crowded area of ​​the capital. Even though a shuttle bus would arrive from the center, catching one required a long walk to the area near the center of the western district.

Wolf lived in the military camp in the royal city. He took a horse-drawn carriage when he came here, and almost always walked when he returned.

He said he didn't care, but Dalia always felt bad for making him walk back to the barracks late at night after drinking.

“I don’t know how much a horse costs.”

Horses are expensive in themselves, and raising them also costs a lot of money.

Dahlia didn't know how to raise horses, so she also needed to hire someone to take care of them.

Ivano said that once the Chamber of Commerce expanded, they would have to buy horses and carriages and hire coachmen, but it was unknown how long they would have to wait. Thinking of this, Dalia tilted her head in confusion.

It was strange, why would she assume that Wolfer, becoming her roommate, was thinking these things?

He lived in the barracks, worked in the royal city, and was often on expeditions. There was no need for him to move to the Green Tower.

The point is—Wolf is a boy. There's no way he could move in with her, a girl living alone.

"...When you're hungry and tired, you tend to think strange things. Better eat quickly!"

Dahlia opened her mouth wide, took a bite of the walnut bread, and continued eating.

Volume 3 ◆ Love Letter and Royal City Knights Joint Exercise

"Scarfalot-sama...!"

Wolf had just finished a drill meeting and was walking through the corridor when he was stopped by a woman behind him.

He felt annoyed and turned his head away expressionlessly.

"……What's up?"

Before him stood a young woman in a pale yellow dress, a white envelope clutched in trembling hands. Wolff had no memory of her at all.

Dolino, standing beside him, patted his shoulder and, with a subtle look in his eyes, left first. Wolfe really hoped that the other party wouldn't abandon him, but he couldn't let him, a civilian, get in trouble.

"Sir Scafarot, um, um! ...Could you please take a look at this letter?"

"I'm sorry, I can't accept it."

Wolfe said decisively, and tears immediately welled up in the girl's blue eyes.

She was about ten years old, and judging by the style and texture of the dress she wore on her slender figure, she must be a middle- or high-ranking noble, and was brought into the royal city by a parent, such as a father or grandfather. She couldn't be treated casually.

The girl was the only one in the corridor, and no one knew where her maid or attendant had gone.

It was indeed courageous of her to deliver the love letter alone, but had she ever considered that she might suffer losses due to rumors?

Just being seen talking to Wolff could easily cause a lot of trouble.

Furthermore, if she got involved in a scandal, her parents would likely resent Wolff.

But the girl in front of me must not have thought about these things.

"It's okay if you don't reply, could you please accept it?"

"If you want to send me a letter, please go through the Scafarot family. I'm very busy, so I usually ask someone at home to relay the message to me."

He wanted to end the conversation as soon as possible, so he tactfully said, "If you are not afraid of the letter being checked, send it to Scafalot's house."

No one would send a love letter knowing it would be inspected. Even if someone did, they could just return it.

Most nobles would not want to marry their daughters to Wolffred Scafalot, who came from a count's family but had no external magic power and was notorious, and would also try their best to prevent their daughters from dating him.

"You said you'd send it to your house..."

The girl was about to cry, but Wolff just wanted to get away from her.

Girls of this age are more difficult to deal with than mature women who actively seduce others because they are both stubborn and proactive.

"I'm still working. Excuse me."

Wolff saluted and walked around the girl across the corridor.

In his experience, if you walk within someone's reach, there's a 20% chance you'll be hugged. He wanted to protect himself.

Hearing a faint whimper behind him, he quickened his pace.

"Skafalot-senpai, this is too pitiful for her."

Wolfe turned the corner of the corridor and saw the younger members of the team looking at him with condemning eyes.

The younger generation seemed to have heard his conversation with the girl.

"At least I should have accepted her letter..."

"My family told me not to accept letters carelessly."

"is that so……"

"You'd better leave here with me."

He continued walking forward, trying to keep as much distance as possible from the girl.

The green-haired junior followed beside him unconvinced, and Wolf said to him impatiently:

"Receiving the letter might lead to some difficult situations."

"Isn't it okay to just read a love letter from a girl of that age?"

"It's just not something you can just 'look at', so I won't accept it."

"Is it because the other person will write 'Please marry me' in the letter?"

Wolff usually doesn't like to explain this kind of thing to others, as he is afraid that others will mistakenly think he is showing off.

But the incident of being followed yesterday and the love letter just now made him depressed, and he couldn't help but complain.

"Most of the girls my age would force me to attend tea parties, accompany them to dinners, and even meet their parents to get permission to date them. They'd even set a date. It was all one-sided. I never dated them at all, and I didn't even know most of their faces or names."

“Is it really that scary…?”

"No, that's not scary enough. What's scarier is when someone threatens to kill themselves if you don't get along, or leaves hair and nails in an envelope. I remember someone even signing their name with blood..."

The more Wolfe thought about it, the more depressed he became.

"There were other terrifying situations, like someone writing bad things about her fiancé on a piece of letter paper, or asking me to snatch her from her fiancé. Oh, and someone even told me the wedding date and asked me to snatch her away... I didn't even recognize that young lady."

“…How terrifying…”

Wolfe stared into the distance with a blank look in his eyes, and the younger generation shuddered when they heard it.

He didn't expect it to be so serious.

Not all love letters from young girls are filled with light affection. Some are too passionate, and some are so dangerous that one has to avoid them.

When it comes to stubbornness, young girls may be even more terrifying than adult women.

"I don't know how it's been lately. I basically don't accept any letters anymore. Even if someone forces them on me or sends them to my house, my family will return them. Even so, sometimes I still get resentful from the other person's family or fiancé."

"...I understand. So you can only deal with it as you did just now. Don't let them get any expectations."

The younger generation's expression completely changed from blame to sympathy.

"If you go back now, that lady might hug you and cry. If she's your type, why not go back and comfort her?"

"No, I have a fiancée."

After Wolfe finished his sarcasm, the younger generation shook their heads vigorously.