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

"Just kidding."

Gui Deqian laughed twice and looked at the dark night scene outside the window.

"If Wolf hadn't protected me that day, I wouldn't be here now."

He didn't know how many times he had the nightmare that day.

Even if he no longer has nightmares, he will never forget them.

That day, my young brother was crawling in a pool of blood.

He had lost his right hand and right foot, and was still trying to crawl forward while holding the sword in his bony left hand.

Fighting alone beside his dying mother.

Guid later went to the temple and saw his young brother crying in his sleep.

His weakness caused his brother to lose everything. Guid could not bear the guilt, and did not dare to hug Wolff or comfort him. He thought he had no face to see him again and fled.

He kept running away, and kept running away, pushing his younger brother into loneliness and nightmares.

Goode knew exactly who was most to blame.

Not the father of three wives.

Not a mother who only wanted to protect her son.

Not the second wife who was caught up in her mother’s family’s conspiracy.

That day, in that place, hiding in the incredibly sturdy carriage, curled up in his mother's warm arms, trembling like a child, who was it that failed to use his strength wisely? After being attacked, who was it that failed to consider the plight of the second wife's son, Phobio, refused to speak to Elud, and fled from Wolfe out of guilt?

The culprit of all this is myself, a coward.

Having a nightmare a thousand times is still not enough, but regretting ten thousand times still cannot be forgiven.

He was a coward who sacrificed his brother and the brave knights, while surviving unscathed himself.

He thought he deserved to be hated, and that his brother must despise and hate him to the extreme.

However, Wolff didn't push his hand away, so he had nothing to worry about.

No, even if his brother wants to get rid of him one day in the future, he will never let go.

"It's my turn to protect my brother this time. Isn't that natural?"

This was the only way for a coward protected by his younger brother to atone for his sins.

Volume 3: Chamber of Commerce Activities and Their Dignity

“These are roughly the ones that are currently in operation.”

Dahlia came to the Chamber of Commerce and listened to Ivano's business report in the office rented by the Roseti Chamber of Commerce.

Two weeks had passed since they had agreed on a cooperation plan with the Clothing Guild and the Adventurer's Guild. The Clothing Guild had almost completed the production line for five-toed socks and dry insoles.

This matter had come to an end. Next, the Roseti Chamber of Commerce had to travel to the Royal City for the first delivery visit. Although it was still some time, Dahlia felt a heavy heart.

"Ms. Dahlia, you look so melancholy."

"Because of what happened last time..."

During Dahlia's last visit to the Royal City to visit the monster-slaying troops, they discussed methods for preventing and treating athlete's foot, and ended up being embroiled in a pedis scandal. She ignored the other team members present and shouted back at Wolf, "I don't have athlete's foot!"

She wanted to treat the last meeting as a first visit, but she couldn't do that.

"Don't worry. Mr. Wolff probably just said that to lighten the mood. They've probably forgotten about it. We just need to follow the rules for this visit."

"That being said, we must still follow the royal city etiquette this time..."

"That's right, I have to learn those etiquettes too..."

They both sighed at the same time.

They spent the last day studying etiquette before going into town.

However, her last-minute cramming was still exposed, and Randolph, a member of the Magic Corps, quietly pointed out her mistake. He also suggested that she "consult the Merchant Guilds that frequented the Royal City," so she asked Gabriella for an introduction.

She was worried about whether any of the chambers of commerce that frequently visited the royal city would be willing to pass on their experience to her, a newly established chamber of commerce.

"I just received a letter and a package from the temple."

"The Temple? Do we have a deal with the Temple?"

"I previously informed the temple that we would donate a certain percentage of the profits from our five-toed socks and insoles to the temple. This is the temple's thank-you letter in reply. Please see this."

"It's the Magic Sealing Box..."

Ivano took out a medium-sized silver magic seal box.

"It contains a white magic stone I've never seen before... Miss Dahlia, can you tell what this is?"

The magic box contained several pure white stones. Dahlia picked up one and found it heavier and more solid than it appeared, emitting a magical power that was like a cool breeze.

"It should be the 'Purification Magic Stone'..."

She had heard that the Purification Magic Stones were a bit expensive and difficult to buy in large quantities.

"Could it be that the temple is trying to say: Instead of selling five-toed socks and insoles, why not use purification magic stones to treat athlete's foot?"

"I don't think so. When I went to the temple to submit the donation list, they seemed very happy..."

Was the Temple dissatisfied with the Rosetti Chamber of Commerce? Or was there something wrong with the amount of their planned donation? She couldn't tell.

"Eh? Miss Dahlia, there's something stuck on the lid of the Magic Sealing Box."

"Is this the instruction manual?"

Ivano removed a small piece of paper folded into quarters from the lid. Dahlia took it and unfolded it to read.

"'The Purification Magic Stone can also heal foot ailments. If you can't come to the temple for treatment, please use the Magic Stone.'...Is this asking us to give the Magic Stone to those in the Monster Suppression Team who suffer from athlete's foot? It shouldn't be for me personally, right? Is there any misunderstanding?"

"...I don't think so."

Dahlia asked three questions in a row, but Ivano did not answer her questions decisively and even looked away from her.

She suppressed the urge to cry and picked up the purification magic stone.

"...Ivano, do you want it?"

"Okay! I'm really worried about the recurrence of athlete's foot."

The subordinates accepted it frankly.

"Please accept it."

"Thanks!"

Dahlia placed the three magic stones in a leather bag and handed it to Ivanor. Her wandering gaze happened to stop just below his deep blue eyes, where a layer of bluish-black hue had clearly appeared.

"Ivano, you have dark circles under your eyes. From today on, you should leave work at the same time as the guild staff."

"But, doing this... is a bit difficult."

"Or slow down even further. If there's any work that absolutely needs to be done, let me help. I can do the copying and bookkeeping."

"This is too much of a burden for you."

"No matter who falls ill, the outcome will be the same. After all, there are only two of us in the Chamber of Commerce."

Ivano looked at the window and rubbed his eyes with his fingertips.

"...Okay, I'll do what I can. If one of us falls, it will definitely drag down the other."

"Well, please excuse me."

"I'm temporarily looking for a copyist from the guild while I recruit staff as quickly as possible. If I find a good candidate, I'll review their resume and hire them as a temporary worker. Could I have you interview them before officially hiring them?"

"No problem. But I feel like you still have too much work..."

"Not that much. I don't need to train employees yet, nor do I have to take care of customer management and merchandise management."

Come to think of it, they're just getting started.

The Roseti Merchants Guild now consisted of only two people, Dahlia and Ivano. All transactions with customers were conducted through the Merchant Guild, rather than directly. Even their magical equipment was delivered directly to the Monster Suppression Force in the Royal City by the Merchant Guild or the Apparel Guild, a fact greatly appreciated.

She felt a little anxious when thinking about the possible increase in management work in the future.

"I'm excited to think about the future."

"what?"

Hearing the unexpected words, she couldn't help but ask.

"With more people and goods in the Chamber of Commerce, the atmosphere will be more lively. I hope that the Chamber of Commerce can have its own building in the future. If it can also have a warehouse and a directly-operated store, the business scale can be further expanded."

"You seem very happy."

"Of course, I'm a businessman. If it were you... imagine there's a huge warehouse filled with all kinds of magical tool materials. You can use them freely and easily obtain rare materials. Wouldn't that be exciting?"

“…It’s definitely going to be exciting.”

Ivano described his expectations from a different perspective, and Dalia finally understood.

While it's great to have more ways to accomplish what you want, with possibilities comes responsibility.

"Ms. Dahlia, are there any materials you'd like to purchase? I'm ordering parchment and would like to have the order sorted and shipped out today."

"I want to order some materials and write them for you now."

She'd used a lot more Kraken tape last month than expected. She'd also run low on some slime types. She wanted to buy some more for future trials.

Ten rolls of Kraken tape

Magic Sealing Box (Silver) Medium 3

Five cans of green slime powder

Two cans of yellow slime powder

·One serving of black slime powder

Dahlia didn't order much of anything, the problem was the black slime.

She wrote it down for the time being, but she didn't know if black slime powder was available on the market.

Due to its properties, black slime powder must be stored in a silver magic box and strictly controlled, and must be transported with great care. However, she always felt that the other party would dismiss her with a sentence of "black slime cannot be obtained."

"They might think I'm looking for trouble..."

Dahlia couldn't help but mutter to herself.

Just as she was hesitating whether to cross out the item, Ivano snatched the paper from her hand.

"Ivano, I haven't finished writing yet."

"If they don't win, we'll cancel the deal and order from another supplier. I'll write a formal order and send it to the Orlando Chamber of Commerce right now. I'm going there to pick up the Fairy Crystals. Don't worry, their materials are cheap anyway."

Orlando Chamber of Commerce President Ireneo had promised her that he would allow her to purchase raw materials at wholesale prices over the next three years. Since he had said so, they decided to take advantage of it.

After her engagement was broken off, Dalia did not hold any grudge against the Orlando Chamber of Commerce, but she was still relieved that she did not have to purchase the goods herself.

"I'm sorry, I should have been the one to get it."

"That's fine. This is the subordinate's job. Boss, please discuss the matter of consulting the Chamber of Commerce with Miss Gabriela."

The mustard-haired man walked out of the office with a smile.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

Dahlia waited for a while before she saw Vice Guild Leader Gabriela.

The Roseti Chamber of Commerce had an appointment with her, but the previous customer took a long time.

While waiting, Dahlia wasted no time drawing the design of a small magic furnace for the expedition.

"Sorry for being late, Dahlia. I was talking to the merchant council up ahead for too long."

"No, please don't mind. I'm the one who's been bothering you..."

"How can you say it's troublesome to consult the Chamber of Commerce? This is what our guild should do. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."

Gabriela sat on the sofa in her office, looking a little tired. It wasn't just because she was wearing a dark blue dress.

She seemed to be as overwhelmed with work as Ivano.

"I've asked two guilds about learning the royal city's etiquette, and both agreed. One is the Zora Guild, and the other is the Bartolini Guild, which I just discussed. I recommend the Zora Guild, as their guild leader is also a magical tool maker."

"Is President Zora of the Zora Company the owner of the magical tool shop 'Goddess's Right Eye', Oswald Zora?"