Chapter 33 - Can We Become Friends?
After visiting the weapons shop, whether it was the stress from Tobias the day before, the excitement from the magical tool shop that day, or the shock from being hit on, Dahlia ended up buying a variety of items on the way home.
Before her lay a bag containing four daggers and their accessories, two boxes of foodstuff, and a case of a dozen bottles of red and white wine. Carrying all of it effortlessly was a man. Well, the last item—the man—hadn’t exactly been purchased.
Despite repeatedly insisting that she could handle the purchases herself or have them delivered, she couldn’t stop Volf. He adamantly declared that since he hadn’t been able to help her when she was being harassed, he would at least pay for everything and carry the items.
In the end, when she directly asked if it was really appropriate for someone of his noble standing to do such a thing, he retorted that she should instead grant him a proper opportunity to redeem his honor. She had no choice but to concede completely.
Even now, Volf carried everything while sweating under his hood, and Dahlia could feel nothing but gratitude toward him.
"Should I carry these inside, or leave them at the entrance?"
Standing in front of the Green Tower’s entrance, the young man asked her. The sky behind him was already starting to blush with the colors of sunset.
Normally, she would have him leave the items at the entrance, see him off there, and pick another day to continue.
When it came to enchanting the daggers, she would typically request an assistant from the Merchant Guild or the academy to act as a witness, ensuring she wouldn’t be alone with a man like Volf.
That had always seemed like the safest and most sensible course of action.
But her feelings now didn’t align with that.
She wanted to at least offer Volf something to drink.
If possible, she wanted to talk with him more. While she had no desire for romance anymore, she did wish they could become friends.
However, the possibility that her trust in him was merely her own assumption wasn’t entirely zero.
She fully understood that any misstep in her actions from this point could be dangerous and risk making her fall into the category of what might have been called a "naive woman" in her previous life.
Even so, Dahlia chose to invite Volf into the Green Tower.
"The living room is on the second floor. Could you carry the items up there?"
"Got it."
Volf climbed the stairs with ease, carrying the items to the second floor. Dahlia opened the door to the room she used as her living room and brightened the magical lamp.
"By the way, do you have any family members or staff living here?"
"No, I live alone."
"Though I appreciate being allowed in, Dahlia, you do have the usual sense of caution about letting a man into your home when you live alone, right?"
"Of course, and I don’t usually let anyone in. But with all these items, it couldn’t be helped. Besides, let me ask you—does the fact that I live alone give you even the slightest malicious thought, Volf?"
She deliberately turned the question back on him, using the items as an excuse.
A beautiful butterfly with countless flowers to choose from wouldn’t bother stopping on a withering patch of grass by the roadside.
"To be honest, I’m glad you live alone. I want to talk with you without any interruptions. If you think I’m dangerous, you can tie me up and leave me on the floor. You can sit on a chair while I lie on the ground, looking up at you as we talk."
"That would make me the dangerous person!"
Dahlia retorted with all her might. There was no way she could continue a conversation with someone in a situation like that.
"Then how about you stay inside the tower while I wait outside? We could open a window and talk."
"How loudly do you intend to talk?! Your throat won't last!"
At this point, Dahlia was the one shouting.
She wanted to demand the return of the time and emotional effort she had just spent agonizing over her decision. If possible, she wished she could shout directly into Volf’s ear with a megaphone.
Meanwhile, the source of her frustration continued laughing in a mischievous, childlike manner, utterly unfitting for his appearance.
"Anyway, I'll at least offer you some tea, so please take a seat. Or would you prefer white wine instead?"
"Sorry, but could I ask for the white wine?"
"I’ll bring something simple to go with it, too."
"My apologies for imposing..."
Though Volf seemed apologetic, he hadn’t eaten since the street stall meal earlier, and it was only natural to be hungry after carrying all those items.
Dahlia had him sit on the sofa in the living room.
She quickly handed him a towel dampened with water, then placed white wine and crackers on the table. She asked him to wipe off his sweat and take a moment to relax while he waited.
In the kitchen, she took out the white bread she had just bought, rye bread from her stock, and some sausages. She began chopping vegetables into small pieces and boiled them with the sausages in one pot.
In another smaller pot, she combined two types of cheese, white wine, a pinch of pepper, and some nutmeg.
When the vegetables were cooked, she arranged the bread, sausages, and boiled vegetables on two large plates and carried them to the living room.
Calling Volf’s name, she had him move from the sofa to a chair by the table.
On the table sat a compact magic stove, and atop it sat a small pot filled with melted cheese, thick and gooey..
It was cheese fondue—a dish she had always wanted to try after creating the compact magic stove.
This method didn’t require much cooking time.
"What is this? Cheese soup?"
Volf stared at the pot curiously.
It seemed he had never tried cheese fondue before.
Come to think of it, in this kingdom’s capital, melted cheese was often poured over dishes, but it wasn’t common to dip ingredients into it.
Perhaps this was the world’s first cheese fondue.
"It’s cheese, but it’s not a soup. It’s more like a sauce. You dip bread or vegetables into it and eat it."
She handed Volf a long skewer and a plate, then demonstrated how to eat it herself.
Trying it with bread, she found the flavor quite satisfying. It paired well with the reasonably priced red wine she often drank.
She offered the bread plate to Volf, whose eyes widened in fascination.
"Go ahead, try one."
With cautious hands, Volf dipped a piece of bread into the pot and carefully brought it to his plate to avoid dripping cheese.
Then, he took a bite of the white bread, dripping with cheese, and paused for a few seconds.
After that, he chewed in silence, but unusually, his bites were more frequent. Once he swallowed, he sighed contentedly and immediately skewered another piece of bread.
"How is it?"
Volf enjoyed white wine, cheese, and rich flavors.
From his earlier reaction, there was no way he didn't like this cheese fondue.
"… Why didn’t I know about this before…?"
She wished he would stop sighing so wistfully. Also, cheese fondue wasn’t some kind of drug. Could he please refrain from closing his eyes and making such a blissful expression?
"This is incredibly, incredibly delicious."
"It's something you can enjoy alone or with a group. I recommend it. You can even make it with just cheese, wine, and bread."
"Where can I buy this thing underneath?"
"If it's the compact magic stove, you can find it at the Merchant Guild or magical tool shops."
"I’m definitely getting one of these... Wait, is this another of your inventions, Dahlia?"
"Yes, there was already a large version, so I just made it more compact."
When a large magical tool was miniaturized, there were two possibilities: either the profits were shared with the original creator, or it was treated as an entirely new invention.
For magical tools registered with the Merchant Guild, if their profit contract period was within seven years, the creator of the large version would also receive a share of the profits. After eight years, however, the miniaturized version would be treated as a new registration.
Since magic stoves had been around for about thirty years, Dahlia had been able to register hers as a new type.
"I’d love to bring this on camping trips. I hope I can get permission."
"Leaving the bread aside, can you even bring wine with you?"
"Yeah, a decent amount of wine is provided in leather pouches. During expeditions, our meals are incredibly basic—mostly black bread, dried meat, and soup with dried vegetables. For snacks, we get cheese, nuts, and dried fruits. It’s the same thing over and over again."
"I see..."
Given the practicality required for travel, such a diet made sense, but it sounded monotonous and unappealing.
While it was possible to make cheese fondue over a campfire, it would likely burn easily if done wrong.
"If there’s a village or town nearby, we can sometimes enjoy good food there. But most of the time, monsters appear near borders or in the mountains. We sometimes hunt beasts or monsters to eat, but it’s usually just roasted with some salt and pepper. With this and some cheese, even that black bread might taste better..."
As he spoke, Volf continued eating. The bottle of white wine he’d opened was already empty.
Looking at his plate, she noticed he had only eaten exactly half, likely out of consideration for her.
Since he clearly enjoyed the meal, she wanted him to eat more freely.
"Please don’t hold back, Volf. I’ll bring more bread and vegetables. We also have plenty of what we bought today."
"Sorry about this… I’ll leave a large silver coin later."
"Don’t be ridiculous. If you do that, I’ll have to pay a referral fee to Goddess’ Right Eye."
"I can’t accept that. Besides, Ozwald was waiting for you in the first place."
"But if I hadn't gone with you today, I definitely wouldn't have gone on my own."
"That might be true, but still..."
When his words trailed off, she quickly handed him another bottle of white wine.
"Go ahead and open this, and keep eating. I'll bring more."
"...I'm sorry, thank you.".
Afterward, she brought additional food and, while discussing enchantments on daggers, the two of them continued their meal.
Volf even helped with the cleanup afterward, quickly carrying dishes and washing them with practiced ease. He explained he was used to it from camping, surprising Dahlia with how efficient he was.
By the time they finished eating, night had fallen. Through the window, the white moon stood bright in the sky.
The cool night breeze gently wafted into the room.
"Should I bring another bottle of wine?"
"To be honest, part of me wants to stay and chat a bit longer, but another part of me says I should leave before I impose too much."
Volf said this with a slight hint of discomfort.
"I have it pretty free as a commoner, but what about your side?"
"Completely free. I’ve gone out with friends and stayed at taverns all night before."
In this capital, commoners had fairly relaxed and flexible rules when it came to relationships.
Many families were open to the idea of traveling with a lover or fiancée, and it was not uncommon for couples to live together before marriage and have children without officially registering their union. There were also those who enjoyed love and friendship without feeling the need to settle down.
There was also a fair amount of infidelity, divorce, and remarriage.
"Um…"
"Uhm..."
Both of them spoke up at the same time, but then immediately stopped.
After a few seconds of silence, Volf broke the tension.
"Ah... this is going to sound really rude, but, Dahlia, do you, in the general sense, want me to flirt with you?"
"Not at all."
Dahlia responded immediately. She looked straight at Volf and asked in return.
"Do you… want me to flirt with you?"
"I don't. I sincerely apologize for asking such an inappropriate question. I know you're not like that, but I did hesitate a little about whether I should be genuinely happy that you allowed me in here."
"I also apologize. I didn't think it was the case, but I did consider there might be some danger with you, Volf."
They found themselves bowing apologetically to each other, creating quite an awkward sight.
"I just want to say, I do think you are a very attractive woman, Dahlia. You're cute, smart, and our conversations are really enjoyable..."
Volf paused for a moment, placing the back of his hand against his lips. Then, as if shifting his thoughts, he opened his mouth to speak again.
"Am I completely not your type, then? After all, from the moment we first met, I’ve been the one constantly being helped. Today, I even had you go buy the ale, couldn’t protect you from some guy hitting on you, and I’ve been mooching off you for a meal... I’m pretty much a net negative at this point."
"No, I do think you're attractive, Volf. But it's not so much about preferences. For me, there was the broken engagement, and then there's the fact that I find my work as a magical toolmaker enjoyable..."
Dahlia reflected on the past, putting into words the thoughts that had been lingering in her mind.
"I just can't bring myself to feel like dating anymore."
"Me neither. Relationships seem like too much trouble."
With those words, they both visibly relaxed, smiling in relief.
Afterward, they looked at each other's faces in silence and shared a wry smile. It was a gaze devoid of any trace of romance.
However, with this, they were finally able to clearly express what they had been thinking.
"Can we be friends who can talk about magic swords and magical tools?"
"Yeah, gladly!"
Wolf broke into his brightest smile, and they opened a new bottle of white wine and toasted.
For some reason, after that, they toasted again—one for the magic swords and another for the magical tools—and ended up cracking their wine glasses in the process.
Volf apologized profusely and promised to bring new glasses the next time he visited.
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