Chapter 118 - The Magical Toolmaker’s Teacher
In the afternoon, Dahlia visited Ozwald’s mansion with Ivano.
The mansion, located near the central zone of the noble district, was much larger than she had imagined.
Surrounded by gray walls, the property featured a beautiful lawn and a white-painted building. It was undeniably noble in every way.
Following the guide inside, Dahlia found herself surrounded by high-end furnishings and decorations.
Walking down the hallway, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy, wondering if she should even be walking on such pristine floors with her shoes on.
Ozwald’s workshop, located within the mansion, was more like a separate studio.
Connected to the main building by a covered walkway, it stood independently on the garden side.
The first large room they entered was explained to be a resting area.
It had a large table, chairs, and a sofa big enough for a nap.
Ivano, Ozwald’s third wife Elmelinda, and a maid would wait there.
Ivano had come solely to accompany Dahlia.
He insisted that he had brought documents and that it wouldn’t interfere with company business, but Dahlia still felt guilty. She needed to hire more staff soon so that someone else could accompany her.
“We’ll activate an anti-eavesdropper, but if anything unexpected happens, feel free to open the door at any time.”
“I’ll pray that neither of you collapses.”
Ozwald’s words made Ivano lower his tone slightly as he responded.
Remembering her father with those words, Dahlia stepped into the adjacent room.
The workshop was spacious. The floor area alone was easily ten times that of the tower.
The dark gray marble floor, the pristine, glossy white walls without a single stain. The furniture and furnishings were unified in black and silver, creating a refined atmosphere.
Light streamed in through large windows, brightening the room.
Two walls were lined with black shelves reaching from floor to ceiling, filled with books, magic-sealing boxes, and glass or metal cases.
Everything was likely either a magical tool or a material. The dense magical energy flowing through the room was palpable.
Through the windows, Dahlia could see a green lawn and flower beds blooming with red and white salvias. The small, brightly colored flowers were charming.
Noticing her gaze, Ozwald also looked at the flower beds.
“I planted these for my son, but he doesn’t pick them anymore.”
“Is it because he liked to suck the nectar from the salvias?”
“Yes, my eldest son loved sucking the nectar, so I ended up planting more. Later, Caterina scolded me for it.”
Dahlia recalled the taste of the nectar of the salvia flowers that bloomed in their garden from her childhood.
It was comforting to think that Ozwald, too, had once experienced a childlike era.
“Did you also do that as a child?”
“During my student days, I learned it from Carlo-san when we were gathering. He recommended salvias, honeysuckle, and milk vetch.”
What exactly had her father taught Ozwald? And why was Ozwald teaching his son the same thing?
Despite both being nobles, their exchange of information was surprisingly casual.
“Didn’t Carlo-san teach you?”
“...He did.”
“I preferred milk vetch the most. Now I use bottled honey, but honestly, it doesn’t compare to the taste back then. I suppose it’s because it’s not as fresh.”
Ozwald’s casual remark made it hard for Dahlia to suppress a laugh.
“Shall we begin the lesson?”
Dahlia sat in the chair pulled out for her, while Ozwald took the seat across the table.
“What did you call Carlo-san in the workshop?”
“I just called him ‘Dad.’ My senior apprentice always called him ‘Master.’”
A small, thorn-like memory surfaced.
”When you get married, will Tobias call me ‘Dad’ or stick with ‘Master’?”
Carlo’s cheerful face flashed through her mind.
Shaking off the memory, Dahlia asked the man in front of her.
“Um, should I call you ‘Professor’ here, Ozwald-san?”
She had already been told she wasn’t an apprentice, but calling him by his name felt odd given her role as a learner.
“Professor” was the first thing that came to mind.
“‘Professor’... What a fresh sound.”
The man narrowed his silver eyes and smiled gracefully.
“Please think of me as a poor student and feel free to call me by my name.”
“Then, Dahlia, I’ll treat you as a ‘model student’ and teach you accordingly. However, I seem to have some issues with my teaching methods... A few apprentices have quit, so please let me know if anything bothers you.”
Recalling the thick stack of flashcards for royal castle etiquette, she found herself oddly convinced. Ozwald’s standards were likely too high for most.
“First, let me give you this.”
“A magic tome...!”
Dahlia couldn’t help but exclaim in excitement.
From the magic-sealing box, Ozwald pulled out a thick, dark red leather-bound book.
The cover was embedded with a beautiful red magic stone, surrounded by intricate magic circles.
“It’s called that, but it’s more like a blank notebook. Set a Blood-Bond on the magic stone so only you can open it. I’ve embedded fire magic, so if anyone tries to force it open, it will burn instantly.”
“It will burn instantly...?”
The design and mechanism made for secrecy made her heart race.
She had heard of books enchanted with fire magic, but this was her first time seeing one. From the moment she received it, she couldn’t take her eyes off it, even checking the back and spine.
“You seem fascinated. Don’t you have one already?”
“No, this is my first time seeing one in person.”
Borrowing a silver needle from Ozwald, Dahlia pricked her left pinky. The slight pain didn’t bother her at all.
She let a drop of blood fall onto the red magic stone, spreading it with her magic and waiting for it to absorb.
The magic circles glowed brightly once, then slowly faded.
“The Blood-Bond is complete. Now, write down what you want to learn in it. By the way, how do you currently store your ideas and design drafts?”
“I write them in a notebook or on paper and keep them in a leather case.”
“Is that case a magical tool?”
“No, it’s just a regular document case stored on a shelf in my workshop.”
Ozwald’s expression turned grim.
Dahlia wondered if she said something wrong, but nothing came to mind.
“That seems a bit careless. You should store them in a dedicated safe. What did Carlo-san do?”
“Well, he just left piles of notes on his desk with random materials as paperweights. He also tossed some into a wooden box under his desk.”
“It’s clear that you and Carlo-san were surrounded only by trustworthy people...”
Thinking about it, Dahlia realized she had no sense of secrecy.
Her workshop was only frequented by her father, herself, and Tobias.
The occasional visitors were all long-time acquaintances. She had never felt any sense of danger before, nor had she ever taken any precautions.
“As your company grows, you’ll need to be more vigilant about intruders and visitors. I recommend thoroughly securing your residence and managing product information.”
“Thank you, I’ll be careful.”
The first lesson had turned out to be about security rather than magical tools. As Dahlia pondered this, Ozwald’s silver gaze turned to her left hand.
“That ring is a magical tool, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s an anti-poison ring.”
“Just anti-poison?”
“Yes.”
The golden ring on her left hand was the anti-poison ring Volf had given her.
She had been wearing it more often lately, as dining out had become more frequent.
Ozwald walked over to the wall shelf and returned with a small silver magic-sealing box.
Inside was a slender golden bracelet.
“For your protection, take this. It’s second-hand, but it’s quite effective. It provides complete anti-poison, anti-confusion, anti-petrification, and resistance to sleeping drugs, paralyzing agents, and even love potions. As a company head, it’s better to be safe.”
“Um, is all that really necessary?”
“Even if a little something is added to their drinks or meals, nobles are either accustomed to it or have countermeasures in place, so it’s not a problem. Some are willing to take rather extreme measures if it benefits their house, and there are even those who treat setting traps as a hobby. If a lamb were to wander into that circle, it might very well end up neatly prepared for the feast.”
“A lamb...”
In this world, adulthood began at sixteen, and Dahlia had been an adult for several years now.
Even so, it seemed that, for now, she was still considered a “lamb.”
She had her past life’s memories, but realizing just how naive she still was, she found herself gazing into the distance.
“You can’t prepare for everything, but it’s safer to wear this when dealing with nobles.”
As Ozwald handed her the bracelet, Dahlia felt an unexpected fluctuation of magic and examined it closely.
From the outside, it appeared to be a simple gold bracelet, but on the inside, there were small stones in white, black, red, and green embedded in it.
“Professor, what are these materials?”
“The base is gold for durability. The white is unicorn horn, the black is bicorn horn, the red is fire dragon scale, and the green is forest serpent heart.”
“...Amazing...!”
The bracelet was packed with rare materials.
She checked the materials on the inside and found herself captivated by the surrounding magical circuits. Such fine craftsmanship was rare.
“...Um, how much does this cost?”
“The material cost at the time it was made was about fifteen gold coins. I’ll lend it to you, so return it once you can make one yourself.”
Even if it was a loan, the material cost was daunting. The selling price would easily be double that.
“I can’t possibly borrow something so valuable...”
“I should have explained earlier, but handling rare materials will require this even for a magical toolmaker. If you were to become confused or fall asleep while working here, it would be a problem for me.”
Now that he mentioned it, it made sense.
If Dahlia were to suffer any status ailments here, it would be a huge inconvenience for Ozwald.
“How long will it take for me to make one myself?”
“With your current skills, perhaps one to several years. I’ll expect your best efforts.”
“I’ll work hard to return it as soon as possible...”
Though Ozwald spoke cheerfully, Dahlia felt immense pressure.
Perhaps this pressure was why some apprentices had quit.
“Um... are you sure the previous owner is okay with this?”
“They no longer need it. Oh, if the fact that it’s second-hand bothers you, I can make a new one.”
“No, that’s not it...”
Based on her experience so far, Dahlia felt it was better not to ask further.
For all she knew, it might have belonged to one of the apprentices who had quit.
As she averted her gaze in silence, the man in front of her smiled knowingly.
“You don’t need to worry. It was a gift to a woman I was involved with, and she returned it when we parted ways.”
Another landmine.
Why did he feel the need to explain things that didn’t require explanation? It was hard to keep a straight face.
However, it seemed the rumors of Ozwald’s many romances were true.
In the end, he had ended up with three wives, so while his romantic life might have been tumultuous, he had achieved success in love.
As Dahlia desperately tried to think of a response, Ozwald continued nonchalantly.
“If there’s no lingering attachment, then it’s just a tool.”
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