Chapter 147 - Head of the Adventurers Guild Materials Management Department
In the reception room on the second floor, a man with chestnut hair was already waiting.
The door was half open so his figure could be seen from outside—likely a courtesy because she was a woman. A guild security guard stood beside the door.
The man with chestnut hair was Jean Tasso, Head of the Adventurers Guild Materials Management Department.
She had met him before, when he visited the Merchant Guild with Augusto to arrange the production of five-toed socks and shoe insoles.
At that meeting, he had bluntly told her, “List every material you want, and anything you might use for development.”
It had been a bit of a shock, but once she understood the reason, she understood why he acted that way.
Jean himself had gone to procure kraken for use in her father Carlo’s water heater, and sand lizard for use in hair dryers.
When she had been making waterproof cloth, he had apparently been troubled by the mountain of blue slimes he had to manage.
His relentless work collecting and managing materials had ended up straining his family relationships. He had divorced not long after his marriage, and even after remarrying, his wife and child had gone back to her parents’ home—just hearing it made her feel sorry for him.
Frankly, Jean had every right to resent the Rossetti family—she had even thought so herself.
When she gave a small bow and stepped inside, Jean set his papers aside and rose from his chair.
“Welcome, Chairwoman Rossetti. I’ve heard you’ve been appointed as the official supplier to the Monster Subjugation Force and as their adviser—my congratulations.”
First Ozwald, now Jean—just how did they get their information so fast?
Dahlia steeled herself, composed her expression, and returned the courtesy.
“Thank you for your kind words. I am still inexperienced, but I will devote myself wholeheartedly, so I ask for your continued support.”
Jean gave a faint nod, then stepped back from the desk.
“Once again—I must apologize for my rudeness last time.”
“No, please, there’s no need to apologize. Please raise your head!”
She hurriedly tried to stop Jean, who was bowing at a perfect ninety degrees. Once he did, she returned the apology herself.
“I too must apologize. Even if I didn’t know, I caused you great trouble regarding the magic tool materials. And about your family as well...”
“No, last time was entirely me taking my frustrations out on you. Honestly, I must have been out of my mind during that meeting... It’s pathetic how two all-nighters can do that to you.”
From Jean’s mouth came a disturbingly casual statement.
She knew all too well how badly judgment suffered after two nights without sleep. The memory of her own past life made her mouth taste bitter.
Unable to think of any comforting words, she decided to simply continue her apology.
“Chief Tasso, as an apology from the Rossetti family, would you please accept this?”
Normally, she would have made the apology together with her father Carlo, but now she was the only one left.
After some thought, she had brought two compact magic stoves, two scarves, and a slightly higher-grade brandy, all wrapped neatly.
“I should be the one apologizing—but thank you for your thoughtfulness. I accept it gratefully. As for me, please just call me Jean. After all, I am the one who will be making requests of you.”
“Thank you. Then please call me Dahlia. I hope we can consult together about materials in the future.”
“If it’s something I can answer, please feel free to come to me anytime.”
After the slightly long exchange of greetings, they finally sat down.
Jean touched the package containing the compact magic stove she had given him, and thanked her again.
But when he noticed the thin cloth wrapping the fire magic stones placed on top of the package, his brow furrowed slightly.
His reddish-yellow eyes lowered for a moment before turning back to her, just a touch hesitant.
“Chairwoman Rosetti—no, Lady Dahlia—I mean no offense, but... You might want to avoid attaching fire magic stones separately on top of the package. For some, it could be misunderstood.”
“Huh? Oh, no, that’s not what I meant at all!”
She raised her voice a notch in her haste to reply.
Right before leaving, she had thought it might be convenient for him to have some in stock, so she had attached two fire magic stones wrapped in thin cloth to the outside of the package.
In this country, throwing a fire magic stone into someone’s chest was a metaphor for falling in love.
Because of that, giving a fire magic stone by itself to someone you fancied could be taken to mean, “I want you to fall in love with me.”
Dahlia had completely forgotten about that custom she had heard of back in her school days.
More accurately, since she had never received or given one, it had never even crossed her mind.
“Um! When I give gifts to other people, I promise I’ll never attach them!”
“...Lady Dahlia, please calm down. I won’t misunderstand, but those words just now, well...”
“...Ugh.”
She almost buried her face in her hands, but managed to resist halfway and forced her posture back into proper form.
If she blushed here, it could truly cause the misunderstanding she wanted to avoid.
Dahlia struggled to steady her breathing in an effort to calm herself. She managed to suppress the redness in her face, but her eyes grew a little watery.
“...I am truly, deeply sorry for the misunderstanding.”
“No, please, let’s both forget it. I’ll forget as well. By the way, Lady Dahlia, have you ever been told you resemble your father?”
“I have been told so quite often...”
“I see. That explains it.”
She had no idea what exactly explained what, but she was grateful Jean had smoothly shifted the topic. She decided to follow suit and bring up another subject herself.
“I’ve prepared a list of materials that may be used for my next magical tool production. If it’s not too much trouble, could you review it when you have the time?”
“Thank you, that will be very helpful. Regarding green slimes, I’ve already received detailed information from Fortunato-sama. At present, we’re planning a large-scale expansion of the slime breeding facility.”
As expected of Fortunato, the head of the Tailors Guild—his efficiency was unmatched.
And the Adventurers Guild, already planning to expand the breeding facility, was just as quick.
“The slime breeding facility... If I recall, it’s east of the royal capital?”
“Yes. At present, about seventy percent of it is dedicated to blue slimes. If you’d like, would you care to visit the facility in person?”
“Would that be alright?!”
She couldn’t help leaning forward at the offer.
She had always wanted to visit it at least once—ideally, to also study the slime towers in detail.
“Of course. You seem... quite interested.”
“I’m sorry... but I’ve always wanted to go.”
Unable to hide the childlike excitement in her voice, Dahlia made Jean stifle a laugh—and fail.
Murmuring an apology for his rudeness, he turned his face away and struggled to get his laughter under control.
Thanks to that, whatever tension lingered between them completely vanished.
“For the slime facility tour, if you’d like, perhaps Scalfarotto-sama could join you as well? It might be useful to get his perspective by comparing them with the slimes he’s seen on expeditions.”
“Thank you. I’ll check his schedule and let you know.”
If she could tour the place with Volf, it would be even more enjoyable. She decided then and there to send him a letter as soon as she returned to the tower.
“Now then, on to the materials. These are from a bicorn—a mutated purple specimen. It includes the horn, magic core, hide, bones, and hooves.”
From the wagon behind him, Jean brought out a large silver magic-sealing box.
When he opened the lid, a viscous sort of mana rose from within. Perhaps it had illusory properties as well, for the black horn of the bicorn appeared faintly distorted at the edges.
This was the kind of thing she felt would be dangerous to handle before consulting Ozwald on the proper method.
Once the inspection was over, Jean firmly closed the lid of the magic-sealing box and tied it shut with a cord.
“This box is a bit heavy, so I’ll have one of our staff carry it to your carriage.”
But just as he was about to return it to the wagon, Jean suddenly swayed.
He caught himself by grabbing the desk, but for a moment he couldn’t move.
“Jean-san! Are you all right?!”
“...I’m fine. My apologies—just felt a bit lightheaded.”
Looking closely, his face was extremely pale. The veins on the back of his hand, still braced on the desk, stood out clearly.
“I know it’s not really my place to say this, but please, take care of your health.”
“Thank you for your concern. But I’m fine. I’m sturdy, and I’ve never once collapsed before.”
Those exact same words... She knew someone who had said them.
A heavy, constricting feeling gripped her chest as Dahlia looked at him intently.
“...My father used to say the exact same thing.”
“What?”
“No matter how often I warned him about his unhealthy habits, he’d insist, ‘I’m strong, and I’ve never once collapsed.’ He had never been ill a day in his life—until the day he collapsed at the Merchant Guild... and never came home.”
“...My condolences.”
“No, that’s not it. What I mean is... the family left behind suffers.”
She wasn’t sure how best to convey it. To someone who wasn’t a friend or relative, it might just seem meddlesome or annoying—but she still couldn’t leave it unsaid.
“Thank you for your concern, Lady Dahlia. But in my case, my family left home just last week, so there’s no problem... Ah, it really has nothing to do with the matter regarding your family, so please don’t trouble yourself. It’s purely a personal matter of mine.”
“Um... Jean-san...”
“I thought I’d been doing what I could for them... but I suppose I simply wasn’t attractive enough as a man.”
Jean muttered those words almost to himself, and for a moment, Dahlia saw her own reflection in him—herself on the day her engagement had been broken.
She, too, had thought she was doing what she could. She had tried her best to be someone needed.
Yet her feelings hadn’t reached the other side; all her efforts had spun uselessly in a one-way flow.
She had told herself it was because she lacked charm as a woman—she couldn’t count how many times she’d thought that. In truth, perhaps she still believed it even now.
“My apologies, I went off topic. Living alone without a care is quite pleasant, really. If I have any trouble at all, it’s that I lack a drinking companion... Oh, right—the black slime you were looking for. I’ll need you to wait a little longer. I’ll catch it myself. I was once an upper-ranked adventurer, so you needn’t worry.”
“Please, there’s no hurry. Just... take care of yourself.”
As Jean rushed to change the subject, Dahlia suddenly remembered something.
There was someone else who had been looking for a drinking partner. And if Jean had been a former adventurer, he might be able to handle that strong liquor.
“Um... Jean-san, do you drink Scorpio?”
Scorpio was a potent spirit, with a whole scorpion resting at the bottom of the bottle.
“Yes, it’s one of my favorites...”
It seemed the drink suited his tastes; the corners of his mouth lifted in a neat smile.
“Ozwald-san—rather, Chairman Zola—apparently enjoys it very much.”
“Chairman Zola drinks Scorpio? That’s unexpected.”
“He told me it’s hard to find someone to share it with. If you don’t mind, could I introduce you?”
“That’s most kind of you. Conversations with the Chairmen are always very enlightening.”
Jean’s smile was likely his professional, businesslike one.
Even so, Dahlia quickly arranged for someone to check if Ozwald was still in the guild and, if so, to have them meet.
When her own engagement had been broken, she had been helped immensely by those around her.
She didn’t want Jean to have to struggle with his troubles alone.
Though she couldn’t do much herself and it felt like she was just handing him off to Ozwald, she still hoped it might help.
She’d heard that when Ozwald’s wife had left him, he had spoken with her father, Carlo.
Perhaps Jean, too, might find it easier to talk or vent to Ozwald.
Before long, a staff member brought in Ozwald and his wife.
When Dahlia mentioned the Scorpio, Ozwald smiled warmly.
“Allow me to introduce myself properly. I’m Ozwald Zola, Chairman of the Zola Company. We’ve dealt with each other in business several times, but I believe this is the first time we’ve truly spoken face-to-face, Department Head Jean Tasso.”
“I’m honored you remembered my name, Chairman Zola.”
Perhaps because they were already acquainted, their greetings were cordial and relaxed, and Dahlia felt a weight lift from her shoulders.
“As this is a personal introduction from Chairwoman Rossetti herself, let’s skip the formalities. How about we, as men, share a drink of Scorpio? I have the white, black, and red varieties at home. I’d also love to hear some tales from your adventuring days, Department Head Tasso.”
“Thank you. I’d be delighted.”
“Do you have any free evenings coming up?”
“I’m free for the next four days.”
“Then let’s make it the day after tomorrow. I’ll have a carriage sent to the guild at the end of the workday.”
As expected from a man with such long experience as a company chairman, Ozwald had arranged the drinking party in no time at all.
After exchanging farewells, they all left the reception room.
Dahlia headed for the stables to return to her tower. Ozwald and his wife were also leaving for home, so they went together as far as the carriage terminal.
The magic-sealing box had already been loaded into the carriage by the staff, so the only thing she carried was her leather document case.
“Lady Dahlia, thank you for introducing me to Department Head Tasso. I’d always admired adventurers when I was a boy, so I’m truly looking forward to hearing his stories.”
“You admired adventurers, Ozwald-san?”
They had been chatting as they walked, but Dahlia almost came to a stop.
Ozwald had always struck her as a calm, composed man—someone who must have been aiming to be a mage or a magical toolmaker since childhood. Adventurer was about the last thing she expected.
“It was a dream I could never reach... reflexes, you see.”
His voice drifted away into the distance, and Dahlia hesitated, unsure if she should laugh or not.
At that moment, Elmelinda spoke up.
“My husband simply loves adventurer stories. He even listens when I tell the same ones over and over again.”
“Adventurer stories?”
“Ah, I haven’t mentioned it, have I? My Elmelinda here used to be an adventurer herself—an upper–rank one, in fact.”
“An upper–rank adventurer... that’s impressive, Elmelinda-sama.”
Upper–rank meant she had the skill to take down powerful monsters. Looking at her now, graceful and refined like a noblewoman, it was hard to picture—but she must have been formidable in her day.
“Thank you. But back then, I was reckless far too often.”
If she fought such dangerous monsters, she must indeed have pushed herself beyond reason.
Even so, seeing her smile now, radiantly happy beside Ozwald, Dahlia thought this was where she truly belonged.
“She’s far stronger than I am. When we go out, she can even serve as my guard. A beautiful, strong wife.”
Though his words brimmed with confidence, his silver eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
Dahlia found it curious, but they soon parted ways with polite bows, each heading for their own carriage.
And just as he was moving away, the silver–eyed man lowered his voice to a murmur.
“The one thing we try to avoid... is quarrel as husband and wife.”
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