~LFTV 03~

Chapter 3

The little one—no, Kallius—objected.

“No way! It’s not like I can’t use it at all!”

“You didn’t even have the strength to climb the tower on your own, so you had me carry you up.”

“Ugh!”

Recalling the humiliation from just a moment ago, Kallius’s chubby cheeks puffed up indignantly.

“…The amount of magic I can use has dropped drastically, puny one.”

Then Kallius stretched out his stubby fingers and formed a perfect circle of light.

“Look at this! I can still use magic!”

“But that’s all you can do, isn’t it?”

According to the story’s original settings, Kallius was supposed to have the power to split seas and overturn lands! Yet now he could barely make a tiny ball of light, and he couldn’t even maintain it for more than a few seconds!

“Uh, this is a serious problem.”

Seeing Daisy’s worried expression, Kallius finally sighed and confessed.

“To be honest… yes. If this state continues, it’s dangerous. My… my disciples might come after me…”

“That’s right! At this rate, you won’t be able to cure my illness! I need the Grand Mage Kallius, not Little Kallius!”

“…You’re more selfish than I thought.”

“Humans normally live alone.”

At Daisy’s calm retort, Kallius sighed again, waving his hand dismissively.

“True. You’re right. A stupid mortal like you can’t possibly help me anyway.”

Kallius fell into thought for a moment, then finally spoke.

“…You’ll have to stay in my tower for a while.”

Daisy’s face lit up.

“Really? So I won’t have to sleep outside anymore?”

“Yes. I need an assistant, a… no, a… a slave for now. The tower is tall and has many things to manage.”

“Oh, so you need an assistant?”

“No. Not an assistant. A slave!”

“Anything is fine!”

Daisy immediately accepted the offer—she had an ulterior motive.

“But in return, once I’m fully healed, you’ll save the essence of the world for me, right?”

“Huh?”

Kallius shook his head at Daisy’s request.

“I don’t do unprofitable deals like that.”

“Then you can crawl up those tall stairs yourself and do your research! What if you end up stuck as a little one forever…? Ugh, just thinking about it is horrifying!”

“Ughh.”

Kallius’s cheeks puffed out in frustration.

Finally, Kallius relented.

“Fine. If you help me regain my original power, I’ll help you too.”

This was great news—Kallius’s misfortune became Daisy’s fortune.

“Yay! Wonderful! The Grand Mage really is wise!”

Daisy scooped up Kallius and danced around gleefully.

“Put me down! Don’t shake me! I’ll… I’ll—!”

Kallius struggled and shouted, but Daisy, excited beyond reason, didn’t hear his squeaky protests.

“Ah, so cute! Oh, marvelous!”

“You insolent little slave…!”

Thus, Daisy successfully entered the Mage Tower.

“Kallius! Kallius!”

Knock knock knock! Knock knock knock!

Daisy pounded on the door of Kallius’s study.

It had already been two days since Kallius, with Daisy’s help, had entered the research room.

“Kallius! How’s the work going?”

He had gone in saying, “This problem is trivial, I’ll solve it quickly,” yet there was no sign of him.

As the evening approached, Daisy began to worry.

He’s not skipping meals while working, right? His body is still a child’s.

Perhaps because she came from a life where food was sacred, Daisy fretted over Kallius, who was at the age when proper nutrition mattered most.

“If you’re alive, answer me! Kall-i-us!”

Bang bang! Bang bang bang!

Daisy’s knocking grew violent, almost as if it could break the door.

Finally, losing patience, she turned the doorknob.

Creak.

Surprisingly, the door wasn’t locked.

“Kallius, I… I had no choice but to come in because you weren’t opening the door…”

She was halfway into the room, babbling excuses, when her eyes widened in shock.

“Oh my, goodness!”

Daisy screamed as she rushed across the study—there in a corner lay a little figure in a black robe, collapsed.

“K-K-K-Kallius!”

She grabbed the fallen Kallius and shook him vigorously.

“You can’t die! You have to cure my illness! Wake up! Come back to life!”

At her shouting, Kallius’s eyelids fluttered.

“…Noisy. I’m not dying.”

A black gaze slowly revealed itself, accompanied by an annoyed voice. Daisy breathed a sigh of relief.

“Wait, you were awake?”

“Yes. I never lost consciousness for even a moment.”

“Then why are you lying on the floor? The Grand Mage of all mages?”

Kallius answered, but his tiny voice was hard to hear.

“…No strength.”

“Excuse me?”

When Daisy asked again, louder, Kallius scrunched his nose, puffed his cheeks, and finally spoke.

“…I was lying down because I had no strength.”

“Because you had no strength?”

As she tilted her head, a familiar sound reached her ears.

Rumble, grumble.

She immediately understood. Daisy was horrified.

“Kallius, you didn’t… work without eating for three days, did you?”

“The Grand Mage does not concern himself with meals.”

“But right now, you’re not a Grand Mage—you’re a child!”

“Indeed…”

Kallius wanted to argue, but couldn’t. Daisy scooped him up in her arms.

“This won’t do. No matter how busy someone is, they need to eat to live.”

Her eyes blazed with determination.

“Come on, let’s go eat.”

From the freshly made food rose a warm aroma, steam curling upward.

It would’ve been better with sesame oil, but… well, this isn’t Korea.

Daisy clicked her tongue and carried a tray with a bowl of beef porridge out of the kitchen.

Kallius sat at the worn dining table, looking displeased.

“You dare make me wait, slave? My time is more precious than gold.”

He claimed that hunger could be solved with bread.

But Daisy would not tolerate filling his stomach with mere scraps.

“You need warm food to be full and regain strength!”

She slammed the big bowl of porridge in front of Kallius.

“Eat. This is much better than the dried, stale bread in the pantry.”

Kallius stirred the beef porridge with a large wooden spoon.

“…What is this? Looks like pig porridge.”

Daisy, accustomed to his harsh words, was unfazed.

“Half correct. Not pig porridge—it’s food for you, Kallius.”

“What’s in it?”

“Nothing but minced beef and a little rice, boiled together.”

Beef porridge with no vegetables whatsoever. She had wanted to add plenty of finely chopped vegetables for nutrition, but couldn’t.

Why?

There were almost no ingredients left in the pantry. What did you usually eat, Kallius?

Kallius replied solemnly:

“I told you. The Grand Mage does not need to eat.”

“Really? You truly didn’t eat at all?”

“Not completely. Only a few times a month.”

“And then you ate what?”

“A piece of bread.”

“Meat or vegetables?”

Kallius’s face contorted.

“Those things are bothersome. Tasteless. Waste of time.”

“Oh… you’re quite picky about food?”

“Anything bothersome or time-wasting I avoid.”

“How important delicious food is!”

Daisy, who found joy in meals, couldn’t just sit silently.

But after a moment of shock, she sighed and pounded the table.

“Anyway, eat your porridge! Only then will you regain your strength, recover your body, and cure my illness, right?”

Kallius pouted.

“Fine. But only three bites.”

…He really is just a child who refuses to eat.

Daisy swallowed that thought and smiled.

“Good. Make sure to chew thoroughly, okay?”

“…Mhm.”

Kallius reluctantly took a spoonful, hesitated, and then swallowed.

The warm porridge slid down his throat, filling his stomach, and warmth spread to his cold hands and feet.

…Not so bad, actually.

As he took another spoonful, a gentle breeze stirred.

At the same time, Daisy gasped.

“Wait, Kallius? Your body is glowing!”

A faint light, no bigger than a palm, began surrounding him, then erupted into a brilliant blaze, filling the room with intense brightness.

Flash!

“Ah, it’s blinding!”

Daisy couldn’t open her eyes properly for a while.

And the scene that unfolded before her…