~LFTV 05~

Chapter 5

“Lord Kalias! What are the eggs in the pantry for?”

“They’re from some research I was doing earlier.”

“Are they safe to eat?”

“Yes.”

“Nothing poisonous in them?”

“Not particularly dangerous.”

Despite his nonchalant reply, Daisy clenched her fists in excitement.

“Got it! So, I can really do as I please?”

“Sure.”

“I thought we’d starve since the pantry was empty, but luckily there are ingredients!”

Daisy returned to the kitchen with a much lighter heart.

On the countertop lay a single egg about the size of a fist, looking like the most ordinary of all the eggs.

“For lunch today… I’ll make sweet French toast to suit the baby tastes of the infant Great Mage!”

Since he apparently liked sweet things, she decided to start with something sugary.

‘The ingredients we have are perfect too.’

Daisy moved quickly.

She cracked the egg into a large bowl, added honey and water, and whisked them together.

“Milk would have made it even more flavorful… but we don’t have any of that here.”

She cut a large piece of bread she found in a cupboard corner and let it soak in the mixture—preparation complete.

An hour later, Daisy checked the bread in the bowl. The two pieces were sitting side by side, snug against each other.

“Let’s see if it worked.”

She poked the bread with a fork; the inside was soft, moist, and a bit of egg mixture oozed out.

Daisy smiled in satisfaction.

“It’s soaked through. Prepping complete!”

Now all that was left was to cook the bread slowly over medium-low heat until it turned a delicious golden brown.

One bite and it would melt in the mouth—a soft, perfectly cooked French toast.

Unlike regular French toast with sugar, using honey gave it a richer flavor.

‘I hope eating this will help him grow and maybe even cure my illness.’

Daisy silently hoped as she split the two plump pieces onto separate plates.

The gentle aroma of honey made her mouth water.

“Lord Kalias, you have to eat it before it cools! Come on, quickly!”

Daisy managed to drag Kalias out of the lab, where he had been gloomily muttering to himself.

“Daring to disturb my research?”

Kalias stomped his short legs in anger, but Daisy didn’t flinch an inch.

“If you skip meals, you’ll pass out again. You have to eat while doing your work.”

“…”

Since he had learned the hard way before, Kalias kept his mouth shut like honey stuck to his lips.

Daisy carefully seated him in a chair and spoke soothingly.

“This is bread soaked in sweet egg mixture and baked. It should suit your taste perfectly.”

“If it’s not edible, there will be consequences.”

“Just try it first, then judge.”

“…Fine.”

Kalias took the fork with a menacing expression, picked up a small piece of French toast, and chewed.

His chubby cheeks moved adorably as he ate.

After swallowing, he said:

“Hmph, not bad.”

Daisy thought to herself:

‘Of course—nobody dislikes sweet French toast.’

Especially for someone with a child’s taste like Kalias!

She was smiling when a soft pop! sound came from Kalias’ side.

Daisy looked at him and slightly parted her lips.

“Oh? Lord Kalias, have you grown a bit taller again?”

Kalias murmured, somewhat surprised.

“My magic has increased slightly as well. Seems your cooking works.”

“Really? Then eat more! Finish all the food I gave you!”

Daisy eagerly encouraged him, and Kalias finished his plate without complaint…

Well, until the vegetables on the side remained.

“I’m done.”

“That’s not done! You still have carrots and lettuce. I dug those out of the storage myself, so you must eat them.”

Kalias responded firmly to Daisy’s remark:

“You’re saying there was such a thing in my pantry? Impossible. They probably weren’t meant for eating.”

“Excuse me? Why wouldn’t carrots and lettuce be edible? Lord Kalias, vegetables are important for your health!”

“Eating things that make you unhappy is worse for your health.”

It was a poor excuse. For Daisy, a child refusing vegetables was unacceptable.

“No! Green vegetables must be eaten at every meal! That’s how you grow strong!”

Kalias frowned, clearly irritated by her long lecture.

“Don’t talk nonsense about green vegetables. I don’t want to eat them!”

“But—”

“I hate vegetables!”

His defiance, perfectly clear despite his small tongue, made Daisy drop her jaw in shock.

‘The greatest mage on the continent is throwing a childlike tantrum over food? Has his body regressed so much that his brain has too? This is pure child behavior.’

At that exact moment…

Pop!

Another small explosion sounded where Kalias had been sitting.

And…

“My mommy got smaller too. Daisy, what do I look like to your eyes?”

Kalias’ slurred question made Daisy respond slowly.

“…You’ve grown younger. Much younger than before.”

Kalias had turned into a baby of about three years old.

“What on earth is happening?”

“I don’t know either.”

“Eek, I’ve gotten even younger! My magic is decreasing too!”

Kalias threw the fork he was struggling to hold with his tiny hands.

Perhaps because he had shrunk, his body responded strongly to his emotions.

Tears formed in the corners of his eyes, frustration rising at his humiliation.

“Oh, oh, don’t cry. A good mage… no, a great and mischievous mage must not cry.”

Daisy quickly ran to console the tiny mage.

“You didn’t cry! You only got angry like a lion!”

“Yes, yes, I wasn’t crying. Just furious like a lion,” Daisy muttered, sighing as she tried to calm him. Kalias gnawed his teeth.

“Food slave! What did you do to me?”

“How would I know, Lord Kalias? I’m not a mage who predicts everything.”

“Then at least give a hypothesis! I have no idea what’s going on!”

Daisy grumbled.

“I don’t know! Maybe it’s because you’re being picky! Vegetables are important for growth!”

“Surely my body didn’t shrink just because of that…”

Before Kalias could finish speaking—

Pop!

Another small explosion, accompanied by smoke. Daisy screamed.

“Nooo!”

She felt him shrink even more in her arms.

Kalias also squealed in surprise.

“Goo-goo-gah?”

Daisy shouted:

“See! Every time you’re picky about food, it happens again!”

“Waaah!”

“Exactly! Your body keeps shrinking whenever you throw a tantrum about food!”

Kalias protested:

“Wuuugh, wuu, aah!”

“Don’t talk anymore! If you shrink again, you’ll become a newborn!”

Daisy had no intention of giving baby Kalias a milk bottle.

‘I’ll be a maid, but I’m not doing nurse duties!’

She bit her lip, grabbed him, and dashed to her spot.

And what Daisy did next…

“Waaaah!”

“Lord Kalias, you must swallow these words while I’m speaking.”

…She shoved lettuce into his mouth. Blocking him from spitting it out with her hand was a bonus.

“Ugh! Uu! Uup!”

Daisy threatened the defiant Kalias in a fierce voice.

“If you refuse vegetables, you won’t grow, you’ll only shrink. But… if you eat properly, maybe you’ll grow again?”

“Uu! Uu!”

No matter what curses Kalias spat, Daisy stood firm.

“You better eat while you still have teeth to chew. Otherwise, I’ll have to feed you pureed food…”

Perhaps frightened by the thought, Kalias finally swallowed the vegetables with a frustrated cry. Immediately, his body emitted a bright light.

Shhhaaaa!

A moment later, Daisy cheered.

“See! You’re back!”

Kalias had returned to his pre-meal form.