~LFTV 08~

Chapter 8

Something seemed to have completely twisted his mood—Kallius’ face was plastered with sulkiness. Daisy carefully asked him:

“What’s the matter… is something wrong?”

“It’s noisy. It ruins my appetite.”

In other words, he didn’t like Daisy talking with Pell.

‘Wait… what kind of way of speaking is that toward my benefactor?’

Daisy discreetly glanced at Pell.

Fortunately, Pell got up with a friendly smile, brushing off his seat.

“It seems the little gentleman finds me uncomfortable. I’ll take my leave so the child can enjoy his meal in peace.”

“Yes! Sir Pell, please go safely! I’ll watch over Kallius eating here.”

“Very well. Miss Daisy, have a good day as well.”

—Thud.

No sooner had the door closed than Kallius spoke abruptly:

“That guy… I don’t like him.”

Of course, his face was thoroughly frowning.

“Why?”

“Just… I don’t get a good feeling from him.”

Kallius felt an odd unease from the wandering knight Pell.

‘There’s something familiar but… dirty about him.’

For reasons unknown, he had a sense that this person might one day point a sword at him.

“Ah, come on, why think like that? Kallius, you’ve never liked humans much to begin with. Maybe that’s why you don’t like Sir Pell either?”

“This feels different.”

“You’re just hungry. People get sensitive when they’re hungry.”

Daisy tried to soothe Kallius gently, then offered:

“If you want, would you like another bowl of rice?”

“That… sounds good.”

Kallius, who had been staring blankly at his now-empty bowl, nodded primly. Though pretending disinterest with a nonchalant expression, his hands were already gripping the spoon, ready for a second meal. To Daisy, it was a perfectly satisfying sight.

“Wait a moment, I’ll prepare it right away!”

Daisy dashed to the kitchen, while Kallius, spoon in hand, fell into deep thought again.

‘Pell… I still don’t like him.’

Regardless of his opinion on the egg butter rice, his impression of Pell seemed unlikely to change.

At the village entrance, Daisy, Kallius, and Pell exchanged farewells.

“Thank you for helping me. Thanks to you, I woke up fine without any trouble with my mouth.”

“Sudden fainting isn’t a good sign, so make sure you visit a physician.”

Pell spoke with genuine concern for Daisy’s health.

‘What a beautiful person!’

Daisy’s heart throbbed with warmth at his kindness. She rummaged through her backpack and handed over a small bundle wrapped in paper.

Pell’s eyes widened.

“What’s this?”

“Sandwiches. You said you were heading to the next town today. You’ll be hungry, so have these along the way.”

“When did you make all this…?”

“Hehe, I made them while preparing Kallius’ breakfast today.”

Even though it was an act of goodwill, Daisy’s conscience couldn’t allow her to remain silent. So she prepared these sandwiches with all the care she could muster.

‘I pressed all my gratitude into these.’

Her heart could be given freely—that part was free!

“I don’t know if it’s perfect, but I hope your knightly duties go well… and that you grow to the level you wish, sincerely!”

Pell gratefully accepted Daisy’s thoughtful gift.

“Thank you. I’ll eat them with pleasure.”

“Yes. They’re delicious, so you can look forward to it.”

With that, Daisy and Pell waved goodbye. It was truly time to part ways.

Pell rode off on his horse, and Daisy, carrying her pack with Kallius, headed into the western forest.

“Let’s go home!”

“Don’t collapse again along the way.”

“I won’t for the next month.”

“Your condition is strange. It needs research.”

“Finally feeling motivated, isn’t that a bit late?”

“Be grateful you feel it at all.”

They walked along the forest path, bickering, but the way home was enjoyable all the same.

Life in the tower was busier than expected. Since Kallius couldn’t use magic, dust accumulated everywhere and chores piled up.

The one who had to handle all of it was the tower’s only guest—Daisy.

“Ugh, am I a maid now? Cooking, cleaning, taking care of him… and today window repairs too…”

She grumbled while enjoying her momentary peace.

The door suddenly swung open, and a small boy appeared.

“Huh? Kallius? What is it?”

“This.”

Kallius handed Daisy an enormous egg, roughly the size of a human head.

Its deep red surface, metallic-like sheen, and immense size…

Daisy’s eyes went wide.

“What is this?”

She had seen this egg before.

‘The biggest one from the food storage egg bundles!’

“This is what we’ll have for today’s meal.”

“Ew… that looks a bit gross to eat…”

Its size alone was intimidating, and its metallic appearance had never made her consider cooking it.

“Does it have to be this one?”

“Yes. I must eat this egg.”

“It’s too big for the two of us…”

“Really? Then we can make a variety of dishes with it since it’s huge.”

Kallius said his piece and disappeared as quickly as he had appeared, leaving only the deep red egg behind.

Daisy stared at it hopelessly.

“Ugh… do I really have to cook this?”

The answer was obvious.

For the first time, Kallius had asked her to make something.

So she had to do it.

‘Even if it looks suspicious!’

“Ugh! What is this thing?”

Daisy slammed the egg down, letting out a scream.

“The shell is too hard!”

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t crack it.

“But if I smash it with a hammer… some shell fragments might get inside, so that’s not ideal.”

After some thought, Daisy decided to make boiled eggs.

“We’ll boil it fully, then scoop out the insides to make sandwiches or salad.”

Boiling seemed the best option for now.

“Here goes!”

Daisy brought out the largest pot in the kitchen.

—Bubble bubble.

Steam and heat began rising with round bubbles.

“Done! Time to put it in!”

She dropped the heavy egg into the pot and slammed the lid shut. Somehow, it felt satisfying. She wiped sweat from her forehead.

“It’s so big, I’ll need to boil it for an hour. Hope it turns out perfect.”

She flipped over a one-hour hourglass and began tackling the backlog of kitchen chores.

Time flowed peacefully… until—

—Clang! Clatter!

The heavy iron pot lid shook violently!

“Ah! You scared me!”

Daisy jumped up in shock while scrubbing the kitchen tiles, startled by the thundering sound of the lid.

—Clang, clatter, rattle, bang!

It was deafening, like thunder close by. Chaos reigned.

‘So noisy! Is the water overflowing?’

Covering her ears, Daisy approached the pot. With oven mitts, she grabbed the violently shaking lid and opened it.

—Hiss!

Steam poured out, filling the kitchen with a thick, white haze.

‘Ouch, it’s hot!’

She wiped her face with her sleeve from the intense heat.

Some time passed…

—Chirp chirp.

A small sound tickled her ears.

‘What’s that? Why is the pot making that sound?’

She peeked inside the steaming pot…

“What… what?! The egg! Where did it go?!”

The egg had vanished. Instead, a small dragon poked its head out, staring at Daisy.

Its deep red scales glimmered as it stuck out its long tongue and chirped adorably at her.

—“Kuuu? Mama?”