Chapter 22
The great archmage Kalanis was like a man trying to hide his baldness in a gale-force wind. He was an exceptional mage. Not a combat mage, mind you—his fighting skills were abysmal—but he'd invented the jet engine, figured out how to refine petroleum into gasoline, developed all sorts of seeds for agriculture, and more. Without him, you couldn't even discuss the magical revolution of the Nine Towers. And yet, he remained unmarried, a bachelor to this day.
People said he was wedded to magic, not a woman.
"......That's fucking bullshit! Like women are lining up for this! Baldness hit me in my twenties! Circular bald spots and an M-shaped receding hairline at the same time! By my early thirties, I was already a shiny-domed monk! God fucking abandoned me! Magic's advanced to flying metal birds and photos zipping thousands of kilometers with one click! So why? Why couldn't they fix my damn hair?!"
And today, I finally grasped the truth behind the rumors. The archmage Kalanis wasn't married to magic.
Magic had married him.
Kalanis didn't ask for tea. He demanded booze. Of course a tourist city like this had plenty, and the moment a bottle of premium whiskey arrived, he put on a masterclass in drowning sorrows—getting royally smashed. He bawled like a child, tears streaming endlessly, before letting out a sigh so deep it seemed to expel his very soul.
"You're the first I've ever told this secret to, Great Sage. Haven't breathed a word to a soul. Always wore a hat. Magicked it in place so it wouldn't fly off in the wind. It's a shameful sight no one can see. Back in my youth, I believed magic would solve it, so I threw myself into research......"
"No progress, huh."
"That goddamn scalp. A few missing hairs ruined my whole life. You must think I'm pathetic, right? This shiny bald pate—doesn't it make you wanna laugh?"
I might have laughed. If I hadn't peered into this man's past like a mirror.
After seeing all his suffering laid bare, I couldn't muster even a chuckle.
"I've seen it all—how hard it's been. How could I laugh?"
"Kuhuhu! Yeah! Thanks for getting it. I can't laugh. I just wanna cry! I wanna cry!"
Another whiskey-fueled wail. I glanced at the archmage, then cautiously sidled up and slung an arm around his shoulders. Kalanis leaned into me and sobbed for a good long while.
For a man, Kalanis had a remarkably delicate soul. That sensitivity fueled his brilliant magical achievements—but it also made his life excruciatingly miserable.
"How long have you suffered in silence? Not even able to tell a soul."
"C-couldn't risk the gossip! Kuhuh!"
"I get it. I get it. I know how tough it's been."
"Fuck magic, fuck the gods! What good are they if they can't grow me a single hair! Before I die, I just wanna touch flowing locks in the mirror one time. My days are numbered. Please, I beg you—can I make a hair loss cure before I go?"
It was comical and heartbreaking all at once as the old man's tears soaked my shoulder. I patted his back until he calmed.
I tossed the empty whiskey bottle in the trash, then guided the tear-streaked Kalanis to the snack tray I'd prepared in advance.
"Have some tea and settle down. Now I'll explain the future I saw."
Kalanis sipped his tea lightly and fixed his eyes on me. Desperation mingled with half-resigned defeat in his gaze.
"Impossible, right? I've tried everything under the sun. Just couldn't crack it."
"Exactly five years from now. You make it."
His eyes bulged.
"M-me? I do?"
"Yes."
"The recipe? Synthesis method? You know that too?"
I nodded. Kalanis stared blankly for a moment, then summoned paper and pen in a flash.
"Recite it. How do I make it?"
"I can recite it. But you need to know it's incomplete."
"Incomplete?"
"You're missing one key ingredient in the synthesis. That's why the hair loss cure never fully materializes. If that's okay, I'll tell you."
"Please! Hurry! Spill it!"
I slowly recited the synthesis method from the future vision. Tongue twisting over garbled terms and arcane jargon, I powered through. Kalanis scribbled furiously, nearly tearing the paper.
And moments later.
"I see! Approaching it this way? Fresh perspective. Brilliant! Future me! Incredible!"
He burst into satisfied laughter.
"Genius! Creative flip on the concept! I was fixated on the scalp, but tweaking the body's constitution to promote scalp growth? Brilliant. The issue is......ignoring life force boost and hormone effects. Plus regulating cellular respiration frequency."
Complex equations covered the paper. And right in the center: a glaring blank.
Even in the future I saw, Kalanis slaved over that void for years, never filling it—never completing the formula.
"Frustrating. Total wall. Where the hell do you find that kind of ingredient? The formula itself I might puzzle out after years of grinding, but that's the real problem."
Kalanis poked at the equations, drumming the table, then slumped.
"So I die without finishing the hair loss cure. I just wanted to see flowing hair before the end."
I shouldn't laugh, but it was funny. Except the way he said it—so wistful, so poignant—I couldn't.
Beyond this, I had no more help to give. I could see futures and pasts, but breakthrough synthesis? Not my gift.
"Sorry I can't do more, Archmage Kalanis."
"Nonsense! Nonsense! Spilling my lifelong grudge felt cathartic. And now I have this formula five years early. If I grind hard for those five years, maybe......just maybe I can make it."
His words rang hopeful, but his face screamed on the verge of tears.
"Why make growing a few hairs so goddamn hard?"
I took the sighing archmage's hand and gently led him to the sofa. I gripped the old man's frail hand tight.
"If you need counseling or feel down, come by anytime. I'll listen."
Kalanis chuckled wryly.
"Thanks. Our secret—you and me only. Not a word to a third soul."
"Of course."
The tower master sadly stroked the blank center of the equation.
"An effect to spike mana concentration in the body instantly. Stimulate mitochondria and boost cellular respiration. And make male hormones function normally everywhere except the scalp. That's the ingredient I need...... Can I find it? Did future me ever find it?"
Unfortunately, Kalanis's future remained unchanged. I shook my head.
He let out a hollow laugh.
"More booze? I'll down a few bottles, cry it out, then head home. What a shitty world."
I nodded and headed to the intercom to order room service booze.
That was the exact moment Mirien emerged from the shadows in the room's corner.
"Mana concentration surge. And an herb that prevents specific hormone effects from targeting just one body part. Right?"
The sudden voice made Kalanis jolt, tumbling off the sofa in a heap. Pure slapstick gold—but I couldn't laugh.
I gawked at Mirien, eyes wide.
We agreed you wouldn't show! Why are you out here?!
As I pleaded with my eyes, Mirien motioned for me to leave it to her and approached the tower master.
"I don't grasp the cellular details. But you need an herb matching those traits I just named. Correct?"
The tower master alternated panicked glances between us, then shot to his feet in shock.
"No way. From Kaien?......"
"You see true."
"What brings you here?"
"Irrelevant. Answer my question."
"Yes. Precisely. I need an ingredient with those effects."
"Kaien has it."
His eyes widened dramatically.
"It does?"
"It does. An herb already cultivated in the royal gardens. We've even pledged regular shipments to Yurtel's alchemy guild master. Paltomas Flower. It has the effects you described."
Kalanis's eyes darted rapidly.
"Kaien herbs—cave flora, then?"
"Precisely."
"Not my specialty, so details escape me. Any chance of the exact composition and mana distribution profile?"
"I learned no magic. Cannot answer that. But I know one who can."
Mirien glanced at me. I met her eyes. We both thought of the same name.
Cornac, the guild master.
"Can we reach him now?"
"I'll call right away."
I hit the intercom urgently. Soon, a magic comm linked to Guild Master Cornac.
"Do you know what time it is? I was just slipping into pajamas and bed."
His grumbling shifted instantly at my words.
"Wanna try making a hair loss cure?"
"On my way now."
Less than ten minutes later, Cornac burst in still in his pajamas, eyes popping at the sight.
"A-Archmage Kalanis? Oh my god! I'm Cornac—from the Academy!"
"Haha! Nice to meet you! What class?"
"1132 intake! Majored in cave botany, got my doctorate! Honored to meet you! But why'd you summon me? Hair loss cure—what's that about?"
The two latched on immediately. A barrage of incomprehensible jargon flew.
"Heavens! What's this synthesis formula? Such a fun structure?!"
"Need something to fill that blank in the middle. While agonizing over it, Kaien's ruler here tipped us off. Paltomas Flower. Wonder if its components slot in to complete it."
"This......hold on. This might actually work. One sec?"
"Got the exact composition and mana profile?"
"Yes. Potion research journal published a paper on it five years back. Since Her Majesty promised steady supply, I dug through the archives on Paltomas Flower and found it."
"Fetch it! Now!"
Forgotten by the duo, Mirien and I watched from the sofa. Soon enough.
"Your Majesty."
Kalanis and Cornac approached Mirien, faces alight with excitement.
"This Paltomas Flower. Could you provide a sample now? I know it's before the promised delivery, but we need it immediately."
Mirien smiled faintly.
"Of course. But with a condition."
"What?"
"I wish Kaien to claim a share of the sales revenue from your hair loss cure. In exchange, I can increase the steady supply quota."
"Absolutely! With the exact profile, we can prototype and test right away!"
As the thrilled Kalanis spoke, I rose cautiously.
"Archmage Kalanis."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Congratulations."
Cornac, Kalanis, and Mirien furrowed brows in confusion—then their eyes widened in realization.
The target's future has just changed.
In the revised future, Kalanis tearfully brushed his flowing long hair.
"Looks like Paltomas Flower was the key."
Silence. Soundless cheers. Tears.
And then.
"Yurtel's alchemy guild wants exclusive refining and extract production for Paltomas Flower. Proximity to Kaien gives us the empire's top cave flora potion tech. In exchange, a cut of the hair loss cure sales."
"Kaien pledges steady supply to Yurtel's alchemy guild. If revenue booms, we'll consider expanding farms for more."
"We'll handle production and sales at the Nine Towers with the refined extract. This......this will change imperial history!"
I witnessed the birth of a empire-shaking product up close.
And exactly one month later.