Ch.55Chapter 55 – Work Well Done Means More Work to Come

Emperor Decatro IV of the Gelebrio Empire could hardly believe the remarkable transformation that had occurred on his head.

The hateful curse of baldness that had stolen his once magnificent, lion’s mane-like hair.

He had tried every folk remedy and superstition said to be good for hair loss.

But the only result was hair that fell out even faster.

By the time his crown area had become depressingly bare from excessive hair loss, he spent a fortune constructing a magic circle and cast illusion and cognitive distortion spells on his head.

Through this, Emperor Decatro IV was barely able to hide his shame, but it made it difficult for him to go on provincial inspections.

Already suffering from stress-induced hair loss due to his high-pressure environment, his advancing baldness added new stress, which in turn caused more stress when he saw it…

With this process repeating endlessly, his hair had now transformed into something approaching complete baldness.

“Is this… truly my hair…?”

But what Emperor Decatro IV now saw in the mirror was his hair still boasting its fullness despite the illusion magic being turned off.

Moreover, the volume of his hair had increased to match how abundant it had been in his youth, when it was at its fullest.

He cautiously raised his hand and grabbed a handful of his hair.

“Haaap!”

Then he tightened his grip and tried to pull it out.

But for some reason, his newly restored lush hair refused to be pulled out.

After wrestling with his hair for quite some time, Emperor Decatro IV realized that the hair attached to his head was not fake but real.

“Hohoho! My hair has returned to me!”

“Congratulations, Your Majesty.”

Bergen Steyler approached Emperor Decatro IV to congratulate him on the return of his hair.

Bergen had always felt guilty about having such abundant hair while Decatro IV did not, but now the Emperor’s hair had become even fuller than his own.

“Bergen, my old friend. I am truly grateful. Thanks to your excellent judgment, I have regained my prime.”

“Seeing you filled with joy after so long is truly moving.”

Emperor Decatro IV happily conversed with his friend Bergen.

But before long, he remembered something he had forgotten.

“Ah, yes. I was so overjoyed that I neglected the one who cured my baldness.”

“Not at all, Your Majesty. Your happiness alone is satisfaction enough.”

The man with typical Eastern Continent features, Pathos.

The Emperor had forgotten to thank the benefactor who had cured the hateful curse that had afflicted his head.

“Hahaha. I appreciate your words. However, I am not one who expresses gratitude with words alone. I am sincerely grateful to you. Thanks to you, I can now go on provincial inspections.”

Emperor Decatro IV’s eyes held deep appreciation as he looked at Pathos.

“However… since my baldness is a state secret, I cannot publicly announce your contribution or bestow rewards upon you for curing my condition.”

Emperor Decatro IV wanted to announce Pathos’s achievement to the entire empire and publicly reward him.

But his baldness was a secret known only to a select few.

“And if news spreads that you cured my baldness, it would likely draw even larger crowds than the bread incident. I don’t think you would want that either.”

“That is correct, Your Majesty.”

Additionally, Emperor Decatro IV was well aware that Pathos had suffered greatly due to the bread incident.

More precisely, he had learned about it from Bergen when he heard that Pathos had cured Regina.

He noticed that Pathos did not wish to become famous for something he did not want.

However, an awl in a pocket will eventually pierce through and reveal itself to the world.

Whether he liked it or not, Pathos’s abilities would someday become known worldwide.

For now, rumors about him were limited to Archenium and Glesius Academy, so they hadn’t spread widely.

Moreover, most people who heard about Pathos’s abilities dismissed them as lies, which also prevented the rumors from spreading further.

But Emperor Decatro IV believed that Pathos’s abilities would become known worldwide within the year.

‘What I can do is delay and prevent his reputation from spreading as much as possible.’

“Since you have cured my baldness, I shall compensate you accordingly. As you seem to prefer that your reputation not spread widely yet, I will use my power to prevent rumors about you from spreading as much as possible.”

“Your grace is boundless, Your Majesty.”

“Additionally, I will deposit a reward into your bank account under the pretext of an imperial scholarship. I will also give you a gift.”

Emperor Decatro IV clapped his hands twice.

The bookshelf behind his desk split in half, revealing a passage.

“Wait here for a moment. I will bring a gift for you.”

Emperor Decatro IV told Pathos to wait and walked toward the passage between the bookshelves.

As he entered the passage, black mist rose up, obscuring the interior from view.

And shortly after.

When Emperor Decatro IV emerged from the passage, he was holding a bracelet in his hand.

“Here, take this. This is a special gift from me to you.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty. But what is this?”

Pathos asked after receiving the bracelet from Emperor Decatro IV.

“This is a magical bracelet. It transforms into whatever the wearer desires. I hear your ability manifests only through a hammer, but a hammer is heavy and difficult to carry around. With this bracelet, you can summon a hammer whenever and wherever you wish. Try it on.”

After Emperor Decatro IV finished his explanation, Pathos put on the bracelet.

Pathos imagined a hammer while wearing the bracelet.

Instantly, the bracelet transformed into a hammer in Pathos’s hand.

“But I’m not sure if my ability will work with this.”

“Then let’s conduct a simple test.”

Emperor Decatro IV prepared a test to resolve Pathos’s doubt.

The preparation for the test was none other than…

“Haap!”

Splitting the round table where the three men sat in half.

Emperor Decatro IV split the round table in half with just a punch.

What’s more, the round tabletop was made of sturdy marble, yet it was split in half.

Pathos was so shocked by Emperor Decatro IV’s terrifying strength that he could only stare with wide eyes.

“Hahaha. Well, now that my baldness is cured, my body is overflowing with strength.”

“I-I’ll test my ability now.”

“Don’t worry if your ability doesn’t work. You cured my baldness—would I hold you responsible for breaking a mere table? I am not that petty a man.”

When Pathos appeared frightened, Emperor Decatro IV mistakenly thought he was afraid of being charged for the cost of the broken table.

‘No, that’s not it—it’s your strength that’s frightening.’

But Pathos was purely shocked by Emperor Decatro IV’s strength.

To split a marble tabletop with just a punch meant he was an exceptionally strong person.

Pathos carefully tapped the marble tabletop with his hammer.

The split marble tabletop was enveloped in light and floated into the air.

Then the unified tabletop settled back onto the table, restored to its original form.

“Hahaha. So your ability works with that hammer too. I must say, it’s truly remarkable. I was half-skeptical about an ability that could fix anything, but even after experiencing it firsthand and seeing it with my own eyes, it’s still hard to believe.”

“I-is that so?”

“You’ve done well. Seeing how you cured my baldness, I think I can entrust you with another matter.”

“Your Majesty, surely not that…?”

Bergen showed a shocked reaction to Emperor Decatro IV’s words.

“With Pathos’s ability, couldn’t he fix that as well?”

“Hmm…”

Bergen seemed to accept Emperor Decatro IV’s suggestion.

Pathos, not understanding what the two were talking about, could only stare blankly at them.

“Ah, forgive me. I thought that with your ability, you might be able to solve another concern of mine.”

“What would you like me to fix this time, Your Majesty?”

“Sigh… Follow me. I think it would be better for you to see this with your own eyes rather than have me explain it.”

Emperor Decatro IV thought it would be better to show rather than explain, so he led the way himself.

After walking through the imperial palace for quite some time, the three arrived at a massive iron door secured with an enormous lock and numerous mechanical devices.