Chapter 16: Even Magic is Easy for AI

“A temporary contractor of the Four Great Spirits has appeared?!”

In the Mage Association’s affiliated organization—the Spirit Tower— the Tower Master, Bosace Tralé, shouted in shock.

“And they’re only eight years old?! What the hell? Isn’t that just a con artist?”

“A con artist who’s eight is still more believable than a spirit conning a human.”

“Hey, don’t get snarky while I’m busy being flabbergasted.”

Ah, what a life.

Despite his grumbling, Bosace broke into a wide grin.

The mages of the Spirit Tower knew this well:

No being loves art more than the spirits do.

After all, spirits don’t know physical pleasures.

Being purely spiritual entities, the only entertainment they can enjoy is what pleases the eyes and ears—art.

In that sense, they’re quite similar to demons.

Maybe that’s why—

Spirits long to be near genius artists.

Whether by following them around or forming temporary contracts with young prodigies.

That’s how artists like Yaltarion and Noemilica were able to contract with spirits because they were art geniuses.

However…

Even among spirits, tastes differ.

Fire spirits love fireworks and glassblowing.

Water spirits prefer paintings, and so on.

And the reason?

Simple.

The former uses fire, and the latter uses water (paints).

That’s it.

No, seriously.

It’s not a joke—

This is literally written in historical texts recording dialogues with spirit kings.

True to their nature as avatars of the elements, they follow their essence.

Just as demons don’t need a reason to do evil.

In other words—

“If all Four Great Spirits are after her, then Chloe is definitely not an artist!”

It was a perfectly logical conclusion.

What?

You think she won them over with art?

That would require her to master every form of creation we just mentioned.

And not just “dabble in” them—she’d have to be exceptional.

She’d have to be an 8-year-old who’s great at pottery, skilled at painting, and on top of that, a genius at music and sculpture?

“Yeah right.”

Oh, and apparently, she’s jaw-droppingly beautiful too.

If someone wrote a novel like this, they’d get slapped.

Granted, there are exceptions.

Master-level artists of Riveillon.

They could attract all kinds of spirits with a single discipline of art.

But Chloe? How old is she again?

Eight!

An 8-year-old Riveillon master?

That’s enough.

Stop the nonsense.

And so, Bosace’s belief was firm:

“No doubt about it. This girl Chloe is a genius spirit mage!”

“That’s the conclusion we reached as well.”

“Given her age, it makes sense that the contracts are only temporary.”

Of course, she probably has some artistic talent.

She is from the city of art, after all.

But that’s exactly what made it a drawback for Bosace.

‘Doesn’t this mean the other guilds will try to snatch her up too?’

A genius in spirit magic—stolen away by another guild?

While he, the Spirit Tower Master, Bosace, just stood by?

Even the thought made it hard to breathe.
‘And if she somehow ended up with another magic tower through some roundabout route…!’

Panic overtook Bosace.

He sprang to his feet and barked at his disciples.

“What are you all doing?! Don’t just stand there like fools—go bring Chloe here! Before some other guild snatches her up, we need to dote on her like crazy!”

A girl who could command spirits without even using mana!

She was a genius destined to lead the next generation of the Spirit Tower.

It wasn’t the time to hold back on cuddles, praise, and pampering!

Fueled by urgency, he gave the command with gusto.

But then—

Sigh…

A deep sigh swept through his disciples, their faces filled with despair.
 

Like hardworking students who had lost their crush before even confessing.

“What’s wrong with you all?”

“We tried to look into it with the same intention, but…”

One disciple shook his head.

Even if they didn’t know her alias, Cynthia,

with the right connections, it wasn’t hard to dig up a registry.

“Chloe… it seems she’s already aligned herself with the Painter’s Guild.”

“…What did you just say?”

The master’s face paled instantly.

His disciples, hiding their own hopelessness, reported the rest.

“Apparently, she’s being overworked in an attic by some orc painter—no holidays or breaks…”

“She didn’t even have her parents with her when she joined the guild.”

“Surely, she must’ve been threatened by that awful orc… Hrk!”

It was the kind of report that would give Mr. G, the (alias) middle-aged painter in question, a stroke if he ever heard it.

The Painter’s Guild members would flip out too, yelling,

“What the hell, why do YOU guys know where the saintess is when WE couldn’t find her?!”

That’s the difference in social skills between reclusive artists and functioning adults.

Still—

That didn’t make Bosace feel any better.

“…Chloe…”

Plop!

Ink spilled from his desk, dripping everywhere.

But Bosace didn’t even think of picking up the precious ink.

“Why… why would such a good child end up with thugs like them…?”

The head of the Painter’s Guild and his apprentices—

None of them had good reputations.

Why?

How could this happen?

“Those thug artists can’t possibly make you happier than I can…!”

The pain of loss—

The despair was so great that hallucinations began to cloud Bosace’s vision.

“Hehe~♪ Those Spirit Tower idiots just gifted us a once-in-a-millennium super-genius girl~☆”

A hallucination of the Painter’s Guildmaster in sleazy clothing, with precious little Chloe sitting on his lap.

“Don’t worry, I’ll raise Chloe properly~ You losers can spend the rest of your lives polishing your staves in regret~☆ Hehe~!”

“Ehehe…♡ Guildmaster, you’re so cool!”

“GRRAAAAAHHHHHH—!!”

Spirit Tower Master Bosace.

He coughed up blood from the sheer emotional damage.

Such artistic sensitivity was befitting a mage consumed by art.

“Chloe! You weren’t like this! Come back to the Chloe who loved nature and spirits!”

“Master! You’re being disgraceful!”

“Letting her go with dignity is also a form of manliness!”

“Silence!”

It didn’t matter what guild she belonged to.

It didn’t matter how (paint)stained she was!

As long as she ended up in the Spirit Tower in the end!

“I’ll give her money, fame, whatever she wants! Bring Chloe back to this guild—!”

The Tower Master’s orders were absolute.

His disciples moved without hesitation, through fire and water if needed.

So much so that they stormed Yaltarion’s atelier, Chloe’s known top connection.

It was downright rude and disrespectful.

They were even prepared to be incinerated by an angry Archmage.

But then—

“Hehehe… ahahahahaha….”

“L-Lord Yaltarion…?”

When they finally arrived at the atelier, ready to risk their lives—

There was no Archmage in sight.

Only a disheveled artist with wild hair, drunk out of his mind.

Emil, who was with him, wasn’t any better.

She stared blankly at a canvas, painting without emotion.

It was a deeply disturbing picture.

Someone hanging upside down and crying… what was that?

“A… musician?”

Yeah, that was it.

A painting of a musician dangling from a tree.

Well, she was the granddaughter of a Riveillon artist.

It was impressively painted.

Impressively painted, yes… but what was the meaning?

Demon worship?

A vow to wipe all musicians off the face of the earth?

“L-Lord Yaltarion! What’s going on here?!”

“Ah… who are you again? What brings you here…?”

“W-We came because…”

A question.

An answer.

That was the end of communication.

A report summarizing the entire affair as “Chloe has entered a monastery and decided to become a musician” was sent to the Spirit Magic Tower.

“Graaaahhh!!”

That day, Bosas spilled three entire inkpots.

Again, it was entirely Chloe’s fault.

She had the high-profile elite of the Yaltasance region nervously courting her and scrambling for attention—what a first-class femme fatale.

She truly lived up to her face, in the worst possible way.

So then.

What is Chloe doing now, you ask?

“P-Please, customers! Calm down!”

“Shut up and just take my money!”

“How am I supposed to resist hiring the girl who tied with Lord Yaltarion’s disciple at that price?!”

At Chenseps’ general store.

Cynthia (i.e., Chloe herself) watched the zombie apocalypse play out from a distance.

Chenseps was filming a scene for Isekai War Z, while customers begged for art commissions.

“Phew, what a mess. Good thing I closed commissions.”

[Isn’t this chaos because you closed them?]

Shut up.

Hiding in an alley, Chloe clicked her tongue as she watched the shoot.

The aftermath of that last duel had blown up way too much.

Good thing she ran away in advance.

‘The way Old Man Yaltarion and Emil were flipping out gave me a bad feeling. Good instincts, me.’

She should probably be grateful they acted like an early warning system.

Things had gotten so hectic, she had literally run away from work.

Eighty-year-old men and nine-year-old girls alike had been raising absolute hell.

‘Seriously, what’s the big deal about a kid giving up art?’

I mean, come on.

How many kids quit art when they grow up?

I quit piano after elementary school too, okay?

‘Though I’ve been playing guitar ever since middle school.’

Feeling fed up, Chloe looked down at a sheet of pulp paper.

It was a commission slip she had secretly brought with her.

‘Let’s see… If I finish this one, that’ll be the last of the pending commissions, right?’

Well, technically, it wasn’t a leftover commission.

It was a brand-new one that had slipped in just before she closed her inbox.

[Client: Wants to remain anonymous]

[Request Details:]

Please draw Yaltarion Altzenova’s granddaughter.

I don’t know her name or anything—

Someone I know is curious what she looks like, so I’m asking for them.

Not lying.

East Block 7 of Yaltasance.

Oh, Emillika. Using a VPN and a throwaway nickname to sneak in a self-portrait commission?

‘You were the one yelling about how I was born to be an artist, how putting down my brush was betraying my bloodline, blah blah blah—’

I told you I was quitting art and becoming a musician in a monastery, and you totally lost your mind over it.

Now this? Seriously?

Chloe couldn’t help but sigh in disappointment.

Ah!

Why are all artists such drama queens?

“Musicians know how to respect their friends, understand differences in direction, and never argue about it!”

Why do you think Confucius said music cultivates moral character?

Rock is the virtue of the gentleman!

And art?

Just look at Emil. Kid’s a total melancholic mess.

That’s what you get for liking indoor hobbies like drawing.

If you just went outside once in a while, listened to music, did some sports—none of this would happen!

“Cynthia’s portrait commission portal is closed! If it reopens, we’ll notify you, so—AACK! Why are you biting my arm?!”

“Just go get Cynthia already!!”

“Why won’t you take orders when we’re literally offering money!?”

Seriously, so immature.

Chloe quietly melted into the back alleys.

The way she disappeared after causing bloody chaos in the human world— even demon kings would be impressed and take notes.

Meanwhile…

At the headquarters of the Painters’ Guild— a symbol of justice and the upright way in Yaltasance’s murim world.

Letters continued to flood the Guildmaster’s desk.

“All I wanted was to meet that Cynthia girl, why is it taking this long?”

“Want me to petrify you from the neck down and toss you in the sea?”

“Wishing you continued success. Yours truly, the Duce of Yaltasance.”

“I will end your life.”

“Thanks a bunch. Sincerely, Supreme Leader Pierrot (human)”

“Graaaahhh!!”

Passionate like love letters, spicy like poison—

This flood of “fan mail” completely broke the Guildmaster’s mind.