Chapter 22: Your face glows

A scream from the Necklace of the Blood Spirit.

It was a shriek, as if struck by a sudden, unexpected thunderbolt from a clear sky.

But the Guild Leader somehow managed to pull himself out of the confusion.

‘Right, it couldn’t have been a scream.’

It must have been something like a cry from the soul.

In other words, that’s it.

The Blood Spirit’s own version of a battle cry.

Reassured, the Guild Leader put on a smile and commanded.

Infusing his voice with mana.

“It seems you like it. It’s my gift. From now on, think of it as part of your body and never take it off.”

“What?”

Chloe’s body froze solid.

She tried to hide it, but the Guild Leader didn’t miss it.

The trembling in Chloe’s eyes.

She was clearly flustered.

By the discomfort and pain of the Blood Spirit dominating her body.

By that forced sense of obedience.

“Ah, no. Actually, it’s just-“

“Quiet. Cut the chatter.”

As if realizing her predicament, Chloe showed strong resistance.

But even that only fueled his sadism.

The Guild Leader sneered and gestured to the necklace with his chin.

“You’re not a fool, so you must know, right? Why you put the necklace on as soon as you received it.”

Chloe was already under its control.

Even before she had put the necklace on.

“…Ugh.”

Chloe lowered her head, her shoulders trembling.

She was at a loss for words.

For a child, she knew how to protest quite boldly, but this was the end of the line.

Satisfied, the Guild Leader waved his hand dismissively.

“You may leave now. I’ll be busy with the banquet tomorrow.”

“…Understood.”

Chloe bowed obediently and retreated from the room.

Her expression was still defiant, but her movements showed she couldn’t even think of disobeying his command.

“What a powerful effect. It’s almost a waste to use it on a child.”

While the Guild Leader was basking in satisfaction.

Chloe, having left the room, blushed to the tips of her ears.

It was out of embarrassment.

‘What’s with him giving me a gift and then calling me out for coveting it?’

Did I say I was going to steal it?

I didn’t say it with words, with words.

Chloe pouted and looked at the necklace.

—

🔗 [Nexor’s Magic Book]’s function is activated.

⏳ Analysis Complete.

✨ You have learned the analyzed magic.

[Acquired: Corrupted Spirit Magic [Blood Attribute] (Unique)]

✨ Copying Complete.

🌿 You have learned 1 type of Spirit Magic.

⭐ Mage Level increases by 3.

⭐ Level Cap (Max-Level) increases by 9.

—

As always, Clicker was spouting nonsense.

She casually ignored the noisy status window’s report.

…Tremble, tremble!

“Huh?”

Did the necklace just tremble a little?

Chloe blinked her eyes.

She didn’t know why, but her body felt incredibly light and refreshed.

“Let’s participate in the banquet. I have an idea.”

The next day, after waking up from a deep sleep in a comfortable bed.

I spoke up just before we were about to leave for the meeting.

While wearing the gemstone necklace that seemed to have grown slightly murky overnight.

[Ooh! What is it, what is it? What’s the idea? Just hearing about it makes my heart pound! ✨]

“I’m thinking of doing a sort of ‘hand-washing ceremony’.”

[What do you mean by a “hand-washing ceremony”? Could you explain in more detail?]

“What else could it be? A hand-washing ceremony is a hand-washing ceremony.”

Geumbunsesu.

It refers to a martial artist’s retirement ceremony.

To put it metaphorically, it’s that.

Like a Yakuza’s finger-cutting ‘kejime’.

‘You know, there’s a similar story in the biographies of great men.’

Why do you think Kim Yushin cut his poor horse’s neck?

It was Kim Yushin, who fell head over heels for a home-service rental girlfriend (gisaeng), breaking his mother’s heart.

When his mother asked why he went to the gisaeng house again.

He couldn’t very well confess, ‘I went to say goodbye to my rental girlfriend.’

At times like that, you have to say this.

– Ah, Mom! I dozed off while drunk, and the car was on autopilot and drove there by itself!

Sometimes, a white lie is necessary.

General Kim Yushin decapitated one of his thousand-mile horses to prove his spirit.

And I, too, am a citizen of the Republic of Korea.

A descendant who has rightfully inherited the living space of Unified Silla.

It is only right that I learn from the decisiveness of King Heungmu the Great (who couldn’t become king) General Kim Yushin.

“At the banquet, there must be people who aren’t on the Guild Leader’s side, right?”

[That’s right!]

“Those are the people I’m aiming for.”

To be precise, their gazes and evaluations.

I explained my idea to Clicker.

This AI might be useless for other things, but it’s great for brainstorming.

Because no matter what nonsense I say, its reactions are top-notch.

“…is what I’m planning to do. What do you think? My idea.”

[I think it would be wise to stop!]

Seeing Clicker oppose it, this must be the right answer.

It’s like a strategy simulation where you make a general with 20 intelligence your strategist and do the opposite of all his advice.

I picked up a kitchen tool I had swiped from the kitchen.

A metallic blade that glinted, reflecting the candlelight.

‘Menhera mode: ON.’

Seniors of the martial world!

Watch over me!

If someone were to ask about the Holy Empire, the Empress could summarize her country thusly.

– Not particularly holy.

– Not really an empire either.

The illegitimate child of religion and secular power.

A country with no roots, the only one of its kind in the world.

This was the unfiltered sentiment of Jellania, the Empress who ascended to the throne with the recognition of the twelve gods of Luntraval.

“I wish I could just abdicate like my mother.”

Even on her own birthday, it was like this.

The Empress, weary from the heavy workload she faced every day, looked back at her chamberlain.

“Has the child named Chloe arrived at the banquet today?”

“Yes. We received a reply from the Painter’s Guild.”

“Hoh, finally?”

It was good news that made her forget all the fatigue of the past days.

The Empress’s ample bosom pounded with anticipation.

Her pace quickened on its own.

“What do you think? Do you believe an artist who will represent this Holy Empire has finally been born?”

“Your Majesty will be able to confirm it with your own eyes shortly.”

“Hmph. A long-winded way of saying you don’t know.”

Though she answered coldly, the Empress hurried on her way.

It must have been after the last generation, which was fraught with war.

That was when none of the great powers of Luntraval could afford to neglect the arts.

It was all because that pagan stone-king from the desert had declared a cultural victory, saying, ‘You don’t have things like this at your place, do you?’

– Beep-boop. It seems humans consider such monstrosities to be art.

– Monstrosity! This Temple of the Earth Mother is the pride of the Holy Empire, with a history of 50 years!

– We believe in the same god. And our country’s temple looks like this. The history is about 300 years, I think?

The former Empress.

In other words, the great Karlin, who was Jellania’s mother.

That was the first time her mother, the greatest war monarch in history, had returned with a dazed and utterly defeated look on her face.

In the war, it was a victory close to a draw.

But in terms of culture, it was an overwhelming defeat.

And it was at the hands of an opponent they had derided as barbarians!

On top of the war injuries, the great heartbreak was the last straw.

It was what prompted the Empress’s mother to decide to abdicate.

– Do not be disheartened. It cannot be helped. The Holy Empire is, after all… a loser from the last era…!

– Take that back, what you just said…!

– Ah, don’t lump us in with them and Fleurden. We at least have Yaltarion.

‘Eek! How dare those blockheads and nymphomaniacs!’

Metaphorically, it was similar to how a Korean would feel seeing Chinese kimchi being more popular abroad.

The Empress ground her teeth, chewing on the humiliation.

While pouring her budget into artistic development.

However.

– Your Majesty! We built the temple, but it collapsed again!

– You want us to fix the hymns? Could this be… heresy?

– I understand you want a novel sculpture, but could you explain what kind of novelty… I have to think of it myself?

Those who know, know.

Cultural development cannot be rushed.

She wanted to do something, anything, but things didn’t go as she wished.

The Empress’s worries only deepened.

It was then.

– A draw with Yaltarion’s granddaughter?

A young genius who appeared like a comet.

That she came to hear the news of Chloe.

“I don’t care if it’s painting or what. As long as they are a genius who can represent the art of our Holy Empire in any field!”

I want to say it.

Just once, I want to say it too!

‘You don’t have an unparalleled genius like this at your place, do you?!’

It had been a long, long time of humiliation.

Reflecting on the past, the Empress’s fists trembled.

“Let’s go. I want to see her face.”

“W-well… the situation has become rather awkward…”

“Hmm?”

The Empress frowned.

Because the head butler was stammering and mumbling his words.

‘What’s gotten into this old man?’

He had 40 years of experience working in the royal palace.

He was a first-class butler from a noble family.

As far as the Empress could remember, this was the first time this old butler had not acted on her command immediately.

“What is it?”

“W-with all due respect, their dress code is so lacking that they cannot be admitted into the banquet hall, they say.”

“It matters not. Let them in.”

They couldn’t even meet the dress code for the Empress’s birthday?

‘Even better.’

A simple appearance, with no interest in one’s own looks!

Isn’t that the epitome of a genius artist?

The Empress’s expectations soared endlessly.

“?”

The long-awaited, hoped-for genius.

That is, until she saw the sight in person.

“Fufufu.”

Chloe was in a corner of the banquet hall.

She was in the corner, gathering all the attention and laughing.

Because it seemed the plan she had devised after much thought had succeeded.

‘The protagonists of gender-bender stories are always like that.’

They give all sorts of excuses to grow their hair long and flowing, but then they hate it when they’re actually treated like a girl?

How contradictory.

Chloe, the Gyeongsangdo man, did not agree with such reader-serving, superficial hegemony.

‘If you don’t like being treated like a girl, why not just get a trim?’

Forget being beautiful or whatever, just try walking around with a shorter haircut.

Eighty percent of the guys hitting on you would disappear.

The answer is so obvious, yet they insist on keeping their long hair?

To Chloe, the military-experienced elementary school girl, it was nothing more than an excuse.

There’s a limit to how honest your body can be.

Of course, some might strongly object to Chloe’s opinion.

You country bumpkin who doesn’t know the aesthetics of a short cut!

Try wrapping a tomboy in femininity and see how you like it! they might say.

But that is a misconception.

A very big misconception.

A fool’s folly, not understanding what Chloe means by ‘get a trim’.

Or how many centimeters a man from Yeongnam considers ‘long hair’.

Therefore.

“What.”

A girl who captured more attention than the birthday girl herself.

The Empress’s jaw dropped at the sight of that sparkling back.

Well, it was only natural that she would sparkle more than anyone.

Delicate and lovely hands and feet, like a doll’s.

White, delicate features, like a marble sculpture.

A peerless beauty in a dress.

A child who could only be described as such.

Because that child was reflecting the light of the chandelier with a clean-shaven bald head.

That’s right.

Chloe had shaved it.

Her silver hair, which would have been more valuable than its weight in silver,

shaved down to a smooth, clean buzz.

For the reason that since she was going to renounce the world anyway, it would be convenient and nice to shave it in advance.

“Wh-what is this?”

While the arrogant Empress stuttered for the first time in a long while,

and the soul departed from the body of the Painter’s Guild Leader, who had only just realized Chloe’s shaved head right before they left.

“Ah! It is an honor to be invited, Your Majesty!”

Chloe, having spotted the Empress, curtsied elegantly.

“Chloe A. Turing, I have come in response to your call!”

Chloe, who had bowed respectfully, smiled brightly.

Her voice was as bright as her bald head.

Was that why?

The sound of something crumbling rang in the Painter’s Guild Leader’s ears.

“Why would such a pretty child shave her head…?”

“Abuse! She must have been abused by the man with her!”

“What did you say?!”

“I see…! It was a sign, asking us to notice and help her!”

A tone the Guild Leader had never heard before in his life.

It was the sound of his life crumbling.

Chloe nodded her head in satisfaction.

‘See, a man feels cool and refreshed with a trimmed haircut!’

[😰]

Look at this little guy, all surprised.

This, my friend, is the difference in ‘creativity’ between an AI and a human. Hehe.