The Palette Princess's Gambit

Chloe hummed a tuneless melody, twirling a strand of her long black hair, the stark white streak catching the afternoon light filtering into her exquisitely decorated room. Every surface was an explosion of color: walls adorned with vibrant abstract paintings, shelves overflowing with meticulously arranged manga volumes, and a plush armchair piled high with anime figurines. This was her sanctuary, a reflection of the vibrant, sometimes chaotic, world inside her head.

She was Chloe Beaumont, the single child of a wealthy oil tycoon father and a powerful British politician mother. A life of privilege, filled with art, manga, and anime. By chance, or perhaps by fate, she had stumbled headfirst into the world of mystery, becoming a novice magician – a secret she guarded fiercely from her blissfully unaware parents. And now, she found herself associated with a group of truly crazy individuals, freshly linked to an act of domestic terrorism. Not that she, herself, wasn't similarly insane.

Just this morning, she had tried to recruit a powerful supernatural sword wielder. A high school student, no less, from her very own school. She'd promised to help him fight against an actual wizard organization – a powerful, shadowy group known as the Circle – all to rescue a supernatural agent for him. It had been a sheer coincidence, really. She'd been out, indulging her new hobby of observing the subtle magical currents around the city, when she'd caught sight of him, Kaito Tanaka, wandering aimlessly near Big Ben, that peculiar aura clinging to him. The setup had been impulsive, a spur-of-the-moment decision to test the waters.

But now, she had to commit. She had made the promise.

With a calm expression, Chloe picked up her tablet and opened the A Association group chat. Her fingers moved swiftly across the screen as she typed, her username, Palette Princess, displayed clearly. She decided to ask for assistance—efficiently, and without a hint of desperation. She recounted the situation with pride, detailing her actions and the current circumstances with cool precision. There was no embellishment or downplaying. She had made contact with the new wielder of a divine blade—an event worth noting. Now, it was time for the others to weigh in and do the heavy lifting for what to do next. After all, she had already made a significant contribution.

Chloe leaned back, a smug smile playing on her lips, as she watched the A Association group chat fill with replies to her earlier message.

Larry the Lush (Sun): "Whoa, really? Durandal? Good job, Temperance! That's a huge win!"

John Curator (Tower): "Temperance, did you consider the implications? We're talking about an actual magical organization here! The one that managed to defeat Kaito, who, let's not forget, caused an incident that London is still buzzing over! This isn't some back-alley skirmish."

AluM7 (High Priestess): "Temperance, your audacity is impressive, if a touch reckless. This 'Circle' is an unknown variable. We need immediate intelligence."

SkyHigh Roller (Magician): "This is fantastic, Temperance! A divine blade wielder! We should move quickly. Infiltrate, secure the target, and extract. Any intel on their base of operations?"

Bookworm_Reg (Hermit): "I echo High Priestess's concerns regarding intelligence. A frontal assault would be catastrophic."

Cipher (Moon): "Frontal assault? Maybe. But they're still flesh and blood, right? Enough bullets and high explosives can put anyone down, magic or no magic."

Lord Fitzwilliam (Emperor): "Temperance, you've certainly presented us with a... unique situation. The High Priestess is correct. We need a clear picture before any engagement. We will proceed with caution, despite Temperance's enthusiasm."

Chloe scrolled through the messages, her grin faltering slightly at Lord Fitzwilliam's veiled jab. Honestly, the nerve. She took a moment to mentally critique her teammates' responses. The A Association was reacting with its usual blend of performative concern and tactical over analysis. They spoke of caution, intelligence, consequences. And somehow, none of them seemed to recall that not long ago, this very Association—specifically Moon, Hierophant, Emperor, and High Priestess—had greenlit what was essentially an act of domestic terrorism.

Well... unlike the British government, the Circle is on another level.

She returned to the group chat after a little shadow boxing, only to discovers it had suddenly accelerated to light speed, messages flying past too quickly to properly parse. She caught fragment, a chaotic jumble of names and half-formed thoughts.

Larry the Lush (Sun): "Hierophant, the betrayed! I thought we were best buds! Why didn't you let me in on Alpha's secret? She always felt a little creepy, but to think..."

Alpha? Chloe wondered, her brows furrowing. Who's this Alpha now?

Bus Drifter on Rent (Hierophant): "In my defense, would you trust yourself with such a secret?"

Larry the Lush (Sun): "Touché."

AluM7 (High Priestess): "So that's why your awakening reaction was so different compared to everyone else at the castle, Hierophant. You were exposed to supernatural elements longer than any of us."

G. Hawthore: "Hierophant, you must let me study her! This could revolutionize the field of robotics!"

John Curator (Tower): "You said you found her, along with similar puppets, at an abandoned alchemist lab? This could be history in the making! Please, take me to the site immediately."

SkyHigh Roller (Magician): "I want a robot maid too~ Esteemed Hierophant, may I purchase, if not rent one?"

Chloe's confusion mounted. What in the hell is going on? She scrolled back up, desperately trying to find the source of this sudden frenzy. There it was: Hierophant had posted a picture. It was a perfectly rendered image of a maid with sleek, doll-like joints, almost unsettling in its flawless design. Below it, data on her combat capabilities and a cryptic description of her origin.

(New message)

Cipher (Moon): "If her combat capability is as you described, Hierophant, our plan may finally come to fruition."

FXUnicorn_Cat (Fortune): "Is it really enough? They are wizards. What if they cast some kind of 'destroy puppet' spell that we don't know about?"

Baroness von K (Death): "Hierophant, is there a method to create more of these puppets? I would love a butler variant~."

Bus Drifter on Rent (Hierophant): "I'm not certain of the possibility, but with magic available to me now, I have been experimenting creating cruder versions of Alpha and the others to varying success. However, with modern tech and time, I'm certain I could make something similar."

AluM7 (High Priestess): "Hierophant, you must invite me to this plan."

G. Hawthorne (Star): "I'm in similar mind."

SkyHigh Roller (Magician): "I'll bankroll it, even if it drives me to bankruptcy."

Chloe stared at the screen, utterly dumbfounded. Ancient alchemical automatons? And her teammates were already planning to throw these... 'puppets' at the Circle? This was a whole new level of chaotic brilliance she hadn't anticipated.

Diamond_Diva9 (Empress): "We should create a company to mass produce and market them after we figure out how. We could cover it in the guise of advanced robotics and artificial intelligence."

Bookworm_Reg (Hermit): "Surely that wouldn't work. Someone's bound to figure it out, be it the government or other supernatural organizations. They will surely silence us and take our research."

Diamond_Diva9 (Empress): "What if we do it sneakily?"

Lord Fitzwilliam (Emperor): "Great idea! We should create some kind of underground facilities in a remote place and steadily build up our force. We can treat it like a game of world conquest as we infiltrate both side of the world. My British blood is boiling at the idea."

Chloe stared at the screen, her eyes wide. Are they planning to take over the world or something? A cold knot formed in her stomach. Surely not...