Finding the Mage's Weak Spot -2
[So, did you see it?]
It's a message from the Main Body.
[I did see it... But...]
Normally, the Clone would've proudly declared, 'I could crush something like that in an instant.'
But after witnessing that magical prowess, it seemed impossible.
[I saw it... As expected of the Hero Party's Mage, huh.]
[Why? Strong?]
[Just from the one spell I saw, it feels like she could wipe us all out.]
[Eh?]
Truth be told, the Tentacles had an absolute faith.
A faith in their own survival.
No matter how massive the attack, the Main Body would absolutely survive, even if just as fragments.
But now, that faith was completely shattered by a single demonstration spell from the Mage.
[Have you heard of a spell that separates souls?]
[Something that'd only be in black magic, right? Don't tell me you don't know?]
[No. I've seen black magic that offers dead souls, but separating a living one? First time I've seen it.]
If subjugation started by mistake, it really could be the end.
It had the aura of an official Hero Party member.
Even the Smart Tentacle seemed uncertain this time.
[Still, there must be some openings.]
[Yeah... I'll give it a try for now.]
But it was the same lack of confidence.
For now, it seemed necessary to slowly scout around her vicinity.
"Hmm..."
Being the top authority in magic doesn't just mean number one in a single field.
Magic is one of the key elements that make up this fantasy world.
It's also possessing overwhelming honor and power as the number one in magic.
Bellisa was enjoying a bath in a spacious tub.
Soaking in the hot water melted away the fatigue accumulated in her body all at once, no matter how relaxed she tried to be.
"Phew... This feels so good..."
Her height, large breasts, and alluring face—she was undeniably a beauty.
But that didn't change her near-catastrophic personality.
"Way more enjoyable than chatting with those idiots..."
Her disdain for others was palpable.
You'd think it'd spark massive backlash, but surprisingly, overt rebellion was almost nonexistent.
Of course, the resentment from those around her was always at its peak.
But it almost never showed on Bellisa.
This was partly because she commanded respect, but mostly because she had virtually no weaknesses herself.
She gave others absolutely no opening to rebel against her contempt with an attack.
To sum it up, plenty of people harbored grudges, but she never gave them a chance to express it.
Aside from her personality, her magical skills and figure had no flaws or slip-ups.
She handled her duties perfectly, with tremendous results, which only amplified it.
In her main profession, she often produced greater outcomes alone than all other mages combined.
And there were no elements to attack her on other fronts.
Naturally, she was wealthy.
As a former Hero Party member and current leader of a major nation's Mage Guild, her honor was ample.
Her figure was outstanding, drawing envy from women.
Her breasts were right at the limit of what a perfectly proportioned body could handle, and even Bellisa herself sometimes found them a bit cumbersome.
But this was a privilege of her superior self.
"Bellisa-nim."
An unwelcome intruder interrupted her private bath time.
It was the Mage serving as her Assistant.
"Why~?"
"The Vice Guild Leader's magic demonstration is tomorrow, and they want you to attend."
"Sounds boring~"
As an overwhelmingly superior Mage, other mages seemed too low-level for her eyes.
This woman lived for magic alone.
She was so exceptional at it that she treated everyone like fools, and if there was no value in magical discussion, she showed no mercy.
"B-But he's still the Vice Guild Leader. Shouldn't you go?"
"Do I have to watch idiots perform?"
Bellisa pulled her body out of the tub and walked toward the Assistant, who was waiting clothed and hoping for her attendance.
"Here, hand it over."
She touched the invitation with hands still dripping wet.
But using magic, she instantly dried them each time as she read it.
"Do they really need to demonstrate something like this with a formal invite?"
She skimmed a bit, then handed it back to the Assistant.
"Oh, oops~"
Approaching while reading, she misjudged the distance, and her breast slammed right into the Assistant's.
The water-soaked large breast drenched the Assistant's shirt.
Naturally, the wet stains were fully visible.
But...
"Sorry about that?"
When an overwhelmingly large chest collided with a small one, the pride of the smaller side was inevitably crushed.
"Don't feel too sad that you don't have these~"
Now she was perfectly scraping away not just at her magical skills, but her figure too.
Grit.
The Assistant, serving as Bellisa's secretary today as well, ground her teeth.
The Tentacles were wandering the city disguised as ordinary adventurers.
Of course, mages' residences or the Academy risked detection as Monsters, so the city was their limit.
But information wasn't only in the Academy.
This one was yet another offshoot from the Clone.
The Smart Tentacle, the main strategist, was roughly hiding in a Monster display area.
Anyway, they asked merchants with lots of info for anything helpful.
"Ah, I see. I don't know much about this place, so that was pretty helpful."
They casually conjured gold coins from their body and tossed them over.
"Oh my, thank you!"
They gathered quite a bit of useful info.
[So, did you find anything out?]
A message came from the worried Main Body.
[Of course.]
[So, what is it?]
[For starters, everyone seems to hate that Mage Bellisa?]
[Isn't she their Guild Leader?]
[That's kinda the vibe.]
Talents that provoked inferiority complexes.
Speech and behavior with zero consideration for such mages.
All of it pointed to the supreme Mage, Bellisa.
It wasn't top-tier info from an informant.
Just basic knowledge for any merchants trading with mages.
[Would someone who knows they're great and looks down on others have allies?]
[Ah, so that's her personality?]
[Yep.]
[Seems she gets a ton of hate because of it.]
Of course, no one voiced it.
She was their top Guild Leader and strongest Mage, after all.
They just gritted their teeth and endured.
[The only reason Bellisa faces no backlash is probably her insane magic.]
[Yeah... But what do we do with this?]
[We get the resentful people around her to help us.]
Outsiders would face high suspicion.
But she wouldn't be as guarded with her longtime subordinates.
So, if they targeted that moment and wormed in just a bit...
It wasn't a hopeless calculation.
[No matter how perfect, she's still human and will let her guard down.]
Even the strongest without allies is doomed to fall.
This was from some stratagems or ruler's handbook the Tentacles had devoured.
[We get the resentful people around her to help us.]
[Us tentacle monsters?]
Human jealousy and anger often blinded people to consequences.
[Well, if that's what it takes...]
[We don't have to reveal we're us, right?]
The Tentacles' scheming began.
Tok tok tok...
They targeted when the Assistant was alone.
No assault planned.
Just persuasion with words.
"Who are you?"
The Tentacles, disguised as human, became a Suspicious Mage.
"Hello, I'm an acquaintance of Bellisa's."
"...Yes."
Just hearing 'acquaintance of Bellisa' made her face sour with displeasure—confirmation.
"As expected, Bellisa is hated here too."
"...Pardon?"
"Don't you dislike that Mage Bellisa?"
Suddenly hearing this from an outsider, even if true, sparked wariness.
Her sour expression from displeasure at Bellisa now shifted to the stranger.
But they had more prepared.
"What are you suddenly talking about..."
"No matter how talented, a Guild Leader hated like that... Don't you want to teach her a lesson?"
"......"
She didn't refute it.
Not denying it was virtual agreement.
"We're not planning to do anything to this place."
"I just have a personal grudge and want to mess with her a bit."
A dash of lies and keywords to ease guilt were plenty to sway her.
"If you want, I can even draw up a Contract guaranteeing no harm to you all."
Even securing their own safety... could she refuse?
The devil's whispers continued to tempt the Assistant.