Finding the Mage's Weak Spot -3
A suspicious proposal from a suspicious person.
However, Bellisa's Assistant didn't seem to completely refuse it.
"Petty revenge for personal grudges...?"
It's a proposal with an incredibly suspicious motive.
"Yes, if I had to put it that way, something more like messing with her a bit would fit better."
The Assistant knows she should tell him to get lost right now.
But Bellisa's personality, which torments her the more she's around, wouldn't let her do it.
It's not quite enough to call it a grudge, but the Assistant has plenty of complaints too.
If you counted up all the built-up dissatisfaction, she could confidently say she has the most.
She had expected it to be an honor to be the assistant to the strongest mage.
But in reality, it was like traveling with someone whose personality had completely gone off the rails.
And that mage, who lived off her own smug superiority, treated her like a smart monkey.
Now that karma might be coming back around.
'No, still too dangerous.'
The Assistant shakes her head, rejecting the temptation that arises.
'It's working... She's coming around.'
"Yes, if that's what you want, I'll handle your revenge in whatever form you desire."
He deliberately acts like he's drawing a line.
"Of course, that doesn't mean I'll kill her outright or beat her up or anything."
"It'll really just be a little... 'messing with her' at most."
It's all to ease the Assistant's guilt and get her to join the plan.
"Well, even if it's not right now, I can wait a bit."
He pretends to back off leisurely on purpose.
This can't be rushed.
He has to make it look like it's just petty payback for personal grudges—a little bit of it.
If it seems like some crucial must-do thing, the Assistant will reject it.
"Looks like I've taken up too much of your time, so I'll head out for today."
"Ah, yeah..."
She should have told him never to come back, but she couldn't.
'A little messing with her.'
She desperately shakes her head to erase the bad thought lingering in her mind.
"......"
But shaking it off doesn't make what happened un-happen.
A few days passed like that.
"The Guild Leader didn't show up?"
"Yeah, did you deliver the message properly?"
"Ah, let me check. Sorry."
So when she went to Bellisa's Mansion...
"Huh, what's up?"
"Didn't you say you were going to the Vice Guild Leader's magic demonstration last time?"
"Oh, right."
"But... it ended up being more of a hassle than I thought."
In the end, she bailed on it on her own whim after saying she'd go.
And now the Assistant, who had already passed on the confirmation, was the one left in an awkward spot.
"Ah, come on, you can't just say you're going and then not show up...!"
"Ah, but if I don't, you'll nag me about it~"
"Again, just me..."
Now she'll get chewed out by the Vice Guild Leader for not properly guiding the Guild Leader.
It's so unfair.
She's the only one stuck in the middle getting scolded.
She tries her best, but whenever it's with this person...
"Whatever, it's annoying, so get out."
This is Bellisa, who doesn't keep promises at all.
And the Assistant under her, getting pushed around every which way...
Ppadduk.
It wasn't strange for her patience to reach its limit.
...
In the end, it was the Assistant who got scolded by the Vice Guild Leader.
She'd clearly gotten confirmation from the Guild Leader that she'd come, so it was inevitable to get questioned when she didn't.
In the end, she's always the one suffering like this.
Sila Mery.
She was an Academy student walking the elite path of a mage in her own right.
...Until she met Bellisa, she had been walking a very smooth elite path.
But ever since meeting this Bellisa, it feels like 99% of the stress she'll feel in her lifetime is right here.
"If I just endure this, I'll pass and become a full-fledged mage..."
The path to becoming a mage is right in front of her, but her mind can't hold out.
Now it's really the limit of her patience.
Being tormented by Bellisa has to have some moderation, but it's already gone way past that.
So this time, she's really quitting.
She'll write her resignation and immediately go to another mage guild...
"...As if that'll happen anytime soon."
But then, even as an apprentice in another guild, she'd have to start from scratch.
She doesn't want that, but the stress is too much to endure anymore.
There has to be another way without resigning.
If she could just vent the stress somehow...
"Ah..."
Then that Suspicious Mage pops into her head.
"She said just messing with her a bit..."
This can't be helped.
She'll think of it as unavoidable mental care to become a mage.
"I'll do it."
"Great."
"But promise me."
"Of course, what do you want?"
Of course, he has no intention of keeping the promise perfectly.
As long as he can say 'I kept my word,' that's enough.
Of course, he'll grant it if it's not too unreasonable.
"If Bellisa suddenly disappears from this mage's city, that's no good."
"...Yeah, yeah, I promise I'll keep it."
As long as it's not 'sudden,' right?
The Tentacles had already thought of that.
"And you can't harm other mages or this city."
She seems pretty emotional, but her proposal is rational.
"Promise with a Contract."
"You sure? If this gets found out, you could get punished too."
"If it's just getting kicked out for failing to mess with her, then fine, kick me out."
Separate from that rational side, she looks pretty venomous.
"If I can't vent like this, I'll walk out on my own two feet."
Must be a lot built up.
Anyway, couldn't she think of it as the Tentacles being a cool boss saving his tormented subordinate?
'See, doing good deeds like this feels great...'
In fact, the smart Clone Tentacles still felt some guilt about breaking one mage.
But if her personality is more broken than imagined, the Tentacles can ease that guilt too.
"Alright, shall we make the Contract right now?"
The Tentacles pulls out a parchment conjured from behind itself.
A magically binding Contract has powerful effects when both parties agree fairly.
Assistant Sila clearly writes down the terms right there.
'Good...'
And so, the Contract between the revenge-hungry, mentally desperate Assistant and the Tentacles disguised as a mage was sealed.
"Perfect. So now we share the same goal, right?"
"How are we gonna mess with her?"
"Hmm... For that, I need some info first."
The form of messing with her will probably exceed what Sila's imagining right now, but whatever.
"We need to know her weaknesses and info to make a plan."
That mage must have some weaknesses or methods.
And if they exploit those gaps together with the Assistant... they can definitely strike.
"Oh, and could you investigate some things I mention first?"
Now the Tentacles makes its move too.
"Bellisa-nim, a letter for you."
Even after making the Contract with that Suspicious Mage, nothing changes right away for Sila.
"From where?"
"It says Hero Party."
"Hmm, then leave it and go."
"Yes."
She leaves like that.
"Hmm... Is the Hero holding some kind of party?"
Without much thought, Bellisa opens the letter.
"From the Holy Kingdom?"
She slowly reads the contents inside.
"...Tentacles attack?"
The Holy Kingdom sent it right after the Hero arrived, straight to her, a top mage.
And the contents written inside were gruesome.
'The Hero's Erogenous Zones have all been heightened to the extreme with some drug, to the point where pleasure feels like pain.'
'Especially the modified Urethra—once liquid starts coming out, it squirts water endlessly, almost infinitely.'
'According to testimony, she's been forced into a smile, to the point where now, when she trembles in fear, her mouth corners automatically go up.'
"What the hell is this...?"
She was a bit dumbfounded imagining the horrific things the Hero had endured.
'We will send the analysis results on this Tentacles corpse to you, Bellisa-nim, in strictest secrecy.'
'We request a more detailed analysis and, if this creature reappears, effective extermination methods.'
Her serious face relaxed a bit at the report on this intriguing creature.
No, it was closer to a wicked smile.
"Hmm... So that's how it is?"
"Against normal attacks... it divides into fragments?"
She underlines the parts that aren't certain but suggest a high possibility.
"This is interesting."
The Tentacles recruits people and investigates the mage.
But at the same time, the mage starts investigating the Tentacles.
These two are beginning to learn about their potential opponent.
Of course, knowing who your allies are matters more.