Those Who Deceive Shall Receive a Backstab
"Young Master? You look a little more haggard than before."
"...This place is seriously full of idiots."
Jung Ayeon had been diligently polishing one of Cheonma's statues when she spotted me. She only turned her head as she spoke. Thanks to her, I now had mana tattoos etched into the backs of both my hands and feet. Despite the grueling process, the tattoos themselves were simple—just plain circles with no elaborate patterns.
[Still, you gained something from it, did you not?]
'Hey, weren't you supposed to go find another protagonist?'
[...I tried the constellation concept, but every decent novel already had those spots filled.]
"So you did gain something, yes?"
"...Not nothing."
The woman who had engraved the tattoos apologized and added extra designs around the circles on the backs of my hands. Small triangles positioned at the cardinal directions around each red circle, making the whole thing resemble a simplified sun when viewed from a distance.
"No way! Young Master, have you finally become a tattoo addict?"
"......Hearing you say that suddenly makes me crave some seriously spicy soup."
[Could you not use it at a convenience store as well?]
'Yeah, to show off while asking the clerk to swipe my card?'
Jung Ayeon leaned in to examine the tattoos more closely.
"They look different from ordinary tattoos. What are the triangles around them for?"
"Simple. They let me materialize weapons with mana."
To demonstrate, I channeled mana toward the one o'clock position relative to the circle on my right hand. Thanks to the tattoo, mana automatically gathered there, so it was effortless. The triangle at that position glowed brightly, and a translucent sword of light formed in my hand. It even carried the familiar weight I was used to, but the moment I stopped supplying mana, it vanished instantly.
"Oho! So each direction produces a different weapon?"
"Correct. The downside is a long cooldown after each use."
Maintenance time was also shorter than I'd hoped. Fine for a single fight, but it could become a liability in prolonged battles. Just then, the expressionless woman who had been standing behind me spoke up.
"Your total mana capacity has probably increased quite a bit as well."
"...Why did your face go back to normal?"
"I only feel euphoria while engraving tattoos."
[Usually those types completely lose their composure in bed.]
'On the contrary, the emotionless female type is the hottest.'
At least the increase in mana was an unexpected bonus. If I was lucky, it might even let me fire the Cheonma Repulsor more than eight times. I glanced around and realized Elsia was nowhere to be seen, so I asked Jung Ayeon.
"Hey, Jung Ayeon. Where's Elsia?"
"......This one does not know. Do not ask this one."
She looked embarrassed and deliberately averted her gaze. Before I could wonder why, Elsia's indignant voice echoed from somewhere in the distance.
"More! Give me more!!!"
Following the sound led us to the guild's lounge. Elsia sat there with her legs crossed in a haughty manner, clearly displeased, while a flustered martial artist hovered beside her.
"Elsia, what's going on?"
"My husband! This is absolutely ridiculous!"
Elsia stood and approached me, holding out a small box. Inside were only a few scraps of snack wrappers.
"You already ate everything? So what?"
"They said this was all they had! Does that make any sense? With this many people in the guild!"
"Really? This is seriously all they had?"
I examined the wrappers. The amount was barely enough for one person, let alone several people each taking a single piece. Elsia was right—there was clearly a problem. A major guild shouldn't be this stingy with snacks. But Elsia wasn't finished.
"Exactly! And the types of snacks are the real issue!"
"Oh?"
I looked through the wrappers one by one. Red ginseng candy. Jeonbyeong. Yakgwa. Mostly old-fashioned snacks.
"Is this Cheonma's preference? Didn't taste good?"
"I could eat them, but it put me in a bad mood! Hey, are they looking down on me because of my age?"
"N-no, ma'am! These are simply the only snacks stocked here."
Elsia was a High Elf and the World Tree's representative, after all. Most people would feel a certain distance when dealing with her. The martial artist could only offer an apologetic expression.
"By order of the Guild Master, all guild snacks are restricted to those Lord Cheonma prefers."
"Then why is there so little? How can there be no more snacks left?"
"Because Lord Cheonma is the only one who eats them."
"Then bring something else, anything!"
"I'm sorry. Lord Cheonma absolutely forbids any other snacks. Aside from what you just ate, there are no more snacks in the entire guild."
So the snacks Cheonma liked were reserved exclusively for Cheonma, and nothing else existed. Yet I could clearly smell the faint trace of sugar lingering on the martial artist's lips as he made his excuses.
'Smells like he's lying.'
[How the hell do you even know that?!]
After calming Elsia down, the two of us began thoroughly searching the lounge cabinets. We found nothing at first, and I was starting to doubt my own nose when Elsia approached me with another complaint.
"What kind of ridiculous guild is this?! There's literally just a single string in one of the cabinets!"
At that moment, something clicked in my mind. I grabbed Elsia as she turned to leave.
"Elsia, do you know which cabinet had the string?"
"Yes! Why?"
"Pull on it."
Elsia looked skeptical but did as I asked. The moment she yanked the string, a soft click came from another cabinet. When we opened it, we found a treasure trove of snacks and food. It was the martial artists' secret stash.
"H-how...?"
The martial artist who had been watching collapsed to the floor with a hollow sigh, looking utterly defeated. Ignoring him, we examined the hidden compartment. It was properly refrigerated and stocked with far superior items—nothing like the meager snacks Elsia had been given earlier. Cakes, chocolates, meal kits, all kinds of desserts, even premium liquor. A genuine treasure vault.
I slung an arm around the dazed martial artist's shoulders and spoke quietly, just loud enough for him to hear.
"Fellow guild member. Did you hide this on purpose?"
"N-no, sir!"
"Then we just happened to discover these items that someone had stored away, right?"
"...Y-yes, sir."
"Lucky us. For a second I thought someone had deliberately hidden them."
"O-of course not... haha..."
A forced smile appeared on his face. It almost looked like he was about to cry.
"So we can eat all of this without any problem?"
"W-well, that's a bit..."
"Then I guess we'll have to report this to Cheonma."
"N-no need! Since no one owns them, the finders get to keep them!"
"Good attitude."
I released him and asked him to bring something we could carry the loot in. His expression soured even further, but he had no choice but to comply and left without protest. He had no other options left.
Once he was gone, I turned to Elsia.
"Elsia, I'll hold the string. Let's take everything out and eat."
"Thank you, my husband!!"
"Ack! Don't let go yet! My hand's caught, damn it!"
We took turns—Elsia holding the string while I emptied the cabinet, then switching so she could devour the mountain of snacks like a woman possessed. I was also enjoying the spoils when Piece spoke up.
[My dear, how did you know about that string?]
'Learned it from Poongi's secret box.'
By the time Elsia had nearly finished everything, the martial artist returned with a large bag.
"My husband! Why the bag?"
"Keep eating. I'll pack up the rest."
"I'll help!"
While some snacks could be eaten immediately, others needed to be taken away. Elsia summoned butterflies to transfer the liquor and meal kits into the bag, her snacking hand never stopping. By the time the bag was full, she had finished eating as well. She immediately began glancing at the bag, clearly still thinking about the contents inside.
[Even after all that, her gluttony remains impressive.]
'Sigh. This damn pig.'
I patted Elsia's shoulder.
"I'll give you more later, so just wait a bit."
"Thank you, my husband! Are you giving me everything?"
"......The alcohol is mine."
"Yes! Understood!"
We stuffed the remaining trash back into the secret compartment instead of throwing it away. I had a better idea. Our business here was done, so it was time to return to the Academy. Jung Ayeon still had cleaning to finish, so Elsia and I headed out alone.
Just as we reached the gate, Cheonma appeared before us. Apparently he had come to see us off.
"Hand over the photo."
"Ah, right."
He hadn't come to see us off—he had come to collect the photo. As I passed it to him, I remembered something and pulled out a sheet of paper, handing it over.
"Cheonma, could you sign this for me?"
"What is this?"
After reading it, Cheonma's face twisted with discomfort.
"This one knows little of such matters, but is my signature truly necessary?"
"No one else's signature would carry the same weight."
"Hmm... I worry that attaching my name to something like this carries too much risk."
He looked reluctant. Clearly he didn't want to take on unnecessary risk. But the moment I spoke again—
"I'll give you Ryu Kanghyuk's home address."
"The path of danger is the true path of the Heavenly Demon!!!"
Cheonma immediately declared he would gladly shoulder any risk.
[Is that the Heavenly Demon or Woody?]
'His attitude flipped so fast.'
Even though I was holding a pen, Cheonma bit his own thumb and signed in blood. I considered pushing my luck further but decided against it—his eyes were filled with an unreadable madness. Once the signature was confirmed, I quietly handed over the address. As we were about to leave the Martial Arts Guild, I remembered the lounge incident and turned back.
"Cheonma! The snacks were delicious!"
"They were great!"
"You ate everything?!"
Cheonma clutched his head in anguish. A resigned sigh followed.
"Haa... At least our tastes align."
"I didn't know you liked those kinds of snacks. Anyway, the cake and macarons were excellent."
"......What? Say that again."
Cheonma's eyes widened as he stared at me. I feigned ignorance.
"Huh? Weren't the snacks hidden in the back of the cabinet yours?"
"......How dare those martial artists!!!"
Cheonma vanished in an instant, and a loud crash echoed from the lounge. We could faintly hear his furious voice, but we stepped through the gate and returned to the Academy without a care. The cleanup was the martial artists' problem now.
The moment we arrived back at the Academy, Piece spoke in a completely defeated tone.
[I'm too tired to even ask anymore. Why didn't you keep that a secret?]
'We weren't going back anyway, and keeping something like that would only make the martial artists soft.'
[......This one will be transferring to another novel's constellation position, so know that.]
'You'll be back next chapter anyway, so just give up.'
[How did I end up stuck with this idiot...]
Piece's sigh seemed deeper than usual today.