Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

During the moments Gospelt chanted his spell, Binaeril felt sensations he had never experienced before. He could distinctly see the mana manifesting within Gospelt’s breath, his palms, his head, and around his mouth. Although Binaeril had decent mana sensing abilities, he had never seen mana move so clearly before. As Gospelt’s chant progressed, the mana transformed into lightning magic. It felt as though he was viewing the world from a different perspective.

Binaeril had heard of this kind of talent before.

‘Magic Eyes?’

A sharp pain pierced through his eyes. Overwhelmed by the sudden agony, Binaeril closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Gospelt’s spell was already upon him. Having lost his focus, he couldn’t cast a defensive spell. It was too late; he had no choice but to take the hit. He raised his arms to shield his face. 

But the expected pain never came.

‘…?’

The lightning magic was undoubtedly hitting Binaeril’s entire body.

‘No, this isn’t an attack…’

The lightning magic was being ‘absorbed’ by Binaeril. He had done nothing to initiate this. The magic, already manifested, changed to a familiar form. It was no longer Gospelt’s magic. The spell that struck Binaeril became his, without losing any of its potency.

What happened next was even more bewildering.

Binaeril, still confused, met Gospelt’s gaze. Gospelt wore a similarly perplexed expression.

“Gospelt…”

Binaeril opened his mouth, still not comprehending what had just transpired.

Crackle—!

The lightning magic Binaeril had absorbed was now discharged, even fiercer than before, and struck back at Gospelt.

“Wha-!”

Gospelt, unprepared, twisted his body in panic as his own spell was reflected back at him. Despite his attempts to dodge, he couldn’t completely avoid it. The spell struck his shoulder, sending him flying backward and crashing into the ground. It was only thanks to Binaeril’s last-minute control that the spell’s power was reduced.

“Guhh…”

“Gospelt!”

The startled students shouted, and the classroom descended into chaos. This was not the outcome Binaeril had intended. He had inadvertently made a dramatic reentry into Elfenbine in an unwanted manner.

***

Meanwhile, Dean Yulio hurried to the top floor of the mage tower, having received urgent news. He knocked on the door of the tower master’s room and waited momentarily for a response.

“News about the tracking situation.”

“Are you referring to the professor’s murder case?”

The dean nodded heavily.

“The tracking team had a confrontation with the suspect near the border of Pigny and Ruben.”

“And, did they catch them?”

“They escaped.”

“That’s odd. We even assigned professors from the tower to the pursuit team. Is the fugitive such a skilled mage?”

“Not originally. While he is a talented mage, he’s considered a novice compared to the professors of the tower. However, it seems he used the same power he employed to kill Professor Freud.”

“Professor Freud… What exactly happened to him?”

Dean Yulio recalled the grim sight of Professor Freud’s corpse. Even for someone as experienced as Yulio, it was a disturbing memory. Other staff who had seen the body had either gagged or couldn’t bring themselves to look at it directly, needing time to recover.

“His entire body was desiccated, resembling a mummy.”

The shriveled body, as if all moisture had been drained, was not the most horrifying part. The truly terrible sight was the head. For a mage, the head is the source of imagination and mana. Dean Yulio thought Freud’s head looked like a child’s crudely torn and crumpled paper. It was the corpse of a mage completely drained of mana, something he had never seen before.

“You said the fugitive seems to have absorbed Professor Freud’s mana.”

“Yes. We don’t know how it happened, but that appears to be the case.”

“And the pursuit team experienced something similar?”

“According to reports, yes. Most magic had no effect on him. It was as if he… absorbed the magic.”

“Even the professors’ spells?”

“That doesn’t seem to be the case.”

The tower master tapped his fingers on his knee.

“A ‘Mana Devourer’…”

“We could call him that. A Mana Devourer.”

“Yes. The professors assigned to the pursuit team are uninjured, but the assisting mages suffered significant injuries.”

The tower master stopped tapping his knee.

“It seems the fugitive mage can more easily absorb mana from those weaker than himself.”

“That’s my assessment as well.”

“Recall all non-professor members of the pursuit team. They’ll only be a hindrance. We can’t send mages to get injured on a futile path.”

“But recalling them leaves only two professors in the pursuit team.”

Dean Yulio blinked. Pursuit teams required manpower beyond combat capabilities. It was excessive to burden just two individuals with the entire task.

“I understand. Therefore, I intend to supplement the team with another skilled mage.”

“But, Tower Master, we’ve already exhausted our resources from Elfenbine. Sending more professors would halt the tower’s operations.”

Dean Yulio blinked again.

“Therefore, we cannot spare any more staff.”

“…You just mentioned needing reinforcements.”

“Yes, I did.”

“But we have no…”

“Dean Yulio.”

The tower master softly called his name.

“There’s one mage at Elfenbine who isn’t a professor yet but possesses comparable skills. He has just returned from a mission,” said the tower master.

Dean Yulio immediately understood who she was referring to. “Are you talking about Binaeril Dalheim… or rather, Binaeril?”

“But Binaeril lacks sufficient experience. He isn’t suited for a life-and-death pursuit like this,” Yulio protested.

“Well, the Binaeril I’ve observed has better skills than most mages. I’ve heard his tales of travel in great detail. He’s experienced a lot. I believe he’s well-suited for this mission,” the tower master interjected, cutting off Yulio’s attempt at rebuttal.

“Are you uncomfortable with the idea of pitting your former student against your current one?” The tower master’s words struck Yulio’s heart.

Yulio had been searching for excuses, but perhaps, deep down, he simply didn’t want that.

“Binaeril Dalheim is an exceptional mage. He will be a significant asset in tracking down the fugitive… Richard Bernstein. Moreover, he won’t be alone; there will be two other professors with him.”

Yulio knew he couldn’t overturn her decision. Richard Bernstein, the killer of Professor Freud, had once been Yulio’s student as well. Bernstein had been a prodigy, passing Scala at a young age and taking on difficult missions around the world because he loved to travel. But when he last returned to Elfenbine, he was no longer the bright and cheerful student Yulio remembered. Bernstein had become a horrifying monster, suffering from severe mana poisoning and influenced by demonic madness.

When Binaeril was summoned back to the top floor of Elfenbine, he assumed it was to receive a reprimand for the trouble caused during his special lecture. However, when he knocked and entered the tower master’s room, he found not only the tower master but two other individuals present as well.

“Binaeril, come in,” the tower master greeted him.

“Inyakan? What are you doing here?”

“This old man called me,” Inyakan replied, gesturing to Chancellor Yulio.

Despite his rude demeanor, neither the chancellor nor the tower master seemed to mind. Binaeril stood hesitantly before the tower master.

“I heard about the incident during your special lecture,” she began.

“It was nothing. I didn’t anticipate such a situation arising. I apologize,” Binaeril said, downplaying the event.

“It provided a valuable lesson for the students.”

Binaeril wondered what kind of lesson she meant. A lesson that defiance against a lecturer or professor would result in a beating?

“Binaeril, what exactly happened?” Dean Yulio inquired, apparently still in the dark about the details.

“It was nothing significant,” Binaeril replied, avoiding eye contact. It wasn’t something he wanted to boast about.

“I called you here because we have a new task for you.”

“If it’s another lecture, I’m sorry, but I must decline. The students don’t seem to regard me kindly,” Binaeril replied.

The tower master chuckled softly. “It’s not that. This mission is similar to your assignment in the Empire.”

“A mission?”

The tower master’s veil rustled as she nodded.

“We want you to join the pursuit of the fugitive responsible for the recent murder of Professor Freud.”

“I thought a pursuit team was already assembled.”

The veil fluttered in an S-shape.

“We had a confrontation with the suspect but failed to capture him. We need reinforcements with substantial power.”

Binaeril pointed to himself and asked, “And that would be me?”

“Yes. A mage with such impressive tales from their travels must possess the necessary skills.”

“But Tower Master, as I mentioned before, I was planning to head southeast.”

The tower master knew that Binaeril was searching for fragments. Now that he knew his brother was also gathering fragments, he couldn’t afford to be sidetracked by other missions.

“I understand. Incidentally, the suspect also fled in the southeast direction. And in my humble opinion, this mission will be of great benefit to you.”

Binaeril wanted to ask more questions but was mindful of Chancellor Yulio and Inyakan’s presence. The tower master, sensing his discomfort, snapped her fingers. Her pink veil spread out and enveloped them, creating a perfectly isolated space.

Only then did Binaeril feel at ease to ask his questions.

“Tower Master, with all due respect, is this based on a hunch? Or is it because the suspect fled due to the fragments?”

“No. This is my ‘premonition.'”

“Premonition…?”

If anyone else had said that, Binaeril wouldn’t have paid much attention. He wouldn’t change his plans based on a simple hunch. But the tower master’s ‘premonition’ was different. For a mage at the pinnacle of magic, a premonition was more like ‘foresight,’ a near-certain glimpse into the future.

“If you put it that way, I understand.”

If she foresaw that this mission would be beneficial to Binaeril, it was likely connected to the fragments.

With another snap of her fingers, the surroundings returned to normal.

“So, Binaeril will be joining the mission.”

“Did you persuade him?” Dean Yulio asked. Binaeril nodded.

“Oh, and for this mission, the khan of the Inya tribe will also accompany you.”

Three voices overlapped in surprise—Binaeril, Dean Yulio, and even Inyakan, who was hearing this for the first time.