Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

“Will you help us, Khan of the Inya Tribe?”

The sentence was phrased as a request, but its content was a command.

“Aren’t you searching for the enemy of the Inya Tribe?”

“…Yes.”

“What can you do for Elfenbine in exchange for the information they provide?”

“Do you need money?”

Inyakan had a few florin silver coins he had extracted from Binaeril. If money was required, he could give away his entire fortune. Silver coins could always be earned or taken again.

“We don’t need money. Instead, help Binaeril.”

“Help him?”

“This mission might be dangerous. The escaped mage is no easy opponent. Although other mages besides Binaeril are part of the pursuit team… as the ‘Khan’ of the Inya Tribe, you would surely be a valuable asset.”

“It is unsettling. Are you threatening me with the information about my tribe?”

Inyakan responded suspiciously, but the tower master was not intimidated. Instead, she confronted him directly.

“Why not? The information you seek is unobtainable anywhere else in the world. Only Elfenbine can provide it. If we have the advantage in negotiations, shouldn’t we use it? Don’t you agree?”

“Ha! You are a cunning woman.”

Despite his words, Inyakan did not seem particularly displeased.

“Who is the person that murdered Professor Freud and fled?”

“I will answer that,” said Dean Yulio, stepping forward.

“He was a wandering mage who roamed the world. During his time at Elfenbine, he showed exceptional talent as a student. And… he was also my disciple.”

“Your disciple, Dean?”

“Yes. After him, I did not take another disciple until I accepted the princess.”

Dean Yulio’s gaze drifted as he recalled the past.

“What is his name? Do I know him?”

“You wouldn’t. Binaeril, you have no connection with this mage. His name is Richard Bernstein.”

“Bernstein?”

Though the dean thought Binaeril wouldn’t know him, Binaeril remembered the name from a corner of his memory. Richard Bernstein, he had met him before.

‘The young mage I met in Fairhill.’

When Binaeril and his party were driven out of Fairhill, it was the wandering mage who had welcomed them at the camp they set up. Binaeril remembered Bernstein’s cheerful personality.

“How did he kill Professor Freud? Did he have a motive?”

Although Professor Freud was a person who could easily harbor grudges from anyone, the Bernstein he remembered did not seem like someone who would harm others.

Dean Yulio explained the circumstances to them. The gruesome end of Professor Freud, Bernstein’s abilities, and the fact that the fleeing Bernstein was heading east.

“He absorbs mana?”

“Yes, an unprecedented power. I don’t know how he acquired such an ability, but I believe it is a side effect of mana poisoning.”

“Mana poisoning…”

Mana poisoning is a syndrome that affects mages who have fought against demonic creatures and been influenced by demonic energy. It is not a formally recognized disease but a condition that only occurs in mages. Mild symptoms include chills and fever, which can subside within a few days. However, severe cases exhibit various symptoms and signs.

Mages lose their rationality, their mana goes berserk, and they suffer from insatiable hunger and unprovoked violence, similar to demonic creatures.

“Very rarely, mages afflicted by mana poisoning manifest new abilities. I suspect this is the case with Bernstein.”

Binaeril found something troubling in those words. A power that emerged as a result of mana poisoning… And a power to absorb mana at that?

Binaeril had absorbed and reflected Gospelt’s attack. Could there be a connection to himself?

“We have decided to call his ability ‘Mana Devourer.'”

“Mana Devourer?”

“No, that’s just what the tower master named it…”

Ignoring the dean’s interruption, the tower master continued.

“Ordinary mages posed no threat to Richard Bernstein, the Mana Devourer. Only those with power he couldn’t devour escaped unscathed from battles with him.”

“Are those the professors?”

“Yes. All others have returned to Elfenbine, leaving only two professors in the pursuit team: Professor Avia Flynn and Professor Pierre Blanchot.”

Both professors had taught Binaeril during his student days, although it had been less than a year.

“According to the latest pursuit results, Richard Bernstein has crossed the Duchy of Figny and is heading towards Ruben.”

Bernstein, Avia Flynn, Pierre Blanchot, and now Ruben. Familiar names kept coming up for Binaeril. The Kingdom of Ruben, beyond the free trade state of Figny, was his homeland.

“Binaeril’s mission is to travel to the Kingdom of Ruben, join the two professors of the pursuit team, and chase Bernstein. It would be ideal to capture him alive, but if that’s not possible…”

“Kill him.”

Accepting the mission, Binaeril left the tower master’s room. There was one more thing he needed to hear before preparing to depart: the identity of the person who massacred Inyakan’s tribe.

As Dean Yulio and Inyakan began discussing it, Binaeril prepared to leave the room.

“Binaeril, you should hear this too.”

Dean Yulio stopped Binaeril from leaving.

“Since you’ll be traveling with Khan, it’s better to know.”

Binaeril looked at Inyakan, who didn’t seem to mind.

Binaeril had a question he wanted to ask.

“What does it mean to be the Khan of the Inya Tribe?”

“Didn’t you know? ‘Khan’ is a title given to the greatest warriors among each of the Barbaroana tribes. The ‘Khan’ is like the father of the group, a kind of chieftain.”

“So it’s not a name, Inyakan. What is your original name?”

“A Khan of the tribe has no need for a name. They live as the Khan and die as the Khan. I am no different.”

Dean Yulio nodded approvingly. “It’s an admirable spirit.”

“Have you found the culprit, old man?” Inyakan asked.

“We attempted to uncover the culprit by using professors who specialize in divination magic to go back to the point in time based on the Khan’s memories.”

“Is that possible?” Binaeril asked. It seemed unlikely to investigate a past event, especially one that happened in a far-off place.

“It is possible, but the specificity of the memory is crucial. The more detailed the description, the easier it is to glimpse into the past.”

“I told the old man everything I remember. I have never forgotten that day. I even remember the shapes of the clouds that passed by.”

Dean Yulio nodded again. “Indeed. The Khan’s memories were quite detailed. The scene of his tribe’s massacre is hard to forget.”

Binaeril had another question. “If Inyakan witnessed this scene, didn’t he see the culprit as well?”

Inyakan shook his head. “I did not see the culprit. I was at the frontline between the Empire and Barbaroana. When I returned, my tribe was already dead. Even my only son.”

“I see. It must be a horrific memory. That’s why we thought we could easily find the culprit through his memories. However…”

“However?” Binaeril urged.

“We couldn’t find him.”

Inyakan slammed his hand on the dean’s desk, shouting angrily. “What do you mean by that! That’s not what you said before! You said it wouldn’t be difficult to find him!”

“I’m sorry. But there was nothing we could do. Despite the efforts of myself and the specialized professors, we could not identify the culprit.”

“Damn it… then all the promises made with that woman are void!”

Inyakan fumed with rage. The only clue he had believed would lead to the culprit had betrayed his expectations. His wrath made the atmosphere in the laboratory tense.

Dean Yulio adjusted his monocle and spoke again. “My words aren’t finished. We did not find the ‘culprit.’ But that doesn’t mean we found nothing.”

“…What do you mean by that, old man?”

“It is strange, very strange indeed. The tragedy that Khan experienced is not that long ago. His memory is even quite vivid. Yet the divination magic, performed with the combined efforts of Elfenbine’s professors, failed to identify a single person?”

“That means….”

Binaeril was the first to grasp the dean’s meaning.

“To put it plainly, it’s impossible. At the very least, we should have been able to glimpse the memories Khan described. But we couldn’t. Why do you think that is?”

“I’m not here to solve riddles. I came for answers.”

“There is a force interfering with the magic, Inyakan.”

“Interfering? Who would do that?”

“Most likely, the one who massacred the Inya Tribe.”

Inyakan pounded his chest in frustration like a gorilla. “Then we haven’t discovered anything at all!”

Binaeril answered this time. “We have discovered something.”

“What is it?”

“A power that can interfere with Elfenbine’s magic. There aren’t many with such power. At most….”

“Khan of the Inya Tribe, your tragedy was not the work of a few individuals.”

“Then what was it?”

“It was an organized massacre. A group with the power to obstruct Elfenbine’s magic executed a planned genocide.”

“Who on earth could that be!”

Both Binaeril and Dean Yulio thought of one entity, but neither said it aloud.

‘The Holy Kingdom of Vitory.’

“Does the Inya Tribe possess any special treasures?”

“Treasures?”

“If someone targeted the Inya Tribe, they must have had a reason. They wouldn’t massacre an entire distant tribe without any motive.”

“You call yourself the father of your tribe. Surely you must know if the Inya Tribe has any special treasures.”

When Dean Yulio first met Inyakan, he mentioned that the Inya Tribe was known for being among the fiercest and toughest of the Barbaroana tribes. If the Inya Tribe was particularly special among the dozens or hundreds of Barbaroana tribes, there had to be a reason.

If the massacre of the Inya Tribe was truly the work of the Holy Kingdom of Vitory….

‘It is likely connected to the fragments.’

The Order was collecting the pages of Veritas, the fragments. Specifically, it was his brother, Yunnaeril Dalheim, who was gathering the fragments. If so, his brother might be behind the massacre of the Inya Tribe.

“The Inya Tribe….”

The two mages focused intently on Inyakan’s words.

“The Inya Tribe possesses no treasures.”

“That’s the truth. The Inya Tribe is a poor tribe. As Khan, I know this best. The Inya Tribe has nothing worth taking. I swear it on the name of the Khan.”