Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

“What do you mean by ‘fragments’?”

“…Nothing.”

Yunnaeril realized he had misspoken. Callisto and the other paladins were still unaware of what a fragment was. They were merely following his orders to retrieve the cursed sword.

‘Binaeril seeking the fragments? Why?’

Yunnaeril had only recently come to understand the power of the fragments and had begun collecting them. Starfall had revealed to him the locations of other fragments scattered across the continent. However, not all fragments’ locations could be known. Each fragment possessed unique powers, and some had hidden their presence.

‘Could Binaeril also know about the fragments?’

Binaeril Dalheim was a sore spot for Yunnaeril. Binaeril despised his older brother—to the point of hatred. Yunnaeril was aware of this. He vaguely understood why Binaeril had become a mage. He likely did not want to follow in his brother’s footsteps. But to hate his brother, he needed to find his own way to develop. Whether by earning money, gaining high status, becoming famous, training to become stronger, obtaining honor, or building influence, Binaeril chose to become a mage.

‘For such a person to coincidentally seek the same artifact I was after? Especially a cursed sword hidden deep within the Empire?’

It was hard to dismiss this as mere coincidence.

‘It’s safer to assume Binaeril is also involved with the fragments.’

In the worst-case scenario, Binaeril might already possess a fragment. Even worse, he might have the ability to locate other fragments like Starfall.

‘The problem is that this possibility is not so unlikely.’

“This is unexpected news. I understand,” Yunnaeril said, his thoughts growing more complex.

Callisto unwrapped the cloth and handed Starfall back to its owner.

“I return the sacred sword to you.”

Starfall, which had been away for months, was finally back in Yunnaeril’s hands. As he picked up the sword, he heard its voice resonating within him.

“Yunnaeril Dalheim, the fragment you seek is approaching.”

Yunnaeril stood frozen, holding Starfall.

“…Commander?”

“Sir Callisto, I must ask another favor of you.”

“Priya Merzina. It seems she has arrived nearby.”

Callisto and Matthias exchanged glances. The idea that she, who had stolen the cursed sword, was near the Holy Kingdom was alarming.

Yunnaeril handed Starfall back to Callisto.

“Find the Enchantress and retrieve the stolen cursed sword. I will take Starfall back afterward.”

He raised his hand and lightly struck Binaeril’s head. Inyakan made a quiet apology that Binaeril couldn’t hear.

“Sorry, Binaeril. But I lack patience. Now that I have a chance to find the culprit, how could I wait any longer?”

He made sure he felt the touch. Having controlled his strength, he knew he hadn’t broken Binaeril’s neck. Inyakan prepared to lift Binaeril over his shoulder. 

However, Binaeril, who had been hit on the back of his head, quickly moved away from Inyakan, rubbing his head.

“Ouch! That hurt!”

“What the hell are you doing, Inyakan?”

Binaeril glared at him, rubbing the back of his head resentfully.

“What? How are you still standing?”

“How are you not knocked out?”

Binaeril narrowed his eyes, glaring at him. “You were trying to kill me.”

“No, of course not.”

The words and actions were completely contradictory. Inyakan spread his arms wide and clenched his right fist, swinging it towards Binaeril’s head once more.

“You must be crazy!”

This time, Binaeril didn’t stand still. The sound of the punch cutting through the air was as loud as a cannonball.

“You really are trying to kill me!”

After his second failed attempt, Inyakan became even more determined. “Just take it quietly and die!”

With every punch Inyakan threw, his bracer made a sharp, scraping noise. It was clear now that he wasn’t just trying to knock Binaeril out.

Binaeril flipped backward and landed on the ground, spreading his fingers and touching the earth. He intended to put some distance between himself and Inyakan.

Boom!

The ground groaned and rippled like a wave where Binaeril’s hand touched. The shaking earth made it difficult to maintain balance. Inyakan, like Binaeril, had to place both hands on the ground to steady himself. 

The two men, on all fours like dogs, growled at each other.

“Why are you doing this?” Binaeril demanded.

“Come with me to Barbaroana. I need to verify what happened to my tribe!”

“Didn’t the Dean say he would look into it while we pursued the mage?”

“That’s too slow. I need to know now!”

“Inyakan, even if I go there, I can’t do much to help. My specialty isn’t detection magic.”

“Liar! You found the lost purse in Count Huber’s territory with magic. You called it magic yourself!”

Inyakan clenched his fingers like claws and drove them into the ground. The hard earth gave way under his strength as if it were pudding. He lifted himself to his feet, gripping a mound of dirt, and hurled it at Binaeril.

“Tch!”

Binaeril jumped back, avoiding the attack. As he removed his hand from the ground, the quaking earth stilled.

“Inyakan, finding the purse was not precisely magic!”

“Ha! Now you’re trying to twist your words? No matter what you say, I will drag you with me.”

“And if you force me, there’s no guarantee I’ll cooperate.”

“Don’t worry. I know many ways to make someone cooperate.”

There was no need to ask what those methods were. Inyakan leapt high, aiming to strike Binaeril with his heel. 

Binaeril conjured a whip of sand, wrapping it around Inyakan’s legs. He hardened the sand and flung Inyakan away. Inyakan broke the hardened sand with his bracer and launched himself at Binaeril again.

“Binaeril, come quietly and I won’t hit you!”

“It’s a bit late for that, don’t you think?”

Binaeril aimed a magic bullet at Inyakan in midair, reducing its power as much as possible without making it harmless.

A sharp beam of mana formed, ready to shoot at Inyakan. Their eyes locked in the air, and for a moment, both felt as if time had slowed down.

Binaeril spoke first. “The mission first, then the Inya tribe.”

“The Inya tribe first, then the mission.”

Negotiations broke down.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The magic bullets scattered like buckshot, tracing complex trajectories towards Inyakan. He quickly scanned their paths. Seven projectiles with staggered timings aimed at him. Inyakan wasn’t a mage; he couldn’t alter his direction mid-air. So, he would take them head-on!

He brought his arms together and made a circle with his palms. He planned the sequence to deflect the incoming magic bullets.

The first bullet was flicked away like snapping a finger, altering its path. The next two he deflected with his bracer, causing them to veer off. The bracer clanged loudly, emitting a smoky odor. Inyakan noticed a faint whizzing sound from below and instinctively tilted his head back, narrowly avoiding a bullet that grazed his chin.

Swish!

A sound from his right temple, and simultaneously, he saw the final bullet coming straight at him. Timing it perfectly, he punched forward with his right fist, deflecting the bullet aimed at his temple into the one coming at him head-on.

‘Wait, the last one?’

He had deflected or dodged six bullets, but Binaeril had created seven.

‘There’s still one more!’

“It’s useless, kid!”

Without time to dodge or deflect, Inyakan let out a thunderous roar, purely on instinct. Binaeril flinched and took a step back. It was a shout imbued with mana, a technique Binaeril had seen before.

The last bullet, aimed at the back of Inyakan’s head, lost its power and fell to the ground.

“…Is he even human?”

Until now, Binaeril had thought Inyakan was just a brute with strength. But now he realized, he was a monster—a monster with both strength and skill.

Inyakan, with a twisted smile, descended on Binaeril like a falling star.

Whack!

His fist, weighted by his falling body, struck Binaeril’s face squarely.

“Oops!”

In his excitement, Inyakan had forgotten to hold back his strength. He watched in shock as Binaeril was sent flying and crashed into the ground.

This was at least a facial fracture, at worst, death.

“Damn it… I made a mistake.”

Binaeril lay motionless on the ground.

“Is he dead? He can’t be alive. I didn’t mean to…”

“Binaeril, why didn’t you block it with your precious magic? I didn’t expect you to die so pathetically.”

Inyakan scratched his head, resting one hand on his hip. He was so flustered that he didn’t notice the roughly drawn circle at his feet.

A dome sprang up around Inyakan, soaring upwards and closing its entrance about four meters high. It was the same earthen dome that had trapped the Hydra.

Only then did Inyakan realize he had been lured.

“This damn wall!”

He punched it experimentally, but it didn’t budge. It was a well-crafted prison.

“I warned you to calm down, didn’t I?”

Binaeril’s voice echoed through the dome.

“Hmph! So you’re not dead after all.”

“Were you really trying to kill me?”

“I just got a bit carried away.”

“If it weren’t for me, my head would have exploded.”

“I know. It’s amazing you’re still alive after taking that hit.”

Binaeril still felt the throbbing pain in his nose. It felt as if he might have broken a bone. But more than the resentment towards Inyakan, there was a more important realization.

‘I didn’t block it, but I’m fine.’

When Inyakan punched him in the face, Binaeril hadn’t been able to respond at all. Yet, he was unharmed. Binaeril realized his body was in a unique state.

He recalled Dean Yulio’s words: “Very rarely, mages experiencing mana poisoning discover new abilities they didn’t have before.”

It had been the same when he faced Gospelt Louis in Elfenbine. The power that reflected uncontrolled mana— “We decided to call his ability ‘mana devouring’.”

Wasn’t this similar to the ability Bernstein had demonstrated?

Binaeril slowly touched his face. The heat and pain were still there, but there were no other injuries, despite taking Inyakan’s sincere punch. Since consuming the magic stone of the Hydra, Binaeril felt his control over mana had significantly increased. His hair had grown longer, his wounds had vanished, and his skin had become clearer as if he had been reborn. All these changes had occurred beyond his control.

A chill ran down Binaeril’s spine. If he wasn’t becoming stronger but instead gaining uncontrollable power, what would that mean?

‘What if I’m also experiencing mana poisoning like Bernstein?’

This wasn’t a question he could answer alone. There was one being who could provide the answer. Veritas had been silent for a while now, almost as if asleep.

‘Veritas, answer me. Is there something wrong with me?’

But now he needed to meet him. Veritas could diagnose his condition more accurately than anyone else.