Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

“Are you really a mage??” Pavel still hadn’t completely shed his doubts. Given the high status of Elfenbine mages, there were those who impersonated them.

“Yes, as you can see,” Binaeril replied, snapping his fingers to dispel Pavel’s skepticism.

Snap, snap, snap! With each snap of Binaeril’s fingers, sparks, snowflakes, and light auras appeared. If Pavel had a bit more insight, he would have recognized Binaeril as a highly skilled mage.

“You really are a mage!” Pavel felt as if he had met a savior. Mages were, after all, professionals at hunting monsters.

But his brightened expression faded quickly. 

“But… are you alone?”

“…Excuse me?”

“Are you offering to help us alone?”

Binaeril tilted his head, puzzled. Wasn’t a mage enough to subdue monsters?

“Don’t you have any companions? Are you not affiliated with any mercenary group?”

Binaeril, confused, pointed a finger at Inyakan, who was sipping beer.

“He’s over there.”

Pavel turned his head to follow Binaeril’s finger and swallowed nervously. Inyakan’s towering figure, shaved head, a significant scar across his left eye, and piercing eyes screamed a seasoned warrior. When Inyakan glared at him, Pavel quickly turned his head away, covering his mouth with his hand.

“A-an impressive mercenary, I see.”

Seeing Pavel’s reaction, Binaeril answered smoothly.

“Yes, he has been active on the northern front of the Empire for a long time. I assist him.”

“Ah, a mercenary who fought the savage Barbarians!”

‘He’s actually one of those savages himself….’ Binaeril thought, but he saw no need to correct the minor misunderstanding. Lies mixed with a bit of truth were always more convincing.

“Don’t make eye contact too easily. He’s quite fierce….”

“Gasp!”

“That scar on his right eye, he got it in battle with the Barbarians….”

“Gasp!”

“His hair fell out due to the cold in the north….”

“…That doesn’t make any sense.”

Oops, went too far.

“Anyway, there’s no need to doubt our skills.”

“That seems clear.”

“But before we help you, I have one question.”

“The fee, right?”

Mercenaries operated for money, so the question was obvious.

“No, not that.”

“What is the destination of your company?”

At the unexpected question, Pavel tilted his head in confusion.

“I’m heading across the Principality of Pigny to the Vittori Church. I’ve already been held up a lot here..”

Binaeril nodded significantly. Fortunately, their destination was along a similar route.

“If we handle this matter, can we get a ride in your caravan? We also have urgent business in that direction.”

“That won’t be a problem, but…” Pavel hesitated. ‘What’s with this tone from a seasoned mercenary?’ Inyakan, with his sharp hearing, slapped his forehead. ‘Rookie Binaeril, what do you mean ‘can we get a ride?’….’

“As long as this situation is resolved, we can certainly accommodate you. We’ve also been delayed unexpectedly on our journey.”

“Great!”

“…Is that your answer?”

Pavel made a circle with his fingers. “How much should we pay you?”

In fact, Binaeril didn’t need money. The main goal was to quickly ride to meet the Bernstein pursuit team. Just as Binaeril was about to refuse, a heavy hand landed on Pavel’s shoulder. Pavel flinched at the sight of the thick hand and quickly lowered his gaze. It was the terrifying mercenary leader.

“Half of your gold,” Inyakan declared.

Binaeril didn’t need that much money. In fact, he disliked carrying too much as it was heavy, and his pockets were already full.

“No, that’s too much….”

Inyakan glared at him, signaling to keep his mouth shut.

Pavel’s face turned pale. ‘No. Considering the delay and the gold we’d eventually pay the lord, this might actually be cheaper.’

Being a merchant at heart, Pavel’s mental abacus quickly calculated.

“Fine! Hiring a mercenary company would cost about that much. But the payment will be made after the job is done!”

“…A mercenary company?”

He seemed to be mistaken about something.

“But you must handle it thoroughly. You must clear out the gnoll colony as the lord demanded.”

“…A colony?”

A colony? The lord of Bellos wasn’t asking for just a few monsters to be dealt with. It was a gnoll colony occupying the forest around the fortress. Not just a group, but a colony! A settlement with at least hundreds of monsters. Even the lord couldn’t deal with it, so it was a persistent nuisance. The Bemes Trading Company, though large and well-guarded for such a continental journey, didn’t have the kind of military force needed to handle a colony of monsters.

“Should’ve asked for more gold.”

“…I didn’t know it would be like this.”

“Even among the Inya tribe, there weren’t any so reckless.”

A simple request for a ride had escalated into something resembling a war.

“Kill the king of the gnolls and bring his head. I doubt just the two of you can manage, but….”

The lord’s soldier dropped them off from the carriage after delivering this daunting order.

After they left, Binaeril and Inyakan dispelled the disguising magic they had cast on themselves.

“Do they not think we might just run away?” Binaeril mused.

“They probably don’t care. They’re holding hundreds of hostages anyway,” Inyakan replied.

Despite his words, Binaeril had no intention of fleeing.

“We don’t need to capture them all,” Binaeril said, tapping his temple with his finger. “We just need to capture the head.”

“The head?”

Medium-sized or larger monsters usually lived solitary lives. Gathering in groups would only reduce their food supply. Monsters instinctively guarded against each other. However, they did form colonies when a king appeared among them.

“Even monsters have kings?”

Among monsters of the same species, some were born as mutants. These mutants would subjugate the others and form a group, embodying the essence of a king.

“They assign roles to the submissive monsters, settle down, and breed to expand their group. This is how monster colonies are born.”

When such monster colonies grew, they became formidable forces, just like the current situation.

“But that means if we take down the king, the focal point for the gathered monsters will disappear.”

It didn’t take long for Binaeril and Inyakan to encounter the gnoll king within the gnoll territory. Despite living in groups, these monsters lacked sophisticated strategies or tactics. They were merely meat shields sacrificing themselves to protect the king. Binaeril led the charge while Inyakan followed, cutting down gnoll necks with his sickle as they tried to flee.

At a certain point, more gnolls started fleeing than attacking. It was strange.

“Inyakan, something’s wrong.”

“What’s wrong?”

“The monsters are fleeing.”

Inyakan also noticed many gnolls running away.

“Isn’t it because you’ve killed so many of them?”

“Monsters don’t know fear. Especially in their own territory, they should be rushing to protect their king rather than fleeing.”

Inyakan frowned, staring over the hill.

“They’re not fleeing. They’re regrouping.”

At the edge of their vision, dozens, then hundreds of gnoll heads began to appear.

Front, back, left, right.

Gnolls emerged from every direction.

‘Can these creatures really devise such a strategy?’

It seemed as though they had been lured into a trap.

Binaeril sharpened his imagination. Inyakan gripped his sickle tightly.

“Can we win?”

Given their numbers, gnolls could be intimidating, but realistically, they couldn’t pose much of a threat to Binaeril and Inyakan. Both of them possessed enough power to break through the gnoll horde.

The gnolls stood on the hill, staring down at them. A moment of silence, a tense standoff, and then.

The gnolls in front parted, revealing a figure at least two heads taller than the rest, walking slowly towards them. Binaeril felt an unmistakable and ferocious magical power emanating from this gnoll. It was the arrival of their king.

“That one is the gnoll chieftain,” Binaeril whispered.

“Chieftain?” Inyakan echoed.

“That’s what they call the gnoll king.”

The gnoll chieftain descended the hill, walking steadily towards Binaeril and Inyakan. The gnoll walls around them remained in place. 

“Is this a one-on-one duel? Do they have such customs?” Inyakan asked.

“I… I don’t know,” Binaeril replied.

The chieftain stopped within arm’s reach, close enough that they could hear its breathing. Binaeril and Inyakan tensed their muscles, ready for an attack. Instead, the chieftain threw back its head and let out a long howl.

“Awooooo!”

The surrounding gnolls echoed their king’s cry. The air was filled with the resonating howls of the gnolls from all directions. Inyakan’s face showed an expression rarely seen—confusion.

“Binaeril, what’s happening?”

Binaeril was as bewildered as Inyakan. The chieftain then did something completely unexpected. It knelt before them.

“What… what is this?”

Awooooooo! The gnolls around them howled in unison. The sound reverberated like an eerie symphony. The chieftain then pressed its wolf-like muzzle to the ground and followed with an action that left Binaeril and Inyakan stunned. The chieftain raised its clawed hand and plunged it into its own chest. Binaeril watched with a grim expression, trying to comprehend what the chieftain was doing.

With a mixture of a groan and a growl, the chieftain pulled out its core, a magical gemstone vital to its life. The gnoll king, eyes wide open, extended its arm with the gemstone in a gesture of offering, like a priest presenting a sacred relic, before collapsing to the ground, dead.

Inyakan looked back and forth between the chieftain’s corpse and Binaeril, trying to make sense of the situation. His efforts yielded no answers. Binaeril, with a hardened expression, stared at the gemstone in the chieftain’s hand.

The chieftain’s hand was extended towards Binaeril, as if presenting the finest tribute to its king, or a prophet offering a living sacrifice.