Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

Binaeril woke up feeling a dull pain pressing down on his head. It felt as though every joint in his body was aching. His head throbbed as if it would split open, his limbs were as heavy as waterlogged cotton, and his lungs stung like they had inhaled ice-cold air.

“Cough, cough. Ugh…!”

He clutched his abdomen as a sharp pain in his chest made him double over. Why did he so often wake up in pain like this? Binaeril tried to remember the last time he’d awakened in a healthy state.

…He couldn’t.

“How sad.”

What had caused him to lose consciousness this time?

“I fought with Yunnaeril… and Veritas took over my body. It didn’t take long to regain control.”

The reason he was able to push Veritas out so quickly was that he had been through this kind of thing before. Binaeril sometimes caused trouble like a sleepwalker, unaware of his actions. These incidents were always linked to the fragment’s power or the consumption of demonic magic stones.

“It wasn’t my brother, then.”

Yunnaeril had taken longer to come to his senses than Binaeril. He had struggled more. That difference had ultimately determined the outcome.

Yunnaeril had died in his arms…

“He’s dead.”

Binaeril needed to say it out loud, to hear the words with his own ears. It still didn’t feel real.

“Yunnaeril is dead.”

As he massaged his aching limbs, Binaeril murmured the words quietly, repeating them several times.

“My brother is dead.”

“I won.”

“I was victorious in the war.”

“I succeeded in my revenge.”

“I achieved the dream I longed for.”

Failure. No matter what he said, the words just circled around his mouth like rough, unpalatable peppermint candy. Had he truly won?

‘Then what about me?’

Without thinking, Binaeril spoke the next sentence that came to mind.

“The contract with Veritas is over.”

Suddenly, he shot up from where he was lying.

“The contract is over.”

Finally, his memories began to return, filling in the blanks. His brother had died, he had struggled to support him, and then, realizing he had lost his power…

And Veritas had betrayed him.

“…Veritas.”

The creature had said the contract was over. The contract had been simple: Veritas would teach Binaeril magic, and Binaeril would find the fragments for Veritas. Now that Binaeril had retrieved every fragment, including Starfall, the contract had concluded.

Binaeril called out Veritas’s name repeatedly, but no response came from within. He patted his waist, searching, but there was nothing there. It was truly over. His revenge. His contract with Veritas.

“So that’s why I can’t use magic?”

But that wasn’t the only thing.

“Then is this place… the inside of Veritas?”

He had imagined a secret corridor like the library where they had first met, but the place he was in now was entirely different.

“Could it be that I’m dead?”

Had he joined his brother on the path to the afterlife? If he had killed his brother with his own hands, it was only fitting that he would end up in hell. But could hell really be this quiet?

As Binaeril continued to ponder the afterlife, a small fairy emitting a dim brownish glow fluttered around his head. 

*Whirr—*

Lost in thought and unaware of the fairy’s presence, Binaeril was caught off guard when it suddenly zipped right in front of his face, nearly causing him to fall backward in surprise.

– Binaeril!

The voice was familiar, the playful tone unmistakable. It was someone Binaeril knew well.

– Yeah, it’s me!!

Eden spun joyfully in the air, twinkling brightly as she did. Despite his happiness at seeing her, the dazzling light was too much for his eyes.

“Eden! You’re blinding me!”

– How long has it been!”

Eden seemed too excited to hear Binaeril’s words.

“Calm down, Eden! What’s going on?”

Binaeril grabbed the fluttering spirit and brought her down to his eye level.

“Are you dead too? Did you die when Starfall attacked us? Are we in the afterlife?”

– Dead? What are you talking about?

Eden looked at him with wide, innocent eyes full of confusion.

“Um… isn’t this place hell?”

– What’s hell?

“You know, the place where people go when they die…”

– What? Hahaha!

Eden burst into laughter, clutching her stomach. Binaeril felt a bit foolish standing there with such a serious expression, so he relaxed his face slightly.

– This isn’t a place like that! This is the world of a preserved dream.

“A preserved dream?”

– Yeah, yeah!

Eden seemed to think that was explanation enough, but Binaeril clearly didn’t feel the same way. Their conversation stalled as the human and spirit failed to find common ground.

Binaeril decided to cut to the chase and ask directly—this approach usually worked best with Eden.

– I don’t really know. That’s just what I heard. So, it’s kind of like… the final test for a candidate.

“A test? You heard this from who?”

– Binaeril, the test is about to begin. Get ready.

“What am I supposed to prepare for?”

*Whirr!*

Eden flew up into the air.

– You’ll see!

She had that look on her face—the one she always had when she was about to play a prank on him. Just as Eden had said, something was indeed starting. 

A foreboding rumble filled the air, like something massive and heavy was falling somewhere.

*Thud, thud, thud—*

Then came the sound of something rolling, echoing ominously… Binaeril turned his head. The scenery had changed.

He was now standing on a narrow path with walls on either side. The path was steeply inclined. At the very top, he could see a giant, round boulder.

– It’s starting!

Eden shouted, her voice filled with strange enthusiasm.

“Wait, hold on!”

– Can’t wait!

“Eden! Hey! You need to explain properly!”

– Heeheehee!*

Eden’s laughter echoed as the massive boulder began to roll down the path toward him.

No matter how desperately Binaeril shouted, it was clear the spirit had no intention of offering any further explanation. This wasn’t a joke—getting crushed by such a massive boulder would send him straight to the afterlife. 

‘Is this a punishment? Am I being punished for what happened back in Barbaroana’s snowfields when Eden got hurt?’ 

It was the only way he could make sense of the innocent yet malevolent glee in Eden’s actions. 

*Thud! Thud—* 

The boulder perched at the top of the incline began to roll down. There was no other option—Binaeril started running downhill. Given the steepness of the slope, it was more accurate to say he was practically flying rather than running. 

The problem was that the boulder was gaining on him, rolling faster than he could run.

– Keep going, Binaeril!

Eden was flying alongside him, easily keeping pace as she cheered him on. Seeing her reminded him of something.

“I can fly!”

He had four wings. If he wanted to, he could fly.

“Hyaaah!”

He leaped with all his might, but gravity cruelly pulled him back down.

‘Right, I don’t have wings anymore….’

When the contract with Veritas ended, all the fragment’s power he had was taken back by that creature.

‘Damn it!’

Regret always comes too late. Binaeril paid for his delayed realization by twisting his left ankle. Though he gritted his teeth and kept running, his pace slowed considerably. The slower he ran, the quicker the boulder seemed to approach.

Running wasn’t going to save him.

“This is it!” 

Binaeril decided to turn around at a small ledge jutting out from the middle of the slope. He steadied himself, focusing all his mental energy. He let his imagination soar, conjuring up the magic he was most confident in—his specialty, the Magic Bullet.

He extended his fingers, aiming for a single point.

With his usual magical power, destroying a mere boulder like this would be no problem.

“Fire!”

He screamed at the top of his lungs, hoping it might somehow help.

– You’re amazing, Binaeril!

Eden’s voice was full of easygoing encouragement.

Nothing happened.

*Thud!*

The boulder caught a small ridge and bounced slightly. Binaeril despaired as he realized he couldn’t even muster the strength for a basic piercing spell.

*Crunch!*

The boulder came crashing down on Binaeril’s body.

Meanwhile, Priya and Kaya stared blankly at Elfenbine, their expressions utterly bewildered. They hadn’t understood a single thing.

“So you’re a mage who controls dreams?” 

“A preserved dream?”

“A great mage?”

“What’s a midwife?”

The questions spilled out of them, pointed and eager, like baby birds clamoring for food. Elfenbine realized she needed to explain things more carefully.

– The great mage I mentioned is Dekypleio.

Priya nodded. There were many powerful mages, but only one could be called the singular great mage who brought magic into the world. He alone was revered by all who were blessed with magical power.

– He left many traces behind when he departed this world.

“Those are the fragments, right?”

Priya was aware that the fragments were remnants left by Dekypleio.

Binaeril had mentioned it before, and it was hard to think of anyone besides Dekypleio who could create such powerful magical fragments.

– That’s right. Dekypleio left behind fragments. Do you know what kinds of fragments exist?

“Hmm… Entities like the Book of Truth or Starfall. Powers that reside in bloodlines, like the *Word Spirit* of the Inya. Some fragments are so powerful that they develop a will of their own, drawing people who seek to claim their power.”

Each one was an entity of terrifying strength.

– And then there’s us. Nymphs are also a type of fragment.

“…What?”

Priya felt as if she’d been struck hard on the back of the head with a hammer.

– Nymphs were originally a single fragment, and at the same time, the strongest of all fragments. Our mother, Terra, divided the fragment’s power and gave birth to three children.

– The eldest received Terra’s dream, the second received her breath. And the youngest… she resembles Terra the most. Quiet and serene. The talents we possess were originally one.

“Wait, wait. Hold on a minute.”

Nymphs were fragments too? Just like that monstrous thing trapped inside the crystal? Priya’s mind spun, unsure where to even begin questioning.

As if reading her thoughts, Elfenbine continued.

– But unlike other fragments, we were given a different role. The power of the nymphs most closely resembled that of the great mage. If the other fragments are candidates, then we are something like judges.

“Candidates? Judges?”

Now that Elfenbine was being so specific, it sounded almost like she was telling the truth.

“Are you serious right now?”

“Can you not believe it?”

“Of course not! I was born naturally, I’m living and breathing just like anyone else! And now you’re telling me we’re all fragments? How am I supposed to believe that?”

“Priya, whether you believe it or not, the truth doesn’t change. Nymphs are the final pieces of the fragment. Isn’t it more suspicious that all three nymphs just so happen to be involved with the fragments?”

“So, you’re saying that’s because we are fragments?”

– A judge must witness the battle.

“A judge? What exactly are we judging?”

– Who is most worthy of becoming the great mage.

– We are here to judge that. Now, there are only two candidates left.

Following Elfenbine’s gesture, her two younger sisters’ eyes shifted.

– Binaeril and the Book of Truth. One of them will be reborn as the great mage.

Chapter 181

*Crash!*

The boulder crushed Binaeril like an insect. He vividly felt the sensation of his skin being compressed and his bones shattering. His consciousness cut off there.

And then.

*Shhh―.*

He regained consciousness.

“??”

As soon as Binaeril opened his eyes, he inspected his entire body. He rubbed his forearms, pinched his cheeks, and slapped his face.

“…I’m completely fine?”

For someone who was just crushed by a boulder, he was in remarkably good condition.

“Did I really die this time?”

– Binaeril!

Eden, who had fluttered over, spoke to him again.

– Too bad.

“Eden, what just happened?”

– It was a failure.

“Failure? So that was real just now?”

Eden, with her tiny face, nodded.

– But don’t worry! You can try again, you know?

“Try again?”

*Rumble―.*

As soon as Eden finished speaking, the surroundings changed once more.

It was the same scene as before. A steep, pathless incline.

“Wait, wait a minute!”

– Get ready!

*Rumble― Boom!*

The ominous sound echoed again.

Binaeril looked up the slope, thinking “It can’t be…”

There it was again. The familiar boulder came into view.

“Damn it…!”

He held back the curse rising in his throat with superhuman patience.

– I hope you succeed this time!

“Wait, Eden!”

But Binaeril’s desperate plea was, once again, in vain.

– Heehee!

With a cheerful laugh, the boulder began to roll again.

Binaeril was starting to resent Eden.

“Damn it! KSHVARL!”

Unable to bring himself to curse at the cute Eden, he spat out the words that Inyakan always used.

And then, he started running again. There was no other option.

“Ahhh! Somebody help!”

Despite his desperate cry, no one came to his aid.

The only one watching was that carefree spirit flying overhead.

*Rumble!*

He ran with all his might, but the boulder was still much faster.

“Damn it! KSHVARL! KSHPARL! NARR!”

Binaeril spewed out meaningless words in a panic.

If Inyakan saw him now, would he shake his head in disapproval, or laugh at the absurdity of it all?

At the very least, Inyakan wouldn’t have let Binaeril die under that boulder.

*Rumble!*

As the roaring sound from behind reached his ears, Binaeril was forced to make a choice again.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures!”

In the end, this was the only option. Binaeril didn’t have the superhuman strength needed to smash a boulder twice his size with his bare hands.

So the only choice left was magic.

“Shoot! Break! Shatter! Destroy!”

He babbled out incantations that matched his frantic imagination, aiming his fingers at the boulder, but…

Heartlessly, the boulder didn’t budge.

“Please! Break! Help me, Eden!”

– I can’t help, sorry!

Her apology was as cheerful as ever.

Of course, it was of no help at all.

*Crash!*

And so, Binaeril faced his second “death.”

* * *

The lost sensation gradually returned. Binaeril regained consciousness while lying flat on the ground. He kept his eyes closed, pretending to remain unconscious. He knew that if he opened them, the same situation would repeat.

Beyond his closed eyelids, he could feel the light tickling his eyelashes. It was probably Eden.

– Binaeril, wake up. Has your spirit been broken?

When Eden didn’t get a response, she started tugging at his clothes and pinching his lips, trying to wake him up. Binaeril seized the moment and grabbed Eden firmly.

– Eek!

A wave of guilt washed over him, but he quickly brushed it off. The fear of being crushed by the boulder again was far stronger than the guilt of grabbing Eden.

“Eden, wait!” 

He kept Eden trapped in his hands as he surveyed his surroundings. Fortunately, the scenery hadn’t changed yet. 

When he slightly parted his fingers, Eden’s face popped out.

“What on earth is going on? What’s with that boulder, and why does the same thing keep happening? Am I dead? Can you control what happens around here?”

– Ugh, too many questions. I’m confused.*

Eden stuck out her tongue and shook her head in frustration. Suppressing his anxiety, Binaeril decided to ask more calmly.

“That boulder from before—don’t do it again. You can stop it, right?”

– Yes!

Her response was overly cheerful.

“Don’t do it. Please.”

– I can’t do that.

Eden shook her head. Her firm expression was adorably determined, but Binaeril couldn’t appreciate it in his current state.

“Why not?”

-Because it’s a test.

“A test of what?”

Binaeril shouted, and Eden covered her ears, letting out a heavy sigh.

– If I let you go now, do you think you can win?

Her tone had shifted subtly.

“Huh?”

-The fragments waiting to devour you outside. Do you think you can defeat them?

“…”

-There’s no time to explain everything. If you don’t want to be devoured, you have to devour first.

Her tone was unusually pessimistic for Eden.

-This place is a preserved dream. In a preserved dream, the impossible becomes possible. You can come back to life and take the test as many times as you need.

-And you’re not dead, Binaeril. Right now, it’s a moment where you have to struggle to survive. If you can’t overcome it and your spirit breaks, you might as well die here. That would probably be better for you.

“But what am I supposed to do? Use magic to break that boulder and survive? That’s impossible. Veritas took all my mana.”

-Don’t talk like that. Even if Veritas took your mana, there’s still something left in you that he couldn’t take away.

“What is it, then?”

-Your memory.

Binaeril felt caught off guard.

-Only nymphs are born with magic in their hands. Everyone else has to overcome it by themselves. Every mage is born that way.

“You’re saying I can use magic without Veritas?”

-Did Veritas gift you with magic? Miracles like that don’t happen. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. Veritas only pushed you off the cliff.

By your own strength.

Can I really use magic… on my own?

-You need to break your world. Remember, every bird must break out of its egg, Binaeril.*

With those final words, Eden slipped from Binaeril’s grasp and flew away. Once again, the landscape around him began to change.

*Boom!*

The terrifying sound reverberated through the ground once more. Binaeril stood up and turned around.

Would he flee downward in fear of the boulder?

Or would he break the boulder and climb upward?

The choice was his to make. But in truth, there was only one choice he could make.

This time, he didn’t run.

*Rumble!*

He calmly stared at the approaching boulder, recalling the moment he first crafted magic with his hands.

What did it feel like?

“Break!” he shouted.

*Boom!*

The deafening noise that followed wasn’t the sound of the boulder shattering. It was the sound of his body being crushed once again.

* * *

He tried again, and again, and again.

Could an egg break a boulder? What if it wasn’t just one egg, but ten? A hundred? A thousand?

At least one thing was certain: after dozens of attempts, Binaeril hadn’t managed to put even a scratch on the boulder.

*Boom!*

The sound of the boulder falling and rolling was enough to make his ears ring. The pain of being crushed had become so familiar that he was almost numb to it.

*Thud!*

“Again!”

*Thud!*

“Again!”

*Crash!*

“Again!!”

Eden hovered above him, resting her chin on her hands, watching him with a bored expression. It almost seemed like she was becoming more like Veritas.

“Again!!!”

By now, Binaeril had lost count of how many times he had tried. After his twentieth attempt, he realized there was no point in keeping track. Every bit of focus was needed to break through the boulder; there was no room for distraction. Not at the moment.

“Shoot!”

“Shatter!”

“Break!”

“Explode!”

But all of those attempts weren’t entirely in vain. During the brief moments before the boulder crushed him each time, he thought tirelessly about how to project the most vivid image possible. What would be the most efficient way to break the boulder? Which incantation would be the most effective?

…He hadn’t seen any results yet.

“Wound it!”

“Slash it!”

“Scratch it!”

Eventually, he decided to start from the very beginning, letting go of any grand ambitions. His increasingly humble spells were the result of such deliberations.

“At least scrape off some fragments!!”

And then, at some point.

“Damn it!”

Another failure.

As he revived once more, Binaeril scratched his head, contemplating the next approach.

“…Eden?”

But this time, the surroundings didn’t change immediately. Eden was quietly watching him.

“Did I fail the test?”

-Now I understand.

“Understand what?”

At the last moment, as Eden had watched his death with a yawn and a bored gaze, she noticed something. From Binaeril’s fingertips, the tiniest thread of mana had seeped out. And it had touched the boulder. 

The mana was far too weak to stop or shatter the massive, accelerating boulder. But it was still mana.

Yes, it was time to change the approach.

-I now understand the situation in which Binaeril’s potential will be best realized!

Eden spun around in the air and clapped her hands twice. Suddenly, a completely new landscape appeared. Binaeril stared blankly at the place the spirit had created, then looked at Eden with a face that asked, *Is this for real?*

Nod, nod!

-When you take your seat, it begins!

“My seat…”

He didn’t need her to explain where that was—he remembered it clearly.

His body moved before his mind could catch up.

He instinctively walked to the last seat by the window, the one he was most familiar with. The world around him was in shades of gray, as if time had stopped and the people were frozen in place.

*Click, click, click.*

With just three steps, Binaeril reached his seat and stared at the worn chair in front of him.

As he sat down, the colors around him came to life, like water-soaked paint spreading across a canvas. The students were suddenly animated, laughing, chatting, and whispering among themselves.

As he inhaled, a familiar and nostalgic scent filled his senses. The scene Eden had crafted for him was none other than Elfenbine’s classroom.

-Ahem.

A voice cleared its throat from beyond the classroom entrance.

And then.

*Creak―.*

The front door of the classroom opened, and the professor walked in.

“Everyone, take your seats.”

It was Professor Freud.

He looked around the now-silent students and began calling roll, one by one.

“…Binaeril Dalheim.”

Finally, it was his turn.

“Binaeril Dalheim, are you not here?”

“…Yes.”

His response was a beat too late, causing the professor’s face to twitch with irritation.

“Don’t waste class time. Answer promptly.”

Even his curt tone was a welcome sound to Binaeril.

“Everyone, hand in the assignment I gave you last time.”

With those words, a large student assistant began collecting cubes from the students.

“Gospelt Louis.”

Professor Freud. Gospelt Louis. The students’ cubes.

It was a moment Binaeril remembered well—perhaps a moment he could never forget.

If that’s the case, then the next line should be…

“Binaeril Dalheim.”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Why haven’t you handed in your cube?”

Binaeril smirked.

It felt like acting in a scene that had been lifted straight from his memories.

“I accidentally broke it. The cube.”

“…What?”

Professor Freud looked at Binaeril as if what he had said was completely absurd.

“So now you’re resorting to lies?”

Binaeril shrugged. He knew from experience that his nonchalant demeanor would provoke the professor.

“Come up here immediately!”

With a confident stride, Binaeril walked to the podium. He didn’t forget to grab a cube from the pile as he passed by.

“Binaeril Dalheim. If what you said is true, then do it again. But if you can’t…”

“Yes, I know.”

“…??”

“Let me just try.”

*Chuckle, chuckle, chuckle.*

He could almost hear the laughter from that time, tickling his ears. It was probably Veritas’s laugh. Or maybe Eden’s?

Binaeril placed the cube on the lectern where both Professor Freud and the students could see.

And then, in a cheerful tone, he recited the magic incantation.

The one word that was enough.

“Break.”

That was all.