Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

Binaeril and Sylvia shouted in unison, while Rike blinked, not realizing how outrageous the price was. 

Staying at an average inn for a night usually cost one silver coin. Even for a good room, it wouldn’t exceed three silver coins. Adding in the cost of meals and baths, ten Florin silver coins per person was absurd. Altogether, it amounted to more than a gold coin—a clear case of extortion.

“What’s the matter, don’t you have any money?” the chief sneered.

The group had quite a bit of extra money given to them by Dean Yulio before their departure. If it were a matter of simply paying, they could. But knowing it was a ridiculous overcharge, Binaeril couldn’t ignore it.

When he pointed out the unfair price, the chief’s face turned hostile.

“Look here. You’ve eaten, bathed, and enjoyed our hospitality, and now you say you can’t pay?”

“To demand thirty silver coins after not mentioning any cost earlier is unreasonable.”

“And you call yourselves mages from Elfenbine? Do you know how much we give to Elfenbine every year? It’s a matter of trust.”

The chief, who had been speaking politely, now spoke down to them as if they were beneath him.

Binaeril narrowed his eyes. “Ah, I see how it is.”

“What do you see?”

“Trapping novice mages who are just starting their missions, feeding and housing them, then demanding money while invoking the name of the tower. Is this the morality of Fairhill?”

“Did you think it was all free? Fairhill is remote. The cost of living is high compared to the city. Who are you calling a scammer without knowing the local circumstances?”

Binaeril now understood how the grand chief’s mansion was funded.

“Oswald! The guests say they can’t pay,” the senior guard from earlier barged in through the chief’s door, now fully armed in a rather odd manner for the middle of the night.

“I had a feeling we’d get lucky,” he said.

Oswald, the guard, and presumably all the village guards, were not here for security. They were here to lure in unsuspecting travelers and extort them.

“Hand over the silver quietly. You’re not thinking of fighting back, are you?” 

The chief and guard smirked evilly. This was outright robbery. Mages from Elfenbine were bound by an oath not to harm civilians indiscriminately. The destructive power of a trained mage could rival a military force, and if they chose to misuse their power, it would be a disaster for ordinary people. Any mage who broke this oath would be summoned back to Elfenbine for disciplinary action. 

The chief had cunningly exploited this weakness to extort money from mages.

Binaeril raised his hands, showing his palms, then called out silently in his mind.

‘Eden.’

Eden, understanding his intent perfectly, caused the ground beneath the chief and guard to collapse, pulling them into the earth.

“What is this!”

“…It actually worked.”

It was the first time Binaeril had silently called for Eden.

“You did this!” the chief shouted.

“What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything. Maybe your house needs some repairs?”

“Get us out of here!” the chief demanded.

The great mage Binaeril Dalheim and even the labyrinthine monster Minotaur had fallen into this trap before. It wasn’t something a mere village chief could easily escape.

“How about ten silver coins for all three of us?” Binaeril offered.

“We’re already being generous. If you get greedy, you’ll regret it.”

“Are you crazy?” the chief spat.

Binaeril called upon Eden once more. The two men, who were waist-deep in the ground, were now buried up to their chins, only their heads sticking out like people having a sand bath.

“Now, will you agree?” Binaeril asked.

“You look like the bad guy here,” Sylvia commented, watching the scene unfold.

“If you keep this up, we’ll leave you here and go sleep upstairs. How about five silver coins for all three of us?” Binaeril bargained.

The chief’s face turned red with rage. Unable to contain his anger, he resorted to a forbidden technique only the homeowner could use. Not even the great archmage Dekypleio could counter this move.

“Get out, all of you!”

And so, the three were kicked out of the village in the dead of night. The night on the plains was quite chilly.

“Couldn’t you have handled that better? Now we’re out here because you provoked them,” Sylvia grumbled.

“What was I supposed to do, just let them extort us?”

“I didn’t mean that. We could have talked our way out. It’s not like they could really do anything to us.”

Binaeril felt a twinge of regret as he experienced the cold of the plains.

“Let’s find a place to camp quickly.”

Camping preparations are not meant to be done at night. Ideally, you set up your camp before sunset, preparing the ground and lighting a fire. As they searched for a dry spot, they noticed a light in the distance.

“There’s something over there.”

“What is it? Ah!” Binaeril remembered the mage they had seen earlier in the village.

Maybe they could expect a bit of kindness from a fellow mage?

“Hahaha! I knew I’d see you again,” the senior mage greeted them.

His name was Bernstein. Contrary to his initial tense confrontation with the chief, he turned out to be quite a jovial person.

“So you buried them and got kicked out?”

“If they weren’t complete fools, they would have been prepared for some spell. Maybe other villagers stopped them.”

“Well, hahaha.”

Binaeril didn’t go into detail.

“Make yourselves comfortable. Set up your sleeping arrangements, and use whatever else you need,” Bernstein said.

He had set up a well-organized campsite, appearing to be a seasoned traveler. Thanks to his preparation, the group was able to settle in comfortably around the campfire.

“Many naive mages get extorted for their money, but you handled it well,” Bernstein noted.

“You knew about this?”

“Of course. It’s well-known among Elfenbine alumni. Those villagers are practically bandits without swords.”

“Why didn’t you warn us?”

“I saw your fresh faces and knew it was too late. Besides, I don’t like meddling in others’ affairs.”

“Are all the villages around here like this?” Rike interjected.

Bernstein nodded. “There are quite a few places like this around Elfenbine. They lure in naive kids and make a business out of them. They may talk about welcoming you, but they’re rotten inside.”

“They’re really bad people,” Rike said, which was the harshest thing she could muster.

Binaeril chuckled at her innocence. “What happens if they mess with the wrong person?”

“You guys already gave them quite a scare. But not all villagers have bad intentions. It depends on the village leader’s character,” Bernstein explained.

“Really?” Sylvia asked.

Bernstein elaborated, “The area around Elfenbine is close to various national borders. But no country really pays attention to these parts. They’re too busy with their capitals. So, around Elfenbine, a sort of new territory has formed.”

“What kind of territory?”

“These places don’t have patriotism or a sense of belonging. Each one is like a small independent nation. The leader within each village holds absolute power. It’s like…”

He paused, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “Kings of countries without kings.”

“Kings of countries without kings…”

“Yeah. They’re ones who should be dealt with someday.”

Bernstein’s face took on a slightly sinister look as he uttered the last sentence. Binaeril felt a twinge of fear.

“What do you mean by dealt with?” Binaeril asked.

“I’m just joking. I mean that I’d like to see them punished for their bad deeds. Hahaha.”

The campfire Bernstein had set up was slowly dying out. The four of them retreated to their tents to sleep. The next morning, Bernstein was already gone. In the spot where his tent had been, there was only a note.

‘It was fun. Let’s meet again.’

He had come and gone like the wind, an enigmatic man. Binaeril hurriedly gathered the two lingering girls and packed up.

Then it happened.

“Help! Help!”

A young man came running over a low hill. He was the guard who had been at the entrance of Fairhill. Panting heavily, he spilled his message without giving Binaeril and his group time to react.

“A monster has appeared in the village!”

The news jolted them awake. The three of them stood up, ready to act.

“The village guard can’t hold them off. Please help us.”

Binaeril exchanged looks with the two girls. Fairhill was the village that had kicked them out. Should they lend a hand to such people?

A faint doubt crossed Binaeril’s mind, but Rike met his eyes and spoke.

“Let’s go, Binaeril.”

There was no hesitation in her eyes. When the three arrived at the village, the battle was already in full swing.

“Wild hounds,” Sylvia identified the monsters.

“Confirmed,” Binaeril replied.

The wild hounds, though a lower species compared to the dire wolves they had previously encountered, posed a higher risk due to their pack behavior. All the village guards were engaged in a fierce battle with the monsters, and even unarmed men had grabbed whatever they could find to defend themselves.

“Where’s the chief?”

“I don’t know. He was here earlier, but his son got bitten on the leg, and I haven’t seen him since.”

“For now, let’s focus on driving off the monsters.”

“Sylvia, you take the left side. I’ll go to the right. Rike, support the villagers from the rear.”

“Ice Spear!”

Binaeril cast a spell at a wild hound lunging towards a fallen man.

The immediate priority was to draw the monsters’ attention towards himself.

“Faster! Eden, create a barrier between the people and the monsters.”

Simultaneously casting an acceleration spell, Binaeril launched multiple ice spears at the pack of monsters.

“Look at me, you beasts!”

Sylvia charged in her direction, kicking the head of a monster attacking a crying child. The sound of the impact was unmistakable, even from a distance.

“What…what’s this?”

“It’s a mage!”

“The young mages from yesterday!”

“Help us here, please!”

The morale of the struggling guards soared instantly. Successfully attracting the attention of five or six monsters, Binaeril lured them away from the villagers. He needed to use a more substantial spell, which required chanting. Imagining a wall to contain the beasts, he invoked his magic.

“The bars of the earth shall be your prison.”

Since acquiring Eden, earth-based spells felt more natural to him. Binaeril conjured a massive stone wall prison to trap the charging monsters.

“I’ll deal with you later.”

Turning back, Binaeril rejoined the frontline.