Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

Suppressing his sense of foreboding, Binaeril sprinted down the corridor, narrowly avoiding colliding with startled maids who stumbled out of his way. Essen’s royal palace was vast, incredibly so.

‘Light wind, carry me!’

He silently chanted an acceleration spell. By the time he reached the Regent’s chambers, he was out of breath. This was where the noise had come from. The guards who should have been posted outside were nowhere to be seen. Had the Regent sent them away? Regardless, that wasn’t important right now.

Knock, knock, knock!

Binaeril swallowed his breath and knocked urgently.

…

No response.

“Regent! Are you in there?”

Still no answer. He grabbed a passing servant and inquired, learning that the assembly had ended not long ago. The Regent wouldn’t have gone to bed yet. Pressing his ear to the door, he detected a strange, foul odor seeping through.

His instincts kicked in faster than his thoughts. Recognizing the danger, he shouted to the servants nearby.

“Step back!”

After clearing the area of curious onlookers, he began chanting his spells. He needed two specific spells.

“Rising wind.”

A simple 1st-tier wind spell. And next,

“Imbue my shot with flame.”

He prepared a fire-imbued magic bullet. Covering his mouth and nose with his arm, he broke down the door and entered. He directed the pre-cast wind spell to blow the smoke out of the room. As the thick, acrid smoke dissipated, visibility improved.

First priority: the source of the noise— the window. It was shattered. He wasn’t sure if the Regent had jumped or if Rike had acted. 

Sylvia arrived moments later, a step too late. Binaeril signaled to her, covering his mouth and nose. Understanding his intentions, Sylvia also covered her face and cast her own wind spell.

After a few moments, most of the smoke had cleared, allowing them to speak more freely.

“Sylvia, check below the window. They might have jumped.”

“The princess? Got it!”

Sylvia, familiar with the palace layout, moved to inspect below. Binaeril scanned the room, noticing traces of magic around the chimney. He realized there had been an intruder. Whoever it was, they couldn’t be allowed to escape. Binaeril rolled up his sleeves and decided to climb the chimney.

Goblin, too, had heard the window shatter. He cursed himself for not blocking the windows as well as the door. That young mage had keen instincts.

“They must have inhaled it.”

Even a single breath of the poison was enough to kill a beast. No mage could withstand it. But he couldn’t afford to check if the princesses were dead or alive; people would soon notice something was wrong. Goblin packed his things, preparing to leave. 

Suddenly, a soot-covered figure burst out of the chimney. Startled, Goblin took a step back. The figure wiped the soot from his face with the rainwater, glaring at Goblin.

‘Not a knight, judging by his build. How did he climb a chimney filled with poison?’

“Was it you?”

“…Who are you?”

“Did you release the poison cloud?”

The voice was young, belonging to a boy. Despite his soot-covered appearance, the voice was unmistakably youthful. In a corner of Goblin’s mind, a memory clicked, matching the boy in front of him with someone he had heard about.

“Are you the young mage who serves as the princess’s guard?”

“It seems you know who I am.”

Though they spoke past each other, both realized who the other was.

“So, you’re the one who ruined that arrogant knight’s face!”

“Dominic? You know both Dominic Schiller and me?”

“I heard about the mage who disfigured that annoying bastard. Didn’t expect you to be so young.”

“And you attacked Rike. You have a purpose.”

Realizing that someone who knew both Dominic and targeted the princesses could only be from a certain group, Binaeril quickly deduced the mastermind.

“Is Marquis Viktor Schiller behind this?”

“Hehe, who knows! Do you think I’d blurt out my employer’s name so easily?”

“…I see.”

Having identified the mastermind, further questioning was unnecessary. Capturing this man would reveal everything. Rain dripped from Binaeril’s shoulders as he raised his arm, aiming at the tattooed man before him. Though his anger burned hot, his mind remained cold and calculating.

Unlike his previous encounter with Dominic in the Thornwinter Swamp, Binaeril decided to unleash his full power from the start. From his outstretched finger—

Binaeril cast his magic bullet spell at the same moment Goblin pulled a vial from his pocket. Goblin knew about Binaeril’s attack method from what he had heard about Dominic’s defeat. The flash of the magic bullet shattered his defense spell and rushed towards his face. Goblin, lacking talent in conventional magic, had not expected a thin barrier to withstand the attack. The barrier was a mere delay tactic as he dodged the first attack with a sharp twist of his head.

Raising his head again, he saw several more spells aimed at him. A chill ran down Goblin’s spine. He quickly downed the contents of the vial he had prepared.

Binaeril’s multiple magic bullets struck Goblin’s body with a series of explosive impacts.

“Ugh…”

Goblin shielded his face with his arm, enduring the barrage with his bare body. Binaeril’s eyes widened in astonishment. Despite hitting him with multiple high-powered magic bullets, Goblin had withstood them.

When Goblin lowered his arm, his appearance was chilling. Tattoos covering his face and neck glowed faintly red, and his eyes shone with a blood-red hue, making him look almost like a monster.

“It stings, you arrogant brat…”

Goblin’s eerie smile revealed the source of his resilience.

“Ha! Look at your stupid face! It’s all thanks to my special elixir!”

Binaeril didn’t miss the slip.

“Oops! Forget I said that.”

From beyond the battlements, the sound of approaching footsteps and voices indicated the arrival of palace guards and knights. Goblin, spitting blood-tinged saliva, addressed Binaeril.

“You’re stronger than I expected. I’ve achieved my objective, so I’ll withdraw for now.”

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Binaeril prepared to cast another magic bullet, but this time Goblin was quicker. His rubbery arm extended, striking Binaeril in the abdomen. By the time Binaeril recovered, Goblin had already leaped to a distant section of the wall. Glancing back at Binaeril, Goblin turned and jumped off the wall.

“…Goblin.”

Though the assailant had escaped, Binaeril had gained valuable information. The man named Goblin was clearly connected to Marquis Schiller. Binaeril turned back to ensure Rike’s safety.

Inside the Palace

Hans Brante, the court physician and aide to the Regent, shook his head.

“The treatment is complicated.”

“Why?” Charlotte demanded.

“This isn’t a typical poisoning. It appears to be an extremely potent poison specially formulated using magic stones. It’s a miracle the princess is still alive. If it weren’t for Princess Friederike’s resistance to poison from her childhood treatments, she would have…”

He didn’t need to finish. Everyone understood. Princess Friederike was in a coma, her life hanging by a thread thanks to her past exposure to magical poisons. Charlotte pounded the floor in frustration, her fury evident. Sylvia, too, was visibly distraught.

Rike had inhaled a small amount of the poison while chanting spells to save her sister.

“Sir Binaeril, what happened to the assailant?” Charlotte asked.

“I lost him. I’m sorry.”

Neither of the guards had anticipated an assassination attempt within the palace, let alone one targeting both princesses simultaneously. It was a bold and brazen attack.

“It’s not your fault. I ordered the guards away due to the assembly. The blame is mine,” Charlotte said, her voice heavy with regret.

“Your Highness, it’s time for your duties,” Hans Brante gently reminded her.

“Sir Binaeril, Sylvia,” Charlotte said, her voice steadying.

“Yes, Your Highness?” they responded.

“Stay by my sister’s side. This is a request from me as her sister.”

With that, Charlotte left with Hans Brante. The room fell into a heavy silence, the weight of the situation pressing down on Binaeril. Rike’s face had turned an alarming shade of black, and her labored breathing was painfully audible.

‘There has to be a way. A way to save her…’

-Do you think you’ll find a solution by just worrying?

Veritas broke the silence with its sharp voice.

-This is your problem. When your mind gets rigid, your perspective narrows. When you can’t find the answer yourself, you need to ask for help.

‘Ask? Who should I ask?’

-Naturally, me, the Book of Truth.

‘I’m not in the mood for jokes.’

-Of course, I know the antidote. That old man said it’s a special poison, but I know the exact formulation and ratios.

‘Why didn’t you say so earlier?’ A glimmer of hope sparked within Binaeril.

-Let’s see, it’s made from pig’s tail, hemlock root, polar bear liver, and potato sprouts.

Veritas listed the ingredients for the antidote with unusual thoroughness, causing Binaeril to shiver. For once, Veritas seemed genuinely helpful.

‘If I get those ingredients, can I make the antidote?’

-Hmm, yes, ‘if’ you have them.

‘What do you mean?’

-You won’t get them. Those ingredients are incredibly rare and only specialized alchemists would have them.

Just as hope flickered, Veritas cut it short with a cold dose of reality.

‘Are you mocking me?’

-No, why would you waste time gathering each one? Think about it. I gave you a hint. ‘Only a specialized alchemist would have them,’ right?

A realization hit Binaeril. Sylvia watched him with a puzzled expression.

‘Goblin!’

If Goblin created the poison, he would likely have the antidote too.

‘Do you know where that Goblin guy is now?’

-Binaeril, I’m not an all-knowing teacher. I’ve given you enough information. The rest is up to you.

Binaeril’s mind raced. He knew who Goblin was connected to.

“Viktor Schiller.”

“I need to see Marquis Schiller.”

“Why are you talking nonsense all of a sudden?” Sylvia asked, confused.

Binaeril looked at the unconscious Rike. If only he had captured Goblin on the palace rooftop, he might already have the antidote.

“Sylvia, stay with Rike.”

“Wait, where are you going?”

“I’m going to get the antidote.”

With that, Binaeril left to find Marquis Schiller.