Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

The wooden floor splintered and broke apart.

With a single punch from Goblin, the entire building shook.

Marquis Schiller’s temporary residence was a mansion a little away from the village.

At least, the fight wouldn’t involve innocent people.

Binaeril kicked off the ground and leapt to the opposite second-floor railing from Dominic.

The building had a central square opening on the second floor.

He fired magic bullets at Goblin while keeping an eye on Dominic.

If Dominic joined the fight, the chances of winning were slim.

“Hmph! Is that all you’ve got?”

Goblin deflected the incoming magic bullets with his thick forearms, laughing.

Incredible durability.

The bullets were less effective as Binaeril’s attention was divided.

‘How many tricks do I have left?’

Magic bullets as his main weapon, other spells, and support from the spirit, Eden.

‘A prolonged fight is disadvantageous. How can I take them both down at once?’

He thought of the wide-area magic he had used in Fairhill.

…No, it was too risky. He’d be vulnerable to attacks while casting.

“Dominic, join me! Once we shut this guy up, everything will be fine!”

Dominic stood still with his arms crossed.

The sword he had drawn was now sheathed again, showing a passive stance.

“Goblin.”

“All my family members were killed by scum like you, dark mages.”

“…What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Since that day, I have hated all mages, especially dark mages like you.”

“This isn’t the time for this conversation.”

“I don’t collude with mages, especially not with dark mages. The plan has failed, so our contract is over. Fight on your own. I won’t interfere.”

His last words were directed at Binaeril, indicating that he should focus on Goblin without worrying about him.

“…Strange words. Well, fine. I’ve already received my advance payment, and your face was always revolting to me anyway.”

Binaeril exchanged glances with Dominic.

He didn’t know why things had fallen apart between them, but the situation had turned in his favor.

“I’ll kill him, and then I’ll snap your neck, Dominic, and drink your blood!”

Goblin punched upwards, shattering the spot where Binaeril stood.

Binaeril leapt into the air again as Goblin began chanting a spell.

A basic piercing spell—Goblin’s magic was pathetically weak.

Binaeril countered with a clearly superior version of the spell.

Binaeril’s magic bullet shattered Goblin’s spell.

The trail of mana left a long streak, and the bullet struck Goblin’s chest.

‘This one hit!’

Binaeril looked up after landing.

Goblin scratched at the spot where the bullet had hit, smirking.

“That stings a bit.”

“…Hah.”

Once again, Binaeril was struck by Goblin’s ridiculous durability.

The elixir Goblin had taken seemed to not only boost his mana but also greatly enhance his physical abilities.

And there was one more thing.

Goblin swung his fist again.

Goblin’s elongated fist whipped toward Binaeril’s face in an instant.

Bang!

The stone wall summoned by Eden collided with Goblin’s fist.

“Ow ow ow….”

Goblin let out a playful groan.

His body could stretch like that.

Instead of relying on his crude magical skills, Goblin seemed to use his limbs like whips as his primary attack method.

‘Simple magic bullets can’t pierce his hide. I need more concentrated magic.’

Focusing on defense meant dividing his attention and weakening his magic control.

He needed to choose and concentrate.

Binaeril decided he had to enhance the power of his magic bullets at the expense of his defense.

‘Eden, I’m counting on you.’

Eden would handle the minimal defense, just like before.

Buzz― Buzz― Buzz―

Binaeril generated and fired multiple magic bullets.

He concentrated on increasing their number rather than their power.

This was to make Goblin underestimate him, thinking, ‘This is manageable.’

Goblin deflected the bullets with his thick forearms and roared in fury.

Buzz― Buzz―

Binaeril continued to increase the number of magic bullets, firing them in quick succession.

Each individual shot was weak, but the continuous barrage was hard to ignore completely.

“Annoying!”

Goblin crossed his arms and swung them, targeting Binaeril’s upper and lower body simultaneously.

His aim was simply to interrupt the magic.

Goblin’s arms whipped around like tendrils, destroying the house’s furniture.

Binaeril cast an acceleration spell, flattening himself to the ground to dodge the attacks.

As soon as Goblin gained momentum, he didn’t miss a beat and swung his arms relentlessly.

Binaeril couldn’t rely solely on Eden to block every attack, so he dodged the major strikes, putting distance between himself and Goblin.

No matter how far Goblin’s limbs could stretch, they couldn’t surpass the range of his magic bullets.

But this wouldn’t last forever.

Thud.

Binaeril’s back hit the first-floor wall.

They were fighting in a confined space. He couldn’t retreat indefinitely.

“Heh heh heh!”

Goblin grinned, baring his teeth as he saw Binaeril cornered.

Binaeril grinned back at him.

He had no intention of running forever either.

“Rain down like a storm.”

A multitude of magic bullets materialized, far more than before.

Within an instant, the number of bullets reached dozens.

The smile vanished from Goblin’s face.

Should he retreat? No. Creating distance would only benefit Binaeril.

“Die!!”

Goblin clenched his fists and swung wildly at the cornered Binaeril.

It was all or nothing now.

Binaeril’s magic bullets, fully charged, poured down on Goblin’s body like rain.

A true brawl!

It was as if they had agreed that the one who stopped attacking first would lose.

The attacks that Eden couldn’t fully block hit Binaeril’s abdomen.

They slapped his cheeks and struck his shoulders.

Goblin’s wild punches were breaking the wall, gradually embedding Binaeril deeper into it.

However, Goblin was also being pushed back, taking the brunt of countless magic bullets all over his body.

The brawl continued until Binaeril was on the verge of passing out.

“Damn it!”

Goblin stopped attacking first.

He flicked away the flying magic bullets, taking a moment to catch his breath.

“Ugh!”

A bitter taste of blood filled Binaeril’s mouth.

‘Why did he back off?’

Even though Binaeril was at a disadvantage, Goblin stopped his attack when he saw the magic bullets aimed at his throat.

That meant there must be a reason.

‘His throat is a weak point.’

If his entire body was as hard as steel, he wouldn’t need to defend it.

Binaeril grabbed his trembling legs, a triumphant smile spreading across his face.

“Hey, Goblin.”

“You have the antidote, don’t you?”

“…Ha! I thought you came for revenge on the princess, but it was for the antidote? How laughable.”

“Hand over the antidote. Then I’ll spare you.”

“Do you really think you’re in a position to make demands? Antidote? Of course, I have it. Here, catch!”

Goblin threw a vial filled with a clear, light green liquid.

But he threw it to Dominic Schiller, not Binaeril.

Dominic, watching the situation, caught the vial instinctively.

Binaeril stared at the vial in Dominic’s hand and asked Veritas,

‘Veritas, just tell me this. Is that the real antidote?’

– It’s the real antidote.

‘Thank goodness.’

Goblin sneered at the struggling Binaeril.

“This is why mages from the tower are useless. They’re like flowers grown in a greenhouse. They only know a handful of spells. True survival magic is like this.”

Goblin’s grotesquely developed muscles bulged in all directions.

“Are you frustrated? Afraid of dying? Is this your first defeat? Mages outside the tower experience these things their entire lives. You, who were born into a good family, wore nice clothes, and ate fine food, can’t compare.”

Goblin spat, getting himself worked up as he ranted.

“With that pretty face of yours. Crawling in here alone to save your friend and demand the antidote? You’ve got some nerve. Go ahead, take it. You pampered Elfenbine mage.”

He pronounced “Elfenbine mage” with a tone of utter disdain.

“To get the antidote, you’ll have to kill me and trample over the body of that knight who hates you just as much. What’s wrong? Think you can’t do it? Feeling dizzy, like you might collapse any moment?”

One, two, three.

After three seconds of silence, Binaeril finally spoke.

“…Are you done?”

“I asked if your grand speech was over, oh esteemed Goblin professor.”

“I don’t know what kind of life you’ve lived. What kind of family or environment you were born into. Those aren’t things either of us chose. But as much as you might misunderstand, I didn’t have a gentle childhood either.”

‘Because of that wretched brother.’

Binaeril murmured softly.

“Even now, when I close my eyes, I see the stake where my mother was burned alive.”

It was an indelible mark on Binaeril’s retina, never erased.

“What? What did you just say?”

Goblin couldn’t clearly understand the low, murmuring voice.

But Dominic heard it distinctly.

Burned alive, his mother?

“One more thing, it’s hard to listen to someone who’s never even set foot in Elfenbine talk about it like an authority. It’s revolting inferiority.”

“…Did you just call me disgusting? Looking like that? There’s a limit to provocation.”

Goblin laughed.

Binaeril, battered by Goblin’s relentless assault, was in shambles.

Bruised all over, legs shaking, while Goblin, though slightly winded, still stood strong with his monstrous durability and recovery.

“Goblin, let me correct one more of your misunderstandings.”

“A dead man talking too much. Fine, speak. I’ll listen.”

“As I said before, though you don’t seem to remember. This fight is mine. You’re going to die now.”

Binaeril extended his finger, pointing precisely at Goblin’s throat.

What was that uneasy feeling?

Goblin flinched but nothing happened.

Did he want to boast about identifying Goblin’s weakness?

Regardless, Binaeril’s only attack was the magic arrow. As long as he watched out for that, Goblin couldn’t lose.

“Arrogance! If your last words are done, die now, you young mage!”

From an angle invisible to Goblin but clear to Binaeril’s eyes, it was there.

A ‘shadow’ under Goblin’s inflated body, hidden by his chin.

Buzz―.

‘…Huh?’

Goblin felt a sudden coolness on his neck, trying to let out a puzzled exclamation.

“Huh!”

But what came from his throat was a grotesque sound, like air escaping.

The magic bullet, drawn from the shadow on his collarbone, pierced through Goblin’s throat.

Dominic, watching, shivered lightly.

It was the same move that had taken him down in the Thornwinter Swamp.

‘…What is this…?’

Goblin’s massive body slowly toppled forward, still not comprehending the situation even as he died.