Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

Duke Torben Dux.

The empire’s only duke and the ruler of the southern territories.

A former mercenary, he was awarded his title for his military achievements against the northern barbarians.

Wielding a flail at the front lines, the barbarians had come to fear him, calling him:

“The Iron-blooded Mercenary King.”

The long scar running vertically across his left eye, his smoothly shaven head, and fierce eyes were enough to intimidate anyone.

The Iron-blooded Mercenary King, the ruler of the south, the empire’s only duke, was…

“My dear daughter, there you are! Are you hurt? I was worried sick. Come here, let daddy hug you!”

…an overly affectionate and doting father.

Lady Vivian Dux ran to him, leaping into his arms.

Duke Dux easily lifted his daughter with one arm, showering her with kisses on the cheek.

“How could you leave the territory without telling me, making me worry like that?”

“Were you really worried?”

“Of course! I came running as soon as I thought you might be in danger.”

“Ahem, ahem!”

Someone’s cough interrupted their affectionate reunion, drawing their attention.

The appearance of Duke Torben Dux was unexpected for both the regent and the other nobles.

“Your Grace. We hadn’t heard from you, and now you suddenly appear in Essen. What brings you here?”

Marquis Schiller mustered the courage to step forward.

While his words sounded polite, there was an underlying tone of displeasure at the duke’s presence.

“I came to find my daughter.”

“Ah, Lady Dux. So, is your business here concluded then?”

“It is, but…why? Is there a place I shouldn’t be?”

The duke’s sharp gaze caused Marquis Schiller to step back.

He withdrew his soldiers, trying not to provoke the duke further.

“That’s not it, but given the situation…”

Anyone with a sense of awareness would understand that this wasn’t the time for a family reunion.

This was a moment concerning the future of the empire’s throne.

“Hmm, I see. The atmosphere is indeed grim.”

Even at his feet lay the headless bodies of soldiers, victims of Binaeril’s magic bullets.

‘Please, just leave!’

Marquis Schiller’s desperate thoughts were ignored by the duke.

Duke Dux was a man who had never lived by anyone else’s rules.

He cared not for the noble faction’s stance or the current situation.

After surveying the audience chamber, he set his daughter down and walked towards the center.

He stopped before Regent Charlotte.

The regent looked at him with surprise. It had been a long time since she last saw the duke, not since her childhood.

The eyes of the assembly turned to the duke.

“A humble subject of the empire pays his respects to the future Empress.”

Duke Dux knelt on one knee and bowed his head.

The onlookers were stunned by his words and actions, especially Marquis Papen and Marquis Schiller, who had just ordered the regent’s execution.

“Wha, what!”

“What are you doing, Your Grace!”

Regent Charlotte, still in shock, accepted his bow.

“Ah… Yes, Your Grace, I trust you have been well.”

“Thanks to your concern, I’ve been well with my daughter. And please lower your speech. After all, you’re the one who will sit on the throne.”

“Duke Torben!”

The loud voice from among the noble faction made Duke Dux’s eyebrow twitch.

“Your Majesty, just a moment…”

Duke Dux requested permission from the regent and then turned to face those who had shouted.

“Who calls my name?”

His gaze was filled with an overwhelming anger that silenced the room.

“In this land, no one other than the emperor and the imperial family has the right to call my name freely. Say it again. Who calls me?”

None of the nobles dared to step forward.

Finally, Marquis Papen reluctantly stepped up and questioned his stance.

“What did you mean by that, Duke Dux?”

“What do you mean?”

“You said ‘the next emperor,’ but the first princess hasn’t even had a proper coronation yet…”

“That’s nonsense!”

Duke Dux roared, berating Marquis Papen.

“The former emperor has passed. His descendants are alive and well, so who else would be the next emperor? You, Felix? Or you, Viktor?”

Each person he pointed at recoiled as if struck by an arrow.

“Now what’s this? After all this time, you suddenly appear and declare the next emperor?”

Count Manfred List, unable to contain his youthful fervor, stepped forward and challenged the duke.

“Oh, Manfred. So you think I should report my thoughts to you?”

“That’s not it…!”

“Shut up, you rat-like rebels. The throne is not for mongrels like you.

Receiving lands from the emperor and plotting rebellion, you’re beasts in human skin. Filthy mongrels.”

“Duke Dux, isn’t that language a bit harsh?”

“Viktor, are you implying my words are too blunt? Have you forgotten about respect?”

“It seems the duke is unaware of something. The regent and the second princess have been colluding with Elfenbine.”

Duke Dux turned his gaze to the regent, briefly locking eyes with her.

He then glanced at Count Brante, Lady Vivian, and Binaeril before returning his attention to the nobles.

“I am aware.”

“Let me ask you one thing. What do you mean by ‘colluding’?”

“What do I mean? They’ve thrown away the empire’s dignity and clung to the power of the Magic Tower, discarding our pride. That is collusion! That young mage there is the proof!”

Marquis Schiller pointed at Binaeril.

Duke Dux looked at Binaeril.

He recalled the brief conversation they had at the castle entrance.

Duke Dux had a hundred soldiers at his back.

There was no way Binaeril could have missed them.

But the boy had boldly asked him:

‘Are you an ally of the princess, or an enemy?’

Duke Torben Dux had seen the resolve in the boy’s eyes.

If he had answered that he was an enemy, the boy would have attacked him without hesitation.

Attacked him, the Iron-blooded Mercenary King, Torben Dux.

‘A madman indeed.’

And it was always wise to avoid madmen.

Duke Dux redirected his gaze.

“The entire empire is groaning under the threat of monsters.”

“No one understands the pride of the empire’s people better than I do. I’ve spent half my life on the northern front. But…”

He recalled the countless subjects who had perished to monsters.

“Now, we can no longer rely on our strength alone.”

“If pride cannot protect the subjects and the people, then such pride should be discarded a hundred or a thousand times over. If not, that is the true betrayal.

If we are powerless, who can seek dignity and pride? The princess’s decision deserves applause.”

Duke Dux placed a hand on Binaeril’s shoulder.

“Young man.”

“Have you seen the suffering of this nation’s people on your way to the capital?”

Binaeril recalled.

To the east of Hoenberg, the abandoned people of the empire.

The kings of a country without a king, the Miao tribe hiding in the mountains, and the vagabonds living with Simon.

Binaeril spoke.

“The empire seemed safe.”

Duke Dux furrowed his brow at the unexpected response.

“The roads of Essen are wide, the people of Ayaxen seemed lively. The walls of Edenver are high, and the soldiers patrolling the roads are perfectly armed.”

“Exactly! As you said, the empire doesn’t need magic to be safe!”

Marquis Schiller, not discerning friend from foe, agreed enthusiastically with Binaeril’s words.

“But that was it.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Exactly up to that point, it was safe. Do you know what life is like east of the Hoenberg Mountains that cut across the empire?”

“…Tell me.”

“The subjects have been abandoned, and people are busy deceiving each other.

They target travelers’ purses and do not hesitate to kill.

Vagabonds roam in packs in the squares, and those with a scrap of power in a kingless world are arrogant.

This is the other half of the empire you are so proud of.”

Regent Charlotte looked more pained than anyone else at Binaeril’s assessment.

“The empire still stands. Your empire, with its vast lands, is unparalleled.

The nobles, living trapped in the capital, might see the empire as prosperous. But…”

Binaeril took a deep breath.

“How much longer will the glory of a half-baked empire last?”

His words were harsh.

Duke Dux’s brow twitched even more severely.

He gripped Binaeril’s shoulder firmly and responded.

“You are… right!”

Marquis Schiller and the noble faction wore expressions of utter distaste.

Binaeril had not sought to undermine the empire’s dignity.

He spoke of the lives beyond the capital, which they either didn’t know or willfully ignored.

No one could confidently claim his words were wrong.

Duke Dux continued Binaeril’s message.

“Aren’t you ashamed? An outsider from a distant land understands our reality better than you who call yourselves the empire’s loyal subjects and noblemen. Felix Papen, Viktor Schiller, while you were blinded by your ambitions, the two princesses were concerned for the future and welfare of the empire. Even I, who am not familiar with the capital’s affairs, can see the distinction between merit and demerit. There’s no need to hear more of your excuses. Baron!”

A sturdy knight, apparently one of Duke Dux’s aides, stepped forward.

“Arrest the traitors.”

“Yes, my lord!”

“Duke Dux!”

“Torben!”

The noble faction members shouted in surprise at the sudden turn of events.

The situation had flipped in an instant.

“Do you think you can oppose us all and come out unscathed? Colluding with the princess to overthrow us? You claim to be the leader of the noble faction!”

Duke Dux snorted in response to the noble’s enraged cry.

“I have never once endorsed your verminous plans. Leader of the noble faction? The only master I have ever served is the Albrecht royal family.”

Some of the noble faction’s soldiers resisted, but it was futile.

Their morale was broken, and the tide had already turned.

“Imprison the traitors in the dungeon and give them not a drop of water! Disarm them, chain the nobles, and lock them away.”

The resisting nobles were dragged away like the ebbing tide, leaving only the regent and a few others in the audience chamber.

Duke Dux bowed his head and apologized to the regent.

“I apologize for my presumptuous actions, Your Majesty.”

“It’s all right, Duke Dux. But hold on, Sir Dalheim!”

“That vial you handed to Sylvia, is it the antidote?”

Binaeril remembered Rike, whom he had momentarily forgotten.

She had been more concerned about her sister than her own safety.

“Yes. I captured the mage who attacked and retrieved the antidote.”

Regent Charlotte, forgetting her composure, ran out of the audience chamber.

Count Brante and Binaeril followed her, with Vivian and Duke Dux, unaware of the full situation, trailing behind them to the second princess’s bedroom.

Sylvia was there, holding Rike’s hand tightly and praying.

The vial was empty.

“How is my sister?”

“She has taken the antidote. But we do not know when she will awaken…”

“Count Brante!”

Hans rushed to check on Rike’s condition.

“Her breathing… is stabilizing!”

Regent Charlotte, relieved, collapsed into a sitting position.

Binaeril could also see that Rike’s breathing was becoming more regular.

Everyone held their breath, focusing on Rike’s condition. And after a short while,

“Bina… ril?”

She opened her eyes and spoke her first words.

A collective sigh of relief and expressions of amazement and joy filled the room.