Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

A voice called out to him from behind. It was Lady Vivian, the Duke’s daughter. Despite Duke Dux’s repeated suggestions for her to ride another horse, Vivian had insisted on staying behind Binaeril.

“Are you going to duel those combat-obsessed men again today?” she asked.

“I have never dueled of my own volition.”

“But you accepted their challenges.”

“How could I refuse when I am sharing the Duke’s bread?”

Vivian pouted. Thanks to the duels held every evening at the campsite, Binaeril had become quite friendly with the knights, leaving less time for Vivian to spend with him. She found this frustrating, as normal conversations were impossible amidst the noise while riding.

She felt like her father’s knights had stolen him from her.

“By the way, when will we arrive at the duchy?”

“We’re already within the duchy.”

“We’ve been on my father’s lands for days now. Didn’t you know?”

Binaeril hadn’t realized it. There were no signs marking the duchy.

“Then where are we headed now?”

“We’re going to my father’s castle. There’s still some distance left.”

Having traveled so far already, Binaeril was surprised at the vastness of the duchy.

“Once we reach the castle, Father will leave again to hunt the undead, and we’ll part ways there, won’t we, Sir Binaeril?”

Vivian assumed Binaeril would continue to Elfenbine after passing through the duchy. However, Binaeril’s destination was the page in Rotfallen. He planned to stay with the Duke for a while.

“I’m still considering it.”

Vivian’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘What? Isn’t he supposed to be returning to Elfenbine?’ What did he mean by considering it? ‘Could it be that he wants to spend more time with me?’

“Sir Binaeril, does that mean—”

“I see the castle!” someone shouted, interrupting Vivian.

The riders cheered in unison.

“Is that the Duke’s castle already?”

“…No, that’s Paguin Castle.”

“Paguin Castle?”

“The name of the lord managing this area.”

From the conversation, Binaeril gathered that the duchy contained several castles besides the Duke’s main castle, each managed by a local lord. This was a scale unimaginable in his hometown of Ruben. Truly, this was the Albrecht Empire.

“Finally, we can wash!”

“We’ll sleep in beds tonight!”

The Duke’s soldiers were exhausted from the long march. Even the robust Duke did not stop their cheers, feeling the heavy fatigue himself.

“Fortunately, it looks like we’ll be staying there tonight.”

“Probably so.”

“By the way, my lady, what were you about to say to me earlier?”

Vivian missed her chance to speak, overwhelmed by the unnecessary explanations.

“No! Let’s just go!” she said, feeling strangely embarrassed. She turned her face away and buried it in Binaeril’s back.

“Duke! How sudden this is!”

The lord of Paguin Castle came rushing out, startled by the unexpected news that Duke Dux had arrived at his castle with a hundred troops.

“Lord Paguin. Good to see you. It’s been a while.”

“Likewise, Your Grace!” the lord replied, nodding repeatedly.

“Why are you sweating so much?”

“Oh, no! Sweating? I must have run out in a hurry… that’s all.”

“Hmm, I see. We’re on our way back to the castle and need a place for the soldiers to stay. Can you accommodate us?”

“You wish to stay at my castle?”

“Why? Is that a problem?”

The lord of Paguin Castle had no authority to refuse the Duke’s request to stay. But inwardly, he was in turmoil. Duke Dux arriving unannounced with an army was not a good sign.

‘Could the Duke have sensed something?’

The lord had other important guests besides the Duke today. His hesitation was evident, prompting a stern response from the Duke.

“Lord Paguin!”

“Y-yes! Of course, you must stay.”

“Why are you acting like a dog needing to relieve itself?”

Seeing the lord’s discomfort, Sir Baron stepped in to defend him.

“Your Grace, forgive me for saying so, but few vassals can stand confidently before you.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Your presence can be quite intimidating.”

The Duke, with a hand as large as a pot lid, patted the lord’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry. We’ll only impose for one night.”

“Understood, Your Grace.”

The lord bowed his head to hide his expression. Most others paid it no mind, but Binaeril, standing near the Duke, kept a close eye on the lord.

“By the way, lord. There weren’t many people in the village. Is it usually this quiet around here?”

“Yes, indeed! With the days getting shorter, people tend to go to bed early.”

Binaeril chimed in, “Still, it seems odd that so few people looked out when such a large group of soldiers passed through.”

The lord glared at Binaeril, who, lacking significant armor, didn’t appear to be one of the Duke’s knights.

“This is Baron Dalheim, my guest,” the Duke interjected.

“Your Grace’s guest?”

“Yes. A mage from Elfenbine.”

The lord’s expression revealed a layer of distrust. To him, Binaeril looked like a nobleman’s son, nothing more. The Duke noticed the lord’s doubt.

“You don’t trust him. Baron Dalheim here was the personal guard of the late Emperor and has bested all my knights. He’s an extraordinary mage.”

The knights accompanying the Duke were visibly bruised or swollen in some manner. With the Duke’s explanation, the lord’s skepticism faded.

“It seems you prefer fists over words.”

Binaeril felt wronged.

Although it was true that Binaeril had fought the knights, most of their bruises and swollen faces were from their own sparring matches.

“In response to your earlier question, this town isn’t very populated. Most people are busy with their livelihoods during the day and are likely exhausted by nightfall.”

Still, for a town of this size, the absence of people was eerie, almost as if it were a ghost town.

“Come, let’s not worry about unnecessary things. Please, come inside. I’ll have the meal prepared immediately!”

The castle couldn’t accommodate all hundred soldiers, so more than half were lodged in nearby empty houses at the lord’s request. The soldiers were pleased just to have a roof over their heads.

‘Empty houses? In a town like this?’

Binaeril couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off about the lord. It didn’t seem like his behavior was solely due to the Duke’s sudden visit.

‘Where is Lord Paguin now?’

The lord had been absent since the dinner ended. If he had something to hide, now would be the time he was dealing with it.

– What will you give me if I tell you?

‘Are you kidding? I’ve fed you plenty of mana stones on this journey.’

– …Okay.

Traveling with the Duke’s army, Binaeril had encountered many demons. The spoils from those hunts had gone straight into Veritas’s belly. With its appetite satisfied, Veritas agreed to reveal the lord’s location.

– He’s in a secret underground room connected to his quarters.

‘A secret passage? An underground room?’

The situation was becoming increasingly suspicious.

“Everyone, we have a problem!”

Lord Paguin burst in, making a fuss. In the underground room, figures in pitch-black hoods huddled together. Imprisoned by the lord, they grumbled in frustration.

“What’s the problem that you’ve locked us up here and only now show up?”

“The Duke has arrived with an army!”

“The Duke?”

“Why?”

“Did he discover our meeting?”

The lord shook his head.

“It doesn’t seem that way. He just needed a place to stay for the night.”

“So there’s no problem?”

“Still, it’s not good for the Duke to find out about this. Let’s disperse for now. I’ll arrange another meeting soon.”

“And the goods?”

“Not tonight.”

The hooded figures were visibly irritated.

“So we leave the sacrifices and just go?”

The lord cowered under their intensity.

“What can I do? I didn’t expect the Duke to show up….”

“Then we’ll wait until the Duke is asleep and take the sacrifices then.”

By sacrifices, they meant the townspeople. The lord waved his hands in protest.

“No, we can’t. The Duke’s soldiers are all over the town. If we get caught, we’ll all lose our heads. Besides…”

“Besides?”

“They say there’s a mage among the Duke’s entourage.”

“A mage?” The revelation sent waves of surprise through the group.

“A mage in the Empire?”

“Isn’t he just a fraud? There are crazy people everywhere who claim to be mages.”

“But the Duke introduced him as a guest from Elfenbine. It’s unlikely he’s an impostor.”

The mention of Elfenbine caused a tense atmosphere to spread among them. These were dark mages who harbored resentment against mages from the Mage Tower.

“With a mage present, we could get caught in all sorts of ways. I want to avoid any risk.”

Lord Paguin was a cowardly man, and the dark mages sneered at him. Yet, they couldn’t completely dismiss his concerns. After all, he was a key business partner for them.

“We’ll come back tomorrow. Don’t move the sacrifices.”

“As if I would!”

Lord Paguin led them to a passage connected to the castle’s moat.

Creak—

As the passage door opened,

Thud.

A sound like a watermelon being smashed echoed. The leading dark mage collapsed in place. The others failed to immediately comprehend the situation. The fallen figure looked unnatural—what should have been above the shoulders was missing.

“Lord Paguin,” came a clear, youthful voice from outside the passage.

“The reason the village seemed so deserted wasn’t what you said, was it?”

The dark mages finally realized they were under attack.

“Who are you!”

Among the gathered dark mages, only Lord Paguin recognized the voice. He remembered the boy’s voice clearly.

“My name is Binaeril Dalheim,” said the boy.

He was a mage.

“The Duke’s guest and a mage from Elfenbine.”