Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

The white cloth enveloping the Starfall fluttered in the breeze.

Paladin Callisto held the hilt of the Starfall gently, as if cradling a newborn baby.

He raised his hands above his head, positioning the blade towards the tip of his left foot. It was an unusual stance.

As he closed his eyes and reopened them, the polite knight who had been courteously displaying a friendly expression was gone.

Only a swordsman with a sharp aura remained.

He stared intently at the approaching red magic sword.

10 meters, 5 meters, 3 meters…

Even as the magic sword flew within a breath’s distance, he did not move from his stance.

At the moment when the blade of Mimung and his skin were just inches apart, his arms moved with the sword, drawing a large circle.

The Starfall traced the trajectory of a star in the air, leaving a contrail like a meteor shower.

When the magic sword and the holy sword swung towards each other,

the clash of the two weapons standing at their antipodes was not loud.

The sounds of weapons clashing, breaking, shattering, and bursting were all inadequate to describe the collision just now.

With a single exchange of blows, Mimung’s blade split in two.

The halved Mimung flew in opposite directions and embedded into the ground.

Callisto collected himself. After a short breath, he was back to being the polite and young knight.

“Oh no! I used too much force. The sword broke in half.”

“Vice-Captain, the Captain might scold us for this.”

Callisto and Matthias engaged in casual conversation.

The Duke and Binaeril, among others, were still in awe of the stunning movement Callisto had just displayed.

“That… is a Paladin of the Order…”

A small sigh from someone represented their sentiments.

– Binaeril, grasp the magic sword. Only then can I absorb it.

Veritas shouted as he looked at the embedded Mimung.

Binaeril dragged his weary body toward the magic sword.

As he reached out to grasp Mimung’s hilt,

“This belongs to the Order.”

Callisto, who had approached unnoticed, pulled Mimung out before his eyes.

“Return it.”

“Isn’t that a strange request? It wasn’t yours to begin with, so how can I return it? His Grace the Duke has also permitted this. The Order will take the magic sword.”

“You have the Starfall, don’t you? What more do you need with the magic sword?”

“That is for the Captain to decide. What use could you have for the magic sword? You don’t seem to be a swordsman.”

“I am a mage. The power of the magic sword is closer to magic. Return it to me.”

“What if I refuse?”

“Then I will take it by force.”

Binaeril, despite his exhausted state, summoned his mana once again.

The mana Veritas infused into Binaeril explosively heightened his mental state.

Since their objectives aligned, Veritas was channeling more mana to him than usual.

Callisto’s gaze hardened.

A faint trace of anger appeared in his eyes.

“Stop, brother. I do not wish to point my sword at the Captain’s kin.”

“Then leave the sword.”

“You are unreasonable.”

The power Callisto had just displayed was far beyond what Binaeril could contend with.

Binaeril struggled against Mimung, but Callisto defeated it with a single strike.

No probing was needed; he used his full strength at once.

“The mire that swallows feet, the lightning that strikes.”

Callisto’s foot sank into the ground, which had turned into a sticky swamp.

The paladin’s expression hardened.

The sound of thunder echoed through the underground tomb.

Lightning aimed at Callisto’s head struck through the hole in the ceiling.

It was much more powerful than the usual magic Binaeril used.

It was proof that Veritas was exerting his full power.

“Hmph!”

Callisto swung the Starfall twice in a diagonal motion.

The split lightning bolts shattered and struck the ground.

While his attention was diverted, Binaeril chanted softly so that Callisto could not hear.

“The bullet of shadow that targets the back.”

Callisto intended to block it.

It seemed he still had no intention of attacking Binaeril directly.

‘I’ll turn that into his downfall.’

Callisto exerted strength to pull his feet out of the swamp.

The moment he lifted his feet from the swamp and jumped,

a magic bullet shot from beneath his feet.

The magic bullet was fired just as his body was lifted, his arms still raised to split the lightning.

‘It hit!’

At that moment, when it seemed impossible for a human to block the attack,

Callisto’s eyes met Binaeril’s.

His gaze seemed to provoke Binaeril, as if saying,

‘Is this all? Is this the best you can do as the captain’s brother?’

Just as Binaeril thought their eyes met, Starfall was already cleaving the magic bullet behind him.

The split magic bullet embedded itself into the ceiling of the tomb with a thunderous noise.

Watching Callisto’s skill, Binaeril questioned himself.

Paladin Callisto was his brother’s subordinate.

And yet, was this the extent of their gap?

Not even facing his brother directly, but his subordinate, and the gap was this wide?

He had learned magic, gained recognition in the Empire, defeated many demons and enemies.

Yet he couldn’t even scratch his brother’s successor.

‘I can’t accept this!’

Veritas resonated with Binaeril’s emotions, drawing out explosive mana.

The two paladins, the Duke, and the knights around them felt the subtle change in the air.

Binaeril was using mana he couldn’t handle.

– Binaeril, you cannot lose here. Show them. Take the page!

Frost blossoms bloomed.

– If you hand the sword to your brother, your revenge will drift further away. You can’t let that happen, right?

The air around Binaeril turned frigid.

– While you’re at it, let’s take their Starfall too. If you absorb both the magic sword and the holy sword, think how much stronger you’ll become!

Duke Dux raised his arms to shield his face.

Even though he was more than 10 meters away from Binaeril, a chill that seemed to tear at his face swept in.

The frost blossoms that started blooming at Binaeril’s feet quickly spread, taking over the entire space.

Even Callisto was astonished by the explosive mana and cold.

“What is this power? Is he going berserk?”

Matthias, standing behind him, asked, “Vice-Captain, what should we do?”

“We must stop him, brother.”

At some point, Binaeril had lost consciousness. His mana and stamina had long been depleted. The only thing sustaining the magic now was Veritas’s power. 

Matthias charged towards Binaeril. The closer he got, the more the unbearable chill seeped into his body. But Matthias did not utter a single groan. The Vice-Captain’s orders were absolute to him. He ran headlong into the freezing cold. His limbs froze, his face ached as if it were being torn apart, and his heart seemed to beat slowly. 

Matthias approached the source of the cold and struck the back of Binaeril’s neck with the hilt of his sword. 

With a short scream, the boy’s body collapsed. As he passed out, the cold that had enveloped the area vanished as if it had never been there.

“Phew…”

“Well done, brother.”

Callisto looked at the fallen boy’s face for a long time.

“…What are you waiting for, Vice-Captain?”

The objective had been recovered, and the mission was complete. They had finished discussing the transfer of the magic sword with Duke Dux. Everything had gone smoothly, just as they planned. However, Matthias, Callisto, and even the Captain had not anticipated that Yunnaeril’s brother would appear to interfere with them.

“No matter how closely you look, they still don’t resemble each other. It’s done. Let’s go.”

The two paladins gave the Duke a brief nod and leapt out of the tomb in a single bound. 

Duke Dux and his party rushed to Binaeril.

“Baron, how is Sir Binaeril?”

“He is safe. It seems he has fallen asleep from exhaustion.”

“Phew…”

Duke Dux let out a long sigh. 

This expedition to Rotfallen had been longer and more eventful than he had anticipated. Unexpected enemies, unexpected allies, and even unexpected supporters had appeared. But now, all those events were over. 

Torben Dux looked at the face of the sleeping young mage.

“…He’s sleeping like a log.”

“Indeed he is.”

“Pack everything up. We’re heading back.”

“…Where to?” asked Sir Gustav.

“To Vinzburg. To our home.”

Those who remained awake let out a weary cheer, celebrating their modest victory. Through the broken ceiling of the Rotfallen underground tomb, the late afternoon sun was setting. It cast a crimson glow, similar to the light in their hearts.

***

Vinzburg Fortress, the Duke’s office.

The entire garrison welcomed back those who had successfully completed the Rotfallen expedition. 

The returned Duke Dux spent a busy day withdrawing the defensive forces stationed in the southwestern part of the duchy and distributing appropriate rewards to them.

“Baron, how many soldiers did we lose?”

“A total of about three hundred.”

“What about the injured?”

“There are too many to count.”

“Ensure that those who are too injured to continue their livelihoods are given proper treatment. Do not neglect the soldiers who have earned honors.”

“Provide one florin gold coin annually to the families of the deceased. Instruct all the lords of the duchy to offer them employment.”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

Knock, knock, knock.

Duchess Melina entered the busy meeting room.

She approached the duke, carrying tea given to her by a servant, and massaged his shoulders.

“Your Grace, you should take it easy. The long war is over now.”

The duke wiped his rough face with his rougher hand.

“If we do not act swiftly now, the bereaved families will face a harsh season. As the grand duke, I cannot rest.”

Duchess Melina signaled to the retainers in the meeting room.

They tactfully left the room, providing the duke with a brief respite arranged by the duchess.

“Husband, you haven’t forgotten the promise you made, have you?”

“What promise?”

“You promised to listen to Vivian’s story.”

The duke let out a deep sigh.

“My dear, please, let me rest.”

“You just contradicted yourself, husband.”

The duke shook his head.

The duchess’s intention was not to provide her busy husband with a break.

“How is Sir Binaeril doing?”

Binaeril had also returned to Vinzburg Fortress with the duke’s army.

He had not yet left the fortress. Not yet.

“…My dear, do you ask because you don’t know?”

“I do know. The whole fortress echoes with the sounds of his training. I am asking if you have spoken with him.”

Since his return, Binaeril had not spoken to anyone and was obsessively practicing magic in the training grounds like a madman.

Many knights who used to request sparring sessions with him did so again, but he refused all their offers.

From dawn until dusk, he did not stop training.

“It’s hard to approach him right now. I think we should leave him be for a while.”

Even now, Binaeril was in the training grounds of the fortress, casting spells at a practice dummy.

‘Still not enough. Not yet.’