Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

Binaeril woke up and took a brief morning stroll around the village before having breakfast. When he returned to the inn, he found the innkeeper and Inyakan already in the first-floor hall.

“Where did you go?” Inyakan asked, looking at Binaeril curiously.

Binaeril stared back at him. “Why do you care? Are you my guardian?”

“Already starting the day with an attitude, huh?”

The tension from their previous night’s argument was still present.

“I’ll cover breakfast. After that, we’ll each go our separate ways.”

Inyakan, seeing no reason to argue about a free meal, remained silent. He was easy to deal with when it came to food.

Sitting across from Inyakan wasn’t exactly pleasant for breakfast. The way Inyakan devoured his food made Binaeril eat hurriedly as well.

‘Feels like I might get indigestion,’ Binaeril thought.

After packing his belongings and settling the bill, Binaeril was ready to leave. Inyakan noticed the blade at Binaeril’s waist and started a conversation.

“That sword.”

“Do you know how to use it?”

The blade, a gift from the Duke, dangled at Binaeril’s side. Inyakan examined Binaeril’s face closely.

“What? What is it?”

“You’re not from the North, are you?”

“It was a gift.”

Without a word, Inyakan took the blade from Binaeril’s waist and inspected it, running his thick fingers along the edge.

“What are you doing? You can’t just grab it without asking!”

For a knight, such an act would have been seen as highly disrespectful, but Inyakan seemed unconcerned with such etiquette. He returned the weapon to Binaeril.

“Don’t be so sensitive.”

Binaeril glared at him, but Inyakan continued calmly, “It’s a good Sikrun. Haven’t seen one in a while.”

“Sikrun?”

“You don’t even know the name of the sword you’re carrying?”

“It’s called a curved sword.”

“No, it’s a Sikrun.”

Binaeril recalled the words of Bapaluga when he received the sword and pieced together what Inyakan was saying.

“Are you from the North?”

“…I’ve spent some time there,” Inyakan replied vaguely. Binaeril pressed further.

“Do you know the name Torben Dux?”

“Torben? Never heard of him.”

Inyakan appeared to be around the same age as Duke Dux. It made sense that he might not know him, considering the Duke’s exploits in the northern frontlines were from his youth.

“I don’t want to part on bad terms, so I’ll overlook this,” Binaeril said, mounting his horse.

“I’ll walk.”

“Walk? Don’t you have a horse?”

“I need to repay you for the meal. I can’t live with debts.”

Inyakan started walking ahead of Binaeril but returned after a few steps.

“So, where are we going?”

Not wanting to ride away and leave him behind, Binaeril took the reins and walked alongside Inyakan.

“Why are you following me?”

“I told you, I can’t live with debts.”

“I’ll consider it repaid. Can’t you just go your own way?”

“We have a saying in my homeland.”

“What do you mean?” Binaeril asked.

“Don’t let your freedom restrict someone else’s freedom.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“You freely paid for my meal. It’s my freedom to repay that debt.”

“You’re not just eyeing my wallet, are you?”

“A bit of both.”

It was clear that the latter was more of his motive.

“So, it’s my freedom to ride off on my horse and leave you behind?”

“You think I can’t catch up?”

Binaeril had a feeling he probably could.

“Have you come to a conclusion about yesterday’s problem?”

“You mean the Hydra?”

“Hydra?”

“That’s probably the name of the monster.”

“Monster? Name? What are you talking about? Weren’t you the one treating it as a ghost story?”

Not long after they left the village, they came to a fork in the road. The left path was a well-maintained road, while the right was a less-traveled trail. Binaeril chose the right path without hesitation.

“I’ve changed my mind.”

“I still think it’s just a spooky joke. In all my years, I’ve never seen a snake with a head the size of a human’s.”

“Then you’ll get to see one today.”

Binaeril explained what he had thought about during his morning walk.

“Yesterday, the innkeeper mentioned that over half the herbalists, hunters, and charcoal burners have disappeared in the past six months. Do you know what they all have in common?”

“They all have to wander outside the village for their livelihood, to places that are remote and sparsely populated.”

“This morning, I asked the villagers if there were any hunters, herbalists, woodcutters, or charcoal burners left in the village.”

Inyakan began to catch on to what Binaeril was implying.

“Not a single one is left. Would they all have a special reason to leave the village?”

The path they were walking on was now completely deserted. Binaeril called upon the name of the Book of Truth.

***

“Count!”

“What is it?”

Count Huber’s domain was an autonomous region bordered by Duke Dux’s territory, separated only by a bridge. The Count’s land was a barren, dry region in the southeastern part of the empire, far from the capital, Essen.

Count Huber had recently heard unsettling news: the newly crowned emperor was planning to strengthen ties with Elfenbine. The Count was a staunch anti-magic advocate. Upon hearing this, he began preparations to gather his wealth and leave the empire. He had heard that the Holy Kingdom of Vitory in the northeast of the continent was welcoming to those who showed faith in the Order and a bit of ‘sincerity.’

However…

“Count, a merchant’s carriage heading to the manor was attacked.”

“What?”

The main source of Count Huber’s income was bribes from these merchant caravans. In exchange for turning a blind eye to their shady dealings, he collected fees. As a result, an underground black market had flourished in his domain.

“A slave trader’s caravan coming from the Duke’s territory was attacked. The attacker killed the merchant and freed the slaves.”

“Was it the Duke’s soldiers?”

If Duke Dux, who had ties to the emperor, had a hand in it, it would complicate matters greatly.

“It doesn’t seem like it. The attacker was reportedly a lone individual.”

“A lone person? Was the merchant an idiot? Or did a monster attack? There must have been guards. How could one person do this?”

The soldier delivering the news broke into a sweat under the Count’s stern gaze.

“I don’t know,” the soldier replied. “But we do have a sketch of the attacker.”

Count Huber examined the sketch handed to him. It depicted a tall, bald man with one eye.

“This man?”

“Yes. He was very tall and reportedly fought the guards bare-handed.”

“Unarmed?” Count Huber was incredulous. The more he heard, the more he thought the victims were fools.

“Find this attacker. I don’t care if I have to rip his mouth open to recover my losses. Release the soldiers and hunt him down. Bring him to me!”

“Yes, sir!”

***

Meanwhile, a gust of wind swirled around Binaeril. It was the result of the sudden release of mana. If Princess Friederike had seen it, she might have called it beautiful, but she wasn’t there. Inyakan, less sensitive to such things, merely looked annoyed at the gust, eyeing Binaeril.

“Inyakan,” Binaeril said.

“What?”

“You said following me is your freedom?”

“I’m giving you one last warning. Run away. I can’t protect you while I fight.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

The answer came not in words, but in the air, thick with hostility and killing intent. Something was approaching them.

‘It’s working,’ Binaeril thought, sensing the presence of a monster drawn to the source of his mana. ‘It’s huge.’

The ground shook as the creature drew closer. The innkeeper’s description was no exaggeration. A snake with a head as large as a human’s slithered into view, its eyes fixed on the two humans, its forked tongue flicking in anticipation.

Binaeril had expected his troublesome companion to flee in terror, but Inyakan, clanging the bracers on his arms together, stepped forward instead.

“Inyakan?”

“You’ve brought out something interesting, civilized one.”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Of course not. Did you think I’d run from such a thrilling fight?”

“It’s a monster! A giant monster that even a mage might struggle with! You can’t handle it!”

Inyakan turned to face Binaeril. “So what?”

The man was undoubtedly crazy. Binaeril should have realized this earlier.

“If you won’t go, then I’ll go first.”

Inyakan wore an expression of childlike glee at the sight of a new toy. The Hydra, eager to devour Binaeril, was clearly intent on disposing of the obstruction first. The monster’s slight head movement seemed insignificant, but it was not.

Inyakan’s fists met the oncoming Hydra’s head.

“Solid!”

It was a simple observation. There was no way a creature of that size would have a hide that was merely “solid.”

Inyakan grasped one of the Hydra’s heads and vaulted over it with acrobatic ease, as if he belonged in a circus. The Hydra, having missed its target, hissed menacingly and opened its maw, revealing teeth dripping with a viscous green poison.

“Block it!” Binaeril quickly chanted a spell to create a barrier around the Hydra’s mouth. Though the barrier couldn’t completely stop the venom, it bought Inyakan enough time to evade the lethal spray.

“Block it properly!” Inyakan shouted.

“Why don’t you back off?!” Binaeril retorted.

“No way I’m backing down!”

It was like dealing with a rebellious teenager. The tangled struggle between Inyakan and the Hydra made it difficult for Binaeril to cast more powerful spells accurately.

“You! You’re a mage!” Inyakan noted.

“That’s why I told you to back off!”

“Then support me properly!”

“I can’t cast my spells with you in the way!”

“Ha! I’ve never seen a capable mage use so many excuses!”

Frustrated, Binaeril’s magic bullets only managed to scratch the Hydra’s tough scales. Inyakan leaped off the Hydra’s head and landed near Binaeril, immediately criticizing him.

“Ah, you’re useless!”

“Inyakan, behind you!” Binaeril yelled.

The enraged Hydra lunged at Inyakan, its jaws wide open. It was too late when he realized the danger.

With a horrifying snap, the Hydra swallowed Inyakan whole.

“Inyakan!” Binaeril shouted, his voice trembling as he gathered his mana.

He fired a barrage of magic bullets, but they merely bounced off the Hydra’s impervious scales.

“Damn it, I told him to run…!”

Regret was futile now. Inyakan had become the monster’s meal. Binaeril desperately considered the best spell to take down the Hydra.

The Hydra’s mouth began to twitch strangely, as if it was trying to keep from opening. The creature’s scales rippled and bulged, indicating something was wrong.

“Is it having a fit?” Binaeril wondered.

With a loud pop, one of the Hydra’s heads exploded. Inyakan emerged from the wreckage, covered in the creature’s viscous fluids.

If he wasn’t such a talker, he could have been mistaken for a hero in that moment.

“When your body’s weak, your head suffers,” Inyakan quipped. “Got that, civilized one?”