Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

“What is your relationship with Lady Priya?”

“Who, us?”

It was a calm question in stark contrast to the fierce battle unfolding nearby.

Though his tone was polite, his stance was not.

The knight with the eye patch—Avia remembered he was called Matthias—stood with his right hand on the hilt of his sword.

Considering the situation, the question seemed rather rude.

Avia’s brow furrowed slightly.

“We have no relation. She said it herself earlier; we just met.”

“But since you are mages, there could be a connection. I am asking if you intend to interfere with us.”

Matthias asked this with a politeness that felt almost sarcastic.

His attitude, completely disregarding their feelings, annoyed Avia.

“What if we did?”

“Then I would do what I must. I would cut you down.”

Where did this confidence come from?

Before becoming a professor, Avia Flynn had never been treated like this anywhere.

To most people, mages were formidable and intimidating.

Yet, this knight was casually assuming he could ‘cut down’ both her and Pierre.

The paladins of the Order must be exceptionally confident in their abilities.

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”

“…You seem upset about something…”

“Why would I be?”

“If not, then good.”

He finally removed his hand from the hilt.

Avia turned to see Pierre deep in thought.

“Avia, doesn’t this seem strange?”

“What does, senior?”

“This place is remote and devoid of any signs that Bernstein was here.”

“That’s true.”

“Yet the one who sent us here pinpointed the exact coordinates as if knowing something was here. Indeed, there are unexpected people here.”

Listening to this, Avia found it odd.

How did Binaeril Dalheim know about this place?

From his words, Binaeril didn’t seem like he had visited this place before.

Pierre continued,

“Bernstein wasn’t here. So how did he know something was here? Is it related to these people?”

Matthias turned his attention away from them, awaiting orders from his vice-captain.

“Avia, how did ‘Binaeril Dalheim’ know about this place?”

The knight’s shoulder momentarily tensed.

Both professors noticed.

“…Who did you just mention?”

There was a hint of anger in his voice.

How did a paladin of the Order know Binaeril?

“It’s none of your concern,” Avia replied coldly, retaliating for his earlier rudeness.

Pierre, deliberately louder, repeated,

“How did Binaeril Dalheim know about this place?”

An eerie silence settled over the area.

Everyone’s attention was now on Pierre.

Emerging from the faint mist, Priya asked,

“Binaeril? Did you just say Binaeril? What’s your relationship with that kid?”

“And how do you know Binaeril?” Pierre retorted.

“Ah, Elfenbine. You said you’re from there. I taught Binaeril magic. He was an adorable child.”

“Did you say you taught him magic?” This question came from Callisto.

“How do you know the Earl of Dalheim? Surely, you’re not using him for revenge against the commander?”

“Not at all. The kid came to me first. But how does Sir Callisto know Binaeril?”

Questions flew like arrows between them, and eventually, a vague and subtle silence remained.

The knight with the eye patch, Matthias, shuddered upon hearing the name.

Pierre realized one thing clearly: everyone here knew Binaeril Dalheim, whether through good or bad connections.

“Let’s clarify the situation.”

The silence was broken by Professor Pierre Blanchot’s voice.

“So, this lady taught Binaeril magic?”

“Yes. He was struggling with the fragment’s power, so I helped him a bit.”

“Fragment? What is that? The commander mentioned it too…”

“Don’t you know? Your esteemed commander is collecting fragments.”

This was new information to both the paladins and the professors from Elfenbine.

Fragments?

“Sister, what do you mean?”

“The holy sword Starfall in your hand, and the cursed sword he’s trying to reclaim, are all parts of a fragment. Binaeril also has one.”

“Binaeril has one too?”

“Yes. Your esteemed commander will eventually covet Binaeril’s fragment as well.”

“Wait a minute, the commander you’re referring to is the leader of the paladins, the Knight of Salvation, Sir Yunnaeril, isn’t it?”

“And Binaeril Dalheim is his brother?”

“Didn’t you know? Their names are similar. Yunnaeril, Binaeril. It’s a ridiculous naming sense.”

“Of course we didn’t know!”

Pierre asked again.

“But if Binaeril is the brother of the Knight of Salvation, why does this paladin seem to dislike Binaeril?”

“Who said I dislike him?”

“This gentleman has been trembling at the mere mention of his name.”

Pierre pointed at Matthias.

“He has his reasons.”

He had once been attacked by Binaeril during a rampage in the Duke’s domain of the Empire. The chilling cold of that day’s magic was etched into Matthias’s bones, haunting him with nightmares for a long time.

“Then should we consider these two paladins as enemies of our disciple?”

Callisto calmly shook his head.

“We are not his enemies. However, he might see us as such.”

Priya asked,

“He seems to hate the commander very much. No, hate is putting it mildly. He despises him.”

“Binaeril hates the Knight of Salvation?”

“…I didn’t know that either.”

“Then the situation is sorted out.”

Pierre walked over to Priya.

“What’s this? Are you hitting on me in the middle of all this?”

“A horrible joke.”

“Most men find it enchanting.”

“Not me. Avia, come here.”

“Uh, yes… I don’t know what’s going on, but okay.”

The three mages stood side by side, facing off against the paladins.

It was a scene straight out of a story: the knights of the Order versus the mages.

“Why the sudden alliance? I didn’t think mages had such strong camaraderie.”

Pierre shook his head.

“That’s not it. It’s because Binaeril Dalheim will be here soon.”

Everyone except the two professors reacted.

“So, we need to clearly define our enemies beforehand.”

Avia covered her mouth in surprise and whispered to Pierre.

“Senior, but they’re the Order’s paladins!”

“I know.”

“And with your condition, how do you plan to handle them?”

“Avia, remember that joke I made about teachers pushing their students into danger to ensure their own safety?”

“Yes, I do.”

“But at the same time, it’s also the teacher’s role to protect their students from enemies. Coincidentally, we have three here.”

“Once Binaeril arrives, a fight will break out anyway. Were you planning to abandon him and return to Elfenbine?”

“Sigh, okay. I get it.”

Avia sighed, preparing for battle.

Callisto shook his head and sighed briefly.

“Brother Matthias, it seems our enemies have increased.”

“Indeed.”

“I didn’t want to see meaningless bloodshed, but it seems unavoidable.”

“Stop pretending to be noble, Sir Callisto.”

“…Brother, handle the professors.”

“Yes, Vice-Captain.”

Matthias drew his sword for the first time.

Callisto swung Starfall, leaving a long, sweeping trail through the air as if cutting through clouds.

The sight of the falling meteor shower made the three mages scatter to avoid his attack.

“Let’s go faster, Inyakan!”

“We’re running as fast as we can!”

Binaeril was, as usual, riding on Inyakan’s back as they ran.

But it was too slow.

The energy from Starfall felt wild and chaotic from the east.

It seemed like a battle was happening.

The problem was, the two professors from Elfenbine were heading in that direction.

There had been no direct conflict between the paladins and the professors, but it was still worrisome.

‘Who are they fighting?’

Besides the paladins and the professors, there was another entity with a fragment in the east.

It was likely a monster, but… it was hard to be sure.

“Faster!”

“Stop whining and use magic or something to help!”

Binaeril considered casting an acceleration spell on Inyakan but realized it wouldn’t be effective due to Inyakan’s unique resistance to mana. The only option left was to physically help him.

‘Wait, physically?’

“Inyakan, stop complaining,” Binaeril said.

“No, listen. What if I throw you?” Binaeril suggested.

“You? With those scrawny arms?” Inyakan growled.

“No, with magic.”

Rather than considering a complex solution like a springboard, Binaeril thought of a more straightforward approach: using mana to simply hurl Inyakan through the air. Given Inyakan’s monstrous physical abilities, he should be able to manage the landing.

“Alright, how do we do it?” Inyakan asked.

“I’ll create a platform ahead. Step on it, and I’ll throw you with all my strength. You handle the landing.”

“Got it!”

It was a crude plan, but Inyakan didn’t mind. As Inyakan ran forward, Binaeril used his blue mana to create a hand-shaped platform in front of them. As soon as Inyakan stepped on it, the platform acted like a catapult, launching them into the air.

“Aaaahhh!”

“Oooooaaaahhh!”

Their mouths flapped wildly against the wind. The only flaw in their plan was the sheer terror of flying through the air without wings.

Meanwhile, on the ground…

“Haa, haa, haa,” panted Avia and Pierre, while Matthias stood unscathed, calmly sheathing his sword.

“You’re Binaeril’s teachers? I expected more,” Matthias said.

Pierre was still recovering from injuries sustained from Bernstein, and Avia hadn’t fully replenished her depleted mana. Together, they couldn’t match Matthias.

Matthias wielded a long, piercing sword known as an estoc. Every time Pierre and Avia tried to prepare a spell, Matthias’s estoc struck with unerring accuracy.

“How can he be so precise without seeing?” Avia wondered aloud.

“Blindness is no hindrance. I see with the eyes of faith,” Matthias responded.

“Ridiculous…”

“Give up. You can’t defeat me.”

It was humiliating. Both mages prided themselves on their combat skills, yet they couldn’t handle a single paladin.

“Avia, we have to hold out until Binaeril arrives,” Pierre urged.

“Understood, senior.”

Their only hope now was Binaeril.

“You won’t give up, will you?” Matthias noted.

“How did you know?”

“I can sense your resolve.”

Matthias drew his estoc back with his left hand, ready for another strike.

Avia couldn’t avoid the lightning-fast thrust from Matthias’s stance. She bit her lower lip in anticipation of the inevitable strike.

But then, suddenly, from somewhere nearby, two voices screamed in unison, echoing like a chorus of distress.

“…Aaaahhh!”

“…Ooooaaaahhh!”

Everyone engaged in battle paused, trying to identify the source of the screams. They looked around but found nothing unusual. Despite this, the screams grew louder and closer.

“Sister! What trickery are you up to this time?” Callisto demanded.

“It’s not me, Sir Callisto,” Priya replied.

A figure crashed down right in the middle of the paladins and mages, landing in a crouched position with one knee on the ground, one foot planted firmly, and one hand bracing against the impact.

“Bald… eagle?” Avia blurted out, confused.

The bald figure had landed with a reckless disregard for the shock of the landing. 

“Huff…”

Binaeril, standing atop a loosely constructed mana net, caught his breath.

“I told you to trust me, Inyakan.”

“Never again…”

As the dust settled, familiar faces emerged from the cloud of debris. Priya recognized them immediately and spoke.

“What? Sister Priya, is that you?”