Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

“Sister Priya?” 

The young man, who had dismounted from the bald man’s back, widened his eyes and stared at Priya. 

“What are you doing here, Sister?”

Two paladins, distracted by the sight, warmly greeted Binaeril as well.

“Sir Binaeril!”

“Binaeril…!”

Binaeril surveyed the gathering, taking in the faces of the assembled crowd.

“Paladin Callisto, Paladin Matthias, Sister Priya, professors…”

Knights of the Order, mages known as the Enchantress, and professors from Elfenbine. 

It was an excessively glamorous assembly for a remote, desolate area.

But what was going on here?

“Why are they fighting?”

The professors sent by Binaeril appeared quite injured, with wounds scattered across their bodies.

Priya also looked unusually tired.

In contrast, the paladins stood spotless, without a single scratch on them.

If not for their positions, one might have mistaken the professors and Priya for having fought each other.

“Professors.”

Binaeril approached the two weary professors.

At that moment, Callisto noticed something on his back.

“That sword, do you have it?”

It was the broken magic sword, Mimung.

Mimung’s consciousness had already vanished, but Binaeril had kept it since it felt wrong to discard it.

“We came to retrieve it. We thought Sister Priya had it, but we were mistaken.”

“Deputy Commander, does he have the magic sword?” Matthias asked.

His tone held a curious enthusiasm.

“…Yes, brother.”

“In that case, a clash with Sir Binaeril is inevitable. I will handle it.”

He stepped forward eagerly.

“If you are unwilling to hand over the sword, then yes.”

Binaeril grasped the broken Mimung in his hand.

“Is this what you need?”

Priya’s eyes briefly sparkled.

She realized that Mimung no longer held any power.

That sword was now an empty shell.

“Take it, then.”

He threw the broken Mimung at Callisto’s feet.

Callisto was somewhat surprised that Binaeril handed over the item so easily.

However, upon picking up the magic sword, he noticed a problem.

The sword was broken in two.

“Is it in an incomplete state?”

“Don’t ask why the sword is like that. It attacked first, and we had no choice.”

He shook the magic sword near his ear.

“It used to talk to me before.”

“Since it got split in half, it stopped doing that.”

“I doubt the commander will want a damaged item.”

“My brother’s concerns are not my business. What’s the holdup? I handed over the item, didn’t I? Our business here should be done, right?”

Callisto wasn’t well-informed about fragments. He was merely carrying out the commander’s orders to retrieve the item. Hence, he wasn’t sure if he should take it as it was.

“This is a matter beyond my judgment. Matthias, we need to go back and ask the commander.”

“But, Deputy Commander?”

Matthias, usually obedient, seemed startled at the thought of retreating.

“But are we just going to leave Sir Binaeril and Miss Priya like this?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“But….”

Callisto noticed that Matthias harbored a grudge against Binaeril. However, there was no room for personal feelings during a mission, especially when those feelings were rooted in revenge.

When Callisto maintained his silence, Matthias also gave up his intention. He sheathed his estoc and responded.

“Understood, Deputy Commander. Let’s go back.”

As the paladins were about to turn back, Binaeril stopped them again.

“You can’t leave just yet, Knights of the Order.”

“What do you mean, Sir Binaeril? You just said our business was done.”

“Your business might be finished, but mine isn’t.”

Binaeril extended a hand to help the professors up.

“Why did you attack?”

Callisto was at a loss for words.

“I asked why you attacked. Are you just going to leave like this?”

“We were ordered by the commander to retrieve the magic sword. We thought Sister Priya had it, hence the conflict. Is that clear now?”

“Oh, now I understand.”

Binaeril nodded and walked forward confidently.

“Then you need to apologize.”

“Apologize? Apologize for what? For mistakenly attacking innocent people because of your misunderstanding? Isn’t that obviously something you should apologize for?”

Callisto looked down at Binaeril with a baffled expression.

“We clearly requested the magic sword to be handed over. It was Sister Priya who refused to comply.”

“Sir Callisto, let’s get the facts straight. I clearly said that I didn’t have the magic sword.”

“And you dragged these professors, who had nothing to do with it, into the fight.”

“Well, it was the professors who… never mind. Whatever the circumstances, Binaeril, it’s not your place to judge. You’re acting as if you’re their guardian, aren’t you?”

A sly smile played on Binaeril’s lips.

“Are you tucking your tail and running away? Is that the honor of the Order? Injuring innocent people and then running away without taking any responsibility? Is this something Yunnaeril ordered?”

“Such impudence!”

“Matthias! Stop!”

Before Callisto could stop him, Matthias thrust his estoc forward. Binaeril, as if expecting the attack, blocked it effortlessly.

“What?!”

As the blue mana emanating from Binaeril’s body seized Matthias’s sword, everyone watching was stunned. 

Most shocked was Matthias himself. Speed was the pride and specialty of fencers. But Binaeril didn’t dodge; he caught it?

Pierre, Avia, and Priya were also surprised by Binaeril’s mana.

“What is that technique?”

“I’ve never seen it before either, senior.”

The blue tendrils extending from his back were so distinct they looked like wings. The mana was so dense it was visible to the naked eye, and Binaeril wielded it as naturally as his own limbs. 

It was a magic no sensible mage would ever attempt. Could that even be called magic?

Priya had a different impression of Binaeril’s mana.

‘He’s harnessed the power of the magic sword.’

Though she didn’t know how he did it, that was the power of the magic sword. Priya knew this because she had traveled with the sword for some time as well.

Matthias gripped his sword tightly and retrieved it.

“Brother Matthias, what are you doing?!”

“But Deputy Commander! He has dishonored the Order and the Commander’s name!”

“Hold your tongue! I did not order you to attack!”

“How long are we supposed to stand this?”

Matthias shouted in frustration. Callisto, taken aback, gasped. He had known Matthias for a long time, but this was the first time he had seen this side of him.

“Brother Matthias, what do you think the Commander would say if he saw you like this?”

“That’s….”

“He is not one to command you to draw your sword in any place just because he feels slighted. Calm down. If an apology is what they want, then apologize. Is that so difficult?”

Callisto bowed his head toward Binaeril.

“I apologize. I am sorry to the professors of the Tower and to Sister Priya. It was my foolish mistake.”

When he lifted his head, Binaeril still looked far from satisfied.

“Just words?”

“A superficial apology means nothing. With great power comes great responsibility. As a Paladin of the Order, you must take responsibility for harming the innocent with your actions.”

Behind him, the sound of Matthias grinding his teeth could be heard. Callisto raised his hand to calm him and asked,

“What do you want, Sir Binaeril?”

“I will accept your apology in the form of Starfall. Since we gave something from our side, it’s only fair you give something from yours. Doesn’t that balance the scales?”

“That’s absurd!”

Matthias shouted. Callisto realized that this was Binaeril’s true aim all along. The apology and the magic sword were merely distractions. Binaeril, like Priya, was after the holy sword Starfall.

“That sword belongs to the Order. It’s not mine to give. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t.”

“Report it as lost to your commander.”

“You want me to lie to the commander?”

“Why not? He used to do it often when he was younger.”

“Do not insult the commander!”

Binaeril turned his gaze to Matthias.

“Insult him?”

“Commander Yunnaeril is not like that! He is an epitome of honor and faith! Binaeril Dalheim, I’ve tolerated you, but now you twist your words to commit slander!”

Binaeril scoffed.

“Do you know who I am?”

“How well do you think you know my brother? Do you know why I despise him? Because of that very reason. He pretends to be innocent, as if he has never done anything wrong. It’s revolting.”

“How dare you…!”

“He is a murderer. He deserves to be called a kin-slayer, something the Order loathes. The Yunnaeril Dalheim you revere, my brother, is practically the one who killed our mother.”

A kin-slayer. The weight of that accusation was not small.

The professors of Elfenbine, the paladins who followed Yunnaeril, and even Priya, who had been his lover, fell into a heavy silence at Binaeril’s revelation.

“I don’t believe you. Deputy Commander, he has crossed the line. I will deal with him.”

“Matthias, no!”

Matthias shook off his hand and charged forward.

“Atone with your death, Binaeril!”

Matthias assumed the posture of a knight, holding his sword vertically. A white light began to gather on his estoc, a mark of the paladin. It signaled that Matthias was fighting with all his might. His tightly closed lips and downward gaze resembled a knight awaiting a divine revelation. The sight alone was awe-inspiring.

In an instant, the white light on the sword shot out in three beams. Binaeril, despite being prepared, couldn’t defend himself in time as Matthias’s sword closed in.

“Ugh.”

Avia gasped as she watched Matthias’s attack. This knight had never fought Pierre and Avia with his full strength, yet he had effortlessly overwhelmed the two professors from Elfenbine. How powerful were the paladins of the Order?

Binaeril crossed his blue wings in front of him to counter the incoming beams. Matthias’s thrust looked more like magic than swordsmanship.

The first beam was blocked by Binaeril’s left wing. He felt his insides churn. The second beam collided with his right wing, scattering mana into the air from the impact.

Through the gap, the third beam surged forward. It aimed directly at Binaeril’s throat!

‘Too late…!’

Binaeril instinctively knew he couldn’t dodge this attack.