Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

Callisto walked forward with a stern expression.

“Wait, Callisto…,” Binaeril muttered, involuntarily stepping back. As Callisto got closer, Binaeril raised his hands defensively. But Callisto’s target was not Binaeril. He passed by Binaeril and knelt next to the fallen Matthias.

“Cough, Deputy… Commander… Cough, cough!”

Matthias struggled to breathe, wheezing as he searched for Callisto.

“I’m here, brother.”

“I’m sorry….”

Callisto grasped his hand, and Matthias weakly clasped Callisto’s thumb.

“No, it’s not your fault.”

“It’s all because of my… lack….”

“Don’t say that. You did your best, brother.”

Callisto’s voice, as he spoke to his dying comrade, was solemn and compassionate, like a kind father comforting a grieving child.

“I can’t… hold on… anymore….”

“Shhh.”

Callisto gently placed his hand over Matthias’s mouth.

“Peace is near, brother. Peace is near.”

They remained silently clasping hands for a long while. Eventually, Matthias’s breathing ceased. Callisto noticed but continued to pray for his brother’s peace.

Neither Binaeril, Inyakan, nor any of the unconscious others could utter a word as they watched the solemn scene. As Callisto knelt in silence before Matthias’s body, the white light enveloping him grew increasingly intense—a testament to his profound faith amid tragedy.

After a brief yet lengthy farewell, Callisto rose. With his back turned, he spoke softly.

“Sir Binaeril Dalheim.”

Binaeril did not want to respond, but he had no choice.

“I hold no grudge against you. I understand it was a battle where both sides did their best.”

“Therefore, I will now do my best.”

Callisto drew Starfall. Turning his head, he locked eyes with Binaeril.

“I, Paladin Callisto Padanos, declare that I will avenge my brother’s death so that his spirit is not unjustly aggrieved.”

The white light covering his body flowed into Starfall, transforming it. The sword’s original form became unrecognizable. The blade now shone with a blinding white light, as if it could eradicate all evil from the world.

“Binaeril, move!”

Binaeril felt a sudden jolt. Inyakan had thrown himself at Binaeril, tackling him aside with force.

Boom!

The spot where Binaeril had stood was now a sharply divided chasm in the gorge.

The sudden geological upheaval caused part of the canyon’s head to collapse and sink. Binaeril felt a chill run down his spine. He couldn’t see or hear anything. There were no signs or feelings of hostility. Yet, if he had remained where he was, he would have been killed without a trace.

‘Is this the power of the Paladins’ Deputy Commander?’

Callisto’s face remained expressionless. Despite the astonishing display of power he had just shown, there was no trace of surprise, anger, or sorrow on his face. However, in stark contrast to his expression, the white flames emanating from Starfall blazed intensely, reflecting the turmoil within his heart.

“Don’t try to dodge. It will only cause you more pain.”

“Wait, Callisto!”

Flash!

A burst of light filled Binaeril’s vision. It was the light of Starfall. The intense white light painted a star pattern across his vision, leaving the outline of Starfall like a drawing on a white canvas.

“You idiot! If you have time to talk, roll even a little farther!”

Inyakan grabbed Binaeril and rolled them through the mud.

“Binaeril! That guy isn’t human. He’s more of a monster than the monsters you’ve fought!”

“Yes, I think you’re right.”

“Drop your pride. We need to work together to defeat him.”

Defeat him? ‘That thing?’

Callisto’s full power had reached a level Binaeril couldn’t have imagined. Before hearing Inyakan’s words, he couldn’t even envision standing against such strength.

“I’ll draw his attention. You attack. Do whatever you do best with your magic—shoot, overturn, anything! Focus!”

When Binaeril remained dazed, Inyakan slapped his face repeatedly to snap him out of it.

“Do you understand?”

It took until Binaeril’s face was swollen for him to regain his composure.

“I understand, I understand. Inyakan! Stop hitting me!”

“You only listen when you get hit!”

Binaeril paused for a moment, then said, “Inyakan, the plan needs to be reversed. The Paladin is targeting me, not you. I’ll be the bait, and you attack.”

“Can you survive? Are you confident?”

Confidence… If he were honest, he had none. Callisto’s power had already transcended the realm of mere swordsmanship. It was a product of Matthias’s death and Starfall’s power combined. Binaeril wasn’t sure he could handle it.

But it wasn’t a matter of whether he could do it or not. It was something he had to do.

“I’ll give it my best shot,” Binaeril said.

The two nodded at each other before splitting off in opposite directions. Callisto waited, seemingly unconcerned. He must have been confident that he could catch them no matter what they did. Binaeril ran in the opposite direction, ensuring the unconscious professors and Priya were out of harm’s way.

Callisto’s battle cry echoed, and once again, the blinding white light filled Binaeril’s vision. Binaeril summoned his blue mana. The two wings that sprouted from his back clashed with Callisto’s sword path.

“Shoot… now!”

Binaeril launched another magic bullet, like the one that had taken down Matthias. Two streams of blue mana, followed by a final magic bullet, surged forward. He didn’t expect these attacks to break Callisto’s sword strike, especially with Callisto wielding Starfall, a powerful fragment that even Veritas feared.

Binaeril aimed his mana diagonally at the incoming sword strike, hoping to disrupt its trajectory.

“Deflect!”

The collision of their powers generated intense friction. The trajectory of Callisto’s white light was bent just enough, stopping it from reaching Binaeril.

He had blocked one strike.

“Don’t make it obvious by calling out!”

Callisto remained expressionless as he faced the charging warrior from Barbaroana. He had been aware of the attack from the start.

“Take this! KSHVARL!” Inyakan’s voice boomed through the gorge.

Callisto’s brow furrowed. The unfamiliar language sounded vaguely familiar.

“Do not interfere!” Callisto swung Starfall slowly. The white light that had been radiating from the sword paused. Inyakan wasn’t his intended target for vengeance.

The sword moved slowly from bottom to top, almost at a snail’s pace. Dodging it would be easy, but Inyakan didn’t dodge. That wasn’t his way.

Clang!

His bracers made a peculiar noise as they collided with Starfall. The result was devastating. The slow-moving sword contained immense power. This was Callisto’s swordsmanship, the skill that had earned him his rank.

Inyakan was flung back, crashing into a tree and losing consciousness like the others.

“You should be worried about yourself, Sir Binaeril.”

Callisto, having defeated Inyakan, raised Starfall once more. The sword shone brilliantly, but Callisto harbored no malice. As a knight of the Order, such impious emotions were foreign to him.

But even so, that sword undoubtedly held the power to annihilate any life that stood in its way. Binaeril, already exhausted, knew he couldn’t withstand this next attack.

‘Is this the end…?’

Just as the white light erupted and Binaeril lost all hope, a voice rang out.

“That’s enough, Sir Callisto.”

Both Callisto and Binaeril doubted their ears upon hearing the voice. A man emerged from between the trees. His hair, almost ash-gray, reached his shoulders. It was the same color as Binaeril’s. He wore neatly tailored white clothing adorned with the insignia of the Order on his chest. His delicate features and slender frame made him strikingly handsome, and it was easy to imagine Binaeril growing to look quite similar.

The man had the same hair color, the same eye color, and an expression that carried a subtle air of melancholy and coldness, just like Binaeril. Of course, it made sense—they were brothers, after all. However, the warmth in their gazes towards each other differed starkly.

“…Brother?”

“Captain Yunnaeril?”

The Knight of Salvation, the Sword of the Order. The first Paladin and the commander of the Order’s knights, Yunnaeril Dalheim, had arrived.

Yunnaeril surveyed the ruined battlefield. His eyes met Callisto’s, who held Starfall, then took in the fallen professors of Elfenbine and Inyakan. In the corner lay his former lover, Priya, unconscious. Though he seemed indifferent to all of this, his gaze changed slightly when he noticed Matthias’s bloody corpse.

It was a brief flicker of emotion, as if he were merely considering ‘Who managed to bring down a Paladin of the Order?’ 

Finally, he looked at his exhausted brother and spoke.

“Binaeril, it’s been a while.”

That was the extent of his greeting. 

The brother he had seen only in dreams, mostly nightmares. Binaeril had imagined their reunion countless times, but he had not expected it to be like this. 

Yunnaeril passed by Binaeril and approached Matthias’s body.

“Is Sir Matthias dead?”

“Yes, Captain,” Callisto replied.

“That’s unfortunate.”

His cold demeanor extended not only to Binaeril but also to the death of Paladin Matthias. His mourning for the fallen Paladin ended there.

“Who did this?”

“Your… brother, Captain.”

“Binaeril?”

Yunnaeril responded without even glancing at Binaeril. He then extended his hand to Callisto.

“Ah…”