Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

Even after they entered the bald man’s house, the standoff between him and Priya continued.

Yunnaeril sighed and forcefully inserted himself between the two.

“It seems it would be better to get to the point quickly. Where is the Khan’s representative?”

“I am the representative. The son of Inyakan.”

The most surprised by this revelation was Binaeril.

— *This person?*

He looked much older than Binaeril had expected.

— *He looks so old, I could believe he’s Inyakan’s brother. Just how old is he?*

Veritas answered in his stead.

— *Seventeen, as of now.*

— *…Not thirty-seven?*

He had an astonishingly aged appearance. Perhaps this is what happens when one grows up facing the northern snowstorms.

Inside the house, a warm fire was crackling.

“Phew, I almost froze to death. What’s with this weather?”

“This weather. It is warm.”

“…By what standard?”

“For it being so warm, the Khan’s son seems to be shivering.”

Yunnaeril’s observation was accurate.

“Habit.”

It seemed he didn’t want to appear weak in front of unfamiliar guests. Given his age, it was somewhat understandable.

“My name is Yunnaeril, this is Priya, and this is Callisto. We are from the Order in the East. What should we call you?”

“The son of Bala, who fled from the wolves.”

Yunnaeril and Priya both responded in unison.

“‘The son of Bala, who fled from the wolves.’ Is that your name?”

“Uh… Is it common for the Inya tribe to have names like that?”

He looked at Yunnaeril as if he was being dense.

“My father. The Khan. I inherit my father’s name.”

Though it was difficult to fully understand, Yunnaeril nodded as if he grasped the concept. It seemed to be a tradition of the Inya tribe.

“So the Khan’s name is ‘Bala, who fled from the wolves,’ is it?”

The man with the name ‘The son of Bala, who fled from the wolves’ nodded.

Seeing his satisfied smile, Yunnaeril and Priya struggled to suppress their laughter. Binaeril was no different.

When Binaeril had once asked his name, he had said this:

“A Khan of the tribe does not need a name. They live as the Khan and die as the Khan. I will be the same.”

That, however, was not true.

He was simply embarrassed by his name…

After introducing themselves, Yunnaeril revealed the purpose of their visit.

“We have come here at the behest of the Order to retrieve a certain item.”

“An item?” Bala II, also known as the Son of Bala Who Fled from the Wolves, raised an eyebrow as he questioned them.

“It belongs to the Inya tribe. We cannot give it to the civilized people.”

“You haven’t even heard what it is yet.”

“We know well the ways of the civilized people.”

“What do you mean by the ways of the civilized people?”

Bala II’s eyes shone with intensity.

“They present a piece of paper. Claim ‘ownership.’ Then they drive us out. The Inya tribe has been pushed further and further into the cold north.”

Originally, the Inya tribe’s homeland wasn’t this far north. The same was true for other barbaroi tribes. The ever-expanding territories of the civilized nations, like the empire, gradually forced them out.

In particular, the Albrecht Empire, despite having fertile lands to the south, had also set its sights on the barren north. The barbaroi tribes harbored deep resentment towards the civilized people. Some members of each tribe even began to learn the language of the civilized. Not out of a desire to emulate them, but simply to avoid being deceived.

“We haven’t come with that intention. We’re here to trade.”

“Trade?”

“If you provide us with what we need, the Order will give you corresponding compensation,” Priya interjected, attempting to persuade Bala II. However, Bala II remained resolute.

“No more deceit.”

‘Then why did he let us in at all?’ Priya grumbled internally but kept her thoughts to herself. This mission was, after all, Yunnaeril’s responsibility. Priya and Callisto were merely his aides. Ultimately, the decision was Yunnaeril’s to make.

“Why don’t you at least listen to our proposal?”

“The answer is the same. My father, Bala Who Fled from the Wolves, would have given the same answer.”

“Surely, Bala has heard us out at least once.”

“Not Bala. ‘Bala Who Fled from the Wolves.’”

“Yes, well, regardless, please hear us out.”

“Humph!”

Bala II scoffed, but Yunnaeril remained unfazed.

“The sacred sword of the Order has given a revelation.”

“In the icy winds of the west, there lies a treasure that will save the people.”

— *Treasure?*

“‘In the icy winds of the west, seek out the warriors who wield the singing iron gauntlets.’”

— *Iron gauntlets…*

Whether the revelation from the sacred sword was genuine or not, it was clear that the ‘iron gauntlets’ referred to the bracers worn by the Inya tribe. While bracers were not uncommon among warriors, the unique resonant sound produced by those of the Inya tribe was indeed rare. Bala II also wore one of these bracers.

“Son of Bala Who Fled from the Wolves, I ask you: does the Inya tribe possess any special treasures?”

“There is. No such thing!”

“Wait, hold on. Not a treasure?”

Yunnaeril abruptly interrupted Bala II’s firm denial, muttering to himself as if lost in thought.

“…Not a treasure, but perhaps a special weapon… No, wait.”

“It might be something like a key or a statue, rather than a weapon…”

Yunnaeril’s words trailed off into incoherent rambling, and the people in the tent stared at him as if he had lost his mind. But Binaeril understood why his brother was spouting what seemed like nonsense.

— *He’s communicating with the fragment.*

— *That must be it.*

The sacred sword, Starfall, hanging from Yunnaeril’s waist, was undoubtedly explaining something to him. Binaeril, having experienced similar situations while conversing with Veritas, knew all too well how others might misunderstand such interactions.

After listening to Yunnaeril’s disjointed words, Bala II finally spoke up.

“Treasure, key, weapon, whatever it is, there is nothing like that. Now leave.”

It was an icy dismissal, as cold as the weather outside. Despite the Inya tribe’s frigid reception, Yunnaeril did not board the carriage to return to the Order. Priya, though clearly eager to leave, chose to stay by her lover’s side, leaving Callisto as the only one to return to the Order.

“Will you be alright?” Callisto asked.

“Yes. Sir Callisto, please return and report to the Cardinal. We’ll stay here a little longer.”

After the Order’s carriage departed, Priya summoned her residence, a house conjured from the smoke of her pipe, near the Inya tribe’s village. It was exactly as Binaeril had seen it in Thornwinter Swamp.

“What exactly are you planning? Staying in this frozen land? We could just return and report to the Cardinal that there’s nothing here, and be done with it.”

“Let’s at least wait until the Khan arrives.”

“He’s in the southern battlefield, isn’t he? Who knows when he’ll return.”

Yunnaeril turned to his lover and smiled warmly.

“It won’t take long. Don’t worry. I promise,” Yunnaeril reassured, though Binaeril found it hard to bear the unfamiliar expression on his brother’s face.

— *Priya is my brother’s lover?*

— *That’s hardly a big secret.*

— *What do you mean?*

— *Why do you think a mage of her caliber would help a sickly boy with a tail? You don’t really believe she did it because she was captivated by you, do you?*

— *What are you saying?*

— *She only remembered the name Dalheim.*

— *Are you implying that Priya helped me because I’m his brother?*

Veritas circled around Binaeril, laughing in that unsettling way that always put him on edge.

— *Of course. Every kindness in this world comes with a price.*

— *And what exactly is she getting out of helping me?*

— *In exchange, she got my counsel.*

This was the first time Binaeril had heard of this.

— *She wants to return Yunnaeril Dalheim to how he was before. Look, she wants him to be the lover who smiled warmly at her, as he did once.*

Binaeril turned his head to study his brother’s face. Priya, though she scoffed and looked away from Yunnaeril, had a faint smile on her lips.

— *So I told her how. How to return Yunnaeril to his original self.*

— *And what was that?*

— *Take Starfall from him.*

— *So she was after Starfall too?*

Finally, things began to click into place in Binaeril’s mind. The Order, Priya, Starfall, Yunnaeril, and the fragment—how it all connected. The reason the Paladins were after Priya now made sense. It was likely related to the fragment she had been in possession of. As these pieces fell into place, memories of the past began to flood back rapidly.

For a time, the two of them lived quietly there. Yunnaeril stayed in the village, trying to win the favor of Bala II by helping the Inya tribe, despite the language barrier. Priya, on the other hand, watched Yunnaeril with a disapproving gaze. However, winning over the Inya tribe was no easy task, especially within just a few days. Their deep-rooted distrust and hatred toward the civilized people were not something that could be easily overcome.

The incident happened one day.

“VALLA LOCKA!”

An Inya warrior came running into the village, urgently seeking out Bala II.

“MONBAU GA!”

The warrior pointed frantically in one direction, his voice filled with urgency. Bala II’s face turned pale.