Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

“Die, Binaeril!”

Binaeril felt the familiar surge of killing intent above him. He had experienced it so often by now that it almost felt like déjà vu. When he glanced up, he saw Inyakan’s Sikrun slicing down towards his head with terrifying speed.

‘Oh, hell no!’

Reacting quickly, Binaeril summoned a magical barrier to protect his head. But the hastily conjured shield didn’t seem likely to withstand Inyakan’s brute strength. The chances were slim. Binaeril squeezed his eyes shut, praying that Inyakan would come to his senses and pull back his attack in time.

There was a loud thud, but Binaeril felt no impact against his barrier. Opening his eyes, he realized that somehow, he was unharmed.

“What the hell is wrong with you? Do barbarians have a tradition of killing their own kin?” Binaeril nearly sobbed with relief as he called out to Dominic.

“You’ve saved my life!”

“…Stop looking at me like that. It’s unnerving,” Dominic replied, trying to maintain his composure.

“Sorry, it was instinct,” Inyakan muttered, looking sheepish.

Binaeril quickly scrambled out of the hole, not wanting to test his luck any further.

“Instinctively trying to split someone’s head open? What kind of maniac does that?” Binaeril shot back, still shaken.

“Ahem…” Inyakan coughed, avoiding Binaeril’s eyes.

“Binaeril, did you hear? This guy just said…” Dominic started, a grin spreading across his face.

“Shut up!!!” Inyakan’s face turned beet red as he swung Sikrun again, this time in pure embarrassment.

Dominic, now out of range, just laughed and dodged the blow with ease. “Seems like someone’s embarrassed by what he said.”

“I said, shut up!!” Inyakan growled, his frustration evident.

Binaeril, clueless about the exchange, watched the two men bicker with a bewildered expression. ‘They’re at it again over something trivial, it seems,’ he thought to himself.

“Let’s head back to the city,” Binaeril suggested, hoping to defuse the situation.

Dominic, still smug over having found a chink in Inyakan’s armor, gave Binaeril a knowing look. Inyakan glared at him, his eyes promising retribution.

‘If you tell him, you’re dead.’

‘Then treat me better,’ Dominic’s eyes seemed to reply.

As they made their way back to Steelbelt, Binaeril led the way, oblivious to the silent war of glares behind him.

Upon returning to Steelbelt, Binaeril sought out King Ducat of Toin. Although it hadn’t been intentional, he felt it was necessary to apologize for the disruption they had caused during the Three Names Festival.

By the time they reached the city, the first light of dawn was beginning to break. The lantern festival had taken place in the evening, and between their fight with the Order’s soldiers and meeting with Tera, a significant amount of time had passed.

Fortunately, Ducat informed Binaeril that there were no fatalities from the incident involving the soldiers who had disrupted the festival.

“That’s a relief,” Binaeril replied.

“There were a few injuries, but not many,” Ducat added. “But a mage who can fly? Everyone’s been buzzing about it, saying it was quite the spectacle.”

Binaeril rubbed the underside of his nose, feeling a bit self-conscious. Ducat assured him that he would take care of the remaining Order soldiers who were buried outside the city.

“And besides, it’s us who should be apologizing,” Ducat continued. “We never got to announce the final winner of the Three Names Festival.”

As the ruler of Steelbelt and the organizer of the festival, Ducat had been watching the last event closely. He knew that a nymph was participating in the competition. It was a well-known fact that every year, even those who dominated the other events would inevitably lose in this third and final contest. No one could match the nymphs in their mastery of magic.

But this human boy was different.

Ducat still felt a shiver of excitement when he recalled the two brilliant displays of light that had enveloped the city—the spectacle of Binaeril’s flight and the ensuing magical display. It was a sight he would never forget.

“All participants of the festival are considered my guests,” Ducat said, his tone serious. “And it’s my responsibility to protect my guests. The Three Names Festival, with its long history, was almost stained with blood. I feel a deep responsibility for that.”

“That’s why I’d like to offer you a gift,” Ducat said.

“A gift?” Binaeril tilted his head in curiosity.

“Do you know what the final winner of the Three Names Festival receives?”

Binaeril nodded. “Yes. A cash prize for winning in one of the events, and for winning all three, the King of Toin personally bestows a ‘special reward.’ But no one knows what that reward is, right?”

Ducat nodded in agreement. “Exactly. The reason no one knows is because there hasn’t been a winner of all three events for decades.”

Binaeril’s curiosity piqued. “Ducat, who was the last person to win the Three Names Festival?”

“The last winner?” Ducat mused. “That was before I was even born. I only heard about it in stories.”

But Binaeril already knew the name that would come from Ducat’s lips.

“Archmage Dekypleio.”

“Only one person has ever achieved it,” Ducat confirmed.

Even though winning the first two events was possible, the final challenge, a magical contest against the nymphs, was nearly impossible to win.

“But I wasn’t officially declared the winner,” Binaeril pointed out. Technically, he hadn’t won the final event. The criteria for victory were based on who could light the most lanterns. However, both Binaeril and Kaya had ended up lighting every lantern in the city. In other words, they had tied—there was no way to determine a winner unless they could find more lanterns.

“What? You didn’t know?” Ducat replied, surprised.

“Participants from different races get additional points for each event. It’s a rule designed to ensure fairness. Naturally, since you’re not a nymph, you received extra points.”

“…What?” Binaeril was confused.

“You didn’t need those extra points to win the beer contest or the catball game since you won outright. But this time, the situation was different, wasn’t it?”

“Why are you telling me this only now?” Binaeril asked, a bit exasperated.

“I thought you knew.”

He didn’t. He had no idea.

“So, what you’re saying is… even though I tied, I got additional points because I’m human, which means…” Binaeril trailed off as he realized the implications.

“Yes, it means you’re officially the second person in history to win the Three Names Festival,” Ducat confirmed.

Binaeril raised his hands in triumph, feeling a surge of joy.

‘…Wait a minute.’

“But the original deal was that if I won all three events, I’d get to meet a nymph,” Binaeril said, remembering the agreement. And technically, that promise had already been fulfilled. He had just returned from meeting Tera, the Mother of Nymphs.

“That was half-joking, half-serious. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to happen. How could I have known things would turn out this way?”

“So, did you prepare a prize or not?” Binaeril asked, narrowing his eyes.

“No? Of course, I didn’t prepare anything,” Ducat admitted nonchalantly.

Binaeril had the sudden urge to smack him.

“But,” Ducat added quickly, “I do have something in mind.”

With that, Ducat led Binaeril to an old, large warehouse.

“You’ve probably seen them in my shop before—the countless designs and blueprints born from my dreams.”

“Oh, you mean that junkyard.”

“…What was that?”

“Nothing, just talking to myself,” Binaeril quickly corrected.

“Anyway, most of those great designs were dismissed as fantasies by other Toin.”

“I can understand why,” Binaeril muttered.

“…Would you mind keeping quiet for a moment?” Ducat snapped, and Binaeril decided it was best to comply.

“Ahem, as I was saying. But not all of those designs were rejected. You mentioned that you came here on the recommendation of Master Elfenbine.”

The Elfenbine that Ducat mentioned was none other than the master of the Magic Tower.

“…So, ask your question,” Ducat prompted, his tone filled with excitement.

“You maintain a close relationship with Master Elfenbine as the King of Toin for a reason,” Binaeril remarked.

“To keep the power of the Order in check?” Binaeril guessed.

“That’s part of it, but there’s more,” Ducat replied, his eyes lighting up with enthusiasm. “It’s to realize my dream.”

Binaeril was struck by how the eyes of this older inventor could sparkle so brightly, much like a young dreamer. Ducat grinned mischievously, a look of pure excitement on his face.

“A lot of my inventions require an absurd amount of power. And with Toin’s current technology, most of them are impossible to bring to life.”

“So what did you do?” Binaeril asked, encouraging Ducat with eager responses.

Ducat, fueled by Binaeril’s enthusiasm, continued excitedly, spitting slightly as he spoke. “So, with the cooperation of the Magic Tower, I managed to create a few inventions. I’ve named this field ‘magical engineering,’ the fusion of magic and technology. And this is the first product of magical engineering! It’s the cutting edge of innovation!”

Even Binaeril, who had been humoring Ducat at first, couldn’t help but become genuinely curious. What on earth could this invention be?

Ducat stopped in front of a large object covered by a wide cloth. With a dramatic flourish, he grabbed the edge of the cloth and tried to pull it off with a grand gesture! However, due to his short stature, the cloth merely fluttered a little.

The object beneath the cloth was at least three times Ducat’s height. Seeing his struggle, Binaeril stepped in to help and pulled the cloth away, revealing the so-called cutting-edge invention.

“Ta-da! This is the pinnacle of transportation technology! Behold, the magical engineering carriage!”

Inyakan and Dominic were speechless when they saw Binaeril struggling to drag this bizarre contraption behind him.

“What is that?” Inyakan asked, bewildered.

“It’s the prize for winning the festival,” Binaeril explained.

“It looks like you’ve been scammed. You didn’t actually pay for this, did you?” Dominic asked, eyeing the contraption skeptically.

“Ugh, instead of just standing there, could you lend a hand?” Binaeril grumbled, trying to maneuver the strange carriage.

The carriage looked peculiar, to say the least. It lacked a front, including the shaft and driver’s seat that one would typically find. It was just the passenger compartment, sitting alone as if the construction had been left incomplete.

“What exactly is this thing?” Dominic asked, still puzzled.

“Just get inside,” Binaeril replied.

The interior of the carriage was unremarkable, save for one unique feature: a pillar stood in the center, housing a large, round crystal orb. Around it were plush seats, arranged so that passengers could sit facing each other.

From a short distance away, Ducat watched Binaeril and his companions with a tense expression, clearly anxious about how they would react to his invention.

“…Please let this work,” 

“Lord Ducat, are you sure this thing is safe?” Binaeril asked, his voice laced with doubt.

“O-of course! Trust in Toin craftsmanship!” Ducat replied, though his nervousness was palpable.

‘Not exactly reassuring,’ Binaeril thought as he placed his hands on the crystal orb at the center of the carriage’s interior, just as Ducat had instructed. Closing his eyes, he focused on their destination and channeled his magic into the orb.

Suddenly, the carriage began to hum with a deep, resonant vibration.

“Whoa, Binaeril! This thing is shaking like crazy!” Even Inyakan, who had enjoyed flying, couldn’t hide his alarm this time.

The carriage—Ducat had dubbed it the or “Magic Carriage”—began to slowly roll forward, its vibrations causing everyone inside to rattle slightly. The Toin engineers observing the test burst into applause, delighted that their invention was working.

Binaeril, on the other hand, couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being treated like test subjects.

“Binaeril, remember! The more magic you pour in, the faster the Magic Carriage will go! It can move far faster than any horse-drawn carriage!” Ducat shouted with excitement as the carriage started to pick up speed.

The Magic Carriage, initially moving at a leisurely pace akin to a fast walk, began to glide down the streets of Steelbelt, heading toward the city gates. Meanwhile, Inyakan and Dominic, both pale with fear, clung to each other, their bodies trembling with each jolt of the carriage.

“This thing…” Binaeril opened his eyes and looked out the window, watching the cityscape blur by as the carriage accelerated under his magical control. He couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement.

“This is actually fun!” he exclaimed, a thrill coursing through him.

His curiosity piqued, Binaeril began to wonder just how much magic the Magic Carriage could handle.

“Binaeril, slow down! Please, slow down!” Inyakan and Dominic shouted in unison, their voices filled with panic.

But Binaeril, caught up in the exhilaration, ignored their pleas and poured even more magic into the orb.