Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

The strike from Yunnaeril’s sword came silently, aiming for Binaeril’s throat. Instinctively, Binaeril’s two pairs of wings moved to shield his neck.

“Ugh!”

The impact was jarring. Half of his four wings were severed in an instant.

“Quick on your feet, aren’t you?” Yunnaeril remarked, his tone lightly surprised.

Binaeril had faced a swordsman of lightning speed before—Dominic Schiller, the Platinum Knight. Had it not been for that experience, he might not have managed to block the attack just now.

As his wings spread, white beams of light began to gather around Binaeril.

“This time, a gift from me.”

The mana bullets twisted in unpredictable trajectories, aiming for Yunnaeril from all directions—some from the front, others from the sides, and still others targeting him from behind. The sheer number of attacks made it impossible to deflect them all.

Faced with this barrage, Yunnaeril chose a different tactic. Black energy erupted from his entire body, and the moment the mana bullets touched the black aura, they shattered like brittle biscuits.

As Yunnaeril retracted the dark energy, Binaeril saw his opportunity.

‘Now!’

He snapped his fingers, unleashing his hidden trump card—shadow mana bullets. These silent, invisible projectiles shot up diagonally from the ground, aiming directly for Yunnaeril’s heart from behind.

“I expected as much.”

But even this surprise attack failed. Yunnaeril had already sensed it, his sword held in a reverse grip. Without even looking, he swung the blade backward, effortlessly cleaving the shadow mana bullet in two.

‘Damn it.’

Such surprise tactics work best when the opponent is unaware. Once countered, it would be difficult to catch him off guard again. With no luck to rely on, Binaeril was left with only one option—face him head-on.

The ground upheaved as a massive wave of sand surged up, trying to swallow Yunnaeril whole. With every stomp of Binaeril’s foot, the earth overturned; with each reach of his hand, mana bullets were fired. A clap of his hands compressed the air, and with a tilt of his head, the falling rain turned into needle-like projectiles targeting his enemy.

Binaeril controlled his surroundings with the ease and power that could be mistaken for a battle between gods. But none of it was effective against Yunnaeril.

No matter what magic Binaeril used, it couldn’t penetrate Yunnaeril’s domain, protected by the Starfall. Yunnaeril neutralized Binaeril’s mana without breaking a sweat, his breath untroubled even as he did so. 

In contrast, Binaeril felt the impact of every one of his brother’s attacks deep in his bones, leaving his hands trembling uncontrollably.

Yunnaeril glanced at the frost flowers blooming along his sword. With a shake of the Starfall, the frozen petals fell away.

After several exchanges, Binaeril found himself on his knees, while Yunnaeril stood above him, looking down.

Yunnaeril finally spoke, “The difference in our power is clear, Binaeril.”

As much as he wanted to deny it, Binaeril couldn’t. The truth was undeniable. The gap in their strength was indeed as Yunnaeril had said—clear and undeniable.

‘Why?’

Both of them possessed an equal number of fragments.

‘So why…?’

Why was there such a difference in their power? Binaeril had fought Starfall several times before. It was a tough opponent, but not an unbeatable one. Even Paladin Antero and Callisto, who had wielded Starfall, had never demonstrated such overwhelming power. Could the mere change in the person wielding the sword make such a drastic difference?

“Hand over the fragments willingly.”

– What a ridiculous notion. You expect me to walk into Starfall’s maw willingly? I’d rather be destroyed than do that.

Veritas’s voice rang out in protest. Binaeril, too, had no intention of conceding defeat. He could still fight. He wasn’t done yet. His gaze remained unyielding, and Yunnaeril, seeing that Binaeril had no intention of surrendering the fragments, sighed.

“What is it you seek to gain with these fragments? Is it nothing more than a childish desire for revenge against me?”

Binaeril clenched his teeth. *Childish desire for revenge,* he says. That was always the way Yunnaeril looked at him.

“My goal? The same goal you call a childish desire for revenge.”

Binaeril slowly rose from his kneeling position.

“That’s all there is to it, and yet it’s not the whole of it either. Didn’t Sir Callisto tell you?”

Yunnaeril’s expression twisted with anger at the mention of Callisto’s name.

“I want you to kneel before our mother’s grave and bow your head.”

“I want you to acknowledge your sins, to admit that you abandoned your family and ran away in pursuit of power.”

Binaeril spoke each word deliberately, as if he were spitting them out.

“That’s the least you can do to atone for our mother’s death. Sir Callisto seemed to agree with me.”

“That I abandoned our mother and family to flee to the Order? That I did it to gain power? Are you still harboring such delusions?”

Binaeril felt like the air had been sucked out of his lungs. What absurd excuse was Yunnaeril going to offer this time? He didn’t want to hear it.

“I never abandoned our mother. I didn’t become the Order’s dog to chase power. The hatred you harbor for me is nothing but your own delusion.”

‘A delusion?’

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“So drop your useless hatred and hand over the fragments. I have something I must accomplish with them.”

What was Yunnaeril’s reason for gathering the fragments? Fragments were known to stimulate a person’s deepest desires. In Binaeril’s case, it was the desire for revenge against his brother, the desire to make Yunnaeril kneel and apologize to their deceased mother. This desire had driven him to become a mage, and it had carried him to where he stood now.

But what about Yunnaeril? What was his desire?

It was a question Binaeril had never thought to ask before. He had never wondered about it. 

One day, Yunnaeril had asked Starfall the same question.

“What exactly are the fragments? How do they possess such power?”

Starfall had responded.

– The fragments are entities that grant human wishes. Whatever the wish may be, even those that seem impossible. Yunnaeril, the fact that you can hear my voice is proof of your qualification.

Starfall spoke again.

– So, tell me. What is it that you desire?

Yunnaeril had confessed the deep sense of guilt he had harbored for so long. At that time, when he had been under the control of Cardinal Cristopho, Starfall was the only thing he could rely on. His wish was something deeply personal, something no one else knew—not even his lover, Priya.

“…Is it possible?”

– Yunnaeril. Foolish Yunnaeril. If there is power to intervene in death, then there is certainly power to intervene in life. Have you never thought of it that way?

From that day forward, Starfall became Yunnaeril’s faith.

“What is the reason you’re gathering the fragments, Brother?”

When Binaeril asked this, Yunnaeril remained silent. A cold wind blew between them.

‘Should I tell him?’

Yunnaeril hesitated. Could he confess the deep, personal wish he had kept hidden? Would it be enough to persuade Binaeril? Could he take the fragments without shedding blood if he just spoke the truth?

‘If this is a war that won’t end until one of us is dead…’

If that were the case…

‘I can still take the fragments, even if Binaeril doesn’t give them up willingly. If I can gain an opportunity with just a few words…’

What reason did he have not to confess? Especially when his goal wasn’t unrelated to Binaeril.

The purpose he had never revealed to anyone.

Yunnaeril’s wish. Yunnaeril’s guilt.

He decided to confess.

“What I seek to achieve with the fragments is…”

Binaeril’s Book of Truth, hanging from his waist, suddenly vibrated violently.

*Flutter!*

The pages of the book flapped wildly as it unleashed a torrent of powerful mana. The ancient book exploded with the force of Veritas’s magic, pressing down on Yunnaeril’s shoulders like a mountain.

Under the unexpected pressure, Yunnaeril fell to his knees. Then, Veritas’s magic manifested in the form of a massive drill, poised to pierce through Yunnaeril’s skull.

– You loudmouthed fool!

Had Starfall not intervened, Yunnaeril would have been impaled right then and there. As the powers of Starfall and Veritas collided, fierce sparks erupted, separating the two brothers.

*Boom!*

The clash of fragments resulted in a massive explosion. Both Binaeril and Yunnaeril channeled their magic, resisting the ensuing shockwaves.

“Veritas! What are you doing?!”

– What are *you* doing?

Veritas’s tone was icy, colder than Binaeril had ever heard before.

– So now, after all this, do you want to have a nice heart-to-heart with your brother and reconcile with laughter and tears? I thought you hated him.

“This isn’t about reconciliation. I just wanted to hear what he had to say…”

– Hear what? You’ve had countless opportunities to listen to him over the years. But now, at this moment, during a battle to the death, you suddenly want to talk? Are you insane? His words are all just a ploy from Starfall. What exactly do you want to hear now?

– What if you listen to him and get swayed? What if his grand cause aligns with your sense of justice? Are you going to believe that it’s true? Wake up, you fool, Binaeril. At the very moment when you should cast aside any shred of pity to exact your revenge, you want to have a conversation with your enemy? Ha!

Veritas’s words were sharper than ever.

– Remember this, Binaeril Dalheim. It was I, Veritas, the Book of Truth, who raised a snot-nosed brat who never accomplished anything on his own into the mage you are today. Remember the terms of our contract.

On the other side, Yunnaeril was also receiving a harsh reprimand from Starfall.

– Are you out of your mind? Have you lost your senses? That loudmouth is extremely cunning. You can’t afford to show any weakness. So why are you babbling in front of a brother who’s trying to kill you?

“…Binaeril isn’t that cunning.”

– Oh, you have such deep faith in your brother? That same brother who toyed with an army of sixty thousand and killed thousands? And yet, you still believe he’s not that cunning?

– Your brother might not be, but that damn Book of Truth is. That thing is hell-bent on killing you and taking me—taking Starfall for itself! Remember, Yunnaeril, only I can help you achieve your goal.

Yunnaeril found himself at a loss for words. Why had he done it? For a moment, he wondered if he had lost his mind. Why had he even tried to have a conversation? They were in the midst of a war.

Yunnaeril needed the fragments that Binaeril possessed. Absolutely. Even if it meant taking his life. Binaeril had grown stronger all this time to kill his brother. He had learned magic and collected fragments. His goal was singular—revenge against his brother. 

Could there be any relationship more clear-cut than this? They were both ready to strike at each other’s throats.

– Weakling Binaeril.

– Weakling Yunnaeril.

The fragments, Veritas and Starfall, spoke simultaneously.

– If you can’t do it, I will.

– If your heart is this weak, I’ll make sure to strengthen it.

“Veritas, what are you doing…?”

Binaeril and Yunnaeril both clutched their heads in agony at the same time. An unbearable headache surged through them as the power of the fragments tried to take control.

– We are beings that consume one another. The weaker one gets consumed, and the stronger one devours.

– You have no choice. You are the agents of the fragments, and you must fight until a victor is decided.

“Graaah!”

The two brothers let out pained cries. And when they rose again, they wasted no time in expressing their hostility towards each other.