Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

Binaeril’s body moved of its own accord, a sinister grin spreading across his face as Veritas took control. Binaeril could only watch in horror, as if staring into a mirror, observing each movement made by his own body, now manipulated by Veritas. It was just like when he had first encountered Veritas in the Secret Corridor, that same mischievous and cruel presence now animated his limbs. The sight of his own body acting under Veritas’s influence felt disturbingly alien.

“Greedy Starfall, let our war begin,” Veritas, in Binaeril’s body, declared.

On the other side, Yunnaeril, with a similarly twisted smile—one he had never shown before—began to move. The fragments that had taken over the brothers engaged in a spectacular display of power. Every gesture, every breath was filled with lethal intent, aimed squarely at the other.

Veritas, wearing Binaeril’s form, unleashed a torrent of magic: freezing, burning, stabbing, exploding, ripping, and electrocuting. Starfall blocked and deflected these attacks, but the relentless, flowing assault was overwhelming.

Yunnaeril, now dominated by Starfall, swung his sword, weaving threads of cutting energy that filled the space like a tightly knit net. It was an attack that left no room to escape.

Veritas, still wearing Binaeril’s smile, scoffed at the attack. Binaeril’s body transformed into a transparent ice statue as Starfall’s energy cut through him, slicing his form into neat cubes. But as soon as the attack passed, the cubes reassembled, returning Binaeril to his unscathed state.

‘What…?’ Binaeril thought, bewildered.

The way Veritas utilized magic was on a completely different level. Unlike Binaeril, who had struggled against Starfall, Veritas seemed to match—and even surpass—its power with ease.

‘What is this? Give me back my body!’ Binaeril demanded.

– No.

‘This is my fight, Veritas!’

– Your fight? Don’t make me laugh. Have you forgotten the terms of our contract?

The agreement between Binaeril and the Book of Truth was that Binaeril would collect the fragments to complete the Book.

– You’ve lost your qualification. You were going to hand me over to Starfall, weren’t you?

‘What nonsense! I never intended that. I was just talking to my brother!’

– That’s exactly what breached the contract.

It became clear to Binaeril that reclaiming control of his body wouldn’t be easy. He began to search his memories. This wasn’t the first time the power of a fragment had tried to take over. After his battle with the Hydra and when he absorbed the cursed sword Mimung, similar things had happened. But never before had Veritas forcibly taken over his body like this… Or had it? He wasn’t sure anymore.

Whenever he lost control, it was always because the fragment’s power had exceeded his ability to contain it.

‘What did I do back then?’

When he was nearly suffocated by the Hydra’s power, trapped in the underground prison, Binaeril had discussed the nature of magic with Veritas. If he could regain control over Veritas’s power, he could take back his body.

Binaeril recalled the lesson:

‘Magic is the power to manifest imagination into reality. It is an act of tyranny. Fundamentally, that power is violence—a form of arrogance and solipsism that asserts only your will exists in the world.’

The arrogance of will.

‘Magic is the denial of others. It is solipsism.’

Solipsism.

Binaeril focused his mind, imagining that everything in the world was false and that he alone was real. Everything was an illusion, a lie, a cruel joke played on him. 

Because nothing in this world could bind Binaeril. He was the creator of this world, the master of magic itself.

*Crack.*

It was as if something in Binaeril’s mind had snapped. Veritas, still in control of Binaeril’s body, moved relentlessly, clashing with Starfall in a dazzling exchange of attacks. But then, Binaeril’s body suddenly twitched, interrupting the spellcasting. Veritas, momentarily startled, took a step back. 

It was a brief moment, but one that Starfall was quick to exploit. Yunnaeril, noticing the opening, lashed out with his sword in a flurry of strikes.

– That damned Binaeril…

Veritas felt a growing sense of unease. Even as he dodged Starfall’s wild assault and prepared to retaliate, the unease lingered. The magic wasn’t flowing as smoothly as it should have been.

– Binaeril, stop interfering!

Somehow, Binaeril was pushing back, fighting to reclaim control of his body. If Veritas lost control now, in the midst of this fierce battle with Starfall…

‘No, *you* stop interfering, you worthless, old book,’ Binaeril’s voice rang out, calm and composed, in stark contrast to earlier.

How had he found a way so quickly? It was clear now—Binaeril was gradually regaining control of his body. It was no longer Veritas who dictated Binaeril’s movements.

‘Remember our contract. I asked for the power to defeat my brother, not to have you exact my revenge for me.’

– Damn it…

‘If I don’t do it myself, it means nothing. This is my stage. So step back into the shadows where supporting characters belong.’

Binaeril’s fingers began to move, albeit stiffly, as he fought to reclaim full control. The struggle between him and Veritas was intense, but this battlefield favored Binaeril. 

“Aaaargh!”

With a triumphant roar, Binaeril finally wrested his body back from Veritas’s control. But just as he did, Yunnaeril’s sword was already aiming for his throat.

“Kill them! Don’t retreat! Show them the might of humanity!”

*Kieeeek!*

*Krurrr, chwiik!*

The anti-Order coalition fought valiantly against the onslaught of monsters. The bodies of slain creatures piled up like mountains, their black blood flowing like rivers. 

“Ugh…! Your Majesty, two battalions have nearly been wiped out!”

The problem, however, was that the number of remaining monsters far outstripped those already slain. For reasons unknown, more and more creatures continued to pour onto the battlefield. 

A scream from somewhere caught Rike’s attention, and she looked up at the sky.

The sky was darkened by a horde of monsters.

One of the creatures, with skin as tough as stone and malevolent glowing eyes, was a familiar sight to Rike.

“Gargoyles…!”

Every time a gargoyle landed, five or six soldiers were killed instantly. The soldiers’ swords and arrows did nothing to harm these creatures.

“Aaah! Help us!”

“Run, flee for your lives!”

As Rike shifted her gaze, she saw a massive serpent-like monster, an Echidna, baring its fangs and attacking the soldiers. Above them, gargoyles wreaked havoc, while on the ground, the battlefield swarmed with Echidnas, trolls, and manticores. 

With each passing moment, stronger and more formidable monsters emerged. These were creatures that would typically require dozens of mages to defeat, yet they were appearing in droves, overwhelming the forces arrayed against them.

For the ordinary soldiers, the larger the monster, the stronger it was—at least, that was their understanding. But for Rike and Sylvia, who had knowledge of these creatures, each one was a near-apocalyptic threat.

“Your Highness!”

Sylvia looked at Rike with a pale, terrified expression. She was so overwhelmed that she forgot to address Rike with her usual honorific, “Your Majesty.” Rike understood the gravity of the situation reflected in Sylvia’s face. Continuing the fight was becoming increasingly dangerous.

The monsters that had appeared were not attacking the forces of the Order at all; they were solely targeting the imperial army and the other allied forces. Somehow, the Order had managed to command the power of the monsters. Not just a few monsters, but an entire army of them, with each one being a disaster in its own right.

As Rike contemplated retreat, a pillar of blue light suddenly shot up into the sky within her field of vision.

“Ah…!”

It was Binaeril’s mana. After being continuously pushed back, his power had suddenly surged like a fountain.

“Binaeril is fighting,” Rike murmured.

“Binaeril is fighting,” Sylvia echoed, tilting her head in confusion. Did her liege see something special in that moment?

“We must do what we need to do, Sylvia. Rally the soldiers. This battle won’t last long.”

Rike, maintaining a calm demeanor, tried to reassure those around her. But inside, her heart was burning with anxiety as she watched the soldiers fall like straw.

‘Binaeril, hurry…!’ she urged silently.

The sword descended, but in the moment Binaeril thought he was about to be cut down, the blade stopped just at the tip of his nose.

Starfall’s power was so close that Binaeril could feel it thrumming with lethal intent. If the sword hadn’t stopped, it would have surely cut him down. But why had it stopped? Was Starfall, certain of its victory, showing a moment of arrogance?

Binaeril looked up and saw Yunnaeril’s face. Blood, black as pitch, was trickling from his brother’s lips.

*Hack!*

Yunnaeril coughed, and a spray of blood splattered onto Binaeril’s face.

“This fight is mine…” Yunnaeril said, his voice echoing Binaeril’s own thoughts.

Just as Binaeril had decided, so too had Yunnaeril. He withdrew the sword that had been so close to striking his brother down.

“Get up, Binaeril.”

With a pale face, Yunnaeril even extended a hand to help his brother up. Hesitantly, Binaeril looked up at his brother and took his hand.

Yunnaeril winced slightly, clutching his head lightly. No doubt, Starfall was raging within him. But he pushed through it. Binaeril dusted off his knees and stood up, once again readying himself.

This was how it had to be. The unbreakable, blood-soaked bond between the brothers had to be severed by their own hands. If this war could only end with one of them dead, then it was Yunnaeril who had to die.

Binaeril’s mana gathered, crackling with a chilling sound. He swung his sword and unleashed his magic. Frost and shadow intertwined and collided, each trying to overpower the other. The contrasting colors began to dance in a rhythm, a deadly waltz meant only for them.

With each exchange, the blood trickling from the corner of Yunnaeril’s mouth grew thicker, and his complexion paled further. He was no longer as invincible as he had been moments ago.

‘He’s not the same as before,’ Binaeril thought, noticing the growing wounds on Yunnaeril’s body.

The tide of the battle shifted, and what had been a struggle for Binaeril to even approach Starfall’s power now turned in his favor. Yunnaeril was doing everything he could to suppress Starfall’s influence, while Binaeril, on the other hand, had fully mastered the power of the Book of Truth.

– Yunnaeril!

– Why do you hold me back?

As Yunnaeril’s defeat seemed increasingly inevitable, Starfall’s frantic cries grew louder.

– Do you wish to lose? Don’t you value your life?

– Remember! I’m the only one who can grant your wish! Didn’t you say you sought atonement?

Yunnaeril, clinging to his fading consciousness, swung his sword. As his mind grew hazier, something within him seemed to grow clearer.

‘Starfall. I’ve been thinking.’

‘Is it right to commit another sin in the name of atonement? If she were to return, would she praise me for what I’ve done?’

– What nonsense is this now, at this late hour!

‘If these are my sins, then it’s right that I bear them.’

The dome, filled with the traces of their magic, saw Binaeril’s blue energy steadily overpowering the dark force of Starfall. The world around them began to shift into shades of blue.

‘Is this a dream?’ Yunnaeril thought, but he knew it wasn’t.

The falling rain turned to white snow as it passed through Binaeril’s mana. Snow began to fall.

Binaeril’s mana bullet pierced Yunnaeril’s chest.

*Clang!*

Yunnaeril dropped his sword. His body, with a gaping wound in his chest, slowly began to collapse forward. Binaeril rushed to catch him, not entirely sure why he did so, only that it felt like something he had to do.

“…Binaeril.”

Binaeril himself didn’t fully understand his actions, too confused and overwhelmed to speak. He simply supported his dying brother’s body, listening to his weakening voice.

“Does it feel good… to have finally avenged yourself?”

“There’s something you misunderstood… I didn’t leave our family for the reasons you think… I was afraid…”

Yunnaeril, now completely drained of strength, rested entirely in Binaeril’s arms. His long gray hair, so similar to Binaeril’s, was slick with blood.

His breathing was harsh and labored.

“Starfall told me, ‘The power to intervene in death also means the power to intervene in life’… I wanted to see her again. I wanted to bring her back, to kneel before her and ask for forgiveness… That’s why I was so obsessed with the fragments…”

A snowflake landed on Yunnaeril’s eyebrow. It melted, and the water trickled down his cheek like a tear.

“But would a mother, resurrected by crushing her own son, forgive me? I was afraid… Maybe everything went wrong from the moment you swore vengeance against me… from that day, this plan was doomed… Binaeril.”

A snowflake landed on Binaeril’s eyelid as well. It felt cold.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I took too long to see the truth. There’s not… much… I can… do… now…”

These were Yunnaeril’s final words.

The dome that had been their battlefield slowly began to disintegrate. The weather outside was a chaotic mix of snow and rain, so muddled that it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.