Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

Senega khan Indigo looked around. Among the warriors who could still fight, he was the only one standing on both feet.

“I asked why there are civilized people among the warriors of the Senega tribe.”

“I-I don’t know!”

“You don’t know? You, the Khan who leads the tribe, didn’t know there were civilized people mixed in with your warriors?”

Even to Binaeril, this was an absurd excuse.

“The Senega tribe is different from the smaller tribes! There are more warriors than you can count! I don’t know anything about it! You’re not even a barbaroi, what do you know?”

“You are testing my patience.”

Inyakan grabbed Indigo by the collar with both hands and lifted him up.

“Gah! Gahh!”

“It seems you doubt my identity. Let me make it clear.”

Inyakan pulled Indigo’s ear close to his mouth and began to whisper rapidly.

“C… P… K…”

The bursts of explosive sounds in between made it clear that Inyakan was spewing a string of barbaroi curses.

Indigo’s face turned various shades of red and blue as time passed.

“How could you say such horrible things!”

“Please, stop…!”

‘What kind of curses are those…?’ Binaeril was curious, but he decided not to ask directly.

“Are you really Inyakan?”

“I’ve told you multiple times that I am!”

“Liar! Inyakan is dead!”

“You KSHPALNOMI…”

At that moment, someone from the Senega tribe shouted out.

“Look at that! That bracer belongs to the Inya tribe!”

“Hey, lots of tribes use bracers like that.”

Inyakan pushed Indigo’s face into the snow and raised his right hand high.

“Inyakan! No!”

Binaeril’s scream came a moment too late.

Inyakan’s heavy right hand came crashing down on Indigo’s head.

The north wind howled through the grooves of the bracer, producing an eerie wail.

Those who had been screaming in high-pitched voices all went silent as they heard the noise created by the bracer.

“That’s right! That’s right! It’s an Inya item! My god, it really is Inyakan!”

“It’s Inyakan! Inyakan is alive!”

Inyakan’s fist landed next to Indigo’s ear.

As he spat out the snow that had entered his mouth, Indigo heard the vicious metallic sound brushing past his cheek.

“It would have been enough to let the Cherokee tribesmen hear that bracer sound too.”

“Well… It seems so.”

Indigo’s face turned as pale as the snowfield he was buried in.

“I-Inyakan!”

“That’s right, you KSHVARL bastard! I am Inyakan!”

Inyakan headbutted Indigo as he asked,

“Don’t make me ask twice in the name of Inya. Now tell me, where are the Cherokee Khan and his warriors?”

“They… they’re not here!”

“Then where are they?”

Inyakan’s fist slammed down next to Indigo’s face once more.

“Valhardt! They’re held by Margrave Valhardt!”

“Margrave Valhardt?”

Upon hearing that, curses erupted from the fallen Imperial soldiers.

“That traitorous bastard!”

“This is why you can’t trust these savages!”

“We should report this to the Margrave and have that scum executed!”

Seeing their reactions, Binaeril realized that Senegakan was not lying.

“Binaeril, those soldiers are from the Empire. Not only do they wield Imperial swords, but they also use Imperial swordsmanship. Though their skills are crude at best,” Dominic said, as he stomped on the head of a fallen warrior.

Voices of discontent arose from all around in response to his dismissive remark.

“Who are you to judge the level of Imperial swordsmanship?”

Dominic glared at the one who shouted and replied,

“So, the men who serve Albrecht don’t even recognize my face. What a bunch of fools.”

However, the Imperial soldiers disguised as barbaroi racked their brains, but they couldn’t recall anyone with such a hideously scarred face.

“Isn’t he ‘Masked Mercenary Magrea’s Son’?”

“That mercenary is much larger. From his speech, he seems like he’s from the Empire.”

“I’ve never seen such an ugly knight before.”

Listening to their conversation, Binaeril scoffed.

“It seems the great ‘Platinum Knight’ has lost much of his reputation.”

“I just spoke casually, confident they wouldn’t recognize me.”

The soldiers were taken aback by his words.

Was this man really the ‘Platinum Knight,’ known as the Empire’s greatest knight?

The Platinum Knight was renowned not only for his exceptional skills but also for his handsome looks that captivated women. However, the Dominic standing before them, though possessing fair skin, had a large scar on his face that made it impossible to call him handsome, even as a joke.

Yet, considering his swordsmanship, it was difficult to dismiss his claim as entirely false.

‘What an odd combination this is.’

One was the greatest warrior among the barbaroi who had vanished years ago, and the other was the Empire’s top knight. And to top it off, the other two in their party were mages—this was clearly no ordinary group.

To capture these people, it wouldn’t be enough to send a few soldiers from the border lord’s forces; a full army would be necessary.

“More importantly, the fact that Margrave Valhardt is involved… It seems two of the most mutually despising groups have joined hands.”

“Do you know him well?”

“The border Margrave is like the roof that supports the northern part of the Empire. I understand that he was active on the front lines during Albrecht’s northern campaigns. He’s someone who earned his title through military achievements.”

“Like Duke Torben Dux?”

“Well… yes. You speak as if you know Duke Dux personally?”

Binaeril simply shrugged in response.

“In any case, this Margrave Valhardt… As far as I know, he’s famous for his deep hatred of barbarians.”

Dominic said, looking at Binaeril.

“If the barbarian warriors were taken by him, their lives are far from guaranteed.”

The Margrave’s displeasure did not subside even after an entire night had passed.

As he lay in bed, he pondered. The Emperor’s orders, Duke Dux’s attitude, the peace he had fought so hard to secure in the north, and those loathsome barbarians…

In the end, the first rooster crowed before he had managed to sleep even a wink.

“Hurt! Hurt!”

He called for his butler the moment he got out of bed.

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“Where did you say Duke Torben Dux was staying?”

He no longer bothered to use honorifics when referring to Duke Dux.

Butler Hurt, who had already identified the Duke’s location, promptly informed him.

“Summon Torben Dux. I must speak with him.”

Despite the Margrave’s rude manner of speaking, Hurt didn’t utter a word of complaint. No matter how powerful Duke Dux might be in the Empire, this was Valhardt’s territory, far from the Duke’s southern dominion.

If the Duke valued his life, he couldn’t afford to treat the Marquis disrespectfully here.

“I’ve been too complacent about the affairs of the capital.”

Though his rank was only that of a count, the Margrave of Valhardt was a man who had carved out the northern fortress with his sword. He had no intention of meekly following the Emperor’s orders.

“If I wait long enough, the barbarians will drive themselves out, and the northern lands will naturally fall to me. That foolish Emperor!”

The Margrave fumed to himself as he awaited breakfast. 

He even thought about not offering Duke Dux so much as a slice of bread when he arrived, having finished his own meal early. To a man who had forgotten the fierce battles of the north, even a glass of water would be too generous.

In his mind, the Margrave devised dozens of ways to insult the Duke when he arrived.

Meanwhile, the lower floor of the castle was gradually growing noisy.

“Has the butler already returned?”

It hadn’t been long since he sent the butler out. It was so quick that it seemed impossible unless the Duke had somehow anticipated his invitation.

‘What should I do? I haven’t even had breakfast yet.’

He had no desire to sit and eat with the Duke. However, as he listened more closely, it became clear that it wasn’t the Duke who had arrived at the castle.

The sounds of metal clashing, shouts, and people calling for the Margrave could be heard. 

The Margrave quickly drew one of the swords that were displayed on the wall of his bedchamber. It was his beloved sword that he had wielded since his younger days, a sword with a peculiar curved blade that resembled a crescent moon.

This sword had two names. Among the Imperials, it was called a *gokdo*, but the barbaroi referred to it as *Sikrun*.

With *Sikrun* in hand, the Margrave pressed himself against the wall next to the entrance of his bedchamber.

“Is that bastard Valhardt in here?”

Someone kicked open the door and stormed into the room.

The Margrave swung *Sikrun* horizontally, aiming to take off the intruder’s head.

He felt something collide with the sword held in his hand.

No, it wasn’t that something collided with it—it was caught?

The Margrave was horrified when he saw the intruder.

The sword hadn’t been blocked or caught—it was being held in the intruder’s mouth!

“What kind of madness is this!”

As he pulled the sword back with force, a grinding sound echoed as he managed to retrieve it.

Even though it was swung with one arm from an awkward position, the Margrave was no child. Though he had aged somewhat, he was still a robust knight, nearly as capable as he had been in his prime.

But this man had caught his sword with his teeth?

Was such a monstrous being even possible?

“Who are you!” the Margrave shouted as he retreated.

The bald, hulking man who filled the doorway glanced at the sword in the Margrave’s hand and then compared it to something hanging from his own waist.

“So, you use *Sikrun*. How presumptuous.”

With that, he also drew a *Sikrun*.

It wasn’t a crudely made imitation; the Margrave could tell that at a glance.

At that moment, a young man with gray hair emerged from behind the bald intruder.

“Don’t worry. We’re just…”

“We’re robbers, you bastard!” 

“Yes, we’re robbers,” the gray-haired youth sighed, smacking his forehead with his hand.

“A plain robber?”

“No, we’re not robbers.”

“Hand over everything you’ve got!”

“No, that’s not it… Inyakan, can you just stay still for a moment!”

The Margrave heard a name that he couldn’t ignore.

“Inyakan, that’s not the way. We need to explain the situation first since we can’t be sure of Senegakan’s testimony…”

“What else do we need to confirm? There’s no need for that. Once we catch him and start peeling off his skin, he’ll spill everything on his own.”

“I swear, I’m going to die of stress.”

“Are you really Inyakan?”

That was a name the Margrave of Valhardt could never forget.

However, the man called Inyakan frowned as if he had no interest in answering and began to approach.

“Guards! Where are the guards?”

“All those who could fight are dead. Except for you.”

“Whatever your goal is, I will not surrender easily!”

Seeing the Margrave’s firm stance, the young man sighed and pointed at him with his finger.

“Just stay still.”

As if under a spell, the moment the Margrave heard those words, he couldn’t move a muscle.

It was as if his entire body had been tightly bound; he couldn’t even twitch a finger.

With eyes filled with shock and fear, he could only watch as Inyakan approached him.

“Hehehe, yes! Stay right where you are!”