Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

The next spell that Binaeril and Priya had prepared was a freezing magic designed to bind the feet of the monsters charging at the Barbaroi. This spell was subtle, making it difficult for the monsters to detect, and even just slowing them down could create a bottleneck that would hinder their advance.

“Priya! It’s working!” Binaeril exclaimed.

“Of course it is. Who do you think prepared it?” she replied confidently.

The leading monsters found themselves stuck to the ground, causing those behind them to crash into each other with screeches of frustration. Binaeril couldn’t help but feel a surge of satisfaction as the plan unfolded smoothly. The monsters, now forming a wall of tangled bodies, began to turn on each other in anger.

“Everything’s going smoothly so far,” Binaeril remarked.

Meanwhile, the decoys were engaged in fierce combat. The Barbaroi warriors tensed their bodies, shouting battle cries as the monsters bore down on them.

“Hold the line!” they roared, determined not to be outdone by their monstrous adversaries.

The initial clash was intense. The warriors thrust their weapons at the first wave of monsters that lunged toward them.

“Keep the defensive line! Don’t rush in out of excitement!” Inyakan commanded from the front lines, making sure that no one broke formation as he grappled with a monster’s jaws. With a powerful twist, he tore its jaw apart and then drove his Sikrun into the snout of the next creature that charged at him.

While most fought bravely, not all were faring as well.

“D-die!” shouted Shirmong, a warrior of the Ainu tribe who had been reluctantly dragged into the battle by Kan. He swung his Sikrun wildly, but his opponent was a monster with a head as hard as iron. Shirmong’s strikes didn’t even scratch it.

“Graaaah!” The monster bellowed and lowered its horned snout at Shirmong.

The other Barbaroi were too busy fending off their own foes to help him. No one seemed able to come to Shirmong’s aid.

‘No, I’m done for!’ Shirmong thought, shutting his eyes tightly, unable to even think of counterattacking.

But when nothing happened, he opened his eyes again. Just half a span away, a wall of mist had formed, blocking the monster’s horn.

“T-this is magic!” Shirmong instinctively realized that this was the magic the civilized woman had cast.

“I-I’m alive!”

For the first time, Shirmong felt a sense of gratitude toward the two mages he had previously looked down on.

“You idiot! What are you standing there gaping for? Get your head in the game!” A fellow warrior appeared, chastising Shirmong as he swiftly sliced off the monster’s horn.

It was Inyakan, the leader of the decoy group, who had come to Shirmong’s aid.

“Get up! Get your head together! No one here can save you! You need to work hard not to be a burden!”

Shirmong quickly regained his composure and scrambled to his feet. Inyakan had already snapped the neck of the horned monster and moved on to assist the others.

“Yes! Understood!” Shirmong shouted, gripping his weapon tightly once more as he moved to support the nearby warriors.

Meanwhile, Binaeril and Priya unleashed a relentless assault on the rear of the monster horde. They froze, tore, burned, scorched, and buried their enemies in a variety of ways, all thanks to Priya’s vivid imagination. Binaeril supported her, channeling his mana in sync with her signals, ensuring that the spells had the power they needed. The corpses of the monsters, victims of their magic, began to pile up.

While Priya handled the design and execution of the spells, Binaeril served as her mana reservoir. It was also his job to keep their presence concealed from the monsters, preventing them from becoming targets. So far, their cover held, and the monsters remained unaware of their exact location. At least for now.

The trail of monster corpses stretched from the village to the decoys’ position. The snow-covered tundra glittered with reflected light, but as Binaeril observed the scene closely, he realized that the sparkling wasn’t just from the snow’s reflection. The bodies of the monsters left behind a trail that shimmered like stardust. It was a trace he had seen before—a sign of Starfall.

As Binaeril thought about it, something struck him as odd. The fragments he had found each possessed unique abilities. The ring gifted by Archmage Elfenbine could store a spirit, the imperial scepter had the power to detect other fragments, and the magic sword Mimung had the power to raise the dead.

Veritas, on the other hand…

– I possess the power of infinite knowledge,

Though, in reality, it was more accurate to say that Veritas contained an immense amount of mana. Most of the knowledge it provided was useless, often used to tease or deceive Binaeril.

– You’re thinking too harshly,

‘You’re worse,’ Binaeril thought back, but that wasn’t the important issue at the moment.

He recalled the ruined village he had discovered while following Priya, the village that had been reduced to a wasteland.

“Why? I’m busy,” Priya said, her voice slightly strained as her magic continued to decimate the monsters, nearly halving their numbers.

Binaeril, observing the shimmering corpses, asked.

“Those monsters… you said they were summoned by the power of Starfall, right?”

Binaeril continued, “Do you know that the village where your clothes were left behind is also overrun with monsters?”

Priya’s focus wavered, nearly causing a magical backlash. 

“Binaeril, the spell!”

She quickly regained her composure and refocused her energy.

“The dress you left behind—it was covered in cuts and stab marks, all caused by Starfall.”

“Are you saying just those marks were enough to draw in the monsters?”

“You’ve seen with your own eyes how Starfall’s power can resurrect these creatures.”

“That’s true…”

Binaeril finally began to grasp the true nature of Starfall’s ability. The power of the sacred sword, Starfall, seemed to be…

“Binaeril! Look over there!” Priya’s shout snapped him out of his thoughts.

In the direction she was pointing, an ominous figure was slowly emerging. As it raised its head, it revealed itself to be twice as tall and four times as massive as the other monsters around it.

A deep, rumbling growl emanated from the creature, sending chills down Binaeril’s spine even from where he stood.

“That thing…”

“That’s a monster on a whole different level.”

It was a massive type of monster, and there wasn’t just one. Another identical creature lifted its head beside it. They were grotesque, with enormous antlers, exposed decaying organs, and saliva mixed with blood dripping from their mouths. 

Binaeril recognized them immediately.

“Wendigos!”

These creatures, which commanded frost and snow, were among the most feared horrors of the polar regions, rarely seen by anyone who lived to tell the tale. The two Wendigos turned their heads toward the decoy group that Inyakan was a part of. Fortunately, they hadn’t noticed Binaeril and Priya’s position yet.

Wendigos were special. Though primitive, they possessed the ability to wield mana. If they targeted the Barbaroi warriors, those men were as good as dead. Priya’s protective magic wouldn’t be enough to stop them.

“Priya, take care of the other monsters from here.”

“Where are you going?”

“I need to distract the Wendigos.”

“What? Are you crazy?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve faced large monsters before.”

Without waiting for Priya’s agreement, Binaeril unfurled his wings of mana and launched himself toward the Wendigos.

Binaeril soared into the sky and then began a steep dive toward the two Wendigos. Below, Inyakan drove his Sikrun into the neck of a sluggish monster, fully immersed in the heat of battle. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of something blue. Without taking his eyes off the monster he was confronting, he quickly darted his gaze toward the unidentified object.

It was Binaeril, wings spread, launching himself into the air.

‘What is that fool up to, Binaeril?!’ Inyakan thought.

As Binaeril began his descent, Inyakan followed his path with his eyes, finally noticing the two massive creatures towering over the other monsters. They were twice the size of the others, exhaling black breath, and their presence alone kept the other monsters at bay. These were far stronger than the ones the decoys were currently fighting.

Inyakan recalled the time he and Binaeril had encountered the Hydra.

“Binaeril, you idiot!”

It was clear Binaeril intended to take on these monsters alone, just as he had with the Hydra.

“NARR-minded fool! Stick to the plan!”

Inyakan knew he couldn’t leave Binaeril alone—who knew what reckless thing he might attempt?

“Cherokikan!” he shouted.

“Take over here!”

“Where are you going?”

“I have to help that damned kid!”

“What? Hey, Inyakan! You told us not to charge, and now you’re—!”

But Inyakan was already on the move. He leapt onto the flattened face of a monster, using it as a springboard to jump even higher. Once he was past the established front line, the other monsters no longer paid him any attention.

‘Must be that woman’s magic,’ he thought, recognizing how Priya’s spell that concealed his presence was aiding his movement. He charged directly toward the massive creatures Binaeril was targeting.

The closer he got, the more the stench assaulted his nose. Even in the freezing northern cold, where his nose had turned red from frost, the Wendigos’ stench was so overpowering that it cut through the icy air.

Binaeril aimed his magic bullets at the two Wendigos.

Bang! Bang!

The shots easily pierced the Wendigos’ flesh, almost too easily. But Binaeril knew that simply wounding their bodies wasn’t enough to stop them.

“Grrraaahhh…!” 

The Wendigos’ attention shifted to Binaeril. Their hollow, indistinct eyes locked onto him as he dove toward them.

“That’s enough for now,” 

Binaeril had successfully diverted the Wendigos away from the decoy group. Now, the only task left was to eliminate these towering creatures as quickly as possible.

The flesh around the holes where Binaeril’s magic bullets had pierced through began to crumble like tattered leather. The Wendigos’ bodies, while massive, were surprisingly fragile. Their true vulnerability lay in their hearts—frozen, solid masses within their chests. The rest of their bodies were just a shell.

The hearts, encased in layers of ice, were incredibly tough, nearly impossible to break. Binaeril decided to test his theory by aiming another shot directly at one of the Wendigos’ left chests. As expected, the bullet bounced off harmlessly, unable to penetrate the icy core.

There was only one way to kill these creatures: melt the frozen hearts. And to do that, he needed fire—an intense flame powerful enough to thaw the Wendigos’ icy hearts.

Binaeril focused on the Wendigos, letting his imagination conjure the most intense flame he could think of. But the Wendigos weren’t mindless beasts. While Binaeril was envisioning the fire that would end them, the Wendigos were preparing their own counterattack.

Suddenly, Binaeril locked eyes with one of the Wendigos. The creature bared its grotesque, decayed maw, and from it spewed a blast of frigid frost.

It was too late to dodge.

Reacting swiftly, Binaeril enveloped himself in the warmth of the fire magic he had been preparing. The frost blast hit him directly. Thanks to the heat he had summoned, he managed to avoid freezing to death, but the force of the attack froze his wings of mana, making it impossible for him to maintain flight.

“Guh—!”

As Binaeril plummeted from the sky, the Wendigo reached out with a decayed fist, aiming to crush him as he fell.