Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

Binaeril plummeted into the clutches of the Wendigo. At the same moment, Inyakan arrived near the creature.

“Don’t you dare lay a hand on Binaeril, you KSHVARL beast!” he shouted, striking the Wendigo’s shin with all his might.

“Grrr…!”

The Wendigo’s flesh tore open with surprising ease, and the creature, towering at 5 meters, began to topple over. This allowed Binaeril to escape its grasp and free-fall. Inyakan caught the falling Binaeril.

Binaeril, startled by the ‘princess carry,’ exclaimed from his arms, “Inyakan! That was dangerous!”

“I should be the one saying that,” Inyakan retorted, setting Binaeril down on the ground.

“I told you to stay in your position!”

“And you said you’d only use magic from afar!”

“That was before those things showed up!”

Binaeril pointed at the collapsing Wendigo. 

“What are those?”

“They’re called Wendigos, powerful creatures that even the Barbaroi can’t handle.”

“So you jumped right into a field full of monsters?”

“I flew in. You’re the one who jumped.”

“Same difference.”

As Binaeril and Inyakan bickered, monsters began to gather around them, their mouths watering as they screeched at the two.

“…This isn’t the time for us to be arguing,” Binaeril said, extending his arm. Arrows of mana shot out, swiftly taking down the lesser monsters.

“Barbaroi can’t handle them? They went down awfully easy for something so tough,” Inyakan remarked, recalling the sensation of the Wendigo’s bones and flesh breaking under his strike.

“The Wendigo’s physical durability is weak. The important thing is their heart.”

“The heart?”

“Their heart, frozen by mana, is both their weak point and the source of their life.”

The Wendigo, crippled by Inyakan’s blow, lifted its head. Supporting itself with one hand, it reached out and grabbed another nearby monster.

“Yelp!”

The wolf-like creature struggled but couldn’t escape the Wendigo’s grasp. Slowly, the Wendigo brought the wolf-like monster to its mouth. 

With a crunch, it bit into the creature, black blood and fur spilling out.

Gulp!

As it devoured the monster, the broken knee of the Wendigo began to heal. Binaeril and Inyakan watched with disgust.

“Disgusting.”

“Grrraaaah―!”

“For a large-class monster, that level of regeneration is nothing. The real problem is their mana.”

“Mana? You’re telling me those monsters can use magic?”

“Wendigos are creatures of the snowy plains that command frost and snow.”

“So, in the end, we have to destroy the heart.”

“It won’t be easy. Their hearts are incredibly hard. The proper method isn’t to break them but to melt them.”

Inyakan looked at Binaeril.

“Looks like I’ll have to leave that to you.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll do what I always do—buy you some time.”

To take down two Wendigos, someone had to draw their attention, no doubt about it.

“It’s going to be dangerous…”

“When has it ever not been dangerous, traveling with you?”

“That’s true.”

“I’ll distract them, and you take care of them.”

“Inyakan, be careful of their mouths.”

Nodding, Inyakan charged toward the Wendigo. Binaeril prepared his fire magic once again.

“Look over here, you rotting corpse!”

Of course, the Wendigo couldn’t understand his words. To divert its attention, Inyakan struck at its legs again. He bashed its shin with his bracer and slashed the opposite knee with Sikrun.

“Grrk! Grrraah!”

The Wendigo, losing its legs once more, let out a strange cry as it began to fall—unfortunately, right in Inyakan’s direction.

“Watch out!”

But Inyakan didn’t move. Instead, he kept his eyes on the falling giant. As it toppled, a heart, glowing like a blue crystal, became visible within its chest.

“There it is!”

He swung Sikrun in an X-shaped motion. Like cutting through rotting flesh, the Wendigo’s chest split open easily, revealing the blue heart within. As he approached, the cold emanating from it bit into his skin.

Ignoring the foul stench of the Wendigo’s innards, he reached into the gaping wound and grabbed the heart. The moment he touched it, his teeth chattered, and his body shivered uncontrollably. The heart seemed to be cursed, the chill unbearable even for Inyakan.

Covered in the Wendigo’s organs and blood, Inyakan shouted Binaeril’s name. Binaeril quickly realized that the object he held was the Wendigo’s heart.

“I’ve got the heart you’re looking for!”

The Wendigo, having its heart stolen, let out a horrific scream as its torn body began to regenerate. Binaeril aimed his mana directly at the heart of the Wendigo, which was now emitting a blue glow. He layered his signature *Magic Bullet* with the power of flames and took a stance as if drawing a bowstring.

Taking such actions to aid his imagination enhanced the power of his magic.

“Inyakan! Throw it now!”

Inyakan, understanding immediately, threw the Wendigo’s heart high into the air.

“Shoot and burn it away!”

Binaeril released his imaginary bowstring. A blazing arrow shot forth from his right hand, flying straight toward the Wendigo’s heart. The burning arrow struck the frozen heart directly, though it did not pierce through it. But that wasn’t necessary. The key was not to pierce the heart but to set it ablaze.

From the point of impact, a small flame ignited, much like a spark on dry twigs, and soon it began to burn fiercely, consuming the entire blue heart.

“Grrraah! Grrraaah―!!”

The Wendigo, the owner of the heart, let out a desperate scream. The heart could not withstand Binaeril’s flames and melted away completely. With that, the light in the Wendigo’s eyes extinguished, signaling its death.

‘Success!’ Binaeril cheered inwardly. 

But the battle was not over yet. There were two Wendigos in total, and the remaining one took a deep breath.

“Inyakan! Watch out!”

The creature unleashed another blast of frost, the same one that had caused Binaeril to plummet earlier. Even the surrounding monsters froze upon contact with the Wendigo’s frost breath, a testament to its terrifying power.

Inyakan crossed his arms over his head, bracing himself. The relentless cold from the Wendigo’s frost breath enveloped him. He felt the freezing cold penetrate his limbs, sinking deep into his bones.

It was a cold unlike anything he had ever experienced. He couldn’t even open his eyes; his eyelids were frozen shut.

He soon realized that he couldn’t breathe.

‘Is this how I die?’ he thought, just as a miracle occurred.

Warmth began to spread from the bracers on his forearms.

‘Is my body so frozen that it feels hot?’ At first, he thought it was an illusion.

Inyakan staggered back, removing his hands from his face as a wave of heat washed over him. The acrid smell of burning filled the air, and soot clung to his face. The Wendigo’s body was consumed by a storm of flames, the fiery tempest swirling upward, dancing wildly as it engulfed the creature. Within the inferno, the Wendigo’s blue heart melted away into nothingness.

“Inyakan! Are you okay?” Binaeril rushed over to check on him, concern evident in his voice.

Inyakan nodded awkwardly, still processing what had happened. He glanced down at the bracers wrapped around his arms. They were vibrating subtly.

Meanwhile, Binaeril took care of the remaining monsters around them. Priya and the other Barbaroi warriors finished off the stragglers and gathered around Inyakan and Binaeril. 

Sirmong, a young warrior from the Ainu tribe, gazed at the rising flames in awe, while the other Barbaroi stood silently, mouths agape, mesmerized by the rare spectacle of dancing fire—a sight not often seen in the frozen lands of Barbaroana.

“Binaeril! Inyakan!” Priya approached them on a cloud but halted abruptly. She sensed an unfamiliar energy clinging to Inyakan’s body.

“What is this power…?”

It wasn’t Binaeril’s mana. The vibration from the bracers seemed to spread like a contagion throughout Inyakan’s entire being. He was trembling. Was it from the cold? No, that couldn’t be.

“My family… they’re speaking to me.”

“The spirits of the Inya?” Priya asked, and Inyakan nodded.

“It’s hot. Or… is it warm? I can’t tell. But I hear their voices in my ears.”

Binaeril exchanged a glance with Priya, who nodded in understanding.

“We need to start right away,” Priya said.

Binaeril called out to Veritas. *Veritas, the ritual you mentioned—can we begin it now?*

The Book of Truth, hanging at Binaeril’s waist, slowly floated up.

—*Of course.*