Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

“Nice room,” Binaeril muttered a short exclamation as he looked around the newly assigned room. 

The single rooms provided to senior students were neat, not luxurious but clean. 

“If you need anything, please press the call bell. I’ll take my leave now.”

Additionally, there was a personal maid to manage the room. The treatment was a bit overwhelming, something even his own family hadn’t afforded him.

“No wonder the students get so conceited.”

The astronomical amount Elfenbine earned each year from admission fees and donations from various countries enabled them to provide this level of convenience to their students.

‘Rewards matching the talent.’ This was the implicit direction Elfenbine pursued. 

Hence, both students and professors involved in magic strived to have a connection with Elfenbine. Even if one couldn’t become a tenured professor, the amount one could earn as a lecturer was incomparable to that of a mercenary mage. 

It was understandable why the tenured professors were so arrogant.

“Still, it’s a bit unsettling.”

Binaeril didn’t fully appreciate this treatment, probably because he had spent a long time as a junior. Junior students, who didn’t receive proper education, were just a source of income for the Magic Tower.

Once the maid left, Veritas fluttered into the air. 

Veritas, in its original form, stood out quite a bit due to its antique book appearance. Thus, it usually disguised itself in various forms (mostly books). Some days it was an ecology textbook, other days an introduction to magic, or even an economics book… Binaeril felt like a bookworm for no reason. 

Thankfully, it didn’t flutter around in front of others.

-How are the classes?

-Are they helpful?

The senior curriculum was definitely different from the junior one. Previously focused on theory, now it was centered on practice. This was what he wanted, but there was one issue he had felt for a long time.

“It’s too uniform.”

-What do you mean?

“To use the same magic, we envision the same image, use the same incantations… Is this real magic?”

-Puha, real magic? What is real magic?

“I don’t know. I just vaguely feel this isn’t it. Making everyone imagine in the same way because of magic. Isn’t it kind of stupid?”

Veritas didn’t answer. Binaeril hadn’t meant anything profound by his words. The Elfenbine he had yearned for three years just differed slightly from his expectations. That was all.

Senior students rarely encountered junior students. Dormitories, cafeterias, and classes were all separated. It felt like their living spaces were divided, even though they attended the same Elfenbine. 

But they weren’t completely cut off from each other. For instance, like now, during the break between classes. When Binaeril entered, students from the previous class were gathering their things and leaving the classroom one by one. 

When he walked in, the students’ gazes momentarily focused on him before scattering. Binaeril found a suitable seat and sat down. 

That’s when the troublemakers appeared.

“Hey, lower-class folks, get out quickly. Your incompetence might rub off on us.”

The trio swaggered in, laughing and threatening the junior students.

“Ugh.”

It was a kind of trouble Binaeril had faced countless times as a junior. He was a frequent target for such bullies due to his fame.

While most students left, the trio grabbed one student and started to bully him in earnest.

“Hey, Franz. I thought the smell was particularly bad today. So it was you, huh? Come here.”

“Didn’t I tell you not to loiter around here, you commoner? Don’t you understand my words?”

Franz’s only fault was that he caught their attention. Binaeril watched the entire process but didn’t intervene. Neither did the other seniors.

Other students averted their gazes, hoping the professor would arrive soon.

“Sorry…”

‘Sorry for what? What did you do wrong?’

Some of them acted as if being a senior at Elfenbine was the greatest achievement of their lives. They were the type to find any excuse to bully others, whether it was because they had a good background, a bit more talent than others, or both. Binaeril thought of them as those whose growth in spirit was significantly lagging behind their physical growth.

“Ah, really. My father told me not to associate with such lowly people. How did a noble like me end up in such a pigsty?”

At this stimulating sight, Veritas’s chatter burst forth.

-Let’s see~ The ringleader’s name is Gillian Bemes.

Veritas was as interested in others’ private lives as it was in other knowledge. It was a perverse book that could recite the personal details of anyone who caught its eye while walking down the street. Because of this, Binaeril often had to listen to the affairs of people he had no interest in.

-He comes from a minor baron family in the Albrecht Empire. He has two older brothers. He took knight classes when he was young because of his good physique.

‘Hmm, I see.’

Binaeril glanced at the guy’s face before turning away again. From experience, giving some response was the quickest way to end the chatter.

‘If he’s from a baron family, he doesn’t have much status to look down on others.’

-Right? The Bemes baron family isn’t even hereditary nobility. They bought their title not long ago.

‘Pfft, really?’

-Yes. After receiving the title, they were busy instilling culture into their sons. He quit the knight classes after a few tries. The place Baron Bemes thought of to deal with this troublemaker bastard was Elfenbine.

‘What did you say?’

-He thinks of the magic tower as a daycare center.

‘No, what did you say before that?’

-What, troublemaker bastard?

Binaeril glanced sideways. The guy named Gillian Bemes was still harassing the poor student while talking about his status.

-He knows himself. He is disregarded by his brothers and servants at home. So it’s a kind of inferiority complex.

Binaeril wasn’t interested in others’ private lives. Whether they were nobles or not, legitimate or illegitimate.

But seeing someone bully others to relieve their own inferiority complex was, well…

“It’s a bit pathetic.”

Binaeril still wasn’t fully accustomed to conversing with Veritas. Sometimes, engrossed in their silent conversation, he would accidentally speak out loud, as he did now.

But this time, the timing was bad.

Gillian Bemes had a keen ear for any slight against him, even if he couldn’t hear praise. 

Gillian and his trio all turned their gazes toward him.

Franz, who was being bullied, quickly gathered his things and escaped.

“What did you say?”

Binaeril still didn’t realize his slip of the tongue.

“Hey, you with the silver hair.”

Only then did Binaeril realize his mistake.

“What did you just say?”

“Did you say that to us?”

The trio approached, swaggering. The students in the classroom watched the four with interest. Among them was a short-haired blonde girl with an inexplicable air of elegance.

“Who is this guy?”

Gillian asked his friend. He couldn’t recall such a student among the seniors.

“Are you a junior too? Did a junior just insult me?”

“He’s that transfer student from the rumors.”

“Ah, the one who’s been causing a stir lately?”

It seemed rumors about Binaeril had spread among the other students without his knowledge.

“So, what did you say?”

“Nothing much.”

“Do you think I’m an idiot?”

Binaeril looked up from his seated position and met the trio’s expressions. Then he started counting the time in his head. The professor for the next class was known for punctuality. Once he finished his calculation, he decided to say what needed to be said.

“I figured if you enjoy insulting others, you might enjoy being on the receiving end too.”

“…Are you crazy?”

Binaeril wasn’t scared. He knew well that all the trio could do was threaten him.

“If I offended you, I apologize.”

The sudden low tone made Gillian and his friends relax slightly.

“It just doesn’t look good for a bastard from a minor baron family to talk about others’ status.”

And then he dropped the bombshell.

Gillian’s friends were momentarily stunned. Gillian himself had a look of shock on his face, as if wondering how Binaeril knew. When his friends glanced at him with questioning eyes, his face turned beet red. He looked like he might explode if pricked with a needle.

“You son of a…!”

He lunged at Binaeril with his reddened face.

“What’s all this commotion? Everyone, take your seats.”

Just as Gillian was about to grab Binaeril by the collar, the professor for the class walked in.

‘Perfect timing.’

Before returning to his seat, Gillian growled in Binaeril’s ear.

“You just wait.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Binaeril waved his hand dismissively as if it were a nuisance.

‘No one who says ‘just wait’ has ever been scary.’

-You’ve got quite a talent for getting under people’s skin.

‘I learned it from talking to you.’

Binaeril calmly sat down and took out his textbook, showing no signs of lingering tension from the conflict. Gillian and his gang took their seats, and the other students turned their attention back to the class after the brief disruption. One person, the blonde-haired girl with a touch of elegance sitting in the back, watched Binaeril intently, imprinting his image in her mind.

“That’s all for today’s class. Please review what we covered today for the next session.”

As soon as the class was dismissed, Gillian Bemes jumped up from his seat. Watching the professor leave the classroom, he immediately shouted.

“Hey, transfer student!”

Gillian was not a patient person. He intended to exact revenge on this insolent transfer student who had revealed his disgrace as a bastard. He quickly scanned the room but couldn’t see Binaeril.

“Transfer student, were you all talk?”

He shouted again confidently, but there was no response. Only students quietly leaving the classroom.

“Where did he go?”

“He left.”

“He packed his things and left as soon as class ended.”

One student sitting closest to the door answered nervously under Gillian’s glare.

“Why didn’t you stop him?”

“W-why should I…”

The student, afraid of getting caught up in the trouble, quickly gathered his things and fled.

“Damn it…”

Gillian’s friends, who had risen threateningly, awkwardly scratched their heads.

“What’s the transfer student’s name?”

“Uh… it was something unusual… Binaeril? Binaeril Dalheim, something like that.”

“Binaeril Dalheim… I’ll remember that.”

Gillian clenched his fist and repeated the name of the transfer student who had slipped away like a rat. Gillian Bemes thought he would easily find Binaeril soon. After all, students usually stayed within similar living areas.

The same classes, the same cafeteria, the same dormitory building. 

But as one day passed, two days passed, and almost a week went by without seeing Binaeril, Gillian asked his friends.

“Did he drop out?”

“He gave up on this class? Seems like he’s taking other classes.”

Even though he sat in the cafeteria for lunch all day, Binaeril didn’t show up.

“Doesn’t he eat?”

“He eats somewhere else, I heard.”

Binaeril somehow avoided every path Gillian waited on, always slipping away like a ghost.

“I swear, when I catch him, he’s dead! Grrr…”

It was now a matter of pride. Gillian started to mobilize his friends to search for Binaeril Dalheim’s whereabouts.

“Hm-hm-hmm~”

Binaeril hummed a tune as he walked across Elfenbine’s campus. Contrary to Gillian’s thoughts, Binaeril wasn’t avoiding him out of fear. He just didn’t want to get caught up in unnecessary trouble. And he had Veritas to thank for helping him avoid Gillian’s gang.

“You’re actually quite helpful, you know?”

-What are you talking about? Have you already forgotten who your magic mentor is? You should be kneeling in gratitude.

“I wasn’t doubting your abilities, I was talking about your attitude. Always with the sarcastic remarks, I thought you didn’t like me.”

-Me? Not like you? Impossible.

Right now, Binaeril was heading to his next class following Veritas’s directions.

-Gillian Bemes is nearby, you should hurry. He’s coming this way.

“Don’t worry. As soon as I get past this building, I’ll be at the lecture hall.”

As Binaeril rounded the corner of the building, he failed to notice someone coming from the opposite direction.

“Ow!”

The two collided, and the other person let out a shrill scream.