Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage's Book - Chapter 2

A doubtful boy, considering himself unlucky, crossed the threshold of the library. As he blinked, the old books greeted him with an almond scent. This was Binaeril’s favorite place. This mysterious library guides its visitors to the last place they stayed.

The most frequent visitor to the library from the tower of magic wasn’t a professor. Nor was it a senior student fervently practicing magic. It was Binaeril, the perpetual underclassman whom people pointed fingers at.

He had ventured deep into the great library, to places even most professors couldn’t reach. 

“The required textbooks were… ‘The History of Magic’ and ‘The Emergence and Ecology of Demons,’ right?” 

There was no need to wander around to find the books in this great library. That’s because a capable librarian was always on duty.

“Eden, find ‘The History of Magic’ and ‘The Emergence and Ecology of Demons,’ please.” 

After a brief wait, something suddenly emerged from the floor near Binaeril. The figure of a mud-colored girl, with her lower half buried in the ground, handed him the two books with a welcoming expression.

Binaeril patted her on the head. 

“Thank you, Eden.” 

The little girl nuzzled against his hand, seemingly pleased. She was a spirit, a newly discovered being alongside magic. ‘Eden’ was the name given to her by the people of Elfenbine. Normally shy and rarely showing herself, Eden was exceptionally friendly towards Binaeril. Watching the innocent Eden, his worries seemed to vanish.

In this vast tower of magic, Eden was the only one who welcomed him. Binaeril looked for a place to sit. The depths of the great library were truly desolate, with no furniture like chairs or desks, only books and bookshelves. He leaned against a creaking bookshelf, using his gathered knees as a reading stand. Once he opened a book, he quickly became engrossed. Most of the knowledge was already in his head. Unlike his stagnant magical skills, his knowledge had steadily accumulated over three years.

It took him less than an hour to go through the two comprehensive texts. 

“Ugh…” 

Binaeril stood up, massaging his stiff neck and shoulders from concentrating. “There’s nothing special.” 

Eden looked up at Binaeril with bright eyes. 

“You’re still here.” 

When the library wasn’t busy, Eden would stay by Binaeril’s side, watching him.

“Do you want me to tell you what I read today?” 

The library spirit nodded, bringing a smile to his face. 

“So, this book discusses the birth of magic and its background…” 

People often called the new millennium the Age of Magic. It was a time of righteous magicians vanquishing demons deemed evil. In this era, magic was order, justice, salvation, and power.

“Magic was humanity’s only weapon to balance against the demons.”

Most physical forces were ineffective against the suddenly appearing demons. Only highly trained knights and armies could barely handle a few demons. Naturally, that power was used to protect royalty, nobility, and the powerful. 

“Archmage Dekypleio fought the demons in place of the nobles who fled to their fortresses to avoid the threat.” 

It didn’t take long for the title ‘Savior’ to be attached to Dekypleio’s name.

Before he knew it, even the emperor of the Albrecht Empire, known as the empire where the sun never sets, could not rival Dekypleio’s fame. 

“And Dekypleio created this place. The Tower of Magic, Elfenbine.”

“Elfenbine is both an educational institution teaching magic and a training ground for warriors to combat demons. All students learn the knowledge necessary to face demons.” 

“The regions where these demons appear vary depending on the ecological environment, and here…” 

Binaeril stopped and closed his mouth. Eden looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

“Eden, what did you just say?” 

Eden couldn’t speak. Binaeril knew this, but he questioned his ears, feeling as though he had heard a faint voice in the silent library.

He listened carefully again in the stillness. From beyond the narrow space between two bookshelves, he thought he heard a whispering voice. Binaeril stood up. Hearing a human voice in the library wasn’t unusual; it could be another student or a staff member. However, his experience over the past few months told him otherwise — he hadn’t seen anyone here for a long time. He felt compelled to identify the source of the sound.

Squeezing between the bookshelves in the guessed direction, he emerged into a clear view.

“Was there such a place in the library?” 

It was a corridor, an aisle of knowledge lined with dark brown bookshelves like columns. Binaeril had never seen such a structure in the great library. Like a scene from an exotic palace, the paper and wood corridor connected to a vast hall.

The whispering seemed to be coming from the center of the hall. Binaeril descended the steps leading to the center, and then suddenly, quite literally, a lectern appeared before him. 

“What is this?” 

It wasn’t hidden by any veil, yet he hadn’t noticed it at all.

A book lay atop the lectern. Binaeril approached and brushed his fingers across the title. Wiping away the dust, the name of the old book was revealed: Book of Truth. 

The voice Binaeril had sensed was coming from within the book. As he turned the pages, he saw that the latter part of the book was blank. It was an unfinished book.

 

He closed the book and inspected the cover, noticing that it was bound in sable leather. The old books in his father’s study often smelled like this. As he flipped through the pages, the musty smell of leather and decayed paper wafted together. Returning to the first page, he found the following subtitle: Chapter of Wisdom.

“Truth and wisdom, huh? The owner of this book must be quite a braggart.” 

There’s always one — books with overly grand titles but little content. Turning another page, he saw an elegant handwritten sentence: “Magic is the mirror of the true world.”

This was a famous phrase, the first axiom of Dekypleio, known to every magician. And without Binaeril realizing it, the voice from within the book had stopped abruptly. Binaeril focused on examining the remaining parts of the book. Most of it was empty. Just as the rustling sound of turning pages began to fill the air,

“Interesting, isn’t it?”

“Ah!” Startled by the voice whispered directly into his ear, Binaeril fell back, landing on his backside.

“Ahahaha!” The unknown figure clutched his stomach, laughing. Binaeril, still on the floor, pushed himself back with his palms and scrutinized him. 

“Who are you?” 

The unexpected visitor was a boy, about Binaeril’s age. He had jet-black, tousled hair and crescent-moon eyes that curved in a smile. Binaeril didn’t recognize him. 

“I am someone who knows you,” the boy said, spinning playfully away. 

“You know me?” 

“That’s all I can tell you for now. Someone who knows you. You wouldn’t understand any more explanation at this point.” 

“What kind of nonsense is that…?” Binaeril racked his memory, trying to recall a student with such a face. Black hair was rare enough to remember, yet nothing came to mind. 

“How do you know me?” he asked. The boy didn’t answer. Instead, he approached the lectern Binaeril had been leaning on and picked up the book. He closed it and blew on it, sending the dust glittering in the sunlight. 

“So, it’s you.” 

“Can you answer me?” Binaeril asked. 

“Answer what? Who I am? My name is Veritas. Also known as the Book of Truth. Book of Truth, Veritas. Both are my names.” 

Binaeril realized that the boy before him was difficult to converse with, only offering cryptic and circular information. 

“The Book of Truth is the name of that book,” Binaeril said. 

“Yes, that’s right.” The boy, who introduced himself as the same name as the bizarre book, suddenly spread his palm wide. The old book was sucked into his hand like a soul. 

“Whoa!” 

It wasn’t an illusion; Binaeril had touched that book. It was a type of magic he had never seen. ‘Wait. Magic?’ A chill ran down Binaeril’s spine. 

“You didn’t chant any spell,” he said. A magician not chanting? It was something out of a childish play. 

The boy responded with a casual expression, “Don’t be surprised. I’m not a magician.” 

“What do you mean? You just used magic.” 

“I just introduced what I am.” The boy pointedly commented on Binaeril’s memory with a mild tone. 

What did he mean by that, ‘what I am’? Looking at Binaeril’s confused expression, the self-proclaimed Book of Truth repeated his introduction with an excited tone, clearly enjoying Binaeril’s reaction. 

“I am the chronicle of all histories, the encyclopedia of all existing magic, the diary of every researcher who has left records, the very embodiment of accumulated knowledge. I am the Book of Truth!” 

At this point, Binaeril had a gut feeling. This person is insane. He must be a lunatic who got lost in this labyrinthine library and went mad, unable to find an exit.

Or am I seeing things? Is it me? Have I gone mad?

“Hey, how about a round of applause?” 

Binaeril, wearing a dazed expression, clapped dryly. Just twice. Clap. Clap.

The boy was not satisfied with this reaction and approached Binaeril, almost skipping. A strong scent of sable leather wafted over. It was the boy’s scent. Binaeril wondered how a person’s body could smell like that.

“Binaeril Dalheim. A prodigal who ran away from home because you hated your brother so much. You resented your world-renowned knight brother and entered Elfenbine, hoping to become a more outstanding and famous magician than him.”

Unless Binaeril had turned into an idiot, he hadn’t introduced himself. 

“You desperately pray to master magic. I can grant your wish.”

What kind of nonsense was this? Was he from a cult? A new evangelism method?

Despite his chaotic thoughts, Binaeril’s mouth reflexively voiced a rebuttal. “It’s useless. Do you know how long it’s been since I enrolled? Three years. I’ve been chasing all the professors at Elfenbine for three years, seeking their guidance. And look at me now.”

“Why?” 

“What do you mean, why?”

“Because none of them have faced the same problem as you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? How do you know about my problem and claim you can teach me?”

“Do you want to know?” 

Binaeril didn’t answer, but his impatient expression betrayed him.

“The method is very simple. You just need to let go of your wretched doubt. The doubt that you can manifest the absurd power of magic through your imagination, will, soul, and body.”

It sounded easy. In words, at least. 

‘Wait, how does he know my problem?’ 

Everything about this was inexplicable. The only thing Binaeril realized was that this mysterious boy might be his last lifeline.

“But there’s one condition.” 

“What is it?” Binaeril asked, slightly anticipating the next words. What condition would this enigmatic boy, who felt like a midday nightmare, present?

The boy held out the book from before. It had somehow reappeared in his hand.

“Open it.” 

Binaeril obediently took the book and flipped through the pages. It was still the same, a book with empty content. That was all.

“You need to find the missing parts of me. That’s my condition.”

“Are you telling me to write the remaining parts of the book?” 

The boy smirked.

“That book is me. I am that book. The lost pages are scattered across the world. You need to retrieve them and complete me. If you promise, I will teach you magic.”

It was a bizarre condition. So bizarre that it felt impossible to refuse.

Binaeril steadied his trembling eyes and replied with a resolute gaze. 

The mysterious boy smiled upon hearing his answer.