Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage's Book - Chapter 9

Professor Pierre Blanchot submitted the document bearing his signature to the academic office.

Though he detested paperwork, the document he received from his student today was quite intriguing.

It was from a student named Gillian, or something like that. He wasn’t very memorable.

Professor Blanchot asked the student who brought the duel permission slip for the reason behind it.

“He tarnished my honor.”

Blanchot barely held back from asking if this chick who hadn’t yet shed his student feathers even had any honor to tarnish.

Gillian’s expression was extremely serious.

A magical duel. Whatever the reason, it was an amusing endeavor.

Before Elfenbine became so snobbish, during Professor Blanchot’s generation, magical duels were quite common.

Seniors to juniors, students to professors. Every student could issue a challenge, and no one declined.

Elfenbine used to be like a barracks, raising warriors.

When a few high-ranking officials’ children got injured, complaints flooded in from various countries. The high-ups in the magic tower frantically worked to suppress magical duels.

Now, the practice was nearly forgotten.

So, Blanchot was almost pleased to see this novice bring in such an interesting document.

“Hmm, a magical duel! That brings back memories! You brought an amusing piece of paperwork for a slacker!”

“Thank you, Professor! So, you’ll stamp it?”

“Yes, it’s rejected!”

“Thank you… Pardon, Professor??”

Despite Pierre’s personal opinions on magical duels, submitting the paperwork would surely cause an uproar in the council.

Would the professors be reasonable? What if students got hurt? What about Elfenbine’s funding… and so on.

Pierre Blanchot wanted to remain at the school long enough to enjoy the gold coins, like a parasite. He didn’t want to take unnecessary risks.

He was getting old.

“Stop wasting time and focus on your studies!”

“But… Professor!”

“What are you still doing here?”

Then, unexpectedly, someone in the faculty lounge showed interest in this story.

“Who applied to duel whom?”

“Ah, Dean? It was a student named Gillian Bemes and another named Binaeril Dalheim.”

“Can’t you approve it?”

“Uh? But the students’ safety…”

“Can’t you?”

“But the council…”

“I’ll handle that.”

It was hard to refuse when someone who never meddled in such matters suddenly took interest.

‘The dean must be getting bored in his old age,’ Blanchot thought.

For a magical duel to be established, both the challenger’s and the challenged’s supervising professors had to sign off on it. (The challenged student had no say.)

Binaeril’s supervising professor was Professor Freud.

Freud was known to be quite strict and cautious, so Blanchot expected the request to be rejected at Freud’s end.

But unexpectedly, Professor Freud accepted the request. Did Dean Yulio also goad him into it?

Thus, a small event broke the monotony of their daily lives.

“It’s been a long time since a magical duel was sanctioned outside of the Scala exams.”

As the supervising professor, Pierre Blanchot had a duty to be present at the duel.

The duel was set for the day after tomorrow. Professor Blanchot, thrilled by the rare spectacle, hummed a little tune.

Binaeril gently touched the olive branch pattern that curved gracefully.

Though it was a picture embedded in flat paper, it felt three-dimensional. The administrative power of Elfenbine paid attention to strange details.

The single letter, thrown at him by the professor he disliked encountering, was, of course, not a love letter.

It was a summons to attend a duel that had been scheduled.

As he read through the content, wondering what recent events might have been held, he realized there was indeed an event.

He just didn’t know he was the main participant.

Binaeril had a vague understanding of the magical duel system. He didn’t realize it didn’t require the participant’s consent.

“What kind of absurd system is this?”

The stiffly worded letter essentially boiled down to, “Come and fight, or face consequences.”

Binaeril almost wanted to applaud Gillian’s relentless persistence in picking a fight.

– Must not have been beaten enough.

Veritas’s opinion mirrored his own.

The scheduling of the magical duel was as abrupt as its content, almost as if someone had deliberately expedited it.

“No way, that’s not possible.”

Binaeril had no such connections. He had attended school quietly during his junior years and had just recently moved up to the senior level.

He hadn’t done anything to earn anyone’s ire or attract attention.

– But this might be a good thing.

“Why?”

– It’s a chance for you to improve your control.

Since the night of his nightmare, Binaeril had been avoiding using magic.

“What if I lose control again like that time?”

– So you’re planning to just get beaten and lose?

“Well, no.”

– There will be supervisors. What are you worried about?

“Hmm.”

Veritas might be right.

Avoiding the problem wouldn’t solve it.

Binaeril decided to head to the training hall.

Before the actual duel, he felt the need to prepare as much as possible.

A few days later, the day of the magical duel arrived.

Binaeril Dalheim entered the designated location.

Gillian Bemes, their two supervising professors, and a stout elderly man appeared as the overseer.

Binaeril, who didn’t enjoy loud crowds, was relieved to see fewer spectators.

‘Who’s that old man?’

– Let’s see. That’s Professor Angelo.

‘Dean of the Elemental Faculty, Professor Angelo Yulio?’

Elfenbine’s academic system was divided into several faculties based on their specialties.

The Elemental Faculty, the Spirit Faculty, the Divine Faculty, etc.

The deans of each faculty were world-renowned magicians.

Binaeril had only heard of him; he had never seen him in person. As a senior professor nearing retirement, he rarely appeared in classes or official events.

‘Why is he here?’

– Probably attending as an overseer.

With only the supervising professors as spectators, there could be bias, so a neutral overseer was needed.

It was surprising that a dean would take on such a role.

“I went easy on you last time. Today, you’re dead.”

Gillian was again making bold threats.

Seriously, who went easy on whom?

It seemed this guy was more persistent than expected, given how he clung to this issue.

“If you had studied with this persistence, we wouldn’t have had to fight in the first place.”

After Gillian passed, Binaeril’s supervising professor, Professor Freud, also walked past him.

Binaeril pondered whether to say something, but Professor Freud just glanced at him and walked to his seat.

“Why are so many people glaring at me?”

– Maybe they find you annoying.

“You’re the most annoying.”

“Both students, step onto the platform.”

Following Dean Yulio’s instruction, Binaeril and Gillian took their positions at an appropriate distance on the arena platform.

“Leaving the arena results in disqualification. The duel will immediately stop if one party declares surrender or if the overseer calls for a halt. Safety is the top priority in magical duels.”

There were a few other rules, but they weren’t particularly important.

Gillian, ignoring the Dean’s words, mouthed something at Binaeril.

‘Y… Are… Dead…’ Binaeril looked away, refusing to engage.

“Then, let the duel begin!”

“Rise, spears of the earth!”

Gillian Bemes made the first move.

He was a magician at the early stages of the 2nd tier.

Hearing Gillian’s incantation, Binaeril leapt to the side.

The earth spiked up where he had been standing.

In a real battle, this wouldn’t happen, but in a magical duel, it was customary to chant loudly enough for the opponent to hear and recognize the attack.

Trying to deceive or whisper spells was grounds for disqualification.

Gillian quickly prepared his next spell.

“Piercing arrows of the wind!”

Gillian focused intently, sweat trickling down his face.

Even from a distance, Binaeril could see his face flush red.

Creating three wind arrows with a single chant was challenging for Gillian at his current level.

Gillian’s struggle gave Binaeril time to prepare a counter-spell.

Binaeril adapted Gillian’s earlier spell, but this time for defense.

A stone wall rose between them.

“Hmm, not bad,” Dean Yulio and Professor Pierre murmured in brief admiration.

For a transfer student, he seemed quite skilled.

Only Professor Freud, Binaeril’s mentor, watched silently with a dry expression.

Elemental magic had a natural hierarchy.

The wind arrows cast by Gillian struck Binaeril’s stone wall without causing any damage.

Gillian grew anxious. Though he was the one attacking, he felt like he was being cornered.

Using the cover of the stone wall, he stealthily advanced.

By the time Binaeril noticed his approach, they were only about five meters apart.

A dangerous distance for a student duel. The shorter the distance, the less time there was to defend.

Professor Pierre frowned, glancing at Dean Yulio.

The Dean remained impassive. Pierre refocused on Gillian’s actions.

Gillian decided to use his prepared spell.

The previous spells had just been a setup. He still had his trump card.

However, this attack required him to be closer to Binaeril.

As he neared the point where he could clearly read Binaeril’s expression, Gillian began his confident incantation, turning his head at an awkward angle to make it harder for Binaeril to understand.

“Salamander of flames that engulfs my body, ignite the fire that consumes the surroundings.”

Hearing the spell, Pierre shot up from his seat.

That was the spell of self-immolation.

A spell that caused a large explosion with the caster at the center.

Not a spell typical for student duels. Moreover, without sufficient skill, the caster risked severe injury.

Pierre moved to intervene, but a hand stopped him.

“Dean?”

It was Dean Angelo Yulio.

The Dean was fully aware of the situation. If they didn’t stop it immediately, at least one of the students would be severely injured.

“I’ll handle this. Just a moment.”

Binaeril, recognizing Gillian’s incantation, panicked. With Gillian charging at him, he didn’t have enough time to defend.

He hurriedly stepped back, but Gillian was faster.

“Damn…!”

Gillian’s entire body started to turn red.

What should I do now?

As Gillian completed his incantation, a scorching heat rushed towards Binaeril’s face.

Though it was a dangerous moment, Binaeril felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

Gillian’s flames began to engulf Binaeril’s body.

Binaeril recognized the feeling. It was a replay of the nightmare he had repeatedly experienced.

“No!”

Binaeril’s imagination surged intensely. Instinctively, he envisioned an explosive force that would repel the flames.

He swung his arms, trying to fend off the flames with the maximum amount of magic he could muster.

Boom!

A burst of cold erupted from him, clashing with Gillian’s heat, creating a deafening noise.

The force surged past the wall of flames and rushed towards Gillian.

Gillian felt himself being overpowered but had no strength left to counter. He had exhausted all his energy with the previous attack.

It was at that moment that Dean Yulio intervened.

“Stop!”

The Dean cast a protective barrier between the two students.

Binaeril’s magic couldn’t penetrate the barrier and dissipated.

“That’s enough. This duel is over. Binaeril Dalheim is the winner.”

Professor Angelo Yulio stood up.

The other two supervising professors looked quite alarmed. Binaeril couldn’t fully grasp the situation.

‘Did I do something wrong?’

“Binaeril Dalheim!”

“Yes? Ah… Yes!”

“Follow me.”

Dean Yulio’s face was stern and deeply furrowed.

Binaeril had a feeling he was about to be scolded.