Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

“No,” Sori said firmly, turning his back.

His decisiveness was so strong that even Rike, who was watching, felt awkward.

He walked out and disappeared among the Miao Tribe members, his displeasure evident in his stride.

“Sylvia… are you alright?” Rike asked, patting Sylvia’s shoulder to comfort her.

Trembling.

“Do you think I’ll give up just like that? Not a chance…”

Sylvia was the type of person who usually got what she wanted, driven by a strong will. Rike had a feeling the next week wouldn’t be smooth.

Sori was a busy man, one of the top warriors among the Miao Tribe. Everyone in the village relied on him. If the spirit priests like Jinulbam were the spiritual backbone of the Miao Tribe, the warriors were their pillars, and Sori was the beam connecting them.

What did the Miao Tribe warriors do? Their main food sources were the plants scattered around Hoenberg. While they didn’t strictly abstain from meat, their diet was primarily vegetarian. Warriors protected those gathering vegetables and wild plants, checked and patrolled the wooden barriers around the village, and sometimes butchered and prepared meat. They also trained the young Miao Tribe members. Additionally, Sori had to spend time with his son, who had returned after several months.

Extremely. Very. Intensely. He needed to be in two places at once.

However…

“Stop following me, human.”

“Then will you teach me the Miao Tribe’s way of fighting?”

Even now, Sori was repairing a building at the village’s request. Sylvia had been following him around as soon as she finished unpacking.

She ignored the sharp looks from the other Miao Tribe members.

“Are all humans this shameless?”

“I’m kind of like that.”

She was unashamedly persistent.

“Go away. I have no intention of teaching you anything.”

Sori coldly dismissed her and continued his work.

Despite the repeated rejections, Sylvia didn’t flinch.

“You need to carry this, right? Here, let me.”

She helped another person struggling with materials.

Her only asset was her sturdy body. Gaining Sori’s favor was crucial to her.

***

Based on Jinulbam’s teachings, Binaeril had an understanding. Magic was a force of imposing and realizing the user’s will. A mage materialized their thoughts and imagination through their mana and willpower. In contrast, the ‘way of serving spirits,’ as Jinulbam put it, was the exact opposite. Spirit art was about accepting and embracing.

Binaeril wasn’t yet accustomed to handling these two opposing forces.

“Child, how can a spirit speak to you if you have closed your ears?”

Jinulbam instructed Binaeril to simply ‘stay still.’ Given his injuries, Binaeril couldn’t engage in rigorous training, and to communicate with spirits, a calm and empty mind was essential. She began by teaching him how to breathe properly, a Miao Tribe breathing technique that gradually expanded one’s senses by slowly feeling each breath in and out.

Binaeril followed her instructions. He lay still. Just lying down… being still…

“Ouch! Why did you hit me?”

“Who told you to sleep, you rascal!”

Every time Binaeril dozed off, Jinulbam would somehow sense it and hit him on the head.

“But I get sleepy when I stay still.”

“Endure it. Emptying your mind and losing focus are different things.”

Binaeril recalled the special lessons he had received from Dean Yulio in Elfenbine. Moving his body until he was out of breath and every muscle screamed was difficult, but emptying his mind without moving a finger was equally arduous. Random thoughts constantly surfaced, and if he wasn’t careful, sleep would claim him.

‘What does it mean to empty my mind?’

“Child, empty your mind and breathe. Everything in the world has its own voice. Words, writing, and thoughts only hinder hearing their language.”

Binaeril’s lips moved slightly.

“Shh. Don’t speak.”

Eden approached and rubbed against his hand.

As Binaeril’s mind sank into stillness, Jinulbam’s voice echoed softly within the house.

“Listen to the world’s voice speaking to you. Feel the warmth of the snowflakes it sends you. Accept the touch that caresses you.”

And so, Binaeril slowly drifted off to sleep again.

Jinulbam’s voice sounded like a distant lullaby.

“Sigh, why does this child sleep so much?”

***

“Doesn’t she ever get tired?”

“Huh?”

It was the third day.

The third day Sylvia had been following Sori.

No matter where Sori was or what he was doing, Sylvia was always there, except when he was sleeping.

“What?”

“I asked if you ever get tired.”

“I slept well. Hurry up, there are others waiting behind.”

They were on their way to patrol the village’s surroundings.

The other Miao Tribe warriors, who had initially looked at Sylvia with wary eyes, now exchanged a few words with her.

Sori deliberately ignored Sylvia, which now made it seem like he was the one being left out. The Miao Tribe youths, curious and impressed by Sylvia’s straightforward nature, had started talking to her.

Sylvia wasn’t just following Sori around. She was trying to mimic his movements in the forest, asking other Miao Tribe members about difficult parts. Not all the warriors treated her coldly; some kindly demonstrated for her.

“Here we split up. Huibi, you take the left path. Sanha, Neoul, and Dolmok, you go through the central path. And…”

Sori glanced down at Sylvia. She wasn’t part of the Miao Tribe, and it was clear she’d follow him anyway, so splitting up didn’t make sense.

“I’ll take the right path. Looks like I’ll have an extra burden.”

Sylvia waved enthusiastically at the other Miao Tribe members as they parted ways.

The right path was the most dangerous, with rough terrain and frequent monster sightings.

‘Wait a minute, rough terrain means…’

Sori suddenly stopped.

“Ouch! If you’re going to stop, say something first, old man!”

Sylvia, who initially treated Sori with respect, now spoke to him casually due to his constant silence.

‘So, you want to learn the Miao Tribe’s fighting style?’

Sori suddenly had an idea.

‘Learn if you can.’

He took off at full speed down the pathless patrol route.

Sylvia’s scream grew distant and faint.

For the first time in ages, Sori felt a surge of satisfaction.

Without looking back at the diminishing figure of Sylvia, he muttered like a petty person.

“Catch up if you can.”

***

Three days had passed since Binaeril started Jinulbam’s special lessons.

So far, he had shown no progress.

-Hmph. An inept talent who took three years to cast a single spell doesn’t change.

He ignored Veritas’s blunt insults.

Strangely, Veritas wasn’t happy about Binaeril learning spirit arts.

“Still not getting it?”

Binaeril grew impatient as things didn’t go as planned.

Facing Zilph had made him feel a wall for the first time since learning magic.

Despite drawing heavily on Veritas’s power, Zilph remained unscathed.

That image was etched into Binaeril’s mind.

‘If only I could harness Eden’s power to that extent…’

He had no interest in other spirits. He already had a loyal spirit.

“I wanted to at least hear Eden’s voice.”

Jinulbam’s lessons weren’t like Dean Yulio’s, which he could attend anytime. This was a one-week, limited-time special class.

“Come to think of it…”

Binaeril remembered something.

“I did hear Zilph’s voice though?”

Jinulbam furrowed her brow slightly.

“I heard Lord Zilph’s voice though?”

Her brow smoothed out.

“Do not casually speak the name of a spirit. That spirit of the gorge is not an ordinary spirit. You can tell just by the fact that it has a name.”

“Is a name significant for a spirit?”

“Indeed. Just as not all winds have names, only high-ranking spirits possess unique names.”

‘But Eden has a name?’

However, upon reflection, that wasn’t entirely true.

The name Eden was given by the people of Elfenbine; Binaeril had never actually heard Eden’s voice.

Never had she come to Binaeril and introduced herself with, “My name is Eden.”

“Originally, it takes years of training just to hear a spirit’s voice. Child, do not be impatient.”

Binaeril awkwardly smiled and nodded.

He decided to set a different goal.

Jinulbam’s advice to feel the spirit’s presence in all things seemed too vague.

However, Eden, who rubbed her face against his fingertips, was a tangible presence.

Binaeril had always found it hard to believe in the abstract.

He decided his goal would be to hear Eden’s voice.

In the forest, with no one else around, Sylvia cursed vividly.

“Tricking me like this is really low.”

She was running hard, but Sori was nowhere to be seen.

Miao Tribe members left hardly any traces in the forest, making them hard to find.

All she could do was run in the direction Sori had disappeared.

After a few minutes, she heard a strange sound.

The sound of something hard clashing with metal.

A low growl and a faint fishy smell.

“A monster?”

Sori was the only one heading this way.

Sylvia quickened her pace.

It was a bad situation.

Sori, running for a bit of revenge, had encountered a pack of gnolls.

With his keen Miao Tribe senses, Sori had spotted the gnolls first and hid.

“I was too complacent.”

The patrol rule was to always work in pairs.

However, the persistent human girl had caused him to misjudge.

The relative safety of the area due to the recent turmoil in Wind Gorge had also played a part.

“If only I had brought that human with me.”

This area was within the Miao Tribe’s territory. If he ran away, the gnolls might follow his scent back to the village.

Sori was in a dilemma.

Sniff sniff.

A gnoll nearby sniffed the air.

Gnolls, wolf-like monsters, had an excellent sense of smell.

Realizing Sori’s presence, the gnolls charged, tongues lolling.

“I have no choice!”

Sori’s primary weapon was a spear.

Tensing his muscles, Sori thrust his spear deep into the lower jaw of the charging gnoll.

“Go to hell, you monsters!”

The gnolls, undeterred, bared their fangs and lunged at Sori.

It was truly a battle of raw ferocity.