Chapter 15
Ethan interrupted Bien.
"I heard slavery is illegal in the Empire."
"Just because the Emperor declares it doesn't mean it disappears instantly. It's just a name. Slavery is rampant in many parts of the Empire. And Vine was searching for slaves to perform magic experiments on people, which the Council of Mages prohibited. It would have been less trouble through an intermediary like a slave market, but thinking about it now, it was something much more dangerous, so he couldn't do that. Vine went around to each household, searching for children to discard."
Ethan knew that Vine's school of magic was mental magic. Mental magic is slow to develop compared to its value. Mental magic targets people, and thus, generally, the use of mental magic is prohibited, just like Black Magic.
After becoming the head of the family at twenty, Vine emerged as a representative mage of mental magic, and consequently, the mental magic school developed, and its value was being re-evaluated recently. Considering that mental magic cannot be used frequently, it seems more plausible to assume that Vine found a way to use mental magic frequently, rather than assuming he was a genius who would overcome that.
"But unlike other children, I was lucky. I had the talent to become a mage."
Ethan didn't ask about the fate of the other children.
"Vine presented me with a contract. I was seven years old at the time. If I had grown up in a noble family, I would have been able to read, but I hadn't. He read the contract to me. He said he could make me a mage, but I had to pay him back for the money used to buy me, the cost of my sleep, clothes, food and drink, and education, and if I didn't pay, I would die. Vine read that contract for hours until I understood. Even though I didn't really have the option to refuse. I signed with my blood."
"Because it's a 'Contract of Pasitaros'."
The Contract of Pasitaros was one of the contract magic types. The mage writes the contract terms on paper with their own blood. The contractor reads the terms, then fulfills the contract. If they don't, the contractor dies. The important point here is that the contractor must fully understand the contract terms.
"You know about it? ...Ah, you, you were a Charasen, weren't you? Charasen of Plunder."
Ethan politely corrected him.
"Charasen of Oath."
The Charasen were one of the five ancient noble families, and each ancient family had a representative school of magic. The magic represented by the Charasen was contract magic.
Ethan turned his focus back to Bien's story.
"A seven-year-old child can't be responsible for their life. The fact that you didn't die must be because there was an exception clause."
"That's right. Not only is payment deferral possible, but there are terms for repayment. Every order from Vine has a price attached to it. If I perform it, my debt decreases."
"Current remaining debt?"
"120 Imperial gold coins and 13 silver coins. Plus 23 copper coins."
A Charasen serf would earn about 80 gold coins in a lifetime, and a merchant with a ship would earn about 400 gold coins in a lifetime. Eight sheep are 1 gold coin, one cow is 3 gold coins, a small fishing boat is 20 gold coins, and a neatly built house hired with an architect and entrusted to professional carpenters and stonemasons is about 50 gold coins.
"That's an absurd amount."
"In the Contract of Pasitaros, the contract terms cannot be written arbitrarily by the mage; they must all have grounds. My contract is based on the cost for Imperial slaves to purchase their freedom and the interest rate."
Bien was expressionless as he said that. Ethan saw in that face that despair and anger had long passed him by. Emotions don't improve situations.
"I continued to work as Vine's assistant. Because I assisted him with various tasks by his side, I also learned that he secretly joined the Imperial Inquisition. After he became a professor at the magic school, I naturally also enrolled in the school. My time working as an assistant decreased, but other tasks were given to me."
"So that's how you became an Imperial Inquisition member."
"Yes."
Bien's change in expression was subtle, but he looked somewhat relieved. It must have been difficult to find someone to tell his secret to.
"Is Bien Palmaize your real name?"
"Bien is indeed my name. Palmaize is not. He said it's a fallen noble family from Kardien, but Vine attached it arbitrarily. He seemed to have some intention behind it, but I don't know yet."
The Kingdom of Kardien is a country between Yurmus City and the Arnesia Empire. Bien's appearance, along with his name, wasn't immediately distinguishable as a Yumahan, but without a suitable surname, he would have felt out of place in Yurmus. Attaching a suitable surname feels more plausible than creating a fake name.
Ethan said.
"There's a loophole in the Contract of Pasitaros."
"I know that too. It's that you can kill the mage."
There are always loopholes in contract magic, and the Contract of Pasitaros was no different. As it's a contract between two parties, if one side dies, specifically, the contractor dies if they fail to fulfill the contract, so if the mage dies, the contract is automatically voided.
"Well, putting aside the huge disparity between me and Vine for now, I have mental magic placed on me by Vine."
"What kind of magic? I don't know much about mental magic."
"Many people wouldn't. It's Vine's unique magic. Vine calls that magic 'Prohibition'. People will later call it Vine's Prohibition."
Bien explained.
"Prohibition can define the actions a mage can take towards a target and restrict them from doing so."
From Ethan's perspective, it was interesting mental magic. Mental magic has few variations and is rarely applied consistently. If Vine truly created such magic, his status in the Council of Mages would rise compared to before.
"That's strange. 'Murder' itself isn't an action, is it?"
"But 'murder' is always accompanied by actions. You just need to specify the actions that constitute murder. For example, if you designate all actions like holding a knife and stabbing, putting poison in food to eat, strangling someone, as Prohibition, you can't murder."
Ethan pointed out.
"That's crude."
Bien also pointed out.
"If you, who can't even properly use magic, say something like that, Vine would laugh."
As Ethan gave a wry smile, Bien smiled back and then scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Frankly, I didn't expect to hear about the food from my hometown from Mr. Ethan. Of course, it's partly because Mr. Ethan told me his story first before that. Thanks to that, I gained trust in Mr. Ethan, I suppose."
Ethan debated whether to punch Bien in the face and say, 'Trust my ass. Do you know how many times I died because of you?' but decided against it. He would need to hear this story again if necessary, but he had no intention of doing so right now. And since Bien talked about trust, Ethan had to test if he could gain practical benefit.
"How about we try this?"
"What do you mean?"
Ethan replied.
"The Contract of Pasitaros placed on you can ultimately be resolved with money. That means anyone who can manage funds can help you."
"That may be so, but 120 Imperial gold coins is not a sum of money that anyone can easily give."
"What about the Madowon?"
Bien traced along as if considering it.
"If it's the Madowon, they would have a lot of money. They would receive all the support from Mazok families. But it would be difficult for them to give it to a mere magic school student."
"Specifically, it's about voiding your contract with that money and affiliating with the Madowon. You can repay the money to the Madowon gradually."
"You mean borrowing money from the Madowon. But if I'm affiliated somewhere else anyway, isn't it the same thing?"
"At least you wouldn't be subject to contract magic."
Bien's eyes widened for a moment, then he slowly nodded.
"I admit that would be better. However, realistically, there's no reason for the Madowon to accept me. Mr. Ethan, you've only just become affiliated with the Madowon yourself. It's good to call yourself an agent, but they will only think of you as an informant. I don't think you'd have that much say."
In this life, Ethan didn't show Bien the handgun; he just barged in and told Bien that he was an agent affiliated with the Madowon, that he knew Bien was also one, and that he should cooperate in future activities. Afterward, he answered the questions Bien asked about the Madowon and the Empire, and with that, he was able to erase Bien's suspicion. However, the problem was that it wasn't the end. Bien is the type of person who carries out tasks according to procedure, regardless of his suspicion. The Contract of Pasitaros is magic that maintains his subservient state to Vine, and the Prohibition only prevents him from killing Vine, so he can't blame the magic. Bien is just that kind of person. Therefore, regardless of the distance in their relationship, Ethan had to find a way to prevent Bien from telling Vine that he had met him.
Ethan said.
"How about achieving results?"
"What do you mean by results?"
Ethan replied.
"The reason I asked for your cooperation is because a Black Mage is hiding in this school."
"Just because they're hiding doesn't mean they can be found, does it?"
"I know who it is. I just need to find the evidence."
Perhaps because it was an unexpected answer, Bien asked again, surprised.
"Who is it?"
Ethan replied.
"Maiya Onyx."