I Stole The Duke - Chapter 105

“It’s the only wish your one and only disciple has… Can’t you grant it? You’ve never had to suffer the humiliation of being seventeen and constantly mistaken for fourteen… Sigh—so it can’t be helped, can it? Since we depart in a month, I wonder what my lonely master will do until then…”

Olive looked up at Karahan with the most pitiful expression he could muster—a trick he’d perfected.

“Hmm… I suppose I’ll have to study how the three spells can be combined.”

It was too risky to apply the spell to a human right away. He figured testing it first on a potted plant would be safest.

“I’ll prepare a lab for you immediately.”

Without hesitation, Olive abused his authority as Tower Master.

“Fine, you rascal.”

In the end, Karahan gave in to his unruly disciple. Today was one of those rare days where he didn’t mind letting the boy have his way.

“Thank you, Master! You’re the greatest wizard alive—I’m sure you’ll master the composite spell within a month!”

“Silence.”

Karahan brushed off the flattery and settled into the couch.

Good. Step one is complete.

Olive’s lips curled into a sly smile. The fairy—Eliana—seemed to prefer tall, handsome men. If he wanted to meet her expectations, it was only right to prepare accordingly.

Now all that’s left is figuring out how to break up the Duke and Duchess…

He reached for one of the many research papers piled on the desk.

“……”

Karahan, flipping through his own papers on the sofa, glanced sideways at his disciple.

He was never the type to study this hard…

His lazy student had become Tower Master—and suddenly, he was acting like a completely different person.

“Master.”

“What is it?”

“May I ask questions if there’s something I don’t understand while reading these papers?”

“That’s what a master is for, isn’t it?”

“Thank you.”

Well, I’ll be…

Maybe being Tower Master actually suited him more than expected.

Clip-clop. Clip-clop.

A pure white warhorse and a golden pony walked side by side, drawing the attention of passersby. It was the fifth day of riding lessons, and Eliana had finally left the inner citadel and entered the outer city.

“My lady, whenever you come outside the inner walls like this, you must bring me with you.”

The inner citadel was heavily restricted, but the outer city was open to any citizen of verified status. For her safety, an escort was essential.

“I hope I’m not stealing too much of your time.”

Eliana briefly considered whether she should designate an additional personal guard.

“It’s an honor to serve you, my lady.”

There’s truly no better escort than Sir Joel…

Joel had a natural way of putting people at ease. That alone made him indispensable.

“We’ve arrived. This is the stonemason who handles all the marble and stonework within the city.”

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The sound of hammers striking chisels was loud enough to drown out Joel’s voice. Around them, blocks of cut stone and marble tiles lay stacked—materials for castle repairs and public structures.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

“Could you pause your work for a moment?”

Eliana’s voice was nearly swallowed by the noise.

“Just a moment, please.”

Reading her lips, Joel dismounted and approached the mason.

“Excuse me.”

“Wah! Wh-what is it!? Oh—S-Sir Knight?”

Startled by the tap on his back, the mason dropped his tools and turned around in shock.

“What brings a knight to my humble workplace?”

“You are in the presence of the Duchess of Ascher. Show respect.”

“Oh heavens, my lady!”

The mason threw his hammer aside and dropped to the ground, groveling. Eliana felt immediately embarrassed.

This is… uncomfortable.

The elderly mason’s hair was snow-white. Moments like these reminded her that noble life wasn’t always easy or pleasant.

“Stand properly and receive the lady’s request.”

Sensing her discomfort, Joel quickly brought the situation back under control.

“Y-yes, of course.”

“I’m looking to commission a few headstones.”

Eliana glanced around the workshop before continuing.

“Ah, headstones are my specialty, my lady. Just say the word.”

“Would it be possible to carve this symbol into them?”

Eliana pulled a piece of folded parchment from her bag and opened it.

“…Yes. It’s possible.”

The mason’s eyes widened slightly. The paper held a collection of strange diagrams and symbols—unclear whether they were letters or magical markings.

“Which type of stone would be best for quick and easy work?”

“This sandstone here will be easiest to carve with a chisel.”

Though too soft for true headstones, it was often used for decorative carvings.

“Make them this size”—she pointed to a nearby tile— “and don’t worry too much about perfection. Just make sure the shapes are recognizable.”

Eliana gave her instructions in the most polite way possible—but the message was clear: it didn’t have to be pristine.

“There will be ten in total. Can they be finished within twenty days?”

“Yes, my lady. I’ll throw myself into it with all I have!”

The old mason’s southern passion ignited like a flame.

“No… There’s no need to burn your body for this.”

“Then I’ll leave it in your hands.”

Eliana handed the prepared papers to Joel.

“This is a task entrusted by the lady herself. Make sure it’s completed faithfully.”

Joel handed the ten sheets to the stonemason, reinforcing her command.

“Of course, sir. I understand completely.”

“Also… this is confidential. No one must hear a word of this, and once the work is finished, burn the papers.”

“Understood! I’ll lock the doors and get to work in earnest.”

“I’ll return in twenty days to collect them. Take care.”

“Yes, sir knight!”

“Shall we continue, my lady?”

“……”

Eliana was speechless. Joel had handled the situation perfectly.

“Sir Joel… how did you know it was a confidential matter?”

“I had a feeling.”

There really was no better escort than Sir Joel.

“Next, take me to the woodworking shop.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“What the hell is this?!”

A paper that had been lying quietly on Olive’s desk was suddenly snatched into the air. He’d found it—finally.

“Wow… this is insane. This is completely nuts.”

His hand trembled as he stared at the content. Among the mountain of submitted research papers, someone had actually invented a magic spell specifically designed to break up couples.

“Who the hell comes up with something like this? This is deranged!”

Sure, mages were known for being eccentric, but the creator of this spell had clearly crossed over into madness.

“Using such brilliance for something so evil?”

It was a highly complex composite spell—blending curse magic and hypnotic magic. Olive ran through the calculations several times, and every time the theory held up. That made it even more absurd.

“Call Breaker in, now!”

“Yes, Master.”

He immediately summoned the spell’s developer.

Not long after, a sallow-faced man arrived at the Tower Master’s office.

“You called, Master?”

“Yes… Breaker. I had some questions after reviewing your paper.”

“Yes, of course. Please ask anything.”

Breaker was clearly nervous. It was probably time for his thesis to be officially reviewed.

“Ahem… So, this magic—‘Love Smell.’ Have you ever cast it yourself?”

The spell Breaker had developed was ironically titled Love Smell—a deceptively cute name for something so cruel.

“Yes, I have.”

“And did it work?”

“Of course it did. It worked in less than three days.”

“You mean the couple broke up?”

“Yes, they broke up, but—Master! Do you know what really makes this so unjust?!”

“…What?”

“She, my fiancée—she said she couldn’t smell anything on me! Nothing! Can you believe that? I was her fiancé!”

Suddenly, Breaker burst into tears mid-explanation, overcome with emotion.

“Do you know what else was unfair?!”

“What now…”

“I cast the spell on myself, and I nearly passed out from the stench! My nose felt like it was rotting! That means I still love her! Argh!”

“……”

Olive suddenly felt a pang of pity for this gloomy mage.

“So the spell doesn’t just break up couples—it confirms love, too! That’s a secondary effect!”

“…Yeah, okay. Please don’t cry.”

Flustered, Olive tried to calm him down. The creator of this savage magic wasn’t just a twisted lunatic… he was just a sad man.

“Understood. Caphric Breaker, you pass.”

“Huh? I… I passed?”

Breaker’s tears stopped abruptly.

“You’re the fourth person to be accepted out of twenty candidates.”

He wouldn’t be getting extra funding for his research, but Olive had something even better in mind.

“Does that mean I’ll be on the ship too? Thank you, Master! Thank you!”

Wiping away tears with his sleeve, Breaker beamed.

No, thank you.

It was the perfect spell to use on the Duke.

“From now on, I’ll give up on love and dedicate my life to magic! With that resolve, I’ll never lift the curse on myself.”

The cruel twist of the spell was that once someone became its caster and target, they’d never be able to fall in love again.

“Alright, off you go.”

“Yes, Master!”

Olive watched him for a moment, then waved him off.

“Well… whatever.”

He brushed off the small pang of guilt that lingered for three seconds. Compared to the dirty, ruthless tricks he’d seen on the streets, this was nothing.

“Love Smell. Michalis Ascher.”

The Duke’s full name was well known. Olive clearly pictured Michalis in his mind and cast the composite curse.

“Hngh!”

Michalis flinched, furrowing his brow sharply in the middle of work.

What’s that smell?

A stench so unbearable had suddenly filled the room that he couldn’t remain seated.

Where the hell is that coming from?

He stood up and scanned his surroundings. This wasn’t a scent that should exist anywhere in the study. So then—where was it coming from?

“Is it coming from outside?”

Maybe a seagull had dropped a sardine on the roof or window ledge. That had to be it—because the smell was the one he hated most in the world: rotting sardines.

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