I Stole The Duke - Chapter 117

“Lady Eliana, Sir Terius—you’re both still awake?”

Ladis stepped down from the carriage, pleasantly surprised to find the cabin lit and the two standing in front of it. At least they wouldn’t have to wake the duchess.

“What time do you think it is? Why are you still awake?!”

Olive, on the other hand, completely lost it the moment she saw Eliana and Joel standing side by side in the moonlight.

A young man and woman… out here at this hour? Stargazing? Really? Is that all they were doing?

“Ladis. Kill that bastard.”

Her voice dripped with venom. Pure, murderous intent.

“…Pardon?”

Even Ladis, ever the loyal aide, couldn’t help but question such an absurd command. Had his lord gone mad?

“What, are you saying he’s stronger than you?”

“No, Your Grace, but—Sir Terius is a loyal knight!”

“Then it’s an order. Kill him.”

“That I cannot do, Your Grace.”

If anyone in the military had the right to challenge the Supreme Commander’s authority, it was Ladis, the chief aide.

“I said it’s a direct order, damn it!”

“……”

Something was very wrong. Ladis could no longer ignore the erratic behavior. The Tower Master incident had clearly affected his master’s mental state. A secret medical exam from Dr. Taineno would definitely be necessary once they returned to the estate.

“…Understood.”

With the same command given twice, Ladis had no choice but to move.

I’ll subdue him first—then reason with His Grace afterward.

A rarely used sword slid from its sheath, its polished edge glinting coldly under the lantern light.

“My lady… forgive me for this.”

The kind, gentle light in Ladis’s eyes vanished the moment he gripped the blade. He looked like a different person.

“Sir Ladis. You know this isn’t the time to draw your sword. Can’t you stop this?”

“I’m sorry. But Her Grace must understand—my lord’s orders always come first.”

“……”

As long as that imposter wore Michalis’s face, trying to reason with Ladis was hopeless.

“Sir Terius. No hard feelings—but you’ll need to lie down for a bit.”

“I’ll do my best to avoid that, my lady.”

Joel stepped forward and drew his sword. A sharp clang rang out as steel met steel.

“Eliana! What the hell were you doing out here with him until this hour?!”

Olive, still shooting daggers at Joel, stomped toward Eliana in a fury.

“Michal. Let’s step aside. I’d like a word with you.”

Eliana met her eyes—his eyes—calmly. It was time to draw the imposter away.

“Of course. We have so much to talk about. First off—tell me. What exactly happened between you and that guy?”

“Nothing at all happened between me and Sir Joel.”

If anything happened tonight… it was waiting for you.

“Oh? Then I suppose I’ll just have to check that for myself.”

Olive grabbed her wrist, suddenly far too close, and far too forceful.

“Ah! You’re hurting me!”

“Come with me. It’s hard to see clearly out here in the dark, don’t you think?”

She yanked Eliana toward the cabin. The unfamiliar body wasn’t easy to control, and she underestimated her strength. Eliana was dragged like a reed caught in a violent storm.

Wait… this isn’t how the plan was supposed to go…

Eliana froze for a split second, caught off guard by Olive’s sudden outburst.

The original plan was for Joel to keep Ladis occupied while she lured the imposter far enough away—preferably somewhere Ladis couldn’t see—so they could initiate the Body Change spell.

“You’re hurting me, Michal. Let go. Let’s talk around back.”

To cast the spell, the caster and target had to be alone.

“Oh? What, trying to hide something back there?”

Olive glanced toward the dark side of the cabin with suspicion, and her imagination immediately spiraled into madness.

“What are you talking about?”

“The traces. The evidence you rolled around with that bastard.”

Lipstick smudged? Hair messed up? Clothes rumpled?

…Seriously?

Eliana mentally shut down for a moment. This kid’s brain was stuck in the worst kind of romance novel.

Clang! Clang!

She glanced toward Joel and Ladis. Joel was doing well—he was holding his own, keeping Ladis from interfering.

“Michal! Help me!”

Eliana made a split-second decision. With the plan collapsing, it was time to end this fast.

“I’m standing right here—what do you need help with—”

“Let go of her.”

Before Olive could finish her sentence, Michalis emerged from the shadows.

“Impossible… how are you here?!”

Olive stumbled back in shock. There was no way Michalis could be here—he’d been in prison. He couldn’t have gotten out… not unless the duchess had helped him with magic.

“You knew… everything?”

Olive looked at Eliana, face pale. She had hoped Eliana would either never find out… or find out too late.

“Don’t say my name like that.”

“…You even know my real name?”

Eliana’s flat voice made Olive flush with shame. Olive—named for the color of her hair. A street rat’s name. And she knew it.

“You need a beating.”

Michalis raised his sheathed sword without hesitation. Someone like this—someone who didn’t think twice about desecrating Eliana—needed to be corrected.

Thwack!

Without a shred of hesitation, Michalis began beating the body that used to be his own. He had a lot to work out.

“Because of you…”

He’d spent a month sleeping separately from Eliana.

How dare you… think about her like that, doing those kinds of things, in those kinds of poses… multiple times a day…!

The memories he’d seen after syncing with Olive’s body were absolutely absurd. Eliana had simply smiled once—and this guy’s imagination had gone into full cinematic production.

“One or two hits just won’t be enough.”

Thus began the bizarre scene of Michalis beating the ever-living hell out of himself.

“Damn it—ARGH!”

Fending off the flurry of blows, Olive was forced to release Eliana and switch to defense mode.

“Ladis! Forget him—kill this bastard instead!”

Olive now desperately needed Flour-For-Brains. He was the only one still unaware of the truth.

“Your Grace!!”

Hearing the cry, Ladis turned—and nearly fainted.

His lord—the Duke—was getting wrecked by the Tower Master.

“Get out of the way, damn it!”

Something in Ladis snapped. He’d been holding back for Joel’s sake, but not anymore. A brilliant blue aura surged from his sword.

“Hmph!”

Joel quickly called forth his own aura and blocked the attack.

“Have you gone mad, Sir Terius?! His Grace is in danger!”

“Apologies, but I can’t let you through.”

Joel’s job in this operation was clear: keep Ladis completely occupied.

Terius has been brainwashed… That means—Lady Eliana too?

“I understand how you feel,” Joel muttered, grimacing, “but could you maybe go a bit easier on him?”

Eliana couldn’t bear to keep watching as Michalis’s body got thrashed mercilessly. She turned her head away.

Lady Eliana… has been compromised too.

Ladis was now gripped by despair. The Tower Master had escaped from prison, the mana-suppressing collar was gone—and this situation was spiraling fast.

“Move aside!”

This was no time to hesitate. Ladis swung his sword harder now, this time with killing intent.

“Kh…!”

Joel grunted, straining to block the blow. It felt like his palms were tearing apart.

“Sir Joel Terius. Stand down or you will be seriously hurt.”

Have I slacked off too much lately? Ladis hadn’t expected his junior to be this strong—it wasn’t easy holding him back.

“Your blade… still as sharp as ever, I see.”

Joel could hardly believe it. For someone whose main job was “paperwork,” Ladis fought like a top-tier knight. At this level, he could walk into the Blue Knights right now and be ranked among the best. Gritting his teeth, Joel tightened his grip on his sword.

“……”

Ladis glanced over Joel’s shoulder to assess the chaos behind him.

If I take Sir Joel out with one move… I can strike down the Tower Master next.

When it came to fighting mages, the best tactic was simple: kill them before they could cast.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The sound of a sheath battering against muscle continued relentlessly in the background. Brutal. Absolutely brutal.

Wait a second.

The problem wasn’t the violence—it was who was winning.

His Grace is just… letting himself get beat? By that wiry guy?

Michalis was a master of both swordplay and hand-to-hand combat. And yet, this brutal, precise beating was somehow familiar… deliberate. Every strike avoided lethal spots but hurt like hell.

I’ve seen this before…

The grip on Ladis’s sword loosened.

His “lack of intuition” was infamous—but his tactical brain was top-tier. And right now, it kicked into overdrive.

His lord’s strange behavior.

The green-haired mage’s familiar movements.

No way… the two of them… swapped bodies with magic?

It was the only theory that made sense.

“Ladis, damn it! I said kill him!”

“…Who do you think you’re calling ‘damn it,’ huh?”

Now Ladis’s eyes burned with a very different kind of fire. All the insults he’d suffered during the trip—calling the carriage slow, mocking his face—it all made sense now.

“Your Grace, may I hit him a few times myself?”

Ladis asked calmly as he sheathed his blade, revealing his personal motives.

“No.”

Michalis—still mid-beatdown—paused.

He couldn’t risk Ladis taking his own grudge out on his body.

“Once I get my body back, then you can hit him.”

“You got it, Your Grace.”

“Damn it! Okay, fine! I give up! Stop hitting me already!”

After a full thirty minutes of getting absolutely pummeled, Olive finally surrendered. Her true identity had been exposed. Her borrowed body had soaked up the beating, but she couldn’t take anymore. At this point, forget the duchess—she just wanted to go back to her original body.

“Everyone. Back up. Ten meters.”

This borrowed body was too weak to keep swinging forever. It was time to end it.

“Michal…”

Eliana looked at him with worry. If the Body Change failed, it meant instant death.

“I’ll be fine.”

“You already learned to use a high-level spell like that?”

Olive looked up, pale. The fact that Michalis had adapted this fast was terrifying.

“Body Change.”

As the spell formed clearly in his mind, a magic circle carved itself into existence. With the others watching at a distance, Michalis activated the spell.

Thunk. Thud.

Both men collapsed like marionettes with cut strings.

“Michal!”

“Your Grace!”

The three rushed toward Michalis’s body.

“No… no, no, no—Michal!”

Eliana dropped to her knees and pressed her fingers beneath his nose.

Her face turned pale.

“He’s not breathing…”

Ladis knelt with Michalis’s torso in his arms, stricken with shock.

“His heart isn’t beating…”

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