I Stole The Duke - Chapter 66

“Imperial Teleport.”

While Freya’s brothers panicked and scrambled around, Eliana slowly backed her way to the balcony and whispered the spell.

“Wait… didn’t I just hear a woman’s voice?”

Karl Espensen’s gaze landed exactly on the balcony where Eliana had just stood.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The blaring alarm was enough to throw off even the sharpest senses.

“I swear I heard a woman’s voice…”

“Oh god! Where did Freya get dragged off to?!”

By the time Karl stepped onto the balcony, only the faint scent of cosmetics remained.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

“Pfft!”

The old man choked on his bread and teared up, having bitten his tongue. His pocket watch, hanging around his neck, had suddenly gone berserk.

“Master! What is this?!”

The boy dining with him was just as alarmed.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The old man’s pocket watch—something the boy had never even seen work—was now throwing a tantrum.

“Argh! Someone’s tampered with my magic.”

Muttering through a mouthful of bread, Karahan stood up from his seat.

“Master! Can you please shut that thing off first? My ears are going to fall off!”

The boy winced, covering both ears tightly.

Click.

Karahan pressed a button on the watch. The shrill sound stopped immediately. At that very moment, the alarm shaking the entire Count’s estate also fell silent.

“Looks like I need to visit the old house.”

Let’s see who dared to touch my magic.

“Can I come too?”

Sensing something interesting was going on, the boy tossed his bread aside and stood up quickly.

“No, you can’t, brat.”

“Why not?!”

“Because it’s—a. secret.”

Karahan put a finger to his lips, his face dead serious.

“Hah? What is this nonsense?”

“Quiet, boy. I’ll be back soon. Just keep an eye on the house.”

“Yes, yes…”

“Teleport.”

Shooting the grumbling boy a look, Karahan activated his spatial magic and vanished.

“Tch.”

The boy scowled and dunked his dry, chewy bread into his now-cold corn soup.

This world is messed up…

That crazy old man is the greatest mage alive? The boy shook his head, frowning at the empty space where his master had stood.

“Time Stop.”

Karahan appeared on the roof of the Count’s estate and snapped his fingers.

Silence.

Time froze. Even the summer insects stopped chirping.

Tap.

He gently floated down to the terrace attached to Freya’s bedroom.

“Tsk tsk. What’s got you all worked up?”

Inside the room, the young Count Espensen stood frozen in shock, face pale.

Let’s see who dared mess with my magic.

With his hands folded behind his back, Karahan strolled forward casually.

Well now… looks like someone really did mess with it.

He walked straight to the sunflower painting and took it down. His brow furrowed. The magic circle behind it was glowing red—agitated from an attempted breach.

Did they even know what was behind this before they tried tampering with it?

He had seen time reverse itself four times already. But this was the first time someone had touched his spell directly.

Let’s see what kind of magic was used…

Every spell left behind a trace. If he could track it, maybe he could catch whoever fled.

“……”

Karahan focused on the faint residue left in the magic. Traces vanished within three minutes of casting, so he had to act quickly before frozen time resumed.

What in the world…

He reached the spot where Eliana had disappeared—and his eyes widened.

“Huh. Now that’s strange.”

Whoever had the guts to mess with his spell was no ordinary mage. As Karahan examined the lingering magical energy, he found himself confused.

Wait… could they not be a mage at all?

Just like every person has a unique scent, a mage’s mana always carries subtle individual patterns. But this spell had no such imprint. All he could sense was a pure, natural energy—like something cast with just a mana stone.

There’s no magical signature I can read?

There was clear evidence that magic had been used… but the energy was foreign. Karahan had never felt anything like it.

Could this… could this actually be Sardis magic?

A forgotten magic that he had spent thirty years chasing across the Eastern Continent. Even then, he had only found faint remnants—never the real thing. The thought that such a spell had been used here, in his old home… it made no sense.

Good grief. Maybe I really am getting too old.

Karahan shook his head with a sigh, his hands still clasped behind his back in thought.

“But still… what kind of twisted bastard is spying on my great-granddaughter?”

He scanned the bedroom again, then casually snapped his fingers.

Crack.
The mana stone hidden inside the potted listening device shattered instantly.

This one’s going to be interesting…

The previously glowing red magic circle turned black, then slowly faded into invisibility. Karahan had restored the original locking spell and rehung the painting on the wall.

If they come again, I’ll get a good look at their face.

Now he was genuinely curious to see who would trigger the alarm next.

“Ugh!”

Eliana staggered. Using too many teleportation spells in a short time had taken its toll—her nausea was much worse now. The sandwich she’d eaten earlier churned in her stomach, threatening to come back up.

“Hah… hah…”

She covered her mouth with both hands, breathing heavily. Her heart was pounding. She could’ve sworn she made eye contact with Karl Espensen at the last second.

Her eyes flicked instinctively toward the mirror.

Good. The invisibility spell is still holding.

“Hah… hah…”

She spent the next ten minutes collapsed on the floor, fighting through the nausea. When she finally stood, her hand trembled as she reached into her bag for a magic card.

“Imperial Dispel Magic.”

With that, the invisibility spell was deactivated.

I was way too naive about this.

She thought that sneaking into Freya’s room would be enough—that it would be easy.

But behind Freya… stands the most powerful mage in this world.

If Eliana had Duke Ascher backing her, then Freya had the great archmage Karahan.

There’s no time to waste. Michalis will be here any moment.

Dragging her shaky legs into the dressing room, Eliana took off her riding clothes and changed into pajamas.

“Imperial Clear.”

With a flick of magic, she removed the sweat from her body and slipped under the covers—making it seem like she had never left the room at all.

That locking spell… It requires a condition to break. But what is it?

Pretending to sleep, buried under the blanket, Eliana’s mind wouldn’t rest. For now, unlocking that seal had become more important than breaking the regression magic.

“I’ll kill anyone for the right price—except members of the Imperial family.”

The hooded man glanced suspiciously at the cloaked girl sitting across from him. Even with her face half-hidden, her sharp jawline suggested she was likely very beautiful.

“……”

“So? Who’s the target?”

The man asked lazily while studying her face. When young women requested assassinations, it was often a love affair. Those were usually simple.

“The Duchess of Ascher.”

“…What?”

The man let out a short, stunned laugh as soon as he heard the name.

Is she crazy?

Another lunatic fan of the Duke, apparently. He had no interest in wasting time on childish nonsense.

“Two billion rium. No—make it three billion.”

In other words: “Get lost.”

Assassin guilds had an unspoken rule—they didn’t ask about a client’s identity. As long as the price matched the danger, they accepted the job. And assassinating the Duchess—someone beloved by Duke Ascher—was one of the most dangerous jobs imaginable. A young girl couldn’t possibly afford it.

“I’m offering two hundred million up front.”

Freya met his eyes and placed the money on the table.

“I decline.”

The man smirked as he stared at the cash. Impressive for a girl her age, but nowhere near enough to kill someone of that caliber.

“Add this—information on the location of the traitor, Fred.”

“……”

What the hell?

He blinked in disbelief. How did this girl know that name?

“And how do I know you’re not bluffing?”

Fred—who had nearly brought the guild to ruin three years ago and then vanished—was a traitor whose location couldn’t be bought for any price.

“Fine. What if I throw in the names of the spies currently active inside your guild?”

“…What did you just say?”

Everything she said was getting more and more ridiculous.

“The current infiltrators are Berry and Ray. They’ve been leaking intel to the Scorpion Assassins. Go check.”

“……”

The problem was, the names coming out of her mouth weren’t something you could brush off as nonsense.

“If you want to become the next guild master, you’d better act quickly.”

“…Who are you, really?”

The man couldn’t help himself—he broke protocol and asked for the client’s identity.

“Verify the information I gave you. If it checks out, take the job. Once it’s done, you’ll get Fred’s location.”

Having said all she needed to, Freya stood up, leaving the two hundred million rium on the table.

“You’re not worried I’ll just torture the truth out of you?”

The man stood up as well, staring her down.

“As if.”

Freya scoffed and turned her back without hesitation.

“…What the hell.”

She wasn’t afraid of death—not even a little.

Has she already lived through everything there is to experience?

His instincts—sharpened through a long life as an assassin—told him one thing: this wasn’t just some emotional girl you could scare into submission. She wasn’t ordinary.

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