I Stole The Duke - Chapter 76

“I am Sir Roswell Speaker. I owe you my life, my lady.”

With a few swift swings of his sword, Speaker cleanly sliced through the thorny vines that had entangled Lucas. The shredded brambles scattered across the forest floor.

“My lady, when do you plan to release me?”

Cedric’s sword, glowing an icy blue, was still pressed dangerously close to the mage’s neck.

“You could be in league with the one who fired the arrow. How am I supposed to trust you?”

“Please, just look at this robe! Why would a high-ranking mage from the Tower hire someone to shoot arrows? If I wanted to assassinate someone, there are far easier ways.”

The mage, who looked rather plain, appeared genuinely aggrieved.

‘He’s no ordinary magician, that much is clear…’

Eliana had seen the speed at which he cast his spells—and it struck her. With her magic cards, she wouldn’t be able to match a real mage in actual combat.

“Sir Cedric, let him go.”

“Yes, understood.”

Cedric hesitated for a moment before lowering his sword.

“Ahem. May I now examine the spell protecting you, my lady?”

The mage rolled his stiff neck once before speaking.

“All right. Just examine it. Nothing more.”

“Don’t even think about laying a hand on her.”

Immediately, Cedric and Speaker moved to stand on either side of Eliana, flanking her protectively. Lucas drew his sword and stepped behind the mage, his eyes sharp and dangerous, as if ready to strike at the slightest provocation.

“Can you hurry it up? I’m worried about the knights we sent into the forest.”

Though they were far from easy targets, Eliana couldn’t shake her unease—especially since the enemy used poison.

“Oh, come now, stop suspecting me. I’ll keep at least a meter’s distance.”

‘Dream, activate image search.’

A time for mutual observation. Eliana wasn’t about to let this suspicious mage off easily either.

[Image search complete.]

‘It should be around here somewhere.’

At the same time, near the edge of the forest, Ista and Roanes exchanged silent, sharp glances as they moved with stealth.

‘I’ll take the left. You take the right.’

Tight hand signals were exchanged. Since the enemy had used a crossbow bolt, locating their position was relatively easy. Had it been a longbow with a curved trajectory, it might’ve been harder—but crossbows fired in a straight line.

Rustle.

Just then, a faint sound of fibers brushing against each other reached their ears.

‘Got him!’

In an instant, Ista and Roanes exchanged a look and lunged forward at the same time.

“Y-Your Grace?!”

“Your Grace!”

And then—they both froze.

“You’re just in time.”

Michalis was calmly tightening a rope, securing a final knot. It was a binding technique that only tightened the more the victim struggled.

‘It’s him.’

Ista immediately recognized the unconscious man. He was the suspicious day laborer who had leered at the lady while replacing cobblestones.

“Your Grace, what on earth…?”

The man looked like he’d taken quite a beating. His arms and legs were wrapped in bandages, his nose appeared broken, and his bloodied face was nearly unrecognizable.

“Open the sack.”

Michalis nodded toward the large burlap sack lying beside him.

“Y-Yes, sir…”

Ista and Roanes obediently moved to opposite sides, pulling the sack open wide. The man, bound tightly and gagged, was stuffed into the sack without resistance.

“Sir Ista. Sir Roanes. What you’ve seen here is classified.”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

Both knights immediately straightened and saluted.

“What should we tell the lady…?”

“Tell her he got away.”

“Yes, understood.”

Michalis had captured his prey.

“This… this is truly remarkable magic.”

The mage was circling Eliana, his voice filled with genuine admiration.

‘You’re the one who’s truly remarkable.’

A chill ran down Eliana’s spine as she stared at the information that had just popped up from the image search.

Image Search Results

Name: Karahan (Confidential)
Age: 136 (Confidential)
Occupation: Mage (Confidential)
Nationality: None
Affiliation: None
Height/Weight: 171 cm, 60 kg (Confidential)
Note: This appearance is magically disguised.

‘Karahan came looking for me…’

The unease she’d felt earlier was no mistake. She couldn’t win against someone like him with magic.

‘There’s no doubt about it. This isn’t ordinary magic—it could only be the work of Sardis.’

“You mentioned using a magical artifact… May I ask where you acquired it?”

Karahan met Eliana’s eyes directly, his tone casual, though clearly probing.

“……”

Eliana’s face gradually turned pale. She had to come up with a convincing lie—something believable enough that Karahan wouldn’t suspect it.

“It was a small stone fragment… washed ashore near the beaches of Plencia.”

There was a widely known legend that Sardis, the ancient floating continent, had crashed into the sea.

“It had strange symbols carved into it, so I kept it. But then, the moment I accidentally broke it, strange things started happening… I later learned it was some sort of defensive magic.”

Cold sweat trickled down her back as her entire spine stiffened.

“Hm…”

Karahan tilted his head slightly, observing the nervous tremble in Eliana’s gaze.

“Mage, are you interrogating the lady now? That’s enough. Leave.”

Sensing her rising anxiety, Cedric placed a hand on the hilt of his sword.

“N-No, not at all! I was simply curious. Purely a mage’s innocent curiosity, I swear!”

Feigning surprise, Karahan quickly waved his hands.

“My lady, you don’t look well. Let me take you to the shade.”

“Yes… I must’ve been standing for too long. I’d like to rest inside the tent.”

“Haha, I must have detained a noble lady for far too long.”

“If you realize that, then kindly move aside.”

Karahan appeared to yield politely.

“Thank you for your time. I hope we meet again after the tournament, at the portal.”

With a subtle bow, Karahan stepped aside.

“Let’s go, my lady.”

Cedric moved to escort Eliana.

“……”

Surrounded by her knights, the Duchess of Ascher was soon completely hidden from view.

‘Thank the stars… That could’ve gone terribly wrong.’

The ending where Karahan flew into a rage and slaughtered her precious knights had, thankfully, been avoided.

‘Whew… That was terrifying. Let’s never see each other again.’

As she reached the tent’s entrance, Eliana quietly sighed in relief.

But the moment one foot stepped inside the tent, Karahan, who had been silently watching the backs of the knights, snapped his fingers.

“Time Stop.”

Like magic—time stopped.

“Duchess of Ascher, is it?”

Hands clasped behind his back, Karahan strolled casually toward her frozen figure.

“Tsk tsk… If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable.”

Stopping right in front of Eliana, Karahan slowly raised his hand.

Tap.

The tip of his index finger touched her pale forehead.

“Memory Reading.”

If someone was clever enough to lie, there was always a way around it—read the memory directly.

“……”

Karahan’s relaxed expression hardened in an instant, as if turned to stone.

‘That’s impossible!’

“Memory Reading.”

He cast the spell again—but the result remained unchanged.

‘I can’t read her memories.’

The very magic of Sardis he had been searching for, now directly in front of him—and yet, it was as if an invisible wall blocked his access.

“Well then…”

‘Even mental-type magic is being blocked?’

Karahan, widely known as the most powerful mage alive, was visibly shaken. For his magic to fail… it rattled him.

‘Now what?’

He slowly withdrew his hand, staring intently at Eliana’s motionless face.

‘Should I abduct her?’

She didn’t appear to have any magical aptitude, but the temptation to take her away and experiment was almost overwhelming.

Tch.

Karahan clicked his tongue, already calculating the potential outcomes.

‘This would be divine punishment.’

Her position as the Duchess of Ascher was a massive obstacle. If he dared to abduct someone so prominent, the Empire would be thrown into chaos. He had already abandoned his homeland and nationality, but even so, he had no desire to spark such disorder out of mere curiosity.

‘Then what about this one…?’

Karahan turned and placed a finger against Cedric’s chest. If he couldn’t get the information from the duchess herself, then perhaps from those around her.

“Memory Reading.”

‘…Is this knight really this single-minded, even subconsciously?’

Loyalty. “My lady.” Protect her. That was all Cedric’s mind repeated—pure, unshakable devotion.

‘Then what about him…?’

Karahan now touched Sir Roswell’s arm.

“Memory Reading.”

My lady called me her knight. Her knight, her knight, her knight… Ha! But… why does she only call me by my surname? Damn that messenger. Still, she’s precious, so I’ll protect her like this and like that. If there’s a child, I’ll guard them too. It’s a relief she’s looking healthier than when she first arrived. But I still have to keep protecting her in all these ways. Her word is absolute. But His Grace comes first. So depending on the situation…

‘What kind of noisy, scatterbrained fool is this?!’

Karahan silently cursed as he tried to parse through Sir Roswell’s cluttered thoughts.

‘I’ll leave them be, for now.’

He hadn’t gleaned any information about the duchess’s magic. Shaking his head, Karahan clasped his hands behind his back and stepped out of the tent.

Snap!

Returning to his original position, he snapped his fingers again—and time resumed.

“Ahh!”

Eliana screamed the moment she took a step into the tent.

[Unauthorized attempt to access memory detected. User safety protocol activated. Access denied.]

[Unauthorized attempt to access memory detected. User safety protocol activated. Access denied.]

Two alerts echoed in her mind like sharp blades, and it was those messages that made her cry out.

“My lady!”

“My lady, are you all right?!”

“I… I’m fine. Just felt a bit dizzy for a moment.”

A cold chill crawled up Eliana’s spine.

‘Karahan tried to read my memory? That’s terrifying. Please… let that be the last time I see him.’

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