The Duke Stole Everything (1 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 2

Sharti carefully fastened her robe and quickly moved into the shade.

Though she was fully covered from head to toe in a long, thick robe, she still needed to be cautious—should anyone recognize her face, it would be disastrous.

‘Even if this is a remote mountainous region, the village here is quite large. I must be careful.’

After all, this was the only safe haven she had managed to find.

She had to live as inconspicuously and unobtrusively as possible.

‘Thankfully, this place doesn’t reject outsiders.’

Normally, villages in mountainous regions were unfriendly toward strangers.

Fortunately, Sharti had already received special permission to move freely within the village.

Though her appearance seemed suspicious, it was an understandable result given her profession.

‘But again, I’ll have to return empty-handed today.’

Sharti swallowed her disappointment as she left the shop empty-handed. The store had been crowded, and the loud, uncomfortable chatter inside had ruined her chance to make a purchase once more.

‘So the war has already ended.’

Starting with the fallen Kingdom of Krianet, the Newton Empire had declared massive wars against other nations.

And leading those wars at the forefront was Leodert Gwendhill.

The Grand Duke whose military boots Sharti had seen five years ago.

‘The War Demon…’

A merciless, emotionless War Demon—rumors claimed he was like a ghost devoid of feeling. Tales spread that he slew over a hundred soldiers in a single day, ruthlessly beheaded women who sneaked into his chambers, and took pleasure in burning down the palaces of defeated kingdoms.

Though the name “Leodert Gwendhill” carried dark and eerie rumors trailing behind it, for now, he remained a hero.

[They say he’s handsome, though. And well-built too.] [His character’s ruined, though. Doesn’t the Emperor of Newton have any sense? Keeping such a War Demon by his side!] [He’s the head of House of Grand Duke Gwendhill, which has shaped the history of the Newton Empire.]

Wherever she went, gossip about high nobles always reached her ears.

Today, Sharti rubbed her prickling neck more than usual.

‘…It has nothing to do with me.’

Sharti dismissed her pointless thoughts.

There was no longer a Sharti Krianet anywhere in this world.

Just in case, she’d even abandoned the name “Sharti.”

‘I should just sell my herbs and head back.’

Her right ankle and leg ached more than usual today.

‘Could a typhoon be coming?’

She lifted her hood slightly to check the sky. The wind felt ominous, and the heavens were overcast. She’d better hurry home.

Sharti turned around.

“Sha! Sha, is that you?!”

Startled by the urgent voice calling from behind, Sharti, her face hidden under her hood, flinched. Realizing the voice sounded familiar, she slowly turned her head.

An orange-haired woman, freckled and tearful, stood before her.

“Sha, what should I do?! Tain’s nowhere to be found! He probably went up the mountain, but he still hasn’t come back!”

“……!”

“Waaahh… Sha, what if Tain got caught in a hunting trap and can’t get down? Or—or maybe someone captured him?!”

Sharti quickly took the orange-haired woman’s hands and gently patted them.

Birena sniffled at the words transmitted through Sharti’s palms.

“Thank you, Sha. If you see Tain on the mountain, tell him to come straight home before the typhoon hits. I’ll contact Grandmother just in case.”

Sharti nodded beneath her hood.

Leaving the worried Birena behind, Sharti slipped out of the village.

‘Which path would Tain have taken…?’

Sharti scanned the mountain trail.

Then she checked the position and direction of the grasses, barely trodden upon. Turning her back on the small village nestled among rugged foothills, she began climbing the steep mountain.

Ignoring the throbbing pain in her leg, after a long ascent, she spotted an old log cabin.

‘No sign he stopped by the house. Then where did he go? If he climbed the mountain, he’d usually visit my place first.’

Sharti confirmed there was no one inside her home.

Just then, raindrops that had begun falling lightly since she started climbing gradually thickened into steady rain.

‘This is bad. It really looks like a typhoon’s coming.’

Remembering Birena’s tearful face, Sharti stepped back into the underbrush.

Whoosh—. The rain grew heavier, and the wind howled fiercely.

‘Somewhere nearby Tain might have gone…’

She wanted to call out Tain’s name, but shouting in this storm would be useless. Her throat condition made raising her voice nearly impossible—but Sharti knew the mountain terrain well.

She steadied herself.

The child might have fallen into the nearby ravine stream due to the typhoon.

“-Hey! Teacher!”

She was inspecting the ravine, which was about to overflow.

A short, orange-haired child waved frantically from atop a tree.

“……!”

She hurried over, and Tain leapt down from the tree into her waiting arms.

The child’s small body was soaked in rain and caked with mud.

As Sharti hastily removed her robe to wrap around him, Tain cried out urgently.

“Teacher! There’s a beast that looks like a person!”

“……?”

His words were drowned out by the pounding rain.

Tain, his face flushed, led Sharti somewhere.

“It’s inside the cave, Teacher!”

Following the ravine, Tain guided her to a small cave she’d carved into the cliffside.

Wanting to escape the typhoon, Sharti quickly entered the tiny cave with Tain.

“……!”

Upon reaching the deepest part of the cave, Sharti gasped sharply.

Just as Tain had said, fierce, glinting eyes shone in the darkness.

They were truly the eyes of a beast—wild, raw, brimming with untamed, jagged hostility.

“He’s awake.”

Hearing Tain’s words while clutching her robe tightly, Sharti snapped back to her senses. She immediately pulled Tain behind her.

‘…This isn’t an animal.’

Despite her heart pounding wildly, her mind remained calm.

This was a place where rational thought was her only option.

‘I spread poisonous herbs around here to keep predators away.’

The cave Tain had led her to was a kind of refuge she’d prepared—a hiding spot in case she ever needed to flee again.

‘No large beasts should come near here anymore.’

Predators like tigers or bears had already fallen victim to her poisonous herbs, so no more wild animals approached the cave.

“Teacher….”

Facing those piercing, glowing eyes in the narrow, dark cave, the child looked frightened.

To reassure him, she reached out to hold his hand, but Tain murmured,

“If it’s a beast, I’ll give you its hide, Teacher.”

“…….”

Tain truly was an unusual child—understandable, being Grandmother Bireta’s grandson.

Sharti swallowed hard and stepped deeper into the cave.

Drenched by the torrential downpour brought by the typhoon, she began shivering from the cold.

“…Huh… ugh… urk—.”

A faint, labored breathing echoed louder from the deepest recess of the cave.

Tain scrambled flat against the cave wall.

“…Teacher.”

Ignoring Tain’s beckoning gesture, Sharti took a deep breath and slowly advanced.

There was no way to leave the cave and brave the storm back home—the only shelter nearby was this tiny cave.

‘It’ll be alright.’

Sharti steeled herself.

The fierce glint in those eyes was gradually dimming, suggesting the figure wasn’t in full control either.

Quietly shifting sideways, she ran her fingertips along the cave wall.

‘If threatened, stab.’

She grasped the long staff hanging there.

Its tip was coated with paralyzing poison—enough to serve as a proper deterrent.

Drip. Drip.

“……!”

‘Sha’ froze in place.

A sharp, metallic scent of blood hung thick in the farthest corner of the cave.

Its source wasn’t a beast—but a human. A very large one.

“Huh… urk….”

The intermittent groans grew fainter.

“Teacher!”

The seven-year-old was sharp.

Tain handed Sharti bandages and herbs he’d fetched from a small drawer inside the cave.

“…….”

Concealing her trembling nerves, Sharti accepted the medical supplies from Tain. Hesitantly, she approached the shadowy figure before her.

The air reeked of gunpowder and blood.

‘Was he caught in an explosion?’

Sharti bent down to examine the wounds.

At that moment, the dark figure twitched.

Whoosh—!

“…Who… are you….”

Before Sharti could reach out, something sharp grazed the side of her neck.

Startled by the lightning-fast attack, she stumbled backward, tightening her grip on the staff.

“You… hah… followed me… urk… all the way… here… You must… really… want me… dead…”

The towering figure before her struggled upright, swaying unsteadily.

To Sharti, he looked even more massive than a bear. She clutched her stinging neck.

‘But that voice… I’ve heard it somewhere before…’

A strange sense of déjà vu washed over her.

Her gaze slowly traveled upward.

Short hair, a torn and charred black tunic, muscles visible beneath—and most striking of all, teal eyes stained with blood trickling from his forehead.

“…Let me… kill you… just… once…”

Still gripping his sword, the man staggered and raised it.

Even that slight movement caused blood to gush anew from the wound in his abdomen. A pool of blood deepened beneath his feet the moment he stood.

‘He’ll die like this!’

Sharti squeezed her eyes shut and swung the staff downward with all her strength.

Thwack! She struck his left knee squarely.

“……!”

Even such a giant lost his balance momentarily.

Clang. At the sound of the sword hitting the ground, ‘Sha’ opened her eyes.

“…Urgh… hah….”

The man had already collapsed unconscious onto a thin mat.

Sharti forced strength into her shaking legs and rose to check his condition.

‘He’s lost too much blood.’

His body, visible through the tattered rags of his clothes, was horrifying—covered in countless cuts and stab wounds.

‘He’s not dead, is he?’

She leaned closer to listen for his faint, faltering breaths.

Even in the dimness, his features were strikingly clear.

Carefully, Sharti used her sleeve to wipe the blood from his forehead.

“…Ugh….”

At the touch of the cold, wet cloth, his furrowed brow twitched briefly, but there was no sign he’d regain consciousness—he was slipping away.

“Teacher! I brought water!”

Ever perceptive, Tain had already filled a bowl with rainwater and sat beside her.

In their current situation, they had to use even rainwater to clean and assess the injuries.

After patting Tain’s head, Sharti reached for the man’s tunic without hesitation—she felt no shame treating a patient.

“I’ll tear it open for faster treatment!”

“…….”

The garment was so shredded that it ripped apart easily at her slightest touch.

“More! Tear more, Teacher!”

Any belated embarrassment was entirely Sharti’s own.