The Hero Stole My Lover, So I Decided to Steal the Hero's Lover Instead - Chapter 14-15

Chapter 14

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“Alright, let’s go in.”

We entered the Adventurers’ Guild.

On the first floor of the Adventurers’ Guild were the reception counter and quest board, while the second floor, which was open to the atrium, had a tavern attached to it. You could easily drop by after taking on or completing a quest. How convenient!

We walked up the wooden stairs, which creaked noisily beneath our feet.

For adventurers like Sharon and me, the rough-and-tumble atmosphere of the guild was nothing new, but for Alicia, who worked at a flower shop, it must have been a novel experience. She looked nervous and restless, glancing around curiously.

She reminded me of myself back when I had just become an adventurer, and I couldn’t help but smile at that.

“Welcome!”

A waitress in a frilly skirt led us to an open table. Most of the tavern’s floor staff were women. Probably because most of the customers were men. As for the kitchen staff, there were probably more men back there.

“Order whatever you like.”

Sharon said proudly. 

“It’s on me.”

As expected of a tavern, most of the drinks on the menu contained alcohol. Naturally, since most people came here to drink. Speaking of alcohol tolerance, or how well someone could handle their liquor, I honestly believed gender didn’t have any play in it. Of course, someone’s appearance had no effect on it either. Some burly guys who looked like they could drink might end up having surprisingly weak alcohol tolerance.

What about me, then? Hmm… I was probably average? If anything, maybe I leaned toward the stronger side…? I figured Sharon was incredibly strong. I didn’t actually know for sure since we’d never drunk together, but I couldn’t really picture a Demon King who was bad with alcohol.

And as for Alicia—who knew? At a glance, she looked like she’d be a total lightweight. But people like her sometimes turned out to be unexpectedly strong drinkers. Anyway, we ordered some drinks and a few things that seemed like good snacks to go with them.

“Cheers!”

Sharon said excitedly once we each had a tankard in hand. I wasn’t exactly sure what we were toasting to, but Alicia and I echoed

“Cheers!”

And then, we clinked our tankards together with a clink. Sharon took a big gulp of her beer and then asked.

“Oh, that reminds me—Alicia, do you have a boyfriend or anything?”

“Huh? Me?”

Alicia gave me a quick sideways glance, then replied.

“Well… Yes, I suppose you could say I’m seeing someone…”

“Ohhh? What kind of guy is he?”

Of course, Sharon already knew, but she went out of her way to ask. It felt a little too staged to be honest.

“Um, well…” 

Alicia lowered her voice as if sharing a secret.

“His name is Cain, and he’s, uh…”

“Oh, wait—do you mean the Hero?”

“Yes.”

“WOW I DIDN’T KNOW THAT.”

Sharon’s overly obvious monotone delivery made my heart skip a beat, but fortunately, Alicia didn’t seem to pick up on how unnatural it was.

“That’s pretty surprising, huh, Luke?” 

Sharon said, trying to get me to go along with it.

“Yeah, really surprising.” 

I said, putting on a face like I had just learned this for the first time. I thought I pulled it off pretty naturally.

“To think your boyfriend is the Hero… That’s amazing. You must be proud of him! How envious!”

Saying that, Sharon placed a hand on Alicia’s shoulder and leaned in to get a look at her expression.

“Y-Yes…”

There, Alicia had a vague, strained smile pasted on her face.

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Chapter 15

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“Huh? Are you not proud of him?”

Sharon asked in a tone that sounded genuinely puzzled.

“No… I do feel a sense of pride that Cain-san was chosen as a Hero, especially as someone who’s known him since long ago.”

Alicia said quietly, her gaze lowered.

“But…”

“But?”

Sharon urged her to continue.

“I don’t like Cain-san in that way.”

“You don’t like him? Oh, as in—you dislike him?”

“N-No, it’s not like that…” 

Alicia quickly waved her hands. 

“I mean, I do like him as a childhood friend, but not in a romantic sense…”

“I see.” 

Sharon folded her arms. 

“So, there’s ‘like,’ but no ‘love,’ huh?”

“Yes.”

Alicia nodded slightly.

‘LIKE’ and ‘LOVE.’ They seemed similar, but were fundamentally different words. Still, both expressed a kind of affection, so Alicia didn’t hate Cain. She simply didn’t know his true nature.

What would happen if she did? Would she still feel affection for him… No, that seemed unlikely.

“Hmm. Then why are you going out with him?”

“Because everyone around me told me I should…”

“That’s awful. Dating someone you don’t truly like… It’s like a political marriage. You’ll never find real happiness that way.”

“And what is real happiness, I wonder?”

Alicia asked Sharon that question.

“Dating the person you love, marrying them, and building a happy home together/// No, that’s not quite right. If you make your own choices and feel that you’re happy, then that is happiness, I suppose. Well, at the very least, being made to date or marry someone you don’t love…. I don’t think that could ever be called happiness.”

Sharon said.

“I see…”

I silently listened to the two of them talk while drinking steadily. Since there was nothing else for me to do, the alcohol went down easily. I gulped it down, and when I emptied the tankard, I raised it and asked a waitress for another.

“The same again, please.” 

Then I slowly picked at some fries.

“Are you happy right now?”

“…Uhh.”

Alicia responded with a vague motion—something between shaking and tilting her head. Sharon gave her a soft, gentle smile full of maternal kindness and changed the question.

“Do you like someone right now?”

“…Huh?”

“Are you in love with someone?”

“Um… Umm…”

Alicia made a troubled sound at that. From the way she sounded, it was clear she wasn’t in love with anyone. But the way she hesitated suggested that she did have someone she found at least somewhat appealing.

How strong was that feeling, I wonder? Maybe it was just a mild curiosity. After all, love at first sight existed, and people could fall for someone in an instant.

Who could it be? Could it be… Me? I couldn’t completely rule that possibility out.

Sharon had said something the other day like, “There’s definitely a spark,” and Based on the data I’ve gathered, I speculated that someone with your appearance and inner qualities (?) would be Alicia’s type.”  and apparently, her analysis had been right.

So maybe… Maybe…??

“I don’t have someone I love, but…”

“But?”

“There is someone I’ve been a little curious about.”

“Ohhh…?”

Sharon grinned mischievously, her smile playful.

“Who is it? Someone I know?”

“That’s…”

For just a moment, it felt like Alicia and I made eye contact.

“—That’s a secret.”

Then, with a bashful smile, she ended the conversation.

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