The Hero Stole My Lover, So I Decided to Steal the Hero's Lover Instead - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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“Hey there, Luke-kun.”

My attack had been parried by him effortlessly..

“Wha—”

I was speechless. Cain showed no sign of panic—only a relaxed composure. The fact that he called my name the moment he turned around meant he had realized I was tailing him!

“The thoughts of a simpleton really are simple.”

Cain tightened his grip on my wrist. A sharp pain shot through it, and my strength gave out—causing the knife to slip from my hand. He caught it and examined the blade carefully.

“Oh? Poison, huh…” 

Cain said. 

“Fast-acting? Or slow-acting?”

Realizing my plan had failed, I tried to run. I needed to get away and regroup. Now that he’d taken my knife, I had no way to kill Cain. But he still had a grip on my wrist—I couldn’t escape. I swung at him with my left hand, but he easily dodged it. My fist cut through empty air.

“Dammit, let go!”

“Alright, I’ll let go.” 

Cain said, loosening his grip.

 “Oh, and… I suppose I should return your knife as well.”

With a cruel smile, he stabbed the knife into my shoulder.

“Gaaah…!”

Groaning in pain, I turned and fled like a startled rabbit. While running, I yanked the knife out of my shoulder and tossed it aside.

He’s going to hit me with a follow-up spell, isn’t he?

But fortunately, no such attack came. It was probably because of all the people around. Using magic in a place like this would draw too much attention. On top of that, the spell might hit someone else. Maybe, just maybe, as a Hero, he figured it would be bad if innocent people got caught in the crossfire.

“Now then… What should I do?”

Cain tilted his head in mock thought, then flashed a savage, beast-like grin and began to quietly, steadily chase after me.

I immediately ducked into a narrow alleyway. Thinking I might be able to lose him, I kept running. In hindsight, I probably should’ve escaped along the main street. Why had I convinced myself I could shake him off?

I ran blindly through unfamiliar streets. Cain chased after me calmly—as if enjoying the hunt. Eventually, the path ahead came to a dead end.

Crap. This is bad. What now? 

If I turned back now, I’d run straight into Cain… He’d kill me. Should I swallow my pride and beg for forgiveness? No—he’d kill me anyway, and I didn’t want to grovel to someone like that!

“What should I do, what should I do, what should I do!?”

I thought about climbing the wall. But that was impossible. There weren’t any ledges or footholds to grab, and I couldn’t really use magic.

Should I have never thought about taking revenge? No. I’m not in the wrong. My revenge is justified.

I steeled myself for death. Before long, the poison I’d coated the knife with would kill me. I didn’t have an antidote. Even if I managed to escape, I didn’t know whether I’d last long enough to find one.

In that case, I’d fight. Before he could hit me with magic, before he could cut me down with his sword—I’d punch him in the face! I’d hit him, hit him, and beat him to death!

What are my odds of winning? One percent? No, probably even less. But even so—

“Hey, you.”

But then, a voice called out to me.

“Do you want to take revenge on the Hero?”

That voice sounded like the whisper of the devil. 

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