The Hero Stole My Lover, So I Decided to Steal the Hero's Lover Instead - Chapter 32-33

Chapter 32

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The image changed.

It was late at night. This time, Cain and his companion, the Sage Ronnie, were standing in front of a large mansion. Even among the upscale residential areas lined with wealthy estates, this one was particularly massive.

“After researching various places, it seems this house has the lowest level of difficulty, and it’s hoarding a good amount of money.” 

Ronnie said. Difficulty—was he referring to the difficulty level of robbing it?

“We’re short on cash, so I want to grab as much as we can.”

“Huh?” 

Ronnie tilted his head. 

“Didn’t you say the other day that a rich lady showered you with a huge amount of money?”

“I did, but I blew it all.”

“Reckless spending isn’t good, you know.”

“Money’s only worth something when you spend it…Hmm.”

Cain said this as he turned to look behind him.

“Is something wrong, Cain?”

“No… I thought I sensed someone, but… It must’ve been my imagination.”

“Heh.” 

Ronnie chuckled gently. 

“Getting nervous? That’s not like you.”

“Hah? Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve done this dozens, hundreds of times. You think I’d get nervous now?”

“Of course not.”

At that moment, I glanced over at Alicia, who was still staring at the projection. She looked utterly shocked by Cain’s casual confession.

‘I’ve done this dozens, hundreds of times’. 

I was just as shocked. Part of me wondered if he was exaggerating, but another part thought it might very well be true.

“Let’s go.”

“Right.”

The two of them slipped into the mansion grounds. Even Sharon couldn’t sneak into the mansion itself. No—rather than “couldn’t,” it was more that she didn’t want to go that far.

The image changed again.

After that, a montage of Cain’s other crimes—large and small—was shown in a fast-paced digest. Assault, fraud, robbery, extortion… Thankfully, there was no footage of murder.

“I cut the part with your ex-girlfriend.” 

Sharon whispered to me.

“Thanks.”

Of course, I already knew about Cain’s relationship with Sheryl—but still, I didn’t want to see any direct footage. It would only reopen wounds that were just starting to heal.

“And that concludes our little screening session.” 

Sharon said, clapping her hands. At the same moment, the recording crystal shattered into pieces.

“Alicia, what did you think?”

“He’s the worst. I can’t believe Cain-san was that kind of person…”

Alicia burst into tears, likely from the shock. Big teardrops spilled from her wide eyes. She looked truly heartbroken. But I believed Alicia needed to know about Cain’s sins. Even if it hurt, it was better to know than to remain ignorant.

I felt like I had to say something.

“Alicia-san.”

I said. 

“You don’t need to feel any guilt at all. Breaking up with a guy like that… You did the right call.”

“Yes. But…”

“But?”

“Cain-san might still think we’re dating.”

That was entirely possible. In fact, it was probably true. Cain might be pretending Alicia never broke up with him—or worse, he might show up here to make her take back her words.

When I explained that to Sharon, she grinned and said.

“If he comes to us, that saves us the trouble of hunting him down.”

Then, turning to the anxious-looking Alicia, she puffed out her chest and declared:

“Don’t worry. If Cain shows up and tries anything with you, I’ll take him down myself.”

“But… Cain-san is really strong. He’s a Hero, after all.”

“If you’re going to say that, then I—”

“You?”

She couldn’t quite bring herself to say “I’m the Demon King”.

“I’m super strong too, you know.”

Maybe it was the ridiculously childish phrase ‘super strong’, but Alicia let out a laugh. Tears still clung to the corners of her eyes as she smiled. Seeing that, I thought to myself….

Alicia really looks better smiling than crying.

It wasn’t about “stealing” her from someone, or any kind of “Project NTR.” I wanted to date Alicia properly and sincerely. 

Upon seeing her smile, I felt that way from the bottom of my heart.

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Chapter 33

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After leaving Alicia’s house, Sharon and I walked together along the night road. There wasn’t a soul around. A round moon floated in the sky, and the night breeze gently rustled through the air. It wasn’t quite excitement—more like a strange, indescribable feeling.

“Hey, Sharon.”

“What is it?”

“Project NTR—well, I mean, not about stealing her from someone or anything. I just want to date Alicia normally.”

“Then just date her.”

Sharon said it offhandedly, eyes fixed forward.

“Is that really okay? To just date her normally?”

“What matters to me is how thoroughly we can destroy the Hero’s mental state. If we can break him down… As long as we can achieve that goal, I don’t care what the method is.”

She continued.

“Even if you and Alicia date normally, what Cain thinks about that is a separate issue.”

“What do you mean?”

I asked her to explain.

“In other words… Alicia believes she ‘broke up with Cain,’ while Cain likely believes he’s ‘still dating Alicia.’ There’s a difference in perception between the two of them.”

A difference in perception. It was hard to say which of them was right. Maybe there was no definitive answer. But at the very least, I was on Alicia’s side.

“To Alicia, who believes she’s single, dating someone other than Cain is her freedom. No one has the right to criticize her for that.”

Sharon said.

“But on the other hand, to Cain—who still believes he’s in a relationship with Alicia—the idea of her dating another man would be seen as a serious betrayal. In other words, cheating. For example, if Cain were to witness you and Alicia flirting all lovey-dovey, he’d definitely feel like he was ‘cucked.’”

Lovey-dovey, huh… Well, aside from that….

There was a disconnect in how they perceived their relationship and that same kind of gap would occur when it came to my relationship with her. In other words, by dating Alicia (assuming I could actually date her…), I could deal massive damage to Cain without making Alicia feel any guilt whatsoever.

I see. I see.

“That’s why you should just go out with her.”

Sharon said it once more.

“And you have to be the one to confess.”

“Of course. That’s what I intend to do.”

I didn’t think Alicia would be the one to confess to me. I figured she was the passive type, not the kind to make the first move.

“I’d say confessing tomorrow… It might still be too soon. Wait a few days for a cool-down period, then confess. You’ve got an eighty-nine out of—no, a ninety-nine percent chance of success.”

“What about the other one percent?”

“There aren’t many absolutes in this world. So I’ll say ninety-nine percent, just to be safe. But personally speaking, I’m convinced that you have a one hundred percent chance.”

Hearing her say that gave me a lot of reassurance. We arrived in front of my house. Though calling it “my” house was a bit off. After all, it was one Sharon had given me (or maybe loaned to me?).

Sharon placed a hand on my shoulder and, smiling, said.

“Good luck.”

“I’ll do my best.”

I replied. After parting ways with Sharon and stepping inside, I dove straight into bed. I should’ve been tired, but I couldn’t fall asleep.

I kept remembering everything that had just happened—Alicia and Cain’s interaction. Cain’s countless misdeeds. And even a little of what happened when Sheryl was stolen from me.

And then—Alicia’s crying face. Her smiling face. Before I knew it, my consciousness drifted off into the world of dreams.

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