The Hero Stole My Lover, So I Decided to Steal the Hero's Lover Instead - Chapter 62-63

Chapter 62: The Hero Party’s POV

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“Stripping you of the Hero title? You really think I’d let you off that easily?”

“Wait… Then—”

“All of you are sentenced to death. I’ll have your heads taken off at the guillotine!”

A death sentence from King Phillip. It delivered an overwhelming shock the four of them had never anticipated. All their faces turned pale. The strength drained from their bodies like puppets with their strings cut.

D-death penalty…!?

Thinking back, they had indeed committed enough crimes to deserve execution. But they had assumed that, as members of the Hero’s party, they would be forgiven no matter what they did—that arrogance had taken root in them.

They didn’t want to die. They didn’t want to be fired as the Hero either. They didn’t want anything inconvenient to happen to them. They had believed they lived in a wonderful world where everything went their way. But that was an illusion. A fantasy.

That kind of world didn’t exist—hadn’t he realized that when Alicia said goodbye? Even so, having lived a life where everything had gone his way until now, he tried to believe that the unpleasant and painful reality he now faced was just a lie.

Cain had lived a life completely removed from failure and defeat. That was why he wasn’t used to it. A single failure—just one—would leave a deep wound.

W-what am I supposed to do…!?

He looked to his three companions for help. But all three were frozen in shock, utterly useless. If he wanted to escape this situation, he’d have to do it himself.

What should I do? What should I do, what should I do? What should I-I-I-I…

King Phillip’s sharp eyes locked onto the Holy Sword at Cain’s hip.

“Former Hero Cain… Return the Holy Sword, the proof of your title.”

So saying, he extended a wrinkled hand. If they did nothing, all four of them would die. No amount of apology would change that now. At this point, there was no other option but to steel himself.

If it’s between being executed and running… Then I’ll run!

He gave a silent glance to the others. They seemed to understand what Cain was thinking.

I still have something I need to do… I have to go see Alicia…!

Since Cain didn’t hand over the Holy Sword, King Phillip decided to retrieve it himself. He grabbed the scabbard with a firm grip.

“I said, give it back.”

“This is… The Holy Sword is mine!”

In one swift motion, Cain drew the sword and slashed upward in a reverse diagonal cut. The blade of the Holy Sword shimmered with a pale light as it carved deeply into King Phillip’s body. Blood poured forth. Eyes wide in disbelief, King Phillip collapsed onto his back.

He was dead.

“H-haha… Serves you right!”

Cain kicked King Phillip’s corpse over and over.

He didn’t think about what came next. He lived only in the moment. And having killed the King Phillip he despised, he felt exhilarated. From now on, they would be fugitives. They had already committed plenty of crimes. Adding the grave offense of regicide—killing the king—was just one more on the list.

“Th-the King!”

“Cain, how could you!?”

“Kill them all!”

“Run them through!”

Amid the roars of fury, the four sprang into action. They cut down the guards who tried to capture—or kill—them as they burst out of the room. They raced down the corridor, descended the stairs, and escaped the royal castle.

Outside the castle, the soldiers were stunned at the sight of the four of them, but they too were mercilessly slaughtered. The party hijacked a carriage, climbed into the passenger cabin, and threatened the coachman into driving.

“Head for Zwein.”

“B-but Zwein is quite far from the capital—”

“If you can’t follow my orders, I’ll kill you.”

“U-understood…”

The coachman nodded, face pale with fear, and spurred the horses toward Zwein. And so, the four who had once been known as the Hero’s party had now become wanted fugitives.

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Chapter 63: The Prince’s POV

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“Prince Chester… Wh-What should we do…?”

Ignoring the minister, who was completely shaken by the king’s assassination, Chester, the first prince of the Holy Kingdom, walked over to his father’s lifeless body. Just in case, he touched the body. There was no doubt about it. He was dead.

Chester let out a sigh.

He had never liked his father. He thought the man was a foolish king. He had always believed that once his father died and he ascended the throne (he was the first in line to inherit it), the Holy Kingdom would become a much better country.

His father—Phillip—had tried to use the Hero to bring the Demon Kingdom under his control. He was a greedy man. And yet, that very greed—though indirectly—led to his own demise.

There was no doubt he had chosen the wrong person to be the Hero. He should have considered not only ability, but also personality. His father had chosen the Hero based on ability alone.

Chester had strongly opposed appointing Cain as the Hero, but his father refused to listen. He brought it upon himself. Moreover, his father had underestimated Cain.

He must have believed that, as the King of the Holy Kingdom, the Hero would never dare kill someone like him. That was probably what he thought. What a naïve assumption. Even though he’d heard of all the crimes the Hero’s party had committed, he never tried to understand what kind of people they were, what kind of mindset they had.

Maybe I should have warned him…

He shouldn’t have suddenly pronounced the death sentence. Anyone could’ve predicted they’d go on a rampage if he did that. He should’ve started by drugging them with sleeping medicine, rendering them unconscious or unable to act, then tightly restrained them until they couldn’t resist, and only then pronounced their execution fate.

But his father was the kind of man who fundamentally refused to listen to others. Even if Chester had tried to warn him, he would’ve been brushed off without a second thought. In other words, his father’s demise was already set in stone from the start. The tragedy had unfolded just as it was destined to.

Chester let out another sigh. His father had been an irredeemably foolish man. Chester had even wished he’d die as soon as possible. And yet, now that it had actually happened, he felt strangely sad.

“Prince Chester…!”

This time it was the royal guards calling out to him.

“Put out a nationwide warrant for the four members of the Hero’s party as heinous criminals for the king’s murder. Make sure it’s clear that there will be a bounty for anyone who captures or kills them.”

“And how much should we offer for the bounty—”

“Doesn’t matter. Use as much money as necessary.”

That was all Chester said before he tried to go and comfort his wailing, hysterical mother and his grieving, exhausted younger brothers. But then, a minister approached and stopped him.

“Prince Chester…”

“What is it, Minister?”

The minister was an elderly man, probably three times his age. Competent enough, but timid, and never once raised objections to the royal family. A yes-man. That was precisely why his father had favored him.

“Well… Cain took the Holy Sword, the symbol of the Hero…”

“And? Is that a problem?”

“I thought… Perhaps we ought to recover it…”

Chester didn’t care for the man’s meek, hesitant tone. He was sixty or seventy years old—much older than Chester—and yet he couldn’t speak plainly or clearly. Of course, Chester didn’t yell or berate him. He was just slightly annoyed about him. He wouldn’t voice his irritation out loud.

“The Holy Sword is of no concern. He can keep it, for all I care.”

“B-But…”

The minister tried to object, which was uncharacteristic of him. But he couldn’t follow through. He clearly struggled to speak out against Chester. He mumbled something under his breath. Chester sighed.

“If you have something to say, say it clearly. I won’t get angry.”

“Y-Yes… Well… The Holy Sword is extremely effective against demons. You could say it’s a weapon especially designed to counter them…”

“And?”

“So, for the people of the Demon Kingdom, a Hero in possession of the Holy Sword is essentially their mortal enemy.”

“And?”

“That’s why we must retrieve the Holy Sword at all costs.”

The minister finished speaking with a self-satisfied look on his face, as if to say, “There, I’ve said it.” But Chester wasn’t done. He questioned him further.

“Why?”

“Well, because… Without the Holy Sword, we can’t kill the Demon King and take control of the Demon Kingdom…”

“I have no intention whatsoever of invading the Demon Kingdom.”

Chester stated it plainly. It seemed the minister thought Chester and Phillip had shared the same ambitions. But he was mistaken. Chester, at the very least, was more rational and sensible than Phillip.

“I’ll say it again. I have no intention of invading the Demon Kingdom.”

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