The Hero Stole My Lover, So I Decided to Steal the Hero's Lover Instead - Chapter 66-67

Chapter 66

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“Eh? Don’t tell me, I was actually right…?”

“Ah, yes. Indeed, I am the Demon King.”

Sharon gave in and confessed.

“Wait… then, Sharon-san, are you actually a man?”

“I—I am a woman!”

Sharply raising her voice, Sharon seemed indignant.

“S-Sorry!”

Alicia quickly apologized.

“So ‘Demon King’ is more of a title or a job position, then?”

“Well, yeah.”

“But why is the Demon King, Sharon-san, in the Holy Kingdom?”

“I came to this country to get the jump on the Hero who was trying to kill me, and kill him first.”

Sharon began her explanation.

“To be honest, the reason I approached you in the first place was because you were Cain’s lover. The Holy Sword’s power is heavily influenced by the Hero’s mental state. If Cain became emotionally unstable, the sword’s power would drop. That would make it easier to kill him.”

“You mean… something that would throw Cain-san off mentally—like me breaking up with him and dating someone else?”

Alicia said this after glancing at me.

“Exactly. More precisely, we figured that if he saw his lover being stolen from him right in front of his eyes, it would deliver a significant shock to his mental state.”

“If I recall correctly… Luka-san, Cain-san stole your lover, right?”

“That’s right. So this time, we thought we’d flip the roles and make him the one who gets his lover stolen.”

It didn’t seem like she was acting out of desperation, but she was being extremely candid. Maybe she felt it would be difficult to keep hiding things like this forever, so she decided to come clean. Or perhaps she felt guilty about keeping so many things secret…

Even when Sharon said, “I approached you because you were Cain’s lover,” Alicia didn’t look angry or sad at all. Maybe it was because, even if the reason they first met had been impure, the friendship that had grown between them since then was real.

There was no doubt that Sharon considered Alicia a friend and maybe Alicia sensed that too.

“That’s when I found this guy.”

Sharon said, pointing at me.

“I thought I’d have Luke, whose lover was stolen by Cain, to cooperate with me. Or to be precise, I would use(?) him…. Or something like that and have him steal Alicia away from Cain, but…”

“But?”

“Luke said he wanted to be with you properly, Alicia.”

At that, Alicia looked at me closely. Was she angry? …No, she smiled. A soft, gentle smile.

“So when Luke confessed to you, it wasn’t because I told him to. It was his own choice.”

Perhaps Sharon was trying to say, “Even if you can’t forgive me, please don’t hate Luke.” I had known about Sharon’s plan, and I went along with it. So I could say I was her accomplice.

I had kept many things hidden from Alicia too.

So if she hated me now, I couldn’t blame her… No, I didn’t want her to hate me. But people’s feelings couldn’t be changed by force. If she hated me, I’d have to accept it. “That’s just how life goes,” and move on.

Eventually, Alicia opened her mouth to speak.

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Chapter 67

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“I didn’t have feelings for Cain-san. But I went along with what those around me encouraged and ended up dating him. But then I met Luke-san, and I fell in love with him. I chose, of my own will, to break up with Cain-san and be with Luke-san instead. Of course, I’m sure there was some intention and scheming on Sharon-san’s part to push things in that direction. However, the one who made the final decision was me.”

Alicia smiled before continuing.

“Sharon-san, you said you approached me because I was Cain-san’s lover, didn’t you?

Honestly, hearing that made me feel a bit conflicted. But I believe that now, you’re treating me not as ‘the Hero’s ex-girlfriend,’ but as ‘a friend,’ just as I am. Regardless of the original motive, I’m grateful that you introduced me to Luke-san. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have met him, wouldn’t have started a relationship with him, and probably wouldn’t have broken up with Cain-san either.”

“Alicia…”

Sharon said, looking somewhat moved.

“Well, I’m still a little annoyed that you used me to weaken Cain-san, though.”

Alicia puffed out her cheeks slightly as she said this.

“…My apologies.”

“I forgive you.”

The tense air softened in an instant. It was because Alicia was good-natured and warm that she hadn’t gotten angry at all—almost unbelievably so. If this had been an average citizen of the Holy Kingdom, they might have exploded in rage or even tried to report the three of them to the military or constables just for being demons.

Sharon had likely known Alicia’s personality well, and had guessed that she wouldn’t fly into a rage or cut ties. Using Elna’s accidental slip as a trigger, she had taken the chance to reveal the truth she’d been keeping hidden…. 

Or so I thought. Thinking it through, maybe she hadn’t thought that far ahead…?

I was about to say something, but Elna spoke up before I could.

“Uhh… By the way, about the four members of the Hero’s Party… Where do you think they might have run off to?”

“No idea.” 

Sharon replied. 

“But considering there’s no place for them left in the Holy Kingdom, they probably fled to another country… Hmm…”

She seemed to have thought of something and began to ponder deeply.

That made sense. Once outside the Holy Kingdom, the wanted notices would no longer be effective. Of course, crossing the border wasn’t easy, but if anyone could do it, it’d be those four.

“Come to think of it, this town—Zwein—is near the border, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is.”

I nodded.

“And while the neighboring country isn’t quite an enemy, it’s not exactly a friendly nation either.”

“Right.”

I understood what Sharon was getting at.

“Cain probably hasn’t given up on Alicia yet.”

Sharon said. 

“If that’s the case, he might come to this town before crossing the border.”

I couldn’t say that was impossible. It was definitely within the realm of possibility. If Cain came to see Alicia, and Alicia rejected him… What would he do then?

Cain wasn’t the type to give up and walk away quietly. Which meant, the options he would choose from were—

“He’ll either abduct Alicia or kill her.”

Sharon stated.

“If Cain shows up in Zwein, he’ll do one of those two things. …Well, most likely the former.”

Alicia’s eyes widened in shock.

“N-No way…”

“Don’t worry. I, along with my capable subordinates, will protect you. You two just focus on living your daily life in peace.”

Sharon thumped her chest confidently as she spoke.

If she was going to say that much, then maybe it was okay to leave Cain to them and go on living normally. Though… We couldn’t know for sure whether Cain and the rest of the Hero’s Party would actually come to Zwein.

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