The Hero's Streaming Life with the Saintess-Chapter 46: A Proposal(?) Must Have a Gem on the Ring

Absolutely not.

I only had one person in my heart—and that was Lyla.

“I’m not just saying that because she’s my daughter. Her appearance is exceptional by any standard.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Reina dropped her gaze, clearly embarrassed.

Judging from her reaction, this wasn’t the first time they’d discussed it.

What the hell is this woman doing?

“I’ve heard your parents are the Master and Vice-Master of the Hanul Guild. If our families grew closer... it wouldn’t be such a bad thing, would it?”

So she really was trying to arrange a political marriage with her daughter.

Figures.

Noble logic never made sense to me—

and I had no interest in trying to understand it.

“Is this how the Takamine family does things?”

She didn’t even flinch. Just tilted her head slightly.

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Sending your daughter to marry someone she doesn’t love.”

At that, Sayō gave me a strange look—almost like she was surprised.

Was she that confident in her daughter’s looks?

“Well... feelings can grow, don’t you think? If young people spend time together... go on dates...”

“...”

“...and maybe something sparks.”

She was making a huge mistake about me.

There was someone I liked.

Someone I couldn’t imagine being without.

“I already gave my heart to someone.”

“That’s not a problem.”

“...What?”

“You mean the woman named Lyla, don’t you?”

Figures.

She was sharp—just as you'd expect from the matriarch of a major family.

If she already knew, this should’ve been the end of the conversation—

“I don’t believe it’s a flaw for a capable man to have multiple women.”

“...You say that like it’s no big deal, but what about your own husband—?”

“Yes. Reina’s father has several concubines.”

I’ve never once considered living that kind of life.

I don’t want to. That stuff only exists in fantasy novels.

“If I ever marry, it’ll be to one woman. That’s the only kind of family I want.”

“...Just one?”

Both Sayō and Reina looked at me with an unreadable expression.

I get chat messages sometimes like: “Bro’s definitely gonna end up with a harem”—

But hearing it in real life?

Kind of messed with me.

“Anyway, that’s just how I am.”

“Don’t all men want to hold beautiful women in their arms?”

This was going nowhere.

The longer we talked, the worse I felt.

“That’s enough. I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear any of that.”

“Hmm... Though when it comes to beauty and background, Miss Lyla...”

—CLINK.

I didn’t even realize I’d tightened my grip on the teacup until it cracked in my hand.

“Don’t cross the line.”

Was she baiting me on purpose?

She gave a small smile and bowed her head politely.

“I misspoke. My apologies.”

I stood and walked out, feeling their eyes pinned to my back.

****

Lyla was exactly where I’d left her, calmly staring at her phone.

When I opened the door, she looked up and skipped toward me with a bright smile.

“Hero!”

She grabbed my arm and beamed.

This woman—this Lyla—

How could anyone expect me to look at someone else?

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“What’d you guys talk about?”

“Just... nothing special.”

“Hmm?”

Lyla narrowed her eyes, leaning in.

All the things Sayō had said started replaying in my head, and I found it hard to meet her gaze.

“What, she asked you to date her daughter or something?”

“W-What? How’d you—?”

“It’s obvious. You used to get proposals like that all the time, remember? This princess from X, that noble’s daughter from Y...”

Right.

Happened a lot.

Though when we actually met, they’d all run away like they’d seen a ghost.

Looking back, thank god.

“So, what’d you say?”

“I just told her no and walked out.”

“Hehe, so there is someone you like?”

“W-Who? Me? What? No?”

“Okay, okay, never mind~”

Never mind?!

Did she figure me out? My heart jumped.

But I had a plan.

I was going to confess to her once everything was ready.

—squeeze... squeeze...!

“Hmmm~ You sure there isn’t someone you like?”

...!!

She hugged my arm tight and shook it playfully.

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to keep my body from reacting.

“N-No! Seriously, I don’t...!”

“Why so flustered? Relax~ I was just kidding.”

She let go of my arm, still smiling, and suggested we head out.

“Since we came all the way overseas, why don’t we have some fun? We’ve got a few days until the artifact’s ready anyway.”

“Yeah... might as well.”

I’d already told the Takamine family to contact us when the patriarch woke up.

We headed toward the door—

but Sayō watched us with a strange look.

—tight squeeze.

I grabbed Lyla’s hand on purpose.

Let her see.

Then, confidently, I opened the grand front door and stepped outside.

“H-Hero...”

“Oh—sorry. Too tight?”

“N-Noo...”

Was that too much?

We weren’t even dating yet, and here I was, getting ahead of myself.

What if I’d just tanked my affection score with Lyla?

Still... I didn’t pull my hand away.

Even if I was nervous, I didn’t want to make it awkward for her.

We walked side by side in silence for a long time.

Until our palms were sticky from the nerves.

“Lyla, your hand is kind of...”

“Ah...”

She spoke first, breaking the silence out of sheer embarrassment.

“Um, should we grab something to eat over there...?”

So we did.

We found a place nearby and had dinner together.

Whatever awkwardness there’d been earlier, it disappeared fast.

By the time the sun began to set, we were laughing and walking around like any ordinary couple.

...Well, except for that one punk who tried to hit on Lyla while I was in the restroom.

But he wasn’t all bad, I guess—once I walked up and smiled, he apologized and ran off.

“Hero, let’s do this more often.”

“I-I’d like that. I wanna hang out with you more too.”

Ah, shit.

I stammered like a loser.

But Lyla just looked at me, sitting beside me, and gave me the brightest smile.

Under the streetlights, that smile was even more radiant than usual.

“Hehe, then let’s go on lots of little adventures.”

****

Time passed in Japan, and then the news came:

The patriarch had woken up.

When we got to his room, I locked eyes with a middle-aged man who still looked frail.

“So you’re the one who saved the Takamine family...”

“Nice to meet you.”

“I am Hisao Takamine, head of this house.”

“Ah, I see...”

Come to think of it, this was the first time I’d heard his name.

He gestured to the servants by the door, and one of them brought over a small wooden box.

The servant looked worried as he handed it to the patriarch.

“Sir... are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’ll be fine.”

He placed a hand on the box—

and instantly, flames engulfed it, consuming it completely.

What remained in his palm... was a bracelet.

Ah, crap. A bracelet? That’s not exactly easy to mount a gem on...

But before I could overthink it, he spoke.

“It can become a necklace, a ring, or a bracelet. Wear it however you like.”

He placed it against different parts of his body, and the artifact resized accordingly.

For a moment I thought it worked like my earring artifact—

but Hisao shook his head with a chuckle.

“Not quite that fancy. It simply grants a blessing to whoever wears it.”

“Thank you...”

As I tried it on in different ways, Hisao gave me a curious look.

“Planning to start a guild?”

“No, not really.”

“Hm... I see.”

His eyes drifted to Lyla, who stood beside me.

Then, as if something clicked, he closed his eyes and gave a slow nod.

“Hm... yeah. That artifact will come in handy.”

“...Sorry, what was that?”

“Nothing important.”

“...”

“So, you’re heading home now?”

“We’ll stick around for a bit. Do some sightseeing while we’re still abroad.”

Hisao gave a faint smile.

“Then enjoy your time here.”

With the artifact in hand—and a generous bonus on top of that—we left the Takamine estate.

I asked Lyla to head back to the hotel first.

“...Why?”

“There’s something I need to do.”

You don’t propose without the perfect gem in your ring.

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And now, it was time to create the centerpiece—the finishing touch.

“Hmph...”

Lyla clearly wasn’t thrilled about going back alone.

She gave me the slightest pout.

“I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

“You better be!”

“I will. I promise.”

To create the masterpiece of a lifetime,

I set off deep into the mountains—

to a quiet, hidden place where no one would disturb me.