The Neighborhood High School Girl, Miss Isezaki, Is the Great Saintess Returned from Another World~ And I, Suddenly Awakened as Her Exclusive Mana Supply Uncle, Travel Between Earth and Another World with Time-Space Magic~ - 129. First Day in the Wilderness

129. First Day in the Wilderness

Several hours had passed since we departed from the frontline city of Grandain. The cargo had already been stowed away in the storage space, and the carriage continued to traverse the rough terrain.

I reclined comfortably against the cushion, gazing out of the carriage window. I could see the members of “Stinger” walking around the carriage as if forming a protective circle.

Positioned slightly ahead of the carriage was Regina. She was the lone female member of “Stinger,” and her short hair and tan skin suited her well. With her agile movements, she served as the scout, often detecting dangers before anyone else. She was also sociable and typically handled negotiations on behalf of the group.

Walking on the right side of the carriage was Seriphos. It seemed he still hadn’t recovered from his failed romance, occasionally sighing. According to Regina, despite his heartache, he remained focused on his duties. However, it would be better if he could move on soon.

He was a traditional swordsman who wielded a longsword. Having defeated a Sand Dragon, he earned the title of Dragon Slayer. Walking on the left side of the carriage was a muscular middle-aged man carrying a large shield on his back. He introduced himself as Gandor with a deep, solemn voice. In “Stinger,” he served as the tank, protecting the party.

When our eyes met, Gandor flashed a thumbs-up with a bright smile. He seemed like a genuinely good guy. Additionally, there should be a lean man wearing a robe following behind the carriage.He did not seem to be the sociable type, and when he greeted me, he mumbled, “I’m Notos, nice to meet you,” and quickly retreated behind Gandor. According to Regina, he was a magic user proficient in earth magic.

These four individuals comprised the A-ranked party “Stinger,” along with me, Isezaki-san, and the little maid Colin, who were members of our expedition this time.

Our mission was to head to the Mana Stone Mine and establish a fortress there to counter the Digram Army’s invasion.

There were fewer members than I had anticipated. I was genuinely surprised when I heard that Colin would also be assisting in setting up the fortress. However, I trusted Lady Levia not to assign unsuitable personnel to such a crucial mission. …Right?

So, I decided to trust Lady Levia and Colin.

It must be like that.

Actually, Colin boasted skills that would make legendary jockeys and craftsmen envious, could construct a fortress rivaling those of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, and could handle various crisis situations better than Holly herself, even achieving the triple crown of MVP, Cy Young, and Manager of the Year if she were to join Major League Baseball as a player, pitcher, and manager simultaneously. Yeah, that’s it. That’s definitely it.

(Note:Cy Young is a name associated with baseball, particularly with the Cy Young Award, which is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB). )

And if things really go south, we can just use “Dimensional Teleportation” to return everyone to Grandain and forcibly exile Lady Levia and the others to Japan.

It’s better to think of it lightly. There’s only so much I can do, being just a former salaryman, a current unemployed thirty-something man.

With that mindset, I enjoyed the scenery outside until I realized that Isezaki-san in the adjacent seat had fallen asleep, softly snoring.

It was still morning in this world. However, if we were still in Japan, it would already be late at night. Isezaki-san, accustomed to a regular student life, would probably start feeling sleepy soon.

We needed to correct our jet lag, but a little sleep wouldn’t hurt. Let’s allow her to rest.

And supporting her nap was one of the convenient magic spells from my otherworldly repertoire—the “Interdimensional Hammock.”

Since we were traveling through rough terrain, the carriage’s vibrations were harsher than during our journey to the capital. Therefore, I spread out an interdimensional net-like hammock above the seats and secured it in place, providing a comfortable resting spot.

With this setup, while the hammock swayed in sync with the carriage’s movement, none of the jarring vibrations that would normally impact one’s backside were transmitted. Although it lacked flexibility due to being an assembly of interdimensional threads, I resolved this by laying a cushion on top.

This was the Interdimensional Hammock, one of the results of my research into applying interdimensional principles. It’s not like I only came up with useless things like interdimensional nori seaweed.

By the way, during my trial and error with interdimensional experimentation, I also noticed that my magical power was gradually being drained while maintaining the interdimensional space. It seemed that magical power was necessary for sustaining the interdimensional space.

However, the amount drained from me was truly minimal, and unless I intentionally dispelled the interdimensional space, it wouldn’t disappear even if I fell asleep. In other words, I could maintain the interdimensional space without consciously focusing on it.

However, if I were to teleport to another world while maintaining the interdimensional space, upon returning, the interdimensional space would vanish. Presumably because I, the source of magical power, disappeared from the world.

These were things I hadn’t known until now, so it was a good opportunity to learn.

Furthermore, through tinkering with interdimensional space, I had also learned to use new spacetime magic. It would be preferable not to have to use it if possible.

Now, I couldn’t just keep staring at the scenery outside, ignoring Isezaki-san’s sleeping face. I decided to take a nap myself.

Resting my head on the cushion, I closed my eyes. Before I knew it, I was overcome by drowsiness.

—

Suddenly, consciousness returned to me from sleep. I felt a lukewarm breeze brushing against my cheeks, awakening me. It wasn’t particularly unpleasant, so I was tempted to go back to sleep again. However, I remembered that I had been dozing off inside the carriage. It wouldn’t be appropriate to indulge in further laziness like this.

Resisting the temptation, I managed to open my eyes. What greeted my vision was a curtain of silver. It sparkled and shimmered in the light, captivating both my eyes and my heart.

Huh? What’s this? Could it be that I’ve died without realizing it and ascended to heaven? It’s such a beautiful sight, and it even smells nice.

As I marveled at the scene, suddenly—

“Eeeeeeek!”

With a sudden scream echoing from above, the silver curtain receded into the distance.

“Oh, dear sir! You’ve awakened! Good morning, good morning!”

There, leaning out from the neighboring interdimensional hammock, was Isezaki-san, her face flushed red. Apparently, what I had thought was a silver curtain was actually her beautiful silver hair.

“Oh, I thought I’d wake you up, but you didn’t seem to be waking up, so I thought this would work… No, I mean, I thought I had to wake you up properly! I just got a little too close at that time, so it’s not what you think, um—”

Isezaki-san rambled on nervously. Even in my drowsy state, I could at least understand that she had woken me up.

“Sorry, I must have dozed off accidentally. Is it almost noon?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right! I heard we’ll take a break around here! Look, over there!”

With her eyes swimming, Isezaki-san pointed outside the window. The carriage had stopped, and outside, I could see the members of Stinger sitting down to have lunch.

While we could eat inside the carriage, it wasn’t healthy to remain cooped up inside for too long. It would be nice to stretch our legs in a more spacious area.

“Let’s have our meal outside then. Oh, I’ll dispel the interdimensional hammock, so please wait a moment.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

Wiping the sweat from her forehead for some reason, Isezaki-san finally showed a smile. I invited her, and we decided to step out of the carriage together.