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~ - 132. Heading to the Mountainous Region

132. 132. Heading to the Mountainous Region

“――Thank you for the meal, it was delicious.”

“You’re welcome.”

After I finished eating, Miss Isezaki courteously bowed her head. She’s usually an approachable girl, but these gestures are truly ladylike.

Afterward, we tidied up the bento boxes and took a break. The members of “Stinger” seemed to be chatting while munching on potato chips. It seems like it’s mostly Regina doing the talking though.

It looks like the party’s relationships are good. In the adventurer business, you really can’t afford to be on bad terms with your companions.

After a while, Regina raised her voice, saying, “Shall we get going?” and we started walking towards the carriage, tidying up the alternative leisure sheets.

Then the members of “Stinger” rushed over.

“Did someone say potato chips? Those were amazing, thanks!”

“They were delicious!”

“I’m curious about how they’re made…”

“If we can eat stuff like this, Isezaki-san must be happy… *sniff* (tears)”

Each of them chattered excitedly to us, then scattered off to their positions without stopping. It seems they all liked the potato chips. In that case, maybe I should bring cola as a treat next time. Potato chips and cola are the ultimate combination.

As we approached the carriage, I saw Colin waiting at the coachman’s stand, ready to depart at any moment.

Initially, I was anxious, but there hadn’t been any mishaps so far. As Holly said, she really is a well-behaved child.

I handed some potato chips to Colin, saying, “Have some during the journey.”

Colin thanked me, but looked at the potato chip bag with curiosity, as it was something she wasn’t familiar with in this world. Then the carriage departed.

As we listened to the voice coming from the coachman’s stand saying, “Mmm, delicious…!” I exchanged glances with Isezaki-san and smiled, and the carriage continued on through the wilderness.

***

From the window of the carriage, we could see steep rocky mountains and deep valleys.

Heading towards the mine, we can expect to see more of these kinds of landscapes. However, the journey has just begun, and even if everything goes smoothly, it will still take about three days.

As I gazed at the changing scenery, Seriphos approached and lightly tapped on the window.

“Pardon me. According to the information I obtained beforehand, there should be a settlement of thugs who have been expelled from the town around here.”

“Is that so? Come to think of it, we once got involved with those kinds of people in a place closer to the town.”

Were they from that settlement too? Thanks to “Jump Warp,” we were able to escape back then. It was also an event where I found out that Isezaki-san isn’t good at physical activities.

“This time, there’s a possibility that we’ll be attacked too. Of course, we won’t fall behind, but the opponents are despicable villains without a shred of decency. We don’t know what methods they’ll use, so please don’t get out of the carriage under any circumstances. We’ll definitely protect you.”

Seriphos said firmly with a determined expression.

…Wow, how reliable. I was moved by Seriphos, who had been properly behaving since our first meeting.

If he were always like this, I don’t think Isezaki-san’s favorability rating would have dropped significantly. It’s too bad.

Thinking that, I glanced at Isezaki-san. She seemed to have thawed from her initial rigid attitude and was earnestly listening to Seriphos’ words.

It seems that if the other party changes their attitude, Isezaki-san doesn’t hold grudges. With the experience of numerous confessions, she’s quick to adapt. If it were me, who isn’t usually popular, my emotions would be all over the place.

By the way, Seriphos cast a doubtful glance at the alternative space hammock where we were lying down, but he didn’t voice his curiosity. Maybe he thought it was some kind of product or something. If he had asked, I would have cheerfully answered.

After a while, Seriphos’ expression became somewhat stern as he exchanged fewer words and more hand signals with the other members while walking beside me.

There was a tense atmosphere. Then Isezaki-san spoke up.

“Sir, there may be an attack by bandits. In the past, when the guards showed this kind of atmosphere, we were almost certainly attacked.”

It seemed to be an anecdote from Isezaki-san’s time as a Great Saintess, when traveling with guard-protected carriages was the default.

Oh no, we need to be careful—just as I was about to say that, a loud noise, akin to a lightning strike, suddenly echoed from above.

I hurriedly looked out of the window. Before me, large rocks and roughly cut logs were tumbling down from the steep cliff, resembling a landslide.

“Whoa!”

With Colin’s panicked voice, the carriage abruptly came to a halt. Immediately after, another thunderous noise resounded.

As I listened to the startled neighing of the horses, I struggled to sit up from the sudden stop and looked out of the window again. It seemed we had avoided a direct hit, but large rocks and logs were blocking the road ahead.

“Well, well, looks like the idiots have arrived,”

Regina muttered as if in response to her words, figures began to emerge from behind the rocks and hills.

They all looked rough and were dressed in tattered clothes, each wielding weapons like machetes and axes. They definitely looked like bandits.

Regina raised her voice, echoing around the area.

“Just so you know, we’re strong, you know? If you apologize now and let us through, we’ll forgive you. So, what’s it gonna be?”

“Hah, if you’re begging for your lives, watch your words. But hey, now that you’ve come this far, we can’t just let you go, can we? We’ll take all your valuables. Of course, the women too, eh?”

Grinning, a tall man with a black eye patch stepped forward.

“Aah…”

I involuntarily gasped. I remember well because apart from cosplay in Japan, I had never seen someone with a black eye patch before. This guy was one of the punks who played tag with me and Isezaki-san not too long ago.