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~ - 144. Encounter

144. 144. 144. 144. Encounter

On the second day heading towards the magic stone mine, we encountered a bird-like monster, but Stinger intercepted and easily defeated it. After that, we proceeded without any further incidents.

Then came the midday break on the third day. Colin, who finished taking care of the horses early, joined me and Isezaki-san for lunch (convenience store sandwiches). As we were eating, Regina arrived with light steps.

“Oh my, what delicious-looking food you’re having~?”

“Yes, it’s delicious. Would you like a bite?”

As I offered Regina a sandwich I hadn’t touched yet, she flashed a charming smile.

“Hehe, sorry for acting like I’m begging. But I think I’ll help myself. Here goes… ahh~”

Regina closed her eyes and opened her mouth wide.

Although it wasn’t very proper, it wasn’t worth mentioning. Sensing the atmosphere, I pushed the sandwich into her mouth—

“!?!”

At that moment, a chill ran down my spine. I instinctively turned around.

But there was Colin, engrossed in eating her sandwich as if nothing happened, and Isezaki-san, smiling softly and looking at us.

…Was it just my imagination? No, of course. I wouldn’t be able to sense anything like that.

Maybe the fatigue of the journey was starting to show. I decided to wrap myself in warm clothes and rest early tonight.

I sighed softly and turned back to the front. There was Regina, still with her mouth open as before. Quite persistent.

“Come on, give it to me already~. Ahh~”

“…You’re an adult, you should eat by yourself.”

After pausing for a moment, unable to put the sandwich in her mouth, I handed it to Regina.

“Here I go, thanks~”

It seems she didn’t mind whether she used her hands or mouth. Regina, without much concern, threw the sandwich into her mouth.

“Chew chew chew… Mmm! The food that Matsunaga-san brings is really delicious!”

“Haha, it boosts my confidence to be praised by a discerning adventurer like you.”

“I don’t have such a refined palate… By the way, I have something to discuss, is now a good time?”

She usually doesn’t come during meals, so I thought this must be the main topic. Regina wiped her mouth with her thumb and continued talking.

“It seems there won’t be any pursuit from bandits, and the monsters around here don’t seem to be much of a threat to us, so if we keep this up, we should arrive at the watchtower by tomorrow evening. So, I was thinking we should discuss our next steps.”

The watchtower is a military facility at the foot of the magic stone mine in the Carius territory. It constantly monitors the Digram territory. Of course, there’s a similar facility on the other side, and they seem to be watching each other.

It seems we’ll arrive at our destination tomorrow. Since we’ve put off discussing the details, we should do it now.

“In our group, I’m in charge of this kind of discussion. I’ll share the details with the others later. So, Matsunaga-san, first of all— Wait, hold on a sec.”

Regina’s face stiffened, and she pressed her ear to the ground. Then, she suddenly stood up and ran towards the party members while facing us.

“It seems like something’s coming from ahead! Get back to the carriage right now!”

—

I and Isezaki-san boarded the carriage and waited nervously for a while.

I saw a horse galloping towards us, raising dust. Someone seemed to be riding it. Regina muttered while holding her forehead beside the carriage.

“Hmm, that’s… For now, Matsunaga-san, don’t come out. Colin-chan, I’ll leave it to you to take care of them.”

“Yes!”

Seeing Colin nod from the driver’s seat, Regina walked towards the horse. The members of Stinger followed her.

“Hey, stop!”

Muscleman Gandor shouted with his arms wide open, and the man on horseback noticed and quickly pulled the reins, slowing the horse’s speed.

Now, what’s going to happen next? As I anxiously watched, I noticed a crest adorned in the center of the iron breastplate worn by the man.

I feel like I’ve seen that pattern somewhere before. What was it again—

“Sir, he’s wearing the crest of the Carius territory. He’s probably a soldier from the watchtower,” Isezaki-san murmured beside me. That means he’s one of our allies. It’s a relief that things don’t seem to be getting dangerous.

As we observed the situation outside for a while, the soldier who had been talking with Regina dismounted from his horse. Then Regina gestured for us to come over.

“What’s the matter?” I asked as I stepped down from the carriage, and Regina nodded towards the soldier.

“We’re about to find out. …Hey, what happened to the soldier from the watchtower? You’ve heard about the operation from Lady Levia, right? There shouldn’t be time for you to return to town now.”

“Y-Yes! But there was an inexplicable incident! I couldn’t keep it to myself, so the captain ordered me to report to Grandain!” the young soldier exclaimed nervously, prompting Regina to inquire further.

“Oh? Did something happen? Can we hear about it too?”

“Yes! We were instructed to inform you if we encountered you on the way!” 

“I see. Please continue.”

“Well, the other day, someone witnessed soldiers from the Digram army retreating from the frontline base night after night! Since then, there has been no response from them… According to the captain, the frontline base in the Digram territory is probably empty now!”

Huh? Soldiers from the other side retreating? Why?