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~ - 191. Gathering Location 2

191. 191. 191. 191. Gathering Location 2

Isezaki-san suddenly grabbed her head. On the contrary, Levia-sama continued to speak cheerfully, oblivious to her distress.

“As you know, the area around the magic stone mine is rich in magical essence, making it a prime spot for rare plants to grow. However, that area is currently under my jurisdiction, and entry without permission is strictly forbidden. But—”

Here, Levia-sama paused and clenched her fist.

“Of course, I will grant you ladies permission! You’ll definitely be able to collect plenty of rare medicinal herbs! What do you think, my lady? Aren’t I being helpful? Ohohohoho!”

Levia-sama laughed heartily while Isezaki-san looked at her with a mix of resentment and suspicion. However, judging by Levia-sama’s confident expression, it seemed the area around the magic stone mine was indeed ideal for herb collection.

Then, Isezaki-san timidly looked up at me and asked, “Um, Uncle? …Are you planning to go to the magic stone mine?”

“Yes. Since we’re here, I plan to take advantage of her kindness. Besides, I want to check on Maristel at the fortress too—”

“O-o-uncle!? That woman is bound by the ‘Sacred Oath’! You don’t need to worry about her!”

As soon as I mentioned Maristel’s name, Isezaki-san’s face stiffened. Ah, I see. Isezaki-san and Maristel don’t get along, and she doesn’t want to see her. That explains her strange behavior earlier.

“Even so, I can’t help but worry since we forced her into the fortress. Besides, you don’t have to come if it’s too much for you. I can go alone—”

“No! In fact, if you go alone, who knows what that woman might do! If you’re going, I absolutely must go with you! Absolutely! Understood, Uncle!?”

Isezaki-san pleaded with a desperate expression. It seemed that even though Maristel was magically bound, it wasn’t a foolproof measure.

I felt a warm sense of gratitude towards Isezaki-san for her concern for my safety.

“Thank you, Isezaki-san. In that case, I’ll count on you. But don’t push yourself too hard. Also…”

I turned to Aihara, who had been watching us blankly.

“Aihara, I’m sorry, but I can’t let you come with us. For today, I’ll join you for sightseeing, so can you be satisfied with that?”

“No, no, Senpai, it looks like you’re going through a lot. You don’t need to come sightseeing with me. Please, go collect those herbs as soon as possible.”

“Well, although it’s forbidden, it’s better to go early. There might be people sneaking in. But you’re being unusually compliant, which feels weird.”

Aihara tilted her head, touching her chin.

“Well… Collecting herbs is like foraging for wild vegetables, right? Honestly, it doesn’t feel very otherworldly and doesn’t interest me much…”

It seemed she found herb collecting boring.

On the other hand, I am actually looking forward to this. I enjoy watching variety shows where celebrities forage for wild vegetables or dig up bamboo shoots. The generational gap makes me a bit sad.

However, Aihara grinned as she looked at Isezaki-san without caring about my sadness.

“But Seina-chan, I thought you were kind to everyone. Seeing this side of you is really surprising and amusing. What did Maristel do? I’m really curious, so tell me!”

“R…Rio-san? Are you familiar with the saying ‘Curiosity killed the cat’? ‘A bird that doesn’t sing won’t be shot’ might also be appropriate here—”

“Yikes! Okay, okay, I’ll stop looking at you like that… It’s really scary…”

Aihara turned pale and shivered at Isezaki-san’s quiet voice. I couldn’t see her face, though.

“Well, well, Isezaki-san, let her off the hook. Aihara, once we finish our tea, you’ll return to Japan. We’ll do sightseeing some other time—”

“W-wait a minute! Since I’m here, I want to do some sightseeing. I’ll go alone, so please just give me permission!”

Aihara raised her hand sharply, trying to escape Isezaki-san’s gaze.

“No, this place is much more dangerous than Japan or any foreign country. I can’t let you go sightseeing alone.”

At that moment, Levia-sama stepped in between us.

“Um, you were discussing Aihara-sama’s outing, correct? In that case, would you leave it to me? I promise it won’t go wrong.”

“…Can I trust you with this?”

“Of course. When Aihara-sama goes out, let’s assign Colin as her guard. Colin, is that alright?”

“Yes! Understood, Levia-sama!”

Colin responded cheerfully. Well, I’m aware of Corin’s capabilities. Honestly speaking, it might be safer with her than with me. This puts my mind at ease.

“Aihara, Colin-chan will be your guard. Do your best to communicate and get along with her.”

“What? This tiny girl is going to be my guard!? Isn’t that a bit much!? Hey, Colin-chan, if it’s too much, you should say so. Guarding must be scary, right?”

“Yes! Tonight’s dinner will be wriggle fish sauté and holmi clam soup!”

“Oh… okay…?”

Aihara furrowed her brow anxiously while Colin enthusiastically announced tonight’s menu. It seemed they weren’t understanding each other. They’ll probably manage somehow with Aihara’s communicating skill, I hope.

Well, I think we’ve settled Ai-hara’s situation for now. Now, all that’s left is to head to the magic stone mine.

I promptly asked Levia-sama to prepare a letter of introduction for our entry into the magic stone mine.

“—Oh, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask.”

As she handed me the letter, Levia-sama suddenly spoke up.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Actually, there are some supplies that need to be delivered to the magic fortress. I’m sorry to trouble you, but could you take them along? They’re all stored in the warehouse.”

Levia-sama smiled brightly.

Her suggestion to go to the magic stone mine seemed almost like a pretext to get me to deliver these supplies, a very clever maneuver.

I thought it was a bit sneaky, but perhaps one needs to be this resourceful to survive while being targeted by one’s sister and dealing with neighboring territories. Naturally, I agreed.

So, after loading the large amount of supplies into my Storage, I teleported to the Magic Fortress Maristel with Isezaki-san . We were seen off by Levia-sama, Aihara-san and the others.