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~ - 202. The Roasted Monster Bird

202. 202. 202. 202. The Roasted Monster Bird

Stiffening at the resounding roar and blinding flash, I timidly opened my eyes, which had closed without me noticing. Squinting through my still-blurry vision, I looked at the spot where Maristel had been running moments ago. There, she was sitting on the ground in a daze, with a completely charred black object lying behind her.

“Master… can you stand?”

As I started to head towards Maristel, Isezaki-san wore a worried expression. She placed her other hand over the one she was holding and tried to help me up. But…

“Ugh, uhh! Uhh uhh! Ugh… ughhhh…!”

I couldn’t feel any strength coming from Isezaki-san, who was pulling me with a flushed face. It seemed that Isezaki-san wasn’t just lacking in athleticism but also in physical strength.

“S-sorry. I’m okay, I’ll stand up by myself…”

“I-I’m sorry…”

I gently released Isezaki-san’s hand, which she had been looking away from in embarrassment, and placed my hands on my knees to stand up slowly. I felt a bit unsteady but was able to walk. It seemed I had recovered to some extent.

Isezaki-san and I then headed towards Maristel. When we reached her, Maristel looked up at Isezaki-san, her eyes wide and her body trembling slightly.

“Ah, ahh, ah! What were you thinking!? What if that attack had hit me!?”

“…But it didn’t hit you, did it?”

“Huh!? Huh—!? It hit me just a little! Look here, look! Look at my beautiful hair! It’s all singed and frizzy now!”

Maristel picked up a strand of her hair, which was indeed slightly singed and frizzy. It was just a little, though.

“It’s a good thing it only ended up like that. Or… did you want it to be worse?”

Isezaki-san’s gaze was fixed on the charred black object behind Maristel—the corpse of the Scarlet Bird. Despite being a strong monster, it was taken down in a single blow, showing just how incredible Isezaki-san’s power was.

Isezaki-san’s offensive magic didn’t need to crush or directly touch the target like my space-time magic. I wished I could use such magic too.

Maristel, staring at the blackened Scarlet Bird, still pouted in resentment.

“…I mean, if I had risked my life as a decoy, you could have dealt with it from the start, right? I’m not quite satisfied with this.”

“【Divine Thunder God Bolt】 is difficult to aim. Remember, you dodged it before. So, in that sense, you being a decoy allowed me to hit it.”

Though Isezaki-san answered with a hint of displeasure, I agreed with her. I thanked Maristel as well.

“No, really, if it weren’t for you, I think we would have had to retreat before reaching our goal. Thank you.”

I bowed my head, and Maristel’s mood lifted as she puffed out her nose.

“Oh? Oh, oh? Hmm, is that so? It’s thanks to me? In that case, does this mean I can make a request of Matsunaga?”

“Y-yes, that’s right. If there’s anything you need, I’ll help as much as I can.”

“That’s good to hear! Then how about you repay me with your body right now――oh, Isezaki!! Stop getting into position for 【Divine Thunder God Bolt】!”

I looked beside me to see Isezaki-san, expressionless, staring at Maristel with her hand raised to the sky. Since she wasn’t holding my hand, she couldn’t use 【Divine Thunder God Bolt】, but it seemed to have a tremendous effect on Maristel. However, I was a bit scared that her other hand was about to touch me.

“Well, I’ll think about the repayment… Hey Matsunaga, you’re really sweating a lot. What’s going on?”

“Huh? Oh, I might have used too much magic defeating the golems…”

“Hmph… It’s good to see you have some normal, human-like aspects after all. It’s oddly reassuring.”

“I’ve always been normal.”

“Ah, that’s a funny joke,” 

Maristel said, glancing sideways. Isezaki-san, with a gasp, pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket.

“Master, it’s important to cool your body down! Ah, ah, I’ll wipe off your sweat!”

“No, it’s fine—”

Before I could even say it was okay, Isezaki-san quickly pressed the handkerchief to my face. Once she started wiping, it was pointless to stop, so I remained still and waited for her to finish. The handkerchief had a pleasant scent, which made me feel even more apologetic.

After she finished wiping my face and neck, Isezaki-san stopped and was about to put the handkerchief away, but…

“Ah, wait, Isezaki-san. That handkerchief should be cleaned with 【Cleaning】, don’t you think? Here.”

I offered to supply magic, but Isezaki-san, hiding the handkerchief behind her back, shook her head vigorously.

“No! It’s, um, difficult to clean with 【Cleaning】!”

“Really?”

Even a shirt covered in bl00d from when I was stabbed came out perfectly clean with 【Cleaning】, so I thought sweat would be even easier to clean.

“There are stains that 【Cleaning】 can’t remove. Yes, yes, that’s right!”

“If that’s the case, I’ll wash it.”

I’ve lived alone long enough to know how to do laundry just fine.

“I can’t let Master wash it! This is my precious—no, I mean, it’s a very expensive handkerchief! It must be washed in a specific way, or it would be a huge problem…!”

It seems washing an expensive handkerchief is indeed complicated. But still, it’s embarrassing and troubling to make Isezaki-san wash a handkerchief covered in my sweat…

“—Hey, you guys, by the way.”

Maristel looked somewhat exasperated. She stood up and brushed the dirt off her bottom.

“Shouldn’t we start gathering medicinal herbs soon? We made a lot of noise, so it’ll be a hassle if more monsters show up.”

“Yes, we should do it quickly. Come on, Master, let’s go!”

Isezaki-san quickly tucked the handkerchief away and pointed towards the large tree, which was our original destination. With no other option, I decided to give up on the handkerchief. Once I confirmed that I could put weight on my legs, I followed Isezaki-san towards the medicinal herb gathering spot.