The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 111

The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I’m a “Farmer”, Not a Demon King! ~

Chapter 111   Check the village situation

Sofia confirmed with me, so I nodded and answered. Sofia then released her grip on Scott.

Scott, now free, was rubbing his neck and arms. While he might still feel a bit of pressure and discomfort, he probably wasn’t injured.

“So, about the crucial matter…”

“…Yeah, I understand. I’ll tell you.”

Scott closed his eyes once, taking a deep breath. When he opened his eyes and looked at us, he began speaking.

“Recently, this village has been targeted by bandits. They come and plunder valuables, taking women. If you resist, they kill you. They come to the village once a month and demand, ‘Hand over the valuables or the women.’ Many have already been killed and taken. At this rate, we’ll be wiped out someday. And then, you showed up…”

Scott paused there. His gaze shifted away from us, as if avoiding something he didn’t want to see.

However, having said he would explain the situation, Scott, while averting his face, glanced our way briefly and continued speaking.

“…They said they’d spare us if we handed you over… At least, that’s what I thought for this time.”

Well, it was somewhat as I expected. We were chosen just by chance as sacrificial offerings.

According to Scott and the others, we apparently looked wealthy, and even without that, Sofia, being a former noble, was modestly speaking, a beautiful young lady. Whether it was about wealth or women, we seemed valuable for the sacrificial role.

However, I couldn’t help but have some doubts.

“Setting aside what they’ll do with us… didn’t you think of telling this to the Lord or someone?”

Normally, I’d think that if you brought up something like this, the Lord’s soldiers or knights would take action. It’s different from the Lord of Aldoa whom we encountered before, but from what I’ve heard, if you submitted a plea for bandit extermination, they’d probably do something.

“I did. But when the knights came after receiving the information, a few of the bandits were captured, but they couldn’t catch them all. About two weeks after the knights left, they appeared again. And while raiding this village once more, they said it. If they were provoked again, they’d destroy this village.”

I see. So the villagers thought there was no use in doing anything. They might have realized that doing nothing was the safer option.

“When is the next one-month mark?”

“Today.”

“Huh, so they’re coming from now on today?”

But it’s already deep into the night. If I were in Japan, being this late wouldn’t be an issue, but in this world, there’s only the moon and stars for illumination. There are torches and other lights, but still, launching an attack in the deep of the night requires considerable skill and coordination. Do the bandits have that?

Moreover, if they’re going to prepare valuables and size up the women, they’d need daylight to clearly confirm things. I can’t imagine them doing that without the sun. Maybe “today” refers to after the sun has risen, considering it might have already passed midnight, but something about that doesn’t feel right.

“No, it’s raining today. There was a time before when things got off schedule due to rain, so I think that might happen again this time.”

“So, tomorrow then? What time are they coming? Night?”

“No, they usually come around noon and head back.”

“Alright, so the hideout is probably within two to three hours’ reach no matter how far it is.”

“Most likely.”

Speaking of hiding places within a day’s round trip, well, it would be the forest, right? In that case, I could probably use my passive skill to quickly locate the bandit’s hideout while walking. It probably wouldn’t be too far. After all, it would be quite a hassle for them to come for their livestock if it’s too far away.

But these bandits… Aren’t encounters with them a bit too frequent lately? Seriously, did I stumble into a nest of these guys or something? Why do I keep encountering these bandits? Is this the standard for there being so many bandits in another world?

“By the way, when did this all start?”

“When?… It’s been about six months.”

“Well, I don’t think it’s been exactly six months.”

“Guess you’re right.”

“I see.”

Listening to Scott and Martha’s conversation, I nodded.

About six months ago… I didn’t hear any specific events half a year ago in Aldoa, so is it natural to think that something happened in Elvale, where I was heading?

“So, about this, uh, cooperation you mentioned… What’s the plan, exactly?”

While I was pondering about the cause of the bandit issue, Scott timidly asked, clearly concerned. Well, for them, dealing with the immediate bandit threat in front of them was probably more important than the cause of the bandits.

“Yeah. Ah, well, if it’s about that, and considering the courtesy of shelter from the rain, we can handle it ourselves.”

To be honest, it’s not much of an effort, and it’ll be done in a day. If that’s all, then lending a hand is not a big deal.

“Can you handle this kind of thing?”

However, Scott seemed unsure of what to say, furrowing his brow as he spoke.

“Why not?”

“Why? Well… it’s just that… a kid like you wouldn’t be of much use. Sure, you might be strong as a guard, but there are dozens of them, you can’t win.”

“Guard? You mean Sofia?”

“I’m not a guard or anything like that. I’m just a servant.”

“Huh? But the way you restrained me earlier…”

“That was a basic skill.”

“Basic skill?”

Yes, a basic skill. If it’s just physical techniques like Sofia’s, it’s fundamental and necessary for working here.

Yet, I can understand the sentiment of not wanting to say that. Scott is belittling me because I’m a kid, but that’s inevitable.

In this world, there are skills, and the skills tend to have higher ranks as one ages, making it advantageous. Therefore, it’s not unreasonable to underestimate someone younger. Moreover, it’s even more so if the person not only appears younger but like someone who hasn’t even reached adulthood, like me.

However, fundamentally, while it’s true that having more years generally leads to a higher rank, there are always exceptions.

“Well, I’ll handle the bandits here. Even if we charge in and end up losing, since we weren’t originally from here, it’s no problem, right? I think it’s a gain without loss. What do you think?”

As I said this, Scott and Martha looked at each other, showing a puzzled expression.

However, whether they had nothing to say or didn’t know what to say… well, if nothing is said, then there’s no problem either way.

“Alright, I’ll go to exterminate them tomorrow, so is it okay to have a free day today?”

“Huh?”

“That’s what I’m saying. I’ll just sleep like this for today.”

Saying that, I turned off the light. In the warehouse, only a faint light entered from the slightly open door, making it almost impossible to see anything.

They seemed to understand that I really didn’t want to talk anymore. Scott and Martha looked hesitant, but soon left the warehouse and went back to the house.

…Looks like they’ve really gone back, so I guess we’ll go to sleep this time.

The next morning, we were called by Martha and went into Scott’s house, where we were served breakfast.

“So, what’s the plan?”

As we ate breakfast, Scott, still in the middle of it, sat in front of our seats and asked while looking at us. He seemed uneasy, constantly alternating his gaze between me and Sofia.

“What plan are you talking about?”

“What plan, for dealing with the bandits? Don’t you need some kind of strategy or something?”

“A strategy, huh? Not necessary. We’ll do some preparation, but there’s no particular need to do anything specific.”

“Not necessary…”

To be honest, I didn’t think it was a problem, even if there were over a thousand bandits. I don’t intend to underestimate them if we have to fight, but the fact remains that I’m confident.

Even if there are many bandits, there probably aren’t a thousand. If we can handle a thousand, then dealing with fewer bandits is a piece of cake.

It might be difficult if there were certain conditions, but if it’s alright to kill them, then there’s no issue.

“Ah, I just want to confirm something. Do we know from which direction the bandits are coming?”

“it’s from that forest over there.”

“Right, it’s the forest after all. Well, it makes sense, there’s nowhere else to escape.”

There’s no way to escape right in the middle of the plains, and since there’s a nearby forest, which is easy to escape into and hide, it’s decided that it will be their hideout. There’s also a possibility that they’ve taken over another village, but regardless, heading towards the forest in the direction they fled should reveal something.

In terms of the plan, when the bandits attack, we’ll intercept them. Extract a bit of information, then head towards the direction of the hideout, communicating with the surrounding plants and using “Mindlink” to confirm detailed information. Once the hideout is identified, we’ll exterminate them. That should be the end of it.

…Oh, right. Since we’re going to exterminate the bandits, there might be some damage, and it’s not a big problem, but we wouldn’t want complaints afterwards. Let’s ask one more thing.

“There’s one more thing I’d like to confirm. If the bandits attack, and there’s a bit of disturbance in the village or the nearby area, is that okay?”

“Disturbance… well, if the damage is limited to that extent, then it’s fine…”

“I see. That’s good then.”

Saying that, I got up, thanked Martha, and headed outside.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“Just checking. I don’t intend to fight without understanding the village’s situation at least once.”

We plan to finish it with the initial strike, but in case things go awry and we need to escape or if the bandits manage to escape, it’s essential to have a grasp of the surrounding terrain.

“In that case, I’ll come along. Having an unfamiliar person wandering around might be misunderstood given the current situation.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. I’ll count on you then.”

And so, the three of us, including Scott, began to walk to assess the village’s situation.

“They usually come around this area.”

The first place we were guided to was where the bandits usually frequented.

Around us were numerous damaged buildings, some so severely damaged that holes were gaping open. I peeked inside one through a hole in the wall, thinking it wouldn’t withstand rain and wind, but there was no one inside. Furthermore, there were signs of recent usage like plants growing inside and some dirt, indicating that nobody had been here for a while.

“That house belonged to someone who resisted the bandits and died. There are many like this around here.”

Stepping away from the hole and scanning the surroundings again, I indeed felt a more desolate atmosphere in these houses compared to the ones where Scott and the others were.

As we were talking, a man approached us.

“Scott-san. And who is this child…?”

“Oh, yeah. This kid took shelter from the rain yesterday. They wanted to see the village.”

“Is that so….”

Upon hearing Scott’s explanation, the man looked surprised, then contorted his face with guilt. He quickly averted his gaze and hurriedly moved away from us.

“Seems like they’ve caught on to the fact that we’re being targeted as sacrifices.”

“Yeah, probably. People in this village, to some extent, must have thought of similar things. ‘Just prepare someone other than themselves,’ that sort of thinking.”

Even among fellow villagers, one’s own life might be considered more valuable than another’s.

As I watched the man walking away, I shifted my gaze back to the surroundings.

…It was probably an ordinary village like any other once.

I’m not saying they shouldn’t commit crimes, but there should be limits. If you’re going to target someone, go for those outside the village or the wealthy. Taking from those who live peacefully in the village… yeah, I don’t like that.

I’m not a superhero, but I might as well contribute to people’s peace.

“I’ll confirm one more time, it’s alright if this area gets a bit chaotic. Specifically, is it okay if it looks like it’s been tilled?”

“Yeah, well, that’s fine… tilled here?”

“That’s right. Well, I don’t think there will be damage other than to the soil, so you can rest assured about that.”

They’re probably wondering what I’m planning. Scott is tilting his head, but it’s still a secret.

“Anyway… I guess I’ll go around the village.”

We know where the bandits are coming from, and we have an idea of the situation. But it’s pointless if we don’t know anything else. Perhaps, especially this time, they might come from a different place other than here.