The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 114

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

Chapter 114   Departing after taking shelter from the rain

“I’m back. Is anything wrong?”

“No, nothing in particular.”

After checking the cave, I rode one of the horses that were nearby back to where I had left Sofia waiting.

When I got back, Sofia was the only one there. There was no sign of anyone having disturbed the area. It looked exactly the same as it had when I left. It seemed that no one had come here. Thank goodness.

“Okay. I’m sorry to ask, but can you help me out for a bit? There’s a lot of stuff at the bandits’ hideout.”

“Stuff?”

“Yeah. Not just the gold and valuables they stole from the village, but…the women they kidnapped, too.”

“I see. That’s right.”

As soon as Sofia understood what had happened, she quickly got into the carriage and prepared to depart, looking at me.

I understood that we could leave once I saw her look, so I started moving the horse, leading the carriage down the road.

“How many people do you think this carriage can hold?”

“About ten, I think.”

“Then we’ll be okay.”

“How many were there?”

“Eight.”

“Ten people, including us. That’s cutting it close.”

“It’s cutting it close, but I can ride a horse instead of taking the carriage, so there will be nine people in the carriage. It’ll be a bit cramped, though.”

“They seem to have been abducted from various villages, so even if we rescue them, it’s not like everyone can return to their original villages…”

“Still, just getting help here is better.”

If you’re not dead, you can somehow manage, right? But is that really true? I think there are times when being dead is better…

Well, that’s for the individuals to decide. All I can do is take them out of here.

“Over here.”

After arriving at the bandit’s village, I didn’t immediately head to the cave where the women were held captive. Instead, I went into a nearby building.

Inside the building, various items were placed, and in one corner, there was a large amount of cloth.

“Is this a warehouse?”

“Yeah. In dealing with the abducted women, or rather, considering the women’s situation, we need to bring cloth. The quality isn’t something to boast about, as the bandits were using it, but it’s better than nothing.”

Initially, I thought of carrying this cloth to the women, but doing it alone would require multiple trips.

Instead of that, I thought it would be better to bring Sofia and the carriage and get it done in one go.

It’s probably better to leave it to Sofia than to repeatedly face me, a man.

Upon hearing my words, Sofia seemed to imagine the situation of the abducted women, frowned, and silently began to gather the cloth.

“This is…”

Having gathered cloth, water, and food, we headed towards the cave. Upon seeing the captive women, Sofia was left speechless.

It’s not surprising. None of the captive women were unharmed; all of them bore signs of assault. Some seemed to have broken spirits, with vacant gazes and faint smiles, while others could only mutter incoherent words.

“Can I entrust this to you?”

“Yes, please entrust it to me.”

Upon hearing my words, Sofia immediately moved and rushed towards the captive women.

I had left it to her, I, being a man, knew I shouldn’t be in this situation. I left the scene and headed back to the carriage.

“Thank you for waiting.”

“Is everything alright now?”

After defeating the bandits, I ensured they were really dead, tended to the horses in the carriage, and waited for a while. Sofia then arrived with the captive women in tow.

“Yes, for now, they can move to some extent. They’re not in perfect condition, but it’s better than leaving them here like this.”

If they had been seriously injured, we wouldn’t have been able to get them moving in such a short time without healing abilities. I think they probably didn’t have major injuries to begin with.

Even so, their immobility was likely more psychological than physical.

Visually, they look much better. This is probably thanks to Sofia’s “Purification.”

“Alright, let’s head back to the village—hm?”

“What’s the matter?”

“…Just wait for a moment.”

Saying this, I spurred the horse and rode out of the village. After a while, I returned, dragging something with me.

“What’s this?”

“Members of the bandit group. It seems some survived. They probably don’t have much time left, but I brought them in for now.”

In order to ensure the safety of this area, I had checked the surroundings in a broader range. I found that there were bandits hiding in the forest outside the village, so I brought them in.

They were probably from a different faction, on patrol or something like that.

I had attacked them as soon as I found them, so they were injured all over. With seeds still inside their bodies, they wouldn’t have a long life. I suspect their lungs are injured as well.

I tossed the bandit in front of the women who were following Sofia.

The moment they saw the bandit, even though they hadn’t been fully conscious until now, the women shuddered and showed a reaction. Even without consciousness, fear seems to be ingrained in them. It’s not surprising.

…But is this the right thing to do?

“These are the ones who oppressed you. They’re lying there unable to resist before your very eyes. Are you just going to cower in fear? Don’t you want revenge? Don’t you want to return the unjust treatment you received? Is living a miserable life in defeat your wish?”

Saying this, I dropped the weapons we had collected from the bandits’ village in front of the women.

The targets of their revenge were nearly on their last breath. They’ll probably die on their own soon.

But that’s not enough. Just having the detestable enemies die doesn’t make it meaningful. it doesn’t satisfy the thirst for vengeance.

I’ve set up everything up to this point; we haven’t actually cornered them ourselves.

But even so, a detestable enemy is still alive and right in front of them. They have the opportunity to kill them… the opportunity for revenge.

Even if this was a stage set by someone else, having the chance for revenge and not having it are completely different.

Someone once said, “Revenge doesn’t bring anything.” Well, obviously. It’s a given. If you don’t understand that, you’re foolish, and if someone says those words to stop revenge, they’re foolish too.

Because revenge isn’t about turning zero into a plus, it’s an act to reset a minus to zero.

Regardless of the process or the outcome, if we can end it with our own hands, we can come to terms with our feelings. That’s when they can move forward.

Some might argue they can move forward without doing such things. But that’s only a handful of strong individuals. Not everyone is that strong. They’re all seeking an outlet for their weakness, anger, and hatred.

So, I prepared all this for them.

And the women chose to take up the weapons.

With weapons in their hands, the women, who had previously had empty eyes, now glowed with a dark determination. They swung their weapons down towards the bandits.

“Hey, you’re back!”

We had finished various tasks and were returning to Scott’s village with the rescued women on the carriage.

Scott seemed to have been waiting for us to return and had been standing where we left from.

“That over there…”

“Those are the ones who were captured.”

“I see.”

Scott had genuinely worried about our return, but as he saw the women coming down from our carriage, his words lost their strength. He had probably anticipated this, but upon hearing my words, his face turned grave.

As his gaze shifted towards the women, he noticed a couple of them embracing, but it was only two out of the eight. The others still had vacant, downward-gazing eyes.

“It seems like there are others from different villages. Can we leave them to you?”

“Yeah. They were the ones who were saved. We can’t just leave them like that. You aren’t planning to stay here, are you?”

“Well, no.”

While I had rescued them from the bandits’ hideout, I hadn’t planned on dealing with the aftermath. It might seem irresponsible, but I believe I did enough by rescuing them and bringing them to safety. If they still hold a grudge after this, it would be quite unreasonable.

If Scott and the others hadn’t agreed to take care of them, I would have had to leave them at an orphanage or a clinic in the next town. Or hire someone to take them, as there probably wouldn’t be a carriage going to Karakas. Either way, it would cost money and be troublesome, so I’m glad Scott and the others took responsibility.

Their hometowns are likely around this area, and it would be easier for them to return if they were taken care of here. … Well, whether that’s what they personally desire remains to be seen.

“Thank you. And sorry.”

In any case, I’m glad they took them in. As I was thinking this, Scott bent down and offered a sincere apology.

“What’s up?”

“I tried to ambush you.”

“Oh, that. Well, it’s fine. I understand the situation, and you don’t intend to be hostile in the future, right?”

“Of course not. Why would I?”

“Then we’re good.”

When they attacked, I thought there was no need to listen to what they had to say. But in the end, we saved them, and it’s all over now. I won’t complain or hold a grudge.

The next day, for now, there was no sign of rain, and it seemed like we could depart without any problems.

“Thank you for everything.”

“The one who should be thanking is us. Thank you. Really, thank you.”

“Well, yeah. Just keep doing your best.”

“Yeah. We were saved. I won’t embarrass myself by doing something foolish.”

While there are various things to take care of since we handed over the captured women, Scott now has a cheerful face, quite different from when we first met.

“Sofia, let’s go.”

And we, accompanied by Scott, Martha, and the villagers near the village entrance bidding us farewell, set off towards the capital.