The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 120

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

Chapter 120   On my way to a permanent request

“Is this a permanent request?”

On the board, there are requests for herb gathering and goblin extermination as expected. In addition to those, there are requests like wolf extermination and patrols.

But, I wonder. Not limited to permanent requests, at first glance, the difficulty of the requests seems to be generally low.

“What will we do?”

“Let’s see… this should be fine.”

However, I’m not particularly concerned about the difficulty of the requests right now, so I ignored that aspect and pointed to one request.

“Goblin extermination. The location is… the forest, right? Understood.”

The request states that you’ll be promoted if you can take down thirty goblins, so it should be fine with that level of challenge.

Once we made our decision, we headed outside of the adventurer’s guild.

“Weapons are still fine, so shall we continue like this?”

“Is that acceptable?”

The forest where the goblins, the target of the request, inhabit isn’t too far from this town. If we go now, we should have about four hours until dusk, and we could take down around thirty goblins within that time. Normally, considering the time it takes to search, four hours would be impossible, but in my case, it’s not a problem. After all, the entire forest becomes an ally, providing me with information. Even finding the location of their nest happens in an instant.

It’s not that far from the town, so one hour for the journey should be sufficient to plan.

We could progress faster and more comfortably by using a carriage, but leaving a carriage unattended near crowded areas is dangerous. There’s a risk of it being stolen or tampered with.

Thinking this, we headed towards the outskirts of the town…

“It seems we’re being followed.”

Sofia, pretending as if nothing was wrong and wearing her usual smile, spoke without changing the tone of her voice, saying something so ominous.

However, I had also noticed that we were being followed, just as Sofia mentioned.

“Oh, you noticed? Probably since we left the guild. What do you think the intention behind this is?”

“…A spy from the guild or an individual. If it’s an individual, it’s probably for money, but if it’s the guild, it’s hard to say. Perhaps it’s for protection?”

“Well, I don’t think the guild would attack for money, and if by any chance we were to die, it would be troublesome for them. So maybe they’re discreetly guarding us, offering assistance if things get dangerous… Ah, there’s also the possibility if it’s an individual. Trying to be hired after helping, or demanding money.”

“Regardless, it’s quite bothersome.”

“Indeed. I don’t want our inn location to be known, and I don’t want our fighting style to be observed. Most of all, it’s annoying.”

Whether it’s an extra payment from the guild or an attack by an individual, it’s still an annoyance. Let them try to tail us all the way to the inn. Even if those who are tailing us attempt to attack, it won’t change much, but it’s undoubtedly a hassle. Moreover, if the horses or the carriage were to be harmed, dealing with that would likely be beyond our capabilities.

While staying in this town to carry out our activities might eventually expose us, I still want to delay it as much as possible.

“At the next corner, we’ll run.”

“Yes.”

With that, we veered off the main road into an alley to shake off our pursuers and started running.

They probably thought we wouldn’t lose sight of them since we entered the alley. The ones tailing us did follow into the alley, but by the time they did, we had already moved further in.

They probably still wanted to pursue us. They split up and went deeper into the alley, but too bad for them. We were already ‘above.’

A good way to escape in a city chase is not on a flat plane but in a three-dimensional manner. Another tactic is to dart into someone else’s home and implicate the homeowner with the pursuers. However, it’s essential to confirm that the homeowner is innocent and not a wrongdoer. This method can be effective if the situation allows, but it’s necessary to ascertain the person’s intentions first.

Anyway, the method of escaping in three dimensions is a way to confuse the pursuer by itself. It’s less risky than diving into a random house and implicating someone else and can be done easily. Furthermore, you can observe the enemy’s actions by getting behind them.

In a game of tag, it’s harder for the seekers to find you if you chase the ones seeking instead of just running away.

So, we entered the alley and began running, and soon after, we climbed atop the buildings like in parkour, hiding our breath.

While observing from above, I couldn’t help but think that the pursuers might not be from the guild. Their appearance was rather shabby, despite being armed. Their overall equipment seemed ragged. They were probably individuals acting on their own.

Whether they understood we weren’t nobles or they were just foolish enough to pick a fight with nobles, or maybe they thought we were nobles but were desperate enough to attack… It’s probably the second or third option. They seemed somewhat foolish.

Well, it doesn’t matter. For now, we’ve managed to shake them off, so let’s leave it at that.

“We’ve lost them.”

“However, if we stay in this spot, we might be found.”

“But if we just head straightforward to deal with the goblins, we might be found anyway.”

The fact that they were tailing us means they probably heard about us going goblin hunting. And since they lost sight of us, they’ll likely be guarding the entrance to that path.

So, we decided to exit from the opposite side and hunt a different target, apart from the goblins.

“Alright, shall we go hunting wild dogs?”

“When you say ‘wild dogs,’ do you mean ‘Fang Dogs’?”

“Yeah. They seem to be in the opposite forest from the goblins, and it’s a permanent request over there too, so it should be fine.”

“There’s not much of a significant difference between the two, so it should be fine.”

I think goblins and dog-like monsters are quite different. If you’re a rookie, you’ll need to thoroughly review everything from armor to tactics, or you might end up dead.

“Alright, that’s settled.”

However, we’re not just rookies, so there shouldn’t be any particular problems. We shouldn’t be ambushed as long as we’re in the forest.

So, we changed our initial plan and arrived at the forest where the Fang Dogs are, but this time we came without using a carriage. It took a little longer because of that, but it should be fine.

And so, as we ventured into the forest, I immediately used my skills to investigate where the Fang Dogs were and started defeating them.

About an hour had passed since we entered the forest, and at the moment, I had managed to take down eleven out of the twenty targets.

“Hmm.”

“Is it an enemy?”

At about half of the target, the surrounding plants informed us of an anomaly.

“…Well, it doesn’t seem like they’re here? But there are definitely people around.”

Even if I ask the plants, all I can understand is that there are people and it seems somewhat dangerous. Well, the plants probably can’t distinguish between humans, so getting that information alone is sufficient.

While it’s a matter of personal responsibility to come to a forest like this, there seemed to be a pack of Fang Dogs nearby, so it wasn’t that far away. It wouldn’t be much trouble to help, but it depends on the situation. If they arrogantly demand help, I won’t assist.

Well, I can’t afford to worry about what to do if I die, so for now, let’s hurry a bit.

“Aaaah! No, nooooo!”

Running silently through the forest with Sofia, we could hear screams loud enough to know what was happening without asking the plants.

“Do you feel like they’re being attacked?”

“Seems like it. Let’s head over there for now.”

With that, we continued forward without stopping, deciding to hide and observe for a moment.

Beyond the trees, there was a disheveled girl wearing tattered clothes that were probably once good, now with a frumpy pair of glasses. She was running desperately, her face wet with tears and saliva.

At this rate, she would be caught by the approaching beasts not far behind. It’s the natural order of things, but she didn’t seem malicious, so maybe I’ll help her since we’re already here.

“Ah, a p-person!”

Thinking that, I stood up and exposed myself. The girl quickly noticed me and staggered towards me.

“H-help m-me, pl-please!”

The girl, reaching me, grabbed my legs as if clinging for dear life. However, her momentum was too much, resembling a tackle or a leg sweep.

I couldn’t afford to just take such an attack or a call for help without knowing, so I swiftly moved my body and dodged the girl who was rushing towards me.

“Hebu——!”

Due to that, the girl ended up smashing her face into the ground, but she should be fine.

…This somehow reminds me of Lilia. She left without a word, but I’m sure she’s doing well. I can’t imagine her not being okay.

Well, even while thinking about that, the beasts were jumping at me, intending to tear me, a new prey, apart.

However, too bad for them. It’s true that you should be cautious when facing opponents like humans who use weapons, but when it comes to beasts composed entirely of organic matter, there’s no problem.

Nevertheless, it would be foolish to let my guard down and get injured. So, I clenched my hand around the seeds I had in my pocket, scattered them towards the beasts, and used my skills.

Using “Sowing” then approach the frightened ones, I grabbed their necks and then used “Fertilizer Generation.”

With just that, the beasts that had pounced on me stopped moving altogether.

All that was left was to do it again, and the Fang Dogs that were about to attack were no longer present.

…However, as convenient as this is, the stench is unbearable. After all, rotting things are scattered around here.

“Th-thank you so muuuuuch!”

But it seemed the girl being chased by the Fang Dogs didn’t mind the smell at all. She crawled towards me and then clung to me. She grabbed my legs and hugged me.

I understand the feeling of gratitude. But please, stop. My pants are in a terrible state because of you. Don’t get your runny nose on me.

Afterward, I somehow managed to pry the girl off with difficulty, purified my pants and the surrounding smell with Sofia’s purification, and then cleaned the girl’s body. Finally, we were able to engage in a discussion.

“So, who are you? Are you an adventurer? Though you don’t look the part.”

“Uh, well, I’m not an adventurer, I’m, uh, a student.”

The girl I rescued answered my question nervously, or perhaps she was naturally fidgety and anxious.

But…

“A student?”

So she’s not an adventurer? But a student… Oh right, there’s a school in the capital. I don’t know the specifics, though.

“There’s a school in the capital. It’s a place where nobles’ children attend, but children from relatively large trading companies and talented common citizens judged to have potential can also go.”

Sofia seemed to have read my thoughts and explained.

Nobles, wealthy folks, and talent, huh…

“But… do you have talent?”

Looking at how she was running away from the dogs, it didn’t seem like she had any particular talent.

Well, talent isn’t just about combat skills, and maybe she has talent in something like alchemy or research…

“If it’s not related to combat, there might still be potential. However, that academy is likely to emphasize combat skills, so it might be tough for other talents to get accepted.”

…Thanks for the clarification. But that’s essentially saying she doesn’t have talent, isn’t it?

“I, um, entered the academy as a noble’s child. …Technically.”

Ah, I see. She looks rather modest, but that’s probably because she was being attacked. Originally, she might dress a bit more elegantly. In that case, she can go to school regardless of her talent—it’s because she’s a noble.

However, if she’s a noble, there’s something that piques my interest.

“I see. Well, that’s fine, but why is a noble’s daughter here alone without any attendants?”

Yes, ordinarily, even if they’re a common sight, nobles usually have attendants or guards. Like the young lady from Aldoa I encountered before.

But this girl doesn’t seem to have any guards at all. Could it be that they were killed by the monsters here?

“We don’t have attendants because, um… my family isn’t that well off…”

Listening to her hesitant words, I understood the reason why this girl doesn’t have attendants.

It seems they simply didn’t have the money to hire them.

Well, that’s understandable. I know why she doesn’t have attendants. But that raises the question of why she’s here. She mentioned being poor, so did she come here to earn money as an adventurer? No, but when I initially asked if she was an adventurer, she denied it.

Well, I suppose I should ask for more details.