The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 239

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

Chapter 239   Attack of an S-rank adventurer!

“…An arrow.”

The debris of the attack that Kyle blocked danced through the air and fell to the ground.

From this, it can be deduced that the enemy’s attack is not magic but rather an arrow. If it were magic, there wouldn’t be any debris. It might be different if it were earth magic, but the debris is neither soil nor rock, so it’s definitely not that.

Throwing weapons are a possibility, but judging by the shape of the debris, it’s more likely to be an arrow.

“You defended well! But!”

A voice I don’t recognize comes from the direction the arrow was shot, but the figure is not visible. Probably far away… most likely on top of the wall surrounding the sacred tree.

“Tch! 《Ward》!”

Preparing for the next attack, I reflexively activate my skill.

《Ward》 is a skill I recently learned at the seventh tier. Its effect allows me to create a limited barrier at a designated point or within a specified range.

Originally designed to protect plants from harmful insects and fungi, it happens to be versatile enough to ward off arrows and magic, not to mention allowing the passage of air while manipulating temperature and humidity.

The skill “Ward” cannot defend against objects beyond a certain size, and this size is determined by the mass of the object.

For example, no matter how weak the attack, if someone were to punch, the Ward wouldn’t be effective. It doesn’t respond to masses approximately the size of a human body.

Conversely, no matter how powerful the attack, as long as it is below a certain size—small objects like the current arrow—the Ward rejects them from entering.

Rejecting entry doesn’t guarantee protection; even if it’s small, if there’s enough pressure, it could break. However, my consolidated use of the “Ward” for multiple rounds should not be easily shattered.

Kashaan!

Nevertheless, the Ward I cast shattered with a sound like thin glass breaking.

If this was breached, the opponent was at least at the seventh, no, probably eighth tier or above.

If this method failed to protect, it would be challenging. Even if I used the scarecrow as a shield, it would probably penetrate it, or worse, the attacker might not aim at the scarecrow at all and directly target me. This person was sniping from quite a distance; underestimating them would be unwise.

As Kyle guarded my back, drawing his sword and preparing to defend against the incoming arrows:

“Step back.”

“It’s as expected of the infamous Karakas. Despite the military attacking many times before, it’s understandable that they couldn’t capture it. After all, even a child like you possesses magical tools capable of defending against my attacks. If you can prepare so many of those, it’s inevitable that I would lose as well.”

For someone here to kill, he sure are talkative. As an assassin, his quite amateurish.

However, his skill is top-notch.

Considering how much his talking, he might be willing to share information if I ask. Yet, we still haven’t seen the opponent. We can hear his voice, but it might be a one-way communication, and even if we talk to him, there’s no guarantee he’ll answer.

Well, let’s give it a try. Asking might yield some kind of response.

“What are you, and what is your objective? Will you answer if I ask?”

“…Hmph.”

But, as expected. The only response from the opponent was a mocking laugh, and no sensible words returned.

It’s no use after all. Well, answering honestly like this is foolish—

“Fine! I’ll answer!”

Is this okay? Is this person really an assassin?

…Hm? Could it be, but is that figure in the distance the assassin? Did this person actually come to show himself? Is this person truly, truly an assassin?

In response to my question, the assassin who had just attacked us moments ago while answering, bounced around and revealed his figure.

The manner in which he moved was, how should I say… like performing consecutive somersaults in mid-air. That kind of feeling.

Even though it’s described like that, the one doing it is a high-ranking individual with a combat-oriented profession. Aren’t they about ten meters high?

Jumping up to that height, rotating while landing, then jumping again… and repeating that, he approached from the direction of the wall towards us.

And then, with a pose that seemed like it could make a swish sound, he landed a bit away from us, showing off.

It looks kinda silly, but underestimating him would be bad. After all, he released attacks that could break my defense from that distance, and even now, there was no sound when he landed. His appearance might be deceiving, but his strength is genuine.

“My name is Litt! Litt Arkman!”

…But, I can’t help but wonder if this person is truly an assassin. It’s one thing to be talkative, but showing himself, and on top of that, revealing his name, what is he thinking?

However, Litt Arkman. That name, somehow, I can’t help but feel like I’ve heard it somewhere before.

“Is it Litt Arkman? Wasn’t he the adventurer who just reached S-rank? If so, are you here on a request?”

I hadn’t thought much beyond ‘heard the name somewhere,’ but Kyle seemed to remember something about the man named Litt.

Oh, an adventurer. I’m technically registered as an adventurer too, but I haven’t been very active, so I don’t know him.

However, I now understand why this guy doesn’t seem like an assassin. It makes sense since he wasn’t an assassin from the beginning.

“As expected of me. To have my name resounding even among these border ruffians, truly an achievement only befitting a hero! But that’s right! I’ve come to eliminate the pest that continues to plague this kingdom, exploiting its people!”

…Yeah. Uh-huh… Yeah, this guy seems to have various misunderstandings.

It’s like, he’s all about passionate justice, a brute-force tribal mindset. Believing what someone told him without much thought and moving forward for the sake of justice, that kind of thing.

Well, it’s true that we are a menace to the kingdom, and saying that we’re eating away at it isn’t entirely wrong.

However, there’s something about him. He kind of reminds me of Lilia, not in appearance but in that foolish action philosophy and way of thinking.

Oh, speaking of which, I wonder if Lilia and Sofia are okay?

“Hmph!”

Seizing the moment my thoughts momentarily relaxed, Litt aimed an arrow at me.

I hadn’t been on guard until then, maintaining a playful attitude, but still, his skill in releasing an arrow without missing the opening was quite something.

“You can’t let your guard down, even with guards behind you.”

However, Kyle swung the sword he had, cutting through the arrow and protecting me.

Expressing gratitude with just a glance at him, I tightened my focus again, ready to move at any moment.

“…Don’t let a small fry interfere. It ruins the atmosphere.”

It seems that Litt didn’t like that Kyle blocked his attack, as he spoke calmly, dispelling the foolish atmosphere he had maintained until then.

It looks like the switch has been flipped.

“Well, whatever. The target was just that kid over there, but why not kill both of you?”

Having said that, Litt, this time, slowly nocked an arrow and aimed it towards us.

However, it wasn’t just one arrow. It was that thing where, as seen in manga and such, multiple arrows are simultaneously held. I think doing something like that wouldn’t actually produce a decent amount of power, but here, it’s better to assume otherwise.

No matter how foolish it may seem, it could be a lethal strike. That’s the nature of this world.

And finally, the arrows were released.

“Ngh—”

All the arrows flew towards Kyle, but perhaps because the distance was closer than before, the force was much stronger than the ones he shot at me just a moment ago.

“—Not gonna happen!”

However, Kyle used the sword he had, along with his fists, to knock away the four arrows flying towards him.

Arrows can be deflected with fists, huh.

“He blocked it. It seems declaring himself as a guard wasn’t for show. But, my attacks are not as simple as this!”

Saying this, Litt tilted the bow with the nocked arrow not towards us, but upward, and released it.

“《Swift Rain》!”

As the skill name was chanted, the arrows released reached above us, splitting into countless pieces and raining down like a storm.

I’ve encountered this skill before, but the number and power are on a different level.

What to do? This is quite a technique. I doubt Kyle can block it.

If I use my thief skill ‘pickpocketing,’ I can retrieve all the arrows. However, using that method would require a considerable number of uses to collect this many arrows. pickpocketing fundamentally allows recovering only one item per use.

There might be another attack afterward, and the main body of the enemy army could be waiting. I don’t want to use up my skill uses too quickly, but… there’s no other choice.

“Let me! —《Shockwave》!”

While I was thinking about this, trying to step forward, Kyle shouted that he would handle it, raising his fists towards the rain of arrows.