The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 259

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

Chapter 259   How to Address the King

In the meeting with the three bosses, I couldn’t actively participate in the discussion, and I couldn’t deny any proposals either. It was only natural since I didn’t have anything to deny with.

Although the meeting seemed like a mere formality from the beginning, it appeared that my role as the king was decided, and I had no choice but to accept it. Unable to overturn the decision, I returned to the mansion in the eastern district with my father.

“So, this guy here has become the king of this city… no, of this country!”

As soon as we returned to the mansion, my father gathered people, explained the course of the meeting, and declared this with a touch of unusual brightness and playfulness, clearly teasing me.

“Wow! The young master is amazing!”

“That kid, you know… time works wonders.”

However, I seemed to be the only one with reservations about my father’s words. The others working in the mansion cheered and genuinely rejoiced at my elevated status. While it was heartening to see them so happy for me, I couldn’t genuinely share in their joy because, truthfully, I didn’t want to be a king.

“Congratulations!”

Sofia, who should have been present at the meeting, seemed to have held back her excitement until now, but now she was clapping and cheering with tears in her eyes.

Everyone was celebrating in a frenzy, but I couldn’t help feeling relieved that Lilia wasn’t here in this situation. After all, I left her in the flower garden.

While Lilia could function as a coordinator for the elves to some extent, and it might be useful to keep her around, I was glad I didn’t bring her with me.

“Naa, naa! Congratulations!”

Instead, Flora had followed along, but well, that was typical of her. After all, she dwelled within me—no, lived inside me.

“Naa is the king? The most important one? Is it okay for Flora to play?”

Flora, in a sense, could be considered an extension of myself. Perhaps that’s why she asked such a question.

Despite my upcoming busy schedule as a king, I thought she was wondering if it was okay for her to play while I worked.

However, it had been only a few years since Flora gained the ability to have her own will, not to mention speak properly. Whether it was because she was a spirit or for some other reason, she could still communicate normally, but internally, she was still very much a child.

While I might occasionally seek her help, I had no intention of assigning her tasks as a job. She could learn by observing those around her, sometimes taking them as examples and at other times as cautionary tales. If she seemed to be making a significant mistake, I would guide her onto the right path when the time came.

“Yeah. Just grow up normally. Learn from people around you like Sofia and Bell, and have a fun upbringing.”

“Got it! I’ll learn from Lilia and do my best!”

“Stop that.”

Why did Lilia come up when she was told to learn from people around her? While she might be the closest and most familiar presence, she was not someone to be emulated.

“However, wouldn’t it be a bit plain to just be called ‘King’?”

With that, Eddie voiced such a comment after the initial round of celebration. It seemed like a mere musing, but the impact of those words spread more than expected.

“Oh, is that so?”

“Well, yeah, I guess. Sometimes having a cool name that stands out is good, and it can even affect morale. Everyone prefers a symbol that’s cool rather than something embarrassing.”

“Well, I wouldn’t know about that. Even when I was leading the knights, there was a lot of unnecessary posing.”

“How about Emperor, then?”

“Emperor, huh… Well, it sounds good, but honestly, we don’t have that kind of territory here. So, wouldn’t Emperor be a bit mismatched?”

“Isn’t it cool, though? …How about ‘The Supreme Conqueror of All, the Great God-King of Utter Annihilation’?”

“What kind of sense is that?”

“Well, I don’t think it works right now, but it’s not entirely off the mark in terms of direction. I’m pretty sure one of the Eastern countries used to call themselves something like the ‘Divine Holy King of the Sacred Law.'”

“Oh, right, I remember that.”

“See? That kind of vibe is good.”

“So, what should we do…”

After Eddie’s musing, the idiots began suggesting various titles for me as the king. The utterly pointless discussion continued for a while without reaching a conclusion.

Following that, the discussions proceeded reasonably, but the final decision was ‘The King of Death’s Supreme Path,’ with the tagline being ‘The ruler who dominates the entire world. Ready to reap the lives of all who stand in the way of my path.’ —Rejected.

Jiit and several others seemed genuinely confident and happy, which might indicate serious consideration on their part. However, Eddie, Emil, a few other companions, and my father were laughing as if finding it amusing, so it was clear they hadn’t thought about it seriously.

Well, in a way, they might have thought about it seriously, but it was definitely rejected.

“Just being a regular king is fine. The current suggestions are definitely rejected.”

I stated with an unprecedented determination.

“Well, to be serious, how about ‘Demon King’? You’ve been called that sort of thing anyway, and it sounds cooler than just ‘king.’ In fact, that term came up in the discussion as well.”

“If that’s the case, why not decide on it from the beginning?”

“It wasn’t an official decision. You never know, someone might come up with some kind of good or quirky name if you ask around.”

While his words were quite vague and ambiguous, what he was saying wasn’t entirely wrong. Personally, I didn’t really care what they called me. …No, it’s not good to say anything, anything. I wouldn’t want a name like ‘Utter Annihilation’ or ‘Supreme Path’ attached to me. Even if they gave me such a name, I would absolutely not use it.

After a lot of excitement and various discussions, the gathering was finally disbanded for the night, and everyone started moving to prepare a feast. However, I headed to my father’s office.

“Those guys are making such a fuss… seriously…”

“It’s fine. It just means they value you a lot, right?”

Well, I understood that, and it was genuinely heartening that they were so happy even though we weren’t connected by blood.

But still, it’s a bit much when it’s that noisy. There’s a part of me that thinks that.

…However, putting that aside, there’s something else I need to discuss now. That’s why I came to the father’s office.

“So, about being the envoy. Dad, what are you thinking?”

I decided to ask again what I couldn’t during the meeting.

However, my father casually replied as if it was nothing important.

“Why? It’s easier to understand if the king goes, right? Besides… you can see your mother, can’t you?”

While tilting his head, my father spoke with such nonchalance. Seriously, was he thinking about something like that?

Certainly, I had reunited with my mother, but we ended up living apart again. Not only was there no situation where we could live together, but there wasn’t even a situation where I could go pick her up. I could go to see her, but it wasn’t something I could do regularly, so the opportunities to meet were limited.

So my father must have created this ‘opportunity to go and meet.’

“Don’t worry. Since I’ll be the one going, just leave it to me. You can take the chance to visit your mother and sister whenever you have the chance. Family gatherings are important, you know?”

He’s telling me to have a family gathering while he’s taking on the role of the envoy? Seriously, what an overly meddling guy my father is.

“…No, it’s fine. If I try to meet them, it might create various complications. In that case, there’s no need to force a meeting.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Well, it’s not like we’ll never meet again, and we’ve already had a chance to talk again. Even if I don’t force it here, it’s not like I won’t be able to see them if I want to. Besides, I’m the king. It’s different for a king to do only what he wants and avoid the work he should be doing.”

Certainly, both my mother and Filia are my family. But does this ‘father’ forget that he’s my family too? I can’t just let him push all the responsibilities onto him while I leisurely enjoy myself.

I’ll never say such things, and my father probably wouldn’t want to hear those words either.

“I see. In that case, I’ll handle the announcement since I’ll be creating the occasion.”

“Yeah.”

“…Still, if there was an opportunity like this, it should have come earlier. If it did, you wouldn’t have had to go on that journey to find your mother.”

“That journey had its merits too. At least, it was more worthwhile than living here without seeing anything.”

“Is that so? Well, if that’s the case… We’ll decide on the detailed schedule later, but make sure to prepare.”

“Yeah, understood.”

While it might be just for show, I had no intention of abandoning the role assigned to me. Since there was a chance to meet my mother, I hoped to find an opportunity to talk with her a bit. Still, I would firmly fulfill my role.