The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 270

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

Chapter 270   Revisiting the royal capital

“What’s up? Were you waiting for us?”

“More precisely, I was waiting for you, Demon King.”

“…Cut it out with that title.”

“Well, you’ll get used to it since you’ll be called that from now on. Anyway, here’s a letter.”

“A letter… from the castle?”

I changed my displeased expression, triggered by being called the Demon King, and focused on the letter Dad was waving.

In this situation, receiving a letter from Dad specifically waiting for me means it’s some kind of invitation from the kingdom. Though calling it an invitation might be a bit fancy; it’s not like it’s an invitation to a party or anything.

“Yeah. It’s been a month since the battle ended. The timing for this kind of thing is about right.”

“So, what’s in it?”

“Well, check it for yourself. This letter was sent to us, you’re the leader, so it’s addressed to you.”

“It’s not like I wanted to be one.”

Taking the letter handed by Dad, I noticed it was already open. Well, Dad read it, and Edward probably did too, so it’s natural.

In summary, after reading the contents, it’s a request for an explanation of the recent battle, and they want us to come to the castle.

“They’re quite condescending, aren’t they?”

“Well, they have their reasons. To begin with, we haven’t officially declared ourselves as a nation, so from their perspective, this is just another town. Moreover, this place is seen as a city of criminals, not a location to be regarded as an equal. Their thinking is that we are not on an equal footing. As for the explanation, well, it’s hard to tell how serious they are.”

“So, if we go, it might be a trap to get us killed, huh?”

“It’s more than likely. In this situation, if there aren’t any traps, then those Kingdom folks are idiots. it’s better to assume that there are dozens or twenty traps set up.”

“But well, now that we’ve received this letter, we can’t just refuse to go, can we?”

Honestly, I don’t want to go, but I can’t avoid it.

Well, it’s not like I have to go, but eventually, We’ll have to declare independence, so it doesn’t really matter if I go now or later. It’s convenient to get it over with.

“Yeah. So, get ready.”

“Got it. When are we leaving?”

“Oh, right. Let’s say a week from now.”

Dad said that, but the letter specified a date. If we follow Dad’s words and leave in a week, we won’t make it in time.

“But there’s a specified date in this. Isn’t that too late?”

“You’re surprisingly serious about weird things. You just need to make them wait. Keep them waiting, then apologize for being late—stir up some frustration. That’s the basic of negotiations.”

“But, wait, if we can’t make it to the negotiation table in time, what’s the point? If we don’t make it in time, there won’t be any chance for negotiations.”

“If it doesn’t work, just use force.”

Using force to push through the impossible is indeed the Karakas style, but is that really okay? We are dealing with a country, after all.

“Using force… Are you serious?”

“In this world, overwhelming force can solve just about anything. Well, it should be fine. Just because we couldn’t meet the deadline doesn’t mean they’ll immediately decide to invade. That shouldn’t happen.”

“But what if it does?”

“Crush them, I guess?”

He says it casually, but normally, that kind of thinking wouldn’t even come up. However, being able to say it so easily here is a testament to Dad being the boss of the East. In reality, it’s doable.

“Well, that’s the situation. Since you guys are his attendants, make sure to prepare accordingly.”

“Yes.”

“Yes, sir!”

With that said, despite just returning from our village tour, we immediately started preparing for the journey to the capital.

“So, we’re heading to the royal capital, but I’m counting on you to take care of things while we’re away.”

However, this time, we’re taking Sofia, Bell, Kyle, and Flora. Lilia will stay behind.

“Eh! What about me!?”

There seems to be dissatisfaction with that. Lilia complained with a face full of discontent, like a child throwing a tantrum.

But it’s a no-go.

“No, this time we’re not going for fun. Most likely, it’s going to be a troublesome situation. Mainly on the combat side.”

“But, but if there’s going to be a fight, that means it’ll be noticeable, right? Going as a representative of Karakas is like going as a representative of evil, so I want to stand out too!”

“No, you can’t. If you go, it might reveal the connection between you and Filia. We can’t afford to reveal our connection with her just yet. You wouldn’t want to cause trouble for your friends, would you?”

“Well, yeah, but… ugh.”

She’s already been seen by people in the royal capital. Moreover, in a rather flashy manner as a friend of the princess.

If we bring her along, it might expose the relationship between Filia, us, and Karakas. Well, it might already be exposed, and that’s fine, but from there, if the connection is traced, I can’t guarantee that my true identity won’t be exposed.

It’s better if my identity as the prince remains unknown, and I can’t risk raising suspicions by bringing Lilia. So, I have no choice but to leave her behind.

“Don’t worry; this time is essentially just the preparations. There will be opportunities for you to shine eventually.”

“Really? Can I really stand out? For real?”

“Yeah, you can. So just relax, be a good girl, and wait here. Oh, right. It would be a big help if you could take care of the Treant and the others here. It’s currently one of the most crucial tasks in my work, but I can entrust it to someone reliable like you. In fact, I can only entrust it to you. Can you do it?”

“Ugh… I want to go to the royal capital… but… All right! Leave it to me! I’ll take good care of these kids, so leave it to me!”

“…Yeah. It feels quite unsettling when she’s so confident, but I’ll leave it to her.”

After somehow managing to calm Lilia down, I prepared for the invasion of enemy territory and finally set out. Of course, as expected, we arrived at the royal capital well after the specified date.

“We’re really quite late, huh?”

“Don’t worry about it. If something happens, we can just force our way out. You and I can handle that, right? That’s how things work here. You don’t need to follow some rule set by someone else.”

“Well… whatever, I guess.”

Dad is quite composed, but I wish I could be like that too. When dealing with people, I can act somewhat bossy and do as I please, but when it comes to things like appointments and fixed times, it bothers me. It might not look like it, but worrying about such trivial matters makes it challenging to act like a true resident of Karakas. Well, I guess that’s just the temperament.

However, even Dad, he seems to have something on his mind, and he appears different from usual. It seems like he can’t behave entirely like he usually does.

“Anyway, Eddie. Take this to the castle. Just give it to the gatekeeper.”

“Yes, sir! Understood!”

After entering the city, we booked rooms at a perfectly ordinary inn and rested there. We sent Eddie to the castle with a letter informing them of our arrival tomorrow. Sending a single person from Karakas might be risky, but even if he was attacked, Eddie could probably escape. If he couldn’t handle that much, we wouldn’t have brought him along in the first place.

“Well then, shall we do some sightseeing?”

“Sightseeing? Do you have the luxury to do that?”

“Sure do. I want to meet some acquaintances, and it’s about time for a meal anyway.”

Considering we arrived without notifying the royal family, they probably don’t know we’re in the capital. Nevertheless, this is practically enemy territory. Sightseeing in a place like this might be quite risky.

“Well then, I have a place to go, so do whatever you want. Oh, and don’t leave the city.”

With that, Dad quickly headed off somewhere, leaving the room.

“What are we supposed to do for sightseeing?”

“For now, let’s go outside. You guys probably want to check out the city, right?”

“Yeah. Whether we fight or run, we need to know the general layout.”

As Kyle mentioned, even if we end up fighting in this town, I, for one, know the layout. But Sofia, who didn’t roam much last time, and Kyle, who hasn’t been here before, wouldn’t have a clue. In such a situation, we can’t afford to be clueless. So, walking around the city for reconnaissance purposes is necessary.

Well, declaring it as “sightseeing” like Dad did might be a bit much.

“Sofia, you’ve been here before, right?”

“Yes. However, I didn’t stroll around that much, so I’m not very familiar with the city’s layout. Other than that, there was once a long time ago, and if that’s acceptable, I do have some memories. Though it was from my very early childhood, so my recollection is quite vague.”

“Even so, it’s probably better than us who know nothing.”

And so, we decided to embark on what we called “sightseeing” but was more like enemy intelligence gathering in the city.