The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 282

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

Chapter 282   Divine Soldier: The Crown Prince’s Question

Elliot’s POV

“Cease all units! We’ll make camp at this location tonight!”

After giving this command, the subordinates began to move in my place, issuing instructions to the soldiers.

Watching their movements, I began to contemplate what would come next.

Tonight, we would set up camp in this area and attack the town with the five of us the next day. After that, our soldiers would begin to take control of this town and its surroundings. That was the general plan.

To avoid destroying the town too much, it might take a few days to capture it, but we wouldn’t lose.

If there was a concern, it was the man who claimed to have defeated the ‘Sword Saint’—Volke the ‘Black Sword.’ He had nicknames like ‘Castle Slayer,’ and defeating Doban-sama likely meant he had reached at least the tenth rank.

“Your Highness. Why in a place like this?”

I was overseeing the camp setup, and there shouldn’t be any problems.

Just as I thought that, the prince appeared, so I knelt on the spot and bowed as a sign of respect.

“You’ve worked hard. What is it? I’m technically the overall commander of this army this time. I thought it would be good to take a look around for a better understanding of the situation. Don’t be too formal. This is already a battlefield.”

With those words, I bowed once again before standing up.

“Besides, in reality, you’re more like the leader, aren’t you? We can’t accomplish anything without you guys.”

…Certainly, when you look at the facts, that’s true.

Without the five of us from the Eight Heavens, this army wouldn’t achieve much, and since I’m the one leading those five, it wouldn’t be strange to think so.

But even if that’s the case, I don’t consider myself the top. After all, I am a knight of the kingdom.

“By the way, Elliot. Can we talk for a moment?”

“Yes. No problem.”

Accepting His Highness’s invitation, I entered the tent prepared for him.

It was larger than the others, but inside, there were only the two of us.

Inside that tent, I took a seat facing His Highness.

“Now, about the matter at hand—do you know anything about the dispatch this time?”

“… I’m sorry, but something, you mean…?”

What could that something be? Even if asked about the dispatch this time, all I knew was that we were called to destroy Karakas, bring peace to the kingdom. For that purpose, the Eight Heavens were summoned, and the surrounding nobles also sent their troops.

However, His Highness would likely know about those basic details. So, I didn’t understand what he wanted to know.

“Ah, sorry. Maybe my words were insufficient. …This dispatch, it’s a war, but I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something behind it.”

“Something behind it… But Karakas did attack other territories, declared war, and killed Doban at the castle. If those are facts, then it doesn’t seem particularly strange, does it?”

I wasn’t present at the scene, so I didn’t hear it directly, but it’s also said that it wasn’t a declaration of war but a declaration of independence. Well, the content would be the same. The result is that we’re going to fight. Therefore, the kingdom sending its army to crush them doesn’t seem strange to me.

“Well, looking only at the facts, that’s true, but… my father’s attitude is just somewhat off.”

“The attitude of His Majesty?”

“Yeah. I can’t shake the feeling that he’s hiding something. It seems like there are facts we don’t know, and he’s forcefully pushing the conversation forward to keep them hidden.”

“A misunderstanding, you say…”

It’s quite an ambiguous statement to harbor suspicions.

However, His Highness shook his head clearly in response to my words.

Probably, but not certain. His Father is a king, but even from the perspective of his son, he’s ordinary. He’s not particularly inferior or superior. Rather, being overly conscious of the position of ‘king,’ he might even make unwise decisions. I’ve seen that mediocrity more than enough in other nobles. I felt the same air as when they were hiding something dubious.

Even though he’s the son of the king, it’s a disrespectful remark..

“…But even if you say he’s hiding something, what could it be?”

“Well, that’s the problem. I have no idea what it could be. I looked into it briefly, but there was no indication that he was secretly dealing with Karakas. If anything, my sister would have stronger ties in that regard.”

“Sister… Princess Filia, is it?”

I had heard rumors that Princess Filia, the sister of the Crown Prince, was secretly connected to Karakas.

Her sister, Princess Zoedie, who was also a sister of the Crown Prince, was said to be connected to an underground organization. That organization seemed to have already caused problems and collapsed, and since the princess herself is no longer in this country, there shouldn’t be any specific issues.

However, the problem lies with Princess Filia. If it’s true that she’s connected to Karkaas, naturally, my expression would stiffen.

“Yeah. Certainly, being connected to the ‘underworld’ can be useful if you use it right. But it doesn’t change the fact that it’s dangerous.”

Certainly, it might be useful, but aligning royalty with criminals or a criminal organization, I can’t help but feel that it’s, how should I put it, not good? Personally, I don’t like it. Of course, I won’t say such things out loud.

“…Well, let’s set that aside for now. It’s not about Filia at the moment; it’s about my father. Probably, but I think those two who came to the castle at that time might be related.”

This topic might not be the main point for now, and perhaps he changed the subject because he showed discomfort. It’s a disgrace for a knight to feel uneasy about someone’s sister, especially in front of royalty.

However, regretting that will have to wait. Right now, I need to focus on His Highness’s words.

“When you mention those two from that time, are you talking about ‘Black Sword’ who declared war and the self-proclaimed Demon King, his child?”

“Yeah. You weren’t there to see it, but there was something strangely captivating about them.”

“…Are you saying they have that much power?”

Even without displaying their strength, powerful individuals can make others feel fear just by standing there. I am the same. I restrain my power in front of the royal family to avoid being disrespectful, but if I acted normally without holding back, it would naturally become intimidating.

Therefore, if His Highness is conscious of someone to that extent, it means they have a considerable amount of power. Of course, this was already evident when they defeated the ‘Sword Saint.’

“No, it felt different from that… Well, anyway, there’s something. I can’t shake that feeling.”

However, unlike my thoughts, His Highness responded with an unusually unclear demeanor.

Being the eldest among the prince and princess, His Highness is quite composed. Usually, he’s affable and smiles warmly, but when necessary, he speaks his mind clearly. That’s why saying something so ambiguous is, in one word, unlike him.

What on earth did His Highness feel that ‘pull’ towards? …I don’t know.

“Sorry. Bringing up this kind of conversation at a time like this. It’s just that something caught my attention.”

“No, if you have concerns or worries, please feel free to tell me. There might be something I can do.”

“Is that so? Well, I think it’ll be fine this time since you five are here, but I’ve entrusted the control of the other four as well. I can’t fully manage them by myself.”

“…Understood.”

With that, I finished the conversation with His Highness and went outside the tent to return to overseeing the setup of the camp. Though, it was more of a confirmation since it was already mostly done.