The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 285

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

Chapter 285   Incidents in the middle of the night and in the early morning

Elliot’s POV

“Should I check before going to bed?”

It’s already late into the night, but considering His Highness’s unease, I decided to take a brief stroll before bedtime just to check on things.

Nevertheless, even if the prince had expressed concern, it wasn’t something I would normally do to check. Still, the reason I find myself doing such a thing is likely due to the tension of undertaking this significant responsibility for the first time.

“How’s the security?”

“E-Elliot-sama! Why are you in a place like this!?”

“I am in charge of the military this time. Just doing a little check. Besides, I wanted to see the enemy’s situation.”

Saying that, I turn my gaze toward the city of Karakas, but there doesn’t seem to be anything suspicious.

Under normal circumstances, at this distance and in this darkness, it would be impossible to see anything clearly. However, thanks to the physical abilities as the tenth-ranked, it’s not a problem.

Yet, despite having set up camp so close, there’s no movement, not even a trace of it. The lack of any activity starts to seem suspicious in itself.

“Hmm?”

However, as I regained consciousness from Karakas, this time I shifted my gaze towards a spot slightly beyond the encampment

“Is, is something the matter?”

Night watch soldiers questioned my reaction, but without turning towards them, I focused my awareness forward.

“…I feel like I heard some kind of sound.”

Yes, a faint sound that ordinary people wouldn’t hear. It seemed like I heard that.

“A sound, you say? Well, there are many soldiers around, so there might be some noise…”

“No, it seemed a bit different from that.”

Certainly, even though it was night and everyone was asleep, there would be some noise.

However, that was not the case. I heard the sound of someone walking, “from outside the camp.”

Moreover, along with the sound, I felt a somewhat ominous presence. If it was just my imagination, that would be fine, but I couldn’t leave it unchecked.

I had been told to inform if anything happened, and I should report it to His Highness, right?

…No, I should confirm it first before reporting to His Highness. It might be nothing, and there was no need to bother His Highness with vague concerns.

“What can you tell me about that direction?”

“Well, um, over there, the supplies we brought are likely stored.”

“Supplies… Does that include food?”

“That should be the case… I’m sorry. For more details, you’ll need to ask the person in charge.”

“No, it’s fine. It was informative.”

Saying so, I offered words of appreciation to the soldier and then left the scene, heading towards the direction where I sensed something unusual.

…If the anomaly I felt is real, and there’s any tampering with the provisions, it could be a serious problem.

Using poison is not a method favored by nobles and knights who value honor, but it’s a common tactic on the battlefield. The opponents are the gathering of criminals from Karakas. They don’t care about honor, they won’t hesitate to employ such methods.

“…Is everything normal?”

However, despite talking to nearby soldiers and even investigating with the help of others, there didn’t seem to be anything specific. Was what I felt just my imagination? Or was it simply pre-battle tension?

…No, whether there’s an anomaly or not, the action itself was not in vain. If I consider that I gained peace of mind by confirming, it was well worth it.

Still, just to be sure, I should mention to reconfirm before using anything tomorrow.

And as I was about to return to my tent, I felt a presence from behind, so I reached for my sword and turned around.

“Lancia? …What’s the matter, out here in the middle of the night?”

However, it wasn’t an enemy or a soldier from our camp; it was Lancia.

Why would she be in a place like this? Even if she’s patrolling or taking a stroll like me, this location should be away from where she was assigned…

“You’re out in the middle of the night too.”

“I’m just doing a pre-sleep check. We can’t afford to fail in this battle.”

“True.”

“So, what about you? …You seem to have a bow, did something happen?”

When someone is out in the middle of the night away from their usual place armed with a weapon, inevitably, unpleasant thoughts come to mind. I’ve loosened my hand from the sword, but… is it better to be prepared to move at any moment just in case?

“Nothing, really. I just went to the water’s edge for a bit.”

“The water’s edge? You mean the river over there? Even if it’s close, it doesn’t seem like a distance to just go out for a bit…”

“For me, it’s a short distance. I can get there in a minute.”

“Well, yeah, if you run lightly, I suppose.”

That was the answer I received to my question.

Certainly, if you go straight in this direction, there’s a river nearby. We also get water from there, so its existence is something we’re naturally aware of. It’s a bit away, but that’s from the perspective of ordinary people. If we run, even lightly, we would reach it in no time.

“For elves, water is important. I wanted to take a bath before the real deal tomorrow.”

I see. I had heard before that elves often take baths and prefer water even at drinking sessions. Tomorrow is going to be an actual battle, so I can understand wanting to freshen up before such a significant event.

In other words, it was my misunderstanding. The anomaly I felt from outside the camp, it must have been when Lancia went to the river or when she returned.

…How embarrassing. Tension and concern may not be in vain, but it’s unreasonable to doubt our comrades over such things.

I released the vigilance I had maintained until then and quietly exhaled so as not to be noticed by Lancia.

“I see. But please refrain from wandering alone. It might be difficult to notice if something happens.”

“Got it. I’ll let you know next time.”

“Yeah, please.”

“Well then… bye-bye.”

“Yeah, good night. I’ll rely on you tomorrow.”

With that, Lancia turned her back on me and headed towards where her tent was.

She still acts on her own accord, but it’s still better than some others.

Oh well. There doesn’t seem to be anything strange happening, just that Lancia was there. There’s nothing more to it. There’s no need to report to His Highness about a woman taking a bath, and I should get some sleep soon.

***

“What’s going on?”

The next morning, I woke up to the sudden commotion outside.

From the sounds, it didn’t seem like the enemy was attacking or someone had died, but what could be happening?

I drank water from the nearby water flask to quench my thirst, picked up the sword nearby, and stepped out of the tent.

As I did, the noise became clearer than before. It seems like something did happen, that much is certain.

“They amassed that many soldiers when? Did they prepare overnight?”

“But I didn’t hear any sounds!”

As I stepped outside, the soldiers were indeed in an uproar, and the commotion seemed to be happening closest to Karakas.

I wondered what was causing such a fuss, but as soon as I saw it with my own eyes, the cause became clear immediately.

Ah, no wonder the soldiers were making noise.

In the distance, there was the city of Karakas. However, between that city and us, something that wasn’t there when I patrolled last night appeared.

And that something was soldiers—soldiers wearing matching armor as if they belonged to some army, neatly arranged in formation.

While their numbers might be few, around a few hundred, considering they are from that city, they are not to be ignored.

“Oh? It seems something interesting is happening.”

As I contemplated the sudden appearance of the soldiers, a voice called out from behind.

When I turned around, it was Asbar, the elderly wizard who walked with a staff.

” Asbar-sama. Yes, well, it’s interesting, but it doesn’t seem to serve any purpose.”

While I considered earlier that they couldn’t be ignored, it wasn’t entirely untrue that they might be meaningless.

Certainly, for regular soldiers or knights, they would be a threatening presence not to be ignored. Ignoring them would be too eerie for the progress of the plan.

However, this time, the soldiers aren’t going to be the ones facing them. They exist for the aftermath of the battle, and the main force for this battle is us, the Five of the Eight Heavens.

Even if the enemy is a threatening force under normal circumstances, it’s not much of a problem if we, the Five, are involved.

“Well, that’s true. With that level, even if there were ten times as many, a single strike with my power would do.”

“Indeed. We might leave dealing with them to you when the time comes, so we’ll count on you then.”

“Hmm, very well. Leave it to me. Fufufu.”

If there’s any concern, it would be how they managed to line up such soldiers without anyone noticing. The distance from here to there makes it difficult to see human movements, especially at night, and regular soldiers might not be able to notice even if they were moving.

However, even if we can’t see human movements, it should be noticeable if the gates were moving. There’s a possibility they opened them slightly and had the soldiers file out one by one, but the question remains as to why they lined up those soldiers there in the first place. If they wanted to attack, it would have been more effective to send them out from the opposite side of the city, take a detour, and ambush our army from behind.

Alternatively, they could have stayed within the city, preparing for a siege without sending soldiers outside.

Despite that, soldiers appeared there without anyone knowing when they appeared. It’s eerie not knowing the reason behind it.

But it’s a fact that they are not a direct threat. If they were all at least Seventh Tier and above, it could be precarious, but it’s highly unlikely. Even if they are below us in the Seventh Tier, they are still formidable individuals capable of negotiating with the country and living prosperous lives without residing in such a place. It’s improbable for so many of them to gather in a city like that.

If there is someone of such stature among them, it’s not inconceivable, but it’s highly unlikely that a nest of criminals would attract such individuals. Even if there were, it’s doubtful that such a large number would gather.

However, it’s a fact that someone is there in the direction we’re looking. We don’t know their identity, but now, what should we do…