The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 300

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

Chapter 300   Divine Soldier: After surviving…

・Divine Soldier

I, who had been attacked by the Demon King, managed to forcefully suppress something rampaging within my body and somehow subdue it.

However, I couldn’t completely restrain it, and what had been raging inside burst through my abdomen, revealing its form.

Whatever it was, when I looked down, it didn’t seem entirely unlike the roots of a plant, but it was inconceivable to think that plants could grow out of a human body by conventional standards.

While there are parasitic plants that attach to living organisms, it should have looked different from this.

As I pondered such things, I felt a strong force around my neck, and my body was violently thrown aside.

Thanks to using “War God Transformation,” I didn’t sustain any injuries despite the impact, but it seems I lost consciousness for a while.

Regaining consciousness, I slowly raised my body and looked around. There was no one in sight, and the city of Karakas that we were supposed to invade was still standing in front of me.

—Wh-what about the battle?! What happened to the battle!

Thinking that, I hastily looked behind me, only to see a scorched earth — the “former” camp — and figures of people moving back and forth through it, passing to and from Karakas.

For a moment, I thought they had managed to occupy the city, but that wasn’t the case. Those people were not allies but the residents of Karakas.

“Kuh… I didn’t expect it to be this severe.”

Muttering in surprise at the unexpected strength of the enemy, I quickly switched my focus. It wasn’t the time to speak such things.

What should I do in this situation? That’s what I need to think about.

First and foremost… it’s not something I particularly want to see, but I have to do something about this mysterious plant growing from my abdomen. Otherwise, no matter how high my physical abilities are, I’ll soon die.

However, even if I decide to treat it, I can’t do it in this location. If I move slowly here and try to provide first aid, I’ll be discovered quickly and targeted again. Normally, dealing with average enemies wouldn’t be a problem, but the current situation is dire.

Leaving this place is inevitable, and there are two options for directions: retreat or advance.

… Let’s go forward. If I consider escaping from the enemy and surviving, it would be better to retreat.

But I am a knight. The Crown Prince may be captured there. In that case, I need to rescue him. Even if he wasn’t captured and managed to escape, it wouldn’t hurt to check the enemy’s situation.

In addition, although it’s not something I particularly want to do, if necessary, I can steal… acquire what I need for treatment. The availability of medicine will make a significant difference when dealing with this injury.

So, let’s flee into the town.

With that decision, I activated body enhancement and reached the wall in an instant, then crossed over it and infiltrated into the town.

I thought there might be a fight when crossing the wall, but it seems the enemy already considered the battle to be over. They were nowhere in sight. Alternatively, the enemies who should have been there might have headed after the soldiers of our kingdom, who are our allies.

“…… Damn.”

After crossing the wall, I searched for a place to hide with my crawling body and crouched down, but I could hardly move properly anymore.

However, there is still something I must do. Treat this injury.

Seeing the sight of plants growing from my abdomen again is like an uncomfortable sensation scratching at my whole body.

In addition, perhaps because I clearly recognized such a sight, an intense pain now surged throughout my body. It might be due to the skill’s effect wearing off.

It’s a pain that an ordinary person wouldn’t be able to endure, almost driving one to madness. Fortunately or unfortunately, with my high physical abilities, I won’t die from this level of pain.

But, from here, how to deal with this…

“I have no choice but to open my abdomen…”

Not only is the plant completely embedded in my abdomen, but to remove the plant growing from inside, I have only two options: forcefully tear open my abdomen while pulling it out or open my abdomen and then remove it.

If there were other people around, there might have been other options, but unfortunately, I’m alone right now, and I have no choice but to use that method.

Normally, such a serious injury would be fatal regardless of the method, but I have a secondary job as a “Healer.”

Because the rank is not very high, I can’t instantly heal the wound, but I should be able to endure it, probably.

Even so, there is a considerable risk of failure and death… but I have to do it. If I don’t, I’ll die.

“Uggh, guuuuaaaaahhhh!!”

Having made up my mind to remove it, I took a sword while still determined to cut open my own abdomen before that determination waned and stabbed the blade into my belly.

“Haa, haa… ugh…”

In doing so, I somehow managed to pull out the creepy plant from my abdomen and immediately applied healing, but… I never want to do something like this again.

However, I was able to deal with the wound itself. I shouldn’t die now.

Nevertheless, the depletion of stamina is intense, and the number of skill uses is not plentiful. I don’t have more maximum uses of skills than others, and I’ve just about used up most of my healing from a moment ago.

While I might recover enough stamina to move if I rest for a while, skills won’t recover that easily. Even if usable, I probably have around ten uses left.

However, I survived, and now that I’ve infiltrated the town like this, all I have to do is act while observing the situation.

The crucial point is to avoid being noticed until I can fight properly, but the enemy probably won’t think that I’ve fled into the town. It should take a while for them to find me.

Thinking about it that way, I can feel some relief, and I leaned against the wall, slowly exhaling deeply.

However, once I’ve settled down, what comes to mind is the recent battle.

In that battle, I was struck down by an enemy—likely an attack from the Demon King—and at that time, others were also in a state where similar plants were protruding from their abdomens.

I managed to somehow heal myself like this, but others might not be as fortunate. It’s better to assume that everyone was killed. … It’s very hard to believe such a thing.

“I never imagined that all of us, the ‘Eight Heavens,’ would be wiped out…”

The ‘Eight Heavens’ were supposed to be the titles of the eight strongest individuals in this country. To be easily killed like this was beyond my expectations.

So, words like that leaked from my mouth.

“Well well. Good job there.”

Unexpectedly, a voice came from outside the building.

“…!?”

Until a moment ago, there shouldn’t have been any sign of anyone outside this building… Damn. Even though I’m exhausted, I let my guard down too much!

This is inside a building, and nobody should know that I’m here, so they shouldn’t be addressing me.

I focus my attention on the outside, thinking that the person is talking to someone else outside, but…

“It seems the witch over there is also surviving, so it wasn’t a total wipeout. Impressive, you guys. As expected of the Tenth Rank, huh?”

With those words, I instinctively stood up and took the sword that was by my side.

I shouldn’t have been discovered. Nobody should know that I’m here.

Despite that, this voice was directed at me, hiding inside the building.

Moreover, the words indicate that it’s not just someone hiding in the building; they are aware that one of the ‘Eight Heavens,’ namely me, is hiding.

In other words, the owner of this voice is an enemy who has come to capture me.

—Too soon!

That was my honest thought.

Certainly, entering the city from the outside during broad daylight, especially when infiltrating enemy territory, might not be the most appropriate action.

However, after successfully infiltrating inside the wall, I immediately left that spot, and I should have come this far without being noticed by anyone.

Or perhaps, there might be a possibility of a misunderstanding…

“It’s not a misunderstanding or coincidence, so come out quickly. I don’t intend to destroy the building or anything.”

…It seems that this person truly recognizes me and is calling out to me.

What to do? What’s the right approach? Should I obediently come out, or should I break through the wall and escape?

However, if this person revealed themselves knowing that I’m here, he should be at least Rank Eight or higher. Even if it’s someone from Rank Eight or Nine, if he operates strategically with multiple people, they could kill me.

So, he’s likely surrounded by others with comparable strength.

Fleeing in the opposite direction of the voice, considering my current state and the possibility of being prepared with traps, it’s dubious whether I can escape properly…

In that case, the best option would be to move towards where the known enemy is, defeat them, and forcefully break through their encirclement.

Dealing with multiple opponents is challenging, but if I can take down one initially, it will create a gap in the enemy’s strategy. Once a gap is created, I should be able to break through.

With that determination, I lightly moved my body to check my condition, then took a sword in my right hand and a spear in my left.

Using a spear in a city might not be the most convenient choice, but it depends on the situation. In a scenario where I can launch an attack simultaneously with the current charge, a weapon with a bit more reach is valuable.

Alright, let’s go.