The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 302

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

Chapter 302   Divine Soldier: “Righteous” Knight

I hadn’t intended to think like that, but my heart had already acknowledged it. It didn’t matter if the opponent was the same Tenth Rank as me, a seasoned mercenary, or anything else. I simply understood that “I can’t win.”

Of course. In the face of such power, the rank is meaningless. Resisting is just foolish.

Children, adults, heroes, civilians, humans, monsters—everything would be swept away indiscriminately.

As soon as I understood that, my legs felt like they were about to give way. It felt like I was about to crumble and die right here.

Still, I could somehow manage to hold onto my weapon. The reason for that was probably the pride of being one of the Eight Heavens and the fact that Black Sword wasn’t directing hostility toward me.

“In addition, I’m not asking you to commit any crimes or become a criminal. It’s just a matter of whether you’ll ally with the prince.”

“Prince…? …The prince!? What happened to His Highness? Is he still alive!?”

In the midst of contemplating how to defeat the monster in front of me and survive, I had completely forgotten about the original purpose, which was the safety of the crown prince. What a situation…

However, despite shouting to inquire about the well-being of the crown prince, I could understand that it wasn’t my true concern. Yes, I did want him to be safe, I wanted to help, but more than anything, I just wanted to divert my consciousness from the current situation to somehow maintain this crumbling spirit. As long as I worried about the crown prince, I could still function as one of the Eight Heavens.

“Huh? Ah… not about that. Well, I did hear that His Highness—the crown prince—is alive, and I had a chat with our Demon King a while ago. But the ‘prince’ I’m talking about isn’t related to that.”

“Then, who are you referring to…?”

However, without answering my question, Black Sword made a slightly puzzled expression and then shifted to a more annoyed expression.

Honestly, it made no sense.

If the ‘prince’ isn’t the crown prince, then who is he talking about?

“Before I answer that, why are you fighting here?”

Ignoring my question and without providing an answer, Black Sword asked me that.

“Why… well, I’m a knight, that’s for sure. I’m here under His Majesty’s orders to defeat the evildoers like you and offer victory to His Highness…”

Yeah. I’m here as one of the Eight Heavens, sworn to loyalty to the country, a knight tasked with defeating criminals to offer victory to the crown prince. They should understand that, so why bring it up now?

“Ah, whatever. It’s not like that.”

However, Black Sword interrupted me with a bewildered expression, seemingly exasperated.

“Alright, let me rephrase the question. Why do you serve the country as a knight? Are you loyal to the country, the royal family, or is it because swearing allegiance is the right thing to do?”

“That’s… essentially the same thing, isn’t it? I wished to become a knight, and I did. It should be the right thing to pledge loyalty to the country and the royal family as a knight.”

However, I responded to Black Sword’s inquiry like that, but I honestly didn’t understand what he wanted to know. What exactly was he trying to get at? Why was he bringing up these questions now?

“Being the right thing… You can’t confidently say it’s the right thing, huh? It seems like you feel some discomfort with your own situation.”

“What are you trying to say since earlier!”

Black Sword’s way of speaking made it feel like he was mocking my sense of loyalty, and I couldn’t help but raise my voice in frustration.

“Talking about earlier… It’s about supporting the prince, right? The Demon King ruling over this place and the country where you’ve pledged loyalty. He’s the son of that country’s king. The prince of your home country.”

——Huh?

“…Wh-what…”

I couldn’t understand Black Sword’s words. What is he…? What is this man talking about?

“You probably don’t know. The king over there wouldn’t talk about such shady ‘bad things.’ Well, to be precise, it’s more like the ‘existence that was supposed to become a prince.'”

But there’s no way that could be true!

“Well, that’s a stupid thing…”

Something like that is… like the king abandoning his own child. Moreover, without any valid reason, at that.

But I couldn’t deny those words.

“What do you mean, ‘there shouldn’t be’? Then why didn’t you say that word to the end? Have you ever thought that your own country is strange or suspicious? However, because you’re a knight, you must not doubt the country. You must believe in the king. Aren’t you just ‘convincing yourself’ of that?”

Somehow, the strength had left my hands unnoticed, and the weapon that I hadn’t let go of even when my heart seemed about to break earlier had fallen.

But I didn’t care about that now. No, I didn’t have the luxury to care.

…Certainly, there were moments when I felt something was off, strange. Even when participating in this war, there was a sense of discomfort, and I had heard rumors of something happening behind the scenes from the crown prince. Probably, it had to do with politics.

However, even if that was the case, overthrowing Karakas didn’t seem wrong, and I believed the king’s orders were right and just.

But if this man’s words were really true?

I didn’t know how things had come to this point, but what if the king had abandoned his own child for his personal desires, and as a result, the discarded child turned against the country as revenge?

…In that case, where does the justification lie?

Of course, from the perspective of the country, Karakas is a city of criminals, and if such a place turned hostile, it would be right to defeat it. But…

“Hey, is your loyalty truly “righteous”? Is it fitting for a king to be someone who discards children as if they were unnecessary? Is a country ruled by someone who would try to kill their own child just because they don’t like them really “righteous”? Is the current state of the country and its king truly a “righteous ruler” deserving of your loyalty?”

Until now, I have strived to be righteous. Born into a knight’s family, I worked hard to ascend to the third rank. However, when I gained the constantly active skill “Military Merit” upon reaching the third rank, I changed. No, the way others saw me changed, and I couldn’t help but change myself.

Thanks to ” Military Merit,” I could rise through the ranks faster than others, advancing higher and higher than my peers. As a result, I became the target of jealousy, yet I continued to act in a way that would earn recognition.

Live righteously, do the right things, make the right choices, and be an ally of the righteous—so I lived, believing that someday everyone would acknowledge me.

But now, am I truly righteous? Is the king I serve truly righteous? Am I a righteous knight?

“Live righteously. Well, I do think that’s an amazing way to live. It’s a way of life I could never pull off. I can somewhat sense the considerable hardships you’ve faced so far. But if you’re unsure, why not stop for a moment and look around?”

“Around…”

“Yeah. Stop fighting here, return to the castle for a while. Then, check if the king is truly the ‘righteous one’ you should serve. If you still think he’s righteous, come back and attack again. Then, I’ll be the one to kill you.”

I was supposed to be the enemy. I came to kill. Can I really let that go so easily? There’s that question.

But instead of asking that, another question lingered within me.

“… What if it’s not righteous?”

If I return to the castle and the king is not righteous?

If he turns out to be an ‘unrighteous’ king, what should I do then?

“Well, who knows? Maybe you should look for someone else to serve? I recommend our Demon King. That guy is still quite indulgent, and if you choose him as your leader, it’ll be entertaining. After all, he’s a bit crazy in the head.”

Watching black sword speak with genuine joy and excitement, I couldn’t help but feel a slight curiosity about meeting the Demon King.

Considering the kind of Demon King who creates such scenes, he probably wouldn’t be suitable as a king. I don’t think he would be righteous. Indeed, he seems a bit crazy. That’s certainly true.

… But even so, I found myself wanting to meet the Demon King who could make a man like this speak so highly of him.

“…Is that an invitation, perhaps?”

“Hmph. Well, calling it an invitation might be a mistake. But, this is the truth. Using superficial reasoning to package words about changing someone’s life is meaningless.”

After hearing those words, I closed my eyes for a moment and then turned my back on the black sword, walking towards the outskirts of the city.