The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 306

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

Chapter 306   Witch of Misfortune: “Water Mage” and “Courtesan”

“…That voice, it reminds me of that time.”

“Really? What kind of memories, I wonder? I’d be happy if I could leave you with good memories…”

“Well, you know… Yes, truly wonderful memories—memories so intense that I want to kill because of them.”

I wanted this person to disappear quickly, so along with those words, I manipulated the Cursed Water to create blades. Not just one or two, but countless blades that could cover Carmena and the others.

And then, I aimed all those blades simultaneously at the rejuvenated Carmena.

Normally, that should have been the end of it. However, here in this place were not only Carmena but also high-ranking men under her enchantment.

The raining blades were all intercepted, and each time, new ones were created and unleashed. However, those too were intercepted in the same manner.

It was indeed troublesome. The forces gathered by Carmena have likely already been dealt with by units such as the ‘Divine Soldier’ and ‘Mad Spear’ that participated in this operation.

Those beings, despite being of the Tenth Rank, lacked techniques to deal with a group. That couldn’t be helped.

But I was different.

“Even if you’ve become a ‘Courtesan’ of the Tenth Rank, I’m also from the Tenth Rank. No matter how many mediocre men from the Ninth Rank or below you gather, you can’t possibly defeat me!”

While the opponent was preoccupied dealing with the water blades, I was preparing a different magic.

With my final words, I unleashed it.

This magic wasn’t just about releasing water as before. Up until now, I had been conscious of the remaining uses of my magic, so I didn’t want to use skills too much. However, this skill was something I truly didn’t want to use in the real sense.

It wasn’t just about releasing water; it was a Ninth Rank skill to summon a water-controlling spirit.

The moment it was activated, a faceless, jointless figure made of water appeared in front of me.

It was the spirit I had contracted.

Without a known name, it stared at me, then approached as if wrapping itself around me.

“Just a mere Courtesan! This time, I’ll definitely kill you!”

However, I swatted away the annoyingly behaving spirit with my hand and declared so towards Carmena.

“Just a mere, you say, but aren’t you the same?”

“Silence! I am not a Courtesan!”

With those words, I gave instructions to the spirit I had swatted away with my hand to attack Carmena.

The movement momentarily hesitated as if considering, but once it started moving, it relentlessly continued attacking the enemy without resting.

Forming spears with water, sweeping with a sword, and swinging down an axe.

The water moved more smoothly and tirelessly than when I used magic.

Though I felt a slight increase in fatigue and headache due to using this, I couldn’t afford to be concerned about such things.

“You seem to dislike courtesans, but is it such a bad thing? Much, much earlier than now, they were treated as entertainers to welcome the gods, you know? Like a kind of shrine maiden. Don’t you think it might seem somewhat grateful when you hear that?”

However, even amid such a fierce attack, the men defending Carmena did not fall or flee, enduring and protecting her, while she smiled.

“What shrine maiden! That’s not something to be grateful for at all! At least, I didn’t want something like that!”

In addition to the spirit’s attacks, I also joined the battle using magic.

There weren’t many uses left. However, they were not entirely depleted.

Instead of releasing them carelessly, I should use them judiciously at key points.

This thinking proved correct, and within a few minutes of my rejoining the battle, some of the attackers began to fall.

—I can do it. If things continue like this, I can defeat them!

“Oh dear, how troublesome. Everyone, please come over here for a moment.”

However, that thought was short-lived. Carmena began calling the men around her, one by one, to her side.

And after embracing those men and giving them a kiss, they returned to the fight, one by one.

“It might be tough, but hang in there a bit longer.”

As all the men returned to the battle, Carmena said so again with a smile.

I wondered what she had done, but I no longer had the luxury of pondering such things. I couldn’t understand what that woman had done, but I could grasp that she had done something. After all, just a while ago, despite having some composure, I was now evenly matched… no, rather, being pushed back.

“What did you do?”

While watching the spirits fighting the men who seemed to have changed, I questioned Carmena, the person responsible for whatever had happened.

“What did I do? Just supported everyone as a ‘courtesan.’ I used ‘Fascination’ as a base, eliminated fear with ‘Excitement,’ made them listen and obey even in excitement with ‘Communication’ and ‘Consciousness Induction,’ enhanced vision and hearing with ‘Sensory Manipulation’ in exchange for eliminating pain, further strengthened overall with ‘Sexual Enhancement,’ and then applied ‘Dominance’ to make them go beyond their limits and serve me. It’s not weird at all, right? I just ‘supported’ everyone so they could do their best.”

I widened my eyes at her words. If that was true, the Eighth and Ninth Rank men here would have undergone an unbelievable enhancement. They might even possess power equivalent to the Tenth Rank. Regardless of the strength of high-ranked berserkers, they were troublesome. After all, they relentlessly targeted one’s life until you were completely immobilized.

The current men were the same as those berserkers. They threw away their lives to come and kill me for Carmena.

While I might not remember the true essence of the skills of the Tenth Rank, if all of these men had powers equivalent to the Tenth Rank, and they were willing to fight for that woman, throwing their lives into the fray, it could be a serious problem.

“Ku… you!”

I couldn’t count how many times I had thought that, but there was no time to hold back. I generated a large amount of water and manipulated it to slam down, sweeping away everything in its path.

However, the water was neutralized as a man with a shield rushed forward, holding the shield in a defensive stance.

“Oh dear. It seems you’ve stopped pretending. Well, I think it’s better that way. You are much more beautiful. There’s something alluring about showing one’s true self, no matter how grotesque it may be.”

“Don’t get too cocky!”

Carmena spoke from behind, surrounded by men protecting her. Even if that was the correct way to fight, it didn’t change the fact that it irritated me.

“No matter how many enhanced high-rankers you gather, you can’t possibly defeat me, a Tenth Rank!”

That’s right. It should be that way. Whether enhanced or berserk, there would always be a difference in abilities between the Tenth Rank and those below.

So, I might need to take some risks, and I might end up unable to move properly afterward. Still, in the end, I should be able to win.

No, not just “should.” I will win. I can defeat this woman! Because I am the Tenth Rank water mage, the ‘Witch of Misfortune!

However—

“W-Why…!”

One of the water formations I had floating around as a defensive measure pierced through my chest.

“It’s better not to assume that all the floating water is under your control. No matter how few mages there are, water mages are everywhere if you look. There’s quite a number, especially when you include secondary occupations. For example, like me.”

My primary occupation is ‘Water Mage,’ and my secondary occupation is ‘Courtesan.’ This woman’s primary occupation is ‘Courtesan,’ and her secondary occupation is ‘Water Mage.’ The fact that we had something in common like that was one of the reasons I disliked her.

And yet, I had completely forgotten about it.

“Gah… you…! S-Spirits!”

I couldn’t afford to lose like this. If I lost, I would die. In that moment, without considering the consequences, I recalled the spirits and activated the Tenth Rank skill.

The Tenth Rank skill for mages allows them to assimilate with spirits and wield their power freely. Although the mage gains the power to manipulate nature itself, the cost is not only in terms of skill uses and magical energy but also in stealing away the user’s lifespan.

Having used it a few times before and being well over seventy in actual age, I didn’t want to use this skill anymore. However, if I didn’t use it, I would die.

By assimilating with the spirits, I could even erase the fatal wound on my chest.

Now, all that was left was to defeat them.

“This is the end!”

A waterfall-like torrent of water cascaded down from above Carmena’s head, crushing everything in its path. It engulfed not only Carmena and her group but also the surrounding buildings and hidden enemies.

Receiving such a massive amount of water at once should be impossible to defend against or evade.

However, I still didn’t let my guard down. If I could kill them with something like this, I wouldn’t have needed to use my trump card from the beginning.

Instead of dispelling the water that had turned the surroundings into a wasteland, I manipulated it without dispersing it, forming a hemispherical shape centered around Carmena.

There might be a light mage, a healer, or a holy knight or shield bearer who could create a barrier. Normally, water should be able to seep in through even the smallest gaps and drown those inside, but the water seemed unable to penetrate around Carmena.

To break such a barrier, I directed the water around Carmena towards the center, compressing it.

Apparently, it couldn’t withstand the continuous force from all directions. Cracks appeared in the barrier, and I could see two men, likely the spellcasters, kneeling.

Seeing this, I rotated the compressed water at high speed, creating a vortex, similar to how I used it on myself earlier. However, this time, it was not for defense but for an attacking purpose, to engulf and kill the enemies.

The swirling water made it difficult to see inside due to its force and the debris from the buildings it incorporated. Yet, in my current state, I, connected to the water, could still grasp the situation within the vortex.

However, even after confirming it, the barrier continued to be maintained inside the water.

Continuing the attack like this might be fine…

Thinking so, I decided to temporarily dispel the vortex to confirm the situation inside the barrier.

After doing so, the clearer view inside the barrier revealed that the men who had seemingly cast the barrier were not kneeling but instead had collapsed, bleeding from their mouths.

The number of individuals had increased from two to four. Perhaps, pushing themselves beyond their limits using skills collectively, overcoming even the point where they should have lost consciousness with sheer determination, they had risked their lives to create the barrier.

However, they reached their limits, and then they died.

Yet, one man remained, standing with a shield raised to protect Carmena, even as he spat blood from his mouth.

“Do you have any injuries, miss?”

The man glared at me, then turned towards Carmena behind him and uttered those words.

“…I’m okay, thanks to you.”

“Good to hear.”

“Hehe, you’re not usually the type to talk like that, right? You’re usually rougher.”

“…Well, I did admire heroes at some point. Cool heroes who can protect the ones they love. Right now, I’m here in a place like this, though.”

The man with the shield and Carmena engaged in an unfitting conversation for a battlefield. Carmena slowly wrapped her arms around the man’s body.

“Thank you. You’re a hero. You risked your life for someone like me. Not just you, but everyone else too. They’re all cooler than fairy tale heroes.”

“If you say that, it’s good. Probably, the others feel the same way.”

Saying so, the man dropped his shield, swayed for a moment, and then fell to his knees.

“Ryan. Also, Lido. Mocdoc. Argene. Reirio. I won’t forget about all of you.”

Carmena embraced the man’s lifeless body, gently laying him on the ground and pressing her lips against his.

“Just having a reward like this makes all the posing worthwhile…”

With just those words, the man with the shield ceased all movement. Carmena gently laid him on the ground and stood up again, locking eyes with me.

—Ah, those eyes are good. These are the eyes I wanted to see.

Carmena’s gaze was different from earlier.

Before, there was hostility, enmity, malice. Those emotions were evident. But now, there was a clearer, more distinct color of murderous intent, fueled by resentment.