The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 307

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

Chapter 307   Witch of Misfortune: The End

“Now then, are you done? If you want to continue, I’ll send you straight to hell, so do it over there.”

“Oh my. Did you wait for me? You’re surprisingly kind.”

“Yes. They were a tool I could use to torment you. I’ll show you a bit of mercy by not getting in your way.”

Moreover, if this woman dies with such a touching farewell, it will surely be quite enjoyable. That’s why I refrained from attacking during that vulnerable moment.

However, that’s all over now. From now on, I’ll go all out to kill—

“Everyone, attack with all your might.”

Perhaps judging that they can’t win just by enduring, now that the role of enduring has disappeared, Carmena instructed the remaining men to launch a full attack.

But it’s futile.

Certainly, the power of the attacks is considerable. There’s enough impact that I have to stop attacking and focus on defense. However, that’s all. If I truly devote myself to defense, they won’t be able to break through it, and if I endure for a while, they will exhaust themselves and become unable to move.

Understanding this, I can laugh within the water that protects me.

…But the opponent is no slouch, and the expenditure of energy is quite significant. It may not be enough with the originally anticipated amount of power. Should I draw additional power from the spirits?

“No matter how much you try, it’s useless! The moment this attack stops, it’s your defeat!”

As I continued to battle, suddenly, the water lost its form and splashed onto the ground.

What!? I thought, checking my surroundings, and then I suddenly realized.

—The Spirit Transformation skill has been released!?

I had no intention of deactivating it, and not only that, even the Disguise skill, which I never deactivated even during sleep, had been released. Lowering my gaze, I saw my own hands, now wrinkled.

Unable to muster strength into my body, I collapsed, unable to stand.

Why, how!

Such words kept swirling in my mind, but I couldn’t organize my thoughts properly. Moreover, I felt a debilitating fatigue and nausea to the point where maintaining consciousness became cumbersome.

Recognizing these various symptoms, I finally understood what had happened to me.

In other words, my current state—

“…Oh my, have you reached the point where you can’t use your skills? Decorum is a woman’s virtue, isn’t it? It might be better to be more mindful of your appearance… Have you taken a look in the mirror?”

—Due to excessive use of skills, I had reached a point where I could no longer use any more. Consequently, both Spirit Transformation and Disguise were released, returning me to my original appearance.

“Wha… What!? Why!!”

However, while I understood the cause of the skill release, I couldn’t comprehend why it happened. Excessive use of skills? That’s a lie! I’ve never experienced anything like this before!

“It’s not anything extraordinary, is it?”

Casually approaching with resounding footsteps, Carmena, accompanied by the men, spoke to me.

“Unlike my Anti-Aging, your Disguise consumes skill uses continuously, doesn’t it? Continuously using the Disguise skill and employing skills so recklessly—this is the natural result, isn’t it? Assimilating with spirits is a grand technique that consumes both skill uses and magic power, not to mention lifespan. Yet, you leisurely continue the conversation; aren’t you foolish?”

Spirits! I see, that was…

Until now, after summoning or assimilating with spirits, I would promptly complete the task and then release them. There had never been a situation where I leisurely engaged in conversation or struggled without being able to resolve it. Therefore, I failed to realize that prolonging the conversation or defending against the enemy’s attacks would lead to unnecessary consumption.

The discomfort of reaching the limit of skill usage just before might not have been noticeable because assimilating with spirits altered my senses to be different from those of a human.

“In addition, did you happen to draw extra power from the spirits? Without even considering the cost in terms of magic power and lifespan. Oh, right. Maybe you also depleted your energy from defending against our Demon King’s attacks? Having a massive hole in your stomach, you must have used up quite a bit to deal with that, right?”

…Certainly, I did. To defend against Carmena’s attacks and anticipate the need for more power than planned, I received additional strength from the spirits. Even in the case of the self-proclaimed Demon King’s attacks, I meticulously layered skills with ease.

…But if that’s the case, does it mean I will die? Because losing lifespan implies that, doesn’t it?

Sensationally, I still feel like I can live for a while longer, but that’s only if I manage to escape from here. Since I can’t use skills, even if I haven’t reached the end of my lifespan, I’ll be killed by this woman. Moreover, not in my usual appearance, but in such an ugly form?

“No, no way! To become such an ugly figure! And in such a filthy place! Even though I finally managed to escape from here!”

A hoarse voice, unfamiliar to my usual ears, echoes through my body.

Understanding that it is my own voice, I am inexplicably stirred by anxiety and impatience.

I don’t want to die, but I don’t mind. I can’t live infinitely, and I can accept that.

However, there is a problem with dying in this state. To die as a filthy old woman covered in the remnants of this dilapidated city, I cannot accept that.

I was supposed to escape from here. I should have lived a happy life, admired by everyone, receiving tributes, just living happily. I gained status. I gained honor. I should have had an even better life than when I was a noble’s daughter. All that was left was to be mourned by everyone when my lifespan ended and quietly breathe my last, leaving this world beautifully. That was supposed to be the happy ending I welcomed.

To live a life where I could smile in death, I used the magic of the tenth rank, knowing that it would shorten my lifespan.

Yet, dying here like this is unacceptable!

“Ugly, huh… Rather, I think this appearance is more repulsive. This appearance is… ”

However, looking down at me, desperately reaching out, Carmena gazes at the palm of her hand, frowning and muttering. I don’t know why she’s making such a face, but I don’t have the luxury to care.

“Help me, please…! Help me! Out of old times’ sake! Let me escape from here!”

“…I’m sorry, but I’m somewhat angry. In a city like this, dying is just a part of daily life. However, this wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t attacked, if you hadn’t entered the city. No one would have died, and everyone would have remained happy. …It’s not something I should be saying, given that I led everyone to their deaths until now.”

Unlike her usual way of speaking, her voice changed to a cold tone without any dragging sounds.

This woman, who usually showed her composure, displaying her emotions so plainly, meant that she was serious.

“Even so, even if I have some guilt, I don’t intend to forgive you.”

Saying so, Carmena squats in front of me, and the men lift my hair accordingly.

“Ugh…”

My voice escaped due to their rough treatment, but the men paid no mind to that. Carmena, with my lifted face, peers into it.

“Stay like this, in your so-called ‘ugly appearance,’ without anyone extending a helping hand—die, please.”

Her eyes, gazing straight at me, were not as soft as when we first met, but rather, they were as cold as her voice from earlier.

Looking into those eyes, I couldn’t help but understand, even if unwillingly, that this woman has no intention of helping me… no, she doesn’t even have the intention to overlook me.

Then, perhaps having finished saying what she wanted to say, Carmena stands up, places her hands on her face, and when she removes them, there is the face of the elderly woman I first saw. It seems she used the “Disguise” skill again.

However, in front of me, who can no longer use skills and cannot disguise my appearance, using a skill and deliberately turning into the form of an old woman is nothing but harassment.

“Besides, what do you think? Is this what you call an ugly appearance? Is it such a bad thing? I adjusted it to your liking earlier, but I personally like the appearance suitable for my age. All the time I’ve lived, the changes it brought, everything is like a jewel that adorns a woman. A woman’s youth, the history she accumulates, everything has value. To deny that, you simply don’t understand.”

My head hurts. I feel nauseous. I’m cold, and my vision is blurry. There’s also a discomfort as if bugs are crawling all over my body.

“Because I can’t obtain those jewels… I dislike myself. But you wouldn’t understand, would you?”

Still, I want to die at least in a beautiful form. I forcefully try to activate a skill to change my appearance.

“Of course, it seems there’s no time left to understand that. In the afterlife, study the value of being a woman a bit more. If you do, you might be able to captivate even the hell wardens.”

However, even if I activate the skill, “Disguise” is immediately canceled. I couldn’t even completely transform.

Seeing that, I understand deep down that it’s already hopeless. I’ve lost all strength, not just the will to resist, but even the will to look at this woman seriously.

“Even with that appearance, saying such things… it’s just disgusting.”

Still… unable to disguise my appearance or put up a false front, I want to resist at least with words.

“Oh my. If you’ve changed your appearance, you should change your words too… Oh dear, it seems I’ve scored the final point.”

“As expected, I don’t like you at all…”

“That’s too bad. Surprisingly, I quite liked you. The way you live, willing to trample on others to climb up. Truly, it’s just like the women in this town right now.”

In the blurry realm of consciousness, with those words as the last, my awareness suddenly faded away.