The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 318

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

Chapter 318   Infiltrating the royal capital

“…Tch. The gate’s not just broken; it’s blown away.”

At the point where we could clearly observe the town without using skills, my old man stopped for a moment. I also descended from his back to check the condition of the town. As usual, smoke was rising, and outside the walls, both people and monsters were mingled with corpses scattered about, giving off an unpleasant smell. Probably the decay has begun.

And when I shifted my gaze from the surroundings to the town, as my old man mentioned, the sturdy walls surrounding the town were still there, but the gate was broken.

“It looked quite sturdy when I saw it before…”

When I came to the capital before, I passed through that gate, and at first glance, it seemed to be made quite robustly.

“It’s not just broken; it’s blown away. It’s not normal for a gate to break like that.”

That’s true. Even if the gate is broken, the usual imagination is that there’s a hole or the latch is broken. However, the gate in front of us now has both parts detached from the wall and lying on the ground. No matter how forcefully you punch it, it should at most be crushed or have a hole, but… how did it end up like that?

“Moreover, it feels like it was attacked after being broken… No, crushed underfoot.”

My old man said so while staring at the gate detached from the wall and lying on the ground. Certainly, even if it’s just broken, it seems strangely distorted.

“But how could it be crushed underfoot? Magic… Ah, maybe a giant.”

If you look around, it’s easy to remember, but come to think of it, this time it wasn’t human against human; it was human against monsters. And among the enemies that invaded, there were giants.

That information—well, since Edward gathered it, it should be accurate, but if the information is correct and there are giants, it makes sense that the gate was broken and then crushed underfoot. If it’s a giant, with a body blow like that, it could easily break and remove the gate. Also, if a giant stepped on the broken gate, it would likely cause that kind of distortion.

“Yeah, probably. No traces of magic, and no clumps of dirt, scorch marks, puddles—nothing. To make that kind of crushing without leaving any traces, it’s limited to those who can do it… Well, it’s probably a giant, without a doubt.”

“One of the three strongest species…”

All three strongest species are not opponents that ordinary humans would face. They are monsters that even a strongman from the tenth rank would have trouble defeating.

But it should be fine. Even if the opponent is one of the three strongest species, I’ve defeated a dragon once. With proper caution, I should be able to defeat it this time too.

However, as if reading my thoughts, my old man looked at me and spoke.

“You might have defeated a dragon, but be cautious of the giant this time.”

“I… don’t plan on letting my guard down. But why?”

Just as I was thinking it’s okay since I defeated a dragon, I was momentarily stuck for an answer when spoken to, but I managed to respond.

But why did my old man feel the need to say something like that? It bothered me, so I decided to ask him.

I’ve never heard that giants are superior to dragons, and there shouldn’t be a reason to specifically say, “Be careful of giants.”

Or could it be not about strength rankings, but more about me not getting complacent after defeating a dragon?

“There should have been the remaining Eight Heavens here. If Edward’s words are correct, there are two enemy giants. The remaining Eight Heavens are also two. In terms of strength, it’s a stalemate. Yet, with things this chaotic… well, they must have lost.”

…Now that it’s mentioned, that makes sense. There should have been the Eight Heavens here, and even if a horde of monsters came, they could have dealt with it. Even if giants came, there shouldn’t have been a situation where the gate was broken like this.

After all, giants are, as the name suggests, large. It should have been clear from a distance, and they would have chosen to fight far away to avoid damage to the city.

Yet, monsters approached, and the gate was broken. It means the Eight Heavens couldn’t handle it.

We don’t know if they died or escaped, but they likely lost the battle.

But, would it be that easy to lose?

Certainly, the Eight Heavens weren’t as strong as I had thought. But they are still formidable fighters representing the tenth rank of the country. Even if there was a horde of monsters, I don’t think they would have been easily defeated… At the very least, they should have been able to defeat one giant. However, there are corpses of monsters but no giant corpses. What’s going on?

“In other words, the giant that came this time might not be just an ordinary giant. It could be a mutant or a unique individual. Whatever it is, there’s a good chance it’s something strange that even the Eight Heavens couldn’t defeat.”

A mutant… If the Eight Heavens couldn’t defeat it, would it be on the eleventh rank in terms of ranking?

But if that’s the case, it would be on par with us, using techniques beyond the rank like ‘Divine Sword’ or ‘Breeding improvement.’ A genuine monster.

…Why is something like that here at a time like this?

“What in the world is that…”

“I don’t know. It’s just a possibility. We won’t know until we see it for ourselves.”

In response to my inadvertently leaked words, my old man replied, and indeed, that’s true. We don’t know what’s happening by just talking about it here—no, there might be a way.

“Anyway, we have no choice but to go. If we get any closer, there’s a risk of being attacked. Stay vigilant from here on—what are you doing?”

“Wait a moment. Let me ask the plants right now.”

I should have been able to check from Karakas instead of getting this close, but I only just now remembered this rather obvious fact.

Perhaps I was able to calm down a bit because I could directly see the situation in the capital. That’s probably why I could remember.

Also, even if there’s a method to confirm the situation from a distance, it’s not an innate ability, so it’s easy to forget that I have such power. While I can masterfully use the skill if I consciously switch to it, it’s not something I’m always able to use seamlessly.

“Oh, right. Come to think of it, you had such a convenient ability.”

My old man should have known about it, but the fact that he only remembered now without mentioning it from the beginning, is he also feeling a bit flustered? If that’s the case, it’s a bit reassuring that I’m not the only one.

No, for now, let’s prioritize asking questions.

“Everyone, I have something I want to ask. Is it okay?”

“Yes!” “What is it?” “What’s up?” “Can I have some water, please?”

The responses that came back after I spoke varied in their individual characteristics compared to before, but there were also some reactions that remained unchanged. Well, that’s their unique personalities.

So, what should I ask?

“For now, the situation in the city. Also, what happened to the Eight Heavens, the state of the monsters—especially the giants. And then, the condition inside the castle. Can you find out?”

“Leave it to us!” “Here’s how it is!” “Looking for water here!”

Wasn’t there someone who responded like they were recruiting for an online game? I was a bit curious, but such thoughts quickly vanished from my mind.

Asking all at once, a jumble of information rushed into my head. I rushed it, asking all at once, so it couldn’t be helped. I should have asked in smaller portions.

However, I could understand the general situation from the images sent.

It’s an extraordinary situation for monsters to exist in the capital, but these monsters seem to coexist without attacking humans.

Human forms are not seen outdoors, but they seem to live normally inside buildings.

It’s probably because they are being controlled that humans don’t go outside and monsters don’t attack people.

As for the giants… I don’t really understand. I could find their appearance, but for some reason, they’re dead.

Earlier, it was said that the Eight Heavens lost, but could it be that they defeated the giants? Or maybe, even if they couldn’t defeat them, they inflicted significant injuries and then lost? I don’t think they’re sleeping… What do you think? Their breath seems to be absent, so they’re probably dead.

If they’re dead here, things might go more smoothly than I thought, but will it really work out that well?

Well, whatever. If they’re dead, they’re dead. More importantly, it’s about… my mom and Filia.

I was afraid to ask and inadvertently tried to look away, but I can’t do that.

I came here to help. So, I need to confirm it properly. In some cases, I might have to dash through without caring about anything.

“And also, what about my sister… and how is Mom?”

So, I asked, and I did manage to get information about Mom and my sister.

They seem to be locked in a room in the castle. There are restraints, but there doesn’t seem to be anything particularly done to them by anyone.

The moment I saw the sent images, a sigh of relief escaped naturally.

Oh, right. There’s supposedly no king or anything. They said he escaped, but where could he have escaped to?

“—That’s the situation.”

“I see. Well, that’s a relief. From here on, let’s try not to attract too much attention. Eliminating the monsters can wait. If we kill them, they might notice it.”

After conveying the situation of the city to my old man, I used the plants to find a place where there seemed to be no enemies and infiltrated the city.

It doesn’t make sense to guard the gate if one can cross the wall. Normally, most things can’t do that, and for those who can, there are likely patrolling soldiers for occasions like this. However, for me, who knows the enemy’s disposition, it’s meaningless.

But…

“…It’s worse than I thought.”

After infiltrating the city and confirming the situation, it was worse than we had expected.

Buildings were collapsed, and the main street had doubled in width compared to when I last saw it.

Roofs of both shabby houses and the Grand Trading Company’s building were blown away or had holes, regardless of their status.

Remains of both people and monsters were scattered along the way.

Just by seeing this state, it’s evident that the city was under attack. But to go this far? After all, the enemy came to occupy this place, right? They shouldn’t have come to destroy it.

Yet, with the city in such a state, managing it afterward would be challenging. It’s unlikely that a decent life will return for at least a few months. That’s how severe the situation is.

I had seen images from the plants, but that was merely hearsay. It was like being sent pictures, and I didn’t have the luxury to carefully examine each one since many were sent.

Therefore, when shown the reality of how it’s become, I grimaced at its severity.