The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 320

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

Chapter 320   Split into two

“… The best course of action, huh. Well, I’ll say this upfront: dividing our efforts to search in this situation is a mistake.”

My father cautioned me in response to my words, and I understand that.

“Well, I understand that too. We’re lacking both manpower and information. We don’t know where the enemy is, how they’re organized, and there’s no established escape route. But we don’t have the luxury to rescue one by one, do we?”

“Well, I guess not. If we rescue one of them first, the security around the remaining captives will likely become more stringent.”

At the moment, it seems that neither of the two is in imminent danger, but if we decide to rescue one, it will cause a commotion, and with it, the security will undoubtedly tighten.

With a somewhat strengthened security, my father and I should be able to break through without any issues. However, the current situation is that we have no understanding of the enemy’s intentions. We don’t even know why the giant died, and there’s a considerable possibility that the enemy still has cards up their sleeves.

Thinking about it, even if we can face them head-on, the question arises whether we can properly break through after rescuing one of them and then escape.

“If we rescue your mother, our fighting strength will increase, but ultimately, the problem of not having enough time to save the other one won’t be solved. If they realize we’re after those they’ve captured, they might take precautions or even harm the hostages. Though I can’t say for sure if your sister will be one of them, there’s a considerable possibility of the situation becoming dangerous.”

“If that’s the case, we split into two and act simultaneously. That way, the time issue might be somewhat alleviated.”

That’s why we’re dividing our efforts. By advancing both rescues simultaneously, even if we’re exposed when saving either Mom or Filia, we’ll be in the process of rescuing the other one, increasing the chances of freeing them before the security tightens. Even the escape might become somewhat easier.

If we handle it well, when our identities are revealed, we might be in a situation where we can escape together.

“But it’s risky, you know?”

“I know. But giving up on either one just because it’s dangerous would make everything we’ve done so far meaningless.”

Not rescuing either of them wouldn’t be entirely meaningless, but the significance of coming this far would be greatly diminished. In that case, it might have been better to plan carefully from the beginning and take the time to rescue them.

To live up to the determination of our comrades who brought us this far, we have to rescue both of them.

“Besides, neither you nor I are the kind to die over a little danger like this, right?”

As I said that, my father sighed as if resigned and then spoke.

“…If we’re talking about which direction is better, I should go underground. Nothing grows inside the castle; if moss or any kind of vegetation is found, the servants’ heads will roll. Flowers may be arranged, but they don’t cover the entire passageway, and there might be instances where we overlook things. Also, in the event of internal combat, a broken vase could render flowers useless, and we might lose our way. Even so, if an impromptu battle arises, I can handle it better than you, considering I was originally a knight and have a good understanding of the castle’s structure.”

After hearing my father’s words, I had the plants confirm the inside of the castle again. However, when I mentally organized the information from the plants, it seemed quite complicated.

I understand the path from here to the tower where Filia is imprisoned, but for my mother, who seems to be confined underground, I have no idea about the route.

I know the general direction, but I don’t understand the path to get there, and there are blank spaces where the plants’ vision doesn’t reach.

“Got it. Then let’s go with that. I’ll head to the tower. As for Mom… I’ll leave her to you.”

If that’s the case, the answer is practically decided. If I can’t follow the plants’ guidance while progressing, it would be pointless for me, who doesn’t know the way, to go there and waste time.

“Are you okay with that? Don’t you want to rescue her with your own hands?”

My father seemed surprised that I wouldn’t go to rescue my mother, but it couldn’t be helped.

“Of course, I want to rescue her on my own. But it’s meaningless if I can’t. They went through great trouble to bring us here. We can’t afford to make mistakes. So, I’ll choose the option with a higher chance of success.”

Even if I don’t know the way, if it were someone else, I might not have entrusted them. But my father is here. He’s the most reliable person in my life, and he’s willing to lend a hand.

So, even in this situation, I’m confident that he’ll be able to rescue my mother without any issues.

If my father fails, it would mean that no one else could have succeeded, regardless of who did it. Therefore, I decided to entrust my mother’s rescue to my father.

Besides, I’m going to rescue my sister, whom I feel a certain degree of affection for. There’s no dissatisfaction with the person I’m saving.

“I see. Well, then, so you won’t regret it, I’ll do my best to rescue her with all my might.”

If my father is giving it his all, it’s as good as rescued. I’ll fulfill my role without any worries.

“This is where we part ways. The tower for imprisonment should be over there.”

“Got it. I’m counting on you.”

“I get it. Just make sure you don’t mess up.”

And with that, we separated, each of us infiltrating the castle.

——◆◇◆◇——

・Filia

From the window positioned much higher than my own height, I could see the infuriatingly clear blue sky. When I cast my gaze downward, there was a stone wall, and looking around, there were more stone walls.

While there was a door on one side of the wall, I couldn’t open it with my own will. Because I had magical restraints preventing me from using any magic, breaking the door was not an option. All I could do was remain obedient.

Although my physical abilities were somewhat enhanced by the blessing of being on an higher rank, it didn’t grant me any specific capabilities. Even if I could somehow leave this room, there were several traps before reaching the outside of the tower. Getting past them was impossible, and beyond the traps, there were ordinary soldiers guarding the area.

There were several other rooms besides this one, and considering that other members of the royal family were also captured in this tower, the dire situation I found myself in wasn’t exclusive to me. However, such thoughts provided little comfort in the current predicament and were essentially meaningless.

The king, my father, had somehow vanished to an unknown location, and my elder brother, the first prince and heir to the throne, had been killed as a demonstration. The rest of the royal family, including me, had been captured. It seemed they were held in various locations apart from this tower, possibly to prevent a mass escape in case of an incident.

“It all went to waste, even after clinging to the position by overthrowing my sister.”

In order to live a comfortable life in this country, I sent my own sister to a weaker nation by overthrowing her. Thanks to that, I’ve been able to live a carefree life recently. Although there were various problems in the country due to my estranged brother causing trouble, it didn’t mean much to me as a woman and not the next successor. Besides, even if the country were to lose in a full-scale war with my brother, my personal safety was guaranteed.

So, while listening to the story and observing the distant troubles, I was content to enjoy other things.

However, a rebellion erupted unrelated to my brother.

Well, maybe it’s not entirely unrelated. After all, the rebels attacked where the military control was disrupted by my brother’s actions.

First, there was a commotion within the castle, and attackers appeared at the residences of all the royal family members. Though I held a rank that wasn’t high but wasn’t low either, and I possessed reasonable combat skills, my attendants, including Lene, couldn’t fare as well. While the “shadows” by my side also fought as guards, naturally, there were openings when they shielded me. Exploiting those, I was easily captured.

Afterward, I was taken to Mother and was used as a means to ensure my cooperation by not resisting.

Mother prioritizes her son, my brother, but after him, she prioritizes me, her daughter. Therefore, upon seeing me captured, I willingly allowed myself to be restrained without resistance. It was miserable to witness the situation caused by my own actions, and I felt frustrated with myself. But at that point, there was nothing more I could do.

There’s probably a traitor among the relatively high-ranking nobles, but I don’t know who it is.

While this was happening, there was an attack from the outside. Overwhelmed by thousands of controlled magical creatures and even giants brought forth by the rebellion, there was nothing we could do but be trampled.