The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 324

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

Chapter 324   Hiding in the shadows

“——This is it. It seems like people are somewhat packed into the rooms lined up on this floor.”

We are currently at the end of a corridor inside the castle. Given that people are being held captive here, there are indeed more individuals than the path we’ve traversed so far, making it difficult to proceed without attracting attention. Therefore, we were currently hiding in the shadows, observing the situation.

In terms of the enemy’s formation, there are no monsters; they seem to be humans who might be legitimate knights. If they are knights serving the king of this country, they might not be willing to cooperate in the event of a rebellion. But what’s the situation in that regard? Is it considered a betrayal if someone among the allies in the castle turns against them?

“I know it’s a bit late to ask, but are those guys traitors or something?”

“… I wonder. Knights’ armor, for instance, can be easily obtained, and creating forgeries is also possible. If only the appearance is altered, it’s hard to tell whether there’s a monster inside or not.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

Even in Karakas, there are places that can make armor from any location upon request, albeit at a slightly higher cost.

However, in terms of accuracy, they can produce items identical to the real ones. So, it wouldn’t be surprising if such items were being used here. Besides, it’s not impossible that they were stolen from the castle in the first place. The real issue is whether it’s acceptable to defeat them or not…

“Of course, as long as they’re over there, they’re enemies, so there’s no need to worry about taking them down. If they were being manipulated?”

The current enemies have the ability to control monsters. However, it doesn’t mean they can’t control humans. The effects, range, and number may be limited, but it should be possible if they intend to do so.

“Even if that were the case, once they’ve become enemies, there’s no helping it. If they truly are knights, dying before harming their royal master, the king, would be their preferred outcome. Besides, we’ve been killing them even before reaching here, so it’s a bit late to reconsider.”

“…I see. Then it doesn’t matter.”

Even if someone was deceiving the castle’s knights or if they were genuine knights, it’s not something I should get involved in. It’s something for this person, their surroundings, or other royal family members to handle later.

If it’s fine to defeat them, then so be it.

“So, should we conquer each room one by one? Or should we wipe out the enemies in the corridor first?”

“You’re surprisingly straightforward.”

I thought she would suggest a more cautious approach, like infiltrating the rooms without being noticed. But the words that came out were quite the opposite.

Certainly, we could conquer the rooms if we wanted to, but…

“Excuse me. In times like this, speed is crucial. Instead of wasting time thinking here and taking it cautiously, sometimes acting quickly without much consideration can lead to a better outcome in the end.”

“Well, I get that. It’s just that, it doesn’t really match the image, you know?”

I thought she would be the calm and composed type, handling things quietly, and her aura seemed to give off that vibe.

Is this closer to her true nature, or is it due to nervousness, or perhaps she’s in a hurry to rescue her friend?

It doesn’t seem like any of those, but maybe it’s because I don’t know much about her. All of these possibilities could be true.

“Because I’m a princess, should I be more refined, quiet, despite kicking enemies while coming this far?”

When it’s put that way, it’s certainly a bit late to consider. A refined and quiet princess wouldn’t have slashed through enemies and escaped so swiftly without hesitation, even if she was attempting to flee.

“Well, whatever. I mean, aside from Lene, I don’t really care who lives or dies. I don’t have acquaintances other than Lene, so…”

Making noise or not, as long as Lene can be rescued, the minimum objective can be achieved. Thinking that even if it’s a bit rough, it doesn’t matter, I check the number of enemies and take out enough seeds to deal with them, ready to attack. But just as I was about to do so, I remembered someone other than Lene whom I know. Though saying “remembered” might not be accurate; I’m not sure if their true identity is what I think it is.

“Come to think of it, what happened to those from the ‘Grass’?”

The term ‘Grass’ doesn’t refer to the plants I usually talk to, but to the covert clans assigned to each member of the royal family. They are involved in the shadows, like an underground or espionage group.

I’ve encountered them before, and they are supposed to protect the respective members of the royal family they are assigned to. They should have been present when Lene was captured, and while some of them might have been on a break at that time, what happened to them?

“A few of them have died. The others probably escaped. I assume they’ll plan and execute a rescue operation later, but they are currently unavailable.”

“I see. Well, in that case, it doesn’t matter who dies.”

If there are no acquaintances I need to worry about other than Lene, then I can fight without concern for stray bullets or hostages.

“Um, if possible, I would like you to save everyone. If you rescue them here, they will probably become my allies in the future.”

However, in response to my words, Filia returned a slightly wry smile.

Her answer was not driven by a desire to help others or having someone important to her; it seemed to be a rather calculated response, but that was characteristic of her.

Well, I can’t say I don’t understand that way of thinking. When you realize the need for personnel, it’s too late to gather them, and if you don’t secure them when you can, you’ll struggle later. Even I, in my current state, am having difficulties ruling the towns within Karakas’s territory due to a shortage of leaders.

I’ve managed to operate by pulling people from Edward and Granny’s places or using those who were originally there but didn’t escape. I was able to replenish somewhat during the recent war, but it’s still a precarious situation without any room for comfort.

So, understanding the importance of manpower, securing them is a normal train of thought.

“It’s quite calculating. But well, it’s a ‘if possible’ kind of thing. The top priority is still your protection. Next is Lene. The others are somewhat protected, but with a considerable distance.”

However, while I understand, it’s an unnecessary concern in the current situation. I am willing to help, and that’s why I’ve come to rescue her, but if push comes to shove, I will abandon them. I’m doing it because I was asked to, but it’s not something I absolutely have to do.

“Well, that’s fine. I don’t expect to be able to save everyone in this situation.”

Filia seems to understand that as well. She doesn’t seem to be urging me to do the impossible.

Still, I think there won’t be a problem as long as the enemies don’t take hostages or engage in indiscriminate attacks.

With that in mind, I came up with an idea related to rescuing those captured, so I decided to ask.

“Oh, by the way. Would you mind sending someone who seems suitable for governing the city from those we rescue? If the prince is dead, can’t you recruit someone from that faction or something?”

During the time it took to get here, I heard about what happened on the castle side from Filia. It seems the Crown Prince has died. Well, not just died—he was killed.

We had some acquaintance, and there seemed to be a mutually beneficial relationship between us. When I heard about it, I was momentarily confused and couldn’t quite grasp what was being said, but it seemed to be true.

Given the current situation, unexpected things can happen, and besides, he was the Crown Prince. Considering the probability of death, it’s higher than any other member of the royal family, so it’s inevitable that he died.

While it’s a bit regrettable that he died, at the same time, I don’t really care. After all, he wasn’t a true companion.

… But, I did think he wasn’t the kind of person who would just die like that. However, Filia having witnessed the beheading of the Crown Prince, I have no choice but to acknowledge it.

However, well, now that the first prince is dead, can’t we recruit people from his faction or subordinates?

Some might have followed him because of who he was, so it might not be like having a wide selection, but there should still be those who followed him for personal gain. If that’s the case, we can recruit them to our side in Karakas.

As I mentioned earlier, Karakas is currently facing a shortage of manpower. Despite capturing quite a few prisoners during the recent war, it’s still not enough.

It’s not a problem if we’re talking about mere manpower or military strength, but when it comes to individuals capable of managing the city for everyday administration, the numbers are overwhelmingly low. In the current situation, any unexpected events would leave us with no room for flexibility.

“… Is this something we should discuss now?”

I understand that it’s an inappropriate topic given the circumstances. After all, we’re currently in the midst of enemy territory, operating covertly, and planning to launch an attack soon.

“Well, I just thought of it now. Besides, it’s a matter that can be settled in a few seconds, it won’t change no matter when we discuss it.”

Later discussions might lead to different responses during the rescue operation, so it’s better to address it beforehand. If I bring it up later, I might be told it’s impossible. Since we’re going through the trouble of rescuing them, I want some benefits too.

Honestly, I could do without it, but if there’s a chance, I might as well make a move.

“… Ideally, we should discuss and consider this more thoroughly before deciding. Understood. I can’t guarantee how many we can send, but once this is over, we’ll look into it.”

After my abrupt words, Filia furrowed her brows slightly, showing a thoughtful expression. She sighed as if resigned and agreed to my proposal.

Alright, with this, I can motivate myself a bit more to genuinely work on rescuing people.

“Thanks. Well then, let’s get on with it.”

We can’t keep talking forever, and Dad should be helping Mom escape around now. Let’s quickly wrap up here and make our getaway.

“So, what’s your plan?”

“Plan or not, we’re going in head-on, right? The only issue is that the room where Lene is happens to be right in the middle of this corridor. If we try to rescue the others while heading there, it might slow us down a bit.”

If Lene were in one of the rooms at the end, we could have quickly rescued her. However, with her room right in the middle of the corridor, there’s a risk of being exposed if someone notices us.

Even if we manage to finish without being detected and reach her, it’s probably impossible in this straight corridor.

“It won’t be an instant thing, and it doesn’t bother me, does it?”

Well, that’s true. Even if we do something and get noticed, they probably won’t realize that our aim is Lene. They wouldn’t be likely to target her as a hostage before trying to deal with us directly.

So, there’s no need to worry specifically about her. We can just rescue them one by one starting from the end. If we’re going to save everyone anyway, the order doesn’t really matter.

“There are guards in the corridor, so let’s take them all out quickly, rescue each room one by one.”

In response to my words, Filia nodded, and I took out seeds from “Storage” and held them in my hand, peeking out from the shadows of the corridor.