The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 443

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

Chapter 443   Advice from the sacred tree

“…Everyone?”

Right now, the Sacred Tree said that it couldn’t hear everyone’s voices.

Who does this ‘everyone’ refer to, exactly?

To call them ‘everyone,’ it’s conceivable that there is some degree of familiarity or closeness. However, considering that the Sacred Tree doesn’t move from this location, the possibilities for close relationships or entities with whom it can communicate are limited.

So, who could be this extremely restricted entity…

“Huh! Could it be that—!”

The elves in this forest. That idea immediately came to mind.

If it’s them, it wouldn’t be strange for the Sacred Tree to call them ‘everyone.’

However, in response to my words, the Sacred Tree shook its head and answered.

“When I say ‘everyone,’ I’m not talking about those kids. If that were the case, I’d be even angrier. Huffing and puffing, you know?”

“Huffing and puffing…”

While the language used is no longer drawn out, the attitude still hasn’t completely shifted to seriousness.

No, maybe it might feel like a joke, but for her, this might be the norm. After all, she’s Flora’s parent and Lilia’s ancestor.

“Yeah, that’s right. If the cause of not hearing that voice was someone’s doing, I’ll punch them and beat them up.”

As she said this, the Sacred Tree formed a fist with her right hand and demonstrated a swinging motion.

“Well, in reality, I don’t think anyone did anything, though~”

After throwing a punch, the Sacred Tree exhaled and said that.

If someone didn’t do something, could it be some abnormal weather or phenomenon happening? …But instead of thinking about that, there’s something else I want to ask.

“Hold on. First of all, who does ‘everyone’ refer to? It’s not the elves here, right?”

I thought about the elves, but that was denied. So, who could ‘everyone’ be?

“Huh? Oh, did I not say it yet~? The ‘everyone’ I mentioned refers to these little ones~”

As she said this, she squatted down and touched the weeds. In other words, the ‘everyone’ mentioned by the Sacred Tree refers to the plants.

But there’s a bit… or rather, a lot of doubt in that answer. In fact, there’s nothing but doubt.

“These little ones? But…”

I furrowed my brows and directed my gaze to the ground…

“What are you looking at? Give us water! Give us food! Move your feet already… But being stepped on feels kinda nice too—”

Voices from the ‘everyone’ in front of my gaze can be heard normally. Some are saying strange things, and it’s almost too noisy because of how well they can be heard.

“Oh, yeah. I guess I phrased that poorly. Not these ones here, but those ones over there~”

The Sacred Tree, with a fond expression, looked at those plants and then shook her head in response.

“Over there?”

The direction the Sacred Tree pointed to was… east.

Only the direction was indicated, and since I couldn’t gauge the distance, I can’t say for sure, but it seemed to be pointing towards the Holy Kingdom.

Well, I don’t actually know if it’s pointing to the Holy Kingdom, and if I keep connecting eastward from here, I should be able to figure out where the anomaly is.

Thinking that, I, as usual, asked the plants to relay through Flora and connect to the plants to the east from here, but…

“…Is this the Holy Kingdom?”

Upon reaching the territory of the Holy Kingdom and advancing a little, the connection with the plants, which had been smoothly linking up until then, suddenly came to an end.

“Oh, yeah. That’s right. Probably the place that’s called that. Maybe~?”

“I’m not sure. You mentioned not hearing the voice, but even the Sacred Tree can’t?”

Since I’m merely relaying through nearby plants, I think it’s understandable if I don’t know when something happens. However, the Sacred Tree should have connections with plants far beyond anything I can compare to. After all, she is a tree herself.

“Yeah. Absolutely, not a single bit can be heard~”

“Isn’t there a Sacred Tree over there?”

“No.”

When I asked about the Sacred Tree in the Holy Kingdom, the Sacred Tree in front of me responded without hesitation or any signs of hesitation.

Perhaps thinking that such an attitude was not good, the Sacred Tree showed a surprised expression, then awkwardly smiled.

“…Strictly speaking, it’s gone, but.”

The Sacred Tree… gone?

…Even if she said, honestly, I can’t believe it.

Because, while I can understand it for young trees like Flora, I find it hard to believe that a large tree like the one in front of me has disappeared. Even if struck by lightning, it might get damaged, but it wouldn’t wither or burn. It might not even get hurt. So, even if the Sacred Tree says it’s gone, I can’t believe it.

“Gone? Can a Sacred Tree wither?”

“It doesn’t wither… under normal circumstances.”

“So, something abnormal must have happened.”

“Well, yeah. But in your case, you don’t have to worry. I gave that child… named Flora. As long as you cherish her, there’s no way she’ll disappear on her own.”

As long as I cherish her… huh.

The fact that she specifically mentioned that means, in other words…

“Was Sacred Tree killed by someone?”

As I said that, the smile on the Sacred Tree’s face froze, and…

“…You might want to check that yourself~?”

She said that, trying to divert the conversation with an obviously forced smile.

I’d like to know now if possible, but even if I step into it here, she probably won’t tell me. Moreover, there’s even a possibility of souring her mood.

“…Understood.”

Anyway, there might be an opportunity to go to the Holy Kingdom eventually. I’ll investigate then.

“But aside from that, do you not know the reason why the communication was cut off?”

“Oh, yeah. About that~. I have absolutely no idea~.”

When I asked, the Sacred Tree returned to her usual self, nodding thoughtfully with a hum.

“Hmm~. If I had to say, it feels more like it’s not connected rather than being interfered with.”

“Not connected… like the connection with that particular plant?”

In this world, even if plants are physically separated, they seem to be connected by some invisible force. I often use this connection for eavesdropping.

“Yeah, that’s it. It’s not that something is interfering with the connected elements; it’s more like the connection itself has been severed~”

“Has anything like this ever happened before?”

“Never~. If it had, I’d already know the reason~”

“That makes sense.”

Things that haven’t happened before in this era, please stop happening.

I’ve had various issues so far, so can’t I catch a break? Well, most of the problems I’ve faced have been somewhat self-inflicted.

Anyway…

“Are there any damages or potential impacts on us due to this?”

“I have no idea~”

While she casually speaks while spinning around me, it really seems like she’s answering casually. But, this… their attitude is normal for them. So, even if it seems that way, they probably genuinely don’t know.

“Just, for now, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything happening around here, okay~?”

“On what basis?”

“Because this started about a month ago, and there hasn’t been any change in the situation since then. So, I think it’s okay for now~?”

One month? Has there been a disturbance for that long?

… I had no idea. Even though I told the plants to let me know if there was any abnormality… well, if there’s no connection, they wouldn’t be able to inform me even if there was a disturbance.

Still, it would have been nice if they had at least told me that the connection was severed…

“But, it’s tough, you know. If the situation continues like this, that land will die.”

As I was thinking about that, the Sacred Tree spoke, but in her smile, there seemed to be something dark mixed in.

The Sacred Tree, the source of the cheerful and carefree elves, can show a serious side at times, but I generally thought of her as a whimsical and air-headed presence.

She can get angry. She can become displeased. There might be occasions when she shows resentment or hostility.

But that’s about it. She never harbors dark malice like a human.

No. Looking at her current expression, I couldn’t help but understand that it was definitely not the case. It wasn’t just anger or sulking.

Schadenfreude.

It was an expression with a dark malice, like taking pleasure in someone else’s misfortune.

However, as concerning as that expression was, there was something even more concerning.

“Die? What do you mean by that? Is the situation really that bad?”

She mentioned ‘that land’ just now. Not a person or a life, but that land. It seemed really problematic.

“Hmm… oh, right. It’s easy if you think about it. If your arm is severed from your body and you leave it unattached, what happens to that arm?”

If the arm is severed from the body? Well, yeah…

“Rot, huh?”

“Yeah, something like that might happen~? Haven’t actually seen it, so I don’t know~”

“Is it really that serious…?”

The Sacred Tree said it with a carefree tone, but the content of what she said is quite serious. She probably wouldn’t lie about something like this, so what the Sacred Tree is saying might be true. However, I couldn’t fully believe it due to the casualness in her voice, and I instinctively asked again.

“Huh? Isn’t it obvious~? If the forest withers, animals have nothing to survive on. Planting seeds in fields would be futile if they don’t grow. And if you can’t purify water or clean the air, you won’t be able to do anything~”

But if something like that happens, it should inevitably affect us here. Even if the connection is severed and the plants in that area die, the remaining plants may not be affected.

However, depending on the actions of the people and animals living in the affected area, there could be some kind of disturbance in other places.

Plants outside the Holy Land would remain as they are. The land wouldn’t have any issues, and the environment wouldn’t change.

But the people living in the Holy Land would inevitably cause some kind of problem.

Whether it’s immigration, assistance, or plundering…

In any case, if I know something is going to happen, I can’t just do nothing.

“…I’ll investigate on this side too.”

“Really~? Well, be careful~?”

After exchanging the final words, I parted ways with the Sacred Tree.

…Oh. I forgot to talk about the gift.

I realized that as I was leaving the Elven village and heading back to the Flower Garden.