The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 453

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

Chapter 453   Events roughly six months later

Despite various events with Sofia and Bell’s group, we managed to reconcile.

On the night of Mom’s wedding, after the events in that throne room, we moved to another location, talked about various things, and later went somewhere together. Now, we can interact as friends like we used to.

In the end, I chose not to change my selfish self.

To be precise, it’s more like not changing but gradually evolving – a bothersome feeling that others might not easily understand. Personally, I don’t necessarily want others to understand, and if someone does want to understand, they should do so with a feeling like, “Yeah, something like that.”

So, having reconciled, I returned to my usual life. Well, it’s not exactly the same as before with Mom around, but there haven’t been any significant issues, so we can say it’s back to normal.

From the “shadows” I sent to the Holy Kingdom, information came in suggesting a quite challenging situation there. However, it hasn’t affected us.

There’s talk of a famine occurring, and not just in some parts but rather the entire country is in serious trouble.

It seems like the situation is dire, and if nothing changes, there’s a possibility that the Holy Kingdom might cease to exist in a few years.

I thought it was quite a dire situation, but if all plants are withering due to an unknown cause, then yeah, it’s definitely serious.

However, if that’s the situation over there, it’s a blessing for us. The Holy Kingdom probably sees us as enemies, and they might come up with some reasons to start another war. If that troubled nation faces difficulties, it’s all the better for us.

If their own country is in trouble, they probably don’t have the capacity to meddle with us. Wars won’t break out, and they won’t be able to launch political attacks. They can’t afford to do such things.

If I were to point out one potential issue, it’s that there might be some concern due to the existence of the hero – a force beyond the norm. If they manage to defeat us, they could gain control over this Karakas territory, though not entirely, and they might survive even if plants don’t grow within their own country… maybe.

So, they want to launch an attack, but they can’t mobilize a large army. Sending in a top-tier force like the hero discreetly for an assassination attempt on the leader is a possibility.

Well, it’s the traditional way heroes and demon kings battle. The heroes, in small numbers, infiltrate the enemy’s stronghold to defeat the demon king.

But, the hero won’t come. There’s no way they’ll come.

Even if they send them to defeat us, they can’t dispatch a large army. It would probably be just the hero and a small escort unit.

However, with that much force, there’s no way we, Karakas, would lose. Even if the hero is beyond the norm, we have our own monsters here. There’s my monstrous father, the other half of the “demon king” that the hero failed to defeat, and me. Not to mention, there’s also Granny, and although I don’t want her to fight much, there’s also Mom. Plus, we have Lilia.

While they might not be fully aware of all our forces, they should have some idea. At the very least, they should know about the father, Granny, and me. Lilia is uncertain, but they probably don’t know about Mom and the demon king.

But, even if they’re certain about the forces they’re aware of, there are three occupants in the Tenth rank.

Even if they sent a hero to such a place, it would take an unreasonable amount of time to defeat all of us. Instead of spending time on that, it would be more beneficial for them to use the position of “Hero-sama” and go to another country seeking support.

Therefore, the hero won’t come here.

“Well, I’m glad. The layout of this city can be quite confusing for outsiders.”

“…Well, I suppose that’s true for those coming from the outside.”

…There was a time when I was thinking about such things.

Well, in reality, I did think he might come. Even if he uses the name of the hero, the “Demon King” has already been defeated, so his existence won’t have the same impact as before.

Sending the hero as an envoy to another country would likely result in them being easily persuaded, given the hero’s lack of political acumen. In other words, they’d be useless.

However, just leaving them be would be a waste of resources, and since they summoned the “Hero-sama” themselves, they would need to treat them decently. Otherwise, it would be further wastefulness.

If using resources in that way was going to be a waste, it might be more profitable to send them here, even if the success is uncertain.

If they manage to defeat me, it would be a plus for the Holy Kingdom, and even if they can kill one of the executives, that would also be a plus. Even if it ends up being a mutual defeat, the hero who defeated the “Demon King” is already obsolete, so it doesn’t matter.

Considering all that, sending them might be more advantageous.

“Meeting you early was a good thing, right? It would have been dangerous if it was later.”

I was thinking along those lines, but I never expected to actually meet.

“Oh, no, we’re pretty strong too. We can handle things even if we get attacked.”

“Your mage and knight-looking person should be fine, but you and that woman might not notice if you’re targeted by pickpockets. And if you try talking to someone, depending on the person, they might take advantage of you. If you’re asked for directions, you might get kidnapped, and you could be tricked into spending foolish amounts of money.”

“Huh? Oh, right. I guess, I guess. Yeah, we’re not really good at that kind of thing.”

The young man laughed, seemingly evading my words. This guy is the hero.

And now, for some reason, I am guiding the hero.

For some reason, I chose to do this on my own accord.

In reality, I knew that the heroes had come to this city. I don’t always investigate, but I have informed the plants in this country to notify me if there are significant movements.

Due to the distance, I couldn’t personally explore, so I used Flora as an intermediary for information gathering. It wasn’t detailed, but I could still grasp the movements of important figures and major events.

So, I was surprised when the heroes secretly crossed the border and infiltrated Karakas, but I knew about the covert entry and their purpose, either Karakas or the Flower Garden.

However, those familiar with my abilities might have a question.

Why didn’t I receive information about the hero’s movements from the plants when he was in the Holy Kingdom?

Certainly, under normal circumstances, I would have done that, and I had been doing so. I was aware of the movements of not only the hero but also the upper echelons of the Holy Kingdom.

However, now it’s impossible. I had spoken to the Sacred Tree before, and the voices from the plants no longer reach around the Holy Kingdom. As a result, I couldn’t know the hero’s movements within the Holy Kingdom.

Well, I did inform the plants to report anyone coming from that direction if something seemed off in the Holy Kingdom. So, I was aware when the hero secretly entered, but the current situation was unexpected.

But you know, isn’t that just the way it is? Can’t you think it’s unavoidable? I mean, who would have thought we’d randomly encounter each other while strolling through the city?

I had been informed about the approximate location of the hero in the morning and evening of that day, but based on the progress so far, I expected the heroes to arrive tomorrow. However, for some reason, they arrived today. Most likely, they increased their travel speed because the city was close, but due to that, I unexpectedly encountered the hero.

Moreover, despite being in the opposite direction from the east, where the heroes were expected to arrive, I couldn’t make sense of it.

Confused by this sudden event, I reconsidered whether it might be a good opportunity. Despite the potential danger, I decided to approach the hero.

The method I chose was guiding them or acting as their escort.

“It’s not ‘us’ but, as that person said, mainly you two.”

“Um, well, that’s…”

“I apologize. I’m trying not to cause any trouble as much as possible…”

“Well, it can’t be helped with a sheltered young lady like her.”

Even though it was called an escort, it was not to protect them but to protect those who might approach them aggressively.

In Flower Garden, a city for customers, violence is strictly prohibited considering safety first. However, violence, not outright, but pickpocketing and scams still exist. After all, despite being for customers, it’s still Karakas. If you don’t like it, you can hire an escort or a guide. The personnel for that purpose are waiting at the gate.

Well, considering that the residents of Flower Garden are protecting against crimes committed by the residents themselves, it may seem a bit contradictory, but there’s no need to worry. Even if you worry, nothing will change.

Therefore, I joined those people and offered to be a guide before they fell victim to troubles caused by the wrongdoers. Of course, I received a decent fee for it.

From my total assets, it was just pocket change, but money is money. With this, let’s buy some snacks and enjoy them together. Yay!