The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 460

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

Chapter 460   About the sacred tree that was cut down

“…Hey, I always wonder, what happens to the vessel?”

“Hmm~? Today, it’s over there~”

“Over there meaning left behind again… You’re not being taken away, right?”

I may be biased since I created it myself, but Flora’s body turned out quite attractive. To put it modestly, she’s a beautiful girl. Without Flora residing in it, it would be just a wooden sculpture, but it’s crafted well enough that it looks like it might start moving any moment. If sold, it could fetch a considerable amount, and there might be people interested in retrieving it for personal use.

“Everything’s fine! If Flora is gone, everyone will bring it over!”

“Everyone? You mean the people in the town?”

“Yeah! All the elves will carry it to the garden!”

Hearing that, I felt relieved. The people in the town know that Flora is a spirit, and they also know she belongs to me, so I don’t think they would mess with it. However, spirits can be sold for a high price, and even if not sold, there’s a real possibility that Flora’s body could end up in the hands of someone with less honorable intentions. Thinking about that scenario is… quite unpleasant.

Well, the elves have their concerns too. After all, they are a group that worships the Sacred Tree. If it came to transporting what can be considered a divine object—the body of Flora—there’s no telling what they might do. If elves start rubbing their cheeks against Flora’s body like a cat with catnip… I’d probably give them a good smack.

“Ah—”

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Well, um, let’s see… Some people who didn’t know were surprised.”

Flora, who knows everything about this town, mentioned it, so the unfamiliar people must have come from outside the town. If a girl suddenly transformed into a mannequin-like figure made of wood right in front of them, they would undoubtedly be startled.

Well, if it’s just that, it shouldn’t be a problem. With that minor curiosity cleared up, let’s get back to the main topic.

“Have either of you noticed anything unusual or abnormal about the plants in this area recently, like wilting or some kind of anomaly?”

“Hmm? Plants wilting is normal, but there’s nothing particularly strange.”

In response to my question, Lilia seemed to think for a moment, but ultimately shook her head, indicating that nothing was amiss.

“More importantly, look at this! Even though I’m creating it right now, she’s putting my statue here, and then—”

“What about Flora?”

Ignoring Lilia, who began to speak while pointing at something after answering, I turned my attention to Flora.

“Listen!”

“Someday, if I have time and feel like it, there might be an opportunity. —Now, Flora. Have there been any strange occurrences with the plants recently?”

“Let me see… nope! Nothing weird happened~!”

Although Flora said so, with both Lilia and Flora asserting that nothing unusual had occurred, it seems that truly nothing has happened in this country.

“How about other places? If possible, I’d like to know the situation in the Holy Kingdom… I mean, in the eastern direction. But apart from that, whether it’s in the north or west, if there’s anything unusual, I’d like you to tell me.”

“Hmm… mmm. There’s nothing~.”

Even though there might be nothing in this country, I don’t know if the situation is the same in other countries. Therefore, just in case, I asked about it. However, it seems that there is nothing unusual anywhere, as Flora shook her head once again.

“I see. So, the Holy Kingdom remains unchanged, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Even though nothing is happening in this country and the surrounding countries, if the Holy Kingdom continues to experience anomalies, it really seems to be the only place.

“Hey. By the way, what’s going on in the first place?”

At that moment, Kyle furrowed his brows and asked with a perplexed expression.

In response to Kyle’s question, Bell opened her mouth with an exasperated look.

“Are you asking Flora to investigate that?”

“No, well, yeah, that’s true, but… Not that, I mean, how does Flora feel about it? Even if she says she doesn’t understand, we don’t know how she doesn’t understand, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. If we can determine how the changes have occurred, and how they differ from before, it might provide us with some clues.”

Come to think of it, I had heard from the Sacred Tree and the plants, but they hadn’t shared the information about how it all ‘feels’ or the sensations related to it.

“Well, you know… it feels like it’s not connected?”

In response to Kyle’s question, Flora thought for a moment, then answered while tilting her head.

“Not connected? What does that mean?”

“Well, you see, Flora is connected to everyone else, but only those guys over there seem to be blocked off.”

“I see. Blocked off, huh?”

While the logic might be unclear, and we may not understand what’s happening, it seemed that Flora had somehow grasped the phenomenon. Sofia nodded with some understanding.

“Lilia’s Sacred Tree mentioned something similar, so I think there’s no mistake in that sensation.”

“Huh? Did she say something?”

Although it happened quite a while ago, when I visited the Elven village, which is Lilia’s hometown, and met with the Sacred Tree, it mentioned something about being ‘blocked off.’

“By the way, do they have a Sacred Tree over there?”

“Nooope. It seems like there used to be one a long time ago, but it got cut down.”

“Cut down? The Sacred Tree?”

When I asked that, Flora nodded with a somewhat sad expression.

“Yeah. Something like ‘It was getting in the way of God,’ they said.”

Ah, I see. That explains it. That’s why the Sacred Tree had that dark smile at that time. It makes sense, especially since it’s like losing a brother-like existence.

Normally, regular plants are okay with being killed as long as other plants can survive, but the Sacred Tree is different.

In this world, all plants are said to have originated from a single plant called the ‘Ancestral Tree.’ First, there is the Ancestral Tree, and then either something that the spirit of the Ancestral Tree inhabited or a transformation of that spirit becomes the Sacred Tree. The Sacred Tree then creates and manages plants across the entire world, according to Elven beliefs.

Thus, while the Ancestral Tree is the origin of all plants, the Sacred Tree can be considered the parent of plants.

However, Sacred Trees don’t easily multiply, and every effort must be made to avoid them withering away. If all Sacred Trees were to wither, it would mean the withering of all plants in this world.

While it is possible to increase Sacred Trees, in such cases, either the Ancestral Tree creates a new Sacred Tree or the Sacred Tree itself shares its power to create a kind of subordinate entity, akin to a split-off self.

Alternatively, it’s extremely rare for a spirit with the power to become a Sacred Tree to inhabit a plant. This is almost unheard of due to issues of aptitude and the question of whether an entity with such strong power would willingly choose an immobile form.

However, a Sacred Tree was once cut down.

Perhaps because of this history, did that Sacred Tree give me seeds by sharing its power, fearing its own demise or wishing to compensate for the loss? It had already lost one tree, so maybe it wanted to increase its numbers. Or maybe it feared its own mortality.

Being a ‘farmer,’ I could grow it normally without worrying about it withering, and it seemed like a good fit for protection with my combat abilities.

While I had planned to confirm this directly, it seems I found out unexpectedly.

“‘Interfering with the gods,’ does that mean obstructing faith?”

Although Kyle posed the question, his speculation is likely correct.

When Flora mentioned “getting in the way of God,” it probably wasn’t meant in a literal sense.

The presence of a Sacred Tree wouldn’t bother the gods of this world. Nevertheless, if it is considered bothersome, it would likely be from the perspective of those who “worship the gods.”

Well, thinking about it, it’s not that difficult. Judging from the attitudes of the residents of this city and the Elves, the Sacred Tree could indeed be an object of worship. Such an existence would be heretical when viewed by a country dedicated to venerating its gods. It would be a nuisance to have such heresy within one’s own borders, perhaps even to the extent of chopping it down.

“It’s not an implausible story. If there were something emitting strong sacred power other than their own god near the headquarters of the church, faith would likely waver.”

“But does that justify cutting down the Sacred Tree?”

“If they don’t know what the Sacred Tree is, it’s just a big tree. If it were even more massive, they might have thought twice about it. However, the current Flora, or one a bit larger, is plausible.”

The current Flora is a monstrous tree with a diameter of around a hundred meters. The Sacred Tree at Lilia’s place was even larger, but it’s probably the standard size for a Sacred Tree.

However, no matter how large it is, visually, it’s just a big tree. Even if a spirit resides in it with unique powers, its standing compared to “their god” might be significantly lower, and it’s conceivable that they’d get carried away. It’s a bit different, but even in modern Japan, trees with some stigma are cut down if they are deemed inconvenient. Manipulating things to suit one’s own convenience is a human specialty.

“So, is it that the consequences are surfacing only now?”

Kyle voiced this question, and the possibility is entirely plausible. The curse this time is a consequence of the Sacred Tree being cut down. As improbable as it may sound, it isn’t an outlandish story.

However, it does feel like, “Why now?” If we assume that the Sacred Tree was cut down hundreds or perhaps even over a thousand years ago — something we didn’t know about — why is its impact surfacing only now? It would make sense if the Sacred Tree wasn’t dead, and it took time for its consciousness to recover. However, if that were the case, I think Lilia’s Sacred Tree or Flora would have informed us. Since that didn’t happen, I don’t believe the Sacred Tree, referred to as “cut down,” was actually alive. Still, I can’t be sure until I see it for myself.

“Well, that’s unclear. Perhaps there’s some external factor at play; that’s also a possibility.”

I threw that out there, but when asked about what that factor might be, I couldn’t say.

“But if that were the case, why hasn’t anything happened in our country?”

Well, that makes sense. If it were some disease or disaster, it would be odd for other countries not to be affected. In that case, we might have to consider the Sacred Tree as the cause.

“In that case, it’s probably a curse, right? Or maybe, the Sacred Tree has been barely hanging on, and now it has withered away, resulting in the loss of blessings to the plants because of its absence?”

“In the end, it seems the cutting down of the Sacred Tree is the cause.”

“I don’t know the actual details.”

Regardless of the reasons, if the anomaly is limited to the Holy Kingdom, I believe the possibility of it being due to the Sacred Tree is high.

“But for now, we’ve got a rough idea. Shall we head to your father’s place?”

Without concrete evidence, but with the information we do have, I decided to leave the Flower Garden and head towards the castle in Karakas to share what we know.