The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 464

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

Chapter 464   The Hero Goes to the Demon King’s Castle, Part 1

Three days later. There were no particularly suspicious movements from the heroes, and today had come without any incidents.

Well, they seemed to have come from the Garden to Karakas, collecting various information and investigating, but here in the city, it wasn’t particularly ‘suspicious.’ Although their methods were too careless and stood out a bit, there had been an increase in such careless individuals coming to the Garden since the arrival of the “guests,” so it wasn’t that unsettling.

So, the party of heroes had come to Karakas again today, and as for the place they were heading to…

“Hey, Lord Demon King. Just as you said, the heroes really came head-on.”

Today, I was waiting not in the Garden but in the castle, and just as if it was planned, the heroes arrived. Father approached me with an exasperated expression, but well, it was as expected.

Father thought they wouldn’t come, but I disagreed. It was a long shot, but in this desperate situation, I believed those heroes would come.

“Yeah, seems like it. Well then, I’ll rely on you for the escort, Father… no, Knight Commander.”

“Can’t you stop calling me that?”

“Then stop calling me Demon King.”

“Tch. Can’t be helped. It’s just for this job anyway, so I’ll endure.”

“You have no intention of changing how you address me?”

“There’s no way I’d do that.”

With a bit of banter exchanged like that, my father sighed, “Fuuh,” and let out a breath.

Then, after finishing his exhale, Father raised his head, and unlike usual, his serious gaze and even the atmosphere around him changed.

Looking at him again, I realized that Father, when he switched to his consciousness as a warrior, was truly formidable.

“It’s your job. Eddie. Gather the others too.”

“Understood.”

In response to Father’s call, Eddie, who had been following behind him, replied, and silently left the place without making a sound.

“Emil will guard the guests.”

“Isn’t it better for the young master for that?”

“We don’t need this guy for that. Besides, someone needs to be closer to observe, and you’re the best fit for that.”

Escort, saying such things, but the heroes didn’t need an escort. However, even so, assigning one could be seen as a matter of courtesy, as a guide, and beyond that, they probably expected him to be a surveillance role to monitor the heroes’ actions.

“Wait a minute. Are you meeting them now?”

But I interjected into my father’s actions like that.

“Huh? What’s the big idea?”

“No, I mean, normally, just because a meeting request comes from the king doesn’t mean you’d meet right away. Wouldn’t it be more typical to wait a few days?”

Normally, that would be the case. If you want to meet the king. But that’s not something that usually happens.

“Normally, you’d think so. But hey, this is Karakas, you know? Why follow ordinary thinking? Besides, you’re assuming you won’t meet today. That’s probably what they think too. So, purposely meeting today means the other side didn’t plan for it and won’t be prepared. It might not make much sense, but if we can shake them up even a little, it’s a win, right?”

Certainly, there was some merit in what my father said. Just like I hadn’t considered, they probably didn’t think they’d be able to meet right away when they expressed their desire. Despite that, if they can meet, then preparations, mental readiness, situation awareness, well, all those things wouldn’t be in place, creating an opening.

“Well, that may be true, but… I wish you had told me about that intention from the beginning.”

I can understand my father’s thinking, and I think it’s effective, but considering how quickly he responded, he probably decided from the start to do it this way. It’s strange that even Eddie and Emil, two capable individuals who he doesn’t usually bring along, are here today.

“Well, it wouldn’t have been fun if I told you in advance.”

“…That’s not something the captain of the knights would say.”

With a wry smile, my father retorted, and I quickly changed into an outfit befitting a king.

——◆◇◆◇——

・Hero

“Hmm…”

It has been several days since we arrived in the city of Karakas, but today I feel unusually tense.

But that’s only natural. After all, from now on, we are heading to the Demon King’s castle.

The Demon King’s castle. I used to think of it as something from fairy tales, manga, or anime, but now, right in front of my eyes, stands the castle of that Demon King.

If you wonder why a hero like me is coming to the Demon King’s castle, it’s not to defeat the Demon King for some reason. No, I’m just here for a little business.

…To have a hero heading to the Demon King’s castle for “business” is unprecedented.

But this Demon King here is not like the typical Demon King.

This place is where criminals gather, and almost everyone here is a criminal. Since he rules over such a city, he must be a villain. That’s what I thought.

However, after hearing the young guide’s story, a vague feeling emerged in my heart. Even walking through the city called the Garden, that feeling didn’t dissipate but rather intensified.

I don’t know what that feeling is, but it doesn’t seem very favorable.

Yet, as I arrived in this city of Karakas and looked around, that vague feeling seemed to disappear.

However, that feeling didn’t vanish entirely, and the questions still linger.

—Is the Demon King here really an enemy of humanity deserving to be called the ‘Demon King’?

“Please refrain from doing anything reckless or acting on your own, okay?”

“I understand. I’ve only come to talk this time.”

Interrupting my thoughts, the voice of my comrade, the ‘Holy Maiden’ Canon, brings my attention back to the castle in front of me.

Canon’s words may sound a bit harsh, but I can’t blame her. Considering my actions so far and the hardships and mental strain I’ve caused, I should be willing to accept some criticism. In fact, I’m not so heartless that I can act as I please knowing the troubles I’ve caused, despite being called a ‘hero,’ I’m just a high school student—a regular person.

“We’re asking you as well, you know?”

“I understand.”

“Yes, yes.”

In response to Canon’s caution, Darado and Lina also replied. Darado nodded with his usual stern expression and serious demeanor, while Lina responded in a light tone.

“But today, it’s just about confirming the arrangement, right? We won’t actually meet him, will we?”

Canon is right; it’s essential to be cautious. However, I can’t help but wonder if it’s necessary to be that strict. After all, it’s just about arranging a meeting, and we won’t actually meet the Demon King in person. I think there’s no need to repeatedly emphasize the need for caution, but then again, I understand that we should maintain a respectful attitude to avoid upsetting the other party.

“Yes. The actual meeting is likely to be postponed for several days. Therefore, during that time, we need to gather information in this city of Karakas, confirm the situation of this city and country. Additionally, we want to obtain any information that might be advantageous for us. If we don’t know what we should, there’s a possibility of being deceived.”

We’ve been wandering around the city for a few days since arriving here, looking for clues and solutions regarding the anomalies occurring in the Holy Kingdom. Unfortunately, we ended up knowing nothing.

But that’s to be expected. Even in the Holy Kingdom where anomalies were occurring, we couldn’t find anything. Going to another country, especially a distant one, would make it even more difficult.

Still, we thought that being in a place that is said to have ‘anything from around the world’ might give us some insights, but it wasn’t that simple.

In the end, we only gained an understanding of Karakas to a certain extent, and we couldn’t learn anything essential.

“If possible, we should take more time and thoroughly investigate, but now we need to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, so we can’t afford to waste any extra time.”

“Those guys in this city must have done it. After all, they claim to be ‘Demon King’ types, right?”

Perhaps due to the Demon King here manipulating plants, Darado has assumed from the beginning that the recent anomalies are the work of the people in Karakas.

I won’t deny the possibility, but deciding that from the start seems questionable.

“But the person we met recently claimed that identifying as the Demon King was not to antagonize humans, right?”

When we entered the city referred to as the Flower Garden, a young man offered to guide us, sensing our unfamiliarity with the place. After discussing and deciding to avoid aimlessly moving around in a place filled with criminals, we asked the young man to guide us through the city.

…It cost a considerable amount as a guide fee, but well, it was still within an acceptable range. It was a necessary expense. It was better than wandering around without any knowledge. Probably.

I talked to the young man around my age, and every word he said felt somewhat… heavy, different from the conversations I’ve had before.

That’s why it bothered me. I couldn’t help but be conscious of his words. Somehow, I couldn’t believe that the young man was lying.

“…The one who guided us, right? But how much of what he said is true? Even if he conveyed that to the common folk, there’s a good chance the Demon King’s intentions are different.”

“Well, that might be true, but…”

However, unlike me, Darado seems to consider everyone living here as enemies and has firmly decided that the ‘Demon King’ is evil. He appears to be thinking in a negative direction.

His perspective may not be entirely wrong, and indeed, the ‘Demon King’ is evil, but… it just feels off somehow.