The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 467

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

Chapter 467   Demon king and hero

“Allow me to reintroduce myself; I am Vesnar, the Demon King. Well, I call myself that, but in reality, I’m just an ordinary human, not a demon or anything.”

“Whether you’re just an ordinary person is a bit questionable,” my dad muttered under his breath. Regardless, I shrugged my shoulders. I might not be an average person, considering I’m not weak like regular civilians.

“Why…?” he began to ask.

“Why what?” I responded, tilting my head in confusion. Though, I had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to ask.

“You guided us that time. Why would a Demon King exist in the city, mingling with the citizens, and even guiding us?”

“To scout the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of the Hero.”

As soon as I uttered those words, the Hero party tensed up, showing signs of heightened caution towards us.

“How would you like me to answer that?” I shrugged in response to the heros, leaving them puzzled.

“Is it different from what you expected?” I asked.

While still puzzled, the heroes remained cautious. “Isn’t there another reason?” the Hero inquired.

“I won’t deny that such a purpose exists, but as a primary objective, it was to understand why you all came here. Did you come to destroy the city, kill me, or do you have some other motive? Without knowing that, it would be impossible to deal with you,” I explained.

“I guess we managed to meet because of that,” he added, acknowledging the outcome of our encounter.

However, the heroes didn’t seem entirely satisfied. “Now, regarding your primary purpose… I have no involvement, and I don’t know any way to deal with it. Too bad,” I continued.

“Is that true?” the Hero questioned.

“It is. But does it even matter what I say? Will you believe me if I tell you the truth, or do you have someone here with the ability to detect lies?” I retorted.

The heroes lacked the skills to detect lies, unlike someone like Edward, the ‘Merchant,’ who possessed that specific skill.

“Incidentally, I have no interest in your country. As long as we can secure our place, that’s all we need,” I stated.

Well, to secure our place, there are people among the residents who don’t live honestly, engaging in criminal activities to earn a living. So, someone might end up crying somewhere as a result. But that’s likely the case in any city or country. It’s just that here, the proportion might be a bit higher. However, it might be something the folks from the Holy Kingdom can’t tolerate.

“Do you think we can believe such a thing! Yuuki, don’t be deceived by the words of the Demon King!” protested Darado, a temple knight, trying to incite the Hero.

“What’s your reason for asserting that?” I questioned.

While Darado continued to shout disbelief in my words, I wondered what his reason for such a strong assertion might be. Perhaps, being a fervent religious person, he believes in the Church’s words and the Holy Kingdom’s ideologies, but I wanted to hear his thoughts directly.

“The incident in our country is related to plants, and you people have a powerful ‘Plant Mage’ who controls plants. Additionally, there are Elves deeply connected to plants. Being our neighbor and having all these conditions fulfilled makes you suspicious!” Darado argued.

Certainly, it makes sense. However, unfortunately, there is no ‘Plant mage.’ Well, there is, but not the kind of powerful being he’s talking about. People wouldn’t normally expect a ‘farmer’ to do such things, so his perspective is reasonable.

“But there’s no clear evidence.”

“In this land, the den of criminals, just your claiming to be the Demon King is more than enough evidence!” he asserted.

Because this is Karakas, this fellow seemed to have decided that I, as its king, am inherently evil. Although I thought there was still room for negotiation in their minds regarding this opinion, it seems this guy has already settled on it and wants to paint me as the villain no matter what. Well, I am a villain in reality, but… At least, I don’t intend to be an enemy to humanity.

“Darado! Stop it!”

“But… Guh.”

The Holy Maiden seemed to be of a higher rank, and although Darado continued to glare at me, he stopped his movements. If he had attacked, that would have been fine too, but well, if the conversation could proceed, it wasn’t a big deal.

“Well, we’ve come to a halt, but what’s next? Will you declare my story a lie and kill me? ‘Hero’ versus ‘Demon King’ is a common tale. Well, that wouldn’t be too strange either. However, this is my castle, and I have reliable knights at my disposal. If we’re going to fight, you’ll have to deal with them first… What will you do?”

Actually, the ones here aren’t just ordinary knights. Everyone here is a strong individual above the eighth rank. I don’t know why, but somehow, everyone has become quite powerful. In the beginning, I heard they were sixth or seventh rank, but things have changed.

Before facing me, the boss, in a battle, they’ll have to fight these ridiculously powerful knights. Eventually, one of them will have to deal with my father, who is like a hidden boss… Honestly, they don’t stand a chance.

“If you truly haven’t been involved, that’s fine. But don’t you know any solution?” the Hero asked.

“I don’t know.”

“I see…”

The Hero sighed disappointingly when I clearly answered. Quite an attitude in front of the king, but well, it’s too late for that. Some guy was shouting even more disrespectfully just a while ago.

“Demon King-sama, our comrade was rude earlier. Let’s believe that this matter isn’t related to you.”

The Holy Maiden Canon stepped forward with a respectful attitude, but perhaps due to the fact that she’s a pawn of the church, it still felt like she was talking down to us.

“Therefore, I have a request…”

“Go ahead.”

“Would you consider providing support to the Holy Kingdom?”

Not asking for support, but suggesting whether we would provide support or not. It seems like they want support, but they chose not to ask directly, perhaps because they consider us criminals and believe they are on the side of justice. They couldn’t bring themselves to bow their heads, maybe due to concerns about reputation and evaluation.

Regardless, their condescending attitude persists even in this situation. It’s almost impressive that they maintain that superiority complex. However, whether we’ll grant their request is another matter.

“If you claim not to have hostile intentions towards humanity despite calling yourself the Demon King, supporting the Holy Kingdom can help spread that message.”

“What do you mean by support?”

“At the moment, our country’s biggest issue is the lack of food. Understanding the abnormality with the plants is important, but the immediate problem is running out of food. However, you possess and produce an enormous amount of food. Therefore, could you consider sharing it with us?”

“Hmm, food, indeed. Well, we do have an abundance, but…”

Regarding food—meaning money—I send a glance to Edward, who has been waiting nearby. In response, Edward steps forward with a cheerful smile and addresses them.

“We do indeed have surplus food, as you mentioned. I don’t know the exact quantity you’re looking for, but we can certainly provide it at a more affordable price than usual.”

“Thank you. However, it seems there’s a misunderstanding. I didn’t propose a business transaction.”

Yet, in response to Edward’s words, Canon shakes her head and responds.

“Hmm? Could it be that ‘sharing’ means literally as it implies?”

In reaction to Canon’s puzzled expression, Edward briefly shows a perplexed look. However, he quickly understands the meaning of her words and asks again with a darker tone than before.

“Yes. It seems like a reasonable proposal from your perspective, but how about it? By giving away the surplus food, you can gain global trust and avoid hostility with the Holy Kingdom.”

Certainly, if we can avoid trouble by providing just food, it would be a good deal. Especially considering the fact that the opponent is the Holy Kingdom, the religious authority. However…

“That’s not going to work. If you don’t have food, you’ll weaken just by waiting. Even if we engage in hostilities and fight, there’s no way we would lose,” Edward says with a snort.

It’s a straightforward story. No matter how convenient it may seem to avoid trouble, we can’t swallow such a disrespectful proposal.