The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 473

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

Chapter 473   Procession of the Saint and God

“Yeah. Also, it’s a good idea to check the contents of your wallet. Probably got some taken in the meantime.”

“…In that short time…”

“That ‘short time’? If you can’t manage that ‘level,’ you won’t survive around here.”

While it should be difficult for someone to snatch money from my wallet while running away, apparently, that was considered the standard here. I realized my perception of this city was still too naive.

As I was reconsidering my understanding, the surroundings seemed to be getting noisier.

Thinking something might have happened, I turned around…

“Oh. That girl is…”

In the direction I turned, a girl I had seen before was being carried through the main street on what seemed like a portable shrine.

However, being carried meant there were people carrying her, and numerous men and women were indeed carrying the portable shrine with the girl on it.

In addition to the portable shrine, people were arranged in rows in the front and back, playing drums. It looked like a parade.

However, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of arrogance, as if they were behaving like haughty nobles oppressing others.

Why did I think that? It was because I had seen individuals in the city I’d been in before, sitting on platforms carried by slaves, looking down on and oppressing others.

Even though the girl was adorable, I couldn’t shake the unpleasant feeling that she might be similar to those nobles. However, for some reason, all those carrying the portable shrine seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Upon closer inspection, it felt more like a festival than a group of slaves.

In fact, upon closer examination, everyone’s faces were cheerful, easily distinguishable. Misinterpreting them as slaves might have been due to the atmosphere of this city and my preconceived notions about it.

In a way, it seemed unavoidable, but I couldn’t help feeling regretful for assuming that the girl would be involved in such things.

“I’ve arrived! Everyone, gather around! Today, I’ll give you all my blessings!”

As the girl on the portable shrine shouted, the drums that had been playing before made an even louder sound, resonating through the air. In response, people began to appear on the main street.

“Oh, looks like the princess is passing through today.”

“Princess? You mean the princess from that castle over there?”

I heard the voice of the man who seemed like an informant and turned around to ask.

Although he referred to her as a “princess,” since I had seen that girl in the Demon King’s castle, I assumed she was the princess of that castle. However, it seemed I was mistaken.

“Hmm? Nah, no way. She’s an elf princess. You know, the one in alliance with the nearby elf village.”

Oh, right. Now that he mentioned it, that girl was an elf. In that case, she couldn’t be the princess of the Demon King’s castle.

But an alliance? Honestly, until I came to this city, I thought alliances were just in name, and terms like subjugation and domination were more appropriate. After all, just a few years ago, even Karakas was selling elves. So, it’s hard to believe that they suddenly formed an alliance. However, considering that elves are living freely in this city and karakas, the alliance is likely genuine. With the princess from the ally in question, it wouldn’t be surprising if she had access to the castle.

“I see, so that’s why she could enter the castle.”

“The castle? What’s the deal, are you some big shot to get into the castle, big bro?”

“Huh? Oh, no…”

My muttered agreement seemed to be heard, and the informant asked me. I stumbled over my words, not sure how to answer. Although my reaction might have been an answer in itself, I still had to say something since I was asked without any preparation.

“There’s no need to awkwardly deceive anyone. We’re not planning to expose the identity of our ‘customers.’ This is just casual talk. We won’t spread what we learn here, and if you don’t want to talk about it, you can simply refuse.”

Is that how it works? Well, if he really keeps it to himself, that’s fine. I’ve heard that trust is crucial in places like this, and probably this guy won’t tell anyone about this conversation, so it should be okay.

While I was contemplating this, a particularly loud cheer echoed.

Hearing the sound, I turned back to the girl on the portable shrine. A green-haired girl had joined her.

“Oh, what’s this? Even a god is here today. That’s unusual.”

“A god!?”

“Even if we call her a god, it’s not the kind that the proper Holy Kingdom worships. It’s just what we call her.”

Upon hearing “god,” I turned back to the man, who shrugged and said that. …So, she’s not a real god. If possible, I’d like to meet a real god. That might be a way for me to return to my original world.

Summoning magic in this world isn’t something you can use freely, as I heard. Once summoned, you can’t send the person back to their original world. Initially, I was down about it, but there’s nothing to be done. I thought, as the “Hero,” I’d help everyone. So, I fought against monsters and the Demon King as the Hero.

With the rewards, I got money, status, and a house. Living a normal life was no problem. I had the strength, and I didn’t mind helping people in need. So, I’ll keep living as a “Hero.”

…But still, if there’s a way to go back, I want to go back. Yeah, I can’t deny that feeling.

“That girl, despite her stunning appearance, is actually a being where a plant spirit dwells in a doll.”

Certainly, she is beautiful. There is still a girlish charm to her, and it somehow enhances her appeal.

The elf girl standing next to her is also cute, but she seemed more refined. It felt like she was created by someone, but was this appearance genuinely created?

“Spirits dwelling in dolls, is that really a thing… Ah! So, that time when she suddenly froze like a doll and collapsed, could it be…”

Upon hearing the man’s words, I recalled what happened after the Demon King guided us around the city, pretending to be a guide.

“What’s wrong? Something on your mind?”

“No. Before, that girl suddenly stiffened like a doll and collapsed. Immediately after, someone came and carried her away somewhere. Was that because she’s a spirit?”

The Demon King guided us to an inn, but we decided not to stay immediately and check other places first, despite feeling indebted for the guidance. Still, in the end, we ended up staying at the inn he recommended because it was reasonably priced.

But during that time, as we were walking in front of the girl, she suddenly froze, her appearance turning into a statue, and she collapsed like a doll.

Right after that, the townspeople carried the statue of the girl away. I was very surprised at that moment. I couldn’t simply say that I was surprised. It was more than that – it was frightening. After all, a girl who had been acting perfectly normal suddenly turned into a statue. I was the only one who seemed to witness the whole scene, and the others were looking at me as if saying, “What are you talking about?” But I wasn’t mistaken.

“Oh, that’s right. That girl, Flora, occasionally escapes from that body. After that, she literally becomes an empty shell. However, if left lying around, some idiot will take her. Followers are the ones who carry her.”

“Followers? Also, they called her a god, but why is a spirit considered a god?”

“There should be a god in this world. Not a suspicious existence like past Earth’s great people, whose existence is uncertain, but a real god who grants us power. Despite that, why do they worship spirits instead of gods? Is it some kind of indigenous faith?”

“Well, nearly everyone here was saved by that girl.”

The voice that responded to my question was different from the previous casual and mixed-with-joking tone. It had a more serious tone. I sensed a change in the atmosphere, and swallowing my saliva, I listened intently.

“Did you enjoy the food here, big brother?”

“Huh? Oh, well, yeah. It was delicious.”

Contrary to the serious atmosphere, the topic brought up seemed like a casual conversation. I hesitated for a moment, but quickly nodded and replied. Indeed, the food here was undeniably tasty.

“Right? But honestly, didn’t you think they’d serve something this good? In the old days, not talking about this place but the main city of Karakas, this is a recent addition. Back then, it was worse than now. It was a gathering place for people discarded from various places, and there was no food everywhere. Every day, someone in the city would die of hunger. No matter how much power you had, whatever the reason you came here, however much money you had, people were dying of starvation. With power, with money, you could survive to some extent. However, there’s always someone stronger. What might be invincible in an ordinary town is just the bottom here. Those people couldn’t get their hands on food and died.”

It was exactly what we imagined about Karakas. A place where criminals gathered, and decisions were made through violence. Repeating stealing and being stolen from, those living at the bottom would quickly die. That was the image we had of such a place.

“But, things changed after the current Demon King and that girl came. No one starves anymore. Those who used to die of hunger somewhere in the city every day are gone.”

“Why is that?”

With a city of this size, I didn’t think a few individuals arriving could immediately change the food situation. If this was a decades-old billionaire, they might be able to sustainably provide, but with that young girl and the Demon King, it shouldn’t be possible.

Nevertheless, how… or rather, how did they secure food?

“I’ll tell you what kind of spirit that girl is.”

But when he said that, it suddenly clicked in my mind.

“A plant spirit…”

If she could freely manipulate plants, it made sense. With such power, there would be no hunger. If she could endlessly grow sweet potatoes or grains, the issue of food scarcity would become irrelevant.

It might not be possible if someone asked for various varieties or different tastes, but if the goal was simply to prevent starvation, that would be more than enough.

“That’s right. The Demon King and that girl manipulate and cultivate plants, creating delicious food. That’s how this city can obtain an endless supply of food. The detailed management of this food is probably made possible with the help of the Elves who formed an alliance. They are experts in plants, after all. Knowing their expertise and comparing it to Karakas’ actions until now, it’s truly impressive. They’re beyond our league.”

Elves are known to be specialists in plants, and I’ve heard that plants grown by Elves are of higher quality than those cultivated by humans. With the cooperation of plant spirits and their expertise, it seemed like failure was an impossible outcome.