The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 523

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

Chapter 523   Discussion the next day

“I was always the odd one among my comrades. Unlike everyone else, I reached the Tenth Rank before turning a hundred. All while spouting nonsense about getting stronger to protect everyone, to protect them all.”

Roroel spoke as if using some skill, stepping slowly as if climbing stairs, pressing on the empty space.

“But at that time, when the barrier of the sacred tree was shattered, and my comrades were dying, I ran away. It didn’t matter if I had trained to the Tenth Rank. It didn’t matter if I was at the Tenth Rank or not; the enemy was closing in. Several comrades were captured, subjected to such horrible things that death seemed preferable. Then finally, the sacred tree was cut down. In that moment, something that had been building up overflowed, and I was terrified—so terrified. I abandoned my parents, siblings, and friends, fleeing. Even in such a disgraceful state, no one stopped me. Perhaps they couldn’t, or maybe they thought it wasn’t worth stopping. However, after fleeing for some time, hiding in shadows for days—maybe a month—I began to question if this was really okay. I don’t remember the details well. I just know that at that time, I was simply terrified of everything in the world. Still, after calming down a bit, I returned to the village to assess the situation.”

As Roroel continued speaking and climbed to a position much higher than my back, it seemed like the skill had been deactivated. Suddenly, as if the ground beneath his feet vanished, he fell.

“But even though I knew, I didn’t know what to do. Even if I saw the situation in the village, my feet wouldn’t move. I couldn’t help everyone, and I couldn’t even shout at the enemy to stop. In that state of just watching, the spell was cast, and everyone turned into trees. Some remained behind to activate the spell, and I lived with them for a while, but that didn’t last long.”

And thus, only he survived.

“Pathetic, isn’t it? The one who trained fled, and those who didn’t fought. After becoming alone, I traveled, wanting to escape from the reality of my escape, visiting various kin. And now, I spend my days in this forest seeking redemption… no, it’s more like self-satisfaction.”

“Self-satisfaction… Is that related to the axe you have?”

At first glance, it didn’t seem like Roroel had a profession that involved using an axe. Perhaps one side was magical, and the other might be something stealth-related. However, it seemed odd for him to carry an axe.

While there was a possibility of me misunderstanding and either his main or secondary job being related to a warrior, the axe he had didn’t seem like a combat tool.

“Oh, you’re observant. But yes, that’s right. This is the ‘Forest of Everyone.’ If there were humans around, wouldn’t everyone be unable to rest peacefully? So, I cut them down. If I can cut down everyone who turned into ‘trees’ at that time, I feel like I can truly return to being everyone’s companion. Well, I don’t have any talent for using an axe, so it takes quite some time to cut them down without hurting anyone.”

Roroel shrugged as he said this, and I didn’t know how to respond to his demeanor.

“Well then, you should go to sleep. We’ll continue talking tomorrow anyway.”

——◆◇◆◇——

If you listen closely, you can hear the distant sound of chopping, likely the sound of Roroel cutting down the ‘trees.’ That noise woke me up.

After changing clothes, having breakfast, doing a brief investigation, and summarizing the discussion, Roroel returned. In his hands, he held the axe as he did last night.

“Well, did you sleep well last night? I couldn’t offer much of a welcome, but I hope you can forgive that.”

“No, just providing a place to stay is more than enough. Thank you.”

“Is that so? That’s good to hear. And how was your highness over there?”

Upon hearing my answer, Roroel turned his attention to Lilia this time.

“It was the worst. Dark and hard.”

“…Come on, you. He provided us with shelter, so be a bit more gracious.”

“More than anything—creepy.”

I was about to reprimand Lilia’s words, but her words halted my actions.

“…Ah, that makes sense. This is a special place. Even if you couldn’t originally sense the power of the sacred tree, you’ll inevitably feel it here. If you could already sense the power of the sacred tree, all the more.”

“Are you okay, though? You’ve been here all this time?”

“I’ve gotten used to it. Besides, I can endure this much. It’s much better than the regret I felt after fleeing at that time.”

The story of fleeing is probably something only I heard last night, and most likely, others could make educated guesses. However, it seemed everyone chose to remain silent without questioning that aspect.

“Now, what should we talk about today?”

“How about our purpose for coming here and the situation with the sacred tree? How about delving into that?”

“Hmm. The current state of the sacred tree, the reasons for the anomalies in the surrounding area, and possible solutions. Is that okay?”

“Yeah.”

And so, today’s discussion began about the original purpose that couldn’t be addressed yesterday.

“Let’s start with that. …Though, to be honest, there isn’t much to say. I provided a rough overview of the situation yesterday, and you probably have a general idea of what’s happening, right?”

“A resurgence of the curse.”

“Yeah. Well, to be more accurate, it’s that the curse became uncontrollable.”

Roroel nodded at my words and continued his explanation.

“We managed to seal the curse within the barrier, but it kept growing stronger each year. The reason for that, I don’t know. Couldn’t it be contained within the barrier, or is there something that’s enhancing the curse? My personal belief is that it’s related to the church taking away the main trunk of the sacred tree, but I have no idea about the specifics. I haven’t seen it directly.”

Well, that makes sense. After all, without seeing it directly, you won’t know anything.

However, it seems the church is at the root of the issue, and once we clear this place, dealing with the church might lead to various complications.

“But that’s not the only issue. The barrier was created by the sacred tree and its companions, risking their lives. If it were just a matter of the curse getting stronger, it wouldn’t break so easily. Even if it did break, there should have been some kind of warning signs. However, at least from what I observed, there were none.”

“May I interject for a moment?”

In the midst of Roroel’s explanation, Holy Maiden Canon raised her hand lightly, signaling for him to pause.

It’s impressive that she knows Roroel’s demeanor well enough to interrupt him. Well, it’s probably necessary. You wouldn’t be able to babysit a hero without a certain level of audacity.

“…What, impostors.”

Perhaps because we were present, Roroel’s demeanor of disdain remained unchanged, but he reluctantly seemed to entertain questions.

Though momentarily taken aback by being called an impostor, Canon quickly threw a question without letting that show.

“…Before this anomaly occurred, there were curses happening within the Holy Kingdom. Can you tell us anything about that? Is it possible to perceive it as a precursor to the anomaly?”

“Curses? In your country? …What kind of curse is that?”

“It starts with itching in the eyes, and then uncontrollable tears and a runny nose. It progresses to redness of the eyes, itching all over the body, and in severe cases, it leads to respiratory failure and death.”

“Itching, tears… Hah, ridiculous. Something like that isn’t a curse.”

Roroel seemed intrigued by the mention of curses, and he listened attentively to Canon’s story. However, as soon as he finished listening, he mockingly laughed, as if dismissing the matter.

“Well, then, why did such a thing—”

“Figure it out yourselves. I’m sitting here to answer the highness’s questions. I don’t intend to answer irrelevant questions.”

With that, Roroel cut off the conversation, turning his face away from Canon as if to signal he had no intention of responding further.

Canon frowned at such a response, but… yeah. I’m sorry. I did that. It’s not a curse; it’s a plant-derived ailment—pollen allergy.

I once sent an aggressive version of pollen, several times more vicious than cedar pollen, forcibly inducing pollen allergies in the Holy Kingdom as a form of harassment. Although everything withered due to the curse, the cause of the allergy is entirely unrelated.

Roroel seems to be knowledgeable about plants, as he quickly realized it was a plant-related phenomenon. Still, he doesn’t seem willing to share that information. Well, it’s understandable if he knows the circumstances.

“Let’s get back to the topic. The curse was getting stronger, but there was something like a final push that happened. I’m actually quite interested in that part, but did anything related to fallen gods or similar incidents occur around you? I think something must have happened in this vicinity.”

Fallen gods—issues related to evil gods—well, if you don’t know what kind of being that is, it’s hard to make any judgments.

…But, well, when it comes to incidents related to evil gods around me—around Karakas, there’s not really anything that comes to mind.

“I have a question. What exactly is a fallen god? I heard it’s one of the gods who bestow skills, but what kind of occupation do they have?”

“There are various types, but the representative one is the ‘Dark Mage.'”

…Ah, yeah. Ah, well… something like that.

“Others include those who control creatures like ‘Instigators’ and ‘Manipulators.’ Oh, and ‘Necromancers’ fall into that category too. Think of it as the type of dark arts used by so-called ‘villains’—how about that?”

“No… Well, no… Ha.”

Roroel, with a smile on his face, asked me with a voice that sounded concerned. It was a skillful move on his part, but for me, it’s like… I don’t know how to put it into words. I can only think of things that actually happened.

Because, you know? I’ve encountered Dark Mages, Instigators, Necromancers, Manipulators—all of them. I’ve even antagonized them to the point of earning their resentment. Heck, I’ve fought against what seemed like monstrous creatures associated with evil gods.

If I said I can’t think of anything related to that, it would be a lie.