The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 524

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

Chapter 524   I wonder if things will be okay in 300 years?

“It happened quite a while ago, but there was a fool who invaded my country. Her abilities were ‘Dark Mage’ and ‘Instigator.'”

“Well, that’s quite an impressively ‘convenient’ individual.”

Indeed. As a cause for the curse getting out of hand, she’s just the right person.

“Yeah. So, that person, perhaps from overusing her powers, eventually swelled up her entire body and went berserk as a mass of black flesh.”

“Ah, that’s the power of a fallen god. I see… How was that dealt with?”

“We burned her. I thought leaving her alone would lead to something strange happening, so I decided to incinerate her.”

“That was a good decision. Probably, if left untouched, the power of the fallen god would have engulfed the surrounding creatures, and they would have gone on a rampage. However, it seems like even that handling wasn’t perfect.”

“So, that was the cause after all?”

At this point, there’s no denying it, but I still asked for confirmation, perhaps for some reassurance.

However, the answer I received was not the one I had hoped for, as expected.

“Probably. If you said you burned it, you could have erased most of it. But you didn’t dig up the ground or completely remove it, right?”

“Well, yeah. …Did I need to go that far?”

“The opponent had the power of a god, even if fallen, and a power that curses divine trees and sacred trees. It’s possible to think that it permeated the ground, cursed the plants, and from there, connected to the sacred tree. Originally, with that level of residue, there shouldn’t have been a problem. However, the situation was bad at the time. Due to an unforeseen force from the outside acting on the barrier, which was on the verge of collapse, it overflowed all at once.”

“So, that means—”

“Does that mean we can consider it as the people from Karakas cursing the Holy Kingdom?”

——It’s because of me.

I was about to say that, but Canon’s voice cut in.

“It’s not good, obviously. First of all, understand that the root cause lies with all of you. It’s true that the curse emerged, well, that can’t be helped. However, it could have been contained perfectly if you hadn’t committed the barbaric act of cutting down the sacred tree.”

In response to Canon’s words, Roroel’s reaction was that of a cold person. No, it was beyond cold; it was downright freezing.

Well, I can understand Roroel’s reaction too.

I mean, why on earth would the Holy Maiden say such a thing here? Is it to make me admit that I’m the bad guy? No way, that’s stupid. Would anyone normally say that in this situation? Even if you considered it, wouldn’t you keep quiet? Or did she become overconfident, thinking that she could get away with it because she had been overlooked so far? Is that a sign of good judgment or a sign that her screws are loose? It’s a bit puzzling.

“Besides, didn’t I say? Despite being sealed in the barrier, for some reason, the curse continued to intensify. Whose responsibility do you think that is?”

“There’s no evidence that the church did it.”

“There’s probably no evidence that they didn’t. Anyway, I’m not seeking such evidence. Even if we argue, you’ll just distort the facts to suit yourselves. Evidence is meaningless, and even if we talk, there won’t be any understanding.”

Well, I also think it’s pointless to have a proper conversation with the church forces, and that perspective might not be entirely wrong, I believe.

“Enough. If you guys keep interfering, we won’t make any progress. Stay quiet for a while.”

With those words, Roroel waved his hand lightly, and the sounds from Canon and the others ceased. This was probably using the same ability as yesterday.

“Now then. With no one left to interrupt, let’s see… Oh yes, it was about the ‘Dark Mage’ after death. So, the curse spread after that, but the Sacred Tree draws power from the earth and returns it to the plants. The plants, in turn, die and return to the earth, creating a cycle. That’s why the curse on the Sacred Tree spread. However, the Sacred Tree exists not only here but also in other regions. It’s like territories, although saying it’s more like domains might be closer.”

“But don’t worry. Probably, this curse won’t reach your place.”

“Because of the Sacred Tree, right?”

“That’s right. As I mentioned, the Sacred Tree shares its power with the plants, but in doing so, it also shares the curse. However, this is an event limited to its own territory. It doesn’t send its power or curse elsewhere. Everything stays within this country.”

“But the Sacred Trees are connected, right? They should be communicating thoughts or something…”

“True. But for now, that connection has been severed. It was probably the last resistance before the consciousness of the Sacred Tree-sama was interrupted. Well, if you leave it alone, it’ll probably return to normal eventually.”

The heroes seemed relieved, but I knew. These elves have a different sense of time compared to humans.

“How long is ‘eventually’ exactly?”

“Who knows? But well, I don’t think it’ll take more than three hundred years. It’s probably somewhere between two hundred and less than three hundred years.”

“Three hundred years…”

“If you curse everything, kill with the curse, and eliminate all living beings here, the curse will completely disappear. After all, if there’s no host to parasitize, it will vanish. Since the Sacred Tree-sama remains here, it won’t completely disappear, but what leaked outside won’t. So, it will settle down eventually. If you guys stay quiet, it should be fine. There might be a little remaining curse, but ‘everyone’ should absorb and purify it.”

So, it will take that much time after all. But if you consider the curse as some sort of parasite, it makes sense that it would die without a host. It might be a reliable solution.

However, whether we can accept that is another matter.

Personally, I wouldn’t care if there’s no issue for us, but for those living here, especially the heroes who came to resolve this situation—

“Wait a moment! Isn’t there any way to…! Is there no way to do something!?”

See?

The hero stood up from his chair, waving his hands vigorously while making his desperate plea.

…Come to think of it, I can only hear one voice, but I guess he excluded him from the silenced targets. After all, he’s a hero. Despite currently being a puppet who has forgotten his role, he is originally a comrade. There might also be a sense of upholding the ancestors’ faces.

“Utterly ridiculous. You still come asking. Truly, you seem to have no shame or sense of guilt.”

However, even though he is excluded from the silenced targets, there’s no lack of thought on the matter. The response is no different from that of the members of the Church.

“…I’m different! I, I haven’t done such a thing!”

“Certainly, you yourself may not have done it. However, you belong to that organization. As long as you’re part of the organization, individuals associated with that organization should bear the sins committed by the organization. Phrases like ‘I didn’t know’ or ‘I wasn’t told’ won’t be accepted. If you were just an ordinary member who didn’t know, it might have been inevitable. But you’re different. As a hero, there should have been plenty of ways for you to investigate. Even if you didn’t know exactly, you should have felt something was off. Yet, here you are as a ‘hero.’ It’s not about ‘not knowing’; it’s about ‘not trying to know.'”

The hero falls silent in response to Roroel’s words, but well, it’s a valid point.

He must have thought something was off too.

Even I, without considering the experiences and knowledge from living in this world, would find some aspects strange judging by the common sense from my time in Japan. Living in the church, he shouldn’t have been oblivious to it. He can’t be that naïve. At least, that’s what I think. It has to be like that.

“Well, it’s not something you guys need to worry about. Even if this country is destroyed because of this, it’s just reaping what has been sown.”

With that, Roroel finished speaking, and at that moment, I sensed a magical reaction.

Turning towards it, it seemed that Canon had used magic for something. She had apparently managed to release something that had silenced them, and I could hear the sound of her breathing. Truly befitting of a ‘Holy Maiden,’ isn’t it?

“If it’s a curse, wouldn’t it settle down if you destroy the core?”

“… To bring this up so soon after being able to speak again. … But yes, that might be true. Certainly, if the core is gone, the curse would likely disappear. However, the issue is that even Sacred Tree-sama couldn’t destroy that core. Even the past heroes could only deal with the remnants of a fallen god and could do nothing but seal it. Yet, now, can this imitation hero somehow manage it?”

Well, at that time, the Sacred Tree, the elves, the heroes, and the church, all cooperated, and even then, they could only seal it. In the current situation where the Sacred Tree has lost its power, the number of elves has decreased, the hero is a pathetic weakling, and the church is plotting evil deeds, if asked if they can completely handle the curse, I would shake my head without hesitation. Horizontally, not vertically, of course.

“And, going back to the original issue—where is that core?”

“Well… isn’t it here in this Sacred Tree?”

“Sacred Tree-sama is merely having its power drained. It’s more like a source of power than the origin of the curse. The true origin has already moved to another location.”

“Then, where is it…!?”

“Don’t you realize? If Sacred Tree-sama is the source of power, where do you think that power is sent?”

“… The trunk of the Sacred Tree.”

“Exactly.”

Ah, well, I had a feeling it was something like that…

“So, in other words, this curse is…”

“It’s being disseminated by your church.”

They were asked to somehow deal with the curse from the church, but it turns out the culprit is right there.