The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 530

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

Chapter 530   Next time definitely

“What… are you doing…?”

The man’s companion muttered in bewilderment, unable to comprehend what I had done, or perhaps unwilling to acknowledge it.

“All right. Looks like they’ll be useful. Now then—”

“What the hell are you doing?!”

One of the enemies shouted as he watched what I was doing.

But his expression betrayed fear. Perhaps his outburst wasn’t so much a demand for answers from me as it was an attempt to shake off his own fear.

“Shut up.”

However, I wasn’t interested in such things. In fact, I just wanted him to be quiet because he was being annoying.

In response to my words, my subordinates all aimed their weapons, causing the startled enemy to fall silent, no longer saying anything further.

“What organization do you belong to?”

“Alfreya Diocese. Special Operations Personnel.”

“Diocese… The Church, huh? ‘Special Operations Personnel’ is a name that’s fine to be asked about.”

Their independent actions, away from the main force that came with us this time, suggest that this isn’t a normal scenario where they openly operate. But openly deploying such a unit, or calling in a team with names like ‘Assassination Squad’ or ‘Cleanup Crew,’ would tarnish the image of the ‘Church of Justice.’ So they probably have this name to be able to brush off any questions if someone were to ask.

“So, why did you come here, and why did you kill Roroel?”

“The intention of the Demon King. To provoke a commotion, becoming worthy of the Demon King’s attention. Also, to secure potential valuable elements.”

“The cause… was the Sacred Tree.”

Their initial objective wasn’t the Sacred Tree; it was to retrieve the new shoots because they were the cause of the curse.

…But even if that’s the case, after confirming the attack? Which attack are they referring to? It’s not about the incident where Roroel was attacked. They didn’t know Roroel was here.

Furthermore, they mentioned ‘confirmation.’ In other words, they weren’t the ones attacking us.

Apart from them, the only ones who have attacked us are… the bandits on the way.

So, that means they were part of their plan as well.

I had suspected someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes, but I didn’t know who the culprit was. I had thought it might be the Pope, but it could also be another executive within the Church, or even a pawn from the side of the King.

However, if these guys claim to be ‘Under the Pope’s Command,’ it would be fair to consider that the Pope orchestrated the attack.

Well, even though they might have intended to change their actions depending on the situation after obtaining information about us being attacked, the fact that they didn’t help means they intended to become our enemies anyway. It was something I had already anticipated.

“Well, well. I see. That makes sense. We were originally enemies, or rather, we’re still enemies now, so it’s not like we’ll be getting along. If the church is the cause of the curse, and if there’s something that interferes with the curse, it’s only natural to want whatever started it all.”

We may not know what they were trying to achieve by attacking us, but seeking the cause of the curse…

“—So? Even after hearing this, do you still intend to play innocent, pretending we’re different?”

As soon as I posed the question, the four of them exchanged glances and dropped their weapons.

Just when I thought that, they immediately produced something and swallowed it down.

For a moment, I considered whether their relinquishing of weapons signaled surrender, but that delayed my reaction slightly.

However, I could still attack to hinder them.

Firing parasitic tree seeds at the four, attacks also came from our surrounding allies.

Though they were likely given some sort of drug to ingest, they probably couldn’t move now, especially since some of their limbs had been severed.

I thought that even if they tried something else, it would be easily resolved by growing the parasitic trees.

But then…

“Huh? …Honestly. You too, huh?”

As the four trembled violently, their bodies rapidly expanded.

Their transformation resembled the bandits encountered on the road, or rather, they looked similar to the Second Princess—those who had gained the power of the evil god.

While the mutation hasn’t fully completed yet, it’s anticipated that tentacles of a dark, chaotic hue will soon extend from their bodies.

From what we’ve learned about the bandits, it seems the pontiffs have established a method of using curses to enhance and modify people. Whether it was awakening the curse originally within themselves, or transforming by ingesting a mass of curses, it’s unclear. Nonetheless, the fact remains that they’re utilizing curses.

Well, one can understand that. Humans seek power, and if curses can be harnessed, they’ll be used. But…

“…I don’t know what you all are thinking to go this far, but spreading such filthy curses in this forest isn’t acceptable!”

Curses have no place here. They are forbidden. In this place where those who have dedicated their lives to eradicating curses rest, bringing curses in is simply not permissible.

So…

— “Earth Reversal” and “Incineration.”

Before the four enemies could complete their transformation, I activate the skills to raise the ground, invert it in mid-air, and then freeze it.

By doing so, those who were on the raised ground fall into the massive hole that appeared, which is already filled with flames.

Despite not dying instantly, one of the four, seemingly fully mutated, attempts to crawl out, reaching for the edge of the pit.

“Don’t even think about crawling out. Just burn quietly. Or perhaps—rot away.”

I squat down and activate a skill by placing my hand on the ground.

The ground from where I touched to the edge of the pit begins to decay. Then, the one attempting to crawl out of the pit, weakened by the brittle ground, falls back into the hole again.

Then, I manipulate the ground that was floating in the air to drop once more.

A shockwave and a loud noise hit us nearby, raising a cloud of dust around. However, the dust cloud obscuring our vision is quickly dispersed by those around us, who were considerate enough.

Beyond the cleared view, the sight of the overturned ground fallen is visible. Since the four enemies are also caught under it, they would normally be dead. But unfortunately, the enemies are not ordinary. They seem to possess the power of the evil god, unable to be completely killed, as all four crawl out from under the ground.

Nevertheless, they’re not unscathed, unable to move properly despite being alive.

Facing them, I utter words that could be considered the finishing blow.

“Parasitic tree. Feast on them.”

As soon as I speak, parasitic trees implanted in their heads before their mutation sprout, rapidly growing and covering their heads in green.

You might think it would have been better to do this from the start, and I thought so too. But the power of the evil god seemed to be too strong, preventing instructions from reaching the seeds within the enemy’s bodies.

Since I felt the sensation of weakened power and the ability to send instructions, I decided to use the skill again.

Thus, the four, now mutated under the name of ‘Special Operations,’ are controlled by parasitic trees and line up before me.

“Get accustomed to manipulation. If possible, ensure they can return to their original forms. Also, confirm their memories.”

“Yes.”

If they can return to their original forms, they might serve some purpose, and even if they cannot, there might still be a use for them.

Now, all that’s left is to dispose of the bodies over there and cleanse this area once again, then perhaps, this will finally be over.

“I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”

I exhaled lightly before approaching the sacred tree, expressing my apology.

Weakly, intermittently, but the intention to forgive was conveyed from the scared tree.

I don’t know what the sacred tree actually thinks, and I don’t intend to forgive myself. This time, it’s clearly my mistake. I should have understood that there was some sort of scheme when they assigned such a knightly order to me, but I convinced myself that I was the one being attacked and didn’t look beyond that.

So, it’s my fault that things turned out like this.

“It’s a request from Roroel. I’ll definitely protect you next time.”

As I spoke, a consenting intention was sent from the sacred tree, and then there was no further response. The sacred tree probably fell asleep.

“Half of the elves will stay here on standby. Take care of the sacred tree. As for food and defense, I’ll manage somehow.”

While saying this, I ordered my subordinates to scatter seeds of treants and mandrake-infused plants throughout the entire forest.

If we can grow these, it should be fine for defense. The weeds at our feet pierce like spikes, the fruits above shoot out with the hardness of iron balls, and the flowers of low bushes, which obstruct progress, emit gunpowder instead of pollen.

There are also flowers that scatter poison and pollen, vines set up like traps, and fruits that emit scents to lure deeper into the forest. Honestly, it’s becoming more dangerous than the Demon King’s castle, but this is fine.

There’s no holding back this time. Whether a million troops come to attack or the Tenth rank comes, I’ll definitely kill them. That’s the plan.

“Leave a few more ‘farmers’, ‘earth mages’, ‘water mages’, and ‘plant mages’. It’s fine to ensure safety first, but gradually expand the territory of the forest.”

Among the soldiers I brought, there are ‘farm soldiers’ who have been trained recently. Although they’re not professionals, they have secondary skills, so they should be of some use. As long as they can use ‘Growth’, they serve a purpose, so there’s no problem.

If we expand the forest with their help, it will also strengthen the military power of this land.

“Let’s go back.”

After finishing various preparations, we decided to return this time for sure.

“W-What happened!? Why did we suddenly come back? It seemed like there was a battle… And the forest suddenly got bigger!”

Following us, the hero seemed to not understand what happened because he was stopped by our subordinates. He kept asking why and what happened.

Perhaps if he had seen the corpses, his reaction would have been different, but unfortunately, the bodies had already been moved from the scene, so he couldn’t understand what had happened.

Even so, with careful observation or considering the situation, he should have been able to understand various things. In fact, the Holy Maiden over there seems to have something on her mind and is lost in thought.

“Hey! What the heck happened!?”

“We had to go to the church and talk to the pope.”

“To the pope? Why would you do that…”

I might not need to tell him, but I’ll at least let him know. After all, he’s an acquaintance to some extent.

“Roroel is dead. He was attacked.”

“What? …Huh?! H-He’s dead? Roroel, the elf?”

“That’s right. He was attacked by ‘someone’.”

“Why!? Why would there be an attack in a place like this…!? D-Don’t tell me, they’re after me again, and because of that…?”

It seems the hero misunderstood, thinking the thieves we encountered on the way were targeting him, but there’s no need to correct him to that extent.

“…Prepare yourself too, ‘Hero’.”

“Huh? H-Hey! Wait!”

The hero called out to stop me, but I ignored his voice and began walking.

“What do you mean by ‘prepare myself’…”

I felt like I heard such a voice, but that’s something you should figure out for yourself. I’ve given my warning.

With that, we left the forest and got back into the carriage once again.

…Ah, but before that.

I caused the seeds scattered around the Sacred Tree and the area around the ‘trees’ to bloom all at once.

“—At least accept this much, Roroel.”

Isn’t this better than a plain landscape?

I glanced back at the forest only once before closing my eyes.

When I opened them again, without looking back anymore, I got into the carriage and headed towards the holy capital.