The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 546

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

Chapter 546   It’s a change of plans

“Lilia disappeared? What do you mean… No, was she abducted?”

While furrowing my brows at Bell’s words, I quickly understood the reason for Lilia’s disappearance.

Kidnapping. That’s all it is, plain and simple. It might not be familiar to ordinary folks, but for us, it’s something we know all too well.

But the fact that it’s just that is the problem.

Lilia had security with her, and more importantly, this place could be considered our stronghold. Even though we’re currently doing things like food distribution, the surrounding area is filled with only Karakas’ allies. Sneaking in and abducting someone under these circumstances requires a significant force.

Moreover, the only ones who would dare to abduct Lilia in this situation are just one group that comes to mind.

“You all investigate immediately. Use all the forces we’ve brought. If there’s a chance to rescue her, do it.”

“Yes, sir!”

As I commanded my subordinates around me, they immediately sprang into action. They were probably already moving before I gave the order, but there’s a difference in the seriousness of their actions when it’s an order compared to when it’s not.

Plus, we can’t mobilize all our forces based solely on their judgment, so there’s still a need for orders after all.

“We’re heading to where Lilia was.”

Saying that, I let Bell guide me while I use my skills to gather information.

But as we proceed, we hear some commotion coming from the direction we’re heading.

“What’s going on? Why all this noise…”

“Lord Vesnar! Multiple mutants have appeared simultaneously! We are currently dealing with the situation!”

Pushing people aside, we arrive at the scene, and one of my subordinates rushes over to me and explains the situation.

It was a brief explanation, but it immediately became clear to me what was causing all the commotion.

“Mutants? …Tch, of all times… No, could this be part of the plan?”

I had noticed an unusual number of mutants today, but could this also be the work of the church?

If they left mutants where Lilia was, to hinder our investigation, it wouldn’t be surprising.

“For now, handle all of them—No, scratch that. I’ll take care of the enemies. You guys focus on evacuating and protecting the civilians.”

“Yes, sir!”

The people here might be involved in Lilia’s kidnapping, and extracting information using parasitic vines might be useful.

It might not work, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

Evacuating the citizens is important, not only because involving them would tarnish the reputation we’ve worked hard to build up, but also because I don’t want to be seen manipulating parasitic vine.

Since there’s no need to take much time, I quickly plant seeds and only allow the vines to grow enough to immobilize people without being seen by the general public. That should do it. I’ll wait until everyone’s gone before allowing the vines to grow perfectly and extracting information.

“Do not move! You heretical heathens who conduct rituals to worship dark gods! Purify every last one of them!”

However, as we dealt with them, a group appeared, heading towards us unlike the fleeing citizens.

The group, adorned in matching, polished armor, resembled knights.

From their appearance and words, it was immediately apparent what kind of group they were.

But ‘purify’? I initially thought, given the church’s obsession with curses, that they meant to purify us. However, I was mistaken.

The knights began ‘purifying’—no, killing—the people present, just as they shouted.

It seems this is what they call ‘purification’. Are they out of their minds, to do such a thing to their own followers?

…Well, they are, in fact, out of their minds. Whether it’s due to the influence of dark gods or simply a matter of blind faith, they’re definitely unhinged.

Do they think anything tainted is trash?

But regardless of what the church thinks, whether the citizens will accept it is another matter.

The citizens try to flee, but it seems the square has already been sealed off by the church, and fights are breaking out everywhere.

They probably hurried to deploy so as not to be noticed by us. There’s no way we wouldn’t notice if they took their time.

However, it’s puzzling that we didn’t realize we were being cornered to this extent.

Even though we were engaging in peaceful activities like providing food, we were not the kind to relax our vigilance.

Ah, Lilia.

Lilia’s abduction temporarily raised awareness in the area, prompting those who remained here to focus on searching for her.

As a result, those present here were diverted to dealing with mutants and protecting the citizens.

While chaos reigned, the knights moved, encircling the square where we were.

Perhaps they had been hiding in a building near the square beforehand. If so, it’s understandable how they could quickly surround us.

However, upon closer inspection, they couldn’t block off all the roads, and there were plenty of escape routes.

But when the limited escape routes became crowded with citizens, they ceased to be escape routes altogether.

As people crowded together, movement became difficult, effectively blocking the paths.

And even if there were still unblocked routes, there would likely be reinforcements or something waiting to ‘purify’ them.

Understanding the situation, I was about to give instructions to my subordinates when someone approached me.

“We’ve received reports of what’s happening here, Your Majesty. It seems they’ve been feeding our faithful followers tainted medicine under the guise of a food distribution, transforming them into monsters.”

Despite the respectful tone, the man’s demeanor and expression clearly showed contempt towards us.

Grinning maliciously, this man was likely the captain of this unit.

“Here is the evidence! This is the cause of the mutants we uncovered. This potion!”

As he spoke, the man raised a small vial he held, shouting to those present and flaunting it.

Unable to escape and bewildered by the surroundings, the citizens turned their gaze towards us in response to the man’s loud voice.

“These individuals are criminals from Karakas! Using this potion, they aimed to disrupt the Holy Capital by defaming the church and seeking plunder. They are the ‘evil’ ones!”

Well, calling us evil… I guess they’re not entirely wrong about that. Lilia would have been delighted to hear that.

But Lilia is currently kidnapped and not present here.

Thinking about that, it’s like… well, anger wells up, but it’s more about my own stupidity and incompetence rather than just anger, you know?

“So basically, your argument is that drinking that potion turns people into monsters, and we possess such dangerous items, right? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes. Acknowledge your wrongdoing! Then, even as heretics, you may receive the mercy of God!”

“…Not just about Lilia, but being openly opposed like this… I thought they’d act more discreetly, but they’ve come out with such aggressive tactics, so they probably don’t intend to resolve this peacefully… sigh.”

We had guards assigned to Lilia, and there was security to protect this area.

But there could have been more done. If only I had kept Lilia by my side all along, this kidnapping wouldn’t have happened. I knew she was being targeted; I should have done that. There’s no excuse for thinking Lilia’s whims were annoying or letting her do as she pleased. After all, it was my decision to do so.

…Well, what’s done is done. For now, I have to deal with this guy.

Despite the anger, I strangely feel calm. Instead of clenching my fists right away to punch him, I still have the presence of mind to consider what comes next, to give orders to my subordinates.

“Alright, you guys. Change of plans. Get in touch with the King. Sorry, but we’re moving out now. And also, inform the additional troops waiting at the border. Crush them.”

“Yes, sir!”

I can’t help feeling sorry for the king. Such a significant change in plans will be a hassle for them too.

I don’t want to cause trouble for Granny. Nor do I want to inconvenience those from Karakas. If they’re ordered to do something unexpected like this, they’ll probably be bewildered to some extent.

But still, I’ll do it, and my subordinates will follow my orders.

Trying to solve everything with violence will inevitably lead to problems somewhere down the line, but well, even if there are some issues, it should be fine. The top brass of this country is on our side, and ultimately, if we just destroy the entire church, most of the problems will be solved.

Afterwards, dealing with diplomacy and all that will be a pain, and even the king of the Holy Kingdom won’t be able to openly say “Let’s continue to be friends” to us after something like this. After all, we’ll be wreaking havoc in their country and then demolishing the religious headquarters. As the king of a religious nation, he can’t simply ignore the church, no matter how much he might dislike it.

You might think, “If that’s the case, why didn’t you do that from the beginning?” Well, I think the same thing.

But, understanding that it would be problematic to do so, I initially tried to handle it as a king would. Just be a regular king, conduct regular diplomacy… Maybe it was a bit unconventional, but I was still aiming for normal interactions between nations.

However, that’s all over now. I could tolerate things like mutants and curses, but once they laid hands on my comrades, there’s no turning back. I’ll just knock them all out, then get rid of the curses and the evil gods, achieve our goal even if the residents resent us.

We’re getting paid for the food anyway. Once we deal with the curse stuff, there’s no reason to stay here any longer.