The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 548

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

Chapter 548   Demon king and Pope

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“Your Holiness, it seems that the Demon King’s faction is heading towards this church.”

“The Demon King? Their purpose… goes without saying, I presume?”

In the papal office, the Pope, along with a man who seems to be one of his subordinates, is having a conversation.

It appears that their discussion pertains to the commotion happening outside at the moment.

“Most likely, it’s for the rescue of the Elven princess.”

“Hmm. Well, while I can understand the desire to rescue her, to take such bold actions towards our stronghold… it’s foolish. This will make it difficult for even the king to defend us.”

Indeed, even if Karakas and the king’s faction were collaborating, such a foolish commotion would make it impossible for the king to defend them.

However, that didn’t matter. Even if they hadn’t allied with the king, as long as the church targeted the Elves or Lilia, it would ultimately lead to this outcome.

“How is the Elven princess at the moment?”

“She has just been handed over to the alchemist.”

“I see. That’s fine then. You gather all the forces of the church and focus on defense. If you can hold out for a while, the king will have no choice but to send his army within a few hours. Then, launch a pincer attack and wipe them out.”

“Understood—”

With that, the conversation of the pope and his subordinates concluded, and as the subordinate was about to bow—

“Hey hey, talking about a few hours later and all, what a carefree thing to say. What you should be concerned about is the future just seconds from now, right?”

The intruder burst in, blowing the door into splinters. Well, it’s me.

We had left the square where the food distribution was taking place and were marching towards the church. Apart from my subordinates, a few of us had sneaked into the church ahead of time and were up to some tricks.

Not that we did anything major, just trying to locate Lilia’s whereabouts. We already knew the location from asking the plants, but we didn’t know if there were any plants along the way to guide us there. So, it was to investigate that.

…And also, just to scatter some seeds while I’m at it. That was just a side task.

So, that’s how it went. While using the front-line subordinates as a diversion, I listened to the plants and made our way here through a less crowded route.

By the way, the subordinates who came with me were the usual Kyle, Sofia, and Bell. And a few other seventh-rank members. Plus, for this occasion, I decided to bring Flora along too. I wanted to leave her behind because it’s dangerous, but it seems like Flora is also angry about Lilia’s abduction, and if I left her behind, she might just charge into the church with the other Elves, so I had no choice but to bring her along.

Well, Lilia might not be Flora’s biological child, but she’s Flora’s ‘mom.’ She probably wants to help.

And then there’s Granny. Granny is strong and useful, so it would’ve been fine to bring her along, but it would be bad if the main command was left unattended, so I decided to leave that to her.

…I mean, technically I’m the supreme commander, so my squad is the main force, right? Normally, that is. But what about this situation?

Well, setting that aside for now, there’s something more important at hand. After all, the leader of the enemy is right in front of us. It doesn’t get much more crucial than this, right?

“Now then, Your Holiness. Shall we have a chat?”

As we approached, weapons at the ready, the pope’s subordinates were on guard, but the pope himself remained seated in his chair. Whether he’s courageous or simply unable to react…

Either way, it doesn’t change what I have to do.

“A chat, you say? What about? If you have something to discuss, rather than resorting to such rough tactics, if you could follow the proper procedures, we could respond accordingly—”

“Ah, spare me the formalities.”

The pope seemed about to offer some sort of excuse, but I wasn’t interested in hearing it. After all, listening to it wouldn’t change the outcome. It’s better to move things along rather than waste time, right?

“Well, never mind. The point is simple. The reason I’ve come here is—”

As I said this, I walked around the room and leaned against the backrest of the nearby sofa.

Flora, who had been walking beside me holding a pot with seedlings, wasn’t tall enough to lean against the backrest like me, so she hopped up and sat on it.

It was a cute sight, but the plant she was holding wasn’t so cute. It had white fruits with black dots in the center and red lines resembling blood vessels around them.

There were similar plants back on Earth, and they seem to exist here too.

“To punch you.”

As I uttered those words and directed hostility towards the pope, someone dropped from the ceiling.

Well, not so much dropped as descended. And they attacked. In other words, it was an ambush.

But…

“You thought you could just snatch people and settle things peacefully? If that’s the case, you’ve seriously underestimated us, pal.”

The plant in Flora’s pot rapidly grew and attacked the assailant who appeared from above.

Don’t underestimate the gods of plants. Unlike us amateurs who can’t do anything without using skills, they can manipulate plants with just a thought, so there’s no room for error.

Well, Flora in her current form has limited power, but I can make up for that. If I use “Growth” on Flora, she seems to recover.

The grown plant struck the assailant with branches bearing white fruits, simultaneously bursting the fruits upon impact and splattering the liquid inside onto the assailant.

But although we thwarted the initial attack, the assailant was still too close for comfort. They would likely strike again if we didn’t create an opening.

However, if we could create a momentary opening…

I grabbed the assailant’s hand as he fell, exposing a vulnerability, and activated “Fertilization Generation.”

With that alone, the assailant’s body began to decay into mush, eventually even he’s clothes turning into fertilizer.

Well, that’s great. This fertilizer isn’t rotting; it’s the real deal. I could sprinkle it in a flower bed, and the flowers would love it.

“If you continue with such actions, you will face condemnation. This is no longer just a matter between nations—”

“Yeah, yeah. Just shut up for a bit. I’m not interested in hearing what you have to say.”

As the person in front of me crumbled into something akin to soil, the pope grimaced but attempted to continue speaking.

However, since I had no intention of listening to such talk, I interrupted and ended the conversation.

“Did you think we called ourselves a nation and stayed within what you can comprehend? That something like this wouldn’t be a problem? Or perhaps you thought we couldn’t touch you here? Even if our comrades were abducted, without evidence, we couldn’t retaliate?”

In a normal country, they might conduct investigations, protests, procedures, and whatnot when their comrades are abducted, but unfortunately, we are “Karakas.” More accurately, I am the “Demon King.”

“You fool. There’s no way that’s happening. We’re a bunch of criminals, aren’t we? Just because we’ve been quiet until now doesn’t mean it’ll continue forever. To get cocky without realizing that.”

“Even so—”

Even if I convey my thoughts, the pope continues to try to speak.

He must understand by now that it’s pointless.

Or perhaps it’s just to stall for time until his subordinates or the Hero arrives. While I don’t think we’ll reach an understanding through conversation, the act of talking itself isn’t meaningless. Maybe.

But I’m not going to entertain such thoughts. I’ll do as I please.

“Here you go.”

“Ah, thank you.”

The pope continues to speak, but Sofia hands me a certain tool without paying attention to that, and I accept it, thanking her.

… Well, even though I’ll do as I please, I’m not a monster.

Time? If they want to buy time, they can have as much as they like.

“Ah, ah…”

“My voice is spread around through the tool, reaching not only this church but also those around it. In essence, it’s a megaphone.”

“To all under Karakas command, listen up. Seize control of the church with all our might. Kill anyone who resists. Take whatever you want. Destroy everything so they can never dare to mess with us again.”