The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 562

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

Chapter 562   Former Zaviet alchemist

“The alchemist… the tenth rank in Zaviet, huh?”

The person wearing the white coat is named Aluc Haaros. He’s a man who seems to look down on everything in the world, with eyes that seem bored. I’ve never seen his face directly, but the portrait my subordinate obtained is unmistakably him.

I expected him to have fled from the kingdom and ended up here, but it’s exactly as I anticipated.

Well, if his whereabouts are known, then so be it. If he’s useful, we’ll use him, and if he wants to become an ally, we’ll accept him. But if he’s an enemy, we’ll just kill him.

With that said, I’d like to move into action immediately…

“Hn!”

Just as I took a step forward, the sense of curses suddenly intensified.

I can endure it. However, if it burdens me, then it means it’ll also burden Flora.

Therefore, I instinctively took a step back, weakening the curse instantly.

It seems that beyond this point lies an area saturated with curses. It’s probably similar to the vicinity of that sacred tree. It has been invaded by curses and has become a state that could be called the demonic realm.

And what we’re feeling now is just a tiny fraction of the curses leaking from beyond this point.

Unable to proceed recklessly, I decided to pause and assess the situation.

“Is that the guardian?”

It was said that there was a guardian preventing the rescue of Lilia, and that guardian must be that mutant. It just gives off that ‘guardian’ vibe.

“Yes. Even if we try to approach, there’s a curse hindering us, and our movements are slowed down by that grotesque being.”

One of my subordinates responded, likely having attempted to rescue Lilia several times already.

Considering his words, I looked again at the mutant. Indeed, the pressure it exudes is comparable to my father’s… not quite, but it’s quite strong. It’s incomparable to your run-of-the-mill small fry. It might even have the strength of the tenth-rank?

However, it’s likely that it’s an experimental subject. Otherwise, there’s no way it wouldn’t have appeared when mutants showed up before.

While it’s possible that it was kept hidden as a last resort, the current situation is what it is.

Even if they were kept hidden, if they were being attacked to this extent, they could have been deployed more extensively, forming dozens of ranks or lining them up along the walls. There’s enough space for that, so it wouldn’t be a problem.

The reason they’re not doing that is probably because there aren’t that many of them.

Or perhaps, they’re kept in separate rooms to avoid being obstructive in the field of vision, or maybe this one has an extremely bad personality and is still concealing its combat capabilities even in this situation.

But well, if we fight with the assumption that there are reserves prepared beforehand, there shouldn’t be any problem. If that mutant is a product of curses, then we can defeat it by purifying it.

Even if not, as long as we can somehow deal with the curses filling this place, our guys should be able to fight that mutant too.

“How about magic? And what about bows? If we attack from outside the range of the curse, movement shouldn’t be hindered, right?”

“Most likely, it’s due to alchemy, but it seems that magic gets dispelled after the enemy scatters some kind of potion.”

“Dispelled?”

“Yes. Once it gets close enough, it dissipates as if it were evaporating.”

“Some kind of anti-magic potion, huh… What about the bows then?”

“We tried that too, but they were obstructed by those mutants.”

“Those guys… They seem to have gaps, but targeting those doesn’t work?”

“We tried targeting them. However, they only move to intercept once they’re spotted, so even if we aim for gaps, they manage to stop us.”

Blocking arrows once they’re perceived by higher-ranking individuals means they must have a certain level of rank after all.

“Well, if they’re similar to other mutants, they should be somewhat vulnerable… Nothing to be done about it.”

Mutants have their abilities enhanced compared to their original counterparts. The enhancement rate is roughly equivalent to three or four ranks higher. Even an ordinary person can contend with a strong opponent.

If they’re further enhanced, and if the original individual was of a high rank, it becomes even more troublesome.

If someone from the seventh or eighth rank were used, they’d likely break through even the tenth rank’s defenses.

“People can’t enter the curse, magic gets dispelled, and bows and projectiles are blocked by the mutants…”

It’s a situation where both close-range and long-range attacks are sealed off.

But without seeing it for myself, I can’t make any judgments. I’ve understood firsthand that you can’t approach due to the curse’s influence. However, I don’t know how fast they react to attacks from distances other than magic, and how they deal with them.

“Give it a try.”

Upon instructing my subordinates as such, one of them wielding a bow straightened and let loose an arrow. It was swift enough that if it were aimed at me, I wouldn’t have been able to react in time, but as I had heard, it was skillfully deflected. Moreover, in a rather crude manner, by inserting itself into its own body.

However, naturally, if it inserted itself into its body like that, the released arrow would inevitably pierce it. Yet, the mutant, as if it were of no consequence, left the arrow lodged in place and returned to its original stance.

The attack wasn’t ineffective. So, if we keep attacking from a distance like this continuously, turning it into a porcupine…

As I pondered this, the mutant, without so much as flinching, only the area where the arrow had pierced squirmed, and it expelled the lodged arrow.

What remained afterward were the arrows fallen at its feet and the unscathed mutant.

…That regenerative ability is troublesome. However, if attacks themselves aren’t nullified, then there might still be a way.

For instance, attacks that burrow deep and intricately into its body, making expulsion impossible, would surely cause damage.

“Enough of this nuisance, just leave. I won’t kill you this time.”

As I contemplated how to attack, the alchemist, Aluc, behind the mutant, called out with a look of annoyance.

While his words might seem like mere complaints, I didn’t perceive them as such.

Certainly, fighting against the forces that had penetrated this far would be troublesome. But, he should realize it would be even more troublesome if it were left alone.

Despite knowing that, he chose to leave us be? Rather than doing something as bothersome as that, wouldn’t it be better to just defeat us quickly? Especially since there’s a superior guardian here compared to the others.

Not taking action means, in essence, it’s not that he won’t kill us because we’re bothersome, but…

“You’re not refraining from killing us, you just can’t, right? I understood that from your words just now. Those guardians probably can’t move properly unless they’re in a place heavily influenced by this curse, right? That’s why they don’t attack us, who are outside the curse.”

Indeed. Those guardians can’t leave the range of the curse, so they don’t attack us who are outside it. Otherwise, those annoying guys who’ve repeatedly attempted attacks would’ve been killed by now.

“Not attacking is because I don’t want to dirty this place with your corpses. Who do you think you are? Also, are you the boss of those small fries? …You’re just a kid.”

Aluc furrowed his brow, observed us, then smirked at me.

Even though he called me a kid, I’m about to turn twenty soon. I’m already an adult. Well, compared to the others and Aluc, I might be a kid.

“Seriously… I thought I could do whatever I wanted after becoming an alchemist, but I got summoned by that damn king, the kingdom is about to collapse, and on top of that, I’ve been attacked all the way here after fleeing. How cursed can one person be?”

…? What’s with this guy? With his words, it’s as if he’s grabbed the profession of alchemist with his own power.

Once a calling is determined, it can’t be changed. And you can’t choose it yourself.

That’s the common sense and rule of this world. Can it be overturned?

“Well, if you’re in the curse, it wouldn’t be strange to be cursed. And by the way, the kingdom hasn’t collapsed yet.”

“Tch. Shut up with that nonsense, mere mortal. Shut your mouth because you’re annoying.”

While casually responding with words, I ponder in my head. Is this guy really an entity that deviates from the rules of this world?

…No, that’s not it. If he originally was an alchemist, and later changed to something like a swordsman, that’s understandable. Alchemy isn’t combat-oriented, but if you have the skill and resources, it’s an all-purpose profession. So, even if there were some mysterious technique or tool for changing professions, or if it were possible, I could understand it.

However, that’s not the case with him. At this point, he’s still an alchemist. So, the possibility of him changing later in life is quite low.

Yet, making statements as if he obtained it through his own efforts implies that he chose his profession through some action before receiving his calling?

But what can someone who hasn’t received their calling do? While there’s a possibility that they received some kind of magic from someone else, interfering with divine power like a fragment of a god’s would likely require being at least the tenth rank. However, I haven’t heard of anyone other than him being a tenth-rank alchemist.

Or perhaps, if it were the god themself, they could do it, but even if you pray, would they really change it for you… no, if it were the god themself, they could.

Yeah, that’s right. In that case, it’s certainly possible. The issue then becomes whether the god would do such a thing for you. Just being blessed, just being noticed, wouldn’t be enough. It would require direct contact, unless…

However, if he had encountered a god, then he…